The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Tuesday, December 6, 2011 - 5 Coleman talks to faculty body about state funding Fr TERRA MOLENGRAFF/Daly Ann Arbor Mayor John Hieftje organizes the agenda before the City Council meeting yesterday at City Hall. CITY COUNCIL From Page 1 view, University spokeswoman Kelly Cunningham wrote that the University would assess these guidelines in an effort to improve diversity on campus. "The University continues its longstanding commitment to pro- moting the educational benefits of diversity, and will carefully review the guidance to see if it offers any additional ideas that would enable the University to promote those educational ben- efits in a manner consistent with Proposal 2," Cunningham wrote. University Law School Prof. Mark Rosenbaum, who is also a lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union, said he believes it is unlikely the University will implement the new guidelines. One reason, he said, was that evidence has shown that when BOWL From Page 1 ing into whether students will be excused from the first day of classes ven, Wednesday, Jan. 4 for the game. Depending on the class and under typical circum- stances, if students do not attend the first two days of instruction, they can be dropped from the course roster. In an e-mail interview yes- terday, LSA senior Jessica Kraft wrote that she is concerned about missing the first day of classes, but plans on e-mailing her pro- fessors to ask to be excused since she is going to the game. She added that she believes the ben- efits of attending the Sugar Bowl outweigh the risks of missing the first day of winter semester. "One of my classes is full, so I hope that it will not mean that I will be dropped for not attend- ing the first day," Kraft said. "At the end of the day, however, I've accepted that these are memo- ries that I will have forever, and ones that I would not want to give up." Kraft wrote that she plans to ASSAULT From Page 1 Brown said both DPS and Housing Security officers will continue to be "vigilant" when patrolling the area. However, LSA freshman Alim Leung, a Baits I resident, said she is concerned DPS officers do not sufficiently patrol the residence hall. "Definitely there could be more DPS around here," Leung said. "... I'm here late, and I see one police officer every few hours." admissions decisions are made based on economic class, as sug- gested in Obama's criteria, insti- tutions do not achieve the same level of diversity they would have if they had selected students based on race. "It won't even be close," Rosen- baum said. "... The goal of a genu- inely diverse student body is to look for all the factors - all the different identities that different students could bring to a univer- sity campus. And the experience of (economic) class is not the same as the experience of race." Since Proposal 2 became a state constitutional amendment in 2006 - by a vote that Washing- ton noted was divided along racial lines - the number of underrep- resented minority students at the University has declined every year barring only last year, when the percentage stood at 10.6, in an increase from the 9.1 percent in the 2009-2010 freshman class. drive to the game in New Orleans because flights are too expen- sive. After the 8:30 p.m. game, she and her roommate will spend the night in the Big Easy rather than drive home Wednesday night. "It doesn't seem fair for stu- dents to be punished for sup- porting our team because due to circumstances beyond our con- trol, our bowl is a night game the day before the first day of class- es," Kraft said. "The University should recognize the fact that kickoff of the Sugar Bowl is only 12 hours before classes start for winter semester." LSA senior Joey Bergren said he purchased Sugar Bowl tickets on the assumption that his instructors would excuse him from the first day of class. Bergren said Wednesday is his busiest day next semester, so he hopes his professors will under- stand the scheduling conflict. "I'm (leaning) on the fact that teachers will be a little more lenient," Bergren said. "It's a school-wide thing, it's not like a certain group of people. We're all part of this University; it's our team that's going. I would LSA freshman Ryan Rich- mond, also a resident of Baits I, said it is disconcerting that the incident occurred in his residence hall. "It's a little scary that there's somebody out there that would do that," Richmond said. Richmond added that he is confused as to why DPS officers are unable to find the suspect of the sexual assault considering he is an "acquaintance" of the survi- vor. LSA junior Breanna Couturi- er, another Baits I resident, said she was surprised by the incident Last year, however, also marked the first time new Higher Educa- tion Opportunity Act guidelines were implemented for students' reporting their ethnicities. Washington said the guide- lines released last week could increase the enrollment of under- represented minority students if the University chooses to imple- ment the federal measures. "I think it's going to mitigate the effect, but it's not going to get to the same outcomes," Washing- ton said. "It is not a substitute for race." But Washington said he would embrace any effect the guidelines have on University policies, no matter how small. "I welcome any attempt to get a more diverse student body - it's what a university education should be about," Washington said. "But nobody should think for a moment that it's going to replace or supplant Prop. 2." SACUA members pass resolution in response to Penn State scandal By MARY HANNAHAN Daily StaffReporter In a meeting with the leading faculty governance body, Univer- sity President Mary Sue Coleman responded to questions about state funding and future fresh- man class sizes. The faculty also passed resolutions responding to student protests at California universities and a resolution con- cerning the Penn State sex abuse scandal. Coleman said to members of the Senate Advisory Com- mittee on University Affairs yesterday that the University currently receives 30 percent less state funding than when she assumed office in 2002. But in the face of the reduced funding, Coleman said faculty and admin- istration have done a "great job" cutting costs and increas- ing efficiency without harming interaction between faculty and students. Coleman said state funding is crucial to maintaining the Uni- versity's level of academic excel- lence. 15-percent was cut from the 2012 fiscalyear budget, which totals $5.77billion. "I am hopeful the governor will have a budget that realizes the need to invest ... in higher education," she said. Coleman acknowledged that NCRC From Page 1 sities, government workers and industryexecutives to improve the state of American manufac- turing. One of the partnership's mis- sions is to identify high-impact technologies to help the U.S. increase its level of global com- petitiveness. Jack Hu, associate dean in the College of Engineer- ing and a professor of manu- facturing technology, wrote in an e-mail interview that the technologies are versatile and of great economic benefit to manu- facturing companies and the U.S. economy. "These technologies are ones that can be used by sev- eral industries, that may have profound impact on energy effi- ciency, jobs and the overall U.S. economic competitiveness," Hu wrote. COLEMAN From Page 1 mostly business-related, and she will be speaking with vari- ous donors. "For me it's a development opportunity, and I get ,to talk to people who are donors to the University," Coleman said. Turning the discussion in a different direction, LSA junior Amanda Orley asked Cole- man how administrators plan to keep University graduates working in Michigan. Coleman urged students to consider staying in the state before looking elsewhere for jobs. To encourage the rever- sal of what is known as the brain drain, Coleman said she asks Michigan businesses to offer internships for students and added that her involve- ment with Business Leaders for Michigan - an organiza- tion working to make Michigan a top state for business - has students are concerned about the high cost of a college education, but said she believes a college education is essential to maintain a high quality oflife. She also said it gives students the opportunity to grow in various ways. "Students come out of here very different than when they came in," she said. "We give them the tools to have great lives." SACUA member Ed Roth- man, a professor of statistics, asked Coleman why the Univer- sity doesn't increase the size of incoming classes, saying that he believes it would provide more people with a quality education and create greater revenue for the University. Before increasing the sizes of incoming freshman classes, Coleman said the administration would need to figure out how to more efficiently use space in classrooms and residential build- ings. SACUA PASSES RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF PEACEFUL PROTESTS Earlier in the meeting, SACUA members passed a resolution demonstrating their support for the peaceful protesters at the University of California, Berkeley and the University of California, Davis who made headlines last month. The resolution called upon University of California administrators to refrain from using police force against stu- dents. On Nov. 18, police officers at UC Davis pepper-sprayed stu- dents peacefully protesting by In May, the AMP will release information about the high- impact technology includ- ing which innovations should receive a greater amount of fed- eral funding., Earlier this year, Obama chose University President Mary Sue Coleman and Hu to head the partnership's Shared Facilities and Infrastructure workstream, which is based at the University and aims to expedite the improvement of manufacturing technologies. The all-day event next Mon- day will include tours of the University's manufacturing and robotics labs, a panel discus- sion and meetings for each of the four AMP workstreams - Technology Development, Pol- icy, Education and Workforce Development and Shared Facili- ties and Infrastructure. Hu wrote that the goal of the meeting is to gather input from manufacturing profes- been helpful on this front. Engineering senior Scott Wilson asked Coleman and Harper about public trans- portation and ways to link the Ann Arbor campus to Detroit. As examples of the connec- tion between the two, Harper mentioned the Ginsberg Cen- ter, which provides commu- nity service opportunities in the city including Alternative Weekends and Alternative Spring Breaks, the Detroit Part- nership - an organization that creates volunteer opportunities for students in Detroit - and the University's America Reads Tutoring Corps, a program in which University students help local elementary school chil- dren with their reading skills. "It's important that we travel abroad and to be out and about in the world, but we really could make- a commitment to something much more local," Harper said. Wilson also brought up his concern that North and Central sitting on the ground. Earlier in November, protestors at UC Berkeley were assaulted by cam- pus police during a peaceful pr- test. The SACUA resolution states that if similar incidents occur at other universities in the future, the administrations of these schools should engage in a dia- logue with the protesters and lis- ten to their concerns. SACUA MEMBERS RESPOND TO PENN STATE SCANDAL SACUA members passed an additional resolution in response to the sexual abuse scandal at Pennsylvania State University. The resolution provides sugges- tions about how to prevent simi- lar scandals at the University of Michigan and stresses that each individual, whether a victim or a witness, is responsible for report- ing criminal behavior. Coleman said she has been actively working with the Office of General Counsel to enhance the sense of personal respon- sibility in reporting crimes on campus. She said the scandal at Penn State, in which former football coach Jerry Sandusky is accused of sexually abus- ing young boys, has increased awareness of crime reporting and hopes it is an opportunity to make improvements at the Uni- versity. "Out of something bad that happened, I hope there's some good thatcomes -thatitwillcre- ate an opportunity to talk about these issues," Coleman said. sionals and the general public to improve the U.S. manufacturing industry and prevent operations from moving abroad. "The United States is still the biggest manufacturer in the world," Hu wrote. "But the manufacturing sector lost sev- eral million jobs during the last decade due to improvement in manufacturing efficiency as well as outsourcing. When manufacturing goes offshore, research and development activities are likely to follow." However, Hu wrote that he believes the U.S. should contin- ue investing in manufacturing in order to increase employ- ment opportunities, spur the economy and ensure national security. Speakers at the event will include representatives from the U.S. Department of Defense and industry leaders from busi- nesses such as Ford Motor Com- pany and Dow Chemical. campuses aren't as connected as they could be. Coleman said improving transit between the two cam- puses is an important way the University tries to make North Campus more accessible for all students. "We'd love to have a mono- rail," Coleman added with a chuckle. Harper said she frequently rides the buses to and from North Campus to get the stu- dent perspective, but she said it is a "real struggle" to make the campus more appealing. The North Campus Initiative is one attempt to do so. In an interview after the event, Coleman said almost every student who comes to her monthly fireside chats has a chance to ask questions and provides valuable input. "One of the things I love about Michigan students is they're not shy about telling me what they think," Coleman said. assume tnat tney wouiau oe lenient towards that." Like many other students who won't be back for the first day of class on Jan. 4, LSA senior Maura Beyer wrote in an e-mail interview that she won't be back in Ann Arbor until Jan. 5. "I am not really concerned about it, and I guess I'll have to deal with that issue in January if it does arise," Beyer wrote. The deadline to purchase tick- ets in the student section at the Superdome is Thursday. because she thought most major crimes that have been reported have occurred on Central Cam- pus. But Couturier added that because the suspect was a "vis- iting acquaintance," she is not particularly concerned for her safety. "I still feel pretty safe here," Couturier said. "My feeling about the safety might have been differ- ent if it wasn't somebody that she personally knew that was visiting her." - Daily Staff Reporter Josh Qian contributed to this report. NEED A HOLIDAY GIFT FOR A WOLVERINE FAN? Purchase a poster of the Daily's front page or SportsMonday cover after Michigan's win against Ohio State. $10 PER POSTER SOLD AT THE STUDENT PUBLICATIONS BUILDING LOCATED AT 420 MAYNARD WHAT'S BETTER THAN RATEMYPROFESSORS.COM? www.maizeandbluereview.com VIEW HOW MANY A'S PROFESSORS GIVE AND RESULTS OF COURSE EVALUATIONS. Sponsored by The Michigan Daily A p