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Ann Arbor, Michigan

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

michigandaily.com


Law School
may get a
$102 million
addition

Matthew Scott, an employee of Nichols Arboretum, shows the white fir tree that was found cut down in Nichols Arboretum last week.
A CHRISTMAS CRIME

N
of
h

valuable trees tum staff and the Department
of Public Safety say there have
ten fall prey to been about three tree thefts
over the past five years during
oliday thieves the holiday season.
In the hopes of nipping tree
theft in the bud, DPS increases
By MARA GAY its security in the arboretum
Daily StaffReporter this time of year. Plakke said
arboretum staff also patrol
corating a Christmas tree the grounds more frequently
way to get into the holi- around-Christmas to help deter
irit. tree theft.
stealingthattree fromthe It's clear the 25-foot white fir
is Arboretum can put you that now lies on the arboretum
for up to five years. Even floor was majestic once. But on
h chopping down and Thursday, a group of people -or
ng a tree from the Nichols perhaps one ambitious individ-
etum is a felony, arbore- ual - sneaked into the arbore-

tum and lopped off six of the
tree's 25 feet. Arboretum staff
members say the culprits made
off with what is probably a per-
fectly-sized Christmas tree.
Today, the remainder of the
fir tree lies on a frozen trail
near the Washington Heights
Street entrance, its trunk
snapped like a matchstick. The
rings of its stump suggest the
fallen tree was about 30 years
old, according to Jeff Plakke, a
Natural Areas Specialist for the
arboretum.
Plakke said he is
troubled by the thefts.
"Most people respect the other
living things in the arbore-

tum," Plakke said. "All it takes,
though, is one criminal to come
along and kill one of our trees."
So far, the downed tree trail
is cold. DPS spokeswoman
Diane Brown and arboretum
staff say they have not found
the culprits.
Brown said it is important
not to jump to conclusions
about who might be responsible
without evidence.
But Plakke said he has his
suspicions. He said stealing
a tree, or part of a tree, has
become somewhat of a tradi-
tion among a few small groups
of college students, likely fra-
See ARB, Page 3

Proposal includes
academic center,
student commons
building
By CHRIS HERRING
Daily News Editor
The University Board of
Regents is slated to vote Thurs-
day on a proposed $102 million
addition to the Law School.
The project would include the
construction of two buildings: an
approximately 100,000- square
foot academic building south of
Monroe Street for classrooms
and office space and an approxi-
mately 16,000-square foot stu-
dent commons building between
HutchinsHall andtheCookLegal
Research Building for study areas
and lounge facilities for students.
The addition would also
include upgrades to Hutchins
Hall and the Cook Legal Research
Building.
According to the proposal,
Law School resources, University

investment proceeds and dona-
tions will fund the project.
Christopher Jeffries, a 1974
graduate of the Law School, gave
$5 million in September to help
fund the project.
When planning for the renova-
tion began in 2003, Law School
officials asked the Italian archi-
tecturefirmRenzoPianoBuilding
Workshop to design schematics.
But as the concept, originally
expected to cost $75 million,
began to look more expensive
and evasive - parts of Hutchins
Hall would have been closed
off because of the construction
- Law School officials decided
to hire new architects for the
project. The University is asking
the regents to approve the hir-
ing of Washington, D.C.-based
architectural firm Hartman-Cox
Architects, which has developed
plans for law school buildings at
Georgetown University, Tulane
University and Washington Uni-
versityin St. Louis.
Diane Brown, facilities and
operations spokeswoman, said
it's uncommon for cost estimates
See LAW SCHOOL, Page 3

Dec
is one
day sp
But
Nicho
in jail
thoug
stealit
Arbor


DESIGN CONTEST
On North Campus, a search for new ideas

Contest seeks ways to
improve area's appeal, pays
$10,000 to winning team
By DANIEL STRAUSS
Daily StaffReporter
Engineering Dean David Munson wants
to add something to North Campus to make
it more appealing. He's just not sure what.
That will be will be decided in March,
when judges choose the winner of the Work-
Play Competition, a contest to design some-
thing to increase North Campus's appeal.
The winning team will earn a $10,000
prize and help install their design in the open

space to the west of the Duderstadt Center
near Pierpont Commons and the Walgreen
Drama Center. The runner-up will receive a
$5,000 prize.
The contest is sponsored by the deans of
five schools on North Campus - the College
of Engineering, Taubman College of Archi-
tecture and Urban Planning, the School of
Music, Theatre and Dance and the School of
Information - and Arts on Earth, a Univer-
sity initiative to promote and increase art on
campus.
WorkPlay is an abstract challenge. There
are no restrictions placed on what type of
project is submitted, only that project's bud-
get must be no more than $500,000.
Teams must also consist of at least two
students from different participating schools

but can have unlimited number of students,
staff or faculty from the University.
One of the contest's coordinators, Casey
Jones, who graduated from the College of
Architecture and Urban Planning in 1992,
said that requiring the teams to be are inter-
disciplinary, organizers hope to foster a
sense of community on North Campus.
"Part of the intention of the project is
to create a greater sense of community up
here," Jones said.
Entries mustbe submitted to WorkPlay by
Feb. 8. A jury composed of the participating
deans, a North Campus student and Cam-
pus Planner Sue Gott will select the winner
this spring, and the project will likely break
ground several months later.
See NORTH CAMPUS, Page 3

FOUR GENERATIONS OF SKATES AND SHOES

Lauren Leland founded Homeless: Awareness To Action, a group that collects
cans and donates thern to the Washtenaw County Homeless Shelter.
Turning party trash
into charity cash
Greek houses using the 1976 Michigan Beverage Con-
tainer Act - an initiative enacted
cans to raise funds to curb pollution by rewarding
people with 10 cents for each
for homeless recycled can or bottle - to raise
money for charities that help the
By JACOB SMILOVITZ homeless.
Daily StaffReporter LSA freshman Lauren Leland,
who is vice president of the char-
There are some images about ity and a member of Kappa Alpha
itself that the Greek system tries Theta, said the charity utilizes
to promote: its members do lots of what is already widely available.
philanthropy, for example. "We saw homelessness as a real
There are others that the problem in Ann Arbor," Leland
Greek system tries to fight: that said. "We wanted to do what we
its members drink lots of beer. could with the resources we have
Some members of the Univer- on campus."
sity's Greek system are combin- According to the most Washt-
ing those activities to help the enaw County estimates available,
area's homeless. on a given night in 2005 there
The Homelessness: Awareness were about 374 sheltered and
To Action organization is using See CANS, Page 3

Bill Brown, 79, owns College Shoe Repair on East William Street. Brown said the store will
over the lease. Brown's grandfather started the store in 1933.

close when the building is sold or someone else takes


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