The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Wednesday, November 9, 2011 - 5A
LUMM
From Page lA
University alum Tim Hull, a
programmer at the University's
Center for Computational Medi-
cine and Bioinformatics and a
candidate in the Aug. 2 City Coun-
cil primaries, worked on Lumm's
campaign and expressed enthusi-
asm about Lumm's win.
"It says something that Demo-
crats, Republicans, Greens, all
types of people from all parts of
the political spectrum got togeth-
erto supporther,"-Hull said. "That
says a lot."
In a phone interview last night,
Rapundalo said he cannot predict
how Lumm's lack of party affilia-
tion will affect the dynamic of City
Council but feels that she will face
the same struggles many members
on council deal with.
"I think she will be faced with
a lot of challenges on issues and
constituencies just like I did and
others around the council table
(did), and she'll have to use her
good judgment in addressing
them," Rapundalo said. "So what-
ever her political leanings may or
may not be ... I think will manifest
themselves in due course."
At Lumm's watch party, Briere
said Lumm will bring a fresh per-
spective to the legislative body.
"It will be good for us because
you get used to each other, and you
don't question your assumptions,"
Briere said.
Briere also commended
Rapundalo on his tenure on coun-
cil.
"He really dug into what he was
doing," Briere said. "He was on a
lot of committees, and he knew his
work."
Kunselman - who beat Repub-
lican challenger David Parker
with 77.28 percent of the vote -
said Lumm's election reflects a
TURNOUT
From Page 1A
nah Duke voted yesterday at the
Union. She said she believes vot-
ing is important, even in the off
years, and is disappointed with
how few of her fellow students
showed up to the polls.
"I think government on all lev-
els is important," Duke said.
At 2:30 p.m., almost eight hours
after the polls opened, Duke was
the second person to cast a ballot
at the Union. Despite her disap-
pointment, Duke said she under-
stands why students don't vote in
local elections.
"I wasn't really aware that
there was an election today until
the last couple days," Duke said.
"It doesn't seem there's much
hype about local elections, and
so students just don't really care
about them."
Engineering junior Amy Lang-
horst said she feels that as a citi-
zen she has a responsibility to
vote. She voted yesterday because
there were proposals on the ballot
- like those that had to do with
GSRA
From Page 1A
stating that GSRAs are students
rather than employees - two of
the three commissioners on the
Michigan Employment Relations
Commission voted yesterday to
reassess the role of the roughly
2,100 GSRAs at the University.
Ruthanne Okun, director of
the Michigan Bureau of Employ-
ment Relations, said the commis-
sion will review two action items
regarding GSRA unionization
at its next meeting in Detroit on
Dec. 13. If approved, the first item
would send the GSRAs' case to
judge to determine if they are enti-
tled to participate in a MERC-con-
ducted election that would gauge
how many GSRAs want to form a
union. If there is interest, MERC
may consider overturning a 1981
ruling stating student researchers
cannot be employees, Okun said.
The other action item will deny
the motion for reconsideration to
unionize.
Okun said both documents will
contain language denying the
Mackinac Center Legal Founda-
tion's motion to intervene. The
Foundation, which is a public
interest law firm, filed the motion
on July 28 and requested that
MERC stand by the 1981 prec-
edent.
The reconsideration of GSRAs'
roles comes after several months
of campus-wide discussion on the
need for change.
"It's indicative of some changes
that needed to be taking place.
within the city government and
city politics," Kunselman said.
"And that (change) is bringing a
level of integrity back to the City
Council.'"
Kunselman said he wasn't wor-
ried about his re-election.
"I have the history of Ward 3
being a very strong Democratic
ward, so I was not really feeling
any heat from ... the Republican
candidate in this case," he said.
Kunselman acknowledged
Parker's campaign effort, but said
voters ultimately sided with the
right candidate.
"Mr. Parker certainly should be
commended for putting his name
out there and participating in the
race," Kunselman said. "But in
the end, it's still about getting out
there and knowing the voters, and
I've got a strong record of doing
so."
Parker could not be reached for
comment last night.
In Ward 4, Higgins faced
Republican attorney Eric Scheie.
Higgins protected her seat on
council by gaining 58.84 percent
of the vote. She was not available
for comment last night.
In a phone interview last night,
Scheie said though he lost the
election, he felt gaining 40 percent
of the vote indicated a need for
opposition.
"I do think thatI sent a message
that there's alot of discontent, and
in combination with Jane Lumm's
victory. I think it indicates that a
lot of people in Ann Arbor believe
there should be some sort of viable
opposition," Scheie said.
Scheie said Higgins may not be
the best representative of the resi-
dents of Ward 4.
"It's not so much that I think
I should be the city councilman
for the Ward, but I've met a lot of
people who just feel disenfran-
chised, and that's what kept me
going," Scheie said. "They don't
like what's going on, they feel
the City Council does not listen
to them and I think that Marcia
Higgins has shown that she really
doesn't care about her ward or the
process."
Mike Anglin-whobeatRepub-
lican Stuart Berry with 79.59 per-
cent of the vote in Ward.5 - said
in an interview at his watch party
at Old Town Tavern on West Lib-
erty Street that facing opposition
forced a more thorough examina-
tion of the issues.
"I was glad that IShad an oppo-
nent in Stuart Berry because I
think the dialogue increased, and
with different people of course in
a town like this will have many
different opinions," Anglin said.
"But I think it's important that we,
after the elections, join together
and try to achieve all possibilities
in what people wanted."
Berry could not be reached for
comment last night.
All three of the city's ballot pro-
posals were passed by more than
50 percent of the vote.
The passage of Proposal 1 will
replace a current tax that funds
street reconstruction between
2012 and 2016. The proposal is
expected to raise more than $9
million in its first year. Proposal 2
adds another tax to Proposal lthat
will go toward sidewalk improve-
ment and is expected to generate
an additional $563,000 within a
year. Its passage also transfers
responsibility for sidewalk main-
tenance from homeowners to the
city.
With the passage of Proposal 3,
the city administrator will no lon-
ger serve on the city's Employee's
Retirement Board. Also as a result
of the proposal, two new citizen
trustees will be added to the cur-
rent 10-person commission.
NCAA
From Page 1A
collegiate sports - the NCAA
Division I Board of Directors
approved last Thursday several
significant reforms to the organi-
zation's eligibility requirements
and scholarship guidelines. The
Knight Commission also met in
Washington D.C. late last month
with NCAA President Mark
Emmert and several adminis-
trators from universities across
the country to discuss a variety
of subjects, including the new
reforms.
One of the changes includes
an increase in the grade point
average for incoming freshmen
student-athletes from a 2.0 to
2.3 GPA. Junior college transfers
now must have at least a 2.5 GPA
to be eligible for recruitment.
Previously, junior college trans-
fers only needed a 2.0 GPA.
The board also increased the
cutline for a team's Academic
Progress Rate - a number based
on retention and eligibility num-
bers over four years that serves
as an indicator of graduation
rates. After 2014, teams no lon-
ger will be eligible for post-sea-
son play if their APR is below
930. Before, teams needed a 900
to be eligible.
Furthermore, the board
approved a rule that allows con-
ferences to vote to add an amount
of up to $2,000 in scholarship
offers to compensate for out-of-
pocket costs of student-athletes.
Associate Athletic Director
David Ablauf wrote in a state-
ment to The Michigan Daily that
the NCAA is examining a variety
of proposed reforms from uni-
versities around the nation and
will continue to discuss poten-
tial changes in the future.
"There are a lot of sugges-
tions and opinions on what
reforms the NCAA should make
in the future," Ablauf wrote.
"Mark Emmert and his team at
the NCAA are working hard to
evaluate the governance of the
organization and look at propos-
als from institutions, conferenc-
es and outside groups. Change
doesn't happen overnight."
Though the NCAA panel
approved several of the Knight
Commission recommendations,
Ablauf wrote that the University
Athletic Department was not
ready to discuss specific reforms.
"We will wait until the pro-
posals make their way through
the NCAA legislative process,
are discussed at the highest lev-
els and pass through the approv-
al process," Ablauf wrote.
In an interview on Friday, Bill
Martin, who served as the Uni-
versity's Athletic Director from teams that still have a four-year
2000 to 2010, said he supports APR below 930 will ineligible
the reforms approved by the unlessatheir APRaveraged 940 in
NCAA. the two most recent years. After
"I think these changes are 2014-2015, teams that have four-
healthy, and I fully support year APR averages below 930
them," Martin said. "I think will not be eligible.
that we have gotten too lax and Martin said UConn needs to
lenient over the last few decades take its APR scores seriously.
in terms of academic rigor." "I think that sends a very
Martin said the changes didn't strong message to UConn to
come soon enough and have been strengthen their academic
issues longtroublinguniversities requirements and their aca-
in the NCAA. demic support program," Mar-
"I think this is certainly long tin said.
overdue," Martin said. "We have University Regent Andrea
seemed to have a double stan- Fischer Newman (R-Ann
dard for the general student Arbor), a member of the Knight
body and then for scholarship Commission, wrote in an e-mail
athletes." interview that teams should be
While the new policies may qualified both athletically and
hinder certain student-athletes academically to play in post-sea-
from playing, Martin said they're son events.
ultimately in the best interest of "It is a great privilege to
the academic integrity of college compete for a national cham-
sports. pionship," Newman said. "The
"I think kids will come bet- championship slots and the
ter prepared," Martin said. "And financial rewards that accom-
if they're not prepared to meet pany them should be reserved
these standards, they simply for teams that meet minimal aca-
won't be admitted." demic standards."
Martin said Michigan's APR She added that football and
has always been up to par with men's basketball teams across
NCAA standards, though some the country have particularly
teams have more difficulty than low graduation rates compared
others. to other sports, and the reforms
"We have some teams that will improve the academic integ-
graduate 100 percent of the kids, rity of the NCAA as a whole.
and others that don't," Martin "The Knight Commission has
said. commended the NCAA for the
He added that graduation new standards as they empha-
rates can often be skewed when size the 'college' in college
athletes with good grades get sports," Newman said.
drafted into professional teams. Martin also expressed his
According to the NCAA's web- support for conferences adding
site, the average APR for the out-of-pocket costs to scholar-
University's varsity sports teams ships.
for the 2009-2010 academic year "For a lot of kids who come
was about 984, with football rat- to college without family wear-
ing lowest at 928 and men's golf, with-alls, I think it's very appro-
men's gymnastics, women's bas- priate to do it," Martin said.
ketball and both tennis teams He added that the Big Ten
having perfect scores of 1,000 - Conference had already started
constituting 100 percent gradua- discussingthe additionof $2,000
tion among athletes. for out-of-pocket expenses
The University of Connecti- before the Knight Commission
cut's basketball team may be one suggested it. However, Martin
of the first teams to be affected said there are several questions
by the reforms. A UConn official that need to be asked regarding
estimated that the team's APR the out-of-pocket compensation,
for the current academic year like whether it would only apply
is 975. In the past 3 years, the to scholarship athletes. He said
team's rates in the past 3 years, this is a "Title IX issue" since
the team has a two-year com- some scholarship sports are
bined score of 900.5 and a four- exclusively for males or females.
year combined score of 888.5. Title IX is a federal law, which
Both scores are too low to be states that federally funded
eligible for the 2013 basketball teams require equal treatment
tournament. based on gender, including
In the 2012-2013 and 2013- scholarship money.
2014 academic years, teams "That's a significant bottle-
scoring below 900 on their four- neck on this, and I don't know
year APR would be ineligible to how it's going to be resolved,"
play in postseason tournaments Martin said.
unless they had an average APR
of 930 for the two most recent - The Associated Press
years of APR data. By 2014-2015, contributed to this report.
street and sidewalk improve-
ments - that are important
to her and would affect her c
life.
"I guess I feel like a civic
duty to go vote whenever W
there's an Election Day, even 3.5
if I don't necessarily know
all the candidates," Lang- W
horst said.."I try to find out 9.
as much as I can beforehand WA
and go make an informed 1.8
decision."
While precinct chairs on WA
campus said they attempted 6.!
to speculate why students
don't vote, they could not WA
come up with a concrete 6.5
answer.
"I'm not sure if they just
don't know about (the elections)
... (or) if it's an issue of them being
registered where they are from,"
Zellner said. "I have not had any-
body here to actually ask them."
Despite the low voter turnout
among students, precinct chairs
said they are still motivated to
work at the polls on Election Day.
John Yodhes, chair of Pre-
cincts 3-1 and 3-2 at the Michigan
League, is a former teacher.
VOTER TURNOUT
orparing election turnout by ward at 14
Ann Arbor precints near campus
ARD 1 (Precints 1-7)
, percent voter turnout
ARD 2 (Precints 1-4)
7 percent voter turnout
ARD 3 (Precints 1 and 2)
percent voter turnout
ARD 4 (Precints 1-4 and 8)
S percent voter turnout
ARD 5 (Precint 1)
S percent voter turnout
"So I feel it's kind of a civic
responsibility," he said.
LSA and Engineering senior
Daniel Smolkin said he does
not believe people should feel
required to vote.
"I don't think it's really a duty
for students here to vote here ...
It's their choice," Smolkin said.
- Daily Staff Reporter Jennifer
Lee contributed to this report.
topic.
OnOct. 3,theGraduate Employ-
ees' Organization sent MERC its
official position supporting that
GSRAs are employees. On Nov. 4,
the University submitted a clarifi-
cation document to MERC point-
ing out the University's Board of
Regents voted 6-2 on May 19to
classify GSRAs as University
employees. At the same meeting
University President Mary Sue
Coleman expressed her disagree-
ment with the regents on the issue.
The majority of University
deans are also against classify-
ing GSRAs as employees, and 18
current and former deans from
19 of the University's schools and
colleges wrote a letter to Univer-
sity Provost Philip Hanlon in June
expressing this view.
Caren Weinhouse, GSRA com-
munications chair of GEO, said
GSRAs swear a loyalty oath to
the University, receive W-2 forms
and are eligible for medical leave
under the Family and Medical
Leave Act, similar to all other
University employees. Wein-
house said MERC should consider
GSRAs as employees because of
these similarities, and GSRAs'
roles have changed dramatically
since the 1981 precedent MERC
used to make its previous decision.
Weinhouse and other GEO
representatives traveled to Lan-
sing yesterday morning to attend
MERC's meeting. Weinhouse said
she and others involved in the
campaign supporting GSRAs as
employees are excited to have the
chance to prove that GSRAs are
employees and not students.
"The campaign is very pleased
that (MERC) is reconsidering
their August decision, and we
hope that that reconsideration
will be expeditious as the timely
process is clearly a part of democ-
racy," Weinhouse said.
The Michigan Student Assem-
bly formally expressed its opin-
ion on the matter at its meeting
last night. MSA's legislative body
passed a resolution with a 16-3
vote supporting GSRAs' right to
vote on whether or not to union-
ize. Four MSA representatives
who were present at the meeting
abstained from the vote.
MSA President DeAndree Wat-
son said the resolution supports
the right GSRAs have to vote to
unionize. However, he said the
Rackham Student Government is
better suited to judge whether or
not GSRAs should actually union-
ize because it is an issue that most-
ly affects their constituents.
"I'm sensitive to the concerns
that were raised by ... one of the
students opposed to the union-
ization itself," Watson said. "But,
again, I think the resolution itself
is narrowly tailored (to only sup-
port the right to vote)."
However, not all GSRAs are
in favor of unionization. GSRA
Stephen Raiman, a representa-
tive from Students Against GSRA
Unionization, which has 371 mem-
bers, was present at last night's
BENEFITS
From Page 1A
bills, said he expects the Uni-
versity will take legal measures
against the bills ifthey pass.
"The first negative impact (if
the bills pass) is goingto be some
expensive lawsuits and a lot of
public money wasted on lawyers
on both sides of that issue," Irwin
said.
If the bills pass in the state
Senate and Republican Gov. Rick
Snyder signs them into law, Den-
nis's partner, Jim Etzkorn, will
lose his health benefits that he
receives as Dennis's dependent.
After working at the Univer-
sity's Counseling and Psychologi-
cal Services from 1994 to 2002,
Etzkorn started his a psychother-
apy practice in 2003 and doesn't
have his own health insurance
plan. Etzkorn and Dennis esti-
mate that it would cost Etzkorn
a third of his annual income to
afford health insurance.
"He's the kind of person we do
not want to drive away from the
state. I can say that as a native
Michigander," Dennis said. "He's
the kind of person we want to
attract here."
Thirty years ago, Andries
Coetzee, associate professor in
the University's Department of
Linguistics, came to the United
States from South Africa. Though
he has been working at the Uni-
versity for seven years, he has
been looking for a new place to
move to out of state in case the
bills are signed into law.
"I'm at the moment applying
for other positions," Coetzee said,
adding that his opportunities are
limited due to his narrow field.
Like Dennis, Coetzee's part-
ner would lose health coverage
should the bills pass. However,
Coetzee's partner is currently in
remission from soft tissue sar-
coma. Therefore, obtaining inde-
pendent insurance would be even
more difficult.
To advocate against the bills,
Dennis and six other University
faculty members wrote a letter to
Snyder, which was delivered on
Oct. 28. They have not yet heard
back. In the letter,-the faculty
members argued that the bills are
unconstitutional.
"(The faculty who wrote the
letter) believe it's unconstitu-
tional because the constitution of
the state of Michigan grants the
University rights to determine
... who works for them and what
their compensation will be," Den-
nis said. "Clearly, benefits offered
through employment are part of
compensation."
Irwin echoed these senti-
ments, saying he believes the
University will choose to con-
tinue funding health benefits to
domestic partners.
"I think in the end, the Univer-
sity is going to be able to protect
their constitutional authority
to continue compensating their
employees as they see fit," Irwin
said.
Dennis and Coetzee believe
the bills will have an impact on
the University's ability to hire and
retain employees should they pass.
"There are faculty who aren't
LGBT at all themselves, but
they want ... an employer that
they consider to be humane and
accepting of all people," Dennis
said. "People like to feel good
about who their employer is and
the values their employer sup-
ports."
meeting in an attempt to con-
vince MSA representatives to
vote against the resolution.
"We believe our research and
our lives as students are between
ourselves and our departments
and our advisors," Raiman said in
an interview after the vote. "We
don't believe that a third party
should be interfering in that."
At MSA's Oct. 26 meeting,
Raiman made his case why
GSRAs shouldn't be considered
employees. Because GSRAs get
paid for the research they do in
their degree-specific fields, their
academic and research pursuits
are intrinsically linked, he said at
the meeting.
In an interview last night,
Raiman added that he thinks
the MSA representatives were
too caught up in whether they
were pro-union or anti-union and
that representatives were voting
based on their preconceived ideas
about general unions rather than
the specific issue.
"We're not an anti-union
group, we are anti-GSRA union-
ization," Raiman said.
He said in the wake of the MSA
vote, his group will continue its
publicity campaign to prevent a
vote on unionization.
Meanwhile, Rackham student
Alix Gould-Werth, a GEO mem-
ber, said she is happy with the
resolution. She said she is sup-
portive of GSRA unionization
because she was previously a
GSRA but is now a graduate stu-
dent instructor. Gould-Wert said
since she experienced the ben-
efits of unionization, she would
like to see GSRAs represented in
the same way as GSIs, who are
represented by GEO.
"I think it's really helpful to
GSRAs, who may be nervous
about expressing their opinions,
to see that their student gov-
ernment stands behind them,"
Gould-Werth said.
- Meredith Reid
contributed to this report.
A