The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Robert Salo is one of the vendors for Groundcover newspaper, which sells for $1 each. NEWSPAPER From Page 1 our content is about that. There's a lot that's local community news, in-depth features about interest- ing businessmen, people around town, things going on." When she asked vendors around the city to distribute cop- ies of Groundcover, Beckett said she was surprised at the initial reaction. Many of the sellers expressed a desire to write for the newspaper. "It was an interesting response, especially the writing - I had not anticipated that," Beckett said. Tony, who requested to keep his last name anonymous, grew up in Grosse Pointe, Mich. and has been selling newspapers on the corner of East Liberty and Main Streets since last summer. * He became unemployed follow- ing the collapse of his once-pros- perous business. "I went everywhere looking for a job. I couldn't find one," he said. "Everywhere I went, I got turned down. But I said, 'I could sell a paper for a dollar."' Tony said he hopes to write an article for Groundcover one day. But until then, he is grateful for the opportunity to work as a ven- dor because the job has improved his life.= Despite having to endure days when the temperature in Ann BUSINESS From Page 1 a focal point for the company. "The whole business model was based on how much we love South U," said Narayan, who added that he lived in the sur- rounding area and thought it was the perfect location for an emerging business. Custom-made shirts are still the greatest percentage of Underground Printing's mer- chandise, but the business is constantly evolving by focusing on students as vital costumers and trendsetters, Narayan said. "Students tell us what's popu- lar, (and) we take a lot of that information and translate it into collegiate apparel," he said. "What students want becomes what everybody else wants." Narayan said his experi- ences at the University as an undergraduate student were essential to his success as a business owner. His work in organizations including Dance Marathon at the University of . Michigan, Michigan Student Assembly and Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity helped him under- stand the needs of student customers, like the desire for in-person costumer service. "It's convenience, quality, price and customer service" that set Underground Printing apart from competitors, Nara- yan said. Along with Underground Printing's two Ann Arbor loca- tions on South University and Main Street, the company just launched a new website and extended the store's business hours to cater to students' needs, Narayan said. Though the company is 4 always on the lookout for new styles and ideas, Narayan said he also understands the impor- tance of the basic T-shirts his company makes for student groups. "When it comes to a shirt, it's a badge of what you're able to do with an organization," he said. Arbor drops 20 degrees below zero or reaches a heat index of 115, Tony said he enjoys work- ing as a vendor for Groundcover because it allows him to interact with community members. Groundcover was created after Beckett visited her daugh- ter about a year and a half ago in Seattle, where she came across the city's street newspaper, Real Change. Initially, her idea was not well- received, but Beckett eventually contacted the North American Street Newspaper Association and received a $1,000 start-up donation by 1Matters, which also provided funding to launch street newspapers in Toledo, Ohio and Detroit. Beckett said the majority of people who buy Groundcover are Ann Arbor residents, rather than University students or faculty. "Sales in the University area generally have been way, way lower than anywhere else," Beckett said. "I think part of it is because of the lack of publicity to that particular community." However, in an effort to rem- edy this, Education junior Mar- quise Williams plans to start a Groundcover Club by the end of the semester to increase awar- ness of the newspaper among the University community. He hopes to recruit students to help the Groundcover staff, organize workshops for the vendors and Tenyears after Narayan opened the first Underground Printing store with business partner Ryan Gregg, he still loves what he does. "I like dealing with people," Narayan said. "I have a lot of cus- tomers I handle myself." While future plans for the company include constructing new stores, Narayan said he is carefully calculating the busi- ness's next move. "Our plans are to grow, but grow in a manner that is best for the company and our custom- ers ..." he said. "We've had years when we've tried to add a lot of stores. We're now at the point to where we've matured as a com- increase awareness about poverty and homelessness. "Hopefully, in time, people will begin to be more receptive to the paper and begin buying the paper,"Williams said. Groundcover currently has more than 15 regular advertise- ments from local businesses, many of which have provided resources to help the newspaper and its vendors. Beckett said Elmo's Main Street T-Shirts has donated waist aprons and T-shirts for the vendors to wear while they distribute their publi- cation. "Every new vendor goes to Elmo, and he lets them pick out the color that they want and he gives them two free T-shirts on the spot," Beckett said. "He's just so generous." John Roos, owner of Roos Roast Coffee - which is located on Rosewood Street and is sold in a number of Ann Arbor cafes and restaurants - said he is proud his business is the newspaper's first advertiser because he sup- ports the opportunities the paper brings to those without a job or home. "Some people were like, 'Why should you advertise there? It's not your demographic,"' Roos said. "That didn't even come into my mind." - Sydney Berger and Steve Zoski contributed to this report. pany, (and) we only want the best spots. We don't want to compro- mise for growth." Narayan offered advice for aspiring entrepreneurs and stressed the importance of hav- ing strong problem-solving skills and being open to new opportu- nities. "I like to tell people ... (to) learn everything. Be proficient in everything," he said. "Don't feel like you have to choose your path right from the get-go." Narayan added that he likes to tell students that they can choose whatever path is right for them. "Your degree from the Uni- versity is a ticket. It opens up doors," he said. SACUA From Page 1 at the meeting. He does not want the group names to be visible to people in his home country since his membership could be pun- ishable by death in Iran, Barald explained. Barald said she feels members of the University community should have a say in what appears on their profiles. "If the groups were to be listed, the person whose groups were listed should have some control over what appears," Barald said. In an interview after the meet- ing, Bernard said there is no way for group members to change whether the groups they belong to are public or private because MCommunity uses the same soft- PREACHERS From Page 1 the Diag is something the Uni- versity doesn't usually interfere with because it falls under the U.S. Constitutional right to free- dom of speech, according to Joe Piersante, deputy chief of the University's Department of Pub- lic Safety. Piersante added that expres- sions of opinion have always been welcome at the University since he started working on campus in 1991. Rarely, he said, have protest- ers on the Diagcaused problems. "The University has a commit- ment to freedom of speech and artistic expression, even diverse opinions that people might not agree with," Piersante said. "The University encourages open dia- logue and debate over diverse issues" However, DPS would stop activities on the Diag or other areas of campus if someone were threatened or assaulted or if people prevented normal busi- ness from occurring. DPS spokes- woman Diane Brown said the department would also remove protestors if they interfered with CARTS ,rom Pag l loween party with live music, trick-or-treating and marsh- mallow roasting on Oct. 28. Engelbert added that she is not sure how profitable the business will be in the winter compared to the summer. "It's really hardto say because this is our first year doing this sort of thing," she said. "If there is a lot of business, especially around the holiday season, then it could be similar, but it could be even more. But there's just no way to predict that kind of thing right now." ware as the old directory. That control setting is reserved for the group owners. "I would encourage students to see what groups they're mem- bers of, see if they still want to be members of those groups, see if those groups are public or pri- vate," Bernard said. "If the owner is unwilling to change the status of the group, you should be asking yourself whether or not you still want to be a member.... If not, just ask to be removed." FACULTY SUPPORT NEW COPYRIGHT POLICY During the SACUA meet- ing yesterday, faculty members expressed their approval of the new University copyright policy. Bernard, who wrote the new policy, said it is much shorter and a scheduled activity in a reserved space. "If (the people interfering with the space) don't voluntarily com- ply and allow the event - either the speaker to go on or the display to be put up or whatever - then police can be called to remove those people," Brown said. "It's more problematic for us to have to remove people out on the Diag, but we have had to do that in the past." When a complaint about pro- testors is filed with DPS, an offi- cer is sent to assess the situation. But if there isn't cause for DPS to intervene, then the department works to educate the person who filed the complaint about First Amendment rights. Though some students said they encounter protestors and preachers frequently, Piersante said that during the duration of his time at the University, the number of demonstrators has decreased. "The Diag is generally a very safe area where we take few criminal complaints," Piersante said. "Students going through that area where somebody is expressing their opinion have the choice whether they want to Hodesh said the carts were mainly designed for the sum- mer months, and most carts will provide services like private catering during the off-season. Next summer, Mark's Carts will make alterations to the operation of the kitchen, add musical and themed enter- tainment and work to enhance customer satisfaction, Hodesh said. "We like the entertainment aspect, (and) we will be work- ing on more consistent hours," Hodesh said. "This year every- one kept their own hours, but next year we will have court- yard hours, where everyone or most of everyone will be out Tuesday, September 27, 2011- 5 clearer than it was previously. He added that the policy outlines the rights students have to the papers they write. "It clearly states that students hold the rights to the works that they author when they author them as individuals," Bernard said. "When they author them as employees at the University, then the University is going to hold the rights." Bernard said rights for Uni- versity faculty and students have expanded with the new policy. "I think it's a good change," he said. "We've had an over- whelmingly positive reception to it. Students in particular should be really happy with it because it really bluntly puts faculty and departments on notice that stu- dents have rights and we should be mindful of those rights." engage that person or not." Incidents involving demon- strators and students are rare, Piersante said. Except for one incident, Reed said he has never felt hostility from students. "A couple years ago one guy threatened me, basically to beat me up," Reed said. While people have the right to voice their opinions on cam- pus, some students like LSA sophomore Michelle Rubin are annoyed by their methods. However, she said she recogniz- es the protestors' right to free speech. "I do think it shouldbe allowed, because of freedom of speech, but I still don't like it," Rubin said. "It's not a nice atmosphere to walk through everyday." LSA junior Weixiang Zhang said he views the protestors with a jocular attitude and as a way to develop collegial cohesion. "(The protestors) seem to be enjoying the show," Zhang said. "The really funny thing about this is that it brings people together. They have a common anger against this person." - Andrew Curran contributed to this report. there at one time." Because one of the main mis- sions of Mark'sCartsis to pro- mote small businesses, some carts are in the process of tran- sitioning to bigger restaurants, Hodesh said. "As the carts get more popu- lar, some people want to move on to a brick and mortar pres- ence - and that's part of the program," he said. Mark's Carts did well this year, said Hodesh, adding that he is looking forward to a more enhanced experience next year. "It was a good season," Hodesh said. "A lot of (the cart owners) are talking about next year already." 'LIKE' THE DAILY ON FACEBOOK A. i