A LEG UP WINTER EATS
Zolan esk's punting Eating local in the winter means .
Zoltan Mesko's pntin
coach drops kicking tips in limiting your diet - but not as
140 characters or less. much as you might think.
See Sports, Page 8A See The StatementInside
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
INNOVATION ON DISPLAY
michigandaily.com
BUILDING A STUDENT BODY
This year's
class largest
in 'U' history
SAM WOLSON/Daily
University lab assistant Jun Liu takes down a poster describing the recently developed process of creating synthetic enamel at the Celebrate Invention 2009 last night,
The event, which was held in the Michigan League, lauds inventions pioneered at the University.
ACADEMIC OPTIONS
A new major for a gobalized world
At
nigl
off
reception last University held out on offering the
concentration.
ht, international After several years of student
requests and a successful test-run
studies major with a minor, officials at the Cen-
ter for International & Compara-
icially launched tive Studies decided it was time to
move on to a major.
By ALLIE WHITE Ken Kollman, director of CICS,
Daily StaffReporter said an advisory committee com-
prised of both faculty and students
University has finally began drafting a proposal for a
ed a major in International new International Studies major
s, a move that was long- 18 months ago.
d by many students and one "There was some back and forth
ame some years after peer with the (LSA) Curriculum Com-
tions had established simi- mittee," said Kollman. "The final
grams. proposal was accepted last year."
ile the international Insti- According to the program's
the College of Literature, website, the concentration "offers
e and the Arts has been students the opportunity to take
for more than 15 years, the a set of courses across disciplines
bringing multiple methods and
concepts together to address glob-
al problems."
Students choose from one of
four tracks within the major -
Political Economy and Develop-
ment, Comparative Culture and
Identity, Global Environment and
Health, and International Secu-
rity and Norms and Cooperation
- taking classes that span from
economics to comparative litera-
ture to political science.
Though the University offers
many courses in world politics and
international relations, Kollman
believes the International Studies
major is special for its breadth.
"It doesn't take the nation-state
as the unit of analysis all the time,"
he said. "It is very much oriented
towards the study of global prob-
lems or regional problems that cut
across national boundaries."
During a roundtable discussion
yesterday that was part of a pro-
gram launch celebration hosted
by CICS, students were invited to
speak with faculty members who
were instrumental in developing
the major and hear the professors'
views on why the concentration is
such a crucial addition to the Uni-
versity's academic canon.
Relevance, innovation and
internationalization were key-
words among those at the round-
table.
Susan Waltz, a professor of pub-
lic policy, stressed the importance
of looking at international issues
on a global scale rather than sim-
ply through an American lens.
See MAJOR, Page 7A
Underrepresented
minority enrollment
declined for fourth
straight year
By NICOLE ABER
Daily Staff Reporter
This fall, enrollment at the Uni-
versity reached its high water mark
in school history, spurred in part
by an augmented acceptance rate,
which is now at 50 percent, accord-
ingto data released bythe Universi-
ty today. The data also showed that
the number of underrepresented
minority students enrolling at the
University declined for the fourth
straightyear.
Enrollment totaled 41,674 stu-
dents for the fall 2009 semester,
according to numbers released this
morning by the University Office
of the Registrar. There are 26,208
undergraduates and 15,466 gradu-
ate students on campus this fall.
Ted Spencer, associate vice pro-
vost and executive director of the
University's admissions office, said
the increase in overall enrollment is
due to a number of factors, like the
anticipation of a large number of
students graduating this year and a
substantial number of students not
returning to the University this year
because of financial constraints.
"These kinds of fluctuations
happen throughout any given year,
with effect to overall target chang-
es," Spencer said.
He added that these types of
changes contributed to the admis-
sions office's decision to increase
the size of the incoming class this
year.
Admission offers were up more
than 19 percent from last year,
according to a press release from
the University News Service. The
University's acceptance rate of 50
percent this year was an 8-percent
increase from last year, Spencer
said.
University officials were con-
cerned about the University's abil-
ity to accommodate the increase in
BY THE NUMBERS
Data released today gives the most
up-to-date profile oftthe student body.
41F674
Total enrollment at the University this year,
upfrom 41,028lastyear.
50%
The acceptance ratefor 2009 applicants,
an 8-percent increase over last year.
Percentage decrease in the number of
underrepresented minorities inthis year's
freshman class,
535
Numbertof underrepresented minorities
enrolled in the freshman class thistfall,
down 69 studentstfrom lastpyear.
SOURCE: University Officetof the Registrar
students, but ultimately concluded
that there would be enough facili-
ties and staffto support the growth,
Spencer said.
While overall freshmen enroll-
ment is up 5.1 percent over last year
- totaling 6,079 students - under-
represented minority freshmen
enrollment was down 11.4 percent
from last year, according to the
report.
This decrease represents a loss
of 69 underrepresented minority
students - from 604 last year to
535 this year. Asa percentage of the
incoming freshman class, under-
represented minority students fell
from making up 10.4 percent of the
fall 2008 class to making up 9.1
percent of the fall 2009 freshmen
class.
Since the passage of a state-
wide constitutional amendment in
2006 banning public institutions
from using affirmative action as
a factor in admissions, the num-
ber of underrepresented minor-
ity students at the University has
declined every year.
Spencer said the University is
See ENROLLMENT, Page 7A
The
launch
Studie
awaite
that c
institu
lar pro
Whi
tute at
Scienc
active
MICH IGAN STUDENT ASSE M BLY
MSA votes nay on
s peaking limits
INSPIRED MOVES
Non-University
speakers would
have been restricted
by proposal
By MALLORY JONES
Daily StaffReporter
Last night, the Michigan Stu-
dent Assembly voted to reject
a resolution that would have
placed restrictions on com-
munity members who come to
speak to the assembly during the
"community concerns" portion
of its weekly meetings.
The proposal failed after
the assembly voted 17 in favor,
16 opposed, with one member
abstaining. The resolution need-
ed a two-thirds majority to pass
because it involved changing the
assembly's code.
The proposed resolution
would have required speakers
to present a valid, unexpired
MCard to the assembly in order
to speak. Those unaffiliated
with the University would have
to request permission to address
the assembly from the executive
board at least two business days
prior to the meeting.
The resolution would have
also shortened the time allotted
to each speaker from five minutes
to three minutes and the overall
time for community speakers
from an hour to 30 minutes.
MSA President Abhishek
Mahanti voted "yes" on the reso-
lution, but feels that even though
it failed, the assembly took part
in an important debate.
"Ithink allthepointswere pre-
sented very well," he said. "And it
came downto avotethatImaynot
agree with personallybut I'm glad
that it did come to the outcome
that it did and we are stronger as
an assemblybecause of it."
In the past, community con-
cerns have consumed large por-
tions of meetings' time, with
many community members
speaking abouttopics some argue
are not specificallyrelevant to the
University community.
Mahanti said this resolution
would have given the assembly
See MSA, Page 7A
CAMPUS CRIME
Money swiped from
Michigan League
By TREVOR CALERO and
JACOB SMILOVITZ
Daily News Editors
Just before 8:30 p.m. last night,
a man approached the front desk
of the UGo's store at the Michigan
League and told the clerk that he
would be a "happy camper" if she
would spare him some change.
When the clerk, LSA junior
Dasha Dokshina, opened the cash
drawer on her own volition, the
man reached over the counter,
grabbed a handful of cash and then
fled on foot out the north doors of
the League.
"He had a $5 bill and asked if he
could get four ones and four quar-
ters," Dokshina said. "I didn't think
anything of it. People ask for change
all the time."
Dokshina said there was about
$400 worth of $20 bills in the cash
register at the time. "But he didn't
take the $100 bill," she said.
"Times are getting rough out
there," Amy Matthews, UGo's night
manager, said. "It's happening
everywhere now and people need
to think about that."
Matthews said she believed this
to be the first time the League has
been robbed in at least the last
14 years. But she said the League
UGo's gets "ripped off" by shoplift-
ers a lot.
Dokshina said she hopes this will
prompt the University to install
security cameras in the League,
which, she said she believes, cur-
rently has none.
"It's an open building, anyone can
come in," she said. "In the event that
this happens, they have no way of
See CRIME, Page 7A
MARiSSA MCCLAIN/Daily
Members of the campus dance group Amala teach a couple new moves to stu-
dents at their Makossa Night yesterday in the Michigan League. Amala's dancing
is inspired by the music and culture of West Africa and the Congo.
WEATHER HI: 47 GOT A NEWS TIP?
WOEHLo: 34 Call 734-763-2459 or e-mail
TOMORROW L: 3 news@michigandaily.com and let us know.
NEW ON MICHIGANDAILY.COM
Washtenaw County gets swineflu vaccine shipment.
MICHIGANDAILYCOM/BLOGS/THE WIRE
INDEX NEWS .................................2A CLASSIFIEDS.. . .A......6A
Vol CXX, No. 27 OPINION 4........................4A SPORTS. ..... ........8A
m 09 Th eM chigan aily A RTS S................................. A THE STATEM ENT................. 1B