0 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

Friday, April 9, 2010 - 7


HOUSING
From Page 1
the campus campaign for gen-
der-neutral housing. She said the
survey helped make clear to the
Spectrum Center and other orga-
nizations involved in the campaign
that students are on board with the
proposition.
She added that the proposal is
LEO
From Page 1
include - from this office - they
don't include layoffs," Sullivan
said at the time. "But we're a very
decentralizedplace, and what we
end up doing is giving each unit a
budget, and they have to live with-
in that budget."
Though Sullivan couldn't guar-
antee that no lecturers would
be laid off due to the decentral-
ized nature of the University, she
said officials would look for other
! options for cutting costs before
laying off lecturers.
"I would say that we are a
human capital organization, and
the reason we don't look at lay-
offs first is that when we lay peo-
ple off we don't just cut costs, we
cut assets," Sullivan said at the
time. "That's not something that
we want to do, but there aren't a
lot of places to cut in many pro-
grams."
In an interview, Joe Walls,
adjunct associate professor, who
acts as spokesperson for LEO, said
the purpose of the rally was to
make the group's struggles known
to the public. The rally's location
merited special attention from the
" administration, he said.
"I'm sure they're watching,"
Walls said. "I'm sure they're pay-
ing attention to what's happen-
ing."
Walls also said undergradu-
ates should attend the rally and
support the lecturers, as "what
happens to lecturers impacts the
BIG TEN
From Page 1
downturn, Kyle Mazurek, vice
president of government affairs
at the Ann Arbor Area Chamber
of Commerce, said the city has
- managed to rise above the reces-
sion by working with the Uni-
versity to strengthen the town's
economy.
"(The University) is a substan-
tial economic engine in our com-
munity that we're very fortunate
to have," Mazurek said. "I think
that all communities across the
state are suffering to one degree
or another, but I think part of the
reason that Ann Arbor has been
able to weather the storm to a
certain extent is because we have
(the University) here to help prop
us up."
Mazurek noted that collabora-
tive programs between the city
of Ann Arbor and the University
as well as efforts to commercial-
ize the "top notch research that is
generated at the University" are
crucial in helping the city's and
the state's economies thrive.
He added that being a college
town is also something that sets
Ann Arbor apart from other cities
in the state.

"Not only do you have a really
great University that attracts
folks from all around, but you've
got, again, a good urban setting
that they want to live in," Mazu-
rek said.
Ann Arbor's drop from the
number one to the number four
spot in the per capita GDP rank-
ing is evident in the financial sit-
uations of some local businesses.
Bill Loy, owner of Campus
Student Bike Shop on Maynard
Street - which has been in busi-
ness for over 40 years - said
he has recently seen a drastic
decrease in sales that has forced
him to cut costs and reduce the

an overall policy change that will
alter the way the University struc-
tures its housing.
"It will make (housing) more
inclusive; make it easier for people
to have the living situation that
they want," Horky said.
It is possible that University
Housing officials will put together
a more complex survey as a follow-
up - based on the decisions of the
working group, according toHorky.

They are interested in seeing
how gender-neutral housing will
affect the University, and how
it might complicate the housing
application, Grieb said.
If officials create this survey, it
will be sent out next year, accord-
ing to Grieb.
As with any large policy change,
the gender-neutral housing propo-
sition will have a number of obsta-
cles, Horky said, though time may

also be a positive for the advo-
cates of gender-neutral housing,
as it will allow them to thoroughly
review the proposal.
"The results of the surveytell us
what we really know - it's a ques-
tion of how we're going to do it,"
Horky said.
Once a final resolution has been
drafted, it will be proposed to the
University's Board of Regents for
approval.


classes they take and who teaches
them and whether the classes are
offered at all."
LSA junior Jody Schechter,
who is also a member of Students
Organizing for Labor and Eco-
nomic Equality, said she came
to the rally not only because she
believes in the cause, but also
because she realizes how she is
impacted by the struggles of the
lecturers.
"I'm here because I believe
that my lecturers deserve fair pay
and because I realize how impor-
tant they are to my education,"
Schechter said.
Despite the fact that the lec-
turers were earlier urged not to
discuss the rally in their classes,
some lecturers brought students
from their classes.
In an article published in the
University Record on Wednesday,
University officials said discuss-
ing the contract negotiations in
class is a violation of state law and
the union's agreement with the
University.
"We believe it is damaging to
our students to divert class time
away from the curriculum and to
this labor dispute less than two
weeks before the end of classes,"
Associate Vice Provost Jeff Frum-
kin, senior director of Academic
Human Resources, said in the
article.
Sullivan echoed in the article
his sentiments, saying lecturers
should not engage in this "imper-
missible action" and instead "con-
tinue to devote their class time to
providing outstanding instruction

to their students during this busy
time."
In a speech at the rally, Rack-
ham student Lauren Squires,
grievance officer of the Graduate
Employees Organization, said her
group stands behind the goals of
LEO, just as they have done in the
past.
The rally also included speech-
es by supporters from Students
Organizing for Labor and Eco-
nomic Equality, the Huron Valley
Central Labor Council and Ameri-
can Federation of State, County
and Municipal Employees.
Though contract negotiations
were at the forefront of the rally,
attendees also discussed Herold's
non-reappointment. According to
University officials, the decision
not to reappoint Herold was due
to performance issues that were
found in the midst of her remedia-
tion process.
In an interview after the rally,
University spokeswoman Kelly
Cunningham said the University
acted appropriately and in accor-
dance with the contract they have
with LEO and that the timing of
the non-reappointment was also
in line with the contract.'
"The personnel action has
nothing to do with the current
negotiations," Cunningham said.
Fred Veigel, president of the
Huron Valley Central Labor
Council, spoke to the crowd and
said his group can help LEO by
putting pressure on the Univer-
sity's Board of Regents to re-hire
Herold.
"We're going to push these

regents that we helped elect and
we're going to get to them to do
the right thing and reinstate this
person that they fired for no rea-
son," Veigel said.
LSA senior Joel Berger said
Harold's non-reappointment was
one of the main reasons he attend-
ed the rally.
"I think the fact that the Uni-
versity fired the VP of LEO dur-
ing contract negotiations is a little
shady," Berger said.
Near the end of the rally, Herold
stood above the cheering crowd
and said she won't accept her fir-
ing without protest.
"I am going to get angry and I
am going to fight it," Herold said.
"What they did was wrong and
they need to feel that a lot of peo-
ple think it's wrong."
The crowd then marched to the
English Department office on the
third floor of Angell Hall, yelling
slogans as they went.
Though today's march was
unplanned, Axelson said it may
have been more effective than
the march staged last Friday, as
no one was present in the office at
last week's demonstration.
"It seemed worthwhile to come
back when people might be pres-
ent to hear what we had to say,"
she said.
As the yelling quieted down and
people began to leave, Herold said
she is touched by the amount of
concern people showed for her at
the rally.
"This wasn't just about me, but
it's great to see all of the people
and get this support," she said.

her clients and became inspired
STATE HOUSE to do something to change their
From Page 1 difficult situations.
"(My clients') unemployment
"Things such as funding alloca- runs out, they don't have health
tion, enforcing environmental insurance, they find the jobs with
laws, criminal justice; all those much less pay and they're affected
key decisions about things that for many years in some cases by
are important in our everyday the loss of their job," Green said.
lives." "All of these things together have
Irwin added that as part of his inspired me to get going and try to
campaign he's been making vis- do something about it instead of
its to the University and reaching just sitting back and complaining
out to students to discuss chang- about it"
es they would like to see in their Green said that while she
community. lacks experience as a legislator,
"It's just a whole lot of personal her fresh perspective and new
contact, mostly going to meetings insights would be an advantage
and calling people up on the phone for her in the race.
and chatting with them about my "I think that I'm relatively new
ideal ballot and getting their ideas to government and I think that
and talking about how we can I've had a lot of new ideas and I
improve our state," he said. have a different kind of experi-
Like Irwin, Staebler said he is ence," Green said. "I come with a
also running to improve the qual- lot of energy and a lot of ideas for
ity of living for Michigan resi- change and I think that we need
dents, especially for the younger to be looking everywhere for our
generation that includes his son, answers.
Teddy. Green's opponent Ouimet said
"Teddy is the 7th generation of the main reason he is running
my family to live in Ann Arbor," for the House seat is because he
Staebler said. "I want to make thinks Michigan legislators are
sure that Michigan is the kind of too concerned with their party
place that he can get a world-class agendas.
education, find a job, settle down, "I think (the government's)
raise a family and maybe more been far too partisan, and we've
importantly I want to make Mich- had people in Lansing who have
igan the kind of place he wants to had difficulty getting things
do those things in." accomplished, both in terms of
Staebler said throughout his understanding what the complex
career, he has worked extensively problems are and how to deal with
in economic policy, including four them because they don't have the
years in Lansing for the state's background to do so," he said.
economic development agency. Oumet said if elected, he
The key to improving Michigan's would like to work toward an ini-
economy, he said, is to make tan- tiative that establishes a budget
gible' "long-term investments" in system that would better care for
avenues of growth like alternative schools that are damaged by the
energy resources. state's struggling economy.
"Leadership is proactive, it's "I think we need to create a
about accomplishment," he added. two-year budget and in that two-
"And Michigan needs more lead- year budget we need to maintain
ers. And I think I'm a leader." and protect our educational sys-
Ann Arbor attorney Christine tems, our K-12 and our university
Green (D-Ann Arbor) is running systems," Ouimet said. "We must
against Vice-Chair of the Washt- ensure that we're a state of educa-
enaw County Board of Commis- tion and unfortunately we contin-
sioners Mark Ouimet (R-Ann ue to penalize our school systems
Arbor) for Pam Byrnes's current and our colleges and universities."
position as State Rep. of Michi- Ouimet said his political expe-
gan's 52nd district. rience will give him an edge over
As an attorney, Green has Green, adding that a lack of expe-
worked for clients in the area rience is one of the major issues
of employment discrimination plaguing the Michigan legisla-
and civil rights. Green recently ture.
defended University graduate "I think one of the issues that
student and research assistant we have in government is that
Robert McGee in a suit he filed people wake up one morning and
against the University for wrong- say 'Gee, it's agreat idea to runfor
ful termination last November - a a political office,' and not having
case he ultimately lost. any experience is really starting
Green said she has seen how the to show in the state," Ouimet said.
economy has negatively affected "And I have that experience."
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number of employees.
"The economy is just way
down," Loy said. "The sales on
new bikes, used bikes and repairs
are all way down. It's the lowest
it's ever been in the last 40 years
in my opinion."
Similarly, Maurizio Grillo, co-
owner of New York Pizza Depot,
said in an interview that his busi-
ness has been struggling in the
faltering economy. Last April, the
South University Avenue NYPD
location closed its doors to allow
the business to focus its resourc-
es more on its other locations,
which include its East William
Street spot.
"If the economy was great, I
would've never left," Grillo told
The Michigan Daily last April.
"But faced with the harsh reality,
we thought it was the best thing
to do."
In a recent interview, Grillo
noted that NYPD only uses fresh
ingredients for its food, but that
the price of these products has
skyrocketed as the economy has
plummeted. He said this has
made it difficult to try to appease
the student body, as the business
hasn't been able to lower prices
recently.
"We are trying our best," Grillo
said.
Just as the University of Mich-
igan provides economic opportu-
nities for the city of Ann Arbor,
city officials from Minneapolis,
which ranked number one for Big
Ten towns in the 2008 report,
said the city's resilient economy
can, in part, be attributed to the
connections made between the
University of Minnesota and the
larger community.
Manager of Business Develop-
ment for the City of Minneapolis
Kristin Guild said she thinks the
University of Minnesota is an
important part of the city's eco-
nomic dynamic, as it provides
many jobs in the research sector.

Phil Park, business incuba-
tion manager of the Chamber of
Business and Industry of Cen-
tre County, said that Pennsylva-
nia State University has "a huge
impact" in terms of the city of
State College's economy, since it's
its largest employer.
Park said in the past, the city
has failed to establish a close
working relationship with the
university but said that this is
something it has been trying to
improve in recent years.
"We don't really have a strong
collaboration with the univer-
sity," Park said. "We're work-
ing on that now as a recruitment
effort. We are undergoing the
initial phase of collaborating for
the recruitment of businesses
that are in the industry cluster of
research and development, tech-
nology, chromotogoly and life
science - areas that Penn State is
very strong on."
Bill LaFayette, vice presi-
dent of economic analysis at the
Columbus Chamber of Com-
merce, wrote in an e-mail inter-
view that the city's economy has
remained relatively stable over
the past several years, due, to a

certain extent, to the presence of
Ohio State University.
LaFayette wrote that OSU
plays a large role in establishing
competition between its indus-
tries, including transportation,
entertainment and tourism,
which helps the city grow eco-
nomically.
"The region has a clear under-
standing of the driver industries
of our regional economy - those
that help our region to grow and
thrive," he wrote. "These include
transportation and logistics,
business and financial services,
entertainment and tourism, and
segments of the manufactur-
ing sector. We have initiatives
to enhance the competiveness of
each of those; OSU is one of our
most important partners in these
initiatives."
LaFayette also said Colum-
bus's Attract and Retain pro-
gram, which works to connect
students with local employers
through internship opportunities
during their college careers to
help them network and find jobs
after graduation, is a major asset,
which helps the city retain OSU
students after graduation.

~TRA

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