THE SOUND OF SUMMER FAIRT The Boy Least Likely To delivers an album sure to frs dn n put you in a summer mood. g -prce es. See Arts, Page 5 .. 41 (I1eEItgan DaiIj Ann Arbor, Michigan Tuesday, April 14, 2009 michigandaily.com UNIVERSITY BOARD OF REGENTS Among $70M in upgrades, Couzens gets some fix-ups Provost Teresa Sullivan discusses potential cuts to the University's budget during yesterday's Senate Assembly meeting in Palmer Commons. Provost outle Telephones, capital projects and Post-it notes could all be on the chopping block By KYLE SWANSON Daily StaffReporter - - - --- - ------------ In a speech yesterday, Provost Teresa Sullivan offered a glimpse at the University's budget process and decision-making, outlining several cuts that she plans on proposing to the University Board of Regents in June. She stressed that while these cuts will benefit the University's budget, they will not be to the detriment of the educational experiences of stu- dents on campus. Sullivan spoke in front of the Senate Assembly, one of the Univer- sity's leading faculty governance bodies, to update faculty on how the economic crisis has affected the University and provide spe- cific information on some things being done to cope with anticipated decreases in state appropriations to the University. "I'm not expecting us to get an increase in appropriations," Sulli- van said. "I just don't think that's in the cards." Sullivan said she is concerned about appropriations because the state is experiencing such tough economic times. "I'm not angry about it because the legislature has a very difficult task," she said. "They have declin- ing revenues coming in and they've got lots of worthy agencies and causes that need the money." Sullivan told faculty that though the University has suffered from the current economic crisis, it has not been as adversely affected as other schools across the country because it has been dealing with the state's financial hardships for the past several years. Sketching out some ways Uni- versity administrators are planning to continue to manage tight purse strings, Sullivan discussed five spe- cific cost-containment measure- ments that will be proposed. Among the recommendations, the University will more carefully review and likely cut back on capi- tal projects, Sullivan said. "We have denied or postponed requests for capital project fund- ing," she said. "The number of proj- ects we were willing to go forward with have been blocked off for the time being until we're certain that we can successfully complete those." Sullivan's statements came on the same day that $69.5 million in See PROVOST, Page 7 R( vot( pa At Regen Thurso differe totalin up for The will b of Cou Engine and th ing Str Ren will in ing, ve system sent to Royste for stu tow, t vice pi officer Bat] ditioni throug revaml unusec egents will also consideration. The proposed renovations to the on Engineering residence hall, located near Palmer Field, will cost an estimated $49 building and million. According to Peter Logan, rking structure spokesman for University Hous- ing, Couzens Hall, which was con- By NICOLE ABER structed in 1925, last underwent a Daily Staff Reporter major renovation project in 1954 - when asix-story wing was added to the University's Board of the east side of the main building. ts monthly meeting this Funding for the Couzens Hall day, proposals for three project "will be provided from nt construction projects Housing resources and investment gnearly $70 million will be proceeds," accordingtothe request discussion. to the regents. proposed $69.5 million The regents will also review e used for the renovation a proposal for the design of the izens Hall, additions to the Engineering Programs Building eering Programs Building addition, which was approved in he Thompson Street Park- December 2008. ucture. The addition to the North Cam- ovations to Couzens Hall pusbuildingwill createmorespace clude new heating, plumb- for projects like the Solar Car, For- mtilation and fire detection mula SAE and Concrete Canoe s, according to a request teams. the Board of Regents by E. The project would include r Harper, the vice president improvements in "architectural, dent affairs, and Tim Slot- mechanical and electrical work" :he University's executive that would revamp the spaces and resident and chief financial technological resources avail- able for these projects, accord- hroom renovations, air-con- ing to the request to the Board of ng, wireless Internet access Regents by Slottow. hout the building and a If the action requestis approved ping of the the dormitory's by the Board of Regents, the proj- d dining hall are also up for See REGENTS, Page 7 ALTERNATIVE ENERGY SERIES, PART 2 OF 5 Our energy future: Solar By STEPHANIE STEINBERG Daily Staff Reporter Solar cells are among the most well-known alternative sources of energy. But Engineering Prof. Max Shtein is working to bring solar technology into more homes by making solar cells more con- ducive to daily life - like weaving them into textiles. Shtein said this change will allow people to consume energy in eco-friendly ways when using everyday products. "Going to the store and buying clothes, for example, is a lot more familiar to a lot more people than installing a solar cell on the roof of their house," he said. Shtein, an assistant professor of materials science and engineer- ing, and a team of researchers are developing a system to create solar cells out of fibers that can be woven into textiles. "Most of those textiles are actually dyed using organic dyes where the molecular structure isr very similar to the structure of the molecules we would use to make organic-based solar cells," Shtein said. Shtein has brainstormed many' uses for his discovery including CHRISDZOMBAK/Daily carbon fiber airplanes with solar Solar panels sit atop the Dana Building yesterday. On one sunny day in May 2005' cells interwoven into the plane's the panels met 23 percent of the building's power demand. structure and coats and tents made "There's a lot of instances do things they need to do," Shtein out of solar cell fibers. He said a where you have disaster relief said. tent that can effectively generate kind of shelters, where you want The solar cells applied to the electricity from the power of the to be able to generate electric- fibers are very thin 'and add no sun can solve many of the prob- ity for people to communicate, for thickness to the material. Shtein lems caused by natural disasters. people to purify water, to read, to See SOLAR, Page 7 LOCAL GOVERNMENTS City, county officials project big deficits in coming years TC fun for e apping reserve bigger gap to fill, projecting to run a $26 million deficit for the next two ds not an option fiscal years. Both county and city officials ether government, point to a decline in property tax revenues due to lower assessed leaders say land values and the departure of Pfizer Inc., which was the previ- By LARA ZADE ously city's largest property tax- Daily News Writer payer. Pfizer had accounted for 4.8 percent of Ann Arbor's total prop- igan's staggering economy erty tax revenue in the 2008 fiscal I an impact on Ann Arbor's year. aancially insulated comma- According to city and county ving the city with a project- officials, the recent budget prob- cit of more than $2 million lems have been exacerbated by the 0 and $5.4 million in 2011. economic slowdown at the national naw County has an even level. At last night's City Council Work Session, City Administrator Roger Fraser presented council members with his budget recommendations, including a four-phase program to add some stability to the city's eco- nomic situation in hopes of dealing with the $2 million shortfall for the fiscal year 2010. To handle the decline in tax revenue, Fraser recommended the installment of additional parking meters on some of the city's service drives - a change that would raise an additional $380,000. Fraser also recommended a 16- to 18-person reduction in the city's police force See GOVERNMENTS, Page 7 Mich has had once fin nity, lea ed defi for 201{ Washte INT ER NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS At campus event, UN official talks about defining, preventing genocide Maria Stavropoulou argues for a broader definition of genocide By ROGER SAUERHAFT For the Daily In an hour-long talk Monday night at Rackham Amphitheatre, Maria Stavropoulou, a consultant to the U.N. Special Representative of the Secretary-General on the Prevention of Genocide, defined genocide and outlined ways to combat instances of it around the globe. "The legal term 'genocide' isn't exactly the same as the term 'geno- cide' when we're talking," Stavro- poulou said. A mix of students and Ann Arbor residents attended the lecture, in which Stavropoulou explained that genocide includes a much broader range of atrocities than simply kill- ing. "The definition does not require the killing of a single person," Stavropoulou said. "We can have genocide, in theory, without killing anyone." Stavropoulou defined genocide as intent to destroy national, eth- nic, racial or religious groups, and said that acts outside of killing that constitute genocide can include See GENOCIDE, Page 7 WEATHER HI: 59 TOMORROW LU 35 GOT A NEWS TIP? .. Call 734-763-2459 or e-mail news mmichigandaily.com and let us know. NEW ON MICHIGANDAILY.COM Men's gymnastics team arrives at the NCAAs. THEGAME.BLOGS.MICHIGANDAILY.COM IN DEX N EW S ......... ........ ...............2 A RTS ..................S............. ..5 Vol. CXIX, No.129 SUDOKU..........................3 CLASSIFIEDS. .... .... 6 (; l vi9T eMichigan Daily OPI N IO N ...............................4 SPO RTS............................... 8 michiganidailycomn