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The Michigan Daily I

WELCOME TO OUR UNIVERSITY

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You've selected this university out of the hundreds because
(or despite) of what you have already heard about what it
has to offer. Here are a few more things to look forward to:

By BRIAN TENGEL
Daily StaffReporter
Last time I checked Wikipedia,
it said there were 2,474 four-year
colleges in the America.
Doesn't that boggle your mind?
And you had to whittle that num-
ber down to just one.
You could have gone north,
south, east, or west. Rural,
urban, suburban or some place in
between. You could have chosen a
private school or a public school.
You could have been one among
4,000 students - or one among
40,000.
It was your decision. And some-
how, amid all the stressful uncer-
tainties about your future, you've
made it.
Welcome to the University of
Michigan, your home for the next
four years.
But why, you might wonder, is
this place better than those other
2,473 four-year institutions? Well,
here are five reasons why it was
the right choice for me.
HOME FOOTBALL GAMES
Imagine a city with a popula-
tion of 55,000. Now double it.
That's about how many screaming
fans will be packed into Michigan
Stadium on Saturdays this fall.
After your first football game,
you'll begin to know and love the
maize and blue frenzy of game day.
Football games are bonding expe-
riences with more than a hundred
thousandother people. Whatcould
be better than that?
THE CITY OF ANN ARBOR
Ann Arbor has everything a
college student could ever want:
restaurants, record stores, movie
theaters, coffeehouses, book-
stores, bars and much more. The
best part? All are an easy walk
from the University's Central
Campus. In Ann Arbor, there is
something for everyone. You just
have to explore.
DIVERSITY
The University has dedicated

itself to maintaining a diverse stu-
dent body, and the results of this
dedication are strong. Next year,
you'll meet people from Hong
Kong and from Boise, ID, from
New Delhi and from Nashville,
Tenn. It's exciting to walk across
campus and see people who are so
different - linguistically, ethni-
cally and geographically - from
you. This diversity will expose you
to different cultures, making you
both appreciate and learn from
them.
ACADEMICS
The University is a world-
renowned academic institution.
Its faculty has included Nobel
Prize winners, recipients of the
MacArthur "Genius Grants," and
countless prestigious fellowships.
On campus, the atmosphere is
intellectually stimulating, and
you'll be amazed by how much you
learn from professors and other
students. You will be just as proud
of the University's academic repu-
tation as you are of its athletics.
THE PERFECT BALANCE
One of the things that most
impresses me about the University
is the balance between studying
and having fun. Given the rigorous
coursework, students definitely
push themselves to the limit. But
they know when to stop working
and have a good time. This qual-
ity makes the University both aca-
demically and socially rewarding.
These five reasons have con-
vinced me that Michigan is where
I belong. But that's not to say that
I have found everything about it to
my liking. Here are three not-so-
good things about the University.
THE CITY OF ANN ARBOR
Don't get me wrong; Ann Arbor
is great. But it's not Chicago, or
New York or Boston. Ann Arbor
is a quaint college town, and it
doesn't compare to a big metropol-
itan city. Living in Ann Arbor can
sometimes feel like you're living in
a bubble.


PROPOSAL 2
If you're not from the state of
Michigan, you may not have heard
of Proposal 2. You will soon. Last
November, Michigan voters passed
the ballot initiative effectively ban-
ning the use of affirmative action
in public institutions. As a result,
the University can no longer con-
sider a student's race and ethnic-
ity in its admissions process. That
means the diverse student body
that I described before is in jeop-
ardy. If University officials don't
find a way to legally maintain this
diversity, one of the University's
most impressive achievements
may soon disappear.

GREEK LIFE
I know, I know, in your Fiske
Guide to Colleges, it says that only
15 percent of men and 16 percent
of women at the University choose
Greek Life. But if you're not part of
this minority, those percentages
can sometimes seem a lot higher.
That's all I'm going to say.
So there it is, my assessment
of our university. Come fall, you
will undoubtedly begin your own
assessment, and it may turn out
quite different from mine.
I guess we'll just have to wait
and see.

Counterclockwise from bottom: ZAC
MEISNER, FILE PHOTO, RODRIGO GAYA
AND PETER SCHOT TENFELS/Daily

UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
PARKING & TRANSPORTATION SERVICES (PTS)
508 Thompson Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48104-2414
Phone: (734) 764-8291
Fax: (734) 763-4041
Parking for students in U-M lots is extremely limited, and overnight
(storage) parking is not available in University lots, except for a few
designated areas. There are many services available for moving
around campus and the City of Ann Arbor, so personal vehicles are
usually not necessary. Students may ride any U-M bus or shuttle
free of charge as well as any Ann Arbor Transportation Authority
(AATA) bus route (free) by showing their valid University of Michigan
Identification card to the bus driver.
Student permits for juniors, seniors and graduate students are available
for purchase and are issued on a first come, first issued basis. Permits are
valid from July 1, 2007, through June 30, 2008; parking fees are prorated
per an established schedule. Freshman and sophomore students are not
eligible to obtain a U-M permit.
NOTE: Parking and Transportation Services does not issue per-
mits for University Residence Halls or Northwood Community
Apartments.
Students are not eligible for faculty and staff parking permits (Gold,
Blue, Yellow or Orange). Please be aware that only permits obtained
from and issued by Parking and Transportation Services are valid in
University lots and structures.
For detailed parking and transportation information, please visit the
Parking and Transportation Services web site at www.pts.umich.edu or
call (734) 764-8291.
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0 O o -

Regents approve revised
North Quad blueprints

Schematic drawingsof North Quad approved by the Regents in December

After delay, board
OKs 'northwestern
gateway' to campus
By BRIAN TENGEL
Daily StaffReporter
The University Board of Regents
approved a new design for North
Quad at its December meeting. It
will be campus's first new resi-
dence hall since Bursley Hall was
built 1968.
The schematic design and bud-
get for North Quad were originally
scheduled to be approved at the
Regents meeting in March. At the
last minute, though, administra-
tors decided to delay the approval,
citing concerns over the aesthetics
of the building's exterior.
In an interview after the meet-
ing, Coleman said the original
design wasn't welcoming enough.
A nine-month delay means that
the dorm University President
Mary Sue Coleman has called the
northwestern gateway to Central
Campus will open at least a year
later than scheduled. The hall is
now slated for completion in 2010.
It will also cost an extra $38 mil-
lion.
The University hired architec-
tural firm Robert A.M. Stern to
rework the designs with help from
Einhorn Yaffee Prescott, the archi-
tecture firm behind the original
designs.

Coleman said the new structure both inside the building and from
will echo many of the other build- the street.
ings on campus, reflecting the During his presentation of the
aesthetics of structures like Weill designs to the regents, architect
Hall, also designed by architects at Jeffrey Povero said the design will
Robert A.M. Stern. take on a distinctly Michigan fla-
"It's more urban, it's more Mich- vor.
igan, it's more who we are," Cole- "What we tried to do is cre-
man said of the new design. ate a complex that felt very much
The architects said the building like Michigan, one that could be
will cost $175 million, up from the nowhere else," he said. "It's not like
original estimate of $137 million. Princeton, and it's not like Berke-
University Chief Financial Offi- ley. It's not like any of those places.
cer Tim Slottow said the extra It has an architectural tradition
expenses reflect a one-year delay in that's all it's own."
the original construction schedule, The construction of North Quad
the cost of bringing in a new archi- is part of the University's Resi-
tecture firm and enhanced archi- dential Life Initiative, an effort to
tectural features. improve the living and learning
The building will stand on the environment in the University's
current site of the Frieze Building, residence halls. In addition to
the demolition of which the regents North Quad, the initiative also
approved at their September meet- includes proposed renovations to
ing. "heritage residence halls" - those
The new complex, designed to with distinctive architecture.
merge academic facilities and resi- Currently, Mosher-Jordan resi-
dential space, will house 460 stu- dence hall is closed for repairs. It
dents, the School of Information, will reopen in fall 2008. The fol-
the departments of Communica- lowing spring, the University will
tion Studies and Screen Arts and close Stockwell residence hall until
Culture, the Language Resource the fall of 2010 for similar renova-
Center and the Sweetland writing tions.
Center. The residential part of the Although no construction proj-
building will include a top-floor ects have yet been announced, the
community lounge overlooking University is considering renovat-
campus, air conditioning in every ing the West Quad, Betsy Barbour
room, personal bathrooms and and Helen Newberry halls, Uni-
updated dining facilities. versity Housing Director Carole
Image Cafe, a new restaurant on Henry told the regents today.
the State Street commercial cor-
ridor, will also be located in the This article originally
complex. It will be accessible from ran on Jan. 4,2007.

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