GENRES THEY ARE A-CHANGIN SOMBER SENI Jakob Dylan takes a page from his old man'shMen's H ops sa r book and combines a variety of styles on his accounted for more t latest album, Women + Country. PAGE 5team's scorng last sel Tuesday, April 13, 2010 michigandaily.com * SPRING COMMENCEMENT U' officials expecting 80,000 at graduation 'U' still finalizing security plans for President Barack Obama's address By ANNIE GORDON THOMAS Daily StaffReporter University officials are busy preparing for President Barack Obama's upcoming trip from the White House to the Big House, now saying the number of people attending this year's commence- ment ceremony could be twice the number of those who attend- ed last year. In a meeting with the Senate Advisory Committee on Univer- sity Affairs yesterday, President Mary Sue Coleman and Provost Teresa Sullivan discussed secu- rity and logistics for President Barack Obama's upcoming visit to deliver the 2010 Spring Com- mencement address. Coleman said University officials are hoping more than 80,000 people will attend gradu- ation at the Big House. Last year, approximately 40,000 people gathered for the commencement ceremony. Coleman said that expectation is based on the size of the crowd last year when Obama delivered the commencement at Arizona State University. The Univer- sity's Sun Devil Stadium, which holds 80,000 people, was filled to capacity for his speech. But Coleman said University officials are thinking there's a possibility that there could be more people in the Big House than there were at Sun Devil Sta- dium. "We should be able to get at least 100 (thousand people)," Coleman said:t Coleman added that planning for security measures is on track thus far. But she added that offi- cials are still waiting on some information regarding security because the Secret Service has to See COMMENCEMENT, Page 7 ANNASCHULTE/Daily Students and community members remember the Polish officials who died in a plane crash on Saturday last night in Regents Plaza. Students, community gather tomourn death of-Polish pres. Kaczynski, other Polish officials died in plane crash Sat. By SARA BOBOLTZ Daily StaffReporter Red and white candles burned bright late last night in Regents Plaza as nearly 100 students and community members gathered to commemorate Saturday's plane crash that killed 96 Poles, includ- ing the country's president, Lech Kaczynsci, and first lady. The candlelight vigil, hosted by the University's Polish Club, began with images of the Polish govern- ment officials who died in Satur- day's plane crash projected onto a screen flanked by vases of red and white flowers with the Polish flag hanging on the side of the Fleming Administration Building. Members of the Polish Club and the Polish-American Congress of Ann Arbor (PAC-Ann Arbor) par- ticipated in the vigil along with their friends and other members of the community as a way to honor those who died on Saturday's flight en route to Russia. The passengers were traveling to Russia to com- memorate the 20,000 Polish mili- tary officers killed by Soviet forces in WWIL LSA senior Monica Arendt, president of the Polish Club, said more people than the club expect- ed showed up to the vigil, adding that the group ran out of candles to distribute to the attendees. "There's a large Polish popula- tion in Ann Arbor, Detroit, Sterling Heights and Hamtramck," Engi- See VIGIL, Page 7 REINVENTING THE TELEPHONE Grand Rapids meeting signals regents support for west Mich. At monthly meeting Thursday, regents to consider parking fees, construction By JOSEPH LICHTERMAN Daily StaffReporter In an effort to show its commit- ment to the west side of Michigan, the University's Board of Regents will hold its monthly meeting in Grand Rapids on Thursday. As a result of the western Michi- gan venue, several items that are pertinent to West Michigan will be on the agenda. While Thursday's meeting is in Grand Rapids, the meetings are typically held on one of the University's three campuses - in Ann Arbor, Dearborn or Flint. At the meeting, the Regents will hear reports, among other things, about a partnership between the University and Grand Valley State University to assess the feasibil- ity of off-shore wind turbines in the Great Lakes, the future of the University Health System collabo- rating with other institutions and a research collaboration to support children with Downs Syndrome and Autism in western Michigan. About 1,700 current University students and over 10,000 alumni hail from Kent and Kalamazoo counties - the most from any- where in Michigan outside the Metro Detroit area. About 1,300 students come from other counties in western Michigan. See REGENTS, Page 7 SAM WOLSON/daily Architecture graduate students Erika Lindsay (left) and Courtney Chin work on their final project called (un)social-social The assignment was to reinvent the concept of the phone booth by focusing on issues of texting and the use of handheld devices. GOOGLE FIBER In bid for Fiber, A2 vs. other Michigan cities F l A N NG YO0U RE DU CA TION State Rep. Warren, students talk benefits of aid overhaul Ann Arbor isn't the only city in the state seeking project By SARA BOBOLTZ Daily StaffReporter Residents of Ann Arbor have already shown their support for Google Fiber via Facebook, Twit- ter and various publicity stunts - including a three-minute Diag "flash mob" - before the March 26 nomination deadline. But Ann Arbor faces stiff com- petition from other communities throughout Michigan and the country that have also demon- strated interest in the one gigabit- per-second Internet connection, which Google claimed on its blog will be 100 times faster than the average connection speed avail- able in the United States. One of the most notable cities vying for Google's attention is Topeka, Kan., which re-named itself Google for the month of March. The company responded by changing its name to Topeka for a day as an April Fool's joke. The 600 communities that are vying to be Google Fiber trial See GOOGLE FIBER, Page 7 Investing in higher education a top priority, Warren says By JILLIAN BERMAN ManagingNewsEditor State Rep. Rebekah Warren (D-Ann Arbor) gathered with stu- dent volunteers from Organizing for America at a press conference yesterday to celebrate the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act, which was signed by President Barack Obama last month as part of the health care reform bill. The act aims to overhaul the financial aid system by making the federal government a direct lend- er, which will eliminate banks as middlemen in the student lending process. The bill will also change the timeline for student borrowers. Beginning immediately, students whotake outnewloans will be able to cut off their monthly payments at 15 percent of their discretionary incomes. In addition, the bill will increase the maximum Pell Grant to $5,550 and will tie the rise of Pell Grants to the cost of living by indexing it to the consumer price index. See WARREN, Page 7 WEATHER HI: 65 TOMORROW LO:47 GOT A NEWS TIP? Call 734-763-2459 or e-mail news@michigandaily.com and letus know. NEW ON MICHIGAN DAILY.COM Coco returns to primetime cable on TBS. MICHIGANDAILY.COM/BLOGS/THE FILTER INDEX NEWS.... Vol. CXX, No. 128 SUDOKU.,. 2010 The MichiganDaily OPINION.. michigandaily.com ..............2 A RT S ....................................5 ...... 3 C LA SSIFIEDS ......................6 . . 4 SPORTS................. r r To learn more and get started Do your Federal Taxes online for Hre'how itt0orks onlinenowgoto SAccurate calculations guaranteed with Block At Home" and $4.95 per State Return. step-by-stepguidance Automatically double check for errors teR H&R BLOCK * f