be l1i1llipan3II~j Ann Arbor, Michigan Thursday, September 22, 2011 michigandailycom ART ON ART ,. , _ . } i kr, ti . I z ,i '.} r _ a } )i , Lei.. l 4 ' FEDERAL LEGISLATION Professors, 'U' groups talk DADT elimiation ALLISON KRUSKE/Daily Second-year graduate student Amber Kao and junior Tehillah Frederick, both in the School of Music, Theatre & Dance, perform an improvisational piece at the Mark di Suvero sculpture outside the University of Michigan Museum of Art yesterday. UNIVERSITY RESEARCH ReSearchers concerned for future of federal funding Experts: Impact of 'don't ask, don't tell' repeal unclear By ANDREW SCHULMAN Daily StaffReporter LGBTQ rights advocates on campus celebrated in the wake of the official repeal of the U.S. military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy on Tues- day. But the repeal also office raised ques- tions about HQORS how it will affect military programs both nationally and at the Univer- sity. Following the repeal of DADT, University professors and campus organizations discussed the merits of the overturn of the legislation in advancing LGBTQ policy, while acknowledging there is much work to be done. The policy had banned openly gay soldiers from serving in the military since 1993. In an event held Tuesday night in the Welker Room of the Michigan Union, about 20 members of the University's chapter of Stonewall Demo- crats and LGBTQ rights sup- porters gathered to celebrate the upending of the DADT policy and to discuss how the repeal will affect the nation. The Stonewall Democrats, many of whom were clad in buttons that read "Ask, Tell," celebrated and proclaimed that the day was "long over- due" and a "big step for equality." Others, while still heralding the day as a mile- stone for LGBTQ rights, said it was just one victory for a cause that still has ground to gain until complete equality is achieved. Blake Mackie, co-chair of the Stonewall Democrats, said in an interview after the event that despite other laws in place that currently hinder LGBTQ rights, the DADT repeal is a milestone in advancing LGBTQ civil liber- ties. "'Don't ask, don't tell' was an ineffective policy that resulted in the discharge of many able and qualified ser- vice members and the silenc- ing of LGBTQ Americans," Mackie said. "(The end of) 'don't ask, don't tell' was real- See DADT, Page SA Sustainability research may not see sharp funding drop By RAYZA GOLDSMITH DailyStaffReporter Despite the University's record-high research spending this past fiscal year, researchers are concerned about the future of their projects because of potential"funding cuts. Research expenditures at the University grew 8.5 percent to $1.24 billion this past fiscal year, with a 9.8-percent increase in federal funding accounting for much of the growth. But Ste- phen Forrest, the University's vice president for research, said the University might see a sig- nificant decrease in funding this coming year. "I think I'm fairly safe in say- ing that the growth in research fundingfrom the federal govern- ment is going to be slowed this year quite considerably," Forrest said. For the 2011 fiscal year, fed- eral funds accounted for 66.7 per- cent of the University's research spending, according to a Sept. 20 University press release. The National Institutes of Health increased its grant money to the University by 12.6 percent for that year, the National Science See FUNDING, Page 5A BY THE NUMBERS 8.5%l0 The percentincreaseofUniversity research spending last year $1.24 billion University research spending in FY 2011 9m8% The percent increase in federal funding for research last year SPRING COMMENCEMENT 2012 ________________ Students nominate Mark Zuckerberg as grad. speaker 200 students sign petition in support of Facebook founder By K.C.WASSMAN Daily StaffReporter After protests erupted follow- ing announcement that Repub- lican Gov. Rick Snyder would be the commencement speaker last spring, some members of the class of 2012 are determined to find a speaker they want to hear. In an effort to do this, LSA senior Jake Steinerman started a petition over the summer to have Facebook founder Mark Zucker- berg serve as the keynote speaker for the 2012 Spring Commence- ment ceremony. "The whole point of having the speakers is to inspire the graduat- ing class, to take what you've heard and apply it to the real world, and I think his story, to me atleast, has been very inspiring," Steinerman said. Steinerman's petition currently has about 200 signatures, and he has continued to raise awareness for his cause on - you guessed it - Facebook. "I'm not relying solely on Face- book, but I think it would be awe- some if it could be driven by social media," Steinerman said. "That would sort of prove its case further and show that what he's done has a See ZUCKERBERG, Page 5A SPEAKERS ON CAMPUS In Rosenthal Lecture, Al- Qassemi discusses social media in Middle Eastern countries ALLISON KRUSKE/Daily Employee Cody Pan changes the display inside Poshh on East Liberty Street yesterday. Poshh to close after 10 years of business on East Liberty Sultan speaks out about region on TWitter By BRANDON SHAW * Daily StaffReporter As the world continues to examine the role of social media in recent uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa, Sultan Sooud Al-Qassemi, a Twitter commentator, lecturer and glob- al policy scholar with exper- tise in the Middle East, spoke to a group on campus yesterday about the use of communications in turmoil. Al-Qassemi, who is also founder and chair of Barjeel Securities - a financial interme- diary based in the United Arab Emirates - delivered the Josh Rosenthal Education Fund Lec- ture to a crowd of about 75 people in the Annenberg Auditorium at Weill Hall yesterday afternoon. During his lecture yesterday, he highlighted the power of social media in countries where dicta- torial regimes forbid or severely restrict internet communication. "When there are periods of See SOCIAL MEDIA, Page 5A Store owner says foot traffic has decreased By HALEY GOLDBERG Daily StaffReporter Ann Arbor fashionistas have only a month left to get the lat- est fall trends at women's cloth- ing boutique Poshh, which will be closing next month after 10 years of business. Poshh owner Wendy Batiste- Johnson recently announced that the store on East Liberty Street will close on Oct. 30. Batiste-Johnson, who said she has been contemplating the decision for a few months, is closing the shop to spend more time with her family. "The main reason that I have decided to close is that this is our 10-year milestone, and I have two small children," Batiste- Johnson said. "... I just really wanted to spend more time with mykids. Runningabusiness and having a familyis extremely dif- ficult ... I've missed out on a lot and I'd like to not miss out on anymore." Poshh opened in 2001 when Batiste-Johnson moved to Ann Arbor with her husband, a Uni- versity alum, and took note of the need for more retail stores in the downtown area. See POSHH, Page SA WEATHER HI 64 TOMORROW LO 47 GOT A NEWS TIP? NEW ON MICHIGANDAILY.COM Call 734-418-4115 or e-mail Banned Books Week news@michigandaily.com and let us know. MICHIGANDAILY.COM/BLOGS/THE FILTER INDEX AP NEWS....................3A CLASSIFIEDS...............6A Vol. CXXII, No.13 OPINION ....................4A SPORTS...................7A d2011TheMichiganDaily NEWS.......................5A THE BSIDE.................1B michitondoilycom