The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
NCW SWednesday, April 4, 2012 - 7A
CANDIDATES
From Page 1A
contributed to numerous Demo-
crats in the past, she said her
continued support of Obama is
based on his sound handling of
the economic crisis.
"I believe we were in a depres-
sion, not a recession, when he
became president, and you don't
get out of those quickly, but
we're beginning to make prog-
ress," Maynard said.
University President Mary
Sue Coleman's husband Ken-
neth, a political science faculty
associate, was listed as donating
a combined total of $400 to the
Obama campaign between July
2011 and February 2012. Cole-
man declined to comment on the
contribution when contacted by
The Michigan Daily.
Regent Andrew Richner (R-
Grosse Pointe Park) began sup-
porting Romney early in the race,
and is listed as donating $1,000
to the former Massachusetts
governor's campaign on May 16,
2011. Though Richner said his
main reason for support is his
belief that Romney is the most
likely candidate to beat Obama
in the general election, he also
noted that Romney's Michigan
roots and leadership style are
attractive attributes.
"I think Governor Romney
is our best shot at winning the
White House," Richner said. "I
think our economy needs a new
direction and new leadership. I
ROTC
From Page 1A
people who are receiving an award
for either military excellence or
being a superior cadet," Poznan-
ski said. "(It's) for outstanding
accomplishments that they've
done over the course of the year."
The ceremony featured open-
ing remarks by Lt. Col. Allana
Bryantofthe U.S.Army and guest
speaker Col. Graydon Krapohl of
the U.S. Marine Corps.
Krapohl, who was presented
with a football signed by Michi-
gan football coach Brady Hoke,
emphasized the importance of
the four branches of the ROTC
working jointly in his speech.
"It is important to learn about
your sister services," Krapohl
said. "If you're in the Army,
reach out to the Marines ... reach
out to the Navy, to the Air Force."
Major Alex Garn said the
ASSEMBLY
From Page 1A
$10,000 to examine the potential
implementation of a zero-waste
program in Michigan Stadium
in connection with the resolu-
tion passed last week supporting
a zero-waste initiative, as part of
an effort to compost and recycle as
much waste as possible.
LSA senior Brendan Campbell,
vice president of CSG, authored
the resolution and said it was part
of a larger movement to improve
the University's standing as
an "environmental steward."
other aspects of this initia-
tive include giving all incoming
freshman reusable water bottles
and installing more water bottle
refilling stations throughout
campus.
According to the resolution, an
DEAN
From Page 1A
"(I hope to lead a school that)
has a strong research presence and
profile, and embraces other disci-
plines and fields in collaborative
spirit to tackle the complex chal-
lenges of our times," Nadarajan
said inthe release.
Rogers wrote in an e-mail
interview yesterday that he thinks
Nadarajan is well equipped to fill a
position that encompasses a wide
range of fields.
"His broad educational back-
ground will serve him well in
negotiating the complex disci-
plinary and interdisciplinary
think that we do need a change."
Regent Andrea Fischer New-
man (R-Ann Arbor) was listed
as donating $2,500 to Mitt Rom-
ney and an additional $5,000 to
the Every Republican is Crucial
Political Action Committee - an
organization dedicated to elect-
ing a Republican candidate as
president. She did not return
requests for comment.
According to the FEC website,
donors contributing directly to
candidates can only give a maxi-
mum of $2,500 to any one can-
didate in an election cycle, but
anyone can donate unlimited
amounts of money to political
action committees.
Maynard said it's important
to donate directly to candidates
whenever possible. Despite her
own donation, she added that
she is troubled by the amount
of money currently in the cam-
paign process.
"People have to start raising
money from the minute they're
elected, and I think that can
have a negative consequence on
their ability to govern," Maynard
said. "(But) just because I'd pre-
fer public funding for elections,
I'm not going to sit on my hands
while everybody else is raising
dollars ... To play in the ballgame
you're going to have to put the
money in."
Walter Mebane, Jr., a profes-
sorofpolitical science and statis-
tics, agreed, noting the demand
for fundraising from politicians
often directs their time away
from formulating policies.
"They have to talk about
things that they think work at
their fundraising ability, which
usually is very inflammatory,
defensive kind of rhetoric,"
Mebane said. "The question
is whether you want voters to
decide or dollars to decide."
Richner said contributing
money is a necessary exercise of
free speech and a way of encour-
aging involvement in politics.
He said he believes that as long
as politicians and their cam-
paigns are open about where
their money is coming from and
how it's being spent, donating
gives individuals a unique way to
engage and express their politi-
cal views.
"I understand the concerns
people have about the amount
of money in politics, but what is
the solution?" Richner said. "The
solution of restraining speech is
not a good one to me."
While many college students
cannot afford to contribute
financially, Richner and May-
nard agree that it's essential for
young people to get involved in
any way they can.
Maynard recalled the zeal
held by University students dur-
ing the 2008 presidential elec-
tion, and said she hopes this year
will be the same.
"It's an important part of the
Democratic process that stu-
dents engage and support can-
didates with whom they agree,"
Richner said. "Student engage-
ment can shape the views of can-
didates."
PAuLiSHOM AN/Dally
Panelists discuss experiences as undocumented immigrants at the Our Voices, Our Struggle, Our Movement yesterday.
Panel discusses efforts
for tuition equality at 'U'
ROTC has a "great mutual rela-
tionship with the University,"
especially through the academic
support the University provides
for ROTC members.
"The University has been very
supportive in what we do in our
Officer Education Program,"
Garn said. "It's great to be able
to do it on campus here and have
their professors come and sup-
port this type of event."
Nursing senior Catherine
White, an Air Force cadet, won
four awards last night, including
the Scabbard and Blade Award,
which is reserved for the top 20
percent of cadets and midship-
men entering their fifth semester
of collegiate studies.
"It was just a really good end
to the school year and a testa-
ment to all the hard work that
everyone here has done this
whole year," White said after
the event. "I'm really proud of
everything that everyone else
has done."
Nursing sophomore Kim
Kozlowski, a midshipman in the
Naval ROTC, said she was pleas-
antly surprised with the turnout
for the event.
"These might have been prior
ROTC members or just people
interested in military affairs,"
Kozlowski said. "It's really great
to see all of the support."
After the awards were pre-
sented, the Army was presented
with the Commander's Cup.
The Cup is awarded each year
to the branch that has received
the most points during the
year through various activities,
including football, soccer, bas-
ketball and cross-country com-
petitions.
"It came down to a three-
way tie, and Army won in the
5K," said Kozlowski. "(But) it's
friendly competition, it's broth-
erly. We're all here for the same
purpose. It's a camaraderie."
Students share
experiences being
undocumented
By RENUKA SANTHANA-
GOPALAN
For the Daily
Activism for undocumented
youth in America is one of the
most vocal student-led social
movements on campus, and yes-
terday University students con-
tinued to expand the nationwide
movement.
Five individuals spoke on a
panel atthe Schoolof Social Work
to discuss national immigration
issues and their experiences as
undocumented residents. The
event, hosted by the Social Work
Allies for Immigrant Rights and
the Coalition for Tuition Equal-
ity - a student-led movement
encouraging the University to
adopt more inclusive policies
for undocumented students -
aimed to raise awareness for the
12 million undocumented people
living in the United States.
The youngest panelist, Aket-
zaly Ramirez-Lopez, a Pioneer
High School senior, teared up
while talking about the bullying
she has endured at school and
the lack of support she received
from her teachers.
"Counselors should have
training and be more aware,"
Ramirez-Lopez said in an inter-
view after the event.
All the panelists discussed
their involvement in various
forms of activism, a few have
even taken part in civil disobedi-
ence to gain public recognition.
Panelist Dayanna Rebolledo,
a junior at Marygrove College in
Detroit, said she has participated
in a number of civil disobedi-
ence protests. She was arrested
along with seven other activists
in Georgia for blocking traffic
outside Georgia State Univer-
sity in Atlanta and was detained
for more than 27 hours in iso-
lation with the threat of being
deported, before being eventu-
ally released.
Rebolledo said despite her dif-
ficult situation, she believes acts
like these are necessary to gain
public attention to issues sur-
rounding undocumented resi-
dents.
Franco added that civil dis-
obedience is important because
it is a keyway to get sponsorship,
make a statement, create aware-
ness and prompt legislative
attention.
The panel also discussed the
difficulty of being open about
beingundocumented.
"It was not something I talked
about," Rebolledo said. "I didn't
identify myself as undocument-
ed."
Maria Ibarra, a senior at the
University of Detroit Mercy,
didn't know she was undocu-
mented until her senior year of
high school. She said once she
found out, she was hesitant to be
open about her status because
she was worried about what
would happen to her family.
Many higher education insti-
tutions don't provide in-state
tuition to undocumented stu-
dents, making it difficult for
many to pursue an education.
Ibarra said she had planned to
come to the University, but upon
learning of her undocumented
status, she had to alter her plans.
She added that she needed to
rely on scholarships to pay for
her education and the cost is still
difficult to manage.
The panelists closed by dis-
cussing how the undocumented
youth movement is growing in
the United States, adding that
many states are seeing the emer-
gence of their own movements
advocating for federal aid in
higher education.
The Development, Relief and
Education for Alien Minors Act
proposes citizenship for undocu-
mented youth who meet three
major provisions - the individ-
ual must have relocated to the
United States before the age of
16, be pursuing a higher educa-
tion or military service and must
have lived in the country for at
least five years from the date the
bill is enacted.
"People think it will encour-
age illegal immigration," Ibarra
said. "This isn't true because you
wouldn't qualify."
These groups are also
attempting to challenge the
stigma undocumented youth
face, pointing to the work of the
Coalition for Tuition Equality on
campus.
Ibarra said she hopes the Uni-
versity will take a more active
role in undocumented youth
activism.
Franco agreed, noting that if
the University, implements this
in-state policy, "others will fol-
low its example."
Social Work student Martha
Valadez encouraged students to
take action against the Univer-
sity's "oppressive policies," add-
ing that "an attack against this
community is an attack on all
communities."
in-depth study on the possibil-
ity of making the stadium zero-
waste would cost $15,000, and
the $10,000 pledge is contingent
on the Athletic Department's
commitment to the study.
"It's one thing to say some
words in an assembly meeting,
but it's another thing to put skin
in the game and really show that
we're committed to sustainabil-
ity," Campbell said. "By estab-
lishing this grant, we are making
a strongstatement to the Athletic
Department that students care
about sustainability."
Another resolution passed
instituted new operating proce-
dures for the assembly, which
had been operating under similar
procedures for the past few weeks
to finalize the details, according
to Business senior Matt Eral, the
assembly speaker.
"I think the assembly is now
fully positioned to be a delib-
erative body," Eral said. "I think
that (this) assembly is leaving the
(next) assembly with the right
procedures and format to fully
operate under the new constitu-
tion."
One resolution that dominated
the meeting's discussion con-
cerned the impartiality of CSG
members during elections. The
resolution attempted to prevent
public endorsements of candidates
by members of CSG. Eral said the
resolution, which the assembly
eventually voted against, was not
comprehensive enough and led to
questions about students' rights to
free speech.
"I think that the assembly felt
that the resolution was way too
broad, was not specific enough,
did not properly address the
needs that it was trying to," Eral
said.
challenges and opportunities of
the University of Michigan and
the emergent culture of art and
design," Rogers wrote.
Rogers added that Nadarajan
has the potential to broaden the
scope of the school and introduce
it to the international arena.
"(Nadarajan's) deep under-
standing of the arts, solid
experience as an academic admin-
istrator, and extensive scholarly
accomplishments will undoubted-
ly combine to advance the school
both nationally and internation-
ally," Rogers wrote.
Nadarajan studied at the
National University of Singapore's
Faculty of Arts and Social Sci-
ences, where he received a mas-
ter's degree in social sciences and
anthropology, before obtaining a
master's of arts degree in conti-
nental philosophy from the Uni-
versity of Warwick in the United
Kingdom.
He also served as a senior lec-
turer at the Lasalle College of
the Arts in Singapore in 1996,
the school's dean of visual arts
beginning in 2001 and he was
also appointed Lasalle's founding
dean of research in 2003.
From 2005 to 2008, Nadara-
jan was the associate dean for
research and graduate studies at
Pennsylvania State University.
He then filled the newly-creat-
ed position of vice provost for
research at MICA.
CHRONICLE
From Page 1A
grams," Cunningham wrote. "It's
especially misleading for major
research universities, such as the
University of Michigan, that have
a full range of graduate and pro-
fessional educational programs."
Cunningham wrote that one
of the major reasons the Univer-
sity's costs are higher than peer
institutions is the cost of graduate
programs, which were not differ-
entiated by the Chronicle during
its analysis.
"The total cost of educational
services (the numerator) includes
spending for undergraduates,
graduate degrees, post-master's
certificates, and all doctor-
ates," Cunningham wrote. "The
graduation data (the denomina-
tor) includes only the number of
undergraduate degrees granted.
This calculation will naturally
lead to a higher 'cost of degree'
calculation for any school with a
significant number of graduate
and professional programs."
Michael Van Beek, director of
education policy for the Macki-
nac Center for Public Policy, a
non-profit organization in Mid-
land, Mich., said the University
compared favorably on a national
scale to peer institutions, but still
faced strong competition. Van
Beek cited the University of Cali-
fornia, Berkley's higher gradua-
tion rate, at about 91 percent, and
that it spent significantlyless than
the University for each degree.
"That's really the important
question," Van Beek said. "To get
an 89 percent graduation rate for
six years, does it require $130,000
per completion?"
In general, Van Beek said
smaller schools are more effective
atlimiting costs thanlarger public
institutions because of their abil-
ity to specialize in certain areas.
He cited the liberal arts program
at The College of William and
Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia
as a model of specialization, but
one that isn't easily comparable to
the University.
"The cost to provide every-
thing for all people certainly
would expand what the Univer-
sity would need to spend to do
those things," Van Beek said. "A
school that is more specialized ...
that is focused on liberal arts or a
certain strength in one area may
have the ability to spend less with
that focus, and maybe it's because
they are able to attract students
who would excel in that area."
Van Beek said the data indi-
cated no significant differences
between the funding and effi-
ciency between public and pri-
vate institutions in Michigan.
"On the whole, if you looked at
Michigan, at the private colleges,
they have slightly higher gradua-
tion rates overall for a four-year
period, (but) their spending var-
ies more and it is lower on aver-
age," Van Beek said.
On a national scale, costs at
leading private institutions were
much higher than at the Univer-
sity. Yale University had the high-
est spending per completion at
$502,748, followed by Wake For-
est University at $417,946.
Michigan State University
had the second highest six-year
graduation rate in Michigan at
77.2 percent and the fourth high-
est spending per completion at
$75,738.
Donald Heller, dean of the
College of Education at MSU,
was not familiar with the data,
but cautioned against drawing
conclusions based on graduation
rates and costs alone. The most
important quality, according to
Heller, is the preparedness of the
student entering college in deter-
mining whether or not he or she
will graduate.
"I'd be very cautious about
inferring causality," Heller said.
"The reason for that is that the
institutions that spend more
money are the wealthy institu-
tions which tend to be the more
selective and attract better stu-
dents. We know that the most
important factor that determines
whether astudentgraduatesfrom
college or how quickly they grad-
uate from college is their own
background and characteristics."
Hellersaid itwasn'tparticular-
ly useful to compare large institu-
tions such as the University of
Michigan or MSU to other small-
er Michigan schools because they
have different focuses and sizes.
He added that research institu-
tions across the board have high-
er costs than institutions without
a significant research component.
"It makes very little com-
parison (sense) to compare U-M
Ann Arbor to Eastern Michi-
gan University, for example,"
Heller said. "It's a much more
valid comparison to compare
(the University of Michigan
and Michigan State University)
to other research universities
around the country."
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