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Ann Arbor, Michigan
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
michigandaily.com
SMichigan Stadium lawsuit settled
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tatus as biggest The settlement, filed as a con-
sent decree in federal district
tball stadium for court, requires the stadium to have
least two years at least 329 wheelchair-accessible
seats when the renovation proj-
ect concludes in 2010. That figure
By GABE NELSON includes 96 wheelchair-accessible
ManagingEditor seats and companion seats to be
added by the start of the 2008 foot-
University has reached a ball season in late August.
nent that ends the lawsuit The University denied any
tichigan Stadium's accessi- wrongdoing in the consent decree.
o disabled fans - and, for The various adjustments to the
ne being, will end the Big stadium will cost about $2 million,
's reign as the largest foot- according to Gloria Hage, the Uni-
dium in the country. versity's interim vice president and
Michigan Paralyzed Veter- general counsel.
America agreed to drop the Because wheelchair-accessible
t in return for a commitment seats take up about 12 times as
he University to add more much space as normal seats, the
hair-accessible seating and changes will also drop the stadi-
changes to stadium facili- um's seat capacity from 107,501 to
e bathrooms and ramps to an estimated 106,201 for the 2008
them into compliance with and 2009 seasons. That will make
mericans With Disabilities MichiganStadiumthe second-larg-
he group was joined by the est football stadium in the country
epartment of Justice, which after Penn State University's Bea-
onto the lawsuit as a co- ver Stadium, which holds 107,282.
ff in November. University officials said they
$226 millionstadiumexpan- don't know what the stadium's
oject, which will add struc- capacity will be after the expan-
ontaining luxury boxes and sion project and said they don't
ating, will not be affected. know whether it will again become
re construction on the the biggest. The project will add
ion project began in Novem- a total of 5,100 seats, but some of
tichigan Stadium had 92 the stadium's existing seats will
hair-accessible seats, all of See BIG HOUSE, Page 10
KEY:
To be ready by 201
To Tbe ready by201C
24wheelchair a
24 companion
seats in row 72.
At least 72 wheelkhair
and72companion
seats on tihe new
West Concourse.
One avalable wheel-
chrair seat sill be
-ineachluxurybox.
Thee will also be 38
accessible club seats,
24 outdoors and 14
ndrss
8
0
81 wheelchair and
81 companion seats
in row 72,
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nd N 96cmano
seats in ow 54.
5aheelcbr and
56bcompanion
seats in row 72.
81wheelchairand
r81companion seats
sonow 72.
SOURCE: COURT FILINGS MICHIGAN AT H E TIC DEPARTMNT
GRAPHIC BY ALLISON GHAMAN/Daify
SEATING SWAP
Under the terms of the settlement, new wheelchair-accessible seating will be added this year and in
2010 The Big House will have a total of 329 wheelchair-accessible seats in 2010.
NO LONGER THE
BIGGEST HOUSE
The settlement means the University will have to turn
some bleacher seats into wheelchair-accessible seating.
That change means Michigan Stadium won't be the larg-
est football stadium in the country for at least two years.
107501
The capacity of the Big House ap untlthe 207wfootball season.
106,201
The capacity of the Big House for the nest two football seasons.
107,282
The size of Beaver Stadium at Penn StateUniversity.Currently the
second-largestfootball stadium in the country, it will overtake the
Big House until at least 2010.
Policy could ban hot dog vendors
Councilman cites
ordinance from 1947
to prohibit vendors
By SARA LYNNE THELEN
Da ily S tff Repor te r
By the end of this month, the city
of Ann Arbor will begin enforcing
an ordinance that prohibits park-
ing vehicles on public sidewalks.
Thou h the nolicv mav seem mun- ftAW.
DRUGS ON CAMPUS
Among students,
illicit prescription
drug use rising
dane, it could spell doom for long-
time campus staples like hot dog
vendors and other sidewalk snack
shacks.
The ordinance has been on the
books since 1947, but it hasn't been
consistently enforced.
Ann Arbor City Council mem-
ber Stephen Kunselman (D-Ward
3), who calls himself "the one who
dug it up and brought it to light,"
said he decided the law needed to
be enforced because of repeated
complaints he's heard about the
vendors. He cited an example of
a taco stand on the corner of East
William and State Streets last year
that ran a generator so loudly that
blind students couldn't hear the
Study finds number
of student abusers
has increased over
last 15 years
By ELAINE LAFAY
Daily StaffReporter
After smoking marijuana every-
day for seven months, a visit and
citation from the campus police
prompted one University student,
who would only be identified by
his nickname, Vern, to try some-
thing new.
He turned to prescription
drugs.
Over the course of about a week,
Vern - who asked to remain anon-
ymous because of possible legal
ramifications - tried Vicodin, a
powerful painkiller, Xanax, an
anti-depressant and Robitussin,
an over-the-counter drug.
Abuse of prescription drugs
has become a growing regularity
among college students. A recent
study conducted by University
researchers found that about 20
percent of college students take
prescription drugs for non-medi-
cal reasons. The number of abus-
ers has increased among students
over the last 15 years.
The study found that prescrip-
tion painkillers like Vicodin and
Tylenol 3 - a stronger version
of Tylenol containing the opiate
codeine - were among the most
abused by college students.
Stimulants like Adderall and
Ritalin, which students oftenuse to
See DRUGS, Page 3
Miriam Lindsey, the owner of Nawnie's Dog Gone Hot Dog, poses near her stand. After enforcement of a city ordinance
begins at the end of March, she'll have to close up shop. I have 7,327 dollars sitting out there worth nothing," she said.
beep that signals when it's safe to vehicles can only park in designat- Sylvia Nolasco, who runs Pilar's
cross the street. ed areas, but Kunselman said that Tamales on the corner of South
"I can recall a few people using state law considers a vehicle any- University and East University
the city right-of-way as long-term thing that has an axle and wheels. Avenues with her husband, said the
storage," Kunselmansaid,referring As it stands, campus vendors ordinance took herby surprise.
to vendors not stowing their carts would have to close their umbrellas "I do this for a living, and to be
away at night. "I've got a problem and drag their carts home by March given two months notice on what
with that." 31, the last day vendors will be per- I'm going to do is not fair," said
The ordinance states that motor mitted to sell on the sidewalks. See HOT DOGS, Page 3
UNIVERSITY APPAREL
After new contract, complaints
of discrimination withdrawn
Ha
rC-
The
tionshi
Cap Co
- at le
At a
Adviso
Standa
terday,
said th
tion an
tmaker New Era by workers at a New Era facility in
Mobile, Ala. had been withdrawn
was accused of after the Teamsters Union and New
Era agreed last month to an employ-
ice, gender bias ment contract for the factory's
workers.
ByANDY KROLL "Right now there aren't any
Daily News Editor complaints out there, so there's no
action for the committee to take,"
University's tenuous rela- Root said.
p with hatmaker New Era The contract will provide every
mpanyis backongoodterms worker at the Mobile facility with
ast for now. increased wages, improved health
meeting of the University's care and benefits, a facility griev-
ry Committee on Labor ance procedure and a non-dis-
rds and Human Rights yes- crimination policy approved by
committee chair Larry Root the National Association for the
.e complaints of discrimina- Advancement of Colored People,
.d anti-union practices made according to a statement from the
Teamsters.
Workers who were laid off since
the factory began trying to union-
ize seven months ago will be given
the chance to return to their jobs at
the factory, the statement said.
Jim Gookins, a Teamsters offi-
cial at the union's Mobile chapter,
described the contract in a state-
ment as a "historic agreement"
between New Era and the union.
"This is a strong first contract,
one that we can build upon in the
future," Gookins said. "I am proud
of these workers."
In a letter to university licens-
ees last month, Tim Freer, New
Era's vice president of global human
See NEW ERA, Page 3
Experts discuss media, voter bias in
Democratic presidential contest
Insiders say voters
are often dishonest
in exit polls
By JILLIAN BERMAN
Daily StaffReporter
Political experts explained yes-
terday how this year's Democratic
presidential contest - which fea-
tures a woman and a black man
- is being shaped by media and
voter biases.
About 40 students, faculty and
Ann Arbor residents gathered in
Lane Hall for the event, called
"Race and Gender in Presidential
Politics." CLIr REEDER/Daily
One panelist, Nicholas Valen- Kathleen Frankovic of CBS News discusses how voting trends in recent Demo-
See BIAS, Page 7 cratic primaries have revealed societal views on sexism and racism.
WEATHER HI: 43
TOMORROW LO: 29
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