The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

Tuesday, January 10, 2012 - 5

The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Tuesday, January 10, 2012 - 5

SACUA
From Page 1
increased sensitivity to family
commitments that prevent stu-
dents from attending class.
Hanlon discusses salary
increases for University deans
At the meeting, University
Provost Philip Hanlon presented
data on increases in dean sala-
ries this year and explained the
process behind the raises to the
SACUA members.
According to Hanlon, deans
DECISION
From Page 1
motions by the Mackinac Cen-
ter Legal Foundation on behalf
of students opposed to GSRA
unionization and a separate
motion by the attorney general.
Both motions sought to allow
the groups to intervene and
advocate at MERC hearings
against the proposed unioniza-
tion.
Both groups argued that since
the University Board of Regents
had previously voted to recog-
nize GSRAs as public employ-
ees, both parties represented at
the hearing would be in favor of
unionization. They contended
that arguments opposing union-
ization were therefore excluded
from formal hearings.
MERC dismissed the argu-
ments and ordered that the deci-
sion to permit the unionization
of GSRAs at the University be
determined by an administra-
tive judge in late January or
early February.
Patrick Wright, director of
the Mackinac Center Legal

receive a 10-percent increase in
salary after five years in their
position. If they leave their
appointments but remain at the
University, their salary returns
to the high end of the teaching
range.
At the end of every year, deans
are evaluated on their appoint-
ment, where there is a 3-percent
overall merit pool, Hanlon said.
When hiringa new dean, a mar-
ket study is done on peer institu-
tions' hiring rates.
Salary is more than compen-
sation, and other institutions,
Foundation and counsel for Stu-
dents Against GSRA Unioniza-
tion said the ongoing issue over
whether GSRAs can be consid-
ered public employees stems
from a 1981 MERC precedent
that determined that while
graduate student instructors are
considered public employees,
GSRAs are not.
"The regents cannot change
the law," Wright said. "The law
is that only public employees
can be subject to mandatory,
compulsory unionization. And
if they're not public employees,
there's no vote at all."
Wright added that while he
had been in contact with the
attorney general's office, the
two motions were separate.
The attorney general's court fil-
ing Friday still echoed many of
the same points as the motion
filed by Students Against GSRA
Unionization and stated that
MERC had committed a "sub-
stantial and material error of
law."
"The Attorney General has
determined that the outcome of
the (administrative law judge's)
ruling will have significant

like the University of Pennsylva-
nia, pay the college tuition of the
dean's children, SACUA Chair
Kate Barald said.
Business School Dean Alison
Davis-Blake is the University's
highest-paid dean with an annu-
al salary of $550,000, according
to the University's 2011 salary
report. She is followed by Medi-
cal School Dean James O. Wool-
liscroft, who earns $524,509
annually.
- Lily Bonadonna
contributed to this report
impact on the University's role
as an elite research institution,
which would detrimentally
impact the interests and rights
of the State and People of Michi-
gan," the filing stated.
GEO President Samantha
Montgomery wrote in a state-
ment to The Michigan Daily
yesterday that GSRAs are public
employees and should have the
right to unionize.
"While support for our union
is strong, we respect that some
may disagree," Montgomery
wrote. "They get to vote 'no,' but
shouldn't be allowed to hijack a
MERC proceeding."
Stephen Raiman, founder of
Students Against GSRA Union-
ization, wrote in a statement
to The Daily on Friday that
MERC's decision was a violation
of its rights and the organization
deserves to be heard in court.
"MERC made their previous
decision after only hearing one
side of the argument," Raiman
wrote. "This was a clear viola-
tion of our right to due process.
We will continue to seek justice
despite (the) union's attempts to
silence their opponents."

PARKING RATES
From Page 1
made after a DDA committee pro-
posed parking rate changes, held
public hearings and gave a pre-
sentation to the Ann Arbor City
Council about the 2012 parking
system changes.
The majority of the raised rev-
enue from parking will go toward
the parking structure fund for
maintenance, improvement and
expansion, according to Susan
Pollay, executive director of the
Ann Arbor DDA.
"Rates are increasing for two
big reasons," Pollay said. "First,
to cover increasing costs to oper-
ate the parking system, and two,
to pay for the cost to expand the
public parking system with two
new parking structures."
One of the new parking struc-
tures is currently under con-
struction on the old library lot.
Surrounding businesses have
complained about the lengthy
duration of the project, alleging
it has hurt their businesses. How-
ever, Pollay said the additional
structures are necessary.
"It has been nearly 30 years
after the last new public park-
ing structure was constructed in
downtown - the Liberty Square
parking structure - despite more
CSG
From Page 1
"(Medical amnesty is) some-
thing we all plan to push as hard
as we can and make sure it hap-
pens before the end of the year,"
Watson said.
LSA junior Aditya Sathi, vice
speaker of the CSG assembly, said
medical amnesty is spreading to
college campuses across the coun-
try due to its potential to save the
lives of endangered students.
"Excessive drinking is a prob-
lem at a majority of universities
throughout the country," Sathi
said. "medical amnesty is an
opportunity to ... save students'
lives."
Sathi said he will introduce a
resolution in support of a medical
amnesty program during the CSG
meeting next week. The student
government is then scheduled to
vote on the implementation of the
program on Jan. 24.
Though the resolution has yet
to be written, Sathi said it will
include minor repercussions for
underage drinkers, such as an
online class about alcohol safety
or a mandatory meeting with the
University's Counseling and Psy-
chological Services.
"Students can live with taking
a class or seeing a counselor, but
an MIP is monumentally worse,"
Sathi said.
If the resolution passes, Sathi
said he and other members of
CSG will approach University
administrators and Ann Arbor

than 2.5 million square feet of pri-
vate development, and it was clear
that more parking was needed,"
Pollay said.
Pollay noted that seven of the
12 DDA members own or work for
downtown businesses, so they are
aware of customer and employee
concerns about parking.
City Council member Sandi
Smith (D-Ward 1), a member of
the DDA committee, agreed that
the cost would not disrupt local
businesses.
"I don't think it's going to have
a negative effect," Smith said. "We
continue to have more and more
visitors downtown year over year,
but the thing about coming down-
town is thatcit is hard to find places
to park, so expansion is critical."
Smith said the small increase
is not enough to dissuade visitors
from coming to Ann Arbor.
"It's only another dime," Smith
said. "If you are coming for lunch
and stay two hours, it's only an
additional twenty cents on your
bill and I don't think enough to
keep anyone from doing what
their plans are."
City Council member Mike
Anglin (D-Ward 5) opposed the
new parking structure efforts,
which he said moves away from
sustainability initiatives in the
city.
"We want to get people out of
community members about offi-
cially launching medical amnesty.
Department of Public Safety
spokeswoman Diane Brown said
issuing an MIP is secondary to
safety.
"Each of the University Police
officers are concerned with the
safety of our students, faculty and
staff," she said. "That's always the
primary concern and rises above
all else - making sure that people
are safe either from themselves or
others."
Brown added that after follow-
ing safety precautions, any action
made by officers is "enforcing
state law."
LSA junior Sean Walser, chair
of CSG's external relations com-
mission, said the "shadow of
doubt" of potentially receiving an
MIP can prevent students from
making responsible decisions.
"Whether or not you actually
get issued an MIP, the fact that
you could (get issued an MIP)
is what really scares a lot of stu-
dents from making the call," he
said.
Most of medical amnesty's
support stems from a study of
the medical amnesty program at
Cornell University, which found
that implementation of the pro-
gram led to an increase in calls
for medical attention in alcohol-
related incidents.
Purdue University launched
Purdue CARES, a manifesta-
tion of the concept of medical
amnesty, according to a Sept. 13
Purdue University press release.
Schools such as Ohio State Uni-

the cars, not in them," Anglin
said. "We are looking to expand
our bus system, so that we could
employ more people. A parking
structure is an old solution for an
old problem."
Anglin added he believes the
city is mishandling their funds
and would rather have money
used for programs that directly
aid citizens in need and support
environmental efforts.
"Everyone is looking for sus-
tainability and the ability to keep
going without spending more
and more money," Anglin said. "I
would prefer to have money avail-
able to help humans and not park-
ing structures."
Business sophomore Rachael
Brunk said she plans to avoid
driving downtown whenever pos-
sible asa result of the parking rate
increases.
"I don't like (the increased
cost)," Brunk said. "I'll just walk
from my house instead. It's a has-
sle but not worth it to pay $5 for
just a few hours."
Business senior Jake Barnett
said he isn't bothered by the meter
rate increases since the benefit of
being able to park in the city out-
weighs the small price raise.
"People are always looking to
park for game days," Barnett said.
"That parking structure could be
a bank for game day parking."
versity, the College of William
and Mary and the University of
Texas-Austin have also adopted
programs based on the idea of
medical amnesty.
LSA junior Jacob Sklar said
Medical Amnesty could benefit
fraternities, which may experi-
ence consequences beyond an
MIP if incidents of underage
alcohol consumption are discov-
ered on chapter property.
"(They would) rather kick
someone out than call the police,"
Sklar said.
He added that despite the legal
repercussions, most students
would call for medical attention
for a friend regardless of the risk
of receiving an MIP.
Brown echoed Sklar's senti-
ments and said she trusts that
students are making the respon-
sible decision to aid friends in
need of medical attention.
"I would certainly like to think
that our students are choosing
the healthy choice over (a fine),"
Brown said. "If they already
think that this person needs med-
ical help, one would think that
nothing else would stand in the
way of that."
Business junior Trevor Grieb
said he believes medical amnesty
would be beneficial to students
and would lead to an increase in
calls regarding alcohol-related
incidents.
While Grieb said it may appear
as if medical amnesty lessens the
consequences of underage drink-
ing, he added "the benefits far
outweigh the costs."


Khin Maung Win/AP
Myanmar democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, right, and Tin Os, deputy leader of her National League for Democracy
party, participate in a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a sign of the party's headquarters in Yangon, Myanmar, yesterday.
Myanmar democracy leader
announces parliament bid


Aung San Suu Kyi
to participate in
election
YANGON, Myanmar (AP)
- Myanmar opposition leader
Aung San Suu Kyi confirmed
that she will run for a seat in
parliament, her party said today,
a move that will infuse April by-
elections with legitimacy, star
power and historic significance.
Suu Kyi said last year that she
would run for parliament but
had appeared to backtrack since
then. A victory would give the
Nobel Peace Prize winner and
longtime political prisoner a
voice in parliament for the first
time in her decades-long role as
the country's opposition leader.
She was under house arrest
during November 2010 elec-
tions, which were boycotted by
her National League for Democ-
racy Party in part because she
was barred from participating.
The elections, Myanmar's first
in 20 years, replaced a ruling
military junta with a govern-
ment that remains strongly
linked to the military but has
taken steps toward easing

decades of repression.
Suu Kyi's decision to person-
ally contest the April polls is the
latest vote of confidence for gov-
ernment reforms that include
the legalization of labor unions,
increasing press freedom and
openinga dialogue with Suu Kyi
herself.
Party spokesman Nyan
Win said today that Suu Kyi
announced during a party meet-
ing yesterday that she would
seek a parliamentary seat in
the Yangon suburb of Kawhmu.
Yangon is Myanmar's largest
city and Suu Kyi's hometown.
As recently as last week, Suu
Kyi declined to confirm whether
she would personally contest
a seat, telling The Associated
Press in an interview that her
decision would be announced
later this month. She also
expressed cautious optimism
about the government's reforms.
"I think there are obstacles,
and there are some dangers that
we have to look out for," Suu Kyi
said. "I am concerned about how
much support there is in the mil-
itary for changes."
Even if Suu Kyi's party wins
all 48 seats to be contested April
1, it will have minimal power.

Most of the seats were vacated
by lawmakers who became Cabi-
net ministers after the first par-
liamentary session last January.
The military is guaranteed
110 seats in the 440-seat lower
house and 56 seats in the 224-
seat upper house, and the main
pro-military party holds 80 per-
cent of the remaining 498 elect-
ed seats.
Suu Kyi's party won a sweep-
ing victory in the 1990 general
election but the junta refused
to honor the results. The mili-
tary regime kept Suu Kyi under
house arrest on-and-off for 15
years, hoping to snuff out her
popularity. Despite never having
held elected office, she became
Myanmar's most recognizable
face and an icon for the country's
pro-democracy movement.
Countries that imposed sanc-
tions on Myanmar under the pre-
vious military government have
taken at least tentative steps to
improve relations. In November,
Hillary Rodham Clinton because
the first U.S. secretary of state to
visit the country in more than 50
years, and on Monday, Australia
became the first country to ease
sanctions against Myanmar's
rulingelite.

AATA
From Page 1
relatively new to council and
may not have been aware of the
exhausting meetings that (coun-
cil has) had - and I've been to
several of them - and several
other councilmembers have been
as well," Hieftje said.
In response, Lumm told Hieftje
that she believed she had prepared
sufficiently for the agenda item.
"I understand that, and I've
been trying to do my homework,

but I feel that was a little bit
patronizing, Mr. Mayor," Lumm
said, as a person attending the
meeting shouted out in her sup-
port.
Hieftje later apologized to
Lumm, assuringherthathe did not
intend to sound condescending.
In the public commentary sec-
tion of the meeting, Ann Arbor
resident Alan Haber questioned
why council had not previously
hosted a public hearing on the
issue.
"Why no public hearing?"
Haber asked. "Why not hear from

all the people who have concerns
with this before you sign on to
some agreement that's taking you
down some course that has con-
sequences that aren't really laid
out?"
Ann Arbor resident Robert
Thomas told council that expand-
ing transportation services would
enhance the community.
"It's like the town I love sud-
denly grew to be four times its
size," Thomas said. "Like that
part in 'Harry Potter' when they
touch the brick and Diagon Alley
opens up."

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