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ONE-UN IGHTEE1(1 ARS N ED)TOR AL FREEDOM
Ann Arbor, Michigan Friday, March 28,2008 michigandailycom
A BRIEF RESPITE
STATE APPROPRIATIONS
Senate OKs
3-percent hike
nfundgin
BENJI DELL/Daily
A man walks underneath an arch near the Alumni Center during a rainstorm yesterday. The weather took a turn for the worse yesterday, pouring rain through the afternoon
and dumping snow at night. While yesterday was 15 degrees colder than normal, temperatures are predicted to climb into the high 40s early next week.
I THE DETROIT PA RTNESI
DP Day to ta row
Oke plc oo
Bill would grant all
state universities
equal funding boost
for next year
By EMILY BARTON
Daily News Editor
The state Senate has passed a
bill that would grant each of the
state's 15 universities a 3-percent
funding increase, a slight boost
from the 1-percent increase the
Univdrsity received last year.
In early February, Gov. Jen-
nifer Granholm proposed a plan
that would grant appropriations
to each school based on how
much research it conducts, its
graduation rate and the number
of low-income students enrolled.
Under that proposal, the Uni-
versity would receive a 3.2-per-
cent funding increase, slightly
higher than the Senate's current
plan.
State funding makes up about
one quarter of the University's
budget.
Last month, University
President Mary Sue Coleman
addressed the Senate Appropria-
tions Committee with Michigan
State University President Lou
Anna Simon and Wayne State
University President Irvin Reid
to ask that the three schools be
considered separately from the
state's other 12 schools.
The three universities, who
have formed the University
Research Corridor, are lobbing
the state to receive a higher level
of funding than Michigan's other
colleges.
The Senate's proposed fund-
ing increase, passed Tuesday by
a 37-1 vote, doesn't grant that
request.
Cynthia Wilbanks, the Univer-
sity's vice president of govern-
ment relations, said she wasn't
surprised that the Senate's bill
didn't include Granholm's incen-
tive proposals but was encour-
aged by the Senate's decision to
maintain the 3-percent increase
suggested by Granholm.
"Maintaining a 3-percent
increase was a good sign that the
Senate believes that higher edu-
cation needs to have a renewed
level of support," she said.
Coleman, Simon and Reid will
testify before the House Appro-
priations Committee on April 23,
Wilbanks said.
Sen.LizBrater (D-AnnArbor),
who voted for the funding pro-
posal, said the Senate decided
to grant a uniform 3-percent
increase because lawmakers had
questions about how to calculate
some of the incentives Granholm
proposed.
Brater said she'd like to see a
change in the way schools mea-
sure graduation rates, because
transfer students are not includ-
ed.
"It's just not a good measure,"
she said, explaining that gradua-
tion rate should be evaluated on
a student-by-studentbasis rather
than at the school level.
Brater said funding was pro-
posed in one bill rather than
two because many of the state's
smaller schools oppose the
research corridor's proposal,
claiming it creates a two-tiered
education system.
Cheryl Rolland, a spokeswom-
an for Western Michigan Uni-
versity, said Western supports
allocating funds through one
bill instead of two because each
university makes contributions
See FUNDING, Page 3
More than 1,000
students expected to
participate in Detroit
volunteer project
By ALEX KAZICKAS
Daily StaffReporter
The student-run service orga-
nization The Detroit Partnership
will send more than 1,100 students
to the Motor City tomorrow for
the group's ninth-annual Detroit
Partnership Day, in which volun-
teers take part in service projects
at schools and neighborhood cen-
ters throughout the city.
For Detroit Partnership Day,
better known as "DP Day," volun-
teers are sent to more than 50 dif-
ferent sites in Northwest Detroit,
where they tutor students, plant
trees, refurbish public parksand
paint murals at different locations.
The daylong event is the organiza-
tion's biggest event of the year.
LSA senior Michael O'Brien, the
group's spokesman, said he has
high expectations for Saturday's
event.
"I anticipate a very good turn-
out," O'Brien said. "I think it is
going to be one of the best and big-
gest DP days."
O'Brien emphasized that The
Detroit Rartnership, with its com-
munity service projects in Detroit,
is not a charity.
"We build relationships,"
O'Brien said. "We're not here pre-
tending we can change Detroit all
by ourselves. We like to believe
that we get something out of it,
and at the same time, build rela-
tionships and engage in service."
To distinguish itself from chari-
table organizations, the group
changed its name last month from
The Detroit Project to The Detroit
Partnership.
O'Brien said the name change
would be officially announced
tomorrow.
LSA senior Michael Adler, who
has participated in DP Day for
the last three years, said he felt
strongly about the work that the
group does.
"I have gained a better under-
standing on some of the things
See DP DAY, Page 3
0 New'private dorm' struggles to find tenants
Pricey but plusb
apartment complex
has only filled 20 per-
cent of rooms
By LINDY STEVENS
Daily StaffReporter
When North Campus's newest
housing option, The Courtyard,
opens this fall, the apartment
complex marketing itself as a "pri-
vate dorm" might be quieter than
expected.
So far, just 20 percent of the
complex's available units have been
rented for the fall.
The luxury apartment building,
located across from Bursley Hall,
is currently under construction.
Once completed, The Courtyard
will consist of three five-story
buildings and offer 896 bedrooms,
but only just one of those buildiogs
is expected to be ready for the fall.
Becky Leirstein, The Courtyard's
sales and marketing manager, said
another building could be opened
by the fall if the company is able to
lease all 282 bedrooms in the first
building. The final building will
not be ready for student until fall of
next year.
The company overseeing the
complex, Allen and O'Hara Educa-
tion Service, Inc., manages similar
complexes at other state schools
including Michigan State Univer-
See PRIVATE DORM, page 3
TOP BILLING
What the recently-passed bill would mean for state schools
The proposed Senate bill would grant a 3 percent funding increase to all15 state uni-
versities. Gov. Jennifer Granholm's proposal, whichis based on research and gradua-
tion rate incentives, would boost the University's total increase to3.2 percent.
if passed by the state House, thebill would surpass last year's funding increase, which
provided the University withjust atI percent increase.
Last year, funds were allocated through two separatesections of the bill. One was for
the University ResearchbCorridor, which includesothe University of Michigan, Michigan
State University and Wayne StateUniversity - thestate's three research institutions.
Though this year's bill proposes has noseparate sections, the University is pushingfor
there to be two separate bills.
The Courtya'rd, a "private dorm" being built on North Campus across the street from
Bursley Hall, will open in the fall. It will offer amenities not available in dorms at a
steeper price. Sofar, its managers have struggled to find tenants.
COLLEGE LIBERTARIANS
Frustrated with national politics,
group promotes libertarianism in A2
'U' interviews dean of students hopefuls
Campus chapter has
brought high-profile
speakers to campus
By ESHWAR
THIRUNAVUKKARASU
For the Daily
LSA senior Jourdan Nou-
sain likes presidential candidate
John McCain's economic policies
and some of Hillary Clinton and
Barack Obama's promises to pro-
mote individual rights like gay
marriage. But as a Libertarian, he
can't bringhimselfto fully support
any one of the frontrunners.
Nousain, the events chair of the
University's chapter of College
Libertarian, is just one of many
members of the group who feels a
bit lost now with the presidential
race whittled down to Clinton,
McCain and Obama.
"Most of us supported Ron
Paul," said LSA sophomore Eric
Plourde, president of the Col-
lege Libertarians, adding that his
group wouldn't endorse any of the
current frontrunners.'
Because the group feels
detached from each of the remain-
ing candidates - with the excep-
tion of Mike Gravel, who is
considering running as a Libertar-
ian himself - the College Liber-
tarians have become more active
locally, drawing more attention to
the issues they finds important.
Thoughit'sconsiderablysmaller
than either the College Democrats
or College Republicans chapter on
campus, the College Libertarians,
comprised of about 20 members,
have sponsored or co-sponsored
several high-profile events over
the last year, including a gun raffle
and a lecture last week by "20/20"
co-anchor John Stossel.
Plourde noted that, though the
University's chapter of College
Libertarians is one of the oldest in
the nation, the group has been rel-
atively dormant in the past. This
year, though, it has been much
more active.
"For a brand new group of Lib-
See LIBERTARIANS, page 7
Final two candidates
still to make public
presentations at U
By CAITLIN SCHNEIDER
For the Daily
Though most people think of
college basketball's March Mad-
ness when they hear the phrase
"Final Four" this time of year,
University officials are focusing
on a final four of their own.
Four finalists are vying to take
over for Sue Eklund, the Univer-
sity's associate vice president for
student affairs and dean of stu-
dents, who plans to retire at the
end of this semester.
In a process that will through
April 3, each of the four candi-
dates will visit campus for a series
of public and private interviews
SAID ALSALA/Daily
Susan Mosley-Howard, one of the final candidates in the University's search for a
new dean of students, spoke on campus yesterday in front of students and staff.
before administrators announce reviewed by students and staff.
Eklund's replacement. The search committee, wants
The advisory committee leading the student body to participate in
the search began reviewing appli- the selection process by attending
cations late last fall and narrowed public presentations, including
the search to four candidates this student forums and pizza lunches
winter. They have asked those with the finalists. During these
finalists to come to campus to be See DEAN, page 3
WEATHER Hl:41
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