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One-hundredfourteen years of edionalfreedom
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Ann Arbor, Michigan
Vol. CXV, No. 13
@2004 The
Michigan Daily
Fewer
black
students
enrolled
By Aymar Jean
Daily Staff Reporter
This year's freshmen class, the first since
a new application was created, is larger and
in some ways less diverse than its predeces-
sors, according to official enrollment figures
released yesterday.
Black enrollment is down, male enrollment
is up, international students have increased,
and while applications overall have declined
about 18 percent, enrollment is at its highest
level in the University's history - 6,040 stu-
dents, almost 500 more than the University
had predicted. Last year, the University admit-
ted 5,553 freshmen.
"These are things that we have not seen in
the past," said Lester Monts, senior vice pro-
vost for academic affairs who oversees the
Office of Undergraduate Admissions.
The University had previously released pre-
liminary enrollment numbers, but the final
statistics were announced yesterday.
While Monts was hesitant to attribute the
numbers to any one particular cause, he sug-
gested that several factors could be at play,
including the 2003 U.S. Supreme Court deci-
sion overturning the LSA admissions point
system and the new writing-intensive LSA
application - which could filter out those who
are not truly interested in attending.
Black enrollment this year is at its lowest
level in at least six years, numbering 350 stu-
dents - down from 410 last year. Over the past
few years, the number of blacks has fluctuated,
but usually stayed above 400. This year, the
University received 25 percent fewer appli-
cations from blacks, although the percentage
of accepted students that enrolled was about
the same, said Theodore Spencer, director of
Undergraduate Admissions.
The number of Asian American students
also decreased, from 730 to 703. But the num-
ber of Native American students increased
from 38 to 61, and Hispanic enrollment also
increased slightly from 255 to 264.
The most international students in the last
six years, 310, also enrolled this year, up from
220 in 2003. Given the current political cli-
mate and the restrictions placed on immigra-
tion, Monts said this number was cause for
excitement. A number of universities have
seen declines in international student enroll-
ment since post-Sept. 11 policies tightened
made entrance to the United States more dif-
ficult 3 years ago.
Concerned over the decline in minority
applications, the University is redoubling its
efforts to increase applications from blacks.
"Clearly, I'm disappointed about our Afri-
can-American numbers, and we need to work
harder at it," University President Mary Sue
Coleman said in an interview last week.
The University is increasing its recruitment
efforts in areas like Detroit and developing
targeted campaigns to reach out to high school
counselors and families of minorities. In these
areas, Monts said, the University has had to
compete with other institutions like Michigan
State University and Wayne State University.
"We were thrown for a loop," Monts said.
See ADMISSIONS, Page 3
Student issues a
priority as Kolb
seeks final term
SLOWING DOWN TO FAST
By Farayha Arrino
Daily Staff Reporter
Rep. Chris Kolb said serving his home-
town of Ann Arbor in the state House of
Representatives has been a blast and he
looks forward to advocating for student
issues during the next two years.
Kolb, a Democrat, has represented the
district since 2000. With 78 percent of vot-
ers backing him in this August's primaries,
he is ready to continue doing so for the next
two years, which would be his last due to
Sheagren said he also supports tuition
caps at the rate of inflation.
"I think universities are greedy if
they're trying to get more than that.
They're huge corporations and they get
tax breaks," he said. "I don't think any of
the universities are hurting right now."
He added that he would work to
improve financial aid.
"I would work to protect ... support
grants to help students go to the college
of their choice. I'm for helping scholar-
ships and grants."
term limits. His
opponent, Republi-
can candidate Eric
Sheagren, received
15 percent of the
vote in the August
multi-party primary.
The 25-year-old self-
employed landscaper
said he is running
so that Kolb is not
uncontested in this
year's election.
As the repre-
sentative from the
House's 53rd district,
which includes most
of the University's
campus, Kolb has
passed numerous
Race for A2 seat
GOP vs. Dem. incumbent
Rep. Chris Kolb says higher
education funding should be a
state budget priority
Kolb also supports expand-
ing the recently created Detroit
regional mass transit system to
Washtenaw County
GOP challenger Eric Sheagren
pledges to improve financial aid,
and says universities do not
need large tuition hikes
Kolb emphasized
his support of Gra-
nholm's initiative to
double the amount
of college graduates
in the state within
the next 10 years.
He added that it is
important to make
sure colleges don't
just focus on accept-
ing students, but that
they monitor the edu-
cation those students
receive during their
college careers.
Another issue
Kolb has been work-
ing on is improving
mass transit for stu-
bills in the House on topics that directly
affect students.
Among these issues is higher educa-
tion in the state.
"The state's corrections budget is
now surpassing our higher education
budget by a little bit. That's a state-
ment on where the priorities have been,"
Kolb said of the Republican-controlled
House's funding priorities.
Kolb, a member of the House Appropria-
tions committee which makes budget deci-
sions, voted for a proposal sponsored by
Gov. Jennifer Granholm which encourages
public universities to cap tuition increases at
the rate of inflation in exchange for receiv-
ing back some of the money cut from their
budgets in 2003. The University expects to
receive $20 million dollars from the state
this year under the plan.
dents in Ann Arbor, but he says he has
not been able to overcome all hurdles in
doing so.
The Detroit Area Regional Transpor-
tation Authority was created last year to
coordinate the operation of a regional
public transportation system in the south-
east Michigan region, according to DAR-
TA's website.
Since the start of the program, Kolb has
supported an additional bill that would
extend its services to counties such as
Washtenaw. Even though the measure has
passed in the House, it was received by the
Senate last year and has been stalled since
then. Representatives opposed to the mea-
sure feel that the transit connection is not
needed between Detroit and Washtenaw
county, and that extending it would be an
See KOLB, Page 3
ALEXANDER DZIADOSZ/Daily
Muslims gather at the Muslim Community Association of Ann Arbor's mosque on Plymouth Road for Taraweeh prayer ceremonies last night in
anticipation of the beginning of Ramadan tonight.
Mulis alnc fs, cholprssr
By Victoria Edwards
Daily Staff Reporter
Tonight marks the beginning of a month-long
fast for Muslim students at the University, as they
seek to strengthen their relationship with God dur-
ing Ramadan, the Islamic month of blessing.
Ramadan, a holy month for Muslims worldwide,
commemorates the time when Muslims believe
their holy book, the Quran, was revealed to their
prophet Mohammad.
During the month, Muslims around the world
recite optional extra prayers, and they fast from
food and water and abstain from sex from sun up
to sun down, to increase their devotion to God. In
addition, Muslims try to let go of anger, jealousy
and other character vices.
LSA junior Lubna Grewal said there are many
challenges pertaining to the month of Ramadan, the
most difficult for her being managing her time.
"You always want to increase yourself, but
coursework is just as heavy as it was freshman and
sophomore year. But still I want to do more spiritu-
ally (every year). All three of these things combine
to make the month pretty rigorous," Grewal said.
She added that it is not uncommon for Muslim
students to get really sick because of the fasting or
fall behind in school. To decrease the pressure that
fasting places on her body, Grewal said she per-
forms short fasts throughout the year so Ramadan
won't be such a shock to her body.
"It's easier, but (the fast) is still something you
have to deal with. It's a sacrifice I make for being
Muslim," Grewal said.
Still, Law student Maleeha Haq said such sac-
rifices pay off in the end because they make her a
more devout Muslim.
"It makes you a better person in some regard. I
See RAMADAN, Page 3
Challenger to
mayor calls for
verse councl
By Anne Joling
Iand Abby Stasson
Daily Staff Reporters
Is it possible for a Republican to be elected mayor of
Ann Arbor? According to the City Council's history the
answer is yes, but for Republican mayoral candidate Jane
Lumm, being elected to a predominantly Democratic
council is still a daunting challenge.
Lumm, a University alum and former City Council mem-
ber, is running against incumbent Democratic Mayor John
Hieftje, who was elected to head the council in 2000.
During his term, Hieftje has led the council in imple-
menting a broad range of projects to clean up the city's
neighhorhoods and reduce urban sorawl while preserv-
Trotter House
plans renovations
By Kim Tomlin
For the Daily
When students walk into the Wil-
liam Monroe Trotter House, they
notice stained carpets, chipping paint
and missing handicap features. But
students who attend activities in the
University's 33-year-old multicultural
center say they hope a new renovation
plan will make such features a thing of
the past.
The Trotter House - which is locat-
ed on Washtenaw Avenue and attracts
more than 18,000 students yearly to
activities ranging from multicultural
conferences to tutoring services - is-
while at the same time preserving its
original architecture, said Patricia
Aqui Pacania, director of the Office of
Multi-Ethnic Student Affairs.
House managers have already
begun to examine all of its facilities
to assess which ones need to be reno-
vated or reconstructed. Detailed plans
of these renovations will be announced
once the assessments are completed in
November, said Edward Burnett, facil-
ities manager and program coordinator
for Trotter House.
The house's disrepair earned atten-
tion last year when a group called Stu-
dent Voices in Action protested against
- ..~