The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

Tuesday, September 4, 2012 - 7C

The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Tuesday, September 4, 2012 - 7C

ECONOMY
From Page 2
institution, the University of
Michigan has an imperative as a
flagship public school to live up
to its responsibility to serve the
public good.
How can the University claim
a commitment to diversity with
a demographic profile as homog-
enously affluent as ours?
The University can foster
more economic diversity in a
variety of ways. Most obviously,
the administration could think
twice the next time a tuition
increase is on the table. Accord-
ing to a May 2011 poll by the
Pew Research Center where a
nationally representative sample
of 2,142 adults'ages 18 and older
were surveyed, 48 percent of 18
to 34 year olds who hadn't gone
to college said they didn't go
because they couldn't afford it.
Financial aid is also part of the
solution. Perhaps the University
should follow Harvard's lead,
offering more sweeping finan-
cial aid packages to low-income
students. That'd be expensive,
sure. But at $6.5 billion, the Uni-
versity of Michigan's endow-
ment is greater than the GNP of,
Nicaragua. I think we can afford
it.
To its credit, the University
already takes into consideration
the economic background of
COLEMAN
From Page 2
teaching, morethan25percent
of them were previously involved
in sustainability projects.
However, during the talk
about sustainability efforts,
Coleman told the audience why
the University decided not to
sign the American College and
University Presidents' Climate
Commitment - an agreement
between U.S. colleges to elimi-
nate greenhouse gas emissions
on campuses nationwide.
"After seeking expert counsel,
we have concluded we cannot set
a date by which we will achieve
carbon neutrality," Coleman said
in her speech. "There is simply
no viable way forward at this
time to achieve such a feat, and
I will not place an undue burden
on the backs of future presidents
of this great institution."
Engineering graduate student
Ryan Smith, who attended the
event yesterday, was involved
with the University's Student
Sustainability Initiative and the
CSIA. In 2009, the Student Sus-
tainability Initiative collected
information about which sus-
tainability issues the student
body cared about and relayed it
to the administration. The CSIA
then began, and Smith worked
on the energy use team of the
assessment.
"Through this whole pro-
cess (the administration) really
depended on all the data that was
generated by the students and
the integrated assessment pro-
cess," Smith said. "I'm proud of
them for just putting all that on
the table, saying, 'OK, we care
about this. Let's really get some

applicants each fall. It awards
points to students if they're
from an economically depressed
region or if they attended an
underprivileged high school. But
as progressive and important as
these considerationsamay be, they
clearly aren't doing enough. The
University must do a better job
of reaching out to disadvantaged
high school students before the
application process even begins.
As the Occupy Wall Street
movement decries the unequal
influence of the wealthiest few,
it's worth calling attention to the
channels through which they
attained their power and for-
tune. Many of them surely fun-
neled through the nation's most
elite colleges. In the parlance of
OWS, the University needs to
take a firmer stance in support of
educating the 99 percent.
There's nothing wrong with
wanting to make a decent liv-
ing, as the data shows that many
University students do. It's part
of the American dream, after
all, and young people across the
socioeconomic spectrum likely
share this aspiration. It's the
University's responsibility to
ensure that this goal can be met
by the genuine Leaders and Best
- not just the already wealthy
and well connected.
- Matthew Green can be
reached at greenmat@umich.edu.
real good data."'
Smith said his only concern is
that some students will wantbig-
ger and faster changes.
"I know the student body
tends to be very zealous and very
energetic about issues," he said.
"They always want to push it
further. Really based on the all
the data that was presented to
us, (the Uniersity has) the most
reasonable, and quite honestly,
ambitious step forward."
To help encourage student
involvement in the sustain-
ability efforts, the University's
Planet Blue Student Ambassador
Program recently started hav-
ing student and faculty advi-
sors. The ambassador program
involves selected students who
live in residence halls and make
others in the community more
environmentally conscious
through a variety of programs.
"I think this Planet Blue
ambassadors program has great
promise," Coleman said. "The
best thing possible would be to
accelerate the pace of change so
that we really begin to see more
and more people taking personal
responsibility. So I'm very hope-
ful."
During the announcement
the lights were turned off in the
Gallery Room when someone in
the audience pointed out that
there was sufficient lighting
from outside and the lights were
unnecessary - a reminder that
the little changes will make a
difference.
"Students are the story of
environmental awareness and
sustainability at Michigan,"
Coleman said. "They exemplify
our belief that a great public
university continually strives to
make the world a better place."

REGENTS
From Page 4C
operating efficiently and ensur-
ing college affordability and
accessibility.
As part of the budget, faculty
will receive a 3-percent salary
increase, and staff will receive
a 2-percent salary, increase as
part of the budget, which Han-
lon said is essential to securing
the strength of the University.
"Academic excellence begins
with human resources. Univer-
sities are excellent because of
their people," Hanlon said. "To
maintain academic excellence,
we need the most outstanding
students, faculty and staff at
this university."
According to Hanlon, por-
tions of the general funds will
also be allocated to maintain-
ing the University's library
system, developing educational
program and investing in new-
technology. Funds will also
be used to better consolidate
IT programs on campus that
he said have historically been
"disaggregated" with too many'
units.
To decrease budget cuts and
tuition increases, the Univer-
sity has continued to engage in
a long-term commitment to cost
containment policies, spear-
headed by Coleman in 2004.
Since the onset of the program,

the University has reduced $235
million in general fund expen-
ditures and seeks to save anoth-
er $120 million in the next five
years - $30 million specifically
in the coming fiscal year.
Cost containment efforts
include reducing low-enroll-
ment classes, better consoli-
dation of services and staff,
altering health care and benefit
programs and increasing ener-
gy efficiency in campus build-
ings.
The cost reduction program
has allowed for reallocation of
funds to other efforts like revi-
talizing academic buildings.
Hanlon said the University will
soon embark on a three-year
program that will grant $45
million each year for large-scale
campus renovations, which are
"more cost-effective than doing
piecemeal fix ups."
The administration seeks to
ensure that the quality of life on
campus is not hindered or nega-
tively impacted for students
when determining the budget
and cutting costs, according to
Hanlon.
"We do not want to in anyway
reduce the experience our stu-
dents have, so we're very care-
ful when we do these things to
try to make sure we do them in
a way that will enable an excel-
lent education for our students,"
he said.

GUPTA
From Page 6C
"It's a Michigan tradition to
take risks and, in the process,
blaze new trails," Gupta said. "It's
a Michigan tradition to always
read the directionsbutnot always
to follow them, to always prepare
but sometimes throw that prepa-
ration in the trash allowing your-.
self to be surprised, honest and
genuine. It's a Michigan tradition
to make history and change the
world, to be immortal not as in
living forever but as never being
forgotfen."
Other speakers who addressed
the crowd of about 50,000 before
Gupta's speech included LSA
Associate Dean Philip Deloria,
who spoke in place of LSA Dean
Terrence McDonald who was
unable to attend, Engineering
graduate Julia Brennan and Cole-
man.
In Deloria's remarks, he
explained the word "gump-
tion" to the crowd, saying all of
those graduatinghave it. He said
though having gumption gives
one "guts" and "wits," it is not
the only aspect graduates will
need in life as they move for-
ward.
"Mix one part gumption with
equal parts knowledge, com-
mitment, patience and the will-
ingness to take a risk," Deloria
said. "Stir in a healthy portion
of liberal arts and sciences edu-
cation and you have before you a
recipe for success- a recipe to
become truly one of the leaders
and best."
Brennan, who was the selected
student speaker, asked the stu-
dents to never forget their first
days at the University, which
she said was a shared experience
between all of the graduates.

"Celebrate that unsettled feel-
ing," Brennan said. "Celebrate
Michigan for instilling in us the
confidence to thrive in every-
thing we choose to do."
Coleman was the last to speak
before the granting .of the hon-
orary degrees. She spoke about
creativity and said the graduates
will need to adopt new ways of
thinking to change the future.
"Simply put, we expect you to
raise a few eyebrows," Coleman
said.
Honorarydegreeswereaward-
ed by the University's Board of
Regents to five University alum-
ni, includingGupta, who received
a Doctor of Humane Letters.
J. Ira Harris, a financier,,
received an honorary Doctor
of Laws, and Richard Sarns, a
biomedical engineer and entre-
preneur, received an honorary
Doctor of Engineering. Both
Susan Orlean, author and writer
for The New Yorker magazine,
and Chris Van Allsburg, author
and illustrator of books such as
Jumanji and The Polar Express,
received honorary Doctors of
Humane Letters as well.
Coleman said the group of
honorary degree recipients was
an influential team.
"They embody the power and
reward of creativity," she said.
"They express their ideas and
talents in different reaches and
outlets."
LSA graduate Devon Porter,
who will spend the upcoming
weeks applying for jobs, said the
speeches were inspirational.
"It was avery good ceremony, I
got a lot from it," Porter said. "It's
great because they spoke to the
anxiety that comes with graduat-
ing, especially in this job market,
but they also spoke to that feeling
of 'go after it' and do what you
love doing."

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