2A - Thursday, April 10, 2008 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com DhTAG ThANCE PARTY Peeking at Americans' checkbooks Have you ever wondered who determines whether you're more likely to buy a blender this month compared to last month? The answer may be closer than you think. For decades University researchers have been the ones behind the consumer confidence reports, which gauge the health of the economy by asking people about their spending habits and financial outlook. Alongside the Reuters News service, the University publishes the Reuters/University of Michi- gan Survey of Consumers twice a month through the University's Institute for Social Research. Researchers at the Institute interview about 500 people for each survey. The participants are asked about 50 questions that hint at five more general ones, which are: Is your family economically better off now? Will your fam- ily be better off in a year? In the next 12 months is the country bound for good financial times or bad ones? In the next five years will there be lots of unem- ployment and economic prob- lems or lucrative gains? Is now a good time to buy expensive products for your home? The information in the sur- vey is meant to provide insight into what average citizens are thinking when it comes to the economy and is used by all kinds of business and public policy organizations and publications to gauge how households will spend their money based on their predictions of whether the The modern dance group Cadence performs on the Diag yester- day night as a part of the Sleep Out, an event sponsored by Habitat Humanity to teach students about homelessness. Participants spent the night camping on the Diag. CRIME NOTES Rolls of copper wire stolen from building WHERE: Chemistry Building WHEN: Tuesday at about 7:45 WHAT: Six 500-foot rolls of copper wire were stolen from iroom in the building some- CAMPUS EVENTS & NOTES ping their lit cigarettes into a trash can, DPS reported. The cigarettes ignited newspaper in the garbage, butthe fire was quickly extinguished. Unsuccessful purse-snatcher flees on foot time between 3 p.m. on Friday WHERE: Taubman Parking and 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday, the Structure, E. Medical Center Department of Public Safety Dr. reported. The rolls are valued WHEN: Wednesday at about at $150. 2:50 p.m. WHAT: A man approached Cigarettes left awoman from behind and attempted to grab her purse, i h DPS reported. The woman in trash can resisted and the purse's strap broke. The man, who start fire walked away from the scene, is described as a white man in WHERE: Parking Lot SC-6, his mid-30s wearing ablue T- 1200 Kipke Dr. shirt with a white logo on the WHEN: Tuesday at about 12:15 back. The man is 5'11" and has a.m. ear-length black hair. Police are WHAT: Several students asking anyone with information accidently set a fire by drop- to call 763-1131. Goodness Day Diag event WHAT: Students will be passing out free food, cou- pons and prizes to celebrate the end of classes. Battle of the Bands winner Cut to Scene will also perform at noon on the steps of the Graduate Library. WHO: Goodness Day WHEN: Today from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. WHERE: Diag Traditional Vietnamese music WHAT: A free concert of traditional Vietnamese music called "Rice Paddies and Scent in Sounds: Traditional Vietnamese Music" WHO: National Heritage Fel- low Phong Nguygen and the University of Michigan Viet- namese Ensemble WHEN: Today at 8 p.m. WHERE: Britton Recital Hall, E.V. Moore Building CORRECTIONS * An sub-headline'in yes- terday's edition of the Daily (Findlay blasts pastRBI record in victory), said senior Saman- tha Findlay had 156 career- RBIs. She has 186. . An article in yesterday's edition of the Daily (Tuition allocations to shiftfor under- grads) said the group lobbing for an application check box for prospective students who identify as North African or Middle Eastern. The groups' name is Project: Check It, not Project Check. . An article in yesterday's edition of the Daily (Wake up and Smell the Testosterone), said many of the double rooms in Flecther Hall have been converted to singles in recent years. The rooms have been converted to triples. . Please report any error in the Daily to correc- tions@michigandaily.com. economy is thriving or strug- gling. Recently, Forbes published a story based on the Survey with the headline that read "US early March Reuters/Michigan survey sees rise in short-term inflation" reporting that consumers antici- pated a comparatively high infla- tion rate over the next year. University Researcher and Economist Richard Curtin has headed the survey since 1976. The University publishes and archives the results of each sur- vey over the past few years on its website. The Institute for Social Research publishes a number of other studies besides the survey concerning the- economy, poli- tics and health. DANIEL STRAUSS T'REET- '.GS YOU More than 100 college presi- dents and athletic directors have signed a letter decrying the prominence of beer adver- tising during the NCAA men's basketball tournament, The Associated Press reported. The letter, sent to NCAA President Myles Brand yesterday, called the commercials "embarrass- ingly prominent" Freshman softball pitcher Jordan Taylor struck out 14 batters for the third straight outing in Michigan's 4-0 win over Bowling Green at Alumni Field last night. >FOR MORE, SEESPORTS A top Immigration and Customs Enforcement official has come under fire for giving a man wearing prison stripes, dreadlocks and black face paint top prize at an office Halloween party, CNN reported. a 4C Midiian 4Baily 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1327 www.michigandaily.com ANDREW GROSSMAN DAVID GOH Editor in Chief Business Manager 734-647-3336 734-764-0558 grossman@michigandaily.com goh@michigandaily.com CONTACT INFORMATION Newsroom office hours:Sun.-Thurs.11a.m.-2 a.m 734-763-24s9 News Tips news@michigandailyecom Corrections corrections@michigandaily.com Letters to the Editor tothedaily@michigandaily.com Photography Department photo@michigandaily.com 734-764-0s63 Arts Section artspage@michigandaity.com Editorial Page opinion@michigandtaily.om 734-763-0379 Sports Section sports@michigandaily.com Display Sales display@michigandaity.co 734-764-os4 Classified Sales classied@michigandaily.com 734-764-0ss7- OnlineSales onlineads@michigandaily.com Finance finance@michigandailycom 734-763-3246 EDITORIAL STAFF Gabe Nelson Managing Editor nelson@michigandaily.eom Chris Herring ManagingNewsEditor herring@michigandaily.com NEWSEDITORS:EmilyBarton,KellyFraser,LisaHaidostian,Andy Kroll Gary Grata EditorialPage Editor grata@michigandaily.co ASOITE DTRA AEEDITORS: mmaieHueteman, EmiynMihl,1Arikia Mtika,,Kae eabo,atheTreca NateSandals ManagingSportsEditor sandals@michigandaily.com SENIOR SPORTS EDITORS: H. 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