Friday, February 13, 2004 Opinion 4 Shabina Khatri on social justice Arts 5 Preview of the 2004 Jazz Festival A look back at Students for a Democratic Society ... Friday Focus, Page 12 Weather 0 Sports :0 Women's basket- ball loses to MSU HI: 35 LO W*-22 TOMORROW: 3510 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