The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Tuesday, April 19, 2011 - 3B
The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Tuesday, April 19, 2011 - 38
Campus to become
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President Obama during his speech at 2010 winter commencement held at Michigan Stadium on Saturday, May12010. SAM WOLSON/Daly
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J' officials aim the policy is to decrease the cost
of health care for University fac-
to establish a ulty and staff.Within five years of
implementing such a policy, Win-
althier campus field said health care costs usually
start to decline.
By NICOLE ABER "We learned, that the health
Daily Staff Reporter care costs are at least $2,000 more
per year for people who smoke
il 20, 2009 - All three Uni- than for nonsmokers," he added.
y campuses will be smoke According to a press release on
hen a new policy announced the policy, about14 percent of Uni-
University administrators versity employees are smokers.
esday takes effect on July 1, A 2006 survey found that about
16 percent of University students
e initiative is meant to smoke one or more cigarettes a
e the health risks associ- month, according to Winfield.
vith secondhand smoke and There will be five subcommit-
e health costs associated tees - one each for students, com-
moking. munity relations, faculty and staff,
healthier, smoke-free communications and grounds and
al environment will only facilities - working to create the
ce the intellectual vigor of best way to implement the policy,
ampuses," University Presi- Winfield said.
lary Sue Coleman wrote in In order to help smokers tran-
npus-wide e-mail yesterday. sition into a community with this
decision to become smoke- new policy, the University will
aligns perfectly with the offer free behavioral counseling
of MHealthy to improve the and discounts on over-the-coun-
of our community." tersmokingcessation products for
iversity Chief Health Offi- students, faculty and staff. Uni-
obert Winfield and School versity employees will also have
blic Health Dean Kenneth reduced co-pays on prescription
er will co-chair the Smoke cessation products,Winfield said.
University Steering Commit- In the fall of 2010, Winfield
hich is charged with creat- said the committee will bring the
dialogue on campus about proposed policy before Univer-
olicy in order to get input sity administrators for an official
tudents, faculty and staff. review.
tn interview with The Mich- But until that point, Winfield
aily,Winfieldsaidthepolicy said there are still several ques-
ted at reducing secondhand tions as to how the policy will be
around campus in order to implemented to create a smooth
ve the overall health of the transition for all members of the
rsity community. University community. Because
rtainly irritation of second- this plan is still in the develop-
smoke is an issue and what's mental stages, Winfield said it is
mportant is doing the right important to get input from many
for the health of the commu- different groups on campus, as
Winfield said. well as from other private com-
ording to Winfield, another panies that neighbor University
reason for implementing property.
State officials join
0 crowd of more than
80,000 for speech
By JACOB SMILOVITZ and
KYLE SWANSON
Editor in Chiefand
. Daily News Editor
May 5, 2010 - President
Barack Obama challenged the
political status quo in a speech
before more than 80,000 at the
University of Michigan's spring
commencement Saturday, call-
ing on graduates to embrace
change as a means of strength-
ening the country's democracy
for years to come.
Obama's speech in Michigan
Stadium was a clear denun-
ciation of the current state of
American politics - an envi-
ronment he said is never a
place for the "thin-skinned or
faint-of-heart" but has recent-
ly been pushed further by the
"incredibly difficult moment
in which we find ourselves as
a nation."
Through his words, the
president attempted to con-
vey his notion of citizenship
to the maturating generation
before him. He tried at times
to reshape current conceptions
of small and big government,
pushed for a more civil political
discourse and implored gradu-
ates to participate in their gov-
ernment in the way they see
most fit.
After severe thunderstorms
drenched Ann Arbor this morn-
ing and threatened to under-
mine some of the excitement
over the event, the rain slowed
to a drizzle about an hour out
from the ceremony's start and
came to a complete halt shortly
before it was set to begin. The
gray clouds overhead did linger
though throughout most of the
ceremony.
In attendance for Obama's
speech was a big crowd of
University and state officials,
including University President
Mary Sue Coleman, Demo-
cratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm,
University Provost Teresa Sul-
livan, University President
Emeritus James Duderstadt,
the University's current Board
of Regents and several former
regents.
Those on stage and in the
crowd alike roared when
Obama was presented with
his honorary degree and took
to the podium to deliver his
remarks.
As the president approached
the microphone, one person in
the crowd yelled out, "We love
you," to which Obama respond-
ed "I love you back."
Beginning his speech,
Obama described the current
political atmosphere by high-
lighting a letter sent to him by a
kindergarten class that includ-
ed the question, "Are people
being nice?"
"Well, if you turn on the
news today, or yesterday, or a
week ago, or a month ago -par-
ticularly one of the cable chan-
nels - you can see why even a
kindergartener would ask this
question," Obama told the audi-
ence.
And while Obama pointed to
name calling by politicians and
pundits and a media that high-
lights "every hint of conflict,"
he admitted that recent events
have largely contributed to the
charged political climate.
"The fact is, when you leave
here today you will search for
work in an economy that is
still emerging from the worot
crisis since the Great Depres-
sion," Obama said. "You live
in a century where the speed
with which jobs and industries
move across the globe is forcing
America to compete like never
before."
However, Obama added that
Americaihas had a long history
of partisan rancor.
"Since the days of our found-
ing, American politics has
never been a particularly nice
business," Obama said. "It's
always been a little less genteel
during times of great change."
Obama's speech then turned
from these challenges and the
toxic political discourse of
today, to what role graduates
must play to improve the coun-
try's democracy in the future.
"And now the question for
your generation is this: how
will you keep our democracy
going?" Obama asked. "At a
moment when our challenges
seem so big and our politics
seem so small, how will you
keep our democracy alive and
well in this century?"
While not wishing to offer
"some grand theory or detailed
policy prescription," Obama
did have three ingredients he
said he believes are necessary
for a functioning democracy:
a limited, yet adaptive gov-
ernment, the maintaining of
a "basic level of civility in our
public debate" and civic par-
d icipafion. rirrsA m r" ..'
On his first point, Obama
conceded that there has, since
the days of the Founding
Fathers, been a belief in this
country that government can-
not solve every problem facing
its people. But at the same time,
he said many believe that some
problems are too big for people
to solve for themselves, "some
things we can only do togeth-
er."
The president cited a series
of examples of the govern-
ment's greatest successes, from
the construction of cross-con-
tinental railroads to the cre-
ation of a system of public high
schools to the implementation
of financial reforms in the wake
of the Great Depression.
NCAA imposes
Ssanctions, three-
yTear probation
'U' purchases 2 million-square foot,
Pfizer facility to be used for research
Board of Regents officer.
"This purchase is an invest-
approve purchase ment in the future of the Uni-
versity of Michigan and of our
of 174-acre complex state," University President
Mary Sue Coleman said in a
By JULIE ROWE written statement. "These
Daily StaffReporter facilities will help attract more
research funding to the area,
Dec. 8 2008 - The University allowing us not only to broaden
Board of Regents unanimously our contributions as one of the
approved Thursday the pur- nation's premier research uni-
chase of a 2 million-square-foot versities, but also to strengthen
research and development facil- the region's ability to stimulate
ity from Pfizer Inc., the pharma- new business."
ceutical giant that announced Over the next decade, the
last year it would close its Ann University hopes to create more
Arbor location. than 2,000 jobs at the research
The University will pay $108 center, which employed about
million for the 174-acre Plym- 2,100 people before Pfizer
outh Road facility vacated by moved out.
the company earlier this year. At the meeting, all of the
The University expects to close regents spoke in support of
on the property in June after the purchase, praising it as an
due diligence and ensuring the opportunity for the University
site complies with state and fed- to expand its research in life sci-
eral regulations. ence. The regents also said the
The University Health Sys- purchase will be beneficial to the
tem reserve fund will cover the Ann Arbor area and the state.
bulk of the purchase with Uni- ' "If we don't invest in our-
versity investment returns also selves, how can we expect any-
shouldering some of the cost, body else to?" Regent S. Martin
according to Timothy Slottow, Taylor (D-Grosse Point Farms)
the University's chief financial said. "We have this capacity, we
have the ability to do it."
After the meeting, Robert
Kelch, executive vice president
for the University's medical
affairs, said officials will put
together a plan for the site's use
over the next 12 to 18 months.
"We don't know exactly yet,
but we will come up with a great
plan," Kelch said. "What this
does is unleashing the intellec-
tual capacity of the University.
The restraining influence is the
lack of high quality research
space."
Many of the laboratories are
ready to use, he said, but some
will need to be renovated and
refitted.
The Pfizer complex, once the
largest taxpayer in the city with
a combined taxable value of $147
million earlier this year, will
come off the tax rolls when it
becomes a University entity.
Ann Arbor Mayor John Hief-
tje said in a phone interview that
he was excited about the poten-
tial for job creation resulting
from the University's purchase.
However, he said that losing
the tax revenue from the Pfizer
complex - which accounted for
5 percent of the city's tax base -
will only further complicate the
city's struggling finances.
"It'll be a serious hit. It'll be
a long time before the serious
benefits kick in." Hieftje said.
"On top of what's going on in the
economy, and then you have this
happen, it's going to make things
that much harder."
Hieftje said he would have
liked the city to have been
involved in the negotiations to
soften the impact on tax reve-
nues, which are vital to the city's
operations.
"The city (government) is 20
percent smaller than it used to
be," he said. "There will prob-
ably have to be further reduc-
tions. Almost surely. We've
already taken all of the easy cuts.
We're starting to get more into
the substance of what the city
already uses."
Speculation about the site's
future began in January 2007,
when the company announced
its decision to close the facil-
ity. At the time of the announce-
ment, Coleman and other
administrators said they wanted
to see private companies move
into the facility, but did not rule
out the University's interest.
Program cited
for five major
violations
By KYLE SWANSON
Daily News Editor
Nov. 4, 2010 - The National
Collegiate Athletic Association
has announced that it has placed
the Michigan football program on
a three-year probation.
During a conference call
Wednesday with University offi-
cials and members of the media,
Paul Dee, chairman of the NCAA
Committee on Infractions, said
the penalties from the NCAA
also include a public scolding and
censure of the University and a
stipulation that Michigan football
coach Rich Rodriguez must attend
the 2011 NCAA Regional Rules
Seminar. Additionally, University
officials imposed reductions to
the amount of time the Michigan
football team can practice - 130
hours in total through the end of
the 2011-2012 academic year.
Experts interviewed by The
Michigan Daily said the addi-
tional one year of probation on top
of what the University had self-
imposed didn't seem out of line for
the nature of the case. They also
said it was important to note that
the NCAA had downgraded the
charge against Rodriguez from a
charge that he had failed to pro-
mote an atmosphere of compli-
ance to the findingthathe failed to
adequately monitor his program.
The initial allegation against
Rodriguez that he had failed to
promote an atmosphere of com-
pliance, Dee said, was changed to
a violation of NCAA Constitution
2.8.1 because the committee felt
that Rodriguez failed to properly
oversee the program, not that he
failed to promote an atmosphere
of compliance.
Asked during the call about
what level of responsibility should
be placed on Rodriguez, Dee com-
pared Rodriguez to the captain of
a ship.
"The coach is ultimately
responsible, but that doesn't mean
that the coach is involved in all of
the activities," Dee said. "Conse-
quently, some of the things that
did occur did not get all the way to
the coach."
At a University press confer-
ence following the NCAA confer-
ence call, University President
Mary Sue Coleman said the Uni-
versity had taken the investiga-
tion seriously from the first day
and that she was proud of how the
University cooperated with the
NCAA.
"To the University of Michigan
(this) could not be more serious,"
Coleman said.
But Coleman made it clear that
such violations should never have
happened.
"They should not have
occurred," Coleman said of the
violations, adding that corrective
measures have been implemented.
Speaking at the press confer-
ence, Athletic Director David
Brandon said he was happy the
process was over and that he
wasn't surprised by the NCAA's
findings.
"There will be no appeals
because there's nothing to
appeal," Brandon said. "They're
majorviolations, absolutely. We've
admitted to them and we're mov-
ing forward."
However, Brandon stressed
that at no time was the welfare
of student-athletes put in danger.
Brandon cited a "very high-profile
story" reported by a local newspa-
per, which he did not name, that
suggested the football program
was putting student-athletes at
risk.