PR EPPING FOR POTTER, : Harry returns to the screen at midnight ,y s k w' _ , ' : t. a The Program in the Environment major isn't just for hippies, take Will Grundler's word for it. ))PAGE 4A tonight, and muggles all over campus are getting ready to go back to Hogwarts. PAGE 4B ~be £id~iqan 0i~ Thursday, November 18, 2010 michigandaily.com ELECTION 2010 Experts: GOP gains won't affect student aid legislation Congress unlikely to alter youth portions of health care, financial aid bills, experts say By BETHANY BIRON . Daily StaffReporter Major advances for young people in financial aid and health care leg- islation shouldn't be significantly affected by Republicans gaining control of the U.S. House of Rep- resentatives and adding seats in the U.S. Senate, according to local experts and University officials. Instead, those experts said the political shift will increase the need for compromise between the parties on some of the most pertinent legislation pushed by president ta-ack Obamd and his administration. They added that Republicans will resist significant changes to recently passed finan- cial aid and health care legislation, largely because a repeal of these bills requires the use of more fed- eral funding. Cindy Bank, assistant director of the University's government rela- tions Washington D.C. office, said she doesn't anticipate that Republi- cans will try to reverse financial aid legislation enacted by the Obama administration, including . the Direct LoanProgram, which pro- vides funding to students directly from the government and bypasses the use of private institutions. . "I don't foresee the Republi- cans trying to undo the direct loan provision because that would cost money," Bank said. "And right now they're looking at ways to cut the budget, not increase the .budget. And overall, the switch to direct lending has been going very well." However, Banks said it is pos- sible that Republicans in Congress will cut down on the increased funding for Pell Grants established by the Obama administration. She added that the funding could become less available to students in an effort to offset the nearly $6 billion that the grants contribute to the national deficit. "The Pell Grant is a funny sort' of program on how it's funded, becaUse it's basically an entitle- ment," Bank said. "And so, if a student qualifies for a Pell Grant they're going to get it, whether the money's been appropriated or not. And that leads to a shortfall some- times, especially recently, when there's so many more students in school and so many more students in need." Mark Kantrowitz, publisher of finaid.org, a financial aid infor- mation site for students, said he believes that Pell Grant rates and See GOP, Page 5A SAMANTHA TRAUBEN/Daily Engineering senior Alex Sloboda models parts of the University's first student-built satellite (left) yesterday at the Radio Aurora Explorer lab on North Campus. The satellite is slated to launch from Alaska on Friday. In 'U' firstsatellite developed by students to launch on Friday Radio Aurora Explorer built by undergraduate and graduate students By CLAIRE GOSCICKI Daily StaffReporter In the Radio Aurora Explorer team's North Campus lab, high tech receivers, antennas, and solar panels are commonplace materi- als. Each component, combined with the talents of Radio Aurora Explorer (RAX) team members, has the potential to become a part of a fully functioning spacecraft - but not without a crucial ingredi- ent. For Engineering senior Alex Sloboda, that crucial component is passion. Sloboda was responsible for var- ious aspects of the development of the RAX - the University's first ever student-built satellite, which is set to launch Friday - and he said he has spent a lot of time in the North Campus lab since his fresh- men year. "University of Michigan stu- dents really put their blood, sweat and tears into the spacecraft," he said. "Everything we've worked for over the past 2 years ... has finally paid off." Team member Sara Spangelo, a student in Rackham, echoed Slo- boda's sentiments, adding that in a lab where cooperation and col- laboration is the norm, the col- lective excitement that has been surrounding the project will reach a new high when the satellite launches from Kodiak, Alaska at about 8:20 p.m. on Friday. Spangelo, Sloboda, and oth- ers will, after much anticipation, gather tomorrow on campus to see RAX's missiaB tO terib - dtt endeavor nearly two years in the making. Funded entirely by the National Science Foundation, the proposal for the mission was developed by James Cutler an assistant profes- sor of aerospace engineering and atmospheric, oceanic and space science, and Hasan Bahcivan, a research scientist at SRI Interna- tional. Spangelo said undergraduate and graduate students worked See SATELLITE, Page SA MR. STUB GOES TO THE UNION 'U' will consult tribes before repatriating human remains SMOLsON/Da i Forafullstorynthe Uniuersity's - School of Public Health student Katie Waller (left), University health edu- "Smoke Out"event yesterday, visit cator Marsha Benz and "Mr. Stub" work at a table in the basement of the michigandaily.com/blogs/The Wire w ire Michigan Union giving out smoking cessation aids yesterday. GREEK LIFE IFC, Panhel elect new presidents Re app B As t policy remain Forrest dent fo day in. search VP also will discuss all actions with the affiliated tribes before repatriating roves committee the remains. A March 15 federal court ruling suggestions requires the University to return unidentifiable cultural remains to y CAITLIN HUSTON the tribe that historically resided Daily StaffReporter on the land where the remains were found. :he University formalizes its The Native American Grave on Native American human Protection and Repatriation Act, a is in its possession, Stephen federal law in place since 1990, also , the University's vice presi- calls on museums to keep public r research, announced yester- lists of Native American artifacts a press release that his office and remains in their possession. The act requires museums to work with tribes to determine what repatria- tionofobjectsis necessary. In his announcement yesterday, Forrest also approved the nine sug- gestions of the Advisory Commit- tee on Native American Culturally Unidentifiable Remains. Established by Forrest in October 2009, the com- mittee outlined the procedure it feels the University should follow in returning human remains and funerary objects currently housed in the University's Museum of Anthro- See TRIBES, Page SA Amid campus bustle, Muslim Students' Association pushes for reflection rooms Leaders say they'll promote a positive image on campus By SABIRA KHAN Daily StaffReporter The two largest Greek organi- zations on campus elected their new leadership teams in a set of elections this week with the incoming presidents of both.coun- cils vowing to promote a more positive image on campus and in the community. The Panhellenic Assocation, the umbrella organization of 16 of the University's sororities, elect- ed LSA junior Taylor Schmidt as its new president, while the Interfraternity Council, the gov- erning organization for 31 of the University's fraternities, elected LSA junior Jared Jaffe as its next president. At IFC's elections last night, Jaffe stressed the need for IFC to be more vocal and assertive as a community. "I would say that my main goal is to make sure that the next coun- cil is more vocal, because there's nothing worse than wasted poten- tial, wasted opportunities and ideas that many of you held and many of your predecessors held," See ELECTIONS, Page SA Rooms with benches, carpets in UGLi, Michigan League By CLAIRE HALL For the Daily A sign outside a small room tucked away on the ground floor of the Shapiro Undergraduate Library reads, "This room has been made available for students and mem- bers of the University community to meditate, pray, and otherwise spend time in quiet reflection." Room 1074 of the UGLi is one of eight reflection r'aoms on cam- pus, meant to be places for quiet contemplation and meditation. Often furnished with only rugs and benches, the rooms provide seclu- sion from the everyday bustle of campus activity. The Office of the Vice President forStudentAffairs andtheAssocia- tionof Religious Counselors collab- orated to open the University's first reflection room in Room 347 of the Michigan League in January 2003. Since then, seven more reflection rooms have been established across campus at locations like the Chem- istry Building, Ross School of Busi- See ROOMS, Page SA WEATHER HI: 50 GOT A NEWS TIP? NEW ON MICHIGANDAILY.COM Call 734-763-2459 or e-mail Report: Big Ten championship to be aired on Fox. TO MORROW LO 36 news@michigandaily.com and let us know. MICHIGANDAILY.COM/BLOGS/THE GAME INDEX NEWS................2A CLASSIFIEDS........,.............6A Vol. CXXI No. 51 AP NEW S ................ ..3A SPO RTS.,... ............... .... .7A x201 The MichiganoDaily OPINIONT..........B micianduilycum4A T EB S D ........ ......11 ,;.;.>s: