Ube i~i~an 4,3aigj Ann Arbor, Michigan Friday, February 3, 2012 michigandailycom UNIVERSITY RESEARCH - 'U' could see drop in federal funding VP for research still optimistic with gov't cuts looming By MARISA WINTER Daily StaffReporter At the University's Board of Regents meeting last month, Ste- phen Forrest, the University's vice president for research, introduced the University's annual research report with the pretense that the future of research funding from the federal government appears bleak. The report revealed that while federal funding has increased mar- ginally this year in comparison to last, future funding is uncertain amid fluctuating trends in financial support from industry and federal- level partnerships. Possible funding cuts from the government and the National Institutes of Health could cause major changes in the Univer- sity's research funding plan, accord- ing to University officials. In an interview with The Michi- gan Daily last month, University President Mary Sue Coleman said if federal financial support decreases, funding research at the University could be problematic. "If that happens, we're going to have to look at everything; there's See FUNDING, Page 3 THE FUNNY PAGES CAMPUS SAFETY Students petition for more Oxford bus service TERESA MATHEW/Daly Robert Mankoff, The New Yorker's comic editor, speaks in Hatcher Graduate Library about humor and language yesterday. STUDENT IF SA*asfor collaboration Group hopes to increase mid-day routes on weekend By LIANA'ROSENBLOOM Daily StaffReporter With help from the Oxford Bus Petition, students traveling back and forth between Oxford Housing and Central Campus on weekends may no longer need to walk down South Uni- versity Avenue from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Creators of the petition - developed last October by the Oxford Community Council - continue to garner support for an appeal for the Oxford Shuttle to run on the same schedule on the weekend as it does during the week. Thus far, more than 900 people have signed the peti- tion. The shuttle runs from Oxford Housing to the C.C. Little bus stop, with stops at Shap- iro Undergraduate Library, the Michigan Union and Hill Auditorium. Currently, stu- dents seeking transportation to Oxford Housing from Cen- tral Campus during midday on weekends are forced to walk or seek alternative forms of trans- portation, since service doesn't begin until 5 p.m. Oxford Housing is home to more than 350 undergraduate students according to Univer- sity housing. The Sigma Alpha Mu and Phi Gamma Delta fra- ternities, and the Delta Gamma and Alpha Phi sororities, are also located in the Oxford area, which has had a history ofcrime in recent years. LSA senior Parisa Behzadi, a diversity peer educator for Oxford Housing who oversees Oxford Community Council, said the petition follows a previ- ous, separate request to extend Oxford bus hours from 5p.m. to 10 p.m. on weekends, which was implemented last winter. Before then, there were no Oxford buses running on Saturdays or Sundays. Behzadi said many people signed the petition after it was introduced, but at the end of last semester, the pace began to slow. She said she then sent the petition to other diversity peer editors and asked them to for- ward it to other Housing staff members to rekindle interest. See OXFORD, Page 3 Ad st ti By G Las from gather studen ministrators, with faculty and administra- ', tors in an effort to increase .udents, seek transparency. At the event, hosted by LSA increased Student Government at North Quad Residence Hall, LSA ransparency Dean Terrence McDonald addressed and answered ques- IACOMO BOLOGNA tions from a group of about Daily StaffReporter 25 students. The discussion covered topics including sus- t night, student leaders tainability, diversity, profes- programs within LSA sor evaluations, state funding ed to discuss ways for for the University and recent its to better connect accomplishments within LSA. As the largest college at the University with nearly 20,000 students, McDonald said the size of the student body can present special obstacles. "The things that we worry about and think about the most and wonder if we're doing well enough (with) is access to courses, and frankly informa- tion about opportunities (for students)," McDonald said. "These are two things that are affected by the size." See LSA, Page 3 DETERMINED DRIVE CAMPUS TRANSPORTATION Student group works to create bike share program CSG, PTS also involved in planning process By TAYLOR WIZNER Daily StaffReporter Campus transportation may soon become more accessible and environmentally friendly with the introduction of a new bike-sharing program awaiting approval from the University. TruMich, a student organiza- tion focused on alternative and mass transit on campus, is work- ing to promote and coordinate with the University bike-sharing program. The initiative would allow students to take a bike from a kiosk with the swipe of an MCard and deposit it at any of several other kiosks on campus. While the bike share program is still in its beginning stages, LSA junior Joseph Elliott, presi- dent of TruMich, said its increas- ing potential is limitless and and the group has high levels of stu- dent support. "Bike-sharing could be the most accessible form of transit here," Elliott said. "Even though Main Street is not that far away, it is still a hassle. The sharing system will enable students to explore the city and campus more." The group started a petition See BIKE, Page 3 Classes, programs inspired by environmentally friendly efforts Sustainability unites academic disciplines By ANDREW SCHULMAN Daily StaffReporter Of the 11 students in Engi- neering Prof. Steven Wright's 400-level civil and environmen- tal engineering class, only one is in the College of Engineering - a fact Wright said showcases the increasing interdisciplinary nature of sustainability efforts at the University. In recent years, a growing number of students and profes- sors from all fields of study have demonstrated an interest in environmental affairs, accord- ing to University professors and officials. To meet the increased demand for sustainable efforts, a variety of classes and pro- grams have been instituted at CONTINUING SERIES SUSTAINABILITY ON CAMPUS the University that utilize skills from multiple disciplines. Wright's class includes a month-long trip to Liberia this July, where students will devel- op a sustainability assessment for a Liberian community and explore possible links between See PROGRAMS, Page 3 MCKENZIE B Senior guard Courtney Boylan drives to the basket in Michigan's 79-68 win over Northwestern yesterday. ,. .__, ,.. ,... .. ,n. . . ,..w,,,. : . _.1_ .. _.. . ,,., .n... * WEATHER HI 41 TOMORROW LO 29 GOT A NEWS TIP? NEW ON MICHIGANDAILY.COM Call 734-418-4115o r e-mail Check out the newest #Michlinks news@michigandaily.com and let us know. MICHIGANDAILY.COM/BLOGS/THE WIRE INDEX Vol. CXXII, No. 87 (0 tt1The Michgan Dai mihigondailycom N EW S .........................2 A R T S ..................... S SUDOKU......................3 CLASSIFIEDS ........... 6 OPIN ION......................4 SPO RT S .................. 6