Wednesday, October 0 News 2A U.S. population hits 300 million Opinion 5A Breakng down the race for governor Arts 8A Kimberly Chou: Mawli Baby, you're a star 18, 2006 )LN 8/ Y8 ) One-hundred-sixteen years ofeditorildfreedom www.mlinkandaziy.com Ann Arbor, Michigan Vol. CXVII, No. 30 62006 The Michigan Daily Booze in the Big Houe AARONHANDELSMAN/Daly Residents of the Nakamura Co-op eat dinner last night. Participation in cooperative housing has been decreasing in Ann Arbor while Increasing In the rest of the country. Despite trends that show more and more students choosing the cooperative life nationally, in Ann Arbor ... Students opt out of co-ops Co-op stalwarts say they offer a cheaper option for campus housing By Taryn Hartman For The Daily Despite a resurgence in coop- erative housing in college towns across the country, Ann Arbor's co-op community is experienc- ing a decline. According to Inter-Coop- erative Council President Tra- vis Jones, interest in co-ops has waned over the past three or four years, prompting an increase in the cost of cooperative living. The cost per person has gone up slightly during ,that time. While the increase hasn't made rent significantly higher for individual residents, it's indica- tive of a disturbing trend of lack of interest, Jones said. The average cost of living in a co-op is about $460 per month, or $2,000 to $2,200 per semes- ter, including food and utilities. Most University dorm prices fall between $3,000 and $4,000 per semester. Students living in a co-op are also required to contribute four or five hours of work each week to the main- tenance and operations of the house. "Shared labor is what makes them so cheap," Jones said. Off-campus housing in the city is notoriously steep. It isn't uncommon to pay more than $600 per month for an apart- ment near campus. Co-ops traditionally hay" a reputation as a haven for uip- pies, though across the country, they seem to be opening their doors to more mainstream resi- dents. Jones said the biggest prob- lem facing the ICC, which over- sees 19 co-ops in Ann Arbor, is a difficulty generating publicity around campus. "Our main recruitment tool is word-of-mouth" Jones said. And word of mouth can be fickle: One person who has a bad experience in cooperative housing can scare away five or six people, Jones said, while someone who has a positive co- op experience will only recruit one or two people to the co-op way of life. Jim Jones.Travis's father and a former executive director of both the ICC and North Ameri- can Students for Cooperation, said he isn't sure why Ann Arbor's cooperative communi- ty has been struggling in com- parison to those in other college towns. But he agrees with his son that only a small percentage of the student population actu- ally knows that co-ops are an option. "We get lots of people who grew up in Ann Arbor," said Jim Jones, currently NASCO's director of asset management. Ann Arbor is one of four See CO-OPs, page 7A Adminstrators say no, but Big Ten precedent says maybe By Gabe Nelson Daily Staff Reporter Top University officials say there won't be alcohol in the Big House despite the planned addition of luxury boxes. If the University follows the lead of other schools in the Big Ten that made similar prom- ises, though, that may not be the case. Eight of 11 Big Ten schools allow fans in premium seating at their football stadiums to consume alcohol. Many in the University community have worried the Big House could follow suit after the University Board of Regents approved a divisive plan this summer that would add luxury boxes to Michigan Stadium. Big Ten schools have found alcohol helpful - or even necessary - to sell luxury boxes. Each Big House box is See BOOZE, page 7A Which stadiums allow alcohol? MSU Indiana Illinois Wisconsin Ohio State Iowa Purdue Minnesota Northwestern Penn State No Ford, but dedication goes on Former Ford's daughter, Susan, said her father was upset president's children to learn that his doctors attend Weill Hall wouldn't let him attend the dedication. celebration "My brother Mike had to break the news to him,' she By Walter Nowinski said. "It wasn't pleasant, and Daily Staff Reporter I cannot repeat some of the things that were said." Someone was missing Fri- In her address, University day morning when several President Mary Sue Cole- hundred people gathered to man said she had promised celebrate the dedication of Ford that the building would Weill Hall, the new home be finished within his life- of the Ford School of Public time. Although Ford could Policy. not attend the dedication A hospital stay kept for- in person, she said she was mer President Gerald Ford happy to keep her promise. away from the dedication. The University made a Ford, 93, was released DVD of the ceremony for from the hospital after five Ford. days on Monday. Steven Ford read a letter on behalf of his father. In the letter, Ford wrote that "there may be no greater honor than to have a school bear your name. Such recognition means all the more when it comes from an institution that you love" Steven Ford said his father first came to the University with the help of his high school principal, who raised $100 for Ford, the cost of one year's tuition at the time. Susan Ford said her father still follows the football team and pays for special cable service so that he can watch every game at his home in California. Ford played center on the Michigan football team, most notably during the team's undefeated seasons in 1932 and 1933. Ford often reminisces about his time at the Univer- sity, she said. "Stories about U of M, those were like bedtime sto- ries for us," she said. "It was a real honor for him to come to the University, and he still talks about it all the time." In his prepared letter, Ford wrote fondly about his time in Ann Arbor. "Whoever said you can't go home again has never been to Ann Arbor," he wrote. "Exactly 75 years have passed since I first walked down State Street. I felt instantly at home, a feeling which has never left See FORD, page 7A ANGELA CESERE/ Bill Keller, executive editor of The New York Times, poses in the Law Library Monday afternoon. Keller delivered a lecture on the freedom of the press. Times top editor talks on role as 'political chew toy~ Mayoral candidates Wall, Debates in brief Hieftje face off in debate city Council Ward 3 Steve Kunselman the eccentric independent fond of repeating: Get on the In earlier repatig GeDou m-- __.Ayo ,-lcan-t,eao Ats,-1 -Aovoe tormass debate, Ward 3 hopefuls spar By Brian Tengel For the Daily In a preview of the elec- tion, candidates in two local races squared off last night. At Ann Arbor Community Television Studios, Tom Wall, mayoral candidate, debated incumbent Democrat John Hieftje in an event sponsored by the League of Women Voters, anonpartisan political activist group. Wall faces an uphill battle against Hieftje, who is known for his stalwart dedication to the environment and conser- vation. Wallhad one refrain he was ball, and vote for Wall.' Some of Hieftje's initia- tives include his Green Ener- gy Challenge program, which stipulates that the city gov- ernment must use at least 30 percent renewable energy by 2010, and his Greenbelt Ini- tiative, which preserves green space outside the city. Throughout the debate, See DEBATE, page 7A VS. Peter Schermerhorn (Green) Mayor Incumbent John Hieftje (D) vs. Challenger Tom Wall (Independent) In campus visit, Bill Keller describes sparring with Bush Administration By Arikia Millikan Daily Staff Reporter One of the most revered and despised figures in American journalism came to campus Monday. As a self-proclaimed chew toy for both the right and left sides of the political spec- trum, Bill Keller is constantly try- ing to reconcile his obligation to inform the public with the responsibility to protect it. Keller, the executive editor of The New York Times,spoke at the Law School's Honig- man Auditorium. His lecture, titled "Editors in Chains;" was the sixteenth annual Davis, Market, Nickerson Lecture on Academic and Intellectual Freedom lecture, organized by the Senate Advisory Commit- tee on University Affairs. "Newspaper editors do not like to become a part of the stories they report;" University President Mary Sue Coleman said in her introduction for Keller. But Keller and his news- paper have been forced into the public eye for their deci- sion to publish reports of the Bush Administration's use of warrantless surveillance and monitoring of bank accounts - two highly classified pro- grams. The Bush Administration's extreme secrecy has strained the relationship between the White House and the press, making it the most abrasive it has been since the Vietnam War, Keller said. Keller said the government See KELLER, page 7A .4