between the BBC and
Discovery, 'Life,' sticks to While Facebook is an inescapable
the 'Planet Earthformula -- reality of campus life, is our loss of
and it's awesome. PAGE 5 privacy inescapable as well? PAGE4
r
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Friday, April 9, 2010
michigandaily.com
RHA passes
resolution in
support of
open housing'
RHA and University
Housing will draft
gender-neutral
option plan
By DEBJANI MUKHERJEE
Daily Staff Reporter
The University's Residence
Halls Association passed a reso-
lution last night in support of
bringing a gender-neutral hous-
ing option to University Housing.
The proposal - called the
Resolution to Support and Inves-
tigate Open Housing at the Uni-
versity of Michigan Ann Arbor
- states that RHA supports
gender-neutral housing and that,
by January 2011, RHA and Uni-
versity Housing will draw-up a
gender-neutral housing or "Open
Housing" report.
Drafted by four members of
RHA, the resolution also states
that the Gender Neutral Housing
Working Group - agroup created
by RHA that consists of students
from organizations like RHA, the
Michigan Student Assembly and
the Spectrum Center, Residence
Hall staff members and Universi-
ty Housing administrators - will
continue working on developing
a gender-neutral housing option
at the University next semester.
LSA freshman Trevor Grieb,
next year's RHA president and
one of the four people who pre-
sented the resolution, said- RHA
will have meetings to set goals
for establishing gender-neutral
housing, where it will discuss
various methods of accomplish-
ing these goals. It aims to have
a portfolio of options ready by
January 2011.
"At this point, our ideas are
still very broad; very develop-
mental," Grieb said.
A recent survey conducted
by RHA accelerated the process
of working toward establishing
gender-neutral housing in resi-
dence halls, according to Grieb.
The survey showed that about
67 percent of students who
responded agree that gender-
neutral housing would foster a
more inclusive college commu-
nity. Out of this 67 percent, about
37 percent said that they would
pick gender-neutral housing if it
were an option available through
University Housing. The survey
was sent to 9,545 students and
1,785 responded - a 19-percent
response rate.
School of Social Work student
Allison Horky, a member of the
Spectrum Center's Student Advi-
sory Board, has been involved in
See HOUSING, Page 7
AARON AUGSBURGER/Daily
Fred Veigel, president of the Huron Valley Central Labor Council, rallies supporters of the Lecturers' Employee Organization outside the Fleming Administration Building yester-
day. The protest came in the midst of LEO's contract negotiations with the University and one week after University officials decided not to re-appoint LEO's vice president.
LEO:We're just as credentialed
and 'ot-bllie' asprofssor
At rally, lecturers'
union also protested
non-reappointment
of top official
By CAITLIN HUSTON
Daily StaffReporter
As yellow balloons bearing
the lion crest of the Lecturers'
Employee Organization blew
in the air, about 100 supporters
stood in solidarity with the lec-
turers union outside the Flem-
ing Administration Building
yesterday.
The rally comes while the
union is currently in contract
negotiations with the University
and one week after University
officials decided not to reap-
point Kirsten Herold, the vice-
president of LEO.
Standing on top of a cement
platform, Marc Ammerlaan,
co-chair of LEO and a biology
lecturer, kicked off the rally by
equating the skills and quality
of lecturers - who are not on
a tenure track - with tenured
professors.
"We are just as credentialed
and just as qualified and just as
gray and just as pot-bellied as
the tenured track faculty mem-
bers," Ammerlaan said.
Elizabeth Axelson, lead nego-
tiator of LEO and lecturer in
the University's English Lan-
guage Institute, told the crowd
that LEO demands that lectur-
ers be paid the same salary as a
University professor, excluding
any monetary gains professors
get for research. The Univer-
sity turned down this proposal,
which includes an eight-year
implementation plan, earlier
this year, she said.
Also present at the rally was
a Band-Aid-clad poster signed
by LEO supporters, signifying
the lecturers' opposition to the
University's possible decision
to cut more lecturer positions,
Axelson said.
Axelson told the crowd that
organizing rallies such as this
to garner support is essential
for the success of LEO's negotia-
tions.
"You can't sit in a little room
with management and get acon-
tract on your own," she said.
"You have to have the strength
of your members and your mem-
bers' supporters."
In an interview last month,
University Provost Teresa Sulli-
van said officials in her office have
no plans to lay off lecturers.
"Right now our plans don't
See LEO, Page 7
THE BIG TEN CONFEENCE
Big Ten towns use flagship
colleges to combat economy
R
to
be
report: College college towns have fared better
than the states they inhabit by
wns are faring creating collaborative projects
between the towns and the states'
tter than their flagship universities.
But despite these efforts, Big
home states Ten towns have stillibeen affected
- though not as severely - by the
y BETHANY BIRON recent economic downturn. In
Daily StaffReporter 2003, Ann Arbor ranked number
one in a study of the Big Ten col-
he midst of a recession that lege towns' per capita GDP pub-
agued the national econo- lished in December 2009 by The
nn Arbor and other Big Ten Center for Michigan - an Ann
Arbor-based non-profit think-
tank. But in 2008, Ann Arbor fell
to the number four spot.
In the same study, Minneapo-
lis ranked first in 2008, a jump
from its number two spot in 2003.
Columbus, Ohio was ranked fifth
both years, while State College,
Pennsylvania saw a slight uptick
from 2003 to 2008, moving from
number 10 to number nine.
Though Ann Arbor has been
affected by the national economic
See BIG TEN, Page 7
B
In t
has pl
my, Ar
Students, Ann Arbor residents and others from Southeast Michigan demonstrate as part of the Take Back the Night rally last
night. The rally aims to bring awareness to rape and other forms of sexual violence.
Community, students rally to bring
awareness to sexual violence issues
ELE C TIN 2010
Candidates vie for open A2seats
in state House of Representatives
Take Back the Night
rally 'a celebration
of survivors'
By ALEXA BREEDVELD
Daily StaffReporter
About 50 people from the Ann
Arbor community and the greater
Southeastern Michigan area gath-
ered at the Diag last night for Take
Back The Night, an annual rally
intended to raise awareness about
sexual assault and to show support
for victims.
The national organization of
Take Back The Night has hosted ral-
lies for the past 31 years. The events
are designed toprovide comfortand
support to the survivors of sexual
assault, said Pam Schwider, the
community leader of the Universi-
ty's chapter of Take Back The Night.
"We look at this as a celebra-
tion of the survivors," Schwider
said. "This is to get excited, to raise
awareness, and to understand that
for the people who are survivors,
they're not alone, and it's not some-
thingthat's going to destroy them."
After several speakers and per-
formance artists encouraged the
audience to campaign for an end
See RALLY, Page 3
Race heating up for
seats of state Reps.
Byrnes, Warren
By BETHANY BIRON
Daily StaffReporter
With state Reps. Rebekah
Warren (D-Ann Arbor) and Pam
Byrnes (D-Lyndon Twp.) vying
for the seat currently held by state
Senator Liz Brater (D-Ann Arbor)
this November, the race for their
seats is startingto heat up.
Looking to fill Warren's posi-
tion as House Rep. for the 53rd
district are two Ann Arbor Demo-
crats: Washtenaw County Com-
missioner Jeff Irwin (D-Ann
Arbor) and Ned Staebler (D-Ann
Arbor), the vice president of capi-
tal access and business accelera-
tion at the Michigan Economic
Development Corporation.
A University alum, Irwin said
he studied political science as a
student and throughout his time
as county commissioner.
"I want to change the world,
and this seems like a good place
to continue my efforts in that
regard," he said.
Irwin said he believes that
state-level politics are critical in
addressing issues that will affect
the lives of Michigan residents.
"Ever since I've started get-
ting involved with politics, I've
always been interested in issues
at the state level because that's
where a lot of the most important
decisions are made," Irwin said.
See STATE HOUSE, Page 7
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