bEUR Mikljan IaiI 0\ NE I ) AIN I~ IX ~II)Iii lII N\ Ann Arbor, Michigan Tuesday, January 10, 2012 michigandaily.com ANN ARBOR CITY COUNCIL AATA plans to add buses countywide City Council "We don't have all the exact details right now, but we're ask- debates enhanced ing you to support a framework so we can work within," Ford transportation plan said. "We're not asking you to approve a millage or anything By STEVE ZOSKI like that. Every- Daily Staff Reporter thing will go out NNA19 to the people- : Representatives from the Ann we'll be trans- Arbor Transportation Authority parent from the appeared before the Ann Arbor service plan to City Council at its meeting last funding." night to encourage approval of a Councilmem- plan for a new countywide public ber Jane Lumm (D-Ward 2) transportation authority. repeatedly insisted that council The proposed agreement was rushinginto major reforms. would expand the AATA's bus "We are being asked to con- services beyond Ann Arbor to sider a fundamental restructur- Ypsilanti and other neighboring ing of our public transportation cities as part of a collaboration system," Lumm said. "Obviously, between AATA, the city of Ann it's a major-league decision ... I Arbor, the city of Ypsilanti and would like to postpone until we Washtenaw County. Throughout have (more) material, it would be the meeting, council members a logical way to proceed." debated the specifics of the plan Ford reiterated to Lumm that and how it would be financed he was only presenting a frame- throughout the night, before work, rather than definite plans. ultimately determining to table He stressed to council that he the resolution for a later meet- was at the meeting to ensure ing. Council also voted to host a transparency from the AATA. public hearing on the agreement Mayor John Hieftje backed at its next meeting on Jan. 23. Ford, adding that Lumm may not AATA CEO Michael Ford have understood the amount of spoke throughout the meeting to work that went into the agree- address any questions about the ment as she was recently elected plan and delivered a presenta- to City Council. tion explaining the preliminary "Councilmember Lumm is details of the program. See AATA, Page5 MCKENZIE BEREZIN/Daily Students shop at the poster sale in the basement of the Michigan Union on Sunday. The sale is typically held at the beginning of every semester. CENTRAL STUDENT GOVERNMENT CSG seeks to implement medical a-mnesty program Proposed policy hol at levels that can be life Michigan Student Assembly student to make responsible: threatening. For many students, - are working on a proposal to decisions by giving them incen- aims to reduce the fear of receiving a Minor in implement medical amnesty tive to request help rather than Possession of alcohol charge at the University, a policy that punishing them. MIPs on campus can deter them from calling would protect students from Watson said having medical for medical aid when an over- receiving an MIP if they call for amnesty on campus "would be By GIACOMO BOLOGNA intoxicated friend is in need of alcohol-related medical atten- a huge accomplishment," add- Daily StaffReporter assistance. tion for another person while ing that in cases of over-intoxi- To combat the potential issue also under the influence. cation, failure to call for medical On college campuses nation- at the University, members of CSG President DeAndree attention can have dire conse- wide, a night out could include the Central Student Govern- Watson said the concept of quences. excessive consumption of alco- ment - formerly known as the medical amnesty encourages See CSG, Page 5 GRADUATE EMPLOYEES AG files motion to overturn decision Opponents fight MERC ruling on GSRA unionization By PETER SHAHIN Daily Staff Reporter Though it gained a legal vic- tory last month, the Gradu- ate Employees Organization received some bitter news in the new year. On Friday, Michigan Attor- ney General Bill Schuette filed a motion with the Michigan 3rd District Court of Appeals seek- ing to overturn a previous ruling from the Michigan Employment Relations Commission that allowed a judge to determine if graduate student research assis- tants can unionize. Similarly, Students Against GSRA Union- ization, a group of GSRA's orga- nized against the unionization, also filed a motion seeking to revoke the ruling. On Dec. 13, MERC dismissed See DECISION, Page 5 AMBROSIA UNDERGROUND MARLENE LACASSE/Daily Viewers watch "The Weather Underground," a documentary playing for free in the basement of Cafe Ambrosia yesterday. The cafe holds free documentary screenings every Monday this month at 7 p.m. GETTING AROUND ANN ARBOR Downtown Development Authority to increase parking rates by 20 cents FACULTY GOVERNANCE SACUA dicusses plan to combat scheduling issues Provost Philip about 200 to 300 classes cause explicit scheduling challenges Hanlon shares dean for the University each semester, specifically in accommodating for salary increases classroom renovations and over- scheduling in specific time slots. By KATIE BURKE It was difficult to determine Daily StaffReporter how best to solve the problem, since moving elective classes to At the first meeting of the earlier time slots could result in semester for the University's a loss of revenue and diminished leading faculty governance body attendance, SACUA Vice Chair yesterday afternoon, Martha Kim Kearfott, a professor in the Pollack, the University's vice Medical School and College of provost for academic and bud- Engineering, said. getary affairs, shared a solution "The young adult mind of a to alleviate scheduling problems freshman or sophomore doesn't for students with members of the work well early," Kearfott said. Senate Advisory Committee on Academic concernswere at the University Affairs. forefront of finding a solution to According to an analysis per- the scheduling problems, Pollack formedbyAssistant Vice Provost explained, adding that another Frances Mueller, about half of element that adds to scheduling University classrooms are not difficulties is misaligned class used between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. times - when classes do notstart Starting in winter semester 2013, on the hour and make creating in order to expand classroom schedules more difficult. usage, the Provost's office plans According to Pollack, the Uni- to increase class offerings at pre- versity must spread out classes viously under scheduled hours better and units must share more between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. and on academic spaces. She added that Fridays. the proposal attempts to enforce At the meeting, Pollack said See SACUA, Page S Higher prices to take effect this September By TAYLOR WIZNER Daily Staff Reporter Drivers hoping to park in downtown Ann Arbor will soon have to carry a bit more pocket change to feed the meters. On Jan. 4, members of the Downtown Develop- ment Authority unanimously approved an increase in park- ing rates in the downtown Ann Arbor area. Beginning in September, the rate for street parking meters will increase from $1.40 an hour to $1.50 an hour - amounting to a 30-cent total increase since last Sep- tember. Other changes include raised rates for hourly and monthly parking in city park- ing structures and higher costs for parking violations, like parking at a bagged meter. Susan Pollay, executive director of the Ann Arbor DDA, said the decision was See PARKING RATES, Page S WEATHER HI: 48 TOMORROW L[:36 GOTANEWS TIP? NEW ON MICHIGANDAILY.COM INDEX NEWS ......................... 2 CLASSIFIEDS ................. 6 Call 734-418-411sor e-mail Daily Arts recaps'Downtown Abbey Vol. CXXII, No.72 AP NEWS ....................3 ARTS .............................7 nems@michigandaily.comandletusknow. MICHIGANDAILY.COM/BLOGS/THE FILTER 020t1 The MichiganDaily OPINION .......................4 SPORTS ........................8 newsa~mchiandilycom nd et s kow.michigardoily~com