NEWS
The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, October 28, 2004 - 3A
ON CAMPUS
Chomsky speaks
at Law School
Noam Chomsky, professor of lin-
guistics at the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology, will speak today at 4
p.m in the Law Schools's Honigman
Auditorium. Chomsky is a prominent
writer and speaker of American foreign
policy, linguistics and philosophy. His
lecture titled, "Illegal but Legitimate:
A Dubious Doctrine for the Times" is
part of the Davis, Markert, Nickerson
Lecture On Academic and Intellectual
Freedom.
Tax guru to
discuss Bush,
Kerry tax plans
The University's tax expert, Joel
Slemrod, will discuss the tax plans of
President Bush and Democratic nomi-
nee Sen. John Kerry today at 6:30 p.m.
in Room D1270 of Davidson Hall at the
Stephen M. Ross School of Business in
a talk titled, "Taxing Ourselves: Tax
Policy Proposals of Bush and Kerry."
PIRGIM hosting
event on election
issues
The University's Public Interest
Advocacy group, is hosting an event,
"Get your Ballot's Worth" today at
7:30 to 9:30 p.m. in Auditorium A of
Angell Hall.
C RIME
NOTES
Chewy candy, cash
reported stolen
from East Quad
A caller from East Quad Residence
Hall reported a theft Tuesday morning
to the Department of Public Safety.
Forty dollars and a bag of gummy
bears were reported missing.
Library phone
issig, with-no
suspects
A courtesy phone from the Harlan
Hatcher Graduate Library was report-
ed stolen Tuesday morning by a caller
to DPS. Officers found no suspects or
signs of forced entry into the room.
,Misplaced laptop
prompts call to
campus police
A caller from the Taubman Health
Care Center reported a laptop stolen
Tuesday morning. The individual later
called back to report that the incident
was unfounded and the laptop had
been located.
Art museum
enters expansion
with new curator
By Amber Colvin
Daily Staff Reporter
In the fall of 2008, the sidewalk
between Angell Hall and what is now
known as the University of Michigan's
Museum of Art will be replaced by a
modern, glass structure.
The museum is heading in a new
direction, with a new chief curator,
James Wyman, and plans for a 57,000-
square foot expansion. Construction on
the building is scheduled to begin in late
spring of 2006.
Longtime curator Carole McNamara
said the museum has always been short
on storage and gallery spaces. Over the
last five years, the collection, program-
ming and academic involvement of the
museum have expanded dramatically,
McNamara said.
"On almost any front you could
imagine, we need additional space,"
McNamara said.
Director James Steward said only 3
percent of the museum's collection can
be on display at any given time. With
the expansion, the number will increase
to 10 percent.
The addition will more than double
the current size of the museum, and the
work will also include refurbishing the
existing building. In addition to new
gallery space, plans include the con-
struction of an auditorium, study and
dining areas and three courtyards.
"We really sought to reinvent the
museum to serve the entire University
community. We wanted to create an
art museum where you can come with
friends for a night out," Steward said.
The new direction of the museum is
evident in the choice of James Wyman
as the chief curator. He is a specialist in
contemporary art and photography, which
are both areas the museum is trying to
emphasize, Steward said.
"We want to bring cutting edge, excit-
ing new stuff," Steward said.
Wyman comes to the University from
the Kennedy Museum of Art at Ohio Uni-
versity, where he served as director.
McNamara said the creation of
Wyman's position was "long overdue - a
good move."
As chief curator, Wyman will lead
COURTESY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN MUSEUM OF ART
A drawing of the future east court and commons, an expansion to the University of Michigan Museum of Art.
the museum's curators and represent
exhibitions and programs to the campus
and the community. As a past director,
he has vast administrative skill, which
Steward said will help with the build-
ing project.
"He has good leadership and skills that
will help him be an advocate for the muse-
um and its programs," McNamara said.
Wyman's university background
was an important factor when Steward
chose him.
"He really relishes that so much
work is done with students," Steward
said. He added that a university muse-
um has the advantage of being able to
do more bold and new things, and that
Wyman embraces that. Steward also
described Wyman as a "very energetic,
dynamic guy."
The $35 million project will be fund-
ed largely by private donations, such
as the $10 million dollar gift from The
Maxine and Stuart Frankel Foundation
of Bloomfield Hills.
The architecture of the expansion is
distinctly more modern than the exist-
ing building. Steward said the change
in style is to distinguish the past and
the future, while also linking them.
He added that the addition fits current
architectural design instead of dwelling
on the past.
"Architecture that we build today
should reflect the styles and values of
our own time," Steward said.
U,
attorney gives advice on housing issues
By Alexa Jenner
Daily Staff Reporter
Doug Lewis, director of student
legal services, smiled and asked a
group of anxious students, "Would
you ever buy a used car from an
owner who wouldn't let you see it
first?" Although most students would
answer no, Lewis used this analogy
to parallel the ongoing tenant-land-
lord problems in Ann Arbor.
Last night, in the second meeting
of the "Know Your Rights" series
hosted by the Michigan Student
Assembly, students had the opportu-
nity to ask questions about the perils
surrounding housing leases.
Eighteen students, four of which
were from MSA, gathered in the
Michigan Union to discuss housing
laws and what to avoid when signing
a lease.
As students asked questions about
current leases they are considering,
Lewis explained the key things stu-
dents should look for when signing a
lease. "Make sure you read the dates
carefully," Lewis said. "Students
assume that if they sign a lease for
September 1st, it will last until the
following September, but most of
these landlords kick you out in mid-
August so they have two weeks to
clean," Lewis said.
Lewis also said to make sure the
lease provides detailed information
about the security deposit, including
where it is held. And while students
should make sure that it is a Universi-
ty-approved lease, the main thing they
should look for is how much control it
has over their lives, Lewis said.
"Many skip over the details and all
of a sudden winter comes around and
students realize they signed a lease
that states they have to shovel their
sidewalk and driveway," Lewis said.
Lewis has practiced landlord-
tenant law for over 20 years. "The
landlord-tenant relationship is an
interesting concept because tenants
think, 'it belongs to me' and forget
that it's still the landlord's house,"
Lewis said. "A big conflict of interest
emerges."
Compared to other states, Michi-
gan has more pro-tenant policies, but
problems still exist, Lewis said.
When Lewis first started tenant-
landlord law, he said the rush to
rent a place did not start until May,
and that was only because students
were moving out. Now, as winter
approaches, many students have
already signed their leases for next
fall. "The problem is students have
gotten into this feeding frenzy over
housing," Lewis said. "Everyone
competes for the perfect house, and
it just doesn't exist."
Landlords pressure students to
get leases signed early so they can
use their tenant's money, Lewis
said. "I've seen security deposits for
up to $3,500 that students pay; it's
ridiculous that for almost 10 months
before you're even living there these
landlords have free access to your
money."
Under Michigan law, the security
deposit cannot be more than one and
a half times your monthly rent, and
the landlord cannot deduct from this
deposit for cleaning. "So you end up
paying for the next tenant's clean
house" Lewis said.
The prep fees and cleaning fees,
which cover the costs of getting the
house ready, continue to rise each year.
"When I started, prep fees were $20.
Now they're up to $700," Lewis said.
As students rush to find housing
for next year, many do not read the
leases they are signing. "I would bet
money that 90 percent of people sign
leases without reading them com-
pletely," Lewis said. It is a risk many
students take because of the pres-
sure and stress that currently exists
around finding housing for next year,
he added.
"The vacancy rate in Ann Arbor
is not very big, but there is a push
on folks who want to live here. The
bottom line is students have to stand
up for themselves and do something
about it," Lewis said. In order to stop
the increase in costs and other issues
surrounding the tenant-landlord
relationship, students need to come
together and stand up for themselves.
"If when negotiating, students
would simply walk away, or even
threaten to walk away things would
change," Lewis said. The problem is,
students are so caught up in the com
petition to find a house that they don't
walk out, and the frenzy continues.
Sonja Dawsey, an LSA freshman
who attended the meeting, found -it
really helpful. "I feel in more control
now. Before I thought the landlord
had all this power, but now I realize
that I also have a say," Dawsey said.
Jesse Levine, general counsel of
MSA, said the purpose of the meet-
ing was "to inform students about
their legal rights when signing a
lease."
Levine said the housing rush has
temporarily given the landlords the
upper hand.
"We're trying to change that trend
and empower students," he said.
As Lewis answered his final ques
tion, he left with one more piece of
advice, "Just be careful about who
you sign a lease with, because that
contract is like a marriage. It's real-
ly easy to get into, but it's a pain to
get out of."
I
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THIS DAY
In Daily History
Orson Welles Film
Society no longer
student group
Oct. 28, 1971 - The Orson Welles
Film Society lost its recognition as a
* student group yesterday.
The society agreed to withdraw at a
special meeting of the Student Govern-
ment Council because it was charged with
signing for use of an auditorium under an
assumed name and advertising without
identifying the sponsoring organization.
Prior to this latest charge, the society
was accused of allegedly using a film
without permission from the distribu-
tor, harassing other campus film groups,
and operating for profit.
Last night's agreement marked the cul-
mination of a long and often bitter contro-
versy between campus film groups that
began last January.
CORRECTIONS
Due to an error in the Chronicle of
Theh
Arm A,*ar
Commitment.
It sets us apart.
School of Information master's students
serve communities i6 Ann Arbor, in other
states, and on other continents. More than
50 of our students participated in Alternative
Spring Break in Washington, D.C., and New
York City. Others have organized community
information centers on Native American
lands and in Africa, South America, and the
Caribbean. Be part of it. Connect with SI.
UN1X'[RSI rF cOFMICHIG;AN
Before Si:
BS, Computer
Engineering
At S1:
Information
Economics,
Management and
Policy
After SI:
Systems Analyst/
Business Integrator,
Eli Lilly and Company
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