Northwester 1sn jk Uni against Appalachian State, Wolverines won't be caught on their heels Sports, page 8 Ar 1Bi4iganBnaI (NE HUNDEII SEVEF ENiYEA S E DptmIT)ILE,20EIM Friday, September 28, 2007 ts, page 8 Ann Arbor, Michigan michigandaily.con STATE BUDGET CRIS Talks go on,. but no deal yet Shutldown could begin on Monday By ALESE BAGDOL Daily StaffReporter Michigan lawmakers are work- ing at the wire to reach a budget compromise that would eliminate the state's $1.75 billion deficit and avert the partial government shut- down that will otherwise begin Monday. Both State Budget Director Bob Emerson and House Fiscal Agency Director Mitchell Bean recommended that the legislature finalize its budget by midnight last night to allow enough time to reprogram government computers to reflect the new budget. Other- wise the state won't be able to pay some agencies by the Oct. 1 dead- line, they say. The Democrat-led House and Republican-led Senate continue to disagree over which steps should be taken to eliminate the deficit. "We have made some prog- ress and hopefully we can reach a bipartisan agreement as soon as possible," said Greg Bird, spokes- man for House Speaker Andy Dil- lon (D-Redford). But as the deadline draws clos- er, more lawmakers are doubting if they can avert a shutdown. "There is no way a permanent budget will be finished by Oct. 1," said Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop in a speech yesterday after- noon. If the legislature doesn't meet the Oct.1 deadline, it will be forced See BUDGET, Page 7 Crime steady, but alcohol, drug violations on rise, Other crime statistics flat; burglaries down slightly By GABE NELSON MORE VICE? OR MORE VIGILANCE? Daily News Editor The overall number of alcohol and drug violations reported by the Department of Public The number of students fac- Safety have increased steadily over the last few years. ing punishment for drinking and using drugs on campus is on the rise, according to figures released by campus police earlier this week. More than twice as many people were arrested or referred for cam- pus disciplinary action on drug and alcohol charges last year than in 2004. The Department of Public Safety's annual Campus Safety Handbook reported 1,546 alcohol violations last year, up from 841 in 2005 and 704 in 2004. Report- ed drug violations also increased from 71 ie 2004 to 109 in 2005 to 158 last year. Most of that increase doesn't appear to have come froi police cracking down. While the number of students facing MIP and drug charges has remained relatively constant, the University's Office of Student Conflict Resolution was much busier last year than it had been in previous years. The number of students referred to OSCR for disciplinary action in incidents related to alcohol has skyrocketed from 157 in 2004 to 352 in 2005 to 930 last year. The number of drug-related incidents referred to OSCR has increased from zero in 2004 to 24 in 2005 to 92 last year. In those cases, residence hall staff refers the student to a staff committee rather than to police. The committee reviews the inci- dent and decides whether to dis- miss the case or send it to official arbitration. The student can often settle the charges through com- munity service - for example, by making posters or organizing a hall activity. See CRIME, Page 7 1,546 1550 1240 930 620 KEY: DrugViolations Alcohol Violations 841 704 FINANCIAL AID REFORM Bush signs student aid bill Maximum Pell Grants to increase to $5,400 By EMILY BARTON - Daily StaffReporter President Bush signed a bill yesterday to increase financial aid to poor and middle class col- lege students. The bill raises the maximum Pell Grant from $4,310 to $5,400 over five years. It would also cut federal student loan interest rates from 6.8 percent to 3.4 percent over four years. The bill will also limit the amount a borrower needs to repay to 15 percent of the borrower's discretionary income when they earn below 1.5 times the poverty line. Last year, 152,729 students received Pell Grants in the state of Michigan. Of those, 3,350 went to University of Michigan students. The money for this increase will come from a decrease in subsidies to student lenders by $21 bil- lion. Congress passed the bill on Sept. 7 with a vote of 79-12 in the Senate and avote of 292-97 in the House of Representatives, making a veto ineffective. Bush originally said he would veto the bill, say- ing it was too expensive and included hidden costs, but then promised to sign it because it promotes aid for underprivileged students. The bill comes after two previous attempts this summer to pass legislation to increase financial aid, which Bush and some student loan companies opposed. Mohammad Dar, vice president for the Michi- gan Student Assembly, said the bill is needed to reverse the trend of increased tuition. He said the change in interest rates woul have the biggest effect on students. But Dar said the slight increase doesn't make up for declining state aid, especially because Pell Grants are only granted to students with signifi- cant financial need. "I think it's a step in the rightdirection," he said. "Every little bit helps." 310 109 1582 71 E - 2004 205-2-6 0 It's not that police are catching more students, though. Almost allof the increase is due to more referrals by residence hall staff to the Office of Student Conflict Resolution (BELOW). DPS spokeswoman Diane Brown said a change in administration or better record-keeping at OSCR could be the cause. 1550 F 1240 r 930 930 620 352 310 r 157 U0 24 92 0 2004 - 2005 2006 soURCE: DEPARTMENT oF PUBLIc sSAFETY RENOVATING THE BIG HOUSE *More seats for handicapped PETTING PUPPETS Lawyer for paralyzed vets calls addition 'a joke' ByARIKIA MILLIKAN DailyStaffReporter Come next season, at least 14 disabled fans will have a better view of football games at Michi- gan Stadium. University spokeswoman Kelly Cunningham said the the Athletic in other parts of the stadium. Department plans to add at least The announcement comes 14 wheelchair-accessible seats amid a lawsuit by the Michigan parallel to the sidelines after this Paralyzed Veterans of America season. that argues that the planned reno- The Athletic Department made vations to Michigan Stadium do the decision to add the seats based not provide the number of wheel- on an ongoing evaluation of fan chair-accessible seats mandated needs, Cunningham said. Some by the Americans With Disabili- disabled fans have criticized plac- ties Act. ing of all wheelchair-accessible The planned renovations will seats in the endzones, which most add two structures containing fans say afford poorer views of the luxury boxes and premium seat- game, and they've requested seats See STADIUM, Page 7 Developer planning condos for fans Company has already built near Notre Dame By DANIEL STRAUSS Daily StaffReporter . Following the lead of several real-estate companies across the nation, a developer is working on plans to build hotel-style condo- if the owners intend to only use miniums in Ann Arbor aimed at the space on certain weekends to fans who want a place to stay on go to football games, for example, football weekends. Brenan said. The condos will be about amile . For many diehard fans, the and a half from Michigan stadium condos are an opportunity to and cost between $97,000 and avoid sky-high hotel prices or the $189,000, said Mike Brenan, gen- expense of maintaining a house or eral manager of Brenan Hospital- apartment near the stadium. The ity Management Group. condos are also furnished and Buyers willbe able to rent space maintained by building staff. out to offset the cost of the condos See CONDOS, Page 7 Ann Arbor resident Dan Cooney and his 3-year-old son Tobin admire a giant Elvis puppet at the FestiFools Open Studio Party in its studio location in the Campus Security Services Building yesterday evening. The project started asa Lloyd Hall Scholars Pro- gram class for non-art majors and has since grown into a community-wide public art project. Last spring, FestiFools held an April Fools Day parade on Main Street. TODAY'S H1: 72 WEATHER LU:43 GOT A NEWS TIP? Call 734-763-2459 or e-mail new@michigandaily.comand let us know. ON THE DAILY BLOGS Soulja Boy YouTube mashups MICHIGAN DAILY.COM/THEFILTER INDEX NEW S..................... Vol. CXVIIll,No.18 O PINION..........:...... X2007TheMichiganDaily ARTS...........l..... ...........2 CROSSW ORD........, ...4 CLASSIFIEDS....... ...5 SPO RTS................. ..6 .,.8 r P,