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ONE-HIUNDIED) NINETEENYX S LEARS O E PITO I EDOM
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Friday, October 3, 2008
michigandaily.com
* CAMPAIGN 2008 *
Senator Barack Obama, the Democratic presidential nominee, speaks before thousands at Michigan State University yesterday. Obama supporters are holding out hope that he'll visit the Uni-
versity of Michigan before the election. FOR A SLIDESHOW PRESENTATION, GO TO MICHIGANDAILY.COM
Obama rallies supporters at MSU
McCain
pulling
out of
Mich.
GOP nominee to focus efforts
on other battleground states
From staffand wire reports
In a major concession, John McCain decided to
abandon campaign efforts in Michigan, pull adver-
tising, cancel scheduled campaign visits and reassign
staffers to other battleground states.
A GOP official told The Associated Press the cam-
paign made the decision Wednesday night and passed
on the withdrawal orders to staffers yesterday, after
which the Republican presidential nominee's cam-
paign confirmed the decision to withdraw from the
battleground state.
"Operations will be .scaled back," said Mike
DuHaime, the campaign's political director.
The decision marked the first time either McCain
or his Democratic rival, Barack Obama, has tacitly
conceded a traditional battleground state in the race
for the White one.
McCain's campaigowat spending $1 million a week
in Michigan, which holds 17 electoral votes, and will
now divert those resources to other states.
The campaign made the decision Wednesday night,
as polls showed the Democratic nominee increasing
his lead over McCain. A poll released last week by
the Detroit Free Press and conducted by Selzer & Co.
showed Obama with a 13-point lead in Michigan.
Brady Smith, chair of the University's chapter of
College Republicans, said the move marks a new strat-
egy for the state.
"It's going to rely on people who are passionate for
John McCain," Smith said.
Smith said he saw the move to "stragetically rede-
ploy" resources as smart, adding that the decision
doesn't represent alack of concern for the state.
"John McCain cares about the state of Michigan,"
Smith said. "That's why he made it such an important
state after the convention."
Political Science Prof. Michael Traugott said McCa-
in's move to reallocate resources shows he's admitting
defeat in the state, but looking to other states to win
the 270 electoral votes necessary for the presidency.
"n John McCain's case, he has somewhat more
limited resources thanBarack Obama,Traugott said.
"They feel as though they have a better chance of win-
ning electoral votes in some other states than Michi-
gan, and that's where they should spend the money in
advertising."
In a campaign now unfolding across more than
a dozen states, fhe decision means Obama can shift
money to other states like Virginia, Colorado and
North Carolina, where he is trying to eat into tradi-
tional Republican territory. McCain's resources will
be sent to Ohio, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Florida and
other more competitive states, and aides said he would
try to put Maine into play as well.
By pulling out of vote-rich Michigan, McCain con-
See MCCAIN, Page 7A
Presidential hopeful
focuses on higher
education, economy
By CAITLIN SCHNEIDER
Daily StaffReporter
EAST LANSING - A cold drizzle
started moments before Democratic
presidential nominee Barack Obama
took the stage at a rally Thursday on the
campus of Michigan State University,
but the rain couldn't dampen the spirits
of the thousands of attendees.
Many of them waited more than three
hours to witness Obama's first rally at a
public university in Michigan.
In his roughly half-hour-long address,
the Illinois senator covered many of his
usual talking points, though he adapted
his speech to touch on issues particu-
larly relevant to his audience, including
the nation's ailing auto industry, green
energy and the role of higher education
in helpingthe economy.
"We're going to make sure that the
research and development that's needed
for this new energy economy is done
right here, because we've got some of the
greatest universities here in Michigan,"
he said. "We've got to use them to bring
the innovation that will drive our econo-
my to the twenty-first century."
Obama spoke at length on how he
plans to strengthenthe struggling Mich-
igan economy. He encouraged students
to do community based work and join
the Peace Corps in return for reduced
tuition.
See OBAMA, Page 7A
ROCKING OUT FOR OBAMA
* Hip-hop artist Jay-Z will perform at
Detroit's Cobo Arena on Saturday
to promotevoter registration. Free tickets
are avaiable at the Campaign for Change'
offices in Detroit, Dearborn, Southfield and
Wayne9 Courty's Carrton Townshi p.
* Bruce Springsteen will play a free
acousticset on Monday, headlining
the Obama rally on the Eastern Michigan
University campus. Ticket details are not
yet available. Gates are expected to open
at 3 p.m. and the program is expected to
begin at 4:30 p.m. sOURCE/Daily
UNIVERSITY ADMINISTRATION
Search for dean of students starts anew
First committee failed
to find a replacement
for retired Eklund
By EMMY KIRKSEY
For the Daily
After failing to find a replacement
for the retired Dean of Students this
past spring, a new search committee
formed this fall is again looking for
candidates to fill the position.
Linda Green, a spokeswoman for
the Division of Student Affairs, said
the previous committee interviewed
several candidates. She wouldn't say
what prevented the University from
hiring any of them.
"Several candidates were brought
to campus and they went through the
interview process and the result was
we didn't make a hire, and so we had
to start over the process," she said.
Now, the search committee for the
administrator charged with over-
seeing students' issues has adopted
several changes in hopes of finding
a replacement for Sue Eklund, who
retired last year. The new search com-
mittee will work with a new consult-
ing company, Greenwood/Asher and
Associates, which specializes in exec-
utive search, consulting and training.
The committee has expressed, an
interest in getting more students to
participate in the search process. Both
undergraduate and graduate students
can fill out evaluation forms to give
their input to the committee. Uni-
versity administrators will also host
forums for the final candidates so stu-
dents can interact and pose questions
to the finalists.
Donica Varner, the University's
assistant general counsel, stressed the
importance of student participation in
the selection process.
"It is critical for students to have
access to the administration and for
See DEAN, Page7A
TOWN AND GOWN POLITICS TELL US ABOUT THE RABBIT
After criticism, mayor says job at
University isn't a conflict of interest
Hieftje the latest
in a series of city
officials to teach
By SARA LYNNE THELEN
Daily StaffReporter
It's become almost common-
place for city officials to hold a
s second job at the University - Ann
Arbor's largest employer.
Still, at a recent Ann Arbor
City Council meeting, city resi-
dent Tom Wall said Mayor John
Hieftje was serving "two masters
5 at once" by holding a job with the
University.
Hieftje, who has taught at the
University
since 2006,
is currently a
part-time lec-
turer in the
University's
Gerald R. Ford
School of Pub-
lic Policy. He HIEFTJE
earns $15,000
from the Uni-
versity for teaching an annual:
class - a 400-level course titled
"Local Government, Opportunity
for Activism."
At the City Council meeting,
Wall, who lost to Hieftje in this
summer's Democratic mayoral
primaries, calledtHieftje'sinvolve-
ment "a clear conflict of interest"
that might influence his city votes
on University-related motions.
Hieftje defended his University
appointment during the meeting
by citing other past mayors who
also held positions with the Uni-
versity, including Political Sci-
ence Prof. Samuel Eldersveld,
who taught full-time during his
mayoral term, and State Sen. Liz
Brater (D-Ann Arbor), who taught
part-time.
"If (Wall) wants to impugn the
record of all these past mayors,
he's free to do that," Hieftje said
in an interview. "But Sm happy to
See MAYOR, Page 7A
Butters grazes in the front yard of his house on North Thayer Street Thursday. His owner, LSA junior Tyler Cole, said he lets the
rabbit stay outside for three to eight hours a day soit can eat its natural diet - grass and leaves. Cole said most neighbors have
respected Butters and have enjoyed see him outside.
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