Tuesday, March 14, 2006 News 3 Alleged 9/11 terrorist may escape death penalty Opinion 4 Sports 11 Sam Singer hates Yale Cagers' minds focused on NIT nANEKE L A&CHIE TAKES AUDIENCES TO HIDDEN DEPTHS ARTS, PAGE o One-hundredfifteen years ofedor dfreedom www.mich iandaily.com Ann Arbor, Michigan Vol. CXV, No. 90 02006 The Michigan Daily INALIENABLE RIGHTS Students lament new aid policy Administrators claim new policy to count noncustodial parents in financial aid packages is fairer to rest of students By Christine Beamer Daily Staff Reporter As Michigan Student Assembly representatives decry the University's use of a new financial aid form that requires students to report the financial assets and income of noncustodial parents, University adminis- trators are defending the policy. The controversy arose when the University imple- mented a form, called the CSS/Profile, that will make noncustodial parents of incoming freshmen responsi- ble for contributing to their tuition, thus driving down the students' financial aid packages. While administrators concede that the form, called the CSS/Profile, may cause financial aid complica- tions for some students with absentee parents, they argue that the form's in-depth assessment of a family's financial circumstances should lead to more accurate, and hopefully more generous, financial aid packages overall. Still, many students have expressed outrage at the policy's threat to students with absentee parents. Rese Fox, the Michigan Progressive Party's can- didate for MSA president, has promised to fight the form if elected. "How can we expect so many noncustodial parents to open their checkbooks for their children when they haven't even opened up their lives for them?" Fox said at a meeting of the University Board of Regents Feb. 17. Fox supports an MSA resolution urging adminis- trators to eliminate the profile's noncustodial parent questionnaire and to work with students to develop a more equitable financial aid policy. But administrators say the policy will only adverse- ly affect a small fraction of students with noncusto- dial parents. According to Pam Fowler, director of the Office of Financial Aid, about 10 percent of financial aid appli- cants at the University have noncustodial parents. Fowler said the financial aid office may make individual exceptions for students whose parents are estranged, unavailable or unable to contribute. She said some exemptions have already been granted for incoming freshmen. Fowler said students who have had no contact with their noncustodial parent for a number of years may also be granted exceptions to excuse their noncusto- dial parent from contributing to tuition. "Our goal is Both sides now What some students have said about the change in policy: S "How can we expect so many non-cus- todial ;parents to open their checkbooks for their children when they haven't even opened their lives for them?" Rese Fox, Michigan Student Assembly presidential candidate "We should be encouraging stu- dents of single parents to succeed." Kenneth Baker, Michigan Student Assembly representative candidate What some administrators have said: "If their parent is alive and well and working every day, (the student) will have to find some other means to find what they need to stay here." Pam Fowler, financial aid director "If Michigan is going to compete with other colleges on several lev- els, don't you think we would want to compete in terms of our ability to provide financial aid to our students?" Lester Monts, senior vice provost for aca- demic affairs not to make this extremely difficult for students," she said. In order to obtain such an exemption, students would have to make a financial aid appeal and pro- vide documentation that provided evidence of their situation. Fowler would not outline specific ways to provide that documentation because she said each situation is decided on a case-by-case basis. "Our financial aid staff are sensitive to the finan- cial realities unique to each and every one of our stu- dents, and will carry out the policy on an individual basis," University President1Mary Sue Coleman said in an e-mail interview. But students continue to campaign against the form. LSA freshman Kenneth Baker, who is running for an MSA representative seat as an independent candi- See AID, page 7 As part of a promotion for MUSKET's production of "Urinetown," School of Music senior Andy Papas protests on the Diag for his "freedom to pee" yesterday. The play, which is about a town suffering from a 20-year drought, is scheduled for March 17 to 19 at the Power Center for the Performing Arts. AP credit still valuable at 'U' Other schools, including Ivies, struggle with how well AP courses prepare students By Kelly Fraser Daily Staff Reporter The Ivy League usually sets the bar for academic standards in higher education. But several University programs appear to be stepping off the ivy-lined path when it comes to accepting Advanced Placement scores for credit. A recent study by researchers at Harvard University and the University of Virginia found high AP scores do not ensure success in the counterpart subject in college. This report, combined with other worries from faculty about the equivalence of the programs, have prompted many universities to reconsider the weight they give to AP credit, especially at Ivy League schools. Most University departments, though, are not among them. The University has no campus-wide poli- cy for accepting AP credit. Like most universities, it allows each school and relevant department to set its own policy regarding AP credit. Most departments review AP standards at least every few years. According to College Board spokeswom- an Jennifer Topiel, the board, whichadmin- isters AP tests, disputes the findings. Unlike recently published findings, the majority of research on AP students' per- formance in college indicates that they perform as well as, if not better than, their peers who took the equivalent college class- es. Rapid growth of the AP program in recent years has prompted the board to examine course quality across the United States. The board is currently conducting an audit of 15,000 high schools with AP pro- grams to ensure courses are certified and up to national guidelines, Topiel said. Most of the quality concern is directed at AP math and science programs. At the University, the biology and chem- istry departments accept scores of three or above for some form of credit in introduc- tory classes. The College of Engineering maintains higher standards for chemistry and calculus exams than LSA does because of their cen- trality to the field, said Mercedes Barcia, director of engineering's advising center. See AP CREDIT, page 7 Credit comparison How many credits the AP chem- istry exam Is worth at different colleges: University of Michigan (LSA): Score of 3: 5 credits (with placement test for Chem 210) Score of 4 or above: 5 credits (no test) University of Michigan (Engin): 4: 3 credits 5: 5 credits i Ohio State University: 3: 5 credits 4 or above: 10 credits Cornell College: 5: 4 credits Dartmouth College: 5: 5 credits 4m:4 AARON HANDELS- MAN/Daily Teresa Sullivan, who will take over the provost in June, addresses SACUA for the first time yesterday in the Regents Room. Faculty get firost look at new provost, Past PM talks on Armenias Bagratyan led nation in its transition fn nn- f- c-v c ~ f-te future Armenian prime minister, said Armenia now needs to go through a second wave of political and economic reforms to emerge as a Teresa Sullivan, who will take over as provost for interim Ned Gramlich in June, impresses committee Rv Nail Tamba Sullivan, who is moving near campus per- manently in June, said she isn't plotting any "revolutionary plans" for when she takes over as provost, and wants to take some time this fall to learn about the University. She was dressed in a black coat and dark gray cotton shirt, with a brushed metal pendant the size of a silver dollar around her neck. f ; f . - .I