I

2A - Wednesday, October 8, 2008

The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com


One professor's leafy legacy

While many University stu-
dents have not heard of Andrew
Dickson White, the legacy he left
on campus is one that has stood
the test of time. White is cred-
ited with leading the first suc-
cessful tree-planting efforts in
the Diag.
White came to the University
in 1857 as a history professor.
Arriving on a train in October
of that year, White was struck
by the beauty of Ann Arbor and
the surrounding countryside,
accordingto an article published
in Michigan Today. The city was
set alight by the smattering of
warm fall colors. However, there
was one glaring exception to the
otherwise forested town - the
40-acre campus that we know
today as the Diag.
White took it upon himself to
CRIME NOTES

remedy the situation, beginning
a large-scale tree-planting effort
along the sidewalks, then made
of wood, that crisscrossed the
Diag. He used his own money to
fund the project, and with the
help of students from his classes,
White collected saplings from
the surrounding forest.
The University Board of
Regents gave White a grant of
$75 to continue his project into
its second year, during which
more trees were planted in the
Central Campus area. White
chose to plant mostly elm trees
in the Diag, which were remi-
niscent of the flora at his alma
mater, Yale University.
White taught at the Universi-
ty until 1864, and in 1865 helped
to co-found Cornell University
in Ithaca, New York with Ezra

Cornell. Until his death in 1918,
White returned to Ann Arbor
regularly to observe the changes :
and growth of his trees on the "
Diag.
The trees planted between
1858 and 1860 flourished for a
century until many succumbed
to Dutch Elm disease, a fungus
that targets and kills elm trees. t
Still, White's legacy lives on to
this day thanks to efforts made
by the University to save as many
of the original trees as possible,
while replanting the ones that Y
had not survived.
So, next time you recline in
the shade of one of the many '
trees in the Diag on a sunny
fall afternoon, you can thank Students walk along a pa
Andrew Dickson White for his White is credited with pl
efforts. 1860. Although many ha
BENJAMIN S. CHASE of the or original trees re
CAMPUS EVENTS & NOTES

th in the Diag yesterday. Prof. Andrew Dickson
anting the Diag's first trees from 1858 and
ve died or been removed over the years, some
amain.

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Computer stolen Darth Vader PSP Yom Kippur Mario Kart
from building and game taken services tournament

WHERE: Law Research Build-
ing, 801 Monroe Street
WHEN: Monday at aboutt3:15
p.m.
WHAT: A University-owned
Dell Desktop computer was
stolen from the ninth floor of
the Legal Research building,
University Police reported. The
desktop was stolen Thursday,
Oct. 2, sometime between 8

WHERE: University Hospital
WHEN: Monday at 12:45 p.m.
WHAT: A Darth Vader PSP
and Tekken video game along
with a charger were stolen
from the main lobby of the
University Hospital, Univer-
sity Police reported. The items
were stolen Monday between
6:15 and 6:18 p.m. and were
valued at about $220. Police are

WHAT: Evening services for
the Jewish holiday of Yom
Kippur. Orthodox services
will begin at 6:30 p.m. at
Hillel, Conservative services
will begin at 6:45 p.m. in the
Michigan League and Reform
services will begin at 6:45
p.m. at Hillel.
WHO: Hillel
WHEN: Today at 6:30 p.m.

WHAT: A free video game
tournament on Wii and Nin-
tendo 64 game systems.
WHO: University Unions
Arts and Programs
WHEN: Today from 8 p.m.
to 11 p.m.
WHERE: Rec room, Pier-
pont Commons.

I -

a.m. and 3 p.m, Police have no investigating the theft. WHERE: Hollel Peace Corps
suspects.
Dorm resident Hoops player Harvard Law info session
.re.aWHAT: An information
injured lifting hurts ankle School visit meeting for students in
ed in joininE the Peace C

nal
erest-
Corns.

1Residents of 12 coun-
ties along the California
and Oregon border are
threatening to secede from
the two states, The San Fran-
cisco Chronicle reported. The
residents want to create a 51st
state called Jefferson.
The Michigan hockey
team is ranked second
in the USCHO.com/CBS
College Sports XXL Division
I men's poll, behind Boston
College.
>FOR MORE, SEE
MICHIGANDAILY.COM/THE GAME
3Russian Prime Minis-
ter Vladimir Putin has
released an instructional
Judo DVD. The Russiangovern-
ment has previously released
pictures of Putin behind the
wheel of a monster truck and
on a tiger-tracking expedition
in the Siberian forest.

WHERE: Bursley Hall
WHEN: Monday at about5:30
p.m.
WHAT: A resident of Bursley
Hall lifted a heavy object, sus-
taining a back injury, Universi-
ty Police reported. The subject
was then taken to the Univer-
sity Hospital for treatment.

WHERE: Intramural Sports
Building
WHEN: Monday at about 11:30
p.m.
WHAT: A subject playingbas-
ketball fell and twisted their
ankle, University police report-
ed. The player requested to be
taken to the hospital.

WHAT: A representative
from the school will be on
hand to informally meet with
students.
WHO: The Career Center
WHEN: Today from noon to
1:30 p.m.
WHERE: Room 3200, Stu-
dent Activities Building

WHO: International Center
WHEN: Today at 6:30 p.m.
WHERE: Room 9, Interna-
tional Center
CORRECTIONS
Please report any error in
the Daily to corrections@
michigandaily.com.

Fate of Mars mission unknown

Project's cost
threatens its future
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Will
NASA's flagship mission to Mars
fly next year?
The space agency could decide
as early as Friday whether to can-
cel, delay or proceed with plans to
launch a nuclear-powered, SUV-
size rover to the red planet.
NASA has already sunk $1.5 bil-
lion into the Mars Science Labora-
tory,whichispricierthanexpected.
The mega-rover will roam the sur-
face and drill into rocks for clues to
whether the planet ever possessed
an environment capable of sup-
porting primitive life.
Doug McCuistion, who heads
the Mars exploration program at
NASA headquarters, told scientists
in recent public meetings that he
expects the mission's total cost to

run over by more than 30 percent.
If it goes over that threshold, Con-
gress would have the right to inter-
vene and use its power to end the
project on its own.
Managed by NASA's Jet Propul-
sion Laboratory in California, the
project has been plagued'by devel-
opment problems and ballooning
costs that caught headquarters'
attention. McCuistion told a gath-
ering of Mars scientists last month
that NASA was keeping a close
eye on the project's progress and
costs and participating in weekly
reviews with JPL.
From the outset, the Mars Sci-
ence Lab proved to be an engineer-
ing challenge due to its size and
capability. The 9-foot-long robot
geologist is bigger and can drive
farther than its twin predecessors,
Spirit and Opportunity, which are
still alive after four years. It also
carries some of the most sophis-

ticated instruments, including a
laser that can zap rocks from afar.
The mission's financial woes
took many in the science commu-
nity by surprise who fear that other
projects will suffer to pay for the
mega-rover.
"The magnitude of the increases
has beenmind-boggling,"said geol-
ogist John Mustard of Brown Uni-
versity. "Ithas sent a shock wave to
the Mars program and beyond to
the planetary community."
If NASA pushes to launch in
2009 as planned, it willhave to find
the money to get the rover ready.
Any delay until 2010 or 2011 will
add at least $300 million to the
mission's price tag.
Alex Dery Snider, a spokeswom-
an for the House Science Commit-
tee, said members were concerned
about the extra cost and want to
know how NASA will solve the
problem.

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