L7Ie 1M11cI43an BaI1j Ann Arbor, Michigan Wednesday, February 18, 2009 michigandaily.cor CITY TRANS ORTATION A2 could be next home for bike taxis An says er If Ima cabs w and t muter city in Bar Arbor garner busine Pedi taxis vehich from s Ant she wa n Arbor resident "It must have planted a seed," she said. plan would offer Pedicabs have become an inter- national phenomenon and have avironmentally become popular in cities like New York, Boston and San Diego. riendly transit Annis said she came up with the idea to bring pedicabs to By LARA ZADE Ann Arbor after she heard about DailyStaffReporter a grant proposal from the Ann Arbor Community Foundation. igine a city that provides "It's just a cool idea, said Annis. with three wheels, no doors "It connects with the bigger idea eo pedals for its busy com- of non-motorized transportation, s. Ann Arbor may be that and that's something the city has the near future. been working on for quite a long baraAnnis,aresidentofAnn time." 's old west side, is looking to Annis said she thought pedi- support to have a pedicab cabs in Ann Arbor would cater to ass open in Ann Arbor. city walkers traveling short dis- icabs, also known as bike tances or to those who have their or rickshaws, are pedaled hands tied up from children or es that transport people grocery bags. ne place to another. The costtper fully equipped cab, na first rode a pedicab when including turn signals and seat as abroad in Asia. See PEDICABS, Page 7A ontroversial professor Norman Finkelstein gives a speech about the current affairs in the Israel-Palestine conflict in the Rackham Ampitheatre last night. Prof . alters plan, talks Gaza At event, Finkelstein spoke about Gaza instead of lessons from Gandhi By BENJAMIN S. CHASE Daily StaffReporter Referring to the most recent Israeli-Palestinian conflict as the "Gaza massacre," Professor Nor- man Finkelstein delivered a lecture on Palestinian-Israeli relations to a standing room-only crowd in the Rackham Amphitheatre last night. At the event, which was spon- sored by the pro-Palestinian cam- pus group, Students Allied for Freedom and Equality, Finkelstein strayed from his planned lecture, "The Israel-Palestine Conflict: What We Can Learn From Gandhi," opting instead to deliver a talk he titled "What happened in Gaza?" Finkelstein justified his depar- ture from the planned lecture by saying that the Gaza conflict is more relevant. Finkelstein has been the subject ofmuchdebate overthe pastdecade. In 2000 he published a book, "The Holocaust Industry: Reflections on the Exploitation of Jewish Suffer- ing," thathasbeen widelydiscussed as it claims that the Jewish Ameri- cans have exploited the history of Holocaust. DePaul University also denied Finkelstein's bid for tenure in 2007 citing his inability to show respect for his colleagues' opinions, among other reasons. The mood in the lecture hall grew increasingly tense during the question-and-answer session fol- lowing Finkelstein's lecture. The debate grew heated, with audience members arguing with one another and Finkelstein. Finkelstein said the most recent conflict in Gaza was a continuation of Israeli military policy that has been in place since the 1967 Arab- Israeli War. He added that the policy is centered on Israelis ability to prevent Hamas, Hezbollah and its Arab neighbors from perpetrat- ing attacks on Israel and its settle- ments. "The Arabs and Arab states are supposed to be terrified by Israel," Finkelstein said. Arguing that the overwhelm- ing majority of the world supports a two-state solution to the Israeli- See FINKELSTEIN, Page 7A n , UNIVERSiTY BOARD OF REGENTS- Regents will consider proposal for three new building projects at monthly meeting Karen Boyd, a dean of students candidate,inthe MichiganUnion yesterday Student relations top Boyd 'S rsume First of three candidates for dean of students visited campus yesterday By HAVEN BASSETT For theDaily Karen Boyd's resum6 has some items one might not expect from a candidate interviewing to be the University's new dean of stu- dents. She has performed as the lead singer for a Pink Floyd cover band and played Eve Ensler in a production of "The Vagina Monologues." But Boyd, who has 20 years of student leadership experience, is one of three finalists to take on that job on campus. Yesterday all University students were invited to a meet-and-greet with the potential dean to voice their opin- ions and play an active role in the evaluation process. During the informal lunch, students were invited to discuss campus issues with Boyd. After, students were encouraged to submit comments and feedback online to have a say in the nar- rowing of finalists from three to one, according to an article in the University Record. If Boyd gets the job, it won't be the first time she has worked closely with students. As the senior associate dean of student life at the Georgia Institute of Technology, she influenced stu- dent ethical development and provided leadership to student activities, including Greek Life and media services, according to a biography released by the University. Boyd is also the former presi- dent and conference chairperson for the International Association for Student Conduct Administra- tors, an organization that aims to set conduct standards for higher education institutions. She'll also be the chairperson for the Associ- ation for Student Judicial Affair's See CANDIDATE, Page 7A Three renovations expected to cost an estimated $9.9M By LINDY STEVENS Daily News Editor AtThursday'smeetingofthe Uni- versity Board of Regents, the board will discuss three new campus con- struction projects up for approval. The meeting is set to begin at 3 p.m. in the Regents' Room of the Flem- ing Administration Building. The first project the board will consider is a $2.1 million reno- vation to the Residential College Auditorium in East Quadrangle. The 11,300-square-foot renovation will provide updates, to the tech- nology, lighting, stage and seating areas. The remodel also includes plans for accessibility updates to meet codes and standards outlined in the Americans with Disabilities Act. Funding for the project will come from the College of Litera- ture, Science and the Arts, donor gifts aid the University's General Funod. A $1.2 million, 8,300-square-foot renovation to the Environental and Water Resources Engineering Building will also be discussed at Thursday's meeting. Home to labo- ratories, classrooms and offices for the Department of Civil and Envi- ronmental Engineering, the Col- lege of Engineering will provide funding for the project. The Regents will also be asked to approve a $6.6 million replace- See REGENTS, Page 7A BY THE NUMBERS $2.1 MILLION Residential College Auditorium in East Quadrangle $1.2 MILLION Environmental and Water Resources EngineeringBuilding $6.6 MILLION 600 feet of underground tunnels in the Eiag and 125 feet of piping in [orch Hall MI H IG A N S eT UrDeE NrT AuSSyEtMeBLY MSA pushes dorms to offer Saturday night meals Plan would cost an estimated $300,000 or $30 per resident By JENNA SKOLLER Daily StaffReporter The Michigan Student Assembly passed a resolution at last night's weekly meeting to address the lack of Saturday night dining options in University residence halls. The resolution states that MSA will write a letter to University Housing, the Residence Halls Asso- ciation and The Michigan Daily emphasizing the assembly's sup- port for keeping at least one dining hall open on Saturday nights. It was authored by LSA Reps. Timothy Bekkers and Virat Gupta and Busi- ness Rep. Alex Serwer, It also said MSA will continue to work with RHA to gather student feedback and assess the feasibility of implementing this option. According to the resolution, it would cost an estimated $300,000 per year for the University to keep one dining hall open on Saturday nights. This averages out to about $30 per year for each resident hall resident. Bekkers said the resolution would help students who are strug- gling financially by providing more inexpensive meal options. "It's a pretty big social justice issue also, because I think (closed dining halls) hurt the people who can least afford to be here at this school already," he said. Though the resolution passed 29-3, there was some opposition from Residence Hall Association President Ashley Londy. She said that MSA's involvement might not be the most effective way to imple- ment Saturday night dining and stressed that RHA will discuss the issue Thursday "I don't think it's necessarily the most effective way when the man- ager of dining says to get anything done needs to come through RHA," See MSA, Page 7A WEATHER k I H:23 TOMORROW LU 1" GOT A NEWS TIP? Call 734-763-2459 or e-mail newsonmichigandaily.com and let us know. NEW ON MICH-IGANDAILYCOM 'U' baseball player on Golden Spikes watch list THEGAME.BLOGS.MICHIGANDAILY.COM INDEX Vol. CXIX, No.97 02009 Thr Michgn Ig michigondaily.com NEWS... . . . 2A CLASSIFIEDS........... O PIN IO N ...........................4A SPO RTS................ ARTS.. . . ..5A THE STATEMENT.... .6A .8A ... B I