Now that junior guard Manny
Harris announced he's leaving
Michigan for the NBA, is the
men's hoops team doomed?
PAGE 8
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
michigandaily.com
FABRICATING FUTURE FUEL
How the 'U'
landed Pres.
Obama for
graduation
In recruitment effort, Seedocumentsforthis
ANNA SCHULTE/Daily am ece aboutthis
Engineering freshman Chris Parmer works on a project for his Engineering 100 class. The class focuses on creating alterna- $ca at t i h s
tive energy sources like wind turbines, which will later be tested by the students on the top of the AOSS Building. dass at
r Harris to enter NBA Draft
Coleman, student
leaders sent letters to
the White House
By JOSEPH LICHTERMAN
Daily Staff Reporter
Though it was only announced
last month that President Barack
Obama would be the speaker at this
spring's commencement, Univer-
sity officials have been communi-
cating with the White House since
last April to try to get the president
to speak at the Big House.
According to documents
obtained by The Michigan Daily
through a Freedom of Information
Act request, University President
Mary Sue Coleman first contact-
ed Alyssa Mastromonaco, White
House director of scheduling and
advance, on April 30, 2009.
Following the initial letter, Cole-
man sent a formal invitation direct-
ly to Obama last September. In her
letter to Obama, Coleman high-
lighted the University's history as
one of the premier public universi-
ties in the country.
Coleman also encouraged the
P story at Mdngcs i*.
president to come to Ann Arbor by
referencing the University's com-
mitment to topics important to
his administration like economic
expansion, developing alternative
energy sources, sustainability and
health care.
"The University of Michigan
vigorously pursues the many issues
our nation faces and that you are
tackling as president," Coleman
wrote to Obama in her September
letter. "Your visit would inspire
and motivate continued progress in
these areas."
In her letter, Coleman also ref-
erenced visits by other presidents,
including John F. Kennedy's 1960
speech on the steps of the Michi-
gan Union. Kennedy, who was cam-
paigning at the time, stood before
a crowd of students at 2 a.m. to
announce his plans to create the
Peace Corps.
"That night, and in the days and
weeks that followed (Kennedy's
speech), the enthusiaqtic response
of our students helped propel that
brief speech into a major national
program," Coleman wrote in the
letter. "Today's students are no
See OBAMA, Page 7
Junior says now is
the 'right time' to
pursue NBA dream
By NICOLE AUERBACH
and JOE STAPLETON
Daily Sports Editors
Junior Manny Harris
announced yesterday morning
that he will not be returning to
Michigan for his senior season.
At a press conference, Harris
said that it has always been his
dream to play basketball profes-
sionally, and he felt now was the
time to pursue that dream. He will
enter his name into the 2010 NBA
Draft.
"I've thought long and hard
about this very difficult decision,"
Harris said. "This was just some-
thing that I always dreamed of
(doing). It just felt like it was the
right time to do it."
Harris is projected by DraftEx-
press as a late-second-round pick.
Despite averaging 17 points and
nearly six rebounds per game for
his career, scouts say his body is
not NBA-ready and his long-range
shooting is questionable.
"I heard a lot of different things
(about my chances in the Draft),
but I believe the work you put in is
the work you get out," Harris said.
"I'm just going to keep working."
The option exists for Harris to
work out for NBA teams and hear
See HARRIS, Page 3
ARIEL BOND/Daiy
'U' and Chinese university
launch research partnership
$6M collaboration
will focus on
renewable energy,
biomedical fields
By KYLE SWANSON
DailyNewsEditor
University officials announced
a multi-million dollar research
partnership with a prominent
Chinese university yesterday that
will focus on renewable energy
and biomedical research.
The move signifies a growing
relationship between the Uni- million to the effort over the next
versity and Shanghai Jiao Tong five years.
University in China - with which That financing will complete
the University the first phase of the program,
already col- but according to the release, both
laborates on institutions expect to take advan-
educational tage of federal matching programs
efforts within for future work.
the College of A call for project proposals was
Engineering. issued yesterday in Ann Arbor
A press KYLE SWANSON and Shanghai. The press release
release issued specified that all proposals must
by the Uni- Ci c he include researchers from Shang-
versity yester- Admin-istion hai Jiao Tong University and the
day outlined University of Michigan and that
the terms of the collaboration, in all grant proposals will have an
which the University and Shang- initial $200,000 annual funding
hai Jiao Tong will each commit $3 See RESEARCH, Page 7
SAMANTHA TRAUBEN/Daily
EveAronoff poses fora portrait in her restaurant Eve in Kerrytown. Aronoff will be opening a new Cuban-themed restaurant in July.
Eve to open Cuban-inspired eatery
Political blogger launches mayoral run
Pal
cha
Den
tricia Lesko will - doesn't have a background in
local politics. Instead, she's spent
illenge Hieftje in the past several months scrutiniz-
ing Ann Arbor city officials on her
nocratic primary blog, A2Politico.
Lesko started the blog last
By DYLAN CINTI August after The Ann Arbor
Daily StaffReporter News, where she worked as a
political reporter since 2008,
gtime Ann Arbor resident closed its doors.
ia Lesko's resume is a little In an interview last week,
ent from that of the average Lesko said her idea for the blog
al candidate. stemmed from an interest in con-
ughshe'srunningfor mayor tinuing to cover the local politi-
Arbor, Lesko-- a Democrat, cal scene, despite the loss of one
led paperwork yesterday to of Ann Arbor's print newspapers.
Mly enter the race for mayor She said she felt the Ann Arbor
City Council needed a commit-
ted critic who would provide "a
counterweight to how issues were
being presented by council."
Many of her posts on the blog
focus on what Lesko considers the
city's poor management of funds.
In a Feb. 8 post called "The Poli-
tics of Priorities," Lesko criticized
the city's proposed plan to cut 37
positions in the Ann Arbor police
and fire departments to alleviate a
$5.2 million budget deficit.
"Cutting emergency and other
citizen services is an absolutely
unacceptable and unnecessary
See LESKO, Page 7
Former Top Chef
contestant has
another restaurant
in Kerrytown
By LINDSAY KRAMER
Daily StaffReporter
For Eve Aronoff, the opening of
her new restaurant, Frita Batido, is
a dream come true. The owner and
chef said she always envisioned
opening an affordable restaurant
that reflected her creative and
informal personality.
Aronoff, who already owns the
restaurant Eve on North 5th Ave-
nue in Ann Arbor, will be opening
her second venture by July 1, 2010
in the space formally occupied by
Caf6 du Jour on West Washington
Street.
Though the new restaurant will
be Cuban inspired, Aronoff said she
doesn't plan to offer Cuban dishes.
Instead, the chef said the menu will
reflect her passion for different tex-
tures and flavors and her commit-
ment to buying fresh produce from
local sources.
"(My restaurant) is inspired by
Cuban culture and ingredients
and my own style of cooking and
doing something fun and casual
and informal, but still following the
things that are important to me like
working with local farmers and fol-
lowing the seasons and being able
to make something that is delicious
and affordable," Aronoff said.
Aronoff said she has wanted to
open Frita Batido ever since read-
ing about a Cuban sandwich called
Frita - a Cuban burger made of
chorizo with shoestring fries on
top and an egg bun.
"It was so wild because years
and years ago I always wanted to
do it," Aronoff said.
Aronoff said the restaurant will
also offer a variety of batidos -
milkshakes made with tropical
fruit, ice and sometimes rum. She
added that she wants Frita Batido
to be a restaurant where students
can afford to dine regularly and
See RESTAURANT, Page 7
Lon
Patrici
differe
mayor
Tho
of Ann,
who fi
officia
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