ONE-OL HUNDED-TWENTh-TW() YEAIIS OP EIIIAL LREEI)OM Tuesday, April3, 2012 SAnn Arbor, Michigan michigandaily.com UNIVERSITY RESEARCH Of pu blic universities 'U' ranks as top spender on research NSF: University expenditure of $1.184 bil- lion during the 2010 fiscal spent $1.184 year. The University also , ranked second among pub- billion in fiscal lic and private institutions, below Johns Hopkins Uni- year 2010 versity at $2 billion in total research spending. O By JOSH QIAN The survey concluded Daily StaffReporter that colleges across the nation have totaled more Though most students than $61 billion in research know the University engag- expenditures. It also noted es in a variety of innovative that nationwide, the top research projects, many three academic disciplines may not realize the magni- conducting research are tude of funding utilized to science, life sciences and finance its exploratory ven- engineering. tures. Stephen Forrest, the Uni- Last month the National versity's vice president for Science Foundation ranked research, said he is not sur- the University as the top prised by the ranking since spending public university the University ranked in the for research and develop- same place last year. * ment expenditures at a total See RESEARCH, Page 3 LEISURELY LABORS w i 1 4 x L LEGAL DISPUTE GSRA ban will not be i iate Regents vote to support court ruling By GIACOMO BOLOGNA Daily Staff Reporter The University's Board of Regents public quarrel over whether graduate student research assistants should be able to legally unionize contin- ued yesterday in a hastily sched- uled special meeting. The regents voted 5-3 in favor of the University writing an amicus brief to an Ingham County Court decision regarding unionization of GSRAs. Specifi- cally, the court found that Mich- igan House Republicans did not follow correct protocol when voting last month on immedi- ate effect of a bill that formally declared that GSRAs are not state employees. Senate Bill 971 was passed with immediate effect, barring GSRAs from unionizing. With- out immediate effect, the bill will go into action 90 days after the last of day of the Michigan legislative calendar, which is scheduled to be March 2013. The regents' meeting was called on Saturday, but the court hearing was held yesterday, just hours before the special meeting began. After only about 10 minutes of discussion, the regents voted along party lines with Olivia Maynard (D-Goodrich) as the only Democrat to oppose the motion. University President Mary Sue Coleman declined to offer her opinion on the issue. How- ever, Coleman has previously said that she along with other top University administrators, believes that GSRAs are students not employees with collective bargaining rights. "I'm not going to comment on this particular decision," Cole- man said "I think this is some- thing the board needs to decide." Still Coleman said that filing See GSRA, Page 3 LSA senior Daisy Howlind, a competitive ballroom dancer, stretches while studying out- side of Angell Hall yesterday. COLD AS ICE CENTRAL STUDENT GOVERNMENT After CSJ hearing, the CSG election continues Student Judiciary remands case back to UEC By GIACOMO BOLOGNA Daily StaffReporter The saga continues. After the four parties and one independent running for Central Student Govern- ment president endured vari- ous complaints that led to the longest-known hearing in the history of University Elec- tions Commission - ultimately delaying election results by 11 hours - the Central Student Judiciary held its own hearing last night. Ending a nearly six-hour hearing until about 1 a.m. today, the Central Student Judiciary voted to remand an appeal of a hearing held by the UEC against Business junior Manish Parikh, the unofficial winner of the CSG presidential elections, back to the UEC. However, even after the UEC addresses the case again, it could be appealed an additional time, and CSG offi- cials say they are unsure when the case will end. In the original hearing, which lasted a total of 12 hours, the UEC ruled in a 3-2 vote that e-mail violations by Parikh only garnered four demerits,because of various mitigating factors. Parikh originally faced more than 1,000 demerits - only five are needed to disqualify a can- didate from the election. CSJ found that only two of the 11 mitigating factors that the UEC decided the case on still stand. The UEC will now review the hearing on these two factors. Law student Ryan Gerso- vitz, the CSJ chief justice, was unable to give a definite date for the end of the hearings. See ELECTION, Page 3 AUOTC5 HUFFORD/Daily LSA sophomore Raniro Alvarez crushes ice to make snow cones yesterday in front of the MLB in order to promote the Latin Culture Show on Thursday. ANN ARBOR CITY COUNCIL 'Ame ica marijuana policies focus of City Council me eti Councilmembers discussion of amending the During the meeting, City city's medical marijuana licens- Attorney Stephen Postema said discuss hazy ing ordinance until mid-June dispensaries should be licensed and also voted by City Council before the coun- pot guidelines to delay deciding P NAgB cil determines zoning. He added on a resolution to p :_ that current state law requires all By STEVE ZOSKI protect dispensa- j dispensaries to be licensed before Daily Staff reporter ries from license O zoning. enforcement "The body of law that has At last night's Ann Arbor City until a future developed right now, I think, is Council meeting, city leaders dis- meeting. City more restrictive than certain cussed how to handle medical Council did, however, direct the people of the (medical mari- marijuana dispensaries as Michi- Ann Arbor City Planning Com- juana) community would want," gan cities continue to struggle to mission to consider revising the Postema said. interpret the state's imprecise zoning ordinance requirements Councilmember Christopher medical marijuana law. for medical marijuana dispensa- Taylor (D-Ward 3) said the reso- City Council decided to table ries and cultivation facilities. See MARIJUANA, Page 3 ELECTION 2012 Students increase political activism As election citizens filled the Hutchins Hall Snears, conference room overlooking Democrats and theLawQuadforthe 2012 Mich- igan Field Organizer Academy. Republians ratchet The program is a part of Orga- nizing for up activity America- a grass-roots By KATIE SZYMANSKI group start- Daily Staff Reporter ed by the Democratic With the presidential election National just months away, students on Committee to support President both sides of the political spec- Barack Obama - and trains par- trumhave begun to more active- ticipants in campaigning strat- ly promote political activism on egies and skills to potentially campus. become OFA field organizers. This weekend, a group of Though the Republican Party abouto50 students and Ann Arbor has yet to choose its presidential nominee, Republican students on campus have similarly been working to promote their ideals and formulate unique ways to encourage politicalparticipation leadingup to Election Day. LSA freshman Pavitra Abra- ham, an intern with OFA and a volunteer at Saturday's event, said she became involved with Obama's campaign to help ensure his re-election in the fall. "I have always kept up with politics ... I figure, what bet- ter time to get involved than now?" Abraham said. "Now that I'm here and the campaign is so active, I figured it was the See ACTIVISM, Page 3 WEATHERHI 6 GOT A NEWS TIP? NEW ON MICHIGANDAILYCOM * E E Call 734-418-4115 or e-mail #michlinks TOMORROW [0: 3 news@michigandaily.com and let us know. MICHIGANDAILY.COM/BLOGS/THE WIRE INDEX NEWS ...........................2 ARTS .....................5 Vol. CXXII, No.121 SUDOKU .......................3 CLASSIFIEDS.................6 ©20t2TheMichigan Daily OPINION ......................4 SPORTS................ 7 michigondaily.com 7 N.I i.at . _u rr. ,1 ,,. 7. ..-3 .F ... a -Iv f 2 T. J i, 1 . _ _ -. r r ,. .. 4 I 4