The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com JAPAN From Page 1A UMHS has already seen an outpouring of support for vic- tims of Japan - not just at the main campus hospital but also at medical offices throughout the area, Gavin said. "The health system commu- nity has really rallied around this cry," she said. "They're coming together." Supplies will be transported to Japan by the Detroit-based aid organization World Medical LSA From Page 1A The Department of Physics is also tweaking its introductory classes. In this case, the depart- ment is making changes so the track is more relevant for stu- dents studying life sciences and pre-medicine rather than engi- neering, according to Timothy McKay, Arthur F. Thurnau pro- fessor of physics and astronomy. Instead of offering Physics 125 as the class for non-engineers, Physics 135 will be the primary class aimed at life sciences and pre-medicine students. McKay said the content for many students taking Physics 125 was often "not very relevant." He added that classes should provide a connection with the natural world. "We should have a new kind of physics class that aims to teach people how life works instead of how random things in our technology work," McKay said. "That's what got us started on this path." Physics 135 was first intro- duced in 2006, but it was only this academic year that class enroll- ment surpassed that of Physics 125, according to McKay. Howev- er, onlyPhysics 135 willbe offered next year. The changes to the physics curriculum have been anticipated for awhile, McKay said. He added that they are concurrent with fundamental changes occurring in science disciplines around the nation. "(The University of) Michi- FOOTBALL From Page lA Ablauf wrote. Though some students may be deterred from buying the tickets, the student section as a whole will probably sell out, he wrote. The deadline for students to buy season tickets is this Friday at 5 p.m. Tickets for non-students are also pricier than last year at $480 for the eight home games. Last year's package for seven games had apricetagof$375. Despitethe price increase, Ablauf estimated that in the upcoming season there will be the same number of sea- son ticket holders from last year. "We have a robust waiting list, in the event that a small portion of season ticket holders decline their renewal," Ablauf wrote. The ticket cost increases of this and last year came after a slight reduction in student and other season ticket prices decreased due to economic reasons. Stu- dents paid $200 for the home game package in 2009, while sea- son ticket holders paid $400. The extra revenue raised by the price increase will be used to continue renovations at the Big Relief, Inc., which also distrib- uted UMHS donations to vic- tims of the earthquake in Haiti last year. UMHS already has enough bottled water and medi- cal supplies to fill two shipping pallets, according to Gavin. She added that donations are still being collected and that UMHS will also accept contributions from the non-medical commu- nity. "It's amazing to see what everyone's doing," Gavin said. "Everyone wants to help." Reflecting personally on the disaster, Masada said though his gan is kind of out in front on this across the country," McKay said. "The course materials we're using here are being picked up and adopted by other universi- ties." The Spanish concentra- tion within the Department of Romance Languages and Litera- tures is also shifting its prerequi- sitecoursesbycombiningSpanish 275 and 276 to create Spanish 277. Like the other new courses, the class will debut in the fall. According to Juli Highfill, an associate professor of Span- ish, these changes are part of an attempt to bring the program more in line with the French con- centration curriculum. "We think that this will make our program more effective and interesting for students," Highfill said. Highfill also said the chang- es will allow the department to more effectively channel its resources and offer more upper- level classes in the future. "We're hopingthatby reducing our prerequisite to one course, we can direct more resources to the upper-level courses, and then offer more sections. We don't yet have permission from the college to offer many more because of budget pressures, but we're hop- ing over the next few years that we can offer more because we know that's a huge problem," said Highfill, referring to students' difficulties enrolling in Spanish classes. Many students seeking to take Spanish classes have struggled in the past few semesters to get into the courses. Department offi- relatives live in Tokyo and were unaffected by the earthquake, he's doing whatever he can to help out. Masada said students on campus have already surpassed 1,000 cranes, noting that partic- ipants at an event coordinated by the University's Center for Japanese Studies folded more than 1,200 in one day. "We're not going to stop at 1,000," Masada said. "We'll just keep on doing it." - The Associated Press contributed to this report. cials have attributed this to the large number of students inter- ested in studying the language. French Prof. Michele Hannoosh, then-chair of the Department of Romance Languages and Lit- eratures, wrote in an e-mail that within the Spanish program, there are "more combined con- centrators and minors than any department in LSA apart from economics." Highfill said this is a problem the department is still trying to solve. "The number of majors just keeps growing faster than we can grow in terms of faculty and offering more courses and sec- tions," she said. LSA junior Lauren Hanley wrote in e-mail interview that she is optimistic about the chang- es being made within the Spanish department. "I really hope this restructur- ing allows the professors to teach more classes so that everyone that wants to can be involved with the Spanish department," Hanley wrote. LSA junior Katherine Riley, president-elect of the Undergrad- uate English Association, said she thinks the English department's new prerequisites will encourage more students to choose the con- centration. "It will definitely make a lot more people consider being an English major because there's only one prerequisite," Riley said. "After they take that one prereq- uisite, they can really just jump into the major and start taking the really fun classes that are super specialized." COLEMAN From Page 1A in Northwood, said he and his fellow RAs try to create a com- munity environment for the stu- dents. "When I came up here I thought it would be a very dif- ferent experience," Lumley said. "It's definitely different from living in the residence halls, but the community building (is still there). We still want the resi- dents to get to know each other. It's just a little bit more challeng- ing here because we have to go knock on doors. We don't have that community center where people come." Nearly all the students at the fireside chat said they would like some sort of community cen- ter or lounge where they could congregate and hang out. LSA senior Morgan Baker, another RA in Northwood, said a com- mon lounge would help bring the communitytogether. "Seeing Northwood at its beginning stage and the pos- sibility it has to bring freshmen together, it'd really be nice to have our own common space where you can really get to know the residents," Baker said. Lumley added that a residen- tial computing site would also benefit Northwood residents and help to build a stronger commu- nity. "We are trying to figure out ways to best serve the students," Lumley said. "We're talking right now about the possibility of getting some computers and a printer in Northwood hous- ing because right now they don't have anywhere to print. Right now, they have to go use Burs- ley's lounge, but it's a really far walk away." LSA freshman Ronak Mehta lives in Mary Markley Residence Hall but said during the chat that he enjoys coming to North Cam- pus to visit his friend in North- wood. "I think it's a great place up here," Mehta said. "Whenever I come up here, I feel very at peace. I can definitely see it very different than living in the dorm - different not in a bad way." Harper said the University is working to change North Campus's reputation of being a secluded area. The University is considering freezing over the pond at the School of Music, Theatre and Dance for ice skat- ing in the winter and holding outdoor concerts in the spring, Harper said. "The idea is to take what's so wonderful and beautiful about North Campus and build on it Thursday, March 24, 2011 - 5A rather than fighting it ..." Harper said. "(We're) just tryingtothink about what's unique about North Campus that we could do that would make it feel less secluded or less isolated, so you'd have both the trees and the squirrels and the muskrats and all that, but sometimes a little bit of a party atmosphere." While the undergraduates in attendance were extolling the virtues of the Northwood Houses, a handful of graduate students expressed their dis- pleasure with the University's plan to have more undergradu- ates live in Northwood I and II after the apartment buildings are renovated in spring 2012. Residents of Northwood I, II and III will have to leave their apartments in April 2012 prior to the building updates. The residents will have the option of relocating to Northwood IV or V. Students at the fireside chat expressed concern that their potential new apartments could be farther away from campus, grocery shops and restaurants. Coleman said she understood the graduate students' plight, adding that the University will do everything it can to try and accommodate them. "Well, be patient with us," Coleman said. "We'll try to man- age." SNYDER From Page 1A Kazmirzack said the emergency financial manager system has been in place in Michigan since 1990 to protect citizens who live in a financially unstable city. The public uproar against Snyder's plans has spawned recent protests on campus and at the State Capitol Building in Lansing over the past month. Cries of "kill of the bill" erupted on March 8 against the Emer- gency Financial Manager leg- islation, and five students were arrested in Lansing on March 16 while protesting Snyder's pro- posed budget. However, Sny- der signed the bill into law that same day last week. While Snyder has faced dis- content from members of the University community for his proposal to cut higher education funding, spurring several cam- pus protests after the announce- mentcthatcthe governor would be this year's Spring Commence- ment speaker, Kazmirzack said Snyder is not anti-education. "The governor worked very hard to protect education," Kazmirzack said. "It is a pain- ful cut. He, more than anybody, understands the value of educa- tion, but we have to get our bud- get under control." The financial inefficiency of state universities is the primary reason for the cuts, Kazmirzack said, adding that Snyder believes community col- leges run more efficiently and therefore will not be subject to any loss in funding. Kazmirzack added that while the tax rate will not rise for any citizen, Snyder has proposed to cut earned income tax credits - tax refunds that reward citizens "People are trying to make with low incomes for working it sound like businesses are not instead of relying on welfare paying anything," Kazmirzack programs. said. "What they ignore is that "The governor doesn't believe even after the tax cuts, busi- (this) will stop people from nesses will be paying more than working," Kazmirzack said. everyone else." "He's taking that money and Small businesses face more making sure we don't cut Med- strain than large corporations, icaid. The governor felt it was which currently pay a 6-per- more important that people on cent income tax, while small the low-income end were able to business owners pay business receive medical care." income and personal income The tax changes are neces-' taxes. Snyder's 2012 fiscal year sary to balance the budget and budget proposes to keep large make the state's tax system fair corporations at a flat 6-percent for all residents, Kazmirzack corporate income tax, but tax said. Currently, retirees in small businesses 4.25 percent, the state are exempt from any which is equal to the statewide income taxes, even those who do income tax on Michigan resi- have a large source of income, dents for the next fiscal year, he said. according to Kazmirzack. "Michigan is one of only four "If I own a small business, I states that do not charge taxes get double-taxed," Kazmirzack to seniors," Kazmirzack said. "A said. "This is one of things that (retired) couple with a pension makes Michigan really uncom- of $65,000 a year would not pay , petitive for jobs. It discour- any state income taxes, while a ages growth; businesses are not family making $50,000 a year inclined to come into Michi- would pay." gan." However, other state law- Though there have been makers, including State Sen. mixed responses to Snyder's Rebekah Warren (D-Ann business tax cuts, Public Policy Arbor), don't think that Sny- Prof. John Chamberlin said it der's proposed changes would is too early to know if Snyder's benefit the state. Warren said approach to balancing the bud- she expects to see major altera- get will be effective or damag- tions to the budget before it is ing. approved. "(Snyder) may turn out to be "(I've) seen some serious con- right, and he may turn out to cerns on both sides of the aisle," be wrong," Chamberlin said. Warren said. "A lot of my col- "Whether the business tax cuts leagues really have concerns really jump start the economy is about balancing our budget on amatter of faith." the backs of those folks who are Despite disagreements over one step above poverty." . several aspects of the gover- Kazmirzack said that the nor's proposed budget, Snyder is state's current tax code is "rid- aimingto pass the legislation by died with loopholes," and pro- May 31. posed cuts to business taxes are widely misunderstood among - The Associated Press Snyder's constituents. contributed to this report. House, according to Ablauf. "Some of the funds will be used for the new scoreboards that we are installing this season," Ablauf wrote. "The new high-definition boards will enhance the game day experience for the fans. It will also be used to cover the operat- ing expenses of the department for fiscal 2011-12." Additionally, this year there are a limited number of season tickets available for non-stu- dents, Ablauf wrote. Previously, seats were blocked off for con- struction, so not all seats were available during every game. But now that construction is complete, all seats can be used, allowing for more season ticket packages to be sold. LSA freshman Kevin Zhang said he didn't notice the price bump. He said despite the cost increase, he thinks many stu- dents feel that the increase is acceptable because this year will be the inaugural season for Foot- ball head coach Brady Hoke. "It's reasonable because there are more games that are valu- able," Zhang said. LSA freshman Brian Burch- man said he didn't find the increase to be substantial either. "I was like, 'I guess it went up a tiny bit from last year,' but it wasn't big enough that I was con- cerned about it because that type of price increase compared to how much I'm paying for school, relatively speaking, is nothing," Burchman said. But LSA sophomore Sheila Waslawski said she noticed the increase right away and was not happy about it. "I thought it was unnecessary seeing as our football tickets are way more expensive than other schools already," Waslawski said. "I am still buying them but I did debate it more." University of Wisconsin-Mad- ison students paid $154 to watch the Badgers in seven home games in 2010, and OSU students paid $160 for their season tickets last year. Zhang also said he thinks, like in years past, some students will buy the season pack to sell their tickets to the pricier games, such as the night game and the Ohio State game, to make money. "I know people who aren't actually purchasing tickets, and they actually have friends that just buy (the tickets) for them, and they're just going to sell the tickets and make money," Zhang said. WANT TO EDIT NEWS VIDEOS? E-mail photo@michigandaiily.com IS EATING .k ,[S, i-il3 *5c+* 1*t "'. 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