e ifri$Wc46F 1 oaIi4 at1m Ann Arbor, Michigan Thursday, November 19, 2009 michigandaily.com FROMICE BLOCK TO BLOCK 'M' FINANCING YOUR EDUCATION Debate over Promise still simmering SAM AN T HA TR AU BEN/Daily LSA junior David Shlecter, a member of the Michigan Ice Carving Team, carves an ice sculpture in the Diag yesterday. The sculptures were being carved for the Michigan football game against Ohio State during the Student Group Performance Showcase. LGBT ISSU E S The subtleties of a bathr oom sign Lawmakers, University administrators work to, find new funding source for popular scholarship By KYLE SWANSON Daily News Editor More than 45 days after the start of the state's fiscal year, state politicians and college administrators alike are still fac- ing pressure from students and parents demanding answers about the elimina- tion of the popular, merit-based Michi- gan Promise Scholarship. In a series of interviews yesterday, lawmakers and University administra- tors discussed the future of the problem, signaling that while it may currently lay as a casualty of the prolonged budget fight in Lansing, it remains a hot issue for both groups. Democratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm, who vowed late last month to continue fighting for the program, made no secret of her intentions in a conference call with college media outlets last week. During the call, she urged college students to join together, "rise up," and push state legisla- tors to restore the Promise Scholarship program. "We need students to know that this fight is on and that we can win it and that these legislators are persuadable," Gra- nholm said on the call, "butthey won'tbe persuaded if we're quiet." As part of her effort, Granholm is cur- rently in the middle of a campaign in which she is visiting several universities across the state to rally support for the restoration of the scholarship. She visited Michigan State University on Wednes- day and is expected to speak at Eastern Michigan University on Monday. As part of her tour, a stop at the Uni- versity of Michigan's flagship campus was originally on Granholm's schedule. However, a representative for Granholm told The Michigan Daily yesterday the governor's visit has since been removed from her agenda. In her call last week, Granholm told college media outlets that funding to restore the Promise Scholarship could easily be derived from slowing the imple- mentation of the Earned Income Tax Credit - a move she said could provide more than $150 million in savings for the state. Asked about Granholm's plan, State Rep. Pam Byrnes (D-Lyndon Twp.) told the Daily yesterday such measures would only delay the problem. "It's a one-time shot," Byrnes said of Granholm's plan. "We've been doing one- time fixes all along and thatreally doesn't address the problem." The problem is a daunting one. In the final budget signed by Granholm, many programs, like the Promise Scholarship, were cut to help balance the state's bud- get from a $t.9 billion deficit. Despite significant trimming to the state's pocketbook, projections for next year's state budget already include a $1.4 billion deficit - meaning more cuts to state services will need to be made or additional revenue will need to be gener- ated. As a solution to these budget woes, See PROMISE, Page 3A LGBT leaders question decisions surrounding s sign outside of Union ;gender-neutral bathroom By OLIVIA CARRINO - ~ Daily StaffReporter 'A recent change in the sign outside of i gender-neutral bathroom on the third floor of the Michigan Union has caused a bit of a public relations headache for the building's administrators. Members of the Michigan Student Assembly's LGBT Commission were not happy with the sign change - which replaced a gender neutral bathroom sign featuring a male and a female figure with a family bathroom sign - saying they felt the University failed to notice the need to have a gender-neutral bathroom. After urging from the Spectrum Center, the family bathroom sign was removed and is set to be replaced by a new bathroom sign that will feature one figure; half male, half female. LSA junior Christopher Armstrong, co-chair of the LGBT Commission, said he was disappointed with the new family bathroom sign. "I think that we were just frustrated to see it be labeled as a family restroom, because it sort of made it seem like the building had just forgotten the purpose of why that was to be a gender-neutral bath- room," he said. Armstrong explained the purpose of gender-neutral bathrooms is to create "a more inclusive space for a trans individu- al." He said the LGBT Commission is trying See GENDER NEUTRAL, Page 3A CONT ROVER SIAL MA RKE TING oosejaw faces criticism for jail-themed catalog GOVERNING THE GREEKS Crit 0 light fa Moo Michig outdoot prides i "goofy" themes family Som howeve The of nega themed campaig offende membe The els in M behind tings, i ters to from in Whil able st recent e-mail Mooseja Like e-mail tics say ads make behind bars in a Moosejaw T-shirt, but also advertises a "free Moose- of the hardships jaw Jail Activity Book" that includes "designyourownprisontattoos" and icing prisoners a "don't get shanked in the shower fun maze." By ALLIE WHITE University alum Emily Har- Daily StaffReporter ris wrote in a Nov. 9 post on the Moosejaw Facebook fan page that sejaw Mountaineering, a she found the campaign "extremely an institution known for its offensive." Since that post, the fan r recreation apparel and gear, page has become a soapbox for crit- tself on its unpredictable and ics and defenders of the campaign promotions. Past catalog alike - though the defenders are far include food fights and bad outnumbered. photos. In an e-mail interview, Moosejaw e say its most recent catalog, Creative Director Gary Wohlfeill r, may have gone too far. said the catalog was not intended to company has received a flood offend anyone. ative feedback for its jail- "Like all of our campaigns, our [Winter 2009 promotional goal with Jail was to show our gn that appears to have customers something unexpected d customers and community and wacky and not take ourselves rs alike. too seriously," he wrote. "The idea winter catalog features mod- behind this particular campaign oosejaw merchandise posing was to parody the glamorization of bars and in other jail set- crime and prison by pushing it to its ncluding a page titled "Let- completely illogical conclusion." the Warden" with letters Wacky or not, many have vented prisoners. expressed outrage at what they e the catalogs will be avail- perceive as an insensitive and arting today, much of the uneducated treatment of prison and objection stems from an incarceration. sent earlier this month to "Prison and jail is not a funny aw's subscriber list. thing," said Penny Ryder, director of the catalog images, the the American Friends Service Com- promotion features a model mittee's criminal justice program. Ryder said she contacted Wohl- feill viae-mail to express her disdain after the promotion was forwarded to her. In his response, Wohlfeill wrote that offending people was "certainly not our intent, nor would we want to capitalize on the suffer- ing of another human being." Ryder responded, suggesting to Wohlfeill that rather than portray prison in a satirical light, Moosejaw should consider hiring "released cit- izens" - formerly incarcerated indi- viduals - to staff its warehouses. Wohlfeill replied that he would "see what opportunities we may have to offer." "One of the main issues of people going back to prison is because they don't get work," Ryder said in her interview withthe Daily. University alum Amit Weitzer, who works as a consultant and orga- nizer for the Michigan Campaign for Justice, wrote in an e-mail inter- view that while the ad campaign would undoubtedly be offensive anywhere, it is particularly so in a state like Michigan where "there are nearly 50,000 people incarcerated." A 2008 Department of Correc- tions report listed the number of prisoners in the state at 48,686. Both Weitzer and Mary Heinen, coordinator ofcommunity and youth programs with the University's Pris- See MOOSEJAW, Page 3A SAMANTHA TRAUBEN/Daily New IFC President Mike Friedman last night. For a full story on the IFC and Panhel elections, go to michigandaily.com. C A M P U S C R I M E Former Michigan quarterback in court for charges stemming from a botched drug deal By DEVON THORSBY Daily StaffReporter Former Michigan football player Justin Feagin appeared in Washtenaw County Court yesterday afternoon before Judge Charles Pope to waive his right to a preliminary exam for three drug charg- es brought against him. The preliminary exam would have presented evidence to determine whether the case is wor- thy of a trial. By waiving his right to the exam, Feagin's case will now go directly to Washtenaw County Circuit Court proceedings, set to begin with a pretrial under Judge Archie Brown on Jan. 6. With the case now in circuit court, Feagin plans to plead not guilty to the three charges brought against him, his lawyers said in court yesterday. Those three charges are conspiracy to deliver less than 50 grams of cocaine, conspiracy to possess 25 to 50 grams of cocaine and conspiracy to pos- sess less than 25 grams of cocaine. Feagin's charges arebased on an botched drug deal that occurred last winter, when Feagin planned to obtain cocaine from his home state See FEAGIN, Page 3A WEATHER HI:49 TOMORROW6 LU 41 GOT A NEWS TIP? Call 734-763-2459 or e-mail newsumichigandaily.com and let us know. NEW ON MICHIGANDAILY.COM Photo Gallery: Brother Ali at the Blind Pig. MICHIGANDAILY.COM/BLOGS/THE FILTER INDEX NEWS.................................2A CLASSIFIEDS ........... 6A Vol CXX, No. 51UDKSU O U........ ............. 3A SPORTS ........... . ...........8A c009 TheMichiganDaily OPINION...................... ....4A THE B-SIDE .......................... 1B michigondoilycom " A