Despite bears, TV's truthiest host celebrates Baby Jesus. See Arts, Page 5 ONE DA) After a dismal find some red( See Sports, F 1I fid igan )NE UN E iNINEEEN YEAriS ay1o1 r IA 1 ________Friday, November 21, 2008 ( TO THE GAME season, can the seniors emption in Columbus? Page 9 EE EOM michigandaily com MICHIGAN 55, NO. 4 UCLA 52 i GARDEN PARTY Win is Michigan's first over a top-five team in eleven years By JASON KOHLER Daily Sports Writer NEW YORK -Junior DeShawn Sims rolled to the basket, received a pass from redshirt sophomore Anthony Wright and slammed home Michigan's victory over No. 4 UCLA with 34 seconds remain- ing in the game. But the Bruins refused to give up. On the next possession, UCLA forward Nikola Dragovic hit a 3-pointer, pulling the game back within one point. Sophomore Manny Harris then sunk two free throws to give the Wolverines a 55-52 win over the Bruins. More importantly, Harris handed Michigan its first win over a ranked opponent in 12 tries and first victory over a top-five oppo- nent since 1997. "When it got tight, no one hung their head down," Sims said. "Even the younger guys just were fight- ing. It shows how far we've came." The Bruins' fight until the buzz- er was fitting in a game that went back and forth throughout. Michigan made just one 3-point- er in the first half. But within the first four minutes of the second half freshman guard Stu Douglass and sophomore Manny Harris each hit one. After being outrebounded by 13 in the first half, Michigan was more physical and matched the Bruins on the glass in the second. The shots that didn't fall before began to find their way through the hoop. The Wolverines shot 62v percent from the field in the sec- ond half, including 4-for-8 from CLIFREEDER/Daily beyond the arc. Michigan forward DeShawn Sims dunks home two points late in the second half for the Wolverines, who upset No. 4 UCLA last See BASKETBALL, Page 3 night at Madison Square Garden in New York. THE MICHIGAN DELEGATION A dark day on C apitol Hill, for Big Three Bailout plans sputter; Dingell loses committee chair By KYLE SWANSON Daily StaffReporter For the southeast Michigan's economic engine, Thursday looked like a dark day. First, Rep. John Dingell, a Democrat from Dearborn whose district includes Ann Arbor, lost his seat as chair of the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee. Dingell has been a long-time advocate for the auto industry in Congress. A few hours later, House and Senate Democratic lead- ers announced that Congress wouldn't vote on a bailout for domestic automakers until after Thanksgiving. This came just after reports circulated that a deal had been reached to provide the Detroit Three with a cash infusion that would allow them to avoid bankruptcy. General Motors and Chrysler are both close to running out of cash and could be forced to file for bankruptcy protection if they don't get government help. While it's not at all clear what form such a bankruptcy process would take, any disruption of the domestic automakers' ability to meet pay- roll and pay suppliers could be devastating to the region. On Wednesday, University President Mary Sue Coleman and the presidents of the states other two research universities issued a statement calling on federal law- makers to prop up the American auto industry. The three presi- dents said a halt in the opera- tions of General Motors, Ford and Chrysler would be a "crisis of cataclysmic proportions." The Detroit automakers pro- vide millions of dollars every year in donations and research funding to the University of Michigan. But the state's three research universities are hardly the auto industry advocates with the most sway in Washington. That title would likely belong to Dingell. Dingell has served in Congress for 54 years. He's on track to become the body's longest-serv- ing member in history in Febru- ary. But he lost his seat atop the See DETROIT, Page 7 MICHIGAN STUDENT ASSEMBLY MAP dominates again, DAAP grabs five seats Regents seek funding hike, but ailing economy may prevent it Midterm election's 9.6 percent turnout an increase from last year By MATT AARONSON Daily StaffReporter In the Michigan Student Assembly elec- tion that ended last night, The Michigan Action Party won 15 seats and the Defend Affirmative Action Part won five. Eight write-in candidates and two independents also won seats. MAP swept all nine LSA seats. Turnout among eligible voters was low at 9.6 percent, but higher than the 5.3 percent in last year's fall elections. All nine current representatives who were up forreelec"ion (or first-time election for the two who were appointed to vacan- cies during the last term) retained their places on the assembly. Election Director RyanBouchard said on Tuesday that he expected turnout to below, in part because he did not have sufficient time to develop get-out-the-vote programs with Information Technology Central Ser- vices. If reappointed for the winter election in March, Bouchard thinks he'll be able to implement some of his ideas, which include advertising the election of University com- puter backgrounds and links on CTools. MichiganActionPartyChairAlexBlouin admitted that the presence of one domi- nant party doesn't exactly create an excit- ing atmosphere or inspire many students to See ELECTION, Page 7 UNIVERSITY FUNDRAISING After record-breaking triumph, 'U' fundraiser may go to MSU Officials seek return to 2002 funding level, before state cuts By JACOB SMILOVITZ Daily StaffReporter Although the Michigan state legislature has given the Univer- sity a cold shoulder for more than half a decade, the University Board of Regents approved Thursday a request for a 10 percent increase in appropriations from the state for the University's Ann Arbor campus for the upcoming 2010 fis- cal year. The request for an additional $36 million was approved by a unani- mous vote at the board's month- ly meeting held in the Fleming Administration Building. Though the University asks to ramp up funding nearly every year, the cash-strapped state govern- ment has rarely said yes. According to the University's 2008 Financial Report, state funding has declined in each year from 2004 to 2008, except in 2007. The University was hit with about a 10 percent reduc- tion in 2004. During the meeting, Provost Teresa Sullivan said the University is asking for the increase to stabi- lize its budget and "make progress" toward restoring the $36 million reduction that the University has seen in its state appropriation since the fiscal year of 2002. "In our request, we emphasize academic excellence and student access and affordability, as well as the importance of the University of Michigan's role in the state of Michigan's economy," she said to the crowd of University officials at the meeting. University President Mary Sue Coleman said the state's appropri- ation trails behind those in the rest of the country. "We are now at the lowest appropriation per student of any state in the country for higher education," she said in an inter- view after the meeting. "I mean, Michigan has dropped off the map." Sullivan said in an interview after the meeting that the Univer- sity relies strictly on state appro- priations and tuition revenues to fund its educational programs. "Tuition and state appropria- tions together make up what funds, all the money we have for educating our students," she said. "It affects everything that affects education." Political Science Prof. Jenna Bednar, who teaches a Univer- sity class called "American State Governments," said the state leg- islature is unlikely to approve the increase as it faces mounting financial strain. Bednar said the state govern- ment practices "fund account- See BUDGET, Page 7 As 'U' campaign winds down, Groves tapped for Michigan State's effort By AMY MUNSLOW Daily StaffReporter The University of Michigan official who led the day-to-day operations of the Univer- sity's record-breaking $3.1 billion Michi- gan Difference fundraising campaign will now likely lead a similar effort at Michi- gan State University. Michigan State's Board of Trustees will vote today to officially approve Robert Groves, who currently serves as the Uni- versity of Michigan's associate vice presi- dent for development, to become MSU's vice president of university advancement. Groves said he was heavily recruited by Michigan State, saying the school "had to See FUNDRAISING, Page 7 University President Mary Sue Coleman looks on during yesterday's Board of Regents meeting. The board voted to request a 10 percent boost in state appropriations. INVESTING IN EDUCATION State funding fortthe University has languished in recent years. 4% N - 0 0% 4% . 10% t 2002 2004 2006 2008 soUcCE: UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN WEATHER HI 32 TOMORROW LO 21 GOT A NEWS TIP? Call 734-763-2459 or e-mail news@michigandaily.com and let us know. ON THE DAILY-LOGS How women's hoops almost topped Texas A&M THEGAME.BLOGS.MICHIGANDAILY.COM INDEX NEWS .................................2 ARTS.. . . .. S......5 VoL CXV/l , No. 23 OPINION ................ ..... 3 CLASSIFIEDS............... .. @2007 The MichiganDaily OPINION ................ .....4 SPORTS.. . ..............8 michigondailycom "" :