2B - Tuesday, April 21, 2009 TMi ly/g yc The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.comi Students celebrate on the Diag after Barack Obama was elected president of the United States. Obama's isturic win ignites suetbd University, Coke Split The University temporarily sus- pended the purchasing of Coca-Cola products after the company missed the deadline to elect a third-party review of alleged human rights violations in Asia and South America. The suspen- sion lasted shount four months. On Apr. to, the University decided to resume its contract due to the company's compli- ance with two independent investiga- tions of its lahor practices in Colomhia and India. Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrinabecame one of the deadliest and most costly hurricanes in United States history, taking 1,836 lives and costing $89.6 billion. President Mary Sue Coleman led the University in relief efforts, offering financial aid to students from the disaster areas and allowing students from universities affected by the hurricane to continue their academic careers at the Univer- sity. In addition, many campus groups RoDeito funneled donations and helped rebuild Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans, Lou. the worst lost homes. making its second landfall as a Category 3 hurricane. Can th bl Nov. tears, s tion th Carolyn realizat a black1 Spee knees i student after 11 to God,! was ele the Uni Whil ed in de did!" at over ch tears. Short accepta a band phonist player1 ing a ja Anthem gathere circledt Stud npus celebrates the Diag from all directions, a few waving large American Flags. A e nation's first handful of University police moni- tored the crowd, including one lack president car parked on a path between the Diag and West Hall. The crowd By JULIE ROWE remained peaceful, yet rowdy as Daily StaffReporter police watched. A group of students formed a 5, 2008 - It was through drumline on the steps of the Har- creams and complete ela- lan Hatcher Graduate Library, at Kinesiology sophomore while hundreds of students alter- McCloud processed the nated chants of "Go-bama!" and ion that the nation elected "Yes we can!" to the beat. president. After receiving text messages, chless, she dropped to her a group of students encouraged n the midst of hundreds of those gathered to go to the streets. s gathered on the Diag just Studentswere askingeach other for p.m. last night, and prayed a destination but no one seemed to grateful thatBarack Obama know or care where the crowd was cted the next president of heading. Some headed to Michigan ted States. Stadium, others to the intersection e she knelt, students erupt- of State Street and Liberty Street. eafening chants of "Yes we One group marched to the steps nd "Obama!" which soared of the Michigan Union, clogging aotic cheers, screams and State Street and chanting, "It's great to see an Obama victory." A tly after Obama gave his portion of the crowd walked along noe speech near midnight, toward the home of University of percussionists, a saxo- President Mary Sue Coleman and and aetag-a-long didgeridoo called for herto make a speech. She headed to the Diag play- never emerged and the group soon zz version of the National moved eastward on South Univer- . The hundreds already sity Avenue. d at the center of campus The crowds and celebrations, the band. though numerous and disparate, ents continued topour into only grew through the evening as national results came in. As of 4 a.m., Obama had won 338 electoral votes, well above the 270 needed to secure the presidency. Republican nominee John McCain clinched 163 votes. Students cheered well into the early morning hours, celebrating the Democratic candidate's deci- sive victory. "I feel this is the greatest moment of our lives," said LSA sophomore Rose Balzer. "There's no doubt about that." While students rejoiced in the streets singing "The Star-Spangled Banner" and choruses of "The Vic- tors," results trickled in from Ann Arbor precincts, showinga 14-per- cent increase from the number of people who cast ballots at student dominated polling places of 2004. Eighty-three percent of voters at 14 student-heavy Ann Arbor pre- cincts supported Obama. Obama, whose victory in the Electoral College entered land- slide territory, began the race two years ago as the underdog. He had to defeat the favored Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York to win the Democratic Party's nomination. In doing so, he defied historical prec- edent tobecome the firstblack man to earna major party's nod. The Democratic nominee once See OBAMA, Page 3B Affirmative Action Ban q Proposal 2, The Michigan Civil Rights Initiative, passed, banning affirmative action in the state. The pro- posal prohibited all public institutions, including the University, from consid- ering race and gender as factors for admissions and hiring purposes. The University, along with Wayne State University and Michigan State Univer- sity, was granted a delay in the enact- ment of the law to complete its 2007 admission cycles, which had begun before the passing of Proposal 2. Bo Passes Away Devoted football coach Bo Schem- hedhlf," 4'ho' tame to 'ebodythb essence of University athletics, passed away at age 77 due to heart failure: Coach Schembechler, knownas"Bo' by his countless fans, ftiends, family ahd colleagues, served as head coach for 21 years, beginning in 1969. In that time, he won 13 Big Ten Titles, went to 10 Rose Bowls, and earned him the title of the winningest head coach in Michigan football history. I1 Coach Bo Schembechler is carried off the field in this file photo after a win over Washington in the 1981 Rose Bowl. Zack Yost, a former president of the Michigan Student Assembly and leader of the Michigan Action Party, resigned from the presidency a week after a private group that he created on Facebook.com was made public. The group mocked MSA Rep. Tim Hull and referenced his Asperger's syndrome, a mild form of autism. Yost was the first MSA president to resign since F. Scott Kellman in 1977. The Diag became a commencement venue for the first time in the Univer- sity's history after the Commencement Advisory Committee decided that the Big House, which traditionally holds the event, was not a safe option to host the spring 2008 commencement cer- emony due to unfinished construction on its east side. The decision to hold the ceremony on the Diag was made by University officials after students and alumni protested a previous decision to hold the ceremony at Eastern Michi- gan University's Rynearson Stadium. MSA Party Splits After failing to relate to a disaffect- ed student body, two representatives from the Michigan Action Party decid- ed to steer MSA in a new direction. Engineering junior Abhishek Mahanti and LSA junior Gibran Baydoun deter- mined that their goals could not have been met underthe association of their then current party. Baydoun decided to form the reMICHIGAN campaign. Mahanti established the Michigan Vision Party and led his team to vic- tory in the 2009 MSA elections. UMMA Reopens The University of Michigan Muse- um of Art reopened for the first time in nearly three years. By the end of Satur- day, nearly 24,000 people had attended the opening weekend. The new Maxine and Stuart Frankel and the Franke Family Wing increased the museum's gallery space and added lecture halls andmeetingrooms.UMMAalsogained state-of-the-art conservation and stor- age facilities, a225-seatauditorium and a Wi-Fi accessible caf. Students crowd the entrance of UMMA on the night of its grand reopening.