1ie £ilt4igan '0aIlj 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 GOT A NEWS TIP? Call 734-763-2459 or e-mail news@michigandaily.com and let us know. NEW ON MICHIGANDAILY.COM Solar Car Team finishes third at World Challenge. MICHIGANDAILY.COM/BLOGS/THE WIRE INDEX NEW S..............................2A SPORTS................ . ,5A Vol hCXNo.3h SUDOKU................. .......3A CLASSIFIEDS...h....... . 6A 9he MichiganDaily OPINION.... ......................4A TH E B-S IDE.........................1 B t P'