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