MASTERFUL WORK
Leading men shine in
Anderson's latest drama

NOT THIS TIME
Denard Robinson and Michigan
did too little, too late vs. th risI
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SAnn Arbor, Michigan
ELECTION 2012
Michigan
political ads
focus on six
.propositions

Monday, September 24, 2012

michigandailycom

Obama's lead
in polls means
state sees fewer
presidential spots
By TUI RADEMAKER
Daily StaffReporter
Though many television
viewers in Michigan have
grown irate by the inundation
of campaign advertisements
leading up to Election Day,
they may have noticed that a
decreasing number of them are
for the two presidential candi-
dates.
Experts said the decision
among campaign organizations
affiliated with the candidates
to not spend money on political
ads within the state signifies
that Michigan is not a swing
state. Still, viewers are sure to
get their dose of political ads,
as supporters and opponents
of the state's six ballot initia-
tives have been quick to fill the
Iairwaves that would otherwise
have been dominated by presi-
dential campaign efforts.
Nicholas Valentino, a pro-
fessor of political science and
a political communication
expert, said that while ads are
by no means the greatest deter-

minant of votes, they do often
have the ability to influence up
to 1-2 percent of the electorate.
"The biggest way in which
advertisements can influence
the vote is actually when one
candidate runs out of money in
a state and stops spending, and
the other one maintains a pres-
ence," Valentino said. "It's that
persistent visibility in the state
that's important and that ads
can really help with."
The Michi-
gan Campaign
Finance Net-
work, nonpar-
tisan groups
that track
campaign spending, reported
that pro-Romney groups, par-
ticularly the political action
committees Restore our Future
and American Crossroads,
spent $10.9 million on politi-
cal advertisements in the state
prior to Sept. 6. Since then,
those organizations and the
Romney campaign have dis-
continued their television ads
in Michigan in an effort to
focus attention and resources
on other key states as Obama
continues to grow his lead in
polling.
On Sunday, Obama was lead-
ing Romney 52 percent to 44
percent among likely voters in
See ADS, Page 7A

ERIN KIRKLAND/Da
Senior quarterback Denard Robinson watches the end of the Michigan-Notre Dame game in South Bend on Saturday. The Fighting Irish won 13-6.
Admit it, you still love him

OUTH BEND - It's half-
time at Notre Dame Sta-
dium. The Fighting Irish ,
are leading the Wolverines 10-0,
and you take your phone out to
see what the Twitter-sphere has
to say about it.
Anybody who writes any-
thing about Michigan football is
telling you the Wolverines have
thrown five straight picks. No.
Not just interceptions on five
straight Michigan possessions.
Interceptions on five straight
pass attempts.
That's not possible, is it? You
think about it.

One ...
two ... three
, ,,four ... oh,
wow. It is
possible. But
the first one
was actu-
ally thrown
by running
back Vincent
Smith in the
first quarter,
so Denard

LUKE
PASCH

do anythingto forgive Denard.
Admit it: your love for him is
unconditional, because even
though he got you into this
mess, you're forced to accept
that he's the lone soul who can
get you out of it.
Just a year ago, against Notre
Dame, Denard did next to
nothing through the first three
quarters, and Michigan entered
the final period down 17. Then
he led a magical comeback in
the final moments that will for-
ever be near the forefront of his
legacy at Michigan.
Denard leads his team into

quicksand, and his teammates
hang onto the back of his jersey
for dear life as he pulls them out
the other side of the pit.
But in South Bend on Satur-
day, the quicksand won.
On Michigan's first drive
of the second half, Denard
methodically marched the Wol-
verines down into the Notre
Dame red zone. He looked con-
fident. He hit his targets. Good
Denard is back.
It's third down with three
yards to go on Notre Dame's
16-yard line, and Denard keeps
See LOVE, Page 7A

Robinson isn't that bad of a
passer.
It's not a particularly reas-
suring silver lining, but you'll


UNIVERSITY RESEARCH
Pair to
study
body
10,000 surveys to
be distributed to
ungraduate and
graduate students
By PAIGE PEARCY
Daily NewsEditor
While pursuing her mas-
ter's degree at Harvard Uni-
versity, Ph.D student Sarah
Ketchen-Lipson became increas-
ingly intrigued by the disordered
eating habits of the young under-
graduates in the freshman resi-
dence hall where she resided.
 Lipson is now translating her
interest in student relationships
to food as a co-principal investi-
gator to one of the largest studies
on student eating patterns in the
University's history. Starting this
fall, Lipson and Suzanne Dooley-
Sen BODY IMAGE, Page 7A

CAMPUS COMMUNITY
Student advisory group,
administrators work to
revamp unions, gyms

Students gather on the Diag Friday to mark the one-year anniversary of Troy Davis's execution.
Vigil onors Troy Davis,
promotes civil liberties

Building a Better
Michigan aims to
improve campus
facilities
By ALICIA ADAMCZYK
Daily StaffReporter
In addition to the Universi-
ty's ongoing efforts to renovate
its residence halls, one student
group has big plans for further
modernization of student facili-
ties on campus.
Building a Better Michigan, a
student advisory group in its sec-
ond year of operation, is working
to fund renovations and upgrades
for University buildings most
frequented by students. E. Roys-
ter Harper, the University's vice
president for student affairs, said
she is working actively with the
student group to raise awareness
about the campaign.
"We really just have to reno-
vate the facilities," Harper said.
"We just want to make sure we
get it right."
The group would like to see
renovations occur in three phas-

es, beginning with the Central
Campus Recreational. Build-
ing, the Michigan Union and
the North Campus Recreational
Building. Inthe second phase, the
group envisions changes to the
Intramural Sports Building and
the Michigan League. Finally,
the third phase involves replac-
ing Pierpont Commons with a
union and recreational sports
facility, according to LSA senior
Caroline Canning, the president
of LSA Student Government and
the co-chair of Building a Better
Michigan.
Each phase will require an
individual vote and approval
by the University's Board of
Regents. According to Canning,
the group would like to receive
the board's approval by the end
of the year for a student fee that
will help fund phase one.
Harper said improvements to
the athletic compounds and the
unions are necessary, because
each facility attracts different,
but equally large, groups of stu-
dents.
"Some students participate
in recreational sports and some
students are really active in the
See REVAMP, Page 7A

Students mark one
year since Davis's
execution in Ga.
By SAM GRINGLAS
Daily StaffReporter
Amid a slow sprinkle of
raindrops and a flurry of eve-
ning pedestrians, the sound of

strumming emanated from a
corner of the Diag Friday eve-
ning in support of Troy Davis,
a Georgia man many believe
was wrongly executed last
year after being convicted of
murdering a police officer.
The guitar piece opened
a vigil, attended by about 25
students, to commemorate the
execution of Davis on Sept.
21, 2011, and honor him for

becoming a symbol for fight-
ing injustice within the legal
system.
Davis was convicted of
murdering Burger King secu-
rity guard Mark MacPhail,
who was stopping an assault
in a nearby parking loton Aug.
19, 1989. Davis was sentenced
to execution in August 1991,
and maintained his innocence
See DAVIS, Page 7A


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