The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

Thursday, January 19, 2011 - 5A

The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Thursday, January 19, 2011 -

ADDRESS
From Page 1A
2011, adding that the private sec-
tor created 80,000 jobs last year,
spurring applause from legisla-
tors on both sides of the aisle.
Snyder praised Detroit Three
automakers, claiming they re-
established Detroit as the world's
automobile center since Gen-
eral Motors and Chrysler Group
received government bailouts in
2009.
"The automotive industry has
made a major comeback," Sny-
der said. "Last week, I was at the
North American (International)
Auto Show, and I was proud to
say Detroit is still the undisputed
auto capital of the world."
The governor said gains by
the auto industry prove that the
state's economy is on the rise.
"We're rebuilding Michigan's

image as a great place to do busi-
ness," he said. "We're delivering
on substance now, so it's time to
spread the message."
Snyder subsequently
announced trips to Europe and
Asia this year to bring increased
global business initiatives to the
state.
Still, Snyder cautioned that
the state is lacking in a few key
indicators on his "Michigan
Dashboard" - an index he cre-
ated of the state's performance
in areas such as public safety and
health.
He also touched on education,
noting that while the state has
improved, it is "unacceptable"
that Michigan students proved
to be only 1 percent more college-
ready than they were last year.
"Our children are our future,
and we need to make sure that
they are not just college-ready
but career-ready," he said.

Snyder also announced two
major statewide initiatives dur-
ing his speech. The first, Pure
Michigan Fit, a partnership
between Gerber baby food, the
Michigan Grocers Association
and the Michigan Health and
Hospital Association, aims to
curb childhood obesity.
The second initiative, he said,
is a revamped public transit
system for southeast Michigan
currently in its planning stages.
The city of Detroit, four sur-
rounding countries and the U.S.
Department of Transportation
are participating in the planning
process for a new light rail sys-
tem. He said lack of an efficient
transit system in the region has
been a "persistent problem" and
is "40 years overdue."
Snyder also used his speech
to speak more broadly on last
year's political shortcomings.
He highlighted the State Sen-

ate's failure to pass a proposal to
build a bridge from Michigan to
Canada.
"It's not a bridge issue, it's a
jobs issue," Snyder said. "Let's
not let special interests hold
back a great opportunity for job
creation, especially since this
project can be done without any
Michigan taxpayer dollars."
Despite the progress he's wit-
nessed in the state over the past
year, Snyder said Michigan's
attitude is still not optimis-
tic enough and that it needs a
change of culture.
"Simply put, we must rein-
vent our culture," Snyder said.
"We are still too negative, too
divisive, and too many believe
the best days are behind us. We
need to be positive, inclusive and
confident that Michigan holds a
bright future for our children
and their children."
In an interview after the

speech, state Rep. Mark Ouimet
(R-Scio Township) said Snyder's
speech addressed the issues that
state leaders and citizens should
anticipate this year.
Ouimet pointed in particu-
lar to the growth of the state's
budget surplus and the south-
east Michigan rail system as
two important elements of the
address.
"We all understand, to have
a strong Detroit metropolitan
area, you've got to have mass
transit," Ouimet said.
State Rep. Jeff Irwin (D-Ann
Arbor) said he was "disappoint-
ed" by the address, calling Sny-
der's assessments "babble."
Irwin said though the gover-
nor appeared to show concern
about the future of education
in the state, Snyder's actions -
referring to cuts to the state's
education appropriations - have
proven otherwise.

"Out of one side of his mouth,
he's saying, 'We need to do bet-
ter with our schools, and I don't
know why my dashboard is say-
ing that our schools are fail-
ing but we need to reverse this
trend,"' Irwin said. "And then
with his hands, he's signing bud-
gets that eviscerate the educa-
tion budget and he is wondering
why we're failing."
Cynthia Wilbanks, the Uni-
versity's vice president for
government relations, said in
a statement that she would be
examining next year's budget
for higher education appropria-
tions carefully, which Snyder is
expected to unveil in early Feb-
ruary.
"At the University of Michi-
gan we'll be looking forward to
more specific proposals for high-
er education, which will likely
come in the governor's budget
message," Wilbanks said.


AUTO SHOW
From Page 1A
helps the companies, it helps
the students that work with the
companies, so it's a win-win rela-
tionship."
Hausman said that the solar
car exhibit draws a variety of
' people each year, ranging from
curious onlookers to industry
executives eager to investigate
the up and coming technology.
"Everybody wants to know
or likes to see where the auto
industry is heading, like the new
technologies incorporated into
our vehicle," Hausman said, add-
ing that corporate sponsors also
appreciate the chance to have
their brands displayed on the car
at the exhibit.
Sakti3, a company founded by
Enginnering Prof. Ann Marie
Sastry, is also present at the show,
showcasing its advanced bat-
tery technology. Sastry wrote in
an email that her company was
primarily involved with GM in
designing the next generation of
batteries.
"We partnered early with the
automakers - well before bat-
teries were really a part of the
conversation at the Auto Show,"
Sastry wrote. "Now, it's becom-
ing clear that there is a potential
to avoid execution of two infra-
structures - one for grid power,
and a liquid fuel (gasoline) infra-
structure for transportation - if
we can improve energy density in
batteries."
Edward Krause, external alli-
GSRA
From Page 1A
"I don't think the union would
have stood for it," Dibbern said.
"I think my story again is just a
really clear reason why we need
a union as (GS)RAs."
Dibbern said she has "tried
and exhausted all options" to
resolve this issue with the Uni-
versity.
"I have spoken with my advis-
er, with my department, the Col-
lege of Engineering, Rackham
* graduate school, with academic
human resources," Dibbern
said. "Not one of these avenues
has been helpful."
Dibbern was pursuing a doc-
torate degree in materials sci-
ence and engineering, but can
no longer pursue a degree in the
department. She said she is now
taking classes that are unrelated
W to her former program.
University Spokesman Rick
Fitzgerald said in a statement
yesterday that ultimately, the
University was correct in dis-
missing Dibbern.
"The University does not con-
done threats or intimidation of,
or retaliation against, graduate
students for union activity or any
other reason," Fitzgerald wrote.
"The University has reviewed
this matter and believes that our
faculty made appropriate aca-
demic decisions."
In an interview after the
press conference, Fitzgerald said
* the termination is an academic
issue, and therefore, under fed-

ances manager at Ford, said the
automaker's partnerships with
the University have yielded valu-
able information for the company
over the years. He said while Ford
has a long history with the Uni-
versity - including donating the
land that now houses the Uni-
versity's Dearborn campus - the
relationship was officially for-
malized in May 2006.
Since 2006, Krause said the
University has helped the com-
pany in a variety of ways, from
testingtires to creating new algo-
rithms for fuel efficiency and roll
stability control. He added that
Ford has also partnered with
non-engineering departments
at the University, like the School
of Natural Resources and Envi-
ronment to determine how Ford
could enter the developing mar-
ket of "megacities" like Shanghai
or Mumbai, where streets are
over-congested and automobile
transportation isn't effective.
Ford has also worked with the
Ross School of Business to deter-
mine the market conditions in
which consumers will be more
willingto purchase smaller, more
fuel-efficient cars.
Ford's interactive interface,
SYNC, which allows drivers to
dial a cell phone by voice acti-
vation, was partially derived
from safety data collected by
the University's Transporta-
tion Research Institute, Krause
added.
"There was a lot of concern
initially that any involvement on
the phone was a big distraction,"
Krause said. "The distraction
eral law, its specific details can-
not be discussed.
Montgomery said she was dis-
appointed by the way the Uni-
versity handled the incident.
"(Dibbern's firing is) an
injustice so vile that it remains
unparalleled in our 40-year-long
history," Montgomery said. "The
way she has been treated by her
supervisor and the administra-
tion of this university is insult-
ing to the very core of GEO and
to the rights of workers every-
where ... that's not right."
Montgomery added that Dib-
bern's firing is not an isolated
incident, and has occurred vari-
ous times in the past.
"There have been countless
cases of intimidation, including
closed-door meetings with grad-
uate student research assistants,
veiled threats from faculty and
an increasingly hostile work-
place for union activists," Mont-
gomery said.
Montgomery said the GEO,
in its talks with University offi-
cials, presented a list of require-
ments for the University to adopt
in response to this incident,
including "financial and aca-
demic security (for Dibbern),
formal apology and also the
guarantee that this would never
happen again"
While addressing the crowd,
Moore, a GSRA in electrical
engineering and computer sci-
ence, said Dibbern's future has
been threatened by the action
taken by her professor.
"(She) devoted years to build-
ing a foundation of a career

is not talking. It's looking away
from the road and trying to punch
the tiny buttons on the telephone
(the University's) independent
data showed that."
Krause added that the infor-
mation collected by the Univer-
sity helped justify the need for
hands-free dialing and phone use
to be included in the SYNC sys-
tem, which is available in many
of the cars on display at the show.
Ed Borbely, director of the
University's Center for Profes-
sional Development and a former
representative of the University
at NAIAS, said the University's
partnerships with the major
automakers vary, but cited GM
and Ford as the strongest, as the
University's partnership with
Chrysler focuses on post-gradu-
ate education for its employees.
"One thing is very clear ... we
are proud of the role that we've
played in helping the automotive
industry through some tough
times," Borbely said.
John DeCicco, a professor of
natural resources and environ-
ment, said the work being done
at the University was very basic
and not geared toward producing
a specific product. However, he
said that the University's initia-
tives are fundamental in the cre-
ation of future technologies.
"A lot of the work done here
provides a foundation that gets
picked up and developed in a
product engineering sense by
car companies and suppliers,"
DeCicco said. "The University is
the beginning of the innovation
pipeline."
which is nowinjeopardybecause
she was subject to the whims of a
single supervisor, unaccountable
to any fair procedures of work
evaluation," Moore said.
In a public statement, Stu-
dents Against GSRA Unioniza-
tion President Stephen Raiman
said that despite his group's
views, students should be free
to support unionization without
fear of retaliation.
"While we believe that union-
ization is wrong for GSRAs, no
student should face academic
consequences for holding the
opposite view," Raiman wrote.
Raiman added, however, that
this incident should not be used
to bolster the argument for
unionization.
"We believe that exploiting
this unfortunate event for pub-
licity is not in the best interests
of either party," Raiman wrote.
Several local organizations
and unions attended in support
of GEO and the ability of GSRA's
to unionize. Matt Schroeder,
president of the Firefighters'
Union IAFF Local 693, said he
came to support the GEO in its
mission to allow GSRA the right
to form a union.
"They're fellow union mem-
bers," Schroder said. "They cer-
tainly have the right to organize
and, in our opinion, we would
want to see that."
The Michigan Employment
Relations Commission will
hold a hearing next month to
determine if GSRAs are public
employees, which would allow
them the right to unionize.

EXPO
From Page 1A
University.
"We've actually got a number
of interns that are still students
that we've hired in the past, so
we have people represent us that
have been through our summer
internship programs." Burke said.
"We know it's been effective."
LSA senior Allison Kapsner
said she attended the expo in
hopes of speaking to companies
in public policy areas, specifically
ICF International, Capital One
and Cigna.
"I think it's a good way to find
new interest areas and apply to
places that I maybe wouldn't have

considered before," Kapsner said.
Kapsner added that ideally, she
would like to work as a political
consultant in Washington, D.C.
"The career expo can provide
the resources for me to find dif-
ferent jobs that fit that wish list,"
Kapsner said.
Ross Macherzak, an LSA junior
who attended his second Univer-
sity career expo yesterday, said
the expo is a great resource for
networking for students.
"I think it's a great way to get
your name out there (and) expe-
rience what the recruiters are
looking for and real-world experi-
ence." Macherzak said. "And it's
a great way to look for an intern-
ship, too."
Rackham student Shuo Li,

who said she has obtained several
interviews through career expos
in the past, said the career fairs
provide students with resources
and opportunities to speak with
recruiters from around the nation
and learn more about available
positions.
Li said she connected with six
companies during the expo, add-
ing that attending the events in
the past helped her learn how to
identify with the recruiters.
"(After) participating in sev-
eral career fairs, I feel that I have
already accumulated some expe-
rience," Li said. "For example, I
went to talk with the -recruiters
and I saw how to connect with
them quickly and review reports
and show my advantages."

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WHAT DO
IHODES/MARSHALUMITCHELL
SCHOLARS
DO AFTER THEIR STUDIES
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Come to a Rhodes/Marshall/Mitchell Orientation Session:
Monday, January 23, 2012 * 5:00-6:00pm
Henderson Room, Michigan League, 3rd Floor
Thursday, January 26, 2012 . 5:00-6:00pm
Anderson Room ABC, Michigan Union, 1st Floor
Tuesday, January 31, 2012 . 5:00-6:00pm
Pierpont Commons, East Room
SPECIAL SESSION:
How to Write a Rhodes, Marshall, or Mitchell Essay
Thursday, March 1, 2012 . 5:00-6:00pm
Vandenberg Room, Michigan League, 2nd Floor
To learn more, please contact the Provost's Council on Student Honors at
734-763-8123 or visit the website at
www.provost.umich.edu/scholars/

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