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Ann Arbor, Michigan
THE TEXTBOOK MARKET
Study finds
alternative
textbooks a
cheaper buy
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
michigandaily.com
DIAG DASH
Profs., students still
hesitant to switch to
online textbooks
By ALEXA BREEDVELD
Daily Staff Reporter
Textbooks can be one of the
largest expenses for students, but
according to a recent study by the
Student Public Interest Research
Group, new technology could less-
en that financial burden.
The Student PIRG study - "A
Cover to Cover Solution: How
Open Textbooks Are the Path to
Textbook Affordability" - is a
response to a change in the Higher
Education Opportunity Act that
was passed over the summer. The
change aimed to make the process
of buying textbooks cheaper and
easier for students by requiring
professors to post textbook lists for
classes during class registration.
In its report, Student PIRG
found that online alternatives to
traditional print textbooks are both
cheaper for students and easier for
professors to update.
Additionally, Student PIRG
reported that "open textbooks" -
free or inexpensive textbooks that
can be downloaded or printed from
websites like Project Gutenberg or
Google Books - are particularly
efficient for students and can be
used as either a printed or digital
text.
Steve White, a professor at the
University of Massachusetts-
Dartmouth who contributed to a
conference call on Thursday about
the study's release, said he is very
concerned about the rising cost of
student textbooks.
"As a professor, I've noticed that
many of my students are forgoing
buying the textbooks due to finan-
cial hardship, especially since the
economic downturn," White said.
"Their performance in the class
suffers when they don't have the
book or access to the book."
White said he prefers online
textbooks, particularly open text-
books, to traditional print text-
books.
"I can customize the (online)
textbook and teach the material
I want," White said. "I can add or
delete material as I see fit."
Nicole Allen, a Student PIRG
leader and one of the directors of
the study, said that online text-
books will make education signifi-
cantlymore affordable for students.
See TEXTBOOKS, Page 7A
ARIEL BOND/Daily
LSA sophomore Kevin Mantay runs across the Diag during a night game of capture the flag. The brothers of Lambda Chi Alpha grabbed friends from around campus and
started the game at 7:00 last night - their third round of capture the flag this semester.
MOW2
Fil-m tax cut helps A2 business
Hotels, t-shirt
companies see more
business when film
crews arrive
By JENNA SIMARD
Daily StaffReporter
Since becoming a law in 2008,
the Michigan film tax incentive
has received significant atten-
tion from both supporters and
opponents.
With increased sightings of
celebrities around the state,
many Michiganders have been
questioning whether the law -
which offers a 40-percent tax
rebate to companies that shoot
films in Michigan - has actually
provided the state with tangible
benefits in exchange for the tax
break.
But Jim Burnstein, screen-
writing coordinator in the Uni-
versity's Department of Screen
Arts and Cultures and a veteran
of the film industry, has only
positive things to say about the
incentive.
"It's working beyond any-
body's expectations" said
Burnstein, who is now on the
Michigan Film Office Advisory
Council. He added that it cre-
ates a lot of jobs directly in film
production, and that the most
important jobs are the ones that
don't get measured by the critics'
reports.
According to Burnstein,
in 2009 film crews in Michi-
gan spent 2,000 nights in local
hotels. Local restaurants, cater-
ing businesses and t-shirt com-
panies have also had increased
sales.
Jerry Kozak, one of the found-
ers and owners of the Ann Arbor
T-shirt Company, said he saw his
company's sales increase within
only a few months after the com-
pany started two years ago. The
company has had a number of
films place large orders, which
he says has had more than just an
economic benefit.
"Outside of the money itself,
it's also given us some credibility
since we are a young company,
See FILM TAX, Page 7A
JUGGLING LOCATIONS
LIVING NEAR CAMPUS
Landlords say economy
changing housing trends
Owners say students
are splitting rooms
to save money
in downturn
By LINDSAY KRAMER
Daily StaffReporter
As many freshmen and countless
tenants are coming to realize, the
Ann Arbor housing scramble for
the next school year is back and in
full swing.
Popular campus realtors like
Arch Realty, Old Town Realty
and Prime Student Housing have
acknowledged the early rush to
find housing has begun. While the
yearly timeframe of the housing
scramble hasn't changed, some liv-
ing patterns have - possibly due to
the economy.
Arch Realty Leasing Director
Charisse Traband said in an e-mail
interview that while students con-
tinue to look for the same types of
housing from year to year, the hous-
es are getting a bit more crowded.
"We do see that students are
more likely to share rooms and
decrease individual costs," Tra-
band wrote.
Old Town Realty Business
Manager Rudy Acuna said in an
interview that tenants have been
keeping their homes in better con-
dition than in years past to get their
full security deposits back.
"They checked out a lot cleaner
this year, probably because people
wanted all their money back,"
Acuna said. "There are a lot more
people trying to over-occupy which
we have to monitor a lot more
closely."
Despite this slight change in
residents being more willing to
share rooms and doing what they
can to drive down costs, the same
expensive and popular locations
are still the most competitive and
likely to be leased earliest in the
year.
"The most popular area is the
south campus near Hill, Oakland,
Church, and E. University," Tra-
band wrote. "A close second runner-
up would be the Kerrytown area
between N. Huron and Kingsley."
See HOUSING, Page 7A
Only his second week living in Ann Arbor, JJ Tyndall (left) entertains passersby on South State Street as Seth Zintel looks on.
CAMPUS C IME
DPS: Robbery suspect seen
panhandling on'U' grounds
Two candidates challenging Dingell
Yshelu Johnson was
charged with
robbing a student
near South Quad
By DEVON THORSBY
DailyNewsEditor
The man accused of robbing
a University student outside of
South Quadrangle on Sept. 23
has been reported on and around
campus multiple times since his
release from jail, Department of
Public Safety spokeswoman Diane
Brown confirmed yesterday after-
noon.
According to the crime alert
released the day of the robbery,
a student reported to University
Police that a man grabbed him
and pulled him a few feet from
the sidewalk, demanding money.
Once the student gave the man
money, the crime alert said he fled
the scene on foot. The robbery
happened at around 11:45 that
morning.
Brown said that Yshelu John-
son was arrested for the crime by
University Police later that day,
and was arraigned for the crime
on Sept. 24. Shortly thereafter, he
was released on 10 percent of a
$5,000 bond. Brown said he was
reportedly seen back on campus
within hours of his release.
According to Brown, upon his
See SUSPECT, Page 7A
GOP, Taxpayers
candidates say
Dingell's tenure in
House is a liability
By BETHANY BIRON
Daily StaffReporter
U.S. Congressman John Ding-
ell (D-Mich.) may have 54 years
worth of incumbency to his advan-
tage in the race for Michigan's 15th
district U.S. House of Representa-
tives seat. But this hasn't deterred
others from vying for the position.
Republican candidate Rob-
ert Steele and Matthew Furman,
a member of the U.S. Taxpayers
Party of Michigan, will be on the
ballot on Nov. 2, running against
Dingell. Both candidates aim to
change certain policies Dingell has
supported during his time in office,
though they each have different
approaches to solving the nation's
pressing issues.
Steele, a University alum and
local physician, hasn't been
involved in politics prior to his can-
didacy in this year's midterm elec-
tion. He said he was inspired to run
to improve the future for his chil-
dren and grandchildren by coming
up with solutions tofix the nation's
currentfinancial deficit.
"I just couldn't sit by and say I
didn't do something to try to pro-
tect for my grandkids, so I got
See CANDIDATES, Page 7A
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