Wednesday, October 19, 2007 News 3A Despite fuel costs, students continue to drive \1/i/? O ~ N \/td \/8N JArS 0 > edI AAe)1j One-hundredfafteen years of editoril freedom Opinion 4A Jeff Cravens doesn't want your child left behind Arts 5A 'Elizabethtown' nothing but eye candy --------- - - - -------- -- I I I WHO ----- -------------- --------------------- - - -- - - www. mickandaily. com Ann Arbor, Michigan Vol. CXVI, No. 13 -2 -The---g-anDaiy----- 02005 The Michigan Daily Can higher ed save Michigan? Former 'U' president: State headed for economic disaster unless it increases higher ed funding significantly By Anne VanderMey Daily Staff Reporter There is a popular bumper sticker on the streets of Detroit that reads: "Will the last person out of Michigan please turn off the lights?" Detroit, once the nation's industrial capital, is now the nation's poorest city, with a third of its residents living below the poverty level, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. But Detroit may only be the tip of the iceberg, for- mer University President James Duderstadt says, unless Michigan acts quickly to reinvent its economy by ramping up its investment in higher education. A report that Duderstadt recently complet- ed, titled "A Roadmap to Michigan's Future," makes several suggestions to legislators on how to steer the state clear of economic disas- ter. Central among them is the recommenda- tion that the state increase funding for higher education by 30 percent. The report is the culmination of three years of research into Michigan's economic problems. It intends to act as a guide for state leaders and legislators in assessing and over- coming the challenges posed by the struggling economy. Duderstadt has served on several public and private boards and commissions dedi- cated to the study and improvement of differ- ent aspects of Michigan's economy, including federal science policy, engineering research and higher education. Facing declining revenues in recent years, the state has dramatically cut funding for higher education. State appropriations have dropped by 20 to 40 percent over the last five years, according to Duderstadt's report. The report is focused on handling the chal- lenges posed by the modern global economy. Duderstadt said Michigan's economy must transform itself from an antiquated system, dependent upon manufacturing and factory jobs, into a new globally competitive knowl- edge-based system. "As a state, Michigan now has to compete not against Ohio or California, but against China, Bangalore and Shanghai." Duderstadt said. "The future of the state is very much tied to what happens at a global level." See DUDERSTADT, Page 7A Arthur Miller remembered Strikers: Regent an insult to Miller By Ben Beckett Daily Staff Reporter While University Regent Andrea Fischer Newman celebrated the memory of Arthur Miller last Fri- day, members of a striking airline mechanics union protested her par- ticipation in the tribute to the world- renowned playwright, saying her involvement in the Northwest Air- lines labor dispute was an affront to Miller's legacy. During the naming ceremony for the new Charles R. Walgreen, Jr. Drama Center and Arthur Miller Theater, members of the Airline Mechanics Fraternal Association picketed Newman, a Republican from Ann Arbor who is a senior vice president for government affairs at Northwest Airlines The AMFA has been on strike against Northwest Airlines since Aug. 20 over layoffs and contract dis- agreements. When the airline decid- ed to lay off many of its mechanics and cut pay for those still with the company, the mechanics' union began its strike. The airline continued to operate with replacement workers but was still forced into Chapter 11 bank- ruptcy. Since then, the airline and the union have been unable to agree on a contract, and the unionized mechanics have continued to strike, attacking the airline for misleading its employees and using unqualified replacement workers who they say have made flying conditions unsafe. Repeating their message from a previous strike outside the regent's apartment, mechanics accused New- man of misleading employees about the financial well-being of the com- pany before it declared bankruptcy. Strikers said they were protesting at the theater's naming ceremony to raise awareness of the union's griev- See PROTEST, Page 7A DPS issues crime alert Three students reportedly robbed while walking near campus The Ann Arbor Police Department is investigating reports of three unarmed rob- beries of students that took place Monday night and Tuesday morning. A group of four to five males, aged late teens to early 20s, reportedly assaulted and robbed lone male student pedestrians. No weapons were displayed. The alleged incidents took place on the 800 block of Church Street, the 1700 block of Geddes Avenue and the 800 block of Sybil Street. Anyone who has information on the rob- beries is encouraged to call the Depart- ment of Public Safety at 763-1131. Council approves student committee Group of students and City Council members will meet to talk about city issues that affect students By Jeremy Davidson Daily Staff Reporter The recent wave of pressure on City Council from student leaders yielded its first tangible result on Mon- day when the Council unanimously voted to establish a joint committee of students and Council members that will meet to discuss issues in city government that affect students. The committee, first proposed in late September by Ward 2 Democratic candidate Stephen Rapundalo, will consist of five students appointed by Michigan Student Assembly President Jesse Levine and two Council members appointed by Mayor John Hieftje. Levine said MSA's City Council liaison, Laura Van Hyfte, will fill one of the five student seats on the committee, and the other four seats will be open for any students who apply. "I will be looking for qualified, representative and committed candidates for this committee," Levine said. Van Hyfte said she was pleased that the liaison position was incorporated in the committee. "I'm happy I'll be able to have an even greater involvement with City Council and its interactions with MSA and the student body," Van Hyfte said. In earlier drafts, the proposal for the committee had seven student representatives. Van Hyfte said five representatives was a better idea because a smaller group would be able to carry out strong dialogue and also come to conclusions in a more timely fashion. Levine pointed out that the student community is made up of 39,000 undergraduate and graduate stu- dents who put hundreds of millions of dollars into the Ann Arbor economy annually. "This committee will allow those students direct access to city government," Levine said. Rapundalo, who defeated LSA senior Eugene Kang in the Democratic primary this summer, addressed the Council at its meeting Monday night to urge members to approve the committee. Rapundalo said his experience running against Kang got him think- ing about the student perspective. "Students in Ann Arbor feel exiled from the city - it shouldn't be this way," said Rapundalo, who said he learned the value of student-community relations when he was president of the student government at the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond. "Stu- dents are legitimate members of the community." Councilman Leigh Greden (D-Ward 3), who I See CITY, Page 7A EUGENE ROBERTSON/Daily Robert Miller, son of esteemed playwright and University alum Arthur Miller speaks during the Charles R. Walgreen, Jr. Drama Center and Arthur Miller Theatre naming ceremony last Friday at Rackham Auditorium. Theater to embody playwright's spirit By Bernie Nguyen Daily Books Editor Robert Miller, a man of average height wearing a light brown blazer, stood behind a glass podium in Rackham Auditorium Friday on the same stage his father stood on in 1981. He then spoke affectionately of his father, call- ing him "Dad," and of the legacy the famous play- wright left behind - the legacy of Arthur Miller. A large crowd of all ages gathered at Rackham on Friday to celebrate the dedication that Miller gave to his craft. The tribute to Miller's life was part of a greater naming ceremony for the future Charles R. Walgreen, Jr. Drama Center and Arthur Miller Theater. Arthur Miller died earlier this year at the age of 89. Miller "made America look at itself," said Uni- versity President Mary Sue Coleman, who was a speaker at the tribute. She spoke of Miller's name as being iconic in the world of arts, but proudly maintained that the University "will always see him first and foremost as a loyal alumnus." The new theater, which will be the only one to bear Miller's name, will be an important new center for the development of the arts at Michigan, Coleman said. She detailed the origins of Miller's humble beginnings as a University student and also spoke of Walgreen's University roots. Wal- green, a University alum and former president of the Walgreen drug-store chain, donated $10 mil- lion to the construction of the drama center. The center, which will be built at the entrance to North Campus, is expected to cost about $43 million. The tribute also served to celebrate the fruition of several years of planning. The idea for a theater bearing Miller's name first began to circulate in 1998 under then-University President Lee Bol- linger, though at the time plans tentatively placed it on Central Campus. Praising what she called "the power of a gift," Coleman drew a parallel between the Avery Hopwood Awards in Writing, which initially drew Miller to the University and sup- ported his career as an undergraduate, and the donation from Walgreen, which enabled the plans for the new North Campus drama center and theater. Coleman described both venues as a beginning for the School of Music and the University community. It will allow the pub- lic to "experience the human condition as it unfolds in the theater," she said. After Coleman's speech, members of Miller's family and others read selections from the writ- ings of the playwright. Robert Miller read an excerpt from a letter written by his father in 1956 to Francis Wal- ter, then chairman of the House Committee on Un-American Activities. See MILLER, Page 5A Legacy of the Million Man March endures *61 University students attend march to address issues facing blacks nationwide By Jacqueline E. Howard Daily StaffReporter Crossing generations and race, tears flooded eyes, shouts filled the air and voices broke into song as thousands stood united in Washington on Saturday to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Million Man March. Known as the Millions More Movement, tens of thousands of people flooded the National Mall focused on issues facing blacks nationwide. Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, who helped organize the previous march, spoke at the rally on the delays in relief efforts for Hurricane Katrina victims. "For five days, the government did not act. Lives were lost," Farrakhan said. "We charge America with criminal neglect."- Ten years ago, the Million Man March was started by black men who gathered to advocate brotherhood within the black community. "The march symbolized a group of people getting over their differences and individual beliefs," said Gerald Duncan, co-chair of the Michigan Student Assembly's Minority Affairs FROM THE EDITOR A headline in the Oct. 12 edition of the Daily incorrectly stated that Stephen Hendrix, the son of Detroit mayoral candidate Freman Hendrix, pleaded guilty to drunk driving. In fact, Hendrix pleaded not guilty. We regret the error. Please continue to report all errors in the Daily to corrections @michigandaily.com. i - - . ~~2!i ~.£A~E~flA~JZ,. i i