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MARTIN
From PAGE 5B
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YOU CAN'T MAKE UP
THE EDITOR'S NOTEBOOK with GABE NELSON
A look at the big news event his week and how important they really are.
Conveniently rated from one to 10.
THE BIG HOUSE ISN'T BIG ENOUGH
D ets a sharp increase in dewand tforstudent
teotball tickets, the Athletic Departwent has had
the unpleasant job of deciding who gets screwed in
M the deal. First, officials tried to give some graduate
3 students the lowest ticket priority. The policy
was reversed after they protested. The Athletic
Department has now decided to pass on the buck
to students on the University's Flint and Dearborn
campuses, who promptly protested. Maybe the
Athletic Department should take away tickets
from the drunken tailgaters who don't show up
until halftime. They're not real fans anyway.
MAHMOUD THE LITTLE BROTHER
Iran announced yesterday that it plans to triple the
number of centrifuges-at the country's main uranium
' venrichment facility. Some experts dismissed the
announcement as a political gambit, particularly
because it came on the same dayAhmadinejad
went on the air to accuse the U.S. of using the 9/11
attacks as a "pretext" for the invasion of Iraq and
Afghanistan. For some reason, Ahmadinejad seems
to get no greater pleasure than from annoying the
United States. Maybe we should just ignore him.
Otherwisewe're just giving him what he wants.
MCCAIN WITH A SIDE OF RICE?
After a former White House spokesman let it slip
on Sunday that Secretary of State Condoleezza
Rice is pushing to become John McCain's run-
ning mate in this year's presidential election, Rice
denied it yesterday. If selected, Rice - who is not
only a black woman but also describes herself as
somewhat pro-choice - could add some crucial
diversity to the Republican ticket. Rice told report-
ers that she still plans to return to her post as a
professor at Stanford but didn't rule out the pos-
sibility. Seems like vice president's a betterjob, if
only to avoid those tedious office hours.
right for the program but not wise
in pure business terms, he offered
this example: "The business deci-
sion would be putting advertising in
Michigan Stadium, adding four to
five million (dollars) a year, which
would make our job of being able to
do all the other things we need to do
a lot easier," he said. "But that's not
who we - we Michigan - are"
One area that doesn't seem to
get short shrift in favor of the
bottom line is upholding aca-
demic standards. Bates - amem-
ber of the subcommittee of the
athletics advisory board charged
with making sure athletes meet
GPA requirements and someone
who has the reputation among
his peers as a strict enforcer of
eligibility requirements - said
Martinis ethical when it comes
to academics. It's not an uncom-
mon view.
"He doesn't' claim to be an
academic himself, and he doesn't
intervene," said Smith, the
SACUA chair. "But he begins just
about every board meeting by
turning to me and saying, 'I con-
sider the faculty the most impor-
tant part of this meeting.'"
When he was hired, Martin
developed a four-part plan for
the department: 1. Remember
we're an academic institution
first; 2. I'm going to focus on
ethical behavior; 3. Continue the
tremendous legacy of winning; 4.
We're going to pay our own bills.
"His character is what makes
him successful in both areas - as
athletic director and as a busi-
nessman," said Psychiatry Prof.
Stanley Berent, who knows Mar-
tin through the athletics advi-
sory board.
But can the businessman pick
coaches? '
John Beilein, the new basket-
ball coach, and Rich Rodriguez,
the new football coach, have
taken over programs that have
disappointed in recent years.
Detractors of Martin note that
'he's produced relatively few
national champions and none
in the big, revenue-producing
sports like basketball, hockey
(though this year's team has
reached the Frozen Four) and
especially football. It's no chal-
lenge to find Michigan fans dis-
gruntled with Beilein - whose
first team missed the NIT, let
alone the NCAA Tournament
- and Rodriguez.
The selection of Rodriguez is
an interesting case. In the Daily's
recentsit-downwithhim,Martin
grew defensive when asked about
the coaching search. He failed to
snag his first choice, national cham-
pion LSU's head coach Les Miles,
who decided at the last minute
not to come to Ann Arbor.Miles
was a fan favorite, and the sports
media exploded with criticism
of the athletic director's han-
dling of the search. The Detroit
Free Press ran an article about
Nebraska's new athleticldirector,
Tom Osborne,using a profession-
al firm to find a coach. The article
questioned why Martin -who lacks says he did hire one, but he refused media. Rumors swirled about rejec-
Osborne's football coaching expe- to talk about it at the time because tion from coaches at lesser powers
rience - didn't use a firm. He now he didn't want to discuss it with the See MARTIN, PAGE 8B
Magazine Editor: Jessica Vosgerchian
EditorinChief: Andrew Grossman
Managing Editor: GabeNelson
Photo Editor:Shay Spaniola
The Junk Drawer Brian Teog
Designer:HilarypOla
Coer ,photo: Shay Spaniola
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