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Monday, November 2, 2009 - 7A
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The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Monday, Novemher 2, 2009 - 7A
BUDGET
From Page 1A
Daily in late September that, unsure
about the Promise Scholarship pro-
gram's fate, "the University set aside
some one-time funds ... to fill these
expected financial aid gaps."
Also in late September, Cynthia
Wilbanks, the University's vice
president for government relations,
told the Daily that the University
would fill that void for students
with demonstrated financial aid
need if the Promise Scholarship
was cut.
"We have committed to meeting
the full financial need and we have
been prudent inthe waywe have bud-
geted so that we will have resources
for those students who have the
financial need and as of now, do not
appear to be receiving the Promise
grants," she said in late September.
Earlier this month, after a letter
to state legislators from a business
advocacy group encouraging law-
makers to pass a budget proposal
that cut the Promise Scholarship
bore her name on the letterhead,
University President Mary Sue
Coleman issued a statement in
which she distanced herself from
the recommendation.
She wrote: "It is in the best
interests of the state to look to
the long term and focus on the
highest priorities - including
higher education - as we lay the
groundwork for the future."
On that higher education front,
the budget signed into law Friday
provides $325,347,400 in state
appropriations for the University
of Michigan in Ann Arbor for the
coming fiscal year.
This represents a drop of
around .4 percent from last year's
SETTLEMENT
From Page 1A
appeal hadhbeen dropped and that
a settlement had heen reached.
"The matter has been resolved
and the earlier court judgment
has been vacated," Fitzgerald
said.
Fitzgerald refused further
comment, saying he wasn't per-
mitted to comment on the details
of the settlement or any other
specifics of the case.
Deborah Gordon, Zwick's
attorney,toldtheAssociatedPress
Friday that she was not allowed
to comment on the details of the
settlement.
"I am only allowed to say the
case has been resolved," Gordon
said.
Details of the settlement have
not yet been filed with the Court.
Zwick no longer studies den-
tistry, despiehavingheen accept-
ed to eight other dental schools
before enrolling at Michigan. She
is now pursuinga master's degree
in Speech Pathology at Eastern
EVENT
From Page 1A
to a discussion about how the
dismal state of the economy has
led to a "brain drain" of Detroit
in which highly educated people
with advanced degrees leave the
area to find jobs elsewhere.
Susan Baskett, chair of the
Ann Arbor Board of Education,
stressed the importance of pri-
mary education. She said both
parents and the state should
place an increased emphasis on
the value of completing primary
education so individuals can then
go on to complete college.
"You have to hold your people
accountable, your kids account-
able, your neighbors' kids account-
able," she said. "You have to start
local, hold everyone accountable,
and know your policy. There is
strength in numbers and you want
to make sure all your kids gradu-
ate in a timely manner."
In interviews after the event, the
politicos in attendance said they
felt they benefited from the event
just as much as the students.
Baskett said the event was
important because it gave politi-
cians the opportunity to hear the
concerns of the state's students.
Brater said she felt the student
input was insightful and that the
event was an education process
"in both directions."
"I'm learning from the stu-
dents and the students can get
some information from me about
what's going on in the state gov-
ernment," she said.
The coordinators of "Pancakes
and Politics" said the goal of the
event was to educate students on
political issues and to publicize the
upcoming elections this Tuesday.
LSA sophomore Autumn Hol-
mes, who helped coordinate the
event, said they wanted those in
attendance to step outside the
student "bubble."
"Our purpose today is to intro-
duce people to individuals who
are in government, who are in
power and have the power to basi-
cally make the laws," she said.
funding, but beat earlier University
projections by 2.8 percent. Those
projections had estimated state
funding to drop to $316,572,000 for
fiscal year 2010.
The amount of state funding
influences the make-up of the rest
of the University's budget, from
the funding of different schools
and academic programs to student
tuition levels. But officials are quick
to note that they have very care-
fully accounted for potential drops
in state funding while crafting bud-
gets in recent years.
Markinga continued reliance on
cost cutting and tuition increases
to fill the state funding void, state
appropriations account for 21.75
percent of revenues in the Universi-
ty's General Fund budget proposal
for fiscal year 2010. In that same
budget, tuition and fees account for
65.19 percent.
From fiscal year 2003 to fiscal
year 2004, state funding for the
University experienced a free fall,
plummeting by about 10 percent -
or $36,356,600.
Since then, the appropriations
have hovered mostly in the $320-
$330 million range.
From 1997 to 2009, higher educa-
tion funding in Michigan had the
second-lowest rate of growth in
the country. At 17 percent, Michi-
gan was second to last, besting only
South Carolina. In that same period
of time, the national average of
growth in higher education funding
was 67 percent, or 5.6 percent per
year. Michigan's funding grew at an
average of 1.4 percent per year.
Thebudget signed Friday marked
the end of a months-long scramble
to make ends meet for a state in his-
toricallybad economic shape.
Legislators rushed to fill a $2.8
billion gapbefore the state's original
Oct. 1 deadline - when its new fiscal
year started.
In that dash, Republicans stood
by a strategy of cutting state pro-
grams, while Democrats looked for
ways to increase revenues. With
control of the House and Senate
split between the two parties, stale-
mates ensued. They missed the Oct.
1 deadline, and after the state's gov-
ernment shut down for less than
two hours, lawmakers passed a
temporary budget that gave them
one more month to figure it all out.
For many, the resulting budget is
far from a sigh of relief, with deep
cutstoschools,Medicaidreimburse-
ments, financial aid to college stu-
dents and most state departments.
According to The Associated
Press, Granholm said in a conference
call to reporters that the Republi-
cans in the state Senate "have taken
what I think is an extreme position
in regard to this budget."
"The Democrats have compro-
mised," she said, "the Republicans
have not."
GOP Senate Majority Leader
Mike Bishop's spokesman told The
Associated Press that "the budget
was passed with bipartisan sup-
port," and that Bishop plans to
release alistof ideas for making gov-
ernment and schools more efficient
to avoid a panic next year.
Granholm vetoed 75 programs
totaling $127 million in cuts, rea-
soning that "If there was something
in the budget that we didn't have
enough money to fund, I vetoed it,"
according to The Associated Press.
The new budget includes $44.5
billion in spending, including $1.4
billion in stimulus dollars provided
through the American Recovery
and Reinvestment Act.
REID
From Page 1A
forced to sit outbecause of injury,
quietly stared at the Jumbotron,
his mouth slightly open as Je'Ron
Stokes patted him on the back.
David Moosman scratched his beard
in frustration. And the Michigan
equipment managers starting pack-
ing up the team's sideline early.
They were all forcedto accept that
Illinois - the team that wasbooed
off the field by its home fans at half-
time - didn't do so muchto win over
the orange-clad faithfulby the end of
the game. The screamingthrongs of
happy fans knew the result was more
aboutMichigan's deficiencies than
the Illini's positives.
What was proven on Saturday
is simple. Michigan is, for the first
time Ican ever remember, the worst
team in the Big Ten, and it's not get-
ting anybetter.
So, where do the Wolverines go
from here?
Michiganneeds awin. Justone,
any one will do. Next up is Purdue,
which has the third-bestpassing
attack in the Big Ten. That couldbe a
problem - if you're a Michigan fan,
you'rewell-versed inthe secondary's
woes.Wisconsinishistoricallyhard
to beat in Camp Randall Stadium,
and Ohio State is, well, Ohio State.
As the season moves forward, it's
looking more and more impossible
that Michigan will pick up its sixth
win, which is a tough pill for the
maize-and-blue faithful to swallow.
And seeing how the Wolverines folded
after the goal-line stand and Illinois
99-yard drive,both their motivation
and drive has to be red-flagged.
"You get frustrated and you don't
know what to do, and the first thing
you try to do is take the easy way out
and just give up," fifth-year senior
Brandon Graham said. "And that's
not gonna happen. I can promise
you that, we're not gonna quit. We're
gonna keep coming every Saturday
until it's over."
I believe Graham, one of the few
Wolverines who has actually played
up to expectations this season. The
real question is if the rest of the
team will follow his lead these next
three weeks.
- Reid can be reached at
andyreid@umich.edu.
The future of dating is in danger as guys' hair is
turinggirls off by the minute. ft's time to take action
to gret action - save the game before it's too late.
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