MMENO Tuesday, September 6, 2005 Opinion 4A Sam Singer: The Right may have to wait SAME OLD SONG: MICHIGAN OFFENSE LEADS WOLVERINES ... SPORTS, PAGE lB Weather Arts 8A 'Transporter 2' dumbs down action genre even more Hk. 84 LOow TOMORROW: One-hundred-fourteen years of editorialfreedom www.michirandaily.com Ann Arbor, Michigan Vol. CXV, No. 140 o2005 The Michigan Daily To our readers: Welcome back to school for your first day of classes. Look for last year's biggest events in news, sports, arts and more in tomorrow's New Student Edition. We hope you enjoy today's newspaper and all the issues to come. - The Editors *Night Ride ups fees R Late-night cab service implements $2 price hike to avoid elimination By Laura Van Hyfte Daily Staff Reporter In response to the lack of adequate state funding and an increase in expenses, the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority has decided to increase its fares for Night Ride from $3 to $5 per ride. Night Ride, a shared-ride taxi service, pro- vides transportation within the Ann Arbor city limits when AATA buses are not in service. Passengers pay a fixed fare per person, regard- less of the distance traveled within the city or the time needed for the trip. Its creation in the early '80s was intended to assure the safety of students who had to get back to the residence halls after being in the city late in the evening, AATA Executive Director Greg Cook said. Night Ride's elimination was being consid- ered as a way to offset financial loss, Cook said. A proposal to end the Night Ride taxi service after Sept. 30 was made at an AATA Board Meeting held last month. The board asked for input from Night Ride users and leaders of human service agencies who have contact with those who use Night Ride. But after gatheri-ng input, it was apparent that those in the city that held low-income jobs were dependent on Night Ride as an economi- cally feasible mode of transportation. He added that some people who work late in the evening or early in the morning depend on Night Ride to get to work every day and that patients use the service to seek medical care at the hospitals, which operate 24 hours a day. Cook said there was overwhelming support for Night Ride and that many did not mind the increased cost because even if Night Ride's See NIGHT RIDE, Page 7A "I G.REfW U P T1THERE, AND A NOW IT S ALL UNERxATrER. -M A RK IHOMAS, ENGNeER ING LN]IR Katrina's effects felt at 'U, Displaced students taken in by 'U' Administration has vet to locate dozens of students from storm- stricken areas of coast By Michael Kan Daily News Editor In response to the devasta- tion left by Hurricane Katrina, the University has begun admitting displaced college students from disaster-stricken universities while continuing to locate missing University students from areas hit by the hurricane. Sue Eklund, the University dean of students, said yesterday that of the 86 current Univer- sity students who are from the disaster-affected areas - Ala- bama, Mississippi and Louisi- ana - her office has yet to hear back from 32 students. "We have not heard of our students being seriously injured or worse, though it's important to note that some do have miss- ing relatives, more have missing friends," she said. Eklund added that her office is using e-mail to contact the missing students and offer- ing to pay for plane tickets for students unable to access See UNIVERSITY, page 7A More hurricane coverage Death toll estimate rises in New Orleans, A PHOO A man sits on the front porch of a home surrounded by water from Hurricane Katrina, in New Orleans, yesterday. Students with family in area cope with disaster By Michael Kan Daily News Editor His mom's house isn't there anymore. And his parents will most likely head separate ways to find new jobs in different states. In the past week, LSA freshman Kenneth Human has been forced to grapple with the effects of Hurricane Katrina, which decimated his home- town of New Orleans, from his Mary Markley dorm room. After watching days of news cover- age on New Orleans, Human says, "I don't know if anyone will really want to come back." A wveek earlier on Aug. 29, the day the hurricane hit Louisiana, Human and his family prepared to depart New Orleans to move him in to Mary Markley Residence Hall, Human and his parents got on their flight only moments before the hurri- cane struck. But only a few days later did he and his parents learn the extent of the devastation caused by Hurri- cane Katrina. On Aug. 1, Human's parents returned to Louisiana hoping to recover what property they could sal- vage. Phone calls to his parents have been few and sometimes impossible, See STUDENTS, page 6A AP PHOTO A message board has been set up on the floor of the Reli- ant Astrodome to help evacuees contact each other. MSA Vice President Benavides resigns from position 0 Vice Chair of the Budget Priorities Committee is nominated to fill vacant post By Jeremy Davidson Daily Staff Reporter Michigan Student Assembly President Jesse Levine will nomi- nate MSA Rep. Nicole Stallings as MSA vice president after Ali- cia Benavides resigned from the post Aug. 29. Many members of the assembly said they were shocked by her move. "You can never predict when these kinds of things are going to happen," MSA Rep. Melton Lee said. Benavides said she still supports Levine, the executive board and the assembly "I have full confidence in them.," Benavides said. "It's not anything MSA-related that's caused me to resign." Benavides said she plans to keep her seat as an MSA representative. Levine said that while he was sur- prised at first to hear Benavides had resigned, he understood her deci- sion. "The vice president of MSA is a really tough job. You have to give up a lot. I totally understand where Alicia is coming from, and I respect her decision." -Jesse Levine MSA president candidate for vice president. "I'm excited about Nicole being nominated. ... (We've) worked very well together in the past," he said. "She's done really good work for the assembly." Stallings will keep her position as vice chair of the Budget Priori- ties Committee, where she is work- ing on instituting reforms to the BPC application process. She said she was excited to accept the nomi- nation and hopes to get to work as Levine's deputy. "I think that it's going to be areal- ly good year and that Jesse and I will work well together," Stallings said. "The vice president of MSA is a vice president to resign for personal really tough job," he said. "You have reasons in the past year. Last year, to give up a lot. I totally understand Jennifer Nathan resigned because of where Alicia is coming from, and I academic concerns and was replaced respect her decision." by former MSA Treasurer Anita Benavides is the second MSA Leung. "(Alicia) thought that (resigning) was best for the assembly and for herself," Lee said. Levine said his consistently posi- tive experiences working with Stall- ings in the past make her an excellent I New Music By Alexandra Jones Daily Arts Editor After the announcement of former School of Music Dean Karen Wolff's retirement last year, the University began its search for a replacement. Enter Christopher Kendall, a conductor with a commit- ment to chamber music and community outreach, and former director of the University of Maryland School of Music. Kendall begins his tenure as dean this semester. As an undergraduate at Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio, Kendall found his calling when the director of the school's orchestra asked him to con- duct during a sabbatical. I dean prepares Award for conducting the group in a public television "Of course," K program of the music of composer Aaron Copland. such a fantastic re The Folger Consort, the early music ensemble in cally the performi which he plays the lute, is the ensemble-in-residence While the Univ at the Folger Shakespeare Library. versity of Marylan At Maryland, Kendall oversaw the construction of Kendall has notice the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center. He will be to Ann Arbor. involved in a similar project, the long-awaited Wal- "While it was a green Drama Center which will be home to the Arthur vince the instituti Miller Theater - on the University's North Campus. an essential part o Kendall moved his family from the Beltway com- think that's so we munity of College Park, Md. to Ann Arbor. "My part of our educat family is at an age where we felt that it would be to people," Kenda great for (my children) to grow up in a smaller com- "College Park i munity," he said. ton. It's part of a v -%I.1:..,.,1,, .- ,tne A frrc n~t n~ for job endall said, "Michigan really has putation as an institution, specifi- ng arts programs here." versity of Michigan and the Uni- nd are both large state schools, ed a few differences since moving struggle at (Maryland) to con- on that the performing arts were f the profile of a great university, I ;1 established (here). ... An integral ional process is presenting our art ll said. s inside the Beltway in Washing- ery large urban area that has a lot