Tuesday, January 24, 2006 Opinion 4 Science 5 Sports 9 Sam Singer won't join Teach for America Global positioning satellites and you Coleman steps up for Cagers EMBERS OF BROKEN SOCIAL CENE PLAY AT iND 0IG..ATS, PAGE 8 One-hundredfifteen years of edi'orzilfreedom www.michiganday.com Ann Arbor, Michigan Vol. CXVI, No. 60 62006 The Michigan Daily Grant to help retain minorities Four state colleges receive $5-million grant to up number of minorities with technical degress By Molly Bowen For the Daily DETROIT - The state of Michigan is hoping to tap a resource that universi- ties say has only been trickling into the higher education pipeline - underrepre- sented minorities. Now four state universities, including the University of Michigan, are trying to change that. Representatives from the universities gathered at the University of Michigan's Detroit Center yesterday morning to cel- ebrate the state leg of a federal initiative to boost the number of underrepresented minorities graduating with degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The federal initiative is known as The Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation. The Michigan leg of this campaign, also known as MI-LSAMP, received $5 million in November from the National Science Foundation. This funding will be used to attract and retain high school and college students of hispanic, black and Native American descent in the fields of science, math and engineering. "I really have had concerns for a num- ber of years about the production in the nation of scientists and engineers " Uni- versity President Mary Sue Coleman said in an interview with The Michigan Daily at yesterday's event. "Particularly get- ting more underrepresented minorities in these fields. The nation needs this for competitiveness." The four Michigan schools partici- pating in the program are Wayne State University, Michigan State University, Western Michigan University and the University of Michigan. These institu- tions aim to boost the number of under- represented minorities graduating with degrees in science, technology, engineer- ing and math by 50 percent in the next five years and by 100 percent after a decade. Chemical Engineering Prof. Levi Thompson, who served as director of the MI-LSAMP steering committee, said the major thrust of the program is the See GRANT, page 7 Why do students leave 'U'? CAITLIN KLEIBOER/Daily LSA junior Kellie Reid works at Gratzi, one of her two jobs, In order to pay for her education. She Is taking 14 credits this semester, while juggling the weight of putting herself through college. She also works as a clerical assistant at the Center for Forensic Psychiatry. Without parental help, students pay for college Little help offered to students who finance their own educations By Christine Beamer Daily Staff Reporter When Kinesiology sophomore Randy Wills decided to come to the University, he knew paying the $20,000 price tag would be his own responsibility. . Even after receiving financial aid, Wills has to work 20 hours a week, splitting his time between two jobs to pay the $5,500 that his scholarships do not cover. Wills, and others like him, compose a small minority of University students who are financially independent of their parents. Though their parents may not contribute to paying their tuition, the Free Applica- tion for Federal Student Aid treats stu- "To earn the cost of attendance by working would require a full-time job paying at least $10 per hour." Pam Fowler Financial Aid Director dents like Wills as dependents, meaning their parents' income affects their finan- cial aid offer. According to Financial Aid Director Pam Fowler, a student must either be 24, a graduate/professional student, an Armed Forces veteran, a previous ward of the court (someone who has been removed from the custody of their parents), married or have legal dependents in order to have indepen- dent student status. If a student does not meet one of these requirements, the stu- dent is still considered a dependent. The U.S. Department of Education's guidelines regarding financial aid state that parental refusal to contribute to a student's education does not affect a stu- dent's dependency status on the FAFSA. Neither does a student's demonstration of self-sufficiency. Despite the obvious disjunction between their legal and actual financial status, Wills and other independent stu- dents have to rely on their own income to pay for their tuition. See AID, page 7 For a variety of reasons, about 13 percent of students fail to graduate within six years By Kelly Fraser Daily Staff Reporter Like many incoming freshman, Amulya Upadhya came to the University on the pre-med fast track, piling her courseload with a barrage of prerequisites. After three semesters, though, Upadhya could no longer sup- press her desire to work in the fashion industry. Upadhya opted to transfer to Patricia Stevens Col- lege in St. Louis, a small private all-girls school with a degree program in fashion. Upadhya's choice to switch schools is not uncommon. Nationwide, as many as one in four students will transfer during their college careers. The drop-out rate at the University - those stu- dents that do not complete a degree within six years of entering - has hovered between 12 and 13 percent in recent years. This figure is comparably low nationwide and competitive with other large universities such as the University of California at Berkley and University of California at Los Angeles, said Lester Monts, senior vice provost for academic affairs. A nationwide 2003-04 survey by the College Board - a nonprofit examination board that compiles statis- tics on colleges - reported a 76.1 percent freshman- to-sophomore retention rate, leaving 23.9 percent who either transfer or drop out of the initial college they attend, said College Board spokeswoman Caren Sco- ropanos. Scoropanos said that nationwide after six years only 57.5 percent of students complete a degree at the first school the enter. Monts said that while records do not indicate wheth- er a student left the University for academic reasons or following disciplinary action, other reasons for with- drawal vary on a case-by-case basis. "It is so tough to pinpoint anyone," Monts said, adding that the largest factors may include a student's financial situation, the intimidating size of the Univer- sity or the student's choice of major. If financial aid restricts a student's ability to attend, the University makes every effort to offer grants and loans to help the student cover their costs, Monts said But especially in the case of out-of-state students, the University often cannot meet a student's complete need, he added. Monts also said the University works to keep finan- cial aid funds in pace with tuition increases. Despite the University's efforts to retain students, some said they still feel lost in the large campus set- ting. "The size of the University was probably the biggest factor' said Jake Fromer, who recently transferred to Tufts University in Boston after completing one year at the University. See DROP OUTS, page 7 Robbers strike in two separate muggings Two unrelated armed robberies occur within two hours of each other on Catherine and South Forest By Anne VanderMey Daily Staff Reporter Crime doesn't always pay in Ann Arbor. The Ann Arbor Police Department reported two armed robberies early Saturday morning, both allegedly involving a gun. Neither thief managed to take more than $200. Police said the incidents were unrelated and have not been linked with other recent crimes. The robberies, which were only two hours apart, happened at about 3 and 5 a.m., one in a parking structure on Catherine Street and Fourth Street, the other on the 700 block of South Forest. Neither victim was a student. On Catherine St. a young man was approached by an unshaven white male wearing a black hat, blue jeans and a black wool coat. The man asked the victim to come with him, according to the victim's statement as recorded by the AAPD. The victim refused, saying that the man looked like he was under the influence of drugs. The sus- pect then showed him what appeared to be the handle of a gun in his waistband, telling the victim he should come with him. Study center caters to student athletes Access for athletes only, but is expected to eventually be opened to general students By Lindsey Ungar Daily Staff Reporter It's a Starbucks, the UGLi and the Math Lab all in one. The new Stephen M. Ross Academic Cen- ter is a one-stop shop for athletes to access satellite offices of academic resources locat- ed around campus such as group study rooms, a 71-station computing lab, classrooms and casual study areas that look more like cof- feehouses than traditional libraries. "I think it's pretty cutting edge," said Shari Acho, associate athletic director for academ- ic success. "It's so decentralized on campus. They don't just have one building with all the support units." Using research from similar centers at other schools, the academic center created with the unique demands of student athletes in mind, all the way down to the last detail. "We actually used (football defensive tackle) Gabe Watson's rear-end to size up "We actually used (football defensive tackle) Gabe Watson's rear-end to size up the chairs." Shari Acho Associate athletic director "They've been asking for ESPN and I said 'no,' I won't let them," Acho said. "I keep telling them that all we get is CNN." The center's location on State Street next to Yost Ice Arena in the heart of South Cam- pus makes it a convenient spot to merge ath- letics and academics. "We used to have study tables in three different buildings," Acho said. "We were above the police station, in the undergradu- ate library and in Mason Hall." Acho described athletes' reactions when they first entered the center: "They were like, 'Is this for us?' They couldn't believe it." Work crews are still putting the final X I NIW'UI' A r AI I