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LOCAL/STE
U' leads nation in research spending with $500M
0 - 7A
By Michael Grass
Daily Staff Reporter
Among universities across the nation, the
University of Michigan remains the nation's
top spender of research dollars - with near-
ly $500 million in expenditures last year.
According to recently released numbers
fr the National Science Foundation, the
University spent $496.7 million for its 1998-
99 fiscal year.
Factoring in additional areas of research
not considered by the NSF, the University
actually spends almost S499.7 million,
according to a report from the Office of the
Vice President for Research.
University research expenditures comprise
about 31 percent of the University's $1.1 bil-
lion budget. That figure excludes expendi-
tures for the University Hospitals.
Qiversity Vice President for Research
Fawwaz Ulaby told the University Board of
Regents at their December meeting that
funds from federal agencies increased last
year to $342 million - comprising 68.5 per-
cent of the funding sources.
Ulaby said the remainder of money comes
from University funds, industrial sources,
non-profit groups and other sources.
Almost half the University's total research
expenditures are spent on life sciences studies.
"If we look at expenditures by fields of
study, life sciences remain the largest frac-
tion overall, now accounting for 47 percent
of total research spending," Ulaby said.
In May, the University approved the
administration's $200 million plan to estab-
lish an institute to study the life sciences.
University President Lee Bollinger said an
advisory committee is currently reviewing a
list of five to 10 candidates for the institute's
director.
"My hope is that we will be able to identi-
fy a director by the end of the academic
year," Bollinger said.
After the life sciences, engineering
research comprises 19.6 percent of the
expenditures while 13.7 percent of research
dollars is spent on social science research.
When Ulaby delivered his annual research
report to the board last month, the NSF num-
bers for the fiscal year had not been released.
Ulaby used the most current rankings
available at the time, from Fiscal Year 1997-
98, which is fairly similar to the most recent
rankings.
The University of Michigan considers
itself the top spender, but if research and
development expenditures for the federal
government's Applied Physics Laboratory,
located on the campus of Johns Hopkins
University is factored into the university's
overall expenditures, it outranks the
University of Michigan.
Ulaby told the regents of any the nation's
public institutions, the University is number
one.
Following the University of Michigan and
Johns Hopkins in research expenditures are
the University of California at Los Angeles,
the University of Wisconsin at Madison, the
University of Washington, the University of
California at Berkeley, the University of
California at San Diego, the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology, Stanford University
and Texas A&M University.
In terms of overall scientific impact, the
University's research ranks fifth in the
nation. The Institute for Scientific
Information, the international organization
that determined the rankings, put the
University behind Harvard University,
Stanford University the California Institute
of Technology and Yale University.
"Without a doubt, the (University) is a
great institution populated by intelligent,
creative people whose work creates vibrancy
that is found in only a very few universities
around the world," Ulaby said.
And if the dollar amount does not testify
enough to the University's commitment to
research, the number of people involved in
research activities certainly does, Ulaby said.
About 24,000 staff and students in the
University community are connected to
research some manner.
About 3,100 faculty members, 2,500
research staff members, 15,000 graduate stu-
dents, 1,100 post-doctoral scholars and 2,000
undergraduate students conduct research on
campus, Ulaby said.
Top 10 universities in
research expenditures
1. University of Michigan
2. Johns Hopkins University'
3. University of California at Los Angeles
4. University Wisconsin at Madison
5. University of Washington
6. University of California at Berkeley 2
7. University of California at San piego
8. Massachusetts Inst. of Technology 2
9. Stanford University
10. Texas A&M
' Does not include $443 million from the federal
government's Applied Physics Laboratory at Johns
Hopins
Does not include research and development
expenditures at university-associated federally funded
research and development institutions.
SOURCE: Office for the Vice President for Research,
Nationl &Science loutdation
Students enjoy benefits
of textbook exchange
Court to
rule on
By b David Jenkins books through the exchange and more than 1,000 are
Daily Staff Reporter expected to buy. '
At the beginning of each new semester, one activity More than 40 subject areas from all colleges and
consumes some attention of each University student - schools are included in the exchange, including books
buying books. Text and reading books can often be from Residential College courses.
e ,nsive, but one student organization aims to cut LSA senior Lee Ann Benkert has participated in the
d on the costs of books for University students. book exchange for three years. "I definitely make back
The Student Book Exchange, in its I Ith year, is a non- at least 50 percent of what I originally paid," Benkert
profit, student-run program that allows students to get said.
rore money for their used books and save money on - Benkert said she is usually able to sell all the books
nqw ones. that are still in use by using her personal book exchange
Students can bring their used books to the book system.
echange in the Michigan Union Pond Room today. "I usually go 10 or 15 dollars off what I paid," Benkert N
Tomorrow and Friday, students can purchase the said.
books for the prices set by their owners and all unsold Benkert also recommends trying to sell old books that
books can be picked up Sunday. students were not able to sell back before.
Ie have all sorts of books," said Annie Chu, Student The book exchange grossed more than $40,000 during
Book Exchange vice president, "but the ones that sell the 1998-99 academic year.
the best are always the books from larger classes." Eighty-five percent of the money paid for the books
,LSA junior Bennett Borsuk, the exchange's financial goesdirectly to the seller. Fifteen percent of the sales
aeccountant, said the group expects a minimum of cover the upkeep of the program including room rental
between 3,000 and 4,000 books to pass through its hands and advertising.
during the next week. LSA first-year student Scott Kobetis said he plans to
"People usually save anywhere from 25 percent to 90 take part in the book exchange.
Percent of what they would be paying in the bookstores," "For me, the Student Book Exchange provides a fun, SAM HOLLENSHEAD/Daily
Borsuk said. et safe way to explore my underdeveloped entrepre- LSA junior Melissa Savage sorts through books at the Student Book Exchange in
Borsuk added that roughly 400 people usually sell neurial spirit., the Michigan Union Pond Room yesterday.
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anuncements
By Nick Bunkley
Daily Staff Reporter
Although an outdated Michigan law declares that students
attending the University's College of Literature, Science and
the Arts should not pay tuition, Ann Arbor's state senator
wants to make free higher education a reality for students
statewide.
Sen. Alma Wheeler Smith (D-Salem Twp.), who
recently sat on a committee that weeded out obsolete
laws such as the 1851 ban on LSA tuition, wants to delay
income and business tax cuts in favor of creating a trust
fund to pay for Michigan students to attend four years of
college.
Smith said she plans to spearhead a petition drive to put
the issue before voters.
"It just opens the door for students who want to go to the
University of Michigan, who are qualified to go to the
University of Michigan, but who could not afford to go to the
University of Michigan without going into severe financial
debt," she said.
The plan calls for implementing a .5 percent cut in the state
income tax across 10 years rather than five, as well as adding
an extra five years to the 23-year phase-out of the 2.3 percent
Single Business Tax.
Smith hopes to use that extra revenue to finance four
years of tuition at any of the state's 15 public universities
in the form of tax credits. Seven other states already have
programs that pay for in-state tuition at public institu-
tions.
"It leaves you all with a whole lot of money to spend
on your education," said Smith, the ranking Democrat on
the Senate Appropriations Higher Education
Subcommittee.
The tuition credit would be phased in a four-year period,
beginning with the 2000-2001 academic year, when its
expected to cost the state $88.3 million. Students who are
currently in ninth grade would be the first class eligible to
collect four years of credit from the state.
Cynthia Wilbanks, the University's vice president for
government relations, said it's too early to tell what kind of
effect the plan could have on state appropriations and
tuition prices.
"Everyone is extremely sensitive to providing the highest
quality of education that we can provide at a cost that every
student can afford," Wilbanks said.
A poll conducted last month by Lansing-based EPIC/MRA
found that 62 percent of respondents favored delaying the tax
cuts to pay for students' education.
"No matter how we asked it, the public thought it would be
a good idea," said EPIC/MRA Vice President Ed Sarpolus.
Gov. John Engler last year created the Michigan Merit
Award program, which provides up to $3,000 toward
tuition costs for students who pass statewide achievement
tests.
Engler spokesperson John Truscott said increasing the
amount of automatic financial assistance should not come at
an added cost to taxpayers.
"We're not going to delay tax cuts for all Michigan taxpay-
ers to implement this proposal," Truscott said.
Smith, who plans to run for governor in 2002, needs to col-
lect more than 287,000 signatures from registered Michigan
voters to put the question on the November ballot.
"We have really good support from the general public and
some help from businesses," she said.
KKK
protestor
By Nika Schulte
Daily Staff Reporter
Washtenaw County Circuit Judge
Donald Shelton is scheduled to
announce whether he will drop a
felony incitement to riot charg 2 :
against anti-Ku Klux Klan' protestt:
Robin Alvarez for chanting "taket
down the fence" at the May 9, 1998
KKK rally at the Guy C. Larcom
Municipal Building.
The charge against Alvarez, a 46-
year-old Ann Arbor resident and jew-
elry artist, carries a maximum punish-
ment of 10 years in prison and a
$10,000 fine.
Defense Attorney Miranda Massie
made the motion for a directed verdict
yesterday following a full morning of
testimony from prosecution witnesses.
"The prosecution has failed to make a
a case," Massie told Shelton after the
jury had been excused for the day.
"There is absolutely nothing showing
(Alvarez) had any intent to riot:'
The testimony from prosecution
witnesses included two Ann Arbor
Police Department officers, three
AAPD detectives and one
Department of Public Safety sergeant;
In his testimony AAPD Officer
Michael Lencioni, who was assigned
to the rally as an undercover officer,
said the crowd had pushed and pulled
on the fence which the city had erect-
ed to separate the Klan and the anti-
Klan protesters prior to Alvarez shout-
ing to the crowd, but the "main brunt'
of the aggression occurred after her
chants.
During cross examination, Massie
pointed out that Lencioni made n,
mention of the previous pushing and
pulling on the fence in the report he
wrote following the rally and cited
Alvarez's chant as the impetus for the
crowd's actions.
Lencioni said it appeared as if there
was more "teamwork" among the
counterdemonstrators after Alvarez
had chanted.
Assistant Prosecutor Patricia Peters
told Shelton the trial should proceed
because a "reasonable jury" would
find Alvarez guilty based on the testi-
mony the officers had provided.
Although more than 20 protesters
were charged for their actions at the
rally, Alvarez's case is only the third to
go to trial.
In September, one protester was
convicted on a charge of assault with a
dangerous weapon. Felony charges
were dropped that month against eight
counterdemonstrators.
Last June, a jury acquitted a Huron
High School student who had been'
charged with rioting at the counter-
demonstration. In July, Washtenaw
County 15th District Judge Ann
Mattson dismissed misdemeanor
criminal charges against nine counter-
demonstrators who allegedly damaged
the fence.'
Shelton said he would have to
review Mattson's opinion on that'
case before deciding whether
Alvarez's trial should continue but
warned attorneys to be prepared to
proceed.
Massie said the charges against
Alvarez should be dismissed because
the word "'riot' doesn't have any rela-
tionship to what happened with
Alvarez,' and claims the police didn't
+hnk-n e ither since thev failed' to
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DJIA Close
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Change NASDAQ Close Change
+7.95 4,041.46 +69.35
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+44.26 4,069.31 +32.44
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S&P Close
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Change
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Highlights from the week: The half-day trading session Friday marked the end of one of the most pros-
perous years for the stock market ever. For the year, the Dow was up 25.2 percent, the S&P 500 gained
19.5 percent but most amazing was the NASDAQ composite which increased 85.6 percent. For most
investors, the year produced a lot of profit and many decided to cash in some of their winnings yesterday
in a record breaking day. It was the biggest one day loss for the NASDAQ in its history and the fourth
largest lost for the Dow ever. Pushing the profit taking by investors was the release of some inflationary
data that showed construction spending rising 2.6 percent in November, exceeding many analysts esti-
mates. The next Federal Reserve meeting isin February and because of this data, it is almost certain that
interest rates will be raised again.
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