FROM THE DAILY: CALLING ON CONGRESS TO STOP THE SURGE OPINION, PAGE 4 STREAK STOPPED WISCONSIN EDGES WOMEN'S HOOPS SPORTS, PAGE 8 GET YOUR NAME ON THE COVER OF THE ROLLING STONE ARTS, PAGE 5 014C ic4i0. an 4,3ailm Ann Arbor, Michigan www.michigandaily.com Friday January 12, 2007 Duderstadt: End ticket tax breaks Loss of exemption could endanger Big House renovations By KIRSTY MCNAMARA Daily StaffReporter A tax provision that allows Michigan football and hockey fans to deduct up to 80 per- cent of the donation required to buy season tickets has recently come under fire. Former University Presi- dent James Duder- stadt, a memberk of the 19- member Secretaryof Education's Commis- DUDERSTADT sion on the Future of Higher Education, said he is worried not only about the reliance of the University on tax-deduct- ible donations, but also about a profit-seeking attitude in college athletics that he said seems to be driving many large institutions - including the University. The debate surfaced in December 2006 when the Senate Finance Committee discussed tax breaks for col- leges and universities. Part of Duderstadt's testimony at the hearing on the subject focused on tax deductions that help subsidize the cost of season tickets for collegiate athletics. When fans purchase tickets to athletic events, they also pay for the right to buy that ticket. This "right to purchase tickets," also called a required seat donation, is automatically included in the cost of season tickets. Although the two separate fees aren't always obvious, the separation of the right to pur- chase tickets and the cost of the ticket becomes important when paying taxes. A 1988 law considers the purchase of the right to buy tickets to collegiate athletic events to be a charitable donation. As a result, 80 percent of that fee is tax-exempt. This exemption is impor- tant at institutions with big- time sports teams like the University. It can make the difference for sports fans between buying season tick- ets for a college team and a professional team. Jason Winters, the Athletic Department's chief financial officer, said the required seat donations are key to maintain- ing a 25-sport athletic pro- gram. He said money earned frommajor sports like football and hockey help fund sports that don't make any money, like golf and field hockey. "The seat donation was created about three years ago whentheAthletic Department was in a financial crisis," said University CFO Timothy Slot- tow. Instead of cutting sports or increasing stadium adver- tising, the University Board of Regents decided to require a See TAX BREAK, page 7 Disabled veterans ask state to halt 'U' funds Group says unlikely that the state legisla- ture would deny the Universi- stadium plans ty funding, the state has taken similar steps in the past. don't meet In 2005, the Michigan Department of Transporta- standards tion in 2005 refused to grant the Detroit Department of By ALESE BAGDOL Transportation $7 million Daily StaffReporter untilitrepaired broken wheel- chair lifts in some of its buses. The University Athletic Whether the University is Department has encountered following ADA regulations another obstacle in its quest to depends on the interpretation renovate Michigan Stadium. of the law's wording. The Michigan Paralyzed According to the ADA, Veterans of America - which when renovating or altering had already petitioned the a public building that accom- University to update its hand- modates more than 300 peo- icapped-accessible seating in ple, the owners are required November - this week asked to upgrade the building to the state legislature to with- ADA standards. hold funding from the Univer- Michael Harris, execu- sity until it complies with the tive deputy director of the federal guidelines set forth in Michigan Paralyzed Veterans the Americans with Disabili- of America, said the Athletic ties Act. Department's plan to upgrade About $320 million in the seating bowl of Michigan annual appropriations are Stadium qualifies as a reno- at stake. Although it seems vation, not as a repair, which does not require compliance. In addition to the installa- tion of luxury boxes, which will be handicapped acces- sible, the Athletic Depart- ment plans to widen seats and aisles. Consequently, to comply, 1 percent of Michigan Stadi- um's capacity, or about 1,000 seats, would have to be acces- sible to wheelchairs after the renovation. These seats would also need to be dispersed throughout the stadium, with various prices and locations, Harris said. "Historically, the Univer- sity has always put us in the less popular locations so they can say 'we've accommodated the wheelchair users,' " Har- ris said. University spokeswoman Kelly Cunningham said the upgrade to the seating bowl will meet ADA regulations because it is only a repair and not a renovation or alteration. See BIG HOUSE, page 7 LSA sophomore Manal Peracha (left) and Pharmacy student Maie Saif (right) at the Michigan League yesterday. They traveled to Saudi Arabia over Winter Break to make the Hajj. STUDENTS ON A JOURNEY OF FAITH For first time in decades, Hajj falls on Winter Break By DREW PHILP Daily StaffReporter Imagine being at a crowded rock concert. Your favorite band is playing that one song, and everyone knows the words. You sing your heart out. Every syllable resonates within every inch of your flesh and every bit of your soul. The entirety of the heavens and earth seem to be singing along with you. You know what every word means,,and you know their meaning. Now imagine two million people. People of all nationalities. They speak different languages. It's hot and crowd- ed. They are all in the same place for one exhilarating reason. Instead of singing, though, everyone is praying. But a rock concert cannot compare to one of the largest religious gatherings in the world. In this scene, everyone is Muslim, and everyone is undergoing the Hajj - the pilgrimageto Mecca required of every Muslim with the means and health to undertake it. See HAJJ, page 7 Inboxes across campus are being flooded with unwanted e-mail. Rest assured, though, University techs are trying to fend off the . Attack of the spam mail Unwanted e-mail on the rise; dormant groups to face ax By MICHAEL COULTER Daily StaffReporter Although spam has always been an annoyance to students, over the last two months the amount of junk e- mail being sent to mail.umich. edu inboxes across campus has dramatically increased. Online shopping around the holidays has led to the increase in spam, according to Amy Brooks, director of the University's Computing Envi- ronment. Students who provide their e-mail address to cam- pus groups also risk making themselves easier targets for spammers. Spammers often acquire the e-mail addresses of stu- dent groups from the Uni- versity's online directory and then send spam to all the group's members. Because the group e-mail list remains online until the owner deletes it, spammers can continue sending junk e-mail even if the group is no longer used. Information Technol- ogy Central Services is cur- rently developing a program designed to repair the dam- age caused by outdated e-mail lists. ITCS's Group Expiry Policy will require that group owners renew their e-mail lists every year. If no one responds to the notice after a * Put yourself on the Do Not 0 Delete dormant groups Spam list Ask to be unsubscribed from " Set upa spam filter groups * Restrict sending privelages on 0 Create a seperate e-mail HOw TO AVOID SPAM groups you own. account for potential spam year, ITCS will delete the list. The policy has already been approved by the ITCS gover- nance board in charge of proj- ects, Brooks said. "It will probably be imple- mented over the summer," she said. ITCS has also proposed a project called the Penalty Box. The program would detect e- mail addresses that have sent large numbers, of messages to university addresses over an extended period of time. Those individuals would be put in the Penalty Box, which would limit the amount of e- mail they can send each day. "The idea of the program is that they will give up after retrying so many times and go somewhere else," Brooks said. Brooks said she expects the Penalty Box to go into effect at the end of the term. Debra Steiner, manager of Consulting Services for ITCS, said her office has received 168 calls about spam mail since September, which is worrisome but not severe, she said. Most students have already taken advantage of resources like the Do Not Spam list and spam filters, Steiner said. While some spammers have developed ways to prevent being filtered by the Do Not Spam list, the University is trying to stay a step ahead, Brooks said. "Hopefully, the new pro- grams in development will provide students with more protection," she said. TODAY'S WEATHER HI: 43 GOT A NEWS TIP? LO: 26 Call 734-763-2459 or e-mail news@michgandaily.com and let us know. 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