DEBATING REFORM
With the health care debate heating up,
I two writers offer different takes on what
should matter to students.
SEE OPINION, PAGE 4
A LOT OF
HOT AIR
The Islands's latest
Vapours is pared down -
and there's nothing left.
SEE A T AGE 5
11 lifidc11a43n Da iIj
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
FROM PENCILS AND PAPER TO PINTS AND POINTS
michigandaily.com
GOVER NING FACULTY
'U' amends
prof. travel
cost policy
JED MOCH/Daily
Every Monday night, former University Prof. Barry Aherne takes over the mic at Conor O'Neill's, an Irish pub on Main Street, to host trivia night.
CITY COUNCitL
Off0icials rebuff state
Changes come as a
surprise to faculty's
top governing body
By STEPHANIE STEINBERG
Daily Staff Reporter
After new changes to University
policy announced yesterday, fac-
ulty and staff will have to keep a
closer eye on how much they spend
while traveling for business.
At yesterday's meeting of the
Senate Advisory Committee on
University Affairs, the leading
faculty governing body, Provost
Teresa Sullivan presented policy
changes to the Standard Practices
Guide, which dictates University
policytoward faculty.
The major change "suddenly"
sprung on the faculty - as SACUA
Chair Michael Thouless, Pro-
fessor of Materials Science and
Engineering, described it - was a
revised travel policy for University
employees that will go into effect
Oct. 15.
The University reimburses fac-
ulty and staff for reasonable travel
and business expenses.
When the new policy goes into
effect, travel expenses will be pro-
vided via per diem - a pre-deter-
mined sum of money allocated for
the trip. That system represents a
shift from the way expenses had
been handled in the past, when
faculty and staff would put in
for Travel and Business Hosting
Expense Report to the Provost's
office, along with receipts from
lodging and transportation.
The per diemsystem also replac-
es purchasing cards - commonly
referred to as PCards - that the
University would issue to the fre-
quent travelers.
With the new system, employ-
ees will not need to keep track
of receipts for various expenses.
Instead, before employees can
receive the pre-determined sums,
a supervisor must approve their
trip's expenses.
Expenses that range between
$5,000 and $10,000 require
approval by the faculty member's
department chair or department
manager. Expenditures of more
than $10,000 require approval
from a chancellor, vice president
or dean.
Thouless said the per diem con-
cept sounds appealing,
Thouless said there is "a level
at which not keeping every single
receipt for every meal" is a better
way for the University to do busi-
ness.
But Thouless said in an inter-
view after the meeting that he
thinks faculty members are more
surprised than upset with the
changes because the Standard
See TRAVEL POLICY, Page 7
Co
Sta
mu
Cou
got sti
expert
meetin
uncil criticizes Ann Arbor Mayor John Hieftje
announced to council members
te plans to slash and the public that Kirk Profit, a
member of Governmental Con-
nicipal funding sultant Services,
cancelled his NOTEBOOK
By LARA ZADE presentation
Daily StaffReporter on the state's 2010 fiscal budget
because the state legislature was
mcil members and residents still in flux over its decision about
ood up by a state budget the budget plan and had no new
at last night's City Council developments to report.
ig. Later on in the meeting, after a
nearly 30-minute closed session,
Councilmember Leigh Greden
(D-Ward 3) announced that he
wanted to add a new resolution to
the agenda that opposed the 2010
state budget proposed by House
Speaker Andy Dillon and state
Senate Republicans.
The resolution, sponsored by
Councilmembers Margie Teall
(D-Ward 4), Marcia Higgins
(D-Ward 4) and Greden, expressed
CityCouncil's dissent over the pro-
budget
posed state budget, which would
"slash statutory revenue sharing
to Michigan municipalities by 30
percent," according to the resolu-
tion. That cut amounts to a loss
of approximately $1,200,000 per
year for the City of Ann Arbor, the
resolution shows.
The resolution further states
that the proposed budget would
prove harmful for Michigan
municipalities - including the
See CITY COUNCIL, Page 7
SAFETY STATISTICS
Property crime climbs in A,
as violent crime holds steady
U' officials crack down
on trademark violations
Local numbers
buck reported
national trends
By DEVON THORSBY
Daily StaffReporter
Property crime in Ann Arbor
jumped 12 percent in 2008, while
violent crimes remained relative-
ly stable, dropping 1 percent when
compared to the 2007 figures,
according to the FBI.
In Washtenaw County, howev-
er, the number of violent crimes
reported to the sheriff's depart-
ment was up 59 percent and prop-
erty crime increased 8percent.
The figures come from the
FBI's Uniform Crime Report,
a collection of reported crimes
from city, county and state police
departments.
In the annual report, the FBI
separates reported crimes into
two main categories: property
crimes and violent crimes. Prop-
erty crimes include burglary,
larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft
and arson, while violent crimes
include aggravated assault, rob-
bery, forcible rape and murder.
In Ann Arbor, a 13 percent
spike in larcenies and an 8 per-
cent increase in burglaries were
the two driving factors for the
increase in property crimes.
A larceny differs from a bur-
glary in that a larceny involves
theft of property from a public
place, where a burglary is com-
mitted on private property.
See CRIME, Page 7
COMPARING CITY CRIME
How Ann Arbor's percentage change from last year stacks up to Washtenaw County and national figures
15
12
9
124%
3.80/(
-1.C00
KEY:
Property Crime
® Violent Crime
Allfiguresa percentage
changefrom 2007 to 2008.
-0.77% -1.90%,
Nation
Several student
groups forced to
alter names, logos
By ANNIE THOMAS
Daily StaffReporter
While perusingthe many booths
at this year's Festifall, students may
have noticed that some student
groups looked a bit different.
Recently, University officials
have cracked down on student
organizations they say were
improperly using the University's
logo or name, causing some of the
most well-known campus groups
like Blood Battle and Dance Mara-
thon to change their names.,
Though the University adopted
the "official" Michigan logo - a
block 'M' - in 2002, officials only
recently started cracking down on
its use, according to Ruth Gretz-
inger, senior project manager
under the vice president for com-
munications.
Gretzinger said the enforcement
of the use of University trademarks
is a process that has been going on
for more than a year.
"It's a genesis of taking a look at
how students and other people are
using the mark and how they're
describing themselves," she said.
In an e-mail sent to all student
groups in April by the Office of
Student Activities and Leadership,
the University requested that those
associa
change
"The
Namin
dent o
Univer:
any det
its nam
studenr
Studen
wrote i
Spon
- ones
try
n
d
Studen
to use,
versity
affiliate
volunta
whichc
Thot
nizatio
of the
groups
departt
sity's m
"Wh
make"a
things
tions in violation of the rule parts of the University of Michigan
their name. and organizations that are associ-
Student Organization ated with the University but aren't
g Policy states that no stu- 'official' parts of the University,"
rganization may use 'The Gretzinger said. "The reasoning
sity of Michigan, 'U-M,' or was we wanted the student-spon-
rivative in the beginning of sored organizations to be able to
ie, unless it is a sponsored show that they were associated
t organization,"the Office of with the University."
t Activities and Leadership In order to help enforce the
n the e-mail. new policy University officials
isoredstudentorganizations are educating groups on the poli-
funded by the Michigan ies and provisions of the change
through websites and e-mails.
Gretzinger added that officials
would be willing to work with
That we were groups directly.
Mark Hindelang, assistant
ing to do was director of the Office of Student
Activities and Leadership,saidthat
ra e ltrhe e nomto apini
* n shiftfrom past procedure.
st~in t.ioni "In the past we've done just a
posting on a website and put it
inside of the recognition process,
so when students go through that
t Assembly - are allowed and create their student organiza-
certain aspects of the Uni- tions or renew their student orga-
s name since they are more nizations for each year, they see
ed with the University than those policies and regulations,"
try student organizations, Hindelang said.
do not receive funding. Many groups like Dance Mara-
ugh sponsored studentorga- thon, Blood Battle and the Col-
ns are allowed to use parts lege Democrats are changing
University's name, only their names this year, Hindelang
sponsored by a University said, because of the increased
nent can use the Univer- education efforts. He added that
sarks. many groups didn't need to make
at we were tryingto do was changes.
clear distinction between "We were approached by the
that are actually official See STUDENT GROUPS, Page 7
3
0
-3
- Ann Arbor
Washtenaw County
1 Source: 2008 FBI Uniform Crime Report
WEATHER HI 81
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