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Ann Arbor, Michigan
Thursday, October 29, 2009
michigandaily.com
GETTING IN TO MCHIGAN
' to change
high school
GPA calculus
In a break from the usual light-hearted nature of President Mary Sue Coleman's fireside chats, students at the William Monroe Trotter Multicultural Center yesterday
pushed Coleman to answer questions about racial issues and campus diversity.
C typicay low-key setting,
Coleman plresised on diversit
Officials: New
method designed to
be more holistic
By ANNIE THOMAS
Daily StaffReporter
In a reversal from current prac-
tices, University officials have
announced that when students
apply to the University, they will
no longer have their grade point
averages recalculated.
University officials say this new
approach will provide for a more
holistic review of applications.
In an interview yesterday, Pro-
vost Teresa Sullivan laughed and
admitted that she didn't really even
know why GPAs were being recal-
culated in the first place.
Sullivan said she thought GPAs
were previously recalculated to
put students on a "more parallel
standing" since some schools don't
calculate GPA in the same way, but
admissions officers already look at
individual grades instead of just
the cumulative GPA.
"The recalculated GPA was
really something that was used in
the early admissions system and
it doesn't seem to make as much
sense now," Sullivan said.
Ted Spencer, associate vice
provost and executive director of
undergraduate admissions, said in
an interview yesterday that the old
method involved admissions offi-
cers reviewing transcripts, noting
trends in student progress and the
grades earned in their courses -
somethingthatremains unchanged
under the new plan.
However, the process also
included a GPA recalculation that
removed certain classes - includ-
ing most fine arts courses - alto-
gether from an applicant's GPA in
order to review applications on a
more even playing field.
Spencer said that by taking out
GPA recalculation, the Office of
Undergraduate Admissions will be
able to focus on other admissions
processes.
"We wanted to spend more time
actually reviewing the files and
recruiting," Spencer said. "We
thought this was a method to both
allow us to put most of our efforts
in the places where we could do the
best, because we are already in our
present review looking for those
very same things that the recalcu-
lation was looking for as well."
Admissions officers already note
certain courses for applicants who
may have taken a more challeng-
ing curriculum, Sullivan said. She
added that since applicants are
never compared to one another,
it doesn't matter how much one
school weighs an Advanced Place-
ment course, or an equivalent, in
See GPA, Page 7A
Students demand
answers on racial
* issues at the 'U'
By STEPHANIE STEINBERG
Daily StaffReporter
The fire wasn't the only thing
heated at the University Presi-
dent's monthly fireside chat yes-
terday.
At the first fireside chat of
the year, University President
Mary Sue Coleman spent an hour
addressing questions raised by a
group of about 30 students. Stu-
dent attendance at the chats is by
invitation only.
Students sat around a fireplace
at the William Monroe Trotter
Multicultural Center and brought
up a range of concerns - includ-
ing the state's potential cut of the
Michigan Promise Scholarship,
cultural diversity, University
tuition hikes and transportation
problems between Central Cam-
pus and North Campus.
While fireside chats tend to
be somewhat light-hearted, at
this particular one, Coleman was
repeatedly questioned on diversity
and race issues at the University.
A report released by Uni-
versity officials two weeks ago
showed underrepresented minor-
ity enrollment for freshmen at the
University fell 11.4 percent from
last year - 69 fewer students than
last year's class. Overall freshman
enrollment, however, rose 5.1 per-
cent over last year.
Since the 2006 passage of a
statewide constitutional amend-
ment banning public institutions
from using affirmative action as a
factor in admissions, the number
of underrepresented minorities
enrolled at the University has fall-
See COLEMAN, Page 7A
STUDENT HOUSING
Campus housing goes green
Students gather to mourn
victims of urban violence
House on Packard St.
will soon be the first
LEED-certified
student housing in A2
By VERONICA MENALDI
Daily Staff Reporter
Students looking to adopt an
eco-friendly lifestyle now have
more opportunities than ever to
live green.
A house on Packard Road is being
renovated to be the first LEED-
certified private student housing
in Ann Arbor. University Housing
is also implementing initiatives
to make residence halls - includ-
ing North Quad, which is slated to
open in fall 2010 - more energy
efficient.
Warren Samberg, owner of the
Packard house, said there were sev-
eral reasons why he decided to go
for LEED certification.
"One is to be environmentally
responsible, which is kind of a per-
sonal goal or philosophy," he said.
"The other is to be more financial.
Implementing green technology is
not only a sustainable choice, but
will reduce operating expenses
over time."
Samberg, a LEED-accredited
architect, said he's installing a geo-
thermal heating and cooling sys-
tem in the house and is laying the
foundation for 12 new rooms in the
next few weeks.
He said the renovation is still in
its early stages, but he hopes it will
be done by April 1, 2010 in time for
May leasing.
Sambergsaid he hopes thatthese
changes will make the house an
attractive rental option for envi-
ronmentally conscious students.
"People are looking for that type
of lifestyle where they can be as
responsible as they can to help the
See HOUSING, Page 7A
BR IN GING IT TO TiH E HO0U SE
Student delivery service brings
campus eats to your front door
Prompted by death of
Chicago teen, Black
Student Union
organized Diag vigil
By OLIVIA CARRINO
Daily StaffReporter
Approximately30studentswith
burning candles in hand gathered
on the Diag last night to commem-
orate the victims of urban-youth
brutality.
The vigil, organized by the
Black Student Union, was prompt-
ed by the death of Derrion Albert
- an African-American 16-year-
old who was beaten to death on
Chicago's South Side on Sept. 24,
just blocks from his high school.
Pour teenagers have been
arrested for the honor student's
murder, which garnered national
attention because of a bystander's
videotape that made its way onto
televisions and computer screens
across the country.
"I think the purpose of the
event was to give honor to a young
man who tragically lost his life in
a very violent act that had nothing
to do with him," Music, Theatre &
Dance junior Logan McClendon
said. "He was truly just a victim of
his environment."
LSA sophomore Constance-
Marie James, programming co-
chair of the Black Student Union,
said the purpose of the vigil was
Straight 2 Your Door
started in attempt
to fill delivery void
By OLIVIA CARRINO
Daily Staff Reporter
Ann Arbor's shockingly cold
weather might be a little bit more
bearable this year with a new stu-
dent business delivering food right
to your door.
Straight 2 Your Door restaurant
delivery service joins a small but
WEATHER HI: 61
TOMORROW LO: 48
growing collection of companies
that bring food right to students'
doors. Straight 2 Your Door cur-
rently acts as a middleman between
22 local establishments on or near
campus and hungry students across
campus.
The business was started last
year under the name MDelivers.
Business senior Evan Demchick is
the current CEO and works with
Business juniors Zach Albert and
Marshall Eisler.
Demchick said S2YD was start-
ed simply because not enough Ann
Arbor restaurants delivered.
"We basically thought that there
were too many restaurants out
there that we liked that we wished
delivered to us, but did not," he
said.
Orders can be placed online or
via phone, and delivery can take up
to an hour from the time the order
is placed. Service is available Sun-
day to Thursday from 11 a.m. to 1
a.m. and Friday to Saturday 11 a.m.
to 3 a.m.
Food prices are slightly
increased to cover compa-
ny costs and a $2.99 delivery
See DELIVERY, Page 7A
cHANEL VoN HABSBURG-LOTHRINGEN/Daily
LSA sophomore Danielle McConnell takes part in the candlelight vigil last night.
to spread overall awareness of want to hopefully instill in the
urban-youth violence. mass - and everyone who attends
"We want to commemorate the vigil - a sense of activism and
Derrion Albert and all of the other awareness again because we really
Black slain youth from urban cit- feel that students at the University
ies," she said. "We also want to have a strong sense of apathy."
show to the mass that their lives James also said the candle-
have not been lost in vain and we See VIGIL, Page 7A
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