Tt_.-. aa'-1_'_-._ P1_:t__ tU _t._.--J-_ t-.-..-._. !- ^^^- Asa _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _STATEThe Michigan Daily - Wednesday, January 5, 200 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. 14~ * Smith to head dnve to provide WWW.MICHIGANDAIL Y COM free tuition via state funding SUBSTITUTES NEEDED, St. Paul Early Childhood Center needs substitutes. No teaching required. Fun job working w/ young children. Great for Education & Psych. stuidents to gain exp. Call 668-0887. Y2 Play? GO DIRECT! #1 Internet-based company offering WHOLESALE Spring Break packages by eliminating middlemen! ALL Destinations! Guaranteed Lowest Price!. I- 800-367- 1252 www.springbreakdirect.com SPRING BREAK at Panama City Beach! "Summit" Luxury Condos Next to Spinnaker. Owner Discount Rates 404 355-9637. www.OPENSEATS.com Michigan's online ticket source buy/sell tickets Acapulco Canton Bahamas > Cruises Florida Europe r . d Sibb IRAM CAS 1 4 0 b 4veJ 4 m 9 G O F R EE 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 Dow Jones Industrial Average, NASDAQ and S&P 500 Composite for Week 12/29-1/4 ATTENTION MEDICAL, Nursing, and Dental Students: You'll find the best prices on all your textbooks and supplies at www.discountmedbooks.comn LESSONS: Guitar, Bass, Banjo, Piano, H. Dulcimer, Sitar, Balalaika Ino, Brass, Fiddle, Perc., etc. Herb David Guitar Studio 302 E. Liberty, 665-8001. PUT YOUR FACE in cyberspace. Video greeting cards. cardsAlive.corm DJIA Close 12/29 11,484.66 12/30 11,452.86 12/31 11,497.12 1/3 11,357.51 1/4 10,997.93 Change NASDAQ Close Change +7.95 4,041.46 +69.35 -31.80 4,036.87 -4.59 +44.26 4,069.31 +32.44 -139.61 4,131.15 +61.84 -359.60 3,901.69 -229.46 S&P Close 1,463.46 1,464.47 1,469.25 1,455.17 1,399.42 Change +5.80 +1.01 +4.78 -14.08 -55.80 More Parties Urn.,a Arrfiewn, personal LOOKING FOR SOCIAL people for fun 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. _., r. r-_ . _ r--,-r- _w . . f . . . l-" Ar te.,« - . e 1 r a t n 1 arxVnr. rnrk it 1