e ic1 i n i1
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
michigandaily.com
FUNDING HIGHER EDUCATION
Gov. to ask
for tuition
freeze, 'U'
undecided
A passerby walks in front of the currently dark storefront of Red Hot Lovers yesterday. The eatery's owner said he is unsure if it will return to its location on East University.
R edHo'su
Granholm expected
to call for steady
tuition rates in
exchange for funding
By KYLE SWANSON
Daily StaffReporter
In her annual State of the State
address tonight, Michigan Gov.
Jennifer Granholm is expected to
ask state colleges not to raise stu-
dent tuition next year.
But University officials aren't
making any promises.
In an interview yesterday, Vice
Provost for Academic and Budget-
ary Affairs Philip Hanlon said he
wasn't yet aware of the specifics
of Granholm's plan. He said the
University hasn't determined if a
tuition increase will be necessary
next year.
"We don't actuallyhave thespe-
cifics of what Granholm is going
to propose, but we look forward
to learning more from her address
tomorrow evening," Hanlon said.
Granholm is expected to call
for a tuition freeze at all state
schools in exchange for increases
in state funding and additional
money from the stimulus pack-
age currently being considered by
the U.S; Senate. Granholm is also
expected to penalize schools that
raise tuition by decreasing state
aid and possibly redirecting stim-
ulus money.
Last year Granholm made a
similar call to universities, ask-
ing them to cap tuition increases
to the rate of inflation, then 2.3
percent. Granholm had planned
to give universities a 3-percent
increase in state funding last year,
but the legislature reduced that
amount to a 1-percent increase.
When asked whether the Uni-
versity would raise tuition next
year, Hanlon would not comment,
saying it was too early in the bud-
get process to speculate about pos-
sible tuition increases.
"We're in the very early stages
of developing next year's budgets
so we're still trying to understand
our costincreases,"hesaid. "We're
working really hard on expendi-
ture reduction efforts and we're
also watching next year's enroll-
ment very closely. Those are all
very crucial things to our budget
for next year."
Although it's early in the bud-
get process, Hanlon said the Uni-
versity understands the economic
difficulties families are facing and
will make financial aid a major
priority.
See TUITION FREEZE, Page 7
Owner says he
doesn't know when
or where restaurant
will reopen
By MATT AARONSON
Daily StaffReporter
Red Hot Lovers used to be cam-
pus's main destination for authentic
Chicago-style hot dogs and late-
night chili cheese waffle fries on a
drunken stumble home. But since
the beginning of this semester,
the hopes of hungry students have
been deflated by the scene at 629 E.
University Ave.: stools upside down
on tables, lights out and no one in
sight.
The closing is only temporary,
though, according to Troy Slade,
the restaurant's owner. Slade said
he closed Red Hot Lovers for winter
break, planning to open again when
classes resumed, but an unforeseen
conflictwiththe building's landlord
has putcthings on hold. Slade said he
intends to reopen but doesn't know
when or where.
"We will be somewhere in Ann
Arbor, on campus," he said. "We're
not going anywhere."
Slade said his landlord, Dick
Johnston, has offered him a one-
year extension for his lease, which
ends in about three months. With-
out a lease offer of at least five
years, though, Slade said he'll start
looking for a new home for the res-
taurant.
Johnston could not be reached
for comment.
Operations at the restaurant
were suspended because Slade
didn't want to invest in a location
that he might be vacating soon.
"The place is old, and a lot of
the equipment needs fixing up,"
he said.
Slade expects a decision from
Johnston this week about the lease
and said that although he would
prefer not to move, there's "a ton of
locations" where landlords would
be "thrilled to have a tenant like
Red Hot's."
"I'm sure if I moved it to South
University (Avenue) people would
go nuts," he said. "They'd love it."
Slade said it doesn't make sense
for any new business owner, espe-
cially one who wants to expand, to
take the risks involved with short-
term lease commitments.
See RED HOT, Page 7
CLEANING UP CITY STREETS
Freshman pitches
pla fo cty to
recycle plastic cups
Proposal asks City mulated too much waste.
After becoming a finalist for the
Council to include "Green Campus" category, Levine
felt confident enough to pitch his
No.6 plastics in idea to City Council.
cling code "I thought, I can't just stop
recy ng c here," he said. "I really wanted
to implement it, and that's why I
By LARA ZADE went to City Council."
Daily StaffReporter Levine first introduced his pro-
posal to City Council at its Jan. 20
LSA freshman Alex Levine has meeting. Since then, he has talked
a plan to give a greener fate to the to some members who informed
sea of red plastic cups that layer him that the issue of expanding
the city's streets after every home the city's recycling policy was not
football game. anew idea.
Levine is working with the Ann Margie Teall (D-Ward 4), one
Arbor City Council to enable the of the council members who con-
city to include polystyrene, or No. tacted Levine, said in an e-mail
6 plastic - the type of plastic from interview that the city's recycling
which those plastic cups are made options are something the City
- in its current recycling code. Council continues to monitor.
Currently, the city only recycles Bryan Weinert, the solid waste
No. 1 and No. 2 plastics, meaning coordinator for the City of Ann
that all No. 6 plastics, including Arbor, released a written response
the red or blue plastic cups com- to address residents' concern over
monly used for tailgating, are plastics recyclingabout 16 months
Student governments hold forum
Though few turned
out, attendees asked
many questions
By DANIEL STRAUSS
Daily StaffReporter
Five student governments met in
a town hall style forum last night to
field questions and complaints from
University students.
Despite a low turnout, represen-
tatives from LSA Student Govern-
ment, the Student-Athlete Advisory
Council, Michigan Student Assem-
bly, the Residence Halls Associa-
tion and the University of Michigan
Engineering Council answered
many questions from the roughly
35 people who attended.
The government panelists said
asked about the Student-Athlete
Advisory Council.
"I was interested in some of the
projects that SAAC was doing."
Hlebasko said.
Skylar Andrews, president of
SAAC, said the council had com-
pleted a number of projects, includ-
ing the Mock Rock fundraising
show and a push to give athletes
priority registration.
Jeff Kenney, a housing officer in
South Quad, asked what the student
governments are doing to antici-
pate the possibility of an increasing
number ofUniversitystudents with
mental health issues.
"What consideration are any of
your organizations giving to the
growing number of students with
mental health concerns in higher
ed?" Kenney asked. "It's because of
See TOWN HALL, Page 7
Attendees raise their hands at last night's student government town hail reeting.
they were happy with the questions
that were asked but disappointed
more people didn't come to vent or
ask questions.
Most of the questions centered
on the University's spending and
how it affects students and student
government visibility. LSA sopho-
more Laura Hlebasko, who is on
LSA-SG but was not on the panel,
PERFORMING FOR A CAUSE
Tenth Mock Rock to raise more than $55,000
thrown away.
Levine thought of the idea
after entering a contest through
"MPowered," a University group
that exposes students to entrepre-
neurial opportunities. He entered
the "Green Campus" category
because he thought the city accu-
ago.
In his statement, Weinert
acknowledged that the city has
been conservative in adding new
materials to its recycling program
because of the criteria that have to
beconsideredbefore allowingnew
See RECYCLING, Page 7
Tonight's fundraiser
put on by athletic
teams will benefit
two charities
By ELYANA TWIGGS
For the Daily
A decade after Mock Rock
began, the student-athlete variety
show is returning for yet another
year to raise money for C.S. Mott
Children's Hospital and a local arts
program for adolescents. The show
will feature 19 athletic teams - the
largest number in the program's
history - and is expected to raise
at least $55,000 for charity.
Michigan football legend and
Heisman trophy winner Desmond
Howard will emcee the event.
The fundraiser, which will be
held tonight at Hill Auditorium, is
an annual event put on by the Stu-
dent-Athlete Advisory Council that
features the University's varsity
athletes competing in various tal-
ent competitions. At the end of the
show, the audience will choose the
winner by sending a text message
with their votes.
Last year, the event raised
around $40,000. This year's goal
is $80,000, and SAAC has raised
about $55,000 so far, with the bulk
of funds coming from sponsorships
and personal donations. Tickets to
the event are $10.
In past years, athletic teams
would only sell tickets but now
student-athletes are more actively
participating in the fundraising
process by collecting individual
donations.
Laura Dunn, a Mock Rock co-
chair and secretary of the Student-
Athlete Advisory Council, said she
is amazed at what the athletes have
already accomplished.
"The athletes feel a certain con-
nection to the event," Dunn said.
"The event is all about athletics and
all about community."
Dunn said she was proud of the
program's efforts to support the
community.
See MOCK ROCK, Page 7
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