We Midigan BaiI&
NEHUN E)-NINEI) "TEEN YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Thursday, March 19, 2009
michigandaily.com
Canton residents Dan Gottschalk, Colleen Carefell and Joshua Carefell explore a showcase in the Exhibit Museum of Natural History last week.
Exhibiting financial restraint
As budgets tighten,
local families head
in droves to campus
museums
By MALLORY JONES
DailyStaffReporter
Looking for an inexpensive
alternative to vacations and mov-
ies, members of the University
community have found a tougher-
on-the-mind, easier-on-the-wallet
way to spend their free time: going
to a museum.
The Exhibit Museum of Natural
History, which is free but suggests
a $6 donation per visitor, has wit-
nessed an increase in attendance in
the last few months. Senior Exhibit
Preparator John Klausmeyer said
the economic downtown is a likely
cause for this shift.
"I've been at the museum near-
ly 25 years, so I've worked here
through several recessions, and
this has always been the trend," he
wrote in an e-mail interview.
James Steward, director of the
University's Museum of Art, said
the psychological pressure of a poor
economy also increases attendance
at museums.
Steward's previous institution,
the art museum at the University
of California at Berkeley, witnessed
increased attendance during the
recession of the early 1990s, he
said.
"Many museums - especially
those like us that have no admis-
sion fee - experience upturns in
attendance during periods of tur-
moil, including economic chal-
lenge," Steward wrote in an e-mail
interview. "tn the period after 9/11,
for instance, we along with many
museums apart from those in New
York City saw substantial increases
in attendance as visitors sought the
solace that art can provide."
But attendance trends can go
both ways, Steward said. Museums
that generally have a lot of visitors
from far away, like those in New
York City, are seeing a downturn
in attendance because people are
traveling less. Also, he said, many
museums have seen drop-offs in
the sales from their stores.
Because the University's art
museum has been closed since June
2006, attendance.data for the cur-
rent recession is not available. But
See MUSEUMS, Page 3A
Notes from the first day of elections
Voting software
malfunctions, loses
747 cast ballots
By JENNA SKOLLER
Daily StaffReporter
Malfunctions of the voting soft-
ware used to tally votes caused
problems for this year's student
government elections yesterday.
Because of the malfunction in
the voting software provided by
Information Technology Cen-
tral Services, votes cast between
midnight and 8:45 a.m. yesterday
morning for the LSA Student Gov-
ernment elections did not count.
The problem was fixed later yes-
terday morning.
The 747 students whose votes
were affected recieved notification
by e-mail to recast their votes for
the LSA elections. The problematic
elections included the Michigan
Student Assembly LSA representa-
tives and LSA Student Government
presidents, vice presidents and
representatives. Votes cast for the
other 13 student government elec-
tions were not affected.
The e-mail from the MSA elec-
tion directors apologized for the
inconvenience and stressed the
importance of keeping the election
fair.
"Maintaining the integrity of
our election process is very impor-
tant to us," the e-mail read. "And
we want to assure you that the
problem was promptly addressed
very soon after an initial report
was received."
See LOST BALLOTS, Page 3A
Election officials try
to boost traditionally
low voter turnout
ByJENNA SKOLLER
Daily StaffReporter
In last year's Michigan Student
Assembly winter election, 2,246
votes were cast - about 6.4 percent
of the entire student body. But this
year, the Election Board is hoping
that won't be the case.
The board has taken new mea-
sures to combat the historic voter
apathy that has plagued student
government elections on campus.
The board and current MSA
President Sabrina Shingwani, sent
out more all-campus e-mails than
in past elections. The e-mails were
also shortened, which MSA Gen-
eral Counsel Michael Benson said
would make students more likely
to read them.
In past election cycles, only
independent candidates were
permitted to provide their indi-
vidual platforms in the all-cam-
pus e-mails. This election, both
independent and party-affiliated
candidates are allowed to provide
individual descriptions of their
platforms in the e-mails.
Representatives were required
to be a visible presence around
North and Central Campuses the
week before the election in an effort
to encourage students to vote and
answer questions aboutthe election.
Benson, who is a student in
Rackham Graduate School, said if
students are aware the election is
See TURNOUT, Page 3A
For one prof., operating in an unusual place
del Monte teaches,
performs surgeries
in the back of a plane
By STEPHANIE STEINBERG
Daily StaffReporter
Most doctors operate in hospi-
tals. Monte del Monte, professor
of pediatric ophthalmology at the
University, likes to operate in a
DC-10 airplane.
During two weeks in Febru-
ary, Monte traveled on a medical
mission trip to Trujillo, Peru with
ORBIS International - a non-gov-
ernment organization that brings
doctors from the United States to
developing countries on a plane
called the Flying Eye Hospital used
to both perform surgeries and train
local doctors.
TheFlying Eye Hospital has been
traveling since 1982, when United
Airlines donated the wide-body
airplane to ORBIS. The inside of the
airplane was stripped of its seating
and replaced with a fully equipped
ophthalmological eye operating
room, pre-operation and post-oper-
ation areas, teaching classroom and
video studio which moderates the
cameras on the plane used to pho-
tograph surgeries.
As the only aircraft of its kind
in the world, the Flying Eye Hos-
pital has traveled to 86 countries
and provided eye care treatment to
University prof. Monte del Monte takes part in the Flying Eye Hospital program.
more than 6.8 million people. to give back to society the knowl-
Monte said he volunteers with edge he learned during his medical
the Flying Eye Hospital because training and career.
the experience is a rewarding way See EYE DOCTOR, Page 7A
WEATHER HI 42
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Vol CXIX,No.112.
2009 The M chgan Daily
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