The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com r Friday, September 18, 2009 - 7A r REGENTS From Page 1A have never exceeded 4 percent. Last year, Coleman accepted a pay raise of 4 percent, a change from the year before when she opted to donate a 3-percent increase back to University graduate and professional programs. In response to the performance review,Colemanthankedtheregents for their kind words and said that many other people at the University made the recent successes possible. "I'm just grateful for their sup- port," Coleman said of the regents and executive officers. "Their sup- port has meant everything to me." NEW SAFETY SYSTEM APPROVED The regents approved $9 million to replace manual locks in buildings with electronic card readers. The renovation is expected to increase student and faculty safety by allow- ing access to buildings during potential lock-down emergencies. The new electronic door locks are also expected to cut down inefficien- cies on campus. A central manage- ment system will make it easier to authorize users and to replace lost or stolen keys, since keys will not need to be redistributed to all key holders when a building key is lost. The upgrades to the buildings are expectedtobecompleteinthespring of 2011. University President Mary Sue Coleman said she is enthusiastic about the building access upgrades. "I'm very excited about it," Cole- man said. "I think it's a big step up in safety." Coleman said that as more resources become available, addi- tional upgrades will be made to more buildings. NCRC From Page 1A liscroft is leading the planning process. Now that classes have resumed, he said more faculty from different departments are becom- ing involved in the planning. "It's a whole potpourri of things that are being discussed by dif- ferent committees," Woolliscroft said. Those committees have focused on topics that range from perform- ing research in the neurosciences, drug discovery and health care services to logistical needs like food, transportation and informa- tion technology services. Woolliscroft said the com- mittees are mostly determining how to best organize the space to strengthen collaboration between faculty from different schools and colleges. "We really look at it as an oppor- tunity to transform how we do research - to really capitalize on the tremendous breadth and depth of expertise resident in the facul- ty," he said. Site planners are also exploring ways of enhancing partnerships with private companies, other uni- versities and the government. Additionally, the NCRC will provide space for startup compa- nies that evolve from University research. Throughout the last five years, 49 such businesses have emerged, with more than 70 percent located in Michigan. "(The NCRC) gives us the opportunity to experiment with new models that we never had the M luxury of doing before," Woollis- croft said. $34.7 MILLION IN CONSTRUCTION APPROVED At the University's Board of Regents monthly meeting yester- day, $34.7 million was approved for renovations and construction to the campus. The funding will upgrade emergency power systems and remodel existing space to cre- ate an infusion suite at the Uni- versity's Hospital, construct new facilities at the Intercollegiate Soc- cer Stadium and build new practice facilities at Crisler Arena. Regents approved $4 million for renovations to the Hospital's emergency power system. The upgrade will include installa- tion of electrical power trans- fer switches and renovations to approximately 3,400 gross square feet. The construction project is scheduled to be completed in the fall of 2010. A new infusion suite for the Hos- pital was also approved and will provide off-campus accommoda- tions for adult, non-cancer patients. The project will include 5,000 gross square feet of renovations with 10 bays, a pharmacy, nursing stations and office and support spaces. The construction is scheduled to be completed in the spring of 2010. Regents also approved designs for the Intercollegiate Soccer Sta- dium. The 20,000-gross-square- foot project includes construction of restrooms, concessions, a press area, locker rooms and grandstand seating for 1, 800 spectators. The construction is scheduled for com- pletion in the fall of 2010. The schematics for a two-story basketball player development cen- ter, to be built adjacent to Crisler Arena, were also approved by the regents. The addition will include two basketball practice courts, team locker rooms and areas for athletic medicine and hydrother- apy. It will cover approximately 57,000 gross square feet. Construc- tion will be phased over two years and will be completed in the fall of 2011. Approximately 150 parking spaces will be displaced because of the construction, however about 55 spaces will be available upon com- pletion of the structure. ALLEGATIONS OF ABUSE MADE AGAINST DPS During the public comment por- tion of the University's Board of Regents meeting yesterday, one individual shared concerns about the lack of oversight of the Univer- sity's Department of Public Safety. Douglas Smith, an alumnus ofthe University, told regents the story of Dr. Andrei Borisov - a former research professor at the Univer- sity who was acquitted of criminal charges brought against him after an incident with campus police. Smith told regents that University administrators were attempting to cover up the incident, in which he claimed Borisov was forced to resign and was injured by University Police in retaliation to allegations Borisov had made about scientific fraud and misconduct at the University. Stephen Hipkiss, a member of the Department of Public Safety Oversight Committee, also spoke to the regents about DPS, though he argued the organization has sufficient oversight and that there is no need for immediate alarm. In an interview after the meet- ing, University President Mary Sue Coleman declined to comment on the situation regardingBorisov. - Laura Brunner contributed to this report. Forrest said the NCRC will improve Michigan's economy through the startups and part- nerships with private businesses working with the faculty at the research complex. "Many companies depend on commercializing the most recent and most interesting new tech- nologies, so if we can help com- panies achieve market readiness with a particular innovation, that's a business, and that business will help the economy," Forrest said. One of the goals is to have stu- dents participate at the site through educational programs that will include assisting scientists with their studies. "We very much anticipate that it will be a warm and welcom- ing environment for students," Pescovitz said. "I think it will be a wonderful place for innovative education to take place." Although it will provide more opportunities for students to par- ticipate in research, the purchase of the NCRC will hurt the city of Ann Arbor by lowering its tax base by 5 percent. The city previ- ously received tax revenue from Pfizer, but because the University is a tax-exempt institution, it will not be required to pay taxes to the city. In an article last December, Ann Arbor Mayor John Hieftje told The Michigan Daily that the city will feel the impact of losing the tax revenue. "It'll be a serious hit. It'll be a long time before the serious ben- efits kick in," Hieftje told the Daily. "On top of what's going on in the economy, and then you have this happen, it's going to make things. that much harder." Additionally, 2,100 people lost their jobs when Pfizer closed the site in November 2008. But the University hopes to recover at least some of those jobs by hiring 2,000 to 3,000 employees during the next decade to fill faculty and staff posi- tions. So far, only 14 people have been hired for security, building mainte- nance and facility operations. Faculty will begin occupying office spaces and using laborato- ries within the next few months. However, officials do not expect the facility to be fully populated until 2018. At this point, Pescovitz said crews are still investigatingwheth- er additional renovations are nec- essary. "Some of (the buildings) are pretty much in working condition, and some are going to need to be renovated to meet our individual needs," she said. Even though the University is the fifth largest research univer- sity in the country, administration and faculty hope the NCRC will elevate the University's research standing. In the future, Pescovitz said she anticipates large numbers of fac- ulty and students will work side by side at the site, pursuing common goals. "I would love to see the day when we would have thousands of very active people there doing innovative research," she said. But according to Woolliscroft, there is still much to be done before that day is reached. "This is a story that's unfolding as more people are involved, and as more ideas come forward and as more discussion occurs around how best to really take advantage of this opportunity," he said. TRANSPORTATION From Page 1A venient area where people can easily switch modes of transportation and gain access to all areas of Ann Arbor. City Transportation Manager Eli Cooper said he is hopeful that Phase 1of the project willbe complete and will accept travelers by mid-2012. "In a broad sense, the goal is to help lead this community as it moves forward in the 21st cen- tury," he said. "To attract people here or go from here without using a private automobile." Ann Arbor resident, Ethel Potts, who was at the open house last night to learn more about FITS, expressed some doubt about the project, especially the new facil- ity's potential location. "I've had concerns all along because it's down in the valley - we value the valley," said Potts, who says he has been living in Ann Arbor "forever." Steve Bean, who has lived in Ann Arbor for 27 years, said he was worried about future funding for the project. "We might just have a Phase 1 that is a parking structure and that's it - we won't have money to do the rest," he said. FINANCIAL AID From Page 1A to 34 that has attained a post- secondary education, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's Education at a Glance 2008 report. "No student in America should have to mortgage their future to get a good education," Miller wrote in the release. "This legislation pro- vides students and families with the single largest investment in federal student aid ever and makes ' landmark investments to improve education for students of all ages - and all without costing taxpayers a dime." The bill now goes to the Sen- ate, where it faces a more difficult battle, the bill's sponsors said on a conference call ith reporters Tuesday. "Some people say it's going to be more difficult in the Senate," Miller said on the call. "But I think we're relying on students and oth- ers to persuade the Senate that this is the right thing to do." He added: "And I think we're going to be successful." Miller said despite the struggle in the Senate, he expects the leg- islation to be on "the president's desk before the holidays." While the legislation is a histori- cal overhaul of the higher educa- tion aid system, it doesn't go as far as some earlier proposals from the president. Earlier this year, Obama proposed making Pell Grants an entitlement program similar to Social Security or Medicare, which would cost an estimated $117 bil- lion. But students shouldn't get too excited, mostprobably won'tnotice a large Iange in the aid they receive. Students generally go through their schools to get aid, which use subsidized loan programs more often than direct government loans. Last year private lenders loaned $56 billion worth of aid to 6 million students, while only $14 billion came from direct govern- ment loans. The vote on the bill split largely on party lines with only six Repub- licans voting in favor and four Democrats voting against. Some Republicans expressed concern that the measure will cost the government more money than it will save. "Unfortunately, the numbers just don't add up," Minnesota Rep. John Kline, senior Republican on the Education Committee told The Associated Press. - The Associated Press and Daily News Editor Jillia Berman contributed to this report.