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Ann Arbor, Michigan
Thursday, March 26, 2009
PICKING FROM ANN ARBOR'S BEST
michigandaily.com
TH E MICHIGAN NETWORK
Unemployed
alums look to
' ' for help
Alumni Association in recent months there has been
an influx of alumni inquiring about
ramps up services networking and career advice
from the Alumni Association. In
as more University response, the Alumni Association
is increasing its career and net-
alumni face layoffs working programs.
"We are definitely hearing from
By NICOLE ABER more alumni who, because of the
Daily StaffReporter economy, are looking to us trying
to figure out what services we offer
When University alum Yvette that they can take advantage of,"
Atkinson's husband lost his job last Sigler said, "and what other ways
November, it meant one thing for can they tap into the alumni net-
her: back to work. work to be able to help them find a
Atkinson, who received both her job or make ends meet."
undergraduate degree and master's Through networking events,
degree in Social Work from the career counseling and job fairs, the
University, then turned to a hereto- Alumni Association is aiming to
fore-unusual option in ajob search, offer more help to members who
her alma mater's alumni network. have been hit hard by the economic
During her job search, Atkinson, recession.
44, has been corresponding with The Association launched the
Lisa Mangigian, the Alumni Asso- Economic Hardship Fund earlier
ciation's career services manager. this month, which offers free one-
"We just talked about goingback year memberships for alumni who
to work and, actually, the stress of are unemployed.
going back to work," Atkinson said. Sigler said the purpose of the
"I hadn't done a resum6 for years, fund, which the association is hop-
so she gave me some tips about ing to be funded through other
my resume and what I should do alumni who have not been hit as
because I haven't worked in nine or badly by the economic crisis, is to
tO years." allow recently unemployed alumni
But as the nation's economy con- increased access to the benefits
tinues to spiral into recession, Uni- that the Alumni Association has to
versity alumni around the country offer.
are seeking the resources of their "Within hours of that press
alumni network in increasingly release going out we had at least a
large numbers. dozen phone calls from alumni,"
Jerry Sigler, senior vice presi- Sigler said. "And that tells us that
dent and chief financial officer of there are a lot of people out there
the Alumni Association, said that See ALUMNI, Page 7A
CHANEtVON HABSBURG-LOTHRINGEN/Daily
Warron Widmayer of Dearborn Heights, Mich. purchases Yukon Gold potatoes from Downtown Home and Garden yesterday afternoon. Midmayer has been gardening
for over 30 years and travels to Downtown Home and Garden regularly because of the quality of their products. The more than 100-year-old Downtown Home and
Garden building, located on Ashley Street, is a converted livery stable and feed mill that now houses a wide selection of garden supplies and gourmet kitchenware.
TAXING PHILANTHROPY
Oba-ma tax policy could hurt'U'
Officials confident
decrease in taxable
* deduction won't
discourage donations
By KYLE SWANSON
Daily StaffReporter
President Barack Obama may be
confident about his budget plan for
next year, but his proposal is leav-
ilg some at the University and in
the nonprofit community uneasy
about the impact it could have on
donations.
Because of a tax change out-
lined in Obama's proposed budget
plan, couples making more than
$250,000 jointly each year would
not receive as large of a tax write-
off for donations to nonprofit
organizations, like the University.
Because of this, some on campus
think the University could see
fewer or smaller donations next
year.
Prof. Joel Slemrod, who teaches
business and economics, explained
Obama's proposal by saying it
would cost approximately seven
cents more per dollar for couples
making more than $250,000 to
make a donation.
"If you're in the top bracket and
... you're an itemizer, right now it
costs you 65 cents to give the Uni-
versity of Michigan a dollar," he
said. "Under this proposal, for that
group of people, the cost of giving a
dollar goes up to 72 cents."
In a press conference Tuesday
night, Obama defended the tax
plan saying it would level the play-
ing field so anyone giving a dona-
tion qualifies for the same tax
credit.
"People are still going to be able
to make charitable contributions,"
he said in response to a reporter's
question. "I think it is a realistic
way for us to raise some revenue
from people who benefited enor-
See TAX POLICY, Page 7A
QB Nick Sheridan
earing foot boot
Student group tries to reform
the way teachers are taught
David Metler and /
The quarterback was rumored
to have broken his leg during
spring practice on Tuesday.
Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez
will be available to the media for
comment this afternoon before
the team's practice.
Two Athletic Department
spokesmen refused to comment
on Sheridan's injury yesterday
afternoon.
The redshirt junior started in
four games and played in eight
last season for the Wolverines.
He was 63-of-137 for 613 passing
yards, two touchdowns and five
interceptions last fall.
Redshirt sophomore quarter-
back Steven Threet transferred
from Michigan before this year's
spring practice, leavingSheridan
as the initial frontrunner to take
the starting job this falL.
If Sheridan's injury keeps him
out of spring practice, it opens
the door for highly-touted early
enrollee Tate Forcier to take the
majority of snaps in practice.
FOOTBALL SATURDAYS
At Big House, no more
priority for A2 students
others are working
with administration
to rethink teaching
By LINDSAY KRAMER
Daily StaffReporter
Dave Metler isn't a teacher yet,
but he's already looking for ways
to transform the profession. The
School of Education senior founded
the Michigan Education Reform
Club, which aims to address stu-
dent concerns with the teaching
profession.
Metier said he hopes to create
a space in which education pro-
fessionals and undergraduates in
education can converse about their
own teaching concerns, as well as
compare techniques and ideas for
creating the most stimulating edu-
cational environments.
"I think reform begins with our-
selves first," Metler said. "There is
no consensus in the nation for how
to prepare teachers. I am work-
ing with the club in developing an
assessment of the science of educa-
tion that kind of sets standards for
teacher prep."
He added thatbefore becoming a
successful teacher, one mustmaster
a particular set ofskills and practic-
es, and he hopes that club members
will learnthese skills by interacting
more with their professors.
"I hope that once we have these
Flint, Dearborn
students won't get
worse seats after
policy change
By ERIK TORENBERG
For the Daily
This past football season, a
freshman University student had
a better chance of getting a front
row seat to a football game than a
senior from the University's Flint
or Dearborn campuses.
But that won't be the case this
football season.
When students from the Uni-
versity's three campuses - Ann
Arbor, Dearborn and Flint - pur-
chase football season tickets,
which went on sale Tuesday, Ann
Arbor students won't be given pri-
ority over students at the Flint and
Dearborn campuses.
Athletic Department officials
abandoned the policy they issued
last year to give seating priority
to students in Ann Arbor. After
last year's ticketing policy was put
in place, the number of Dearborn
students buying tickets declined
from 900 to 650.
Flint students complained that
the policy did not promote equal-
ity among the students.
The decision to reverse the
policy came after a committee of
12 students from the three schools
told Athletic Department officials
the original policy was unfair.
Marty Bodnar, associate direc-
tor of ticketing services at the Uni-
versity, said treating students from
every school equally is a priority
See TICKETS, Page 7A
David Metier is part of a student group working to reinvent the way teachers learn.
(teaching skills) really well-defined
and have a list - not that you would
check off the whole list and be like
I am going to be a great teacher -
there will be things that you can
be aware of or exposed to that will
give you the skills and knowledge
that you need as a member or in a
profession," he said. "We are try-
ing to identify the high leverage
practices that we need to master as
teachers."
Education Dean Deborah Ball
said she thinks the club will be
beneficial to students. While it is
separate from the Teacher Educa-
tion Initiative - a project she is
spearheading to reform some of
the teaching practices within the
See EDUCATION, Page 7A
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