s tc4,pan4,1)atIm ()N E-I UNREI )IIII)-TWENTY-TWO YEARS OF EDITORIAL1 REEDLOM Wednesday, November 16, 2011 Ann Arbor, michigandaily.com .... ...0 _, .. ........ j . ..... . STATE LEGISLATION 'U' opposes elimination of partner benefits bill MARLENE LACASSE/Daily Maureen Taylor, state chair of the Michigan Welfare Rights Organization, speaks at an Occupy Ann Arbor event in the Michigan League yesterday. Economy labor experts discuss Occu A2 movement at forum Inletter to Senate, Coleman, Hanlon decry bills that rid health benefits By RAYZA GOLDSMITH Daily Staff Reporter In defense of employees with same-sex partners, Uni- versity officials are fighting against potential state legis- lation that would eliminate domestic partner benefits. University President Mary Sue Coleman and University Provost Philip Hanlon sent a letter to Michigan state sena- tors on Nov. 8 that expresses their opposition to House Bills 4770 and 4771, which would prohibit the University and other public entities in the state from offering benefits to domestic partners. House Bill 4770 passed in the state House of Representatives on Sept. 15, but is currently latent pending a vote on House Bill 4771 in the Senate. "There is no evidence (elim- inating benefits) will reduce health care costs," Coleman and Hanlon wrote. If passed by the state Sen- ate, same-sex partners of pub- lic employees would lose their health insurance and, accord- ing to Coleman and Hanlon, the bill would hinder the University's ability to recruit talented faculty members. Coleman and- Hanlon wrote in the letter addressed to state Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville (R-Monroe) that if the University can't offer benefits to domestic partners it would have a hiring disad- vantage compared to institu- tions in other states. "Fortune 500 companies nationwide and in the state of Michigan offer partner ben- efits: It is simply good business that produces an excellent return on investment," Cole- man and Hanlon wrote in the letter. The University provided domestic partner benefits to 570 qualified adults and 48 dependent children this year. On average, the cost of the ben- efits is $3,072 per person and 0.7 percent of the University's total See BENEFITS, Page 2A Panel organized by Washtenaw Community Action Team By ANDREW SCHULMAN Daily Staff Reporter Maureen Taylor, state chair of the Michigan Welfare Rights Organization, unwittingly boarded a train a few weeks ago to Oakland, Calif. from San Francisco and stumbled upon the city's Occupy encampment. The protesters were, at the time, striving to shut down the port of Oakland, and as Taylor arrived and watched them the next four hours, they succeeded. At a Social Forum on Rebuild- ing Working People's Power - a panel discussion organized by the Washtenaw Community Action Team - Taylor spoke last night about rising unemployment, the decline of the manufacturing sec- tor and the state's cutting of wel- fare beiefits.. Taylor lauded the Occupy movement as one that has suc- ceeded in being accessible to aver- age people. She said corporations and the rich have benefitted from the financial crisis at the expense of the working class. "This is going to require a change in philosophy, and that's why Occupy is so doggone impressive," Taylor said. "Occupy doesn't have any rules. They've got a vision, and the vision is that we have to do something about corporategreed.". Taylor was joined by fellow panelists Jane Slaughter, a labor journalist and activist, and Tom Weisskopf, a University professor emeritus of economics. Each pan- elist delivered 15-minute speech- es to a room of about 70 students, Ann Arbor residents, Occupy Ann Arbor members and WCAT orga- nizers. Weisskopf discussed the eco- nomic origin of the financial cri- See OCCUPY, Page 2A STUDENT GOVERNMENT ELECTIONS High candidate interest in DPS Oversight Committee DEFENDING THE UNDOCUMENTED S_ Xo Iie Six students plus write-ins running for two open seats on committee By YOUNJOO SANG Daily Staff Reporter Despite a lack of student interest in the past, six students and an unknown number of write-in candidates are vying for a seat on the University's Department of Public Safety Oversight Committee. In this week's Michigan Stu- dent Assembly election, the candidates are running for two student seats on the DPS Over- sight Committee, an advisory group comprised of two faculty members, two staff members and two students who are in charge of making recommen- dations to University officials about grievances filed against DPS officers. The election began yesterday and ends tomorrow at 11:59 p.m. Only one student, LSA senior Ellen Steele, ran for the posi- tion in the winter election. She and LSA senior Michael Pry, a write-in candidate in the win- ter election, currently hold the positions. Neither Steele nor Pry are running for their posi- tions again. In order for the committee to operate accord- ing to state law, at least two new student members will need to be See COMMITTEE, Page 3A LSA-SG expects large voter turnout with candidate pool Students raise awareness about immigration policy during a demonstration on the Diag yesterday. GREENING THE 'U' Competition challenges residence halls to reduce energy consumption Candidates plan to host town hall meetings By ALYSSA ADLER Daily StaffReporter With elections starting today, 16 students are campaigning in hopes of securing 10 of the open representative seats in LSA Stu- dent Government. LSA-SG President Anne Laverty wrote in an e-mail interview that this semester's candidate pool is a diverse group reflecting a variety of backgrounds and perspectives. The candidates, who range from freshmen to seniors, are focused on different issues in. the areas of academics and stu- dent life, according to Laverty. "The candidates have a vari- ety of experience on LSA-SG, which only enhances the elec- tion process because this allows for a greater array of platforms and perspectives," Laverty wrote. "I am enthusiastic to see such variety and know that any of these candidates have the capacity and passion to affect change on this campus." LSA sophomore Gabrielle Trupp, who is running for a rep- See LSA-SG, Page 3A Nine residence halls competing in 'Kill-A-Watt' By KATIE BURKE Daily StaffReporter Residence halls across cam- pus have a new source of rivalry aside from location and dining hall quality: energy consumption reduction. In a new student-run compe- tition, Kill-A-Watt, nine campus residence halls are competing against each other to have the largest reduction in energy con- sumption between Oct. 19 and Nov. 18. The participating resi- dence halls are Bursley, Fletcher, Helen Newberry, Martha Cook, Betsey Barbour, and North, South, East and West Quads. At the end of the competition, the University Energy Management Team will measure the percent- age of energy reduced in the nine halls to determine the winner. Residents of the winning hall will also have the opportunity to enter an essay-writing contest about their participation in the contest. The winning essayist See COMPETITION, Page 3A WEATHER 0" HI40 GOT A NEWS TIP? NEW ON MICHIGANDAILYCOM TOMORROW L: 30 Call 734-418-4115 or e-mail Coleman responds to Penn State scandal news@michigandaily.com and let us know. MICHIGANDAILY.COM/BLOGS/THE WIRE INDEX AP NEWS ...............3A SPORTS ................5A Vol. CXXII, No.50 NEWS ....................3A A RTS....................7A 020t1TheMichiganDaily OPINION...........4A THE STATEMENT..........1B michigandaily.com 1 4 A