100%

Scanned image of the page. Keyboard directions: use + to zoom in, - to zoom out, arrow keys to pan inside the viewer.

Page Options

Download this Issue

Share

Something wrong?

Something wrong with this page? Report problem.

Rights / Permissions

This collection, digitized in collaboration with the Michigan Daily and the Board for Student Publications, contains materials that are protected by copyright law. Access to these materials is provided for non-profit educational and research purposes. If you use an item from this collection, it is your responsibility to consider the work's copyright status and obtain any required permission.

October 13, 2005 - Image 1

Resource type:
Text
Publication:
The Michigan Daily, 2005-10-13

Disclaimer: Computer generated plain text may have errors. Read more about this.

Thursday, October 13, 2005
News 3A Appeal to halt
ruling on same-sex
benefits denied

Opinion 4A
Sports 8A

Eric Jackson:
Evaluating the evidence
Football falters
in crunch time

TE STUDENT GOVERNMENT STRUGGLE ... THE STATEMENT
One-hundredfifteen years of editorialfreedom

www.michkgandaily.com Ann Arbor, Michigan Vol. CXVI, No. 11 @2005 The Michigan Daily

Some wary of
football season
ticket program

PETER SCHOTTENFELS/Daily,
Microsoft chairman Bill Gates discusses jobs in computer science at Rackham Auditorium as the Goff Smith speaker, spon-
sored by the School of Engineering, yesterday.
Gates speaks at Rackham

New required donations for seats
could lead ticket holders to neglect
giving to academics, critics say
By Ian Herbert
Daily Staff Reporter
An Athletic Department program partially
intended to raise money for the proposed renova-
tions to Michigan Stadium may inadvertently deter
ticket holders from donating to the University's aca-
demic programs, critics of the program say.
The preferred seating program, which started this
year, requires football season ticket holders to donate
between $125 and $500 to the Athletic Department
for the right to purchase season tickets.
But because the program requires donations to
the Athletic Department, some worry that prospec-
tive ticket holders who might otherwise give to the
University's academic programs will donate only to
athletics. Donations to the University, including ath-
letics, are refundable up to $100 on state taxes.
Gifts to the Athletic Department do not benefit
the University's academic side because the two have
separate budgets.
"Most people have limited resources," said Lau-
rie Styron, an analyst at the American Institute of
Philanthropy. "So when they're making giving deci-
sions, often times they are choosing among many
causes that are important to them. It's quite possible
that they will view this as their charitable donation
for the year."
University President Mary Sue Coleman and Vice
President for Development Jerry May both said aca-
demic donations have not been affected by the pro-
gram, pointing out that academic donations this year
are at an all-time high. May, who worked for Ohio
State when it implemented a seat license program,
said there was no decrease in academic donations
after the Athletic Department in Columbus imple-
mented the required donation.

Microsoft founder urges
students to pursue careers in
0 computer science
By Michael Kan
Daily News Editor
Outsourcing, unemployment and nerdi-
ness: all hallmarks of the negative image of
computer science.
But students ignoring computer science as
a possible career because of these fears may
miss out on the limitless opportunities such
a career can offer them, Microsoft founder
Bill Gates said while speaking at the Univer-
sity yesterday.
"People who have a computer science edu-
cation, in the next 15 years, you are going to

have tons and tons of opportunities," Gates
said to hundreds of University and high
school students in Rackham Auditorium.
In the past years, the field of computer sci-
ence has been saddled with a negative image
and a job slump that in turn has dragged
enrollment levels at colleges nationwide
to such a low point that some fear a future
shortage of computer scientists.
In an effort to reignite interest in computer
science, Gates is touring colleges to dispel
fears surrounding the field, while touting
computer science careers for their ability to
impact the world. The visit marked just one
of six colleges Gates will speak at during his
three-day tour.,
Gates said that while many information
technology jobs have been outsourced to India
and China, those jobs did not require the com-

plex computer-related skills that many com-
puter science graduates in the United States
possess. He added that Microsoft and other
software companies recognize that America
still produces the best computer scientists.
"This is not like warfare, like you win
some or you lose some. This is improving the
opportunities for the world," Gates said of the
expansion of the world market and the grow-
ing number of computer scientists overseas.
In recent years, Microsoft has employed
more computer scientists in an effort to secure
qualified professionals in light of the dwin-
dling interest in the field. In the fiscal year
2004-05, Microsoft increased its hiring of
computer scientist. from 673 to 1,000. From
the University alone, the software company
recruits about 30 students every year.
See GATES, Page 7A

"The data I've seen don't give me any indication
that is the case," Coleman said. "It's an important
question to ask, and it's something to monitor."
But former University President James Dud-
erstadt, a critic of the commercialization of col-
lege athletics, said Coleman should be concerned.
According to Duderstadt, a loss in donations may
not be immediately obvious - or even noticeable
- in the big picture of the University's academic
donations, but losing any donors could potentially
hurt the University in the future. It is important to
get young donors into the habit of giving to academ-
ics, he said.
Although much of the University's academic
fundraising comes from large donations, Duderstadt
said one reason small donors are valuable is because
they sometimes donate large sums when they are
older. Judy Malcolm, director of communications
and donor relations for the University's development
office, said 84 percent of people who donate to the
University donate $500 or less and 94 percent of
donors give less than $1,000. Under the preferred
seating program, ticket holders are expected to
make donations that are close to these figures.
Under the new program, people sitting in the best
areas of Michigan Stadium are required to make a
donation every year for the right to buy their seats.
The fee varies from $500 for a seat on the 50-yard
line to $125 for seats closer to the goal lines. Student
tickets are not affected, and neither are seats behind
the end zones - although new season ticket holders
in the end zone will be required to make a $50 dona-
See TICKETS, Page 7A

Student-city commission could be approved next week

Councilman who promoted
couch ban would take one of
two seats for Council members
By Jeremy Davidson
Daily Staff Reporter
Ann Arbor City Council candidate Stephen
Rapundalo's proposal for a joint commission
between Michigan Student Assembly and City
Council is moving forward with the mayor hoping
that it will be in place by late November.
The committee, which would consist of seven
student representatives appointed by MSA and
two Council members appointed by the mayor,
would foster direct dialogue between students and
the city government.

After discussing the idea with Rapundalo,
Councilman Leigh Greden (D-3rd ward) has
developed a resolution to establish the committee.
"We have many issues coming up in the next few
months that will affect students," Greden said.
Last year, Greden was the Council's most vis-
ible proponent of a proposed ban on porch couches,
which many homeowners consider unsightly and a
possible fire hazard, but are a fixture of off-campus
student houses. City Council tabled the ordinance
last August after an outcry from students.
After talking with Mayor John Hieftje, Greden
accepted the mayor's request to be a member of the
commission. Greden will be appointed to the com-
mission if the resolution passes when it comes to a
vote at the next City Council meeting on Monday.
"I'm confident that (the resolution) will pass
because I think City Council is realizing how

"This is a strong step in the right direction to
improve communication between students and
City Council."
- Jesse Levine, MSA president

the commission in place," Hieftje said.
Some of the things the commission will discuss
will include housing and landlord issues, crime pre-
vention and parking. Both Greden and Van Hyfte
said Hieftje's proposed lease date ordinance, which
would prevent landlords from showing housing to
potential tenants until one fourth of the lease period
had expired, would be one of the first things on the
commission's agenda.
"The lease date ordinance is at the top of the
list of things we need to discuss with students,"
Greden said.
Many students and representatives from the
city have said they feel the ordinance, which was
modeled on successful legislation used in Madi-
son, Wisconsin - home to the University of
Wisconsin's main campus - would mitigate Ann
Arbor's student housing rush.

pressing a matter it is to listen to student concerns
because students are such a large part of their con-
stituency," said Laura Van Hyfte, MSA's liaison to
City Council.
Greden said he has gone over the resolution with
MSA President Jesse Levine.
"This is a strong step in the right direction to

improve communication between students and
City Council," Levine said. "Hopefully this com-
mission will lead to the implementation of policies
that will improve students' way of life."
Hieftje said he was excited to get the ball rolling
on the commission.
"By the end of November, it is my hope to have

I

New program aims to
help students recycle

SHOWING OFF

* Percentage of trash recycled
in student neighborhoods is
lower than in AZ as a whole
By Neil Tambe
For the Daily
Making a difference for the environ-
ment is getting even easier in Ann Arbor,
thanks to a coalition that advocates recy-
cling to students who live off-campus.
The RecyclePlus program was launched
yesterday at a press conference hosted
by the Ecology Center and Recycle Ann
Arbor, two local non-profit organizations
involved in regional environmental issues.
RecyclePlus is teaming up with 15 local
student-housing management companies

"Major (housing) companies are disin-
terested in (RecyclePlus)," Stevens said.
But she added that she believes if students
express interest in recycling to their land-
lords, the companies will respond favor-
ably. In fact, Ann Arbor law requires that
"management companies have to provide
the opportunity to recycle," she added.
Stevens said Ann Arbor is one of the
nation's top-10 recycling towns, with a
local goverment that is very supportive
of environmental issues. For example, 53
percent of all waste in Ann Arbor ends
up bound for recycling facilties instead
of landfills. But in the off-campus stu-
dent community, recycling rates hover
between 25 and 45 percent.
"I'd like to see (student recycling) get
better," said Ron Buhro, director of main-

Smoking linked
with low IQ
'U' study finds correlation, but not causal
relationship between smoking and lowered
brain function among men
By Carissa Miller
Daily Staff Reporter
Many smokers say one of the main benefits of their habit is a
feeling of alertness and an increased ability to focus after lighting
up. But smoking to improve mental proficiency may only be a
quick fix. According to a new study led by University research-
ers, long-term tobacco use in men is associated with a weakened
thinking ability and lowered IQ.
The study did not find a causal relationship between smoking
and lowered brain function, said Jennifer Glass, an assistant pro-
fessor of psychiatry and lead author of the findings. But the corre-
lation - an unexpected finding from a study originally intended
to examine the effects of long-term alcoholism on the brain -

Back to Top

© 2024 Regents of the University of Michigan