Our guy against an MSU writer
The B-side Sports, Page 5A
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Thursday, November 1, 2007
michigandaily.com
ANN ARBOR PHILANTROPHY
F11ng
Pfizer's
void
With pharmaceutical giant
leaving city, non-profits
look for new benefactor
By ANDY KROLL
Daily Staff Reporter
When pharmaceutical giant Pfizer closes its 2 mil-
lion-square-foot Plymouth Road facility next year, the
city of Ann Arbor will lose its single largest taxpayer
and largest private employer.
And many non-profit organizations will lose one of
their biggest sponsors.
Kenneth Fischer, president of the University Musi-
cal Society, said Pfizer's corporate contributions, the
Pfizer-purchased6tickets for UMS events and match-
ing employee donations, totaled about $350,000 each
year.
"We're going to miss them," Fischer said. "This is a
company that had been great supporters of the UMS
and exemplary corporate sponsors."
Still, Fischer said he was optimistic about seeking
out future donors and corporate sponsors.
He said the loss of Pfizer has influenced local orga-
nizations like UMS to increase fundraising efforts and
encouraged local businesses to consider supporting
local organizations and events.
"Some of it was our being proactive and seeking out
other sources of funding," Fischer said. "And some of
it was the companies themselves - the businesses of
Ann Arbor and the surrounding community - asking
'What can I do?"'
See PFIZER, Page 7A
RODRIGO GAYA/Daily
A group of scientists tested sound levels in Michigan Stadium during halftime of Saturday's game against Minnesota. They said the student section is about as loud as
a chain saw
A LOUDER BIG HOUSE
Profs test says skyboxes will
increase noise level at games
By ELAINE LAFAY
For the Daily
The addition of luxury boxes to Michigan Stadium
will make it louder, accordingto tests by a University
professor.
During halftime at Saturday's football game
against Minnesota, Mojtaba Navvab, an associate.
architecture professor, and other researchers mea-
sured sound in Michigan Stadium at the SO-yard line
to predict what impact the planned renovations will
have in makingthe stadium louder.
Sound often evaporates into the air at The Big
House, which has a reputation for being a relatively
quiet stadium despite touting the nation's largest
crowds. Because there aren't many things for the
crowd noise to reflect off of, the oval-shaped bowl
loses sound.
The skyboxes would amplify the sounds of the
crowd by further enclosing the stadium, causing
sound to bounce back onto the field instead of escap-
ing.
In a press conference in September, Penn State
wideout Deon Butler said the noise and intimidation
factor at The Big House were low for a stadium of its
size.
"It's not a super-overwhelming place," he said.
"Yes, it's large, and they're supposed to have more
people than us, but it's not overwhelming in the sense
that it's not as tense as Beaver Stadium. Their fans
See NOISE, Page 7A
GREEN REPORT CARD
'U' gets high marks
* in sustainability
PACIFISTS FOR NORTH KOREA
I
Ur
ti
nstitute gives endowments.
It had eight major criteria, all of
niversity B+ for which were used to test environ-
mental sustainability.
recycling, Among the criteria were trans-
portation, food and recycling and
ransportation program administration - all cat-
egories in which the University
By KOJO ASIEDU received an A.
Daily StaffReporter The University also received an
A in investment priorities, which
University received a B- tracks how schools fund renew-
a recent nationwide study able energy initiatives.
iversities' environmental The worst grade the University
:es. received was a D in shareholder
study - conducted annu- engagement. The category evalu-
y the Sustainable Endow- ates how involved stakeholders
nstitute - graded 200 U.S. and the school community are
anadian private and public with a university. The only posi-
sities with large financial tive cited by the report in that
category was the University's
distribution of guidelines to its
investment managers.
In the other categories, though,
the University received high
praise. The report said the Office
of the President's prominent role
on the University's Environmen-
tal Task Force was a major thing
the administration is doing to pro-
mote a green campus. The survey
indicated that the University has
"several full-time employees" who
work specifically on energy-based
initiatives.
The report also commended the
University's transportation initia-
tives. The University has the larg-
est active alternative fuel vehicle
See REPORT, Page 7A
The
plus in
of un
practic
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ADVOCACY AT THE UNIVERSITY
New group aims to unite
campus activist groups
BEN SIMON/Daily
LSA sophomore Ethan Han, a member of the student group Hope NK, participates in a silent protest on the Diag on yesterday.
The group wanted to draw attention to the suffering of North Korean civilians under the country's dictatorship. For more on the
demonstration,see michigandaily.com/thewire.
GRADUATION CELEBRATION
LSA to hold event for school's grads
Council brings labor,
human rights
advocates together
By LISA HAIDOSTIAN
Daily StaffReporter
LSA junior Greg Cohen found-
ed earlier this semester the Inter-
Humanitarians Council, a student
group aimed at bringing together
activist and human-rights groups
on campus.
The IHC is a growing organiza-
tion comprised of the leaders of 13
human rights, anti-poverty and
activist groups on campus.
With so many students travel-
ingtheworld and studyingabroad,
the need for students to be compe-
tent and educated world citizens
is critical, Cohen said.
"Students can reap more bene-
fits from their abroad experience,
they can have a better impact on
the population that they're visit-
ing, and they can represent the
University of Michigan with bet-
ter professionalism," he said.
By forming a single body to
represent what he calls the gen-
eral humanitarian cause, Cohen
believes the networking between
existing student groups will serve
to increase the organizations'
presence and clout on campus.
"We feel like if we have this
critical mass, we'll have more
leverage when we communicate,"
he said.
The IHC plans to spend time
promoting a different cause every
other month in large awareness
campaigns involving lectures and
activities on the Diag. In Decem-
ber or January, the IHC will pro-
mote human rights groups.
The IHC also hopes to eventu-
ally establish some sort of inter-
national studies major for the
University. Although an interna-
See COUNCIL, Page 7A
Other University
units fete grads before
commencement
By JAKE SMILOVITZ
For the Daily
For the first time in recent mem-
ory, the College of Literature, Sci-
ence and the Artswill hold an event
for graduatingseniors at the time of
commencement in the spring.
Although details have not been
finalized, LSA administrators and
the LSA Student Government are
looking to hold what they are call-
ing a simple and classy event for
graduates before they leave cam-
pus.
"Everyone feels like you gradu-
ate, your lease ends, and you're
done," said Christine Schepeler, the
LSA-SG external relations officer.
"We're looking to change that.",
Although individual LSA pro-
grams have hosted events, the col-
lege hasn't held an event for the
entire graduating class in at least
the past 30 years. No one is aware
of any graduation events before
then, but this hasn't been able to be
confirmed.
"There has never been a College
of LSA graduation event in the past
because of its huge size," Schepeler
said. "It's just more feasible for the
other colleges than it is for us."
Most other colleges at the Uni-
versity offer an event to com-
memorate graduation for students
in addition to the University-wide
commencement. For example, in
recent years, the schools of engi-
neering and nursing as well as the
Ross School of Business have held
their own commencement activi-
ties and other events like brunch-
es and receptions with the deans
around the time of graduation.
The LSA event was first sup-
See LSA, Page 7A
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