Thursday October 23, 2003 ©2003 The Michigan Daily Ann Arbor, Michigan Vol. CXIII, No. 35 One-hundred-thirteen years ofeditorialfreedom Wnatbher TODAY: Skies will be partly cloudy for the dura- HI: 8 tion of thea winds from the north- Tomorrow, west. 54140 www.michigandaily.com ------------------------------- Granholm hands over MEAPto Ed. Dept. By Sara Eber Daily Staff Reporter Educators and legislator have greet- ed Gov. Jennifer Granhom's executive order regarding the Michigan Educa- tion Assessment Program earlier this week with praise and skepticism. Granholm's decision to transfer authority over the MEAP back to the Department of Education effectively cancelled a move by former Republi- can Gov. John Engler, who switched the test to the Department of Treasury during his term. Before that, the Department of Education had con- trolled the MEAP since the 1970s. "Educating our kids is the highest priority, and placing responsibility for MEAP with the Department of Educa- tion is in line with that goal," Granholn said in a written statement. Executive Order 2003-20, announced Monday, will take effect Dec. 21 unless rejected by the Legisla- ture and also utilizes the Department of Information and Technology to admin- ister the test. Granholm said she hopes that by facilitating the tests within the state government, delays in scoring - such as the ones that occurred this year - will be avoided in the future. Rep. Doug Hart (R-Rockford) said the move "makes absolute sense." Hart is a member of the House Education and Higher Education committees. "You have an organization that's used to working with schools and is already dealing with schools in the state on a variety of levels and issues," he said. Hart added that the switch will not adversely impact the operation of the Michigan Merit Award. The Michigan Merit Award was instituted in 2000 and gives Michigan students a $2,500 scholarship if they receive scores of one or two on the MEAP test. Despite the Department of Education's renewed power over the test itself, the Merit Award Board, which deals with the scholarship and its qualifications, will remain within the Department of Treasury. Education senior Jenny Farber said she hopes the switch will improve the collaboration between curriculum and the MEAP test. "This is a positive change and it might help make the MEAP a better tool for assessment than the MEAP that is already in place," she said. Education Prof. Dirck Roosevelt said that the change "is long overdue;' and that it highlights a very political issue in the state. "It would seem to me that the gover- nor is casting at least a tentative vote in favor of education as a professional field," he said. "People who dedicate their lives to teaching and children should be given the responsibility with their assessment." Yet another challenge to the MEAP test, however, is the governor's announcement that she will consider replacing MEAP with the American See MEAP, Page 7A Public universities see tuition spike . Largest rise in 25 years comes after state budget deficits increase nationwide By Carmen Johnson Daily Staff Reporter This year, students at public univer- sities experienced the largest increase in tuition since 1976, according to a recent annual survey by the College Board. Smaller state budgets nationwide and cutbacks in institutional funding - which causes universities to increasingly rely on tuition and fees as revenue sources - help account for the 14 percent increase in tuition since last year, the study states. But compared to the national aver- age, University students faced a less severe tuition increase of 6.5 percent this fall after cuts in administrative positions helped soften the blow. The increase is the lowest hike among uni- versities in the state of Michigan. The study found that costs at com- munity colleges also rose 14 percent while those of private universities rose by 6 percent. College Board President Gaston Caperton said universities' importance to economic recovery is undeniable. "All of us need to focus on the mounting and troubling hardships of financing an education," Caperton said in a written statement. Thirty years ago, the state con- tributed about 70 percent of the cost of education for in-state residents, yet this past year the state contributed only an estimated 30 percent, University Presi- dent Mary Sue Coleman said. "This study released on college costs illustrates the difficult situation most public universities have confront- ed with dramatic reductions in state support," Coleman said. Michigan's weakened economy this year translated into a state appropria- tion rate of 10 percent for the Universi- ty. And after Michigan officials announced last week that the state deficit is projected at just under $900 million, the situation could worsen. But students end up paying signifi- cantly less than the published tuition rates, according to the study. Student grants and loans surpassed a record $105 billion this year - an increase of 12 percent after adjusting for inflation. Almost 60 percent of undergraduates receive some form of financial aid, mostly through loans, to help pay for college. In the past eight years, the Universi- ty's tuition increases have averaged about 5 percent every year. The Uni- versity has also increased financial aid more than tuition increases every year. David Ward, president of the Ameri- can Council on Education, said the See TUITION, Page 7A F *LT UC LII1 aLIfl McDonald's has recently added healthier Items to Its menus, but the new Items may not stay for long If fast food trends for taste prevail. Healthy menu items conribte o profit rise for McDonald's 'U' defense attorney recounts high court battle, future goals By Ryan Vicko Daily Staff Reporter By Tomislav Ladika Daily Staff Reporter Thanks in part to the introduc- tion of new Premium Salads in light of growing concerns over obesity in the United States, McDonald's announced yesterday that its profits increased 13 per- cent for the third quarter. Analysts said the nature of fast food will challenge any trend toward offering healthier food, but students said they are more wor- ried about their diets and appreci- ate the variety Premium Salads provide. After struggling for much of last year, McDonald's boosted sales for the second straight quarter. Yester- day's report comes on the heels of an announcement made earlier this month that sales increased by 11 percent in September. The fast food giant's increased sales and income were due to cus- tomers' positive responses to the innovations made to the McDon- ald's menu, Chief Executive Offi- cer Jim Cantalupo said in a written statement. "Our emphasis on improving the taste of our food, the introduction of Premium Salads and McGrid- dies, continued demand for the Dollar Menu's outstanding value, and other initiatives are generating almost one million new customer visits each day," Cantalupo said. "This performance indicates that our revitalization plan is begin- ning to yield results." The company reported that earnings rose from 38 to 43 cents per share, and McDonald's stock increased 16 cents, from $23.74 to $23.90 per share. While McDonald's increased sales regarding the introduction of Premium Salads may indicate that Americans are responding to recent reports of an obesity epi- demic, Public Health Prof. Peter Mancuso said interest groups have blamed fast food chains for such health problems. "There is a lot of political pres- sure on the fast food industry to make changes to their menus to at least make lip service to the prob- lem of obesity," Mancuso said. Burger King has also responded to criticism by announcing it would offer three low-fat chicken sandwiches to its menu, and Wendy's has begun to offer reduced-fat milk and fruit at some See FAST FOOD, Page 7A In an event where women of strong character spoke about their experiences, Maureen Mahoney - lawyer for the Uni- versity's admissions policy defense team - talked about the tough questions she faced in the U.S. Supreme Court and reflected on what must be done now that the rulings have been handed down. The University recruited Mahoney for her broad experience with the Supreme Court. Serving as a clerk for Chief Justice William Rehnquist when he was an associate justice in 1979 - only a year after the court ruled in the Regents of the Uni- versity of California v. Bakke - Mahoney argued 11 cases before the Supreme Court, 10 of which she won. But she was seen as an unlikely person to take up the case on the University's side. Mahoney is a well-known Republican who was appointed U.S. deputy solicitor general during the first Bush administration, and she also argued on behalf of the House of Representatives in the Supreme Court while Newt Gingrich was speaker of the House. In response to this perceived bias, Mahoney said, "I'm a Republican, and there's a common misconception that all Republicans oppose affirmative action ... I care deeply about this case." General Counsel Marvin Krislov said Mahoney held her own throughout the case. "Simply stated, Maureen can think on her feet and persuade with her oratory" among the best lawyers of our generation, Krislov said. Mahoney talked about the large burden placed on her as a member of the University's defense team. She had to review many of the amicus briefs - which totaled more than 250- that were filed in support of the University. In addition, she wrote much of the 50-page brief on behalf of the University in the Grutter v. Bollinger case. She said she got a feel for what arguments were likely to carry weight by debating the issue with her husband, who is also a lawyer. Mahoney said that both she and her husband are skeptical of racial preferences but agree that in the case of higher education, the need for diversity justifies it. See MAHONEY, Page 7A Maureen Mahoney, lead council for the University's admissions policy defense team, speaks at the Power Center about her career, childhood and the lawsuits. Burning Bush Singer/songwriter Elliott Smith dead at 34, Calif. officials suspect suicide By Scott Serilla Daily Arts Editor Another rock great has passed on unnecessarily before his time. Elliott Smith died Tuesday afternoon at a Los Angeles area hospital after apparently taking his own life. Known for his superbly crafted indie pop and bleak heartbreaking lyrics, the bittersweet singer/songwriter was 34 years old. The Associate Press reported that Smith was found with a self-inflicted stab wound to the chest at his Los Angeles County residence by his live-in girlfriend. An unfortunate tragedy that senselessly echoes other early rock'n'roll losses, Smith's death came as a shock to his devot- ed fans, many of whom have taken solace in the artist's confessional depictions of his own struggles with love, depression and addiction. Admittedly morose through his career, Smith often wrote about suicidal issues duction qualities. These themes will quite possibly over- whelm listeners now, only building the regrettable romantic myth of another artist dying young. Still, for many it will be better to remember the beauty of his songs rather than dwell on their tenuous foreshadowing of his death. Smith's five solo albums mined similar sonic territory as his heroes, Memphis power- pop outfit Big Star and English folker Nick Drake, himself a rock causality. Unfortunately, Smith's records were just as chronically under-rec- ognized as the artists he adored during their life- Smith times. Born Steven Paul Smith in Nebraska released a series of LPs in the early '90s. Meanwhile, Smith put out two solo albums of softer, more introspective song- writing. Despite critical raves for his independ- ent solo releases, including his '97 epic Either/Or, he remained largely ignored by mainstream audiences. Smith's largest breakthrough came via "Miss Misery," his surprise hit from the "Good Will Hunting" soundtrack. The song was nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Song in 1997. Despite a loss to Celine Dion, Smith gained enough fame to make the jump from legendary indie rock label Kill Rock Stars to a major label deal with Dream- works Records. His next two albums, XO and Figure 8, struck out in a decidedly Beatle-esque direction, adding a sophisticated sheen to Smith's trademark sound, while subtract- ing none of the intense emotionalism. J.. tit [r't rnrvnn nn onset t ln..6..