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 TOMORROW LO GOT A NEWS TIP? Call 734-763-2459 or e-mail news@michigandaily.com and let us know. NEW ON MICHIGANDAILY.COM 'U' neurologist to head first ALS stem cell trial MICHIGANDAILY.COM/BLOGS/THE WIRE INDEX NEWS ..................... 2 ARTS ...... ,. ,..............5 Vol CXX, No. 11 AP NEWS ..................... 3 CLASSIFIEDS.......... 6 O2009TheMichiganDaily OPINION............. 4 SPORTS.............. michigovdoilycom 4 S O T ................