Weather Wednesday December 10, 2003 @2003 The Michigan Daily Ann Arbor, Michigan Vol. CXIII, No. 68 One-hundred-thirteen years ofeditoriadfreedom TODAY: Rainy and cool all day with temper-, atures drop- ping below freezing at night. LOW 31 Tomorrow: 3SI 1 wwwmichigandailycom Lawmakers, Gov. cut deal on higher ed By Andrew Kaplan Daily Staff Reporter When the University slashed its budget in the middle of last year, faculty had to stretch to temper the costs of their own programs. Philos- ophy Prof. Stephen Darwall, who also directs the LSA Honors Program, recalls the conces- sions the program had to make to meet admin- istrators' financial timetables, including cutting vital staff positions and coping with an under- sized faculty. "We haven't increased the size of the faculty in two or three years," Darwall said, adding that a dearth of instructors in all departments has made it difficult to fit students into courses, such as his philosophical ethics class. "But that's the cost of budget cuts," he said. Since the state Legislature carved 10 percent from the budgets of public colleges and univer- sities last year, department cuts have been part and parcel of cost reductions at the University. But the problems may only get worse in the coming year. In a conference with Republican leader- ship yesterday, Gov. Jennifer Granholm and Senate Majority Leader Ken Sikkema (R- Wyoming) agreed to cut up to 5 percent of state funding to Michigan's colleges and universities. Although the governor is not expected to officially present her decision to the entire Leg- islature until today, reports of higher education cuts as great as 6 percent and as small as 3 per- cent have circulated among news sources since Granholm's televised "budget conversations" last month. Granholm's latest proposal will allow admin- istrators to avoid major cuts by keeping tuition fees down, a spokesman for Senate Democrats said yesterday. Following Granholm's executive order today on the budget, the University will begin evalu- ating its assets and form decisive, cost-saving measures, University spokeswoman Julie Peter- son said. Given the urgency of the budget cuts, admin- istrators will need to work quickly to trim their expenses, she added. "We don't have the luxury of taking a lot of time," Peterson said, but didn't specify a schedule. If the University sees more cuts, students and faculty could face increased class sizes, fewer course sections and layoffs, Peterson said. "The schools and departments have been very conservative this year," Peterson said. "We did feel the impact on class sizes, because departments weren't able to offer as many sec- See CUTS, Page 8 CRUNCH TIME Proposed amendment seeks greater scrutiny of college spending Photos by DAVID TUMAN/Daily LEFT: Psychology doctoral student Hyekyung Park studies at a computer station in the School of Social Work Library yesterday. ABOVE: LSA junior Thomas Stark and Pharmacy student Ajay Desal (background) study at the Michigan Union study lounge last night. By Michael Gurovitsch Daily Staff Reporter A proposed amendment to the Michigan con- stitution introduced in the state's House of Repre- sentatives last week would change how the state's public universities receive and spend state-allocated funds. Rep. Jack Hoogendyk (R- Kalamazoo), who proposed the legislation, said contro- versies over rising tuition costs, affirmative action and the University's "How to be Gay: Male Homosexuality and Initiation" class have Hoogendyk made it necessary for legislators to carefully examine how state tax dollars are being spent. Hoogendyk said he is only concerned with how universities are spending state money, and that universities could still use their tuition revenue as they see fit. "It is incumbent upon me as a state representa- tive to scrutinize every dollar the universities spend," Hoogendyk said. One provision of the legislation, which would need a two-thirds majority in both the Senate and the House and voter approval to pass, would give lawmakers greater power in determining how state money will be spent, a responsibility cur- rently reserved to each university's governing board. This amendment could be used to forbid the University from using state money for the "How to be Gay" class, Hoogendyk said, adding that the scope of the restrictions would be up for debate after the amendment passed. "This amendment undermines the constitution- al autonomy that our universities have come to enjoy. The autonomy gives the flexibility to make budget decisions and academic decisions based on each (university)," said Mike Boulus, execu- tive director of the Presidents Council, State Uni- versities of Michigan. "I am not sure the Legislature wants to get into the business of checking every single class offer- ing," he added. "We believe the constitutional autonomy that this state granted to public higher education near- ly 200 years ago has been the key to the strength and breadth of Michigan universities," University President Mary Sue Coleman said in a written statement. "It would be a mistake to turn away from a model that has worked so well." Boulus said monetary decisions should be left to each university's board, which can make the best decisions for its own school. Rep. Ruth Ann Jamnick (D-Ypsilanti) echoed those concerns, adding that if legislators have a problem with course offerings, they should voice their complaints to the regents before taking any other action. "I don't think it's an issue we need to get into. I think we have a lot of pressing issues before the state of Michigan," Jamnick added. The legislation also proposes appropriating higher education funding to the 15 state universi- ties "equitably" on a per-pupil basis, counting only in-state students. This change could reduce funding to the Uni- versity, which has a high proportion of out-of- state students compared to other Michigan public universities. Hoogendyk cited what he believes are discrep- See HOOGENDYK, Page 8 A tour oft/e best study sots on campus By David Branson F inals not only mean everyone on campus has more to do, but it also means the study spaces that have been packed since the beginning of the semester are even more crowded. As classes finish and exams loom, time is limited to find new places to study. Tomorrow and Friday are set aside by the University as "study days" in anticipation for students' exams next week. Library hours will also be extended starting today. Students face an array of choices when cramming for exams. We follow the hypothetical situation of a student living near Central Campus, with a final on Fri- Daily Staff Reporter day, who wakes up at 11:00 tomorrow morning. We shower, eat lunch, watch a little tel- evision, check e-mail and leave the apart- ment at 2:00 in the afternoon. Computers on campus, especially sites at the Shapiro Undergraduate Library and Angell Hall, are usually full. We begin studying at the School of Edu- cation, where we arrive at 2:30 p.m. There are numerous student lounges on the first floor, most of which have vending machines. The lounges are well-lit, quiet and rarely occupied. "There's also a really good computer site on the first floor of the School of Education," said LSA senior Group wants Bush to uphold affirmative action Omry Maoz. "There's another site on the first floor of West Hall and there's never anyone there either," Maoz said. After studying for two See FINALS, Page 8 By Carmen Johnson Daily Staff Reporter Harassing phone C , vcalls reach Asian °';student community The Bush administration is not doing enough to help implement nationwide affirmative action poli- cies, a report released yesterday by a group alleges. The Washington-based group, Citizens' Com- mission on Civil Rights, stated that the administra- tion has a critical role in addressing questions about how the policies should be applied in circum- stances like higher education, K-12 education and military schools. These criticisms against the administration come months after the U.S. Supreme Court partially upheld the University's race-conscious admissions policies. But the University has not expressed any interest in working with the administration in craft- ing its policies. Commission Chair William Taylor, who wrote the report, said it did not necessarily mean that col- leges should await White House direction before forming policy. But the administration should step in if there are disputes or uncertainties. The report goes on to list the administration's past disapproval of affirmative action. Judging by the Bush administration's record and pronounce- ments since the court decision, there is doubt that it will uphold the law, the report states. The White House filed a brief in the Supreme Court opposing the University's race-conscious admissions policies and sent Solicitor General Theodore Olson to argue in front of the court. Bush called the policies "fundamentally flawed" in a nationally televised address. The report states that regardless of its own views, the administration needs to adhere to the court rul- ing. "The cases set principals, but the federal govern- ment still needs to address questions,' Taylor said. Taylor, former staff director of the U.S. Commis- sion on Civil Rights, expressed concern that when the administration investigates complaints concern- ing affirmative action programs, schools are intimi- dated to end their programs. But the University already established a new, holistic approach to the admissions process to keep a diverse student body. University spokeswoman Nancy Connell said the University took into account the court's opinion and received guidance from its attorneys when crafting its new admissions policies. Connell would not comment on the commission's report. The commission, established in 1981 after reor- ganization of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights during the Reagan administration, has long sup- ported affirmative action and the University's case. Since 1989, the commission has written numerous reports regarding the federal government's enforce- ment of civil rights. By Emily Kraack Daily Staff Reporter JASON CUUPEh/Daily An LCD projector hangs from a classroom in Angell Hall near the Fishbowl. There have been numerous thefts of these expensive machines recently. University loses $ 130K in thefts By Emily Kraack and Victoria Edwards Daily Staff Reporters The University is out more than $130,000 and is get- ting ready to put down thousands more. Budget cuts? Nope. Fiscal irresponsibility? Try again. More than 25 liquid crystal display projectors have been stolen from University buildings and Washtenaw Community College buildings since March. The Department of Public Safety in conjunction with WCC is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information about the theft of these projectors. ra "These are similar crimes of a similar nature at the Student leaders on campus are expressing confusion over a slew of derogatory voice mails and phone calls made over the weekend. In the wake of three phone calls prompting last Tuesday's crime alert, a new kind of phone harass- ment has sprung up. At least five student leaders of Asian American organizations on campus have reported receiving phone calls since Friday from a man asking questions about prevalent stereotypes of Asians. SNRE senior Han-Ching Lin said that on Saturday he had a 45-minute phone conversation with the caller, who claimed to be the president of Sigma Nu fraternity and wanted to know information such as "why Asian men are short and skinny" and "why Asian men play only mar- tial arts roles in movies." Sigma Nu President Jacob Strumwan er denied making the received two voice-mail messages of a similar nature to those reported by Lin. She said the caller wanted to know "what donations Asians have made to Caucasian society" and asked her to call him back. She said she didn't feel comfortable return- ing the call. "I never experienced something like this before," she said. "It kind of makes me feel uneasy about campus life. "I had heard of things like this happening on other campuses. I thought at the University of Michi- gan we were safer." The student said she didn't think the caller was actually the president of Sigma Nu. Strumwasser, an LSA sophomore, said he hadn't heard anything about the calls. "This is shocking and disgusting to me that someone would misrepresent my house and my name in such a racially degrading way." Strumwasser said he did not Today marks the last issue of The Michigan Daily for the fall term. We wish you the best of luck on finals and hope you have a very happy and relaxing break. The Daily will resume coverage when school starts on Jan. 6. Please stay tuned to www.michigandaily.com during the next few weeks for any breaking news. Enjoy your holidays and whether you are in Pasadena, New York, or Michigan, have a very hany New Year's. t I I