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One-hunded-fifteenyears feditonalfreedom
www.michigandaily.com Ann Arbor, Michigan Vol. CXVI, No. 24 ©2005 The Michigan Daily
City
Council
hopefuls
sound off
Most are undecided
on ordinance that would
buy students time when
signing leases
By Karl Stampfl
Daily Staff Reporter
Six of the eight candidates up for
election to the Ann Arbor City Council
are undecided on Mayor John Hieftje's
proposed ordinance designed to push
back the annual student housing rush.
The mayor released a draft of the
ordinance to the Michigan Student
Assembly at its last meeting on Tuesday
night. It proposes to prevent landlords
from showing students' housing or leas-
ing the properties until one-fourth of the
current lease period is complete.
Only two candidates - Stephen
Rapundalo (D-Ward 2) and unopposed
incumbent Robert Johnson (D-Ward 1)
- answered the moderator's question
about Hieftje's proposal with a simple
. "yes" or "I'm in favor" at last night's
debate at the Michigan League.
The others said the ordinance is good
in theory and worth considering. But
they expressed concern over the word-
ing of the proposal and over some of its
technical aspects.
"There are some good ideas, but we
need to talk to the city's general counsel
to tighten up the wording," said Wendy
Woods (D-Ward 5), an unopposed
incumbent.
Only Rich Birkett (Independent-
Ward 3), who is running against
Democrat Leigh Greden, appeared
to have serious reservations about the
ordinance. He said he is opposed to
prohibiting the signing of leases and
showing of housing before the one-
fourth point. But he said he would
consider giving tenants the option
to stop landlords from showing their
properties until the one-fourth mark.
Incumbent Marcia Higgins (D-Ward
4) and candidate Thomas Bourque
(R-Ward 2) said landlords need to be
brought into the discussion to make sure
their interests are also represented.
"I'm not opposed, but we should
get landlords involved," Higgins said,
adding that the ordinance would not
only benefit students but other resi-
dents as well.
Candidate Jim Hood (R-Ward 4) was
skeptical about the legislation.
"Any time you mess with the free
market, there are unintended conse-
quences," he said.
Part of the ordinance's purpose is to
See CITY COUNCIL, Page 7A
"TODAY, THE ECONOMIC GIANT OF THE GREAT LAKES REGION STANDS WITH ONE
FOOT PLANTED IN A WANING INDUSTRIAL ERA AND ITS OTHER FOOT STRIDING
TOWARD THE EMERGING GLOBAL KNOWLEDGE ECONOMY.
JAMES DUDERSTADT
Higher ed
funding
debated
Duderstadt believes a highly skilled
workforce can only be created through
higher education
By Anne VanderMey
Daily Staff Reporter
CHICAGO - States in the Great Lakes region that cut taxes
rather than invest in higher education are "consuming the seed
corn for (their) future," former University President James Dud-
erstadt said yesterday.
Duderstadt and other higher education leaders met yesterday
at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago to address the role of
universities in what is widely seen as an economic crisis in the
region. The conference, titled Higher Education at a Crossroad,
delved into universities' role in saving the region - and perhaps
the nation - from global competitors.
As the world moves toward an information-based economy,
Duderstadt said, traditional low-skill manufacturing jobs in
Detroit are becoming obsolete.
"Today, the economic giant of the great lakes region stands
with one foot planted in a waning industrial era and its other foot
striding toward the emerging global knowledge economy," Dud-
erstadt said in his speech.
The solution to the problem, he said, is higher education.
According to Duderstadt, the task of building the high-skilled work-
force of the future lies with universities, and their ability to take on that
challenge will largely rely on the support they receive from state govern-
ments.
The state of Michigan has been hit particularly hard with university
funding cuts and subsequent tuition increases, Duderstadt said. The
See HIGHER ED, Page 7A
PETER SCHOTTENFELS/Daily
Former University President James Duderstadt speaks on the role of the Midwest and the importance of public research
universities at the Higher Education at a Crossroad conference in the Federal Reserve Building in Chicago yesterday.
Dearborn campus protests class cuts
More than 30 sections will be
eliminated because of a budget
deficit of at least 300,000 dollars
By Ryan Schreiber
For the Daily
DEARBORN - The University's Dearborn
campus will cancel three dozen or more classes
for the upcoming winter term because of budget
shortfalls, with the bulk of the cancellations fall-
ing in the College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters,
according to University officials.
The revelation, which came after course sched-
ule books were already printed and distributed,
has sent teachers reeling and students panicking
to make sure offerings they need for graduation
are still available.
At least 30 sections will be eliminated due to
a deficit of at least $300,000, CASL Dean Katie
Anderson-Levitt said.
The CASL cancellations are in addition to cuts
in other schools: The School of Management cut
as many as 12 classes before its course guide was
printed, and the School of Engineering cut online
graduate courses.
"This is not a minor issue," said Stanley
Henderson, vice chancellor of enrollment and
student life.
But Henderson and other administrators were
quick to add that the University must try its hard-
est not to let the cuts affect students who are
graduating soon. Henderson called the decision to
make cuts a "student-centered decision."
The University's Dearborn campus has seen its
state funding slashed in recent years even more
severely than that of the flagship Ann Arbor cam-
pus. When adjusted for inflation, state appropria-
tions per student for the Dearborn campus are
31.18 percent lower than they were five years ago,
according to a Presidents Council, State Universi-
ties of Michigan report.
Daniel Little, chancellor of the Dearborn cam-
pus, said the school can help recoup some of the
losses by consolidating classes.
Financial reports published at the end of June
"The University is fine. There are adjustments
the academic units need to make."
Bob Gassel
Assistant vice chancellor for finance
University of Michigan - Dearborn
show CASL with a deficit of $302,000, while the
School of Management has incurred a deficit of
$1,338,000. The schools of Engineering and Edu-
cation both ended the fiscal year with surpluses.
University spokesman Terry Gallagher said the
cuts are ones that would normally be made due to
low class enrollment.
All the talk of canceling classes has many
teachers - especially adjunct lecturers - furious
over the impending loss of work.
Bonnie Halloran, president of the Lectur-
ers' Employee Organization, called the cuts
irresponsible.
"We think that there are other ways of doing
this," she said.
Sheryl Edwards, LEO's Dearborn chair, said
all departments in CASL are being required to
make cuts. "This means fewer classes for students
to choose from," Edwards said. Nine sections in
behavioral sciences and nine in social sciences are
slated to be cut, at least for the winter term.
The fall 2005 term included 664 offerings for
Dearborn students, so reducing that number by 30
won't be a drastic change, said Anderson-Levitt,
the CASL dean. But she did acknowledge that
part-time instructors will be hit the hardest by the
decision. "I don't know how many individuals will
See DEARBORN, Page 5A
Lecturers
continue to be
angry with'Ut
Group has filed a number of
grievences with the University for
last-minute layoffs, among other
By Victoria Edwards
Daily Staff Reporter
Tensions between the Lecturers' Employee Organiza-
tion and the University administration further escalated
yesterday when members of LEO marched in front of the
Fleming Administration Building and into the provost's
office to voice their grievances.
The march was the latest of many steps LEO has taken
to pressure the University to fully implement the contract
it signed last June. Cedric De Leon, a lecturer in the Uni-
versity's Sociology department, said the most immediate'
grievance expressed at this rally was what LEO called the
No one shows
up to protest
Bush's reelection
Organizers blame poor attendance
on last-minute planning
By Amber Coivin
Daily Staff Reporter
On the one-year anniversary of President Bush's re-election, stu-
dents walked out of class and onto the Diag with megaphones and
signs in an attempt to get Bush out of the Oval Office.
But what screamed loudest yesterday at the "World Can't
Wait" walkout event was the lack of attendees.
In what was supposed to be the kickoff to organizer Laura
Parish's "massive historical movement," a few students and
residents of surrounding towns gathered for about 30 minutes
to rally against Bush.
Parish, an LSA junior who said she skipped three class-
es yesterday for the event, recited a poem called "Fire His
Ass" and announced plans to assemble against Bush over the
FOREST CASEY/Daily
Cedric de Leon, Lecturer In Sociology, leads LEO members in classic union chants in front of the Fleming
Administration building yesterday.
in red T-shirts with the word "Labor" on the front, gath-
"We want to reach out in good faith and put a human
I
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