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One-hundred-thirteen years ofeditorialfreedom
www.michigamdaily.com Ann Arbor, Michigan Vol. CXIII, No. 96 @2004 The Michigan Daily
BUDGET
'U' faces tough
budget choices
By Michael Gurovitsch the rate of inflation would receive 3
Daily Staff Reporter percent of the decrease back.
Granholm's proposed budget would
A provision in Gov. Jennifer keep the promise to return the 3 per-
Granholm's 2005 budget proposal cent to schools that complied with the
could decrease the amount "tuition restraint," while
of state funding the Uni- levying an additional 3
versity receives by 6 per- percent penalty on those
cent if it does not agree to who did not, State Bud-
keep tuition increases get Director Mary Lan-
below the rate of inflation. noye announced during a
The $39.7 billion pro- joint meeting of the
posed budget, officially + House and Senate
released yesterday, Appropriations Commit-
includes $494 million in tees yesterday.
cuts and $391 million in AId Hihr "Schools that pledged
new revenue necessary to not to increase (tuition)
balance the state's budget. got base funding
Late last year, the state legislature restored," Lannoye said. "Those who
approved a supplemental budget that do not accept will have aid reduced by
reduced higher education allocations another 3 percent. ...Will (they) accept
by 5 percent. Universities and colleges this challenge to hold down fees?"
that agree not to increase tuition above University President Mary Sue
Inside: Students react to alcohol, tobacco hikes. Page 3.
Coleman said in a written statement
that if the school keeps its tuition
below the estimated rate of inflation,
2.4 percent, the University will face
a cumulative base budget cut of $43
million.
If the University were to raise tuition
more than 2.4 percent, then the cumu-
lative budget cut over the past 13
months would be $62.5 million.
The situation puts the University in
a bind, as it is still reeling from more
than $16.4 million in budget reduc-
tions handed down in December,
which exacerbate the 10 percent cuts
from the previous year.
"We are carefully studying the short
and long-term effects of the proposal,"
Coleman said. "We must assure both
the affordability and academic quality
our students demand and expect."
State Rep. Chris Kolb (D-Ann
Arbor) said one of the goals of the
See BUDGET CUTS, Page 9
Markley detour to go into
effect after spring break
By Adhiraj Dutt
Daily Staff Reporter
Jennifer Gratz, the former plantiff who sued the University over the LSA admissions policy which granted 20 points to Hispanic,
black and Native American applicants speaks in the Michigan Union last night.
Gratz speaks no
Students living in Mary Markley
Residence Hall will have to alter their
walking routes to Central Campus after
spring break, due to upcoming School
of Public Health renovations.
On Feb. 23, the University will
close Washington Heights Street
between Observatory Street and the
east end of the SPH II because of the
demolition of the connector between
SPH I and SPH II.
Currently, to get to Central Campus,
most students living in Markley walk
up Washington Heights, turn left onto
Observatory and cross the bridge out-
side the Central Campus Recreation
Building.
After Spring Break, those students
will have to take East Medical Center
Drive located north of Markley, said
Diane Brown, Facilities and Opera-
tions spokeswoman.
They will then have to cross Obser-
vatory, walk down the sidewalk behind
Couzens Residence Hall and take the
newly built bridge near the new Life
Sciences Initiative complex.
Brown said the detour will be in
effect for about 15 months and empha-
sized that students should be cautious
during the construction.
"Do your best to cross at cross-
walks," she said. "My two biggest con-
cerns are: one, students should not be
going into the construction site and
two, they should make sure not to add
to vehicle congestion in the streets."
Fabric-covered chain link fences
have already been raised around the
construction site near Markley and the
School of Public Health. Ten-foot tall
plywood walls are also being put up
between the two buildings for the safe-
ty of passersby.
Because of the road closure, many
bicycle racks around Markley and SPH
will relocate to another side of the
building.
The affected bike racks are indicated
with fliers, and the Department of Pub-
See CONSTRUCTION, Page 9
I
r
amids massive protest
By Alison Go Although the College Republicans who brought Gratz to
and Kristen Przybylski campus are bound to party lines and do not officially
Daily Staff Reporters endorse the MCRI, Gratz spoke extensively on how mem-
bers of the University could support the initiative.
With more than 50 protesters and tight security detail out- "You could decide to endorse the MCRI as a campus group,
side the Michigan Union Pond Room, Jennifer Gratz voiced you could decide to endorse the MCRI as an individual (or)
her support for a statewide ban on race-conscious policies you could decide to collect signatures," Gratz said. "The hard
last night, part is getting this on the ballot. Once we get this on the ballot,
The Michigan Civil Rights Initiative looks to include an I think we have a great chance of getting it passed."
initiative that would ban such government policies, includ- Outside, protesters chanted and harassed members of the
ing in public university admissions, on this November's College Republicans, before and during Gratz's presenta-
ballot. tion. Undeterred, Gratz acknowledged the role and determi-
Gratz, one of the plaintiffs in the University's admissions nation of the demonstrators.
lawsuits last year and the executive director of the MCRI, "I don't agree with them, but I respect the fact that
hosted her first public presentation at the University since they've gotten involved," Gratz said.
the U.S. Supreme Court's decision was handed down. Although they were not allowed to hear Gratz speak, pro-
Gratz sued the University in December 1997, challenging testors claimed Gratz's support for the initiative revealed her
the uidergraduate point system that automatically granted racist position.
20 points to Hispanics, blacks and Native Americans. The "She needs to stop fighting for segregation and racism"
court upheld the Law School's policy of using race as a fac- said LSA senior Kate Stenvig, a member of BAMN. "We
tot in admissions. need to make it clear to Gratz that she needs to quit this
The University retracted its admissions policies last fall, campaign."
eliminating the point system and implementing a more This campaign includes the organization of regional and
intensive application process. See GRATZ, Page 7
University Planner's office
This map depicts the new route Mary Markley Residence Hall students need to take to central campus after spring break. Due
to construction at the School of Public Health, residents need to take East Medical Center Drive around Couzens Residence
Hall and cross the new bridge by the Life Sciences initiative complex.
Little Rock student
ecalls historic days
By Michael Kan first black student to graduate from
Daily Staff Reporter Central High School spoke to the com-
munity on the significance of the court
In the summer of 1957, 16-year-old case. "(Brown) took us into a different
Ernest Green got the chance to go to direction and said America is not a
Little Rock Central High school in racially divided state," Green said.
Arkansas, the first deseg- Green, along with eight
regated high school in other students from Little
America. He knew if he U Rock's black community,
took that chance he would " attempted to enter the
have to go to an originally * Arkansas high school on
all-white school, where he vaW4 Sept. 23, 1957 amid some of
would endure taunts, death A the white community's oppo-
threats and loneliness.a sition. During that month, the
At the same time, he * American public watched the
knew if he went he would- town of Little Rock as acts of
n't have to deal with ripped racism erupted over the
1 na nr ,:nr-~ -- n§ # nttdrnn to+ in teor n i tht
Lzving on the edge
LGBT community
discusses budget cuts,
downsizing at meeting
By Jeremy Berkowitz
and Ravneet K. Grewal
Daily Staff Reporters
The University's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and
Transgender community expressed anger last
night at the recent non-renewal of the contract of
"one of the people who has been struggling to
keep us from slipping further into rampant homo-
phobia," Law student and LGBT member Pierce
Beckham said.
The LGBT office found out earlier this week
that Holly Ferrise, the Coordinator of Education
details about the decision to not rehire Ferrise, but
noted how hard she worked in the LGBT office.
"The work that Holly is doing in that office is
critical work for that division and that office, and
we certainly want to see that continue," Willis
said. "That would be the goal and, we're in the
midst of looking at the budget at the University."
Also at the meeting, budget cuts to the LGBT
office were discussed. The University recently cut
80 percent of LGBT's programming budget from
$10,000 to $2,000. This trickled down from a 4
percent cut in the Division of Student Affairs due
to cuts in higher education funding. In December.
I ,,I
I