SUNDANCE CELEBRATED ICE IN THE DESERT Premieringfm a Good Time, Call .Luke Moffatt's trail from Arizona to ws met by an enthusiastic crowd. college hockey was far from standard. PAGE 5A INSIDE U iie A*}_. 'icJt~ . .y* dF9d..1 , .. . .i 1an,k\..J40a C~I'iIO j Ann Arbor, Michigan Monday, January 30, 2012 michigandaily.com New ed. policies cause doubts 0 Officials, experts worry federal gov't could overstep role By JOSEPH LICHTERMAN Editor in Chief Though President Barack Obama's remarks Friday morning were met with unbridled enthusiasm from a majority of the 4,000 people who packed Al Glick Field House to see him, the higher education policies he unveiled in the speech faced scrutiny and trepidation from higher educa- tion leaders and experts. During his address, the president unveiled a handful of policies aimed at making college more affordable. These projects include an expan- sion of federal aid to universities that would be tied to tuition costs, a Race to the Top competition for states to earn federal dollars and a higher education report card that would require universities to release more information about their financial aid offerings. Several public university presi- dents across the country, includ- ing University President Mary Sue Coleman, expressed concern that the Obama administration was tying federal aid to tuition levels as states continue to cut higher educa- tion appropriations, creating budget shortfalls for many public institu- tions. After Obama's speech, Coleman said she supported the president's See DOUBTS, Page 3A ALDEN REISS/Daily President Barack Obama address a crowd of 4,000 at Al Glick Field House on Friday. Obama advocates for financial aid reform Opinion on pres. varies greatly Outside event, protesters rally for several issues By HALEY GOLDBERG and AUSTEN HUFFORD Daily News Editor and For the Daily Despite the 20 degree weather, members of the University com- munity, Ann Arbor and Michigan residents joined the capacity crowd of 4,000 people that slowly passed through security and filed into Al Glick Field House early Friday morning to hear President Barack Obama present his plan for financial aid reform. Attendees expressed a variety of perceptions about his address and the president's overall perfor- mance as a leader thus far, some demonstrating strong support, oth- ers expressing feelings of disillu- sion. In addition to the students who waited eagerly outside, clutching tickets they had waited all-night to receive, a group of protesters also formed outside the event, dispelling the president's stance on issues from abortion to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Before the speech, LSA senior Jon Hornstein said he looked forward to hearing Obama's plans for high- er education, particularly since he intends to work in higher education consulting after graduation. After the speech, Hornstein said he felt Obama's address was well delivered. See OPINION, Page 6A 4,000 pack Al Glick Field House on Friday By BETHANY BIRON and JOSEPH LICHTERMAN Managing News Editor and Editor in Chief Speaking before a bleary- eyed capacity crowd of 4,000 who waited in the wee hours of the morning Friday to secure a prime spot, President Barack Obama stressed the importance of higher educa- tion by announcing a handful of new proposals to combat student debt. During his address at Al Glick Field House, the Michi- gan football team's indoor practice facility, Obama unveiled a plan that would allocate $10 billion in federal aid each year to colleges and universities that limit tuition increases. Ann Arbor was Obama's last stop on a three- day, five-state, trip following his State of the Union address on Tuesday. "We are putting colleges on notice - you can't keep - you can't assume that you'll just jack up tuition every single year," Obama said. "If you can't stop tuition from going up, then the funding you get from taxpayers each year will go down." Obama also proposed a $1 billion Race to the Top program that would award funding to states that make an effort to continue to fund higher education and limit tuition hikes. "We're telling the states, if you can find new ways to bring down the cost of col- lege and make it easier for we'll help you do it," Obama said. "We will give you addi- tional federal support if you are doing a good job of mak- ing sure that all of you aren't loaded up with debt when you graduate from college." In an interview with The Michigan Daily, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said the administration is working to make more resources avail- able to students. The presi- See OBAMA, Page 8A FINE ART FOCUS In effort toward sustainability, 'U' constructs LEED buildings Former MAIS employee Pat Smith recieves instruction trom Heather Accurso during an UMMA drawing class. GRADUATE ST UDENT EMPLOYEES Petition drafted to oppose union Newly-opened hospital to be certified By PETER SHAHIN Daily StaffReporter High ceilings, natural light- ing and cork flooring may appear to simply be the trappings of the posh Ross School of Business. However, those pleasing aesthet- ics serve a different purpose - to uphold the University's commit- ment to sustainable building practices. Despite formalizing its com- mitment to Leadership in Ener- gy and Environmental Design only a year ago, the University is home to several LEED certified buildings that are adhering to more environmentally sustain- able practices. The Ross School of Business, the Samuel T. Dana Building and the newly-opened C.S. Mott Children's and Von Voigtlander Women's Hospital are among the first LEED certi- fied buildings on campus. The U.S. Green Building Coun- cil oversees the LEED program, with guidelines that provide a framework for a host of building types and projectsi LEED certi- fication requires the use of recy- clable and sustainable materials in the building process, water and energy conservation, avoid- ing harsh or poisonous chemicals in the construction and main- tenance of the building, and the creation of a positive atmosphere for those who will occupy the building. Terry Alexander, executive director of the Office of Cam- pus Sustainability, said the first building on campus to achieve LEED certification was the Dana building, fittingly the home of the School of Natural Resources and Environment, but the Uni- versity formally adopted LEED last January as a standard for all new large-scale construction projects. "That was an actual formal decision by the Environmental Sustainability Executive Coun- cil that (University) President (Mary Sue) Coleman chairs to adopt LEED as a design policy for the campus," Alexander said. CONTINUING SERIES SUSTAINABILITY ON CAMPUS "At this time it's all new non- clinical, non-medical buildings over $10 million (must be LEED certified)." Along with implementing LEED standards, USGBC also evaluates buildings after their construction to ensure obser- vance of the guidelines. According to Jaime Van Mourik, director of higher edu- cation for USGBC, LEED stan- dards strive not only for energy efficiency, but also for the use of sustainable materials. Van Mourik said that while the first sustainability push in the 1970s focused almost solely on energy conservation, the focus was too narrow, which led to the creation of the LEED standards in 2000. "At this time, higher education is actually the leading market sector of all the different mar- ket sectors ..." Van Mourik said. "There are over 4,700 LEED See LEED, Page 3A With hearing nearing, Prof. writes letter By RAYZA GOLDSMITH Daily News Editor In the final days preceding the hearing before an admin- istrative judge on Wednesday, students and faculty are orga- nizing in opposition to the unionization efforts Graduate Student Research Assistant of some. A petition in the form of a letter addressed to the Univer- sity's Board of Regents, which had 700 signatories as of mid- night, launched on Thursday night. Engineering Prof. Faw- waz Ulaby, one of a number of professors who started the petition, publicized the peti- tion on Friday with an e-mail sent to an official College of Engineering graduate student listserv, according to Rackham student Stephen Raiman, presi- dent and founder of Students Against GSRA Unionization. While SAGU was unin- volved in the petition's launch, See PETITION, Page 8A WEATHER HI: 47 GOT A NEWS TIP? NEW ON MICHIGANDAILY.COM TOMORROW L: 41 Call 734-418-4115 or e-mail Minimalist 'Mad Men' poster causes contention news@michigandaily.com and let us know. MICHIGANDAILY.COM/BLOGS/THE FILTER INDEX NEWS............. 2A CLASSIFIEDS..............6A Vol. CXXII, No.83 OPINION....................4A ARTS.. . .........7A (2OtlTheMichiganDaily CROSSWORD ...............6A SPORTSMONDAY..........1B michigandoily.com