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Monday, November 7, 2011

michigandaily.com

ELECTION 2012
'U' students,
profs. weigh in
on presidential
election 2012

Experts, campus
groups agree
economy will
be primary issue
By PETER SHAHIN
For the Daily
With Election Day less than a
year away, the national conver-
sation on the 2012 presidential
election is buzzing, and Univer-
sity students are joining in.
While Republicans are still
in the process of nominating
a candidate to face President
Barack Obama, Democrats are
laying the groundwork for the
president's re-election bid.
Despite conflicting views on the
outcome of the race, University
professors and members of cam-
pus political groups all agree on
one aspect of the election - the
economy will be the deal break-
er.
Michael Traugott, a research
professor at the University's
Institute for Social Research,
said public opinion polls this
early before the election are not
good indicators of the chances
of the president's re-election
bid, but give insight into trends.
"There's two main contest-

ing theories about reelection
prospects," Traugott said. "One
of them is that the incumbent
president's
chances are office
highly corre-
lated with how MONK
the economy is
doing, and of course there, the
president would be in trouble I
think."
Similarly, Traugott said polls
for the Republican nomination
are not reliable at this point
since most polls are taken at a
national scale for the presiden-
tial election, not primaries. If
candidates are not successful in
the Iowa and New Hampshire
primaries, for example, they
may run out of funds and begin
receiving negative press cover-
age, according to Traugott. As a
result, support for the candidate
wanes, and his or her chances
decrease.
Polls fail to account for candi-
dates' "relative standing" in the
early states and are "quite mis-
leading," Traugott said.
Traugott noted that while
Obama may struggle with re-
election because of the eco-
nomic climate, he may prevail
depending on who is chosen as
the Republican candidate.
"An election is not a refer-
See ELECTION, Page SA

New hospital designed
with families in mind

Open house offers
entertainment,
games and demos
By MICHELE NAROV
Daily StaffReporter
With less than one month
until its official opening, the
two-story atrium, shining new
equipment, brightly lit patient
rooms and 348 beds in the new

C.S. Mott Children's Hospital
and Von Voigtlander Wom-
en's Hospital building remain
untouched.
However, the halls of the
1.1 million square-foot facility
bustled with activity yesterday
from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. as hun-
dreds of visitors explored the
building during the hospital's
open house.
The event was designed to
show off the new building and
allowed patients to tour the

12-story inpatient tower, which
is slated to officially open Dec. 4.
The new facility cost $754 mil-
lion and took five years to con-
struct.
Yesterday's event featured
musical entertainment, dog
visits with patients and an eco-
friendly green station to educate
visitors about the sustainable
aspects of the hospital. Children
were also kept busy with a trea-
sure hunt, a giant version of the
game Operation in the operat-

ing rooms, obstacle courses and
visits with Ronald McDonald.
Those who entered the lobby at
11 a.m. were also met by a flash
mob, designed to set the joyful
tone for the day.
The open house was intended
to showcase one of the goals for
the development of the new hos-
pital - a commitment to patient
care and creating positive expe-
riences for families who regu-
larly stay in the hospital.
See HOSPITAL, Page 5A


CAMPUS ORGANIZATION
Blood Battle.
against OSU
in 30thyear
on campus
Drive aims to
collect 2,550
pints of blood
By CHELSEA LANDRY
Daily Staff Reporter
Rackham student Nathan
Mueting sat munching on
graham crackers and sipping
orange juice in a School of Edu-
cation lounge on Friday morn-
ing. It was a well-earned snack
for the blood drawn from his
arm.
Mueting was donating blood
as part of the 30th annual Blood
Battle, a blood donation compe-
tition between the University of
Michigan and The Ohio State
University. As part of the com-
petition, there will be 36 blood
drives held across campus until
Nov. 18 and this year's goal is to
* collect 2,550 pints of blood from
campus community members.
The University has beat
OSU in the Blood Battle more
often than it has on the football
See BLOOD BATTLE, Page 5A

CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS
UMHS, nurses reach
contract agreement
after seven months
New contract health insurance premiums,
among other changes, accord-
contains changes to ing to a Nov. 6 UMHS press
release issued yesterday. Prior
wage system, health to the agreement, the nurses
were concerned that UMHS
premiums wanted to cut benefits includ-
ing reducing paid vacation
By CLAIRE GOSCICKI allotment, limiting overtime
Daily Staff Reporter pay and establishing require-
ments stating they must con-
The University of Michigan tribute increased funds for
Health System and the Univer- health insurance.
sity of Michigan Professional The contract will also pro-
Nurse Council reached a con- vide nurses a "significant
tract agreement yesterday after voice" on issues such as staffing
more than seven months of bar- and nursing practice, according
gaining over nurses' compensa- to a separate press release from
tion and benefits. the Michigan Nurses Associa-
Members of the Professional tion also issue yesterday.
Nurse Council and the Michi- In April, the University and
gan Nurses Association voted nurses engaged in disputes
to approve the new three-year following anticipated changes
agreement last night, which to six nurses' schedules. The
applies to more than 4,000 changes violated the Michigan
nurses at the University. Public Employees Relations Act
The agreement succeeds the and the collective bargaining
University's former contract agreement between the Uni-
with the Professional Nurse versity and the nurses' union.
Council that expired on June Since then, University officials
30 and includes a revised wage and nurses have assembled more
program and modifications than50 times to discuss negotia-
to retirement eligibility and See CONTRACT, Page 5A

Janior quarterback Denard Robinson walks off the field after a 24-16 loss to Iowa on Saturday.
Wolverines can't count
on goodfortune to win

OWA CITY - Head down,
play sheet still tucked into
his pants, Greg Mattison
walked up the longslope of
the Southeast tunnel at Kin-
nick Stadium. He walked by
two stone-faced Michigan
equipment managers shortly
after watching the Wolverines'
offense fail to score a touch-
down with four chances from

the three-
yard line.
There
were no
overtime
blitzes to
call, no
opportu-
nity for his
defense to
give Mich-

MICHAEL
FLOREK

igan's offense another chance.
Mattison was one of the rea-
sons the Wolverines were here,
sitting at 7-1 before playingthe
Hawkeyes.
He was one of the first
pieces in Michigan coach
Brady Hoke's reign of doing no
wrong. Hoke snagged an NFL
defensive coordinator. Recruits
See FLOREK, Page 2A

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