A DAY IN MSA'S LIFE U Will Grundler offers his take on what's wrong with the Michigan Student Assembly. Hint: It has to do with Groundhog Day. See Opinion, Page 4. Ann Arbor, Michigan Tuesday, February 10, 2009 michigandaily.com SUMMER IN ANN ARBOR 'U' expands offerings' for summer As demand grows, spring, summer terms add classes By STEPHANIE STEINBERG Daily StaffReporter Students stressed about fitting in required classes to graduate on time have a little less to worry about. Twenty departments in the College of Literature, Science and the Arts have expanded their course offerings for the spring and summer terms. Twenty-five new courses will be available during the spring term and 37 during the summer term. Introductory courses that have not been offered in more than fouryears - includingBiology 172, Chemistry 125, Communication Studies 101 and Political Science 111 are now available this summer. Students will also be able to fill the first year writing requirement by enrolling in English 125, Com- parative Literature 122 or History 195, which are each being offered during both terms. Robert Megginson, associate dean for LSA undergraduate and graduate education, said one of the reasons LSA is expanding the course list is so students can grad- uate on time. "When I was an undergraduate 45 years ago, it was automatically assumed everyone would finish in four years," Megginson said. "We know the students are having more and more trouble doing that for alot of reasons." Megginson said one reason stu- dents have difficulty graduating in four years is because students choose to minor in a concentra- tion. When students need to take more required classes for a minor, See CLASSES, Page 3 KRISTA BOYD/Dail People board an AATA bus last night at the corner of State Street and South University Avenue. The AATA has changed its policy regarding using MCards to board buses. AATAaltersPCard policy University students, ers, to swipe their cards through an updated fare box on all fixed faculty will have to route buses. The change will take effect swipe MCards when Feb. 16. Currently, all University stu- boarding city buses dents, staff and faculty members who ride AATA fixed-route buses By LARA ZADE simply have to present their valid Daily StaffReporter yellow MCards to the driver on their way to find a seat. The days of quickly flashing According to Grant Winston, your MCard to ride an Ann Arbor the associate director for cus- bus will soon be gone. tomer service for the University's To cut down on the use of Parking and Transportation Ser- expired MCards, the Ann Arbor vices, the change was brought Transportation Authority will about to assure the AATA that require all pass holders, includ- riders are valid MCard holders. ing current yellow MCard hold- In addition, the University plans to use fare box data to com- pile statistical information, like ridership statistics. The new fare boxes will only collect the MCard's ID number and expiration date.'No personal data will be collected, according to a press release from the AATA. Since 2004, the University has paid AATA approximately $1.8 million a year for eligible stu- dents, faculty and staff to ride AATA fixed route buses. How- ever, some AATA bus drivers have reported that passengers have tried to board using outdated white MCards to bypass the $1 fare. University MCards expire five years after the date they're issued. Winston said there hasn't been a recent increase in passengers trying to board AATA buses with invalid MCards, but the Univer- sity wants to ensure that AATA is driving valid University riders. "I don't think anyone would say that it's a growing problem," Winston said. "We just want to assure AATA that our riders are legitimate." Any MCard that can't be read due to damage or expiration will have to be replaced when the new policy takes effect. Keeping this in mind, AATA is allowing a one- See BUSES, Page 3 SELLING CLASS NOTES Note trading raises concerns HER BERmT H. DOW BUgLaDaIN Gr N . Campus building evacuated after fire Cl ai The North a smal aroun A s1 .asses cancelled building's motor control room was the cause of the fire, Department of fter a short in a Public Safety Spokeswoman Diane Brown said. transformer Though the fire stopped once the electricity was disconnected, fire By LINDY STEVENS crews worked for nearly an hour Daily News Editor to clear smoke from the building, Brown said. Herbert H. Dow Building on Everyone inside the building Ca'mpus was evacuated after was evacuated safely, and one Uni- 1 electrical fire was reported versity electrician sustained minor d 11:20 a.m. today. injuries from the fire. hort in a transformer in the Classes that meet in the Dow building were canceled for the remainder of the day. Brown said the building could reopen as early as tomorrow or later this week. The building's heating and ven- tilation systems - which are con- nected to the motor control room where the fire began - are current- ly not working, which Brown said is part of the reason the building is still closed. Electricians worked today to restore power to the building. Repairs to heating and ventilation systems will continue through the week, but Brown added that it's dif- ficultto anticipate whatkind of prob- lems repair crews will encounter. "It's possible that (repairs) could be done in stages so that parts of the building could be occupied so experiments could take place," she said. The Dow building houses labo- ratories and classrooms for the Department of Chemical Engineer- ing and the Department of Materi- als Science and Engineering. Though not against the rules, profs say practice hinders students' learning By MALLORY JONES For the Daily Onling note sharing can be a tempting alternative to 8 a.m. classes and boring lectures, but some University faculty members have raised questions about the academic integrity of using sites that allow note swapping. Websites like StudyBlue.com offer University students free access to notes and a chance to make extra cash for uploading their own course materials. Some University professors say the sites pose the potential for copyright infringements and declining aca- demic performances as fewer stu- dents attend lecture. Topreventstudents fromprofit- ing by posting lecture notes, some History professors copyright their notes, said Kali Israel, an associate professor and the associate chair of the Department of History. In an e-mail interview, Israel said these measures have been taken to prevent unauthorized recording of lectures and "com- mercial note taking." "This becomes especially seri- ous if the student supplying notes is profiting," Israel said, citing that the potential violation of eth- ics is even greater if a student sup- plies papers or class assignments through the sites. She said students who down- load notes from the Internet may be hurting their grades rather than helping because it prevents them from learning through the note-taking process. Although the sites mediate note sharing, Israel See NOTES, Page 3 *CAMPUS EATERIES 'Bliss'-ful yogurt shop to soon join packed South University market EAT YOUR HEART OUT Yogobliss owners say store will appeal to people looking for a trendy treat By MALLORY BEBERMAN For the Daily Frozen yogurt shops are grow- ing increasingly popular across the nation, from Los Angeles to New York- and now on South Univer- sity Avenue. Mack Kim and Joseph Ann, two Michigan natives, are in the inter- mediate stages of opening Yogob- liss at 1229 S. University Ave. The store will offer frozen yogurt as a healthy alternative to traditional ice cream. -, Kimsaid theideatoopenayogurt shop began when his wife tried Pinkberry - a trendy frozen yogurt shop located in California and New York - for the first time while the couple was on vacation and loved it. He said he now hopes to share a similar treat with Ann Arbor. After first trying to open a satellite location for an already- established yogurt franchise, Kim decided to try "the next best thing" and start a yogurt place of his own. "The taste will be similar to Red Mango," Kim said. He described yogurt from Red Mango - anoth- er frozen yogurt chain currently located in nine states - as tarter and creamier than Pinkberry yogurt. He said that the taste will also be different from the yogurts from international chain TCBY and the local caf, Amer's Medi- terranean Deli. He admits that the first time some people taste Yogobliss, "they'll think its kind of weird." But don't give up on it just yet, Kim said, calling Yogobliss's prod- uct "an acquired taste." See YOGURT, Page 3 Local chocolatier Nancy Biehn serves samples of some Valentine's Day treats to Tom Mooney at The Produce Station yesterday. WEATHER HI: 53 TOMORROW LU032 GOT A NEWS TIP? Call 734-763-2459 or e-mail news(ivmichigandaily.com and let us know. NEW ON MICHIGANDAILY.COM Why Alison Mantel is our athlete of the week. THEGAME.BLOGS.MICHIGANDAILY.COM INDEX NEWS ...................................2 ARTS.................... . 5 Vol CXIX, No, 91 SUD O KU............... ......3 CLASSIFIEDS......................6 (2009The Michigan Daily OPINION ..........................4 SPORTS.. . . ......... 7 michigandaily.com" '