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Thursday, April 11, 2013 - 7A

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EDUCATION
From Page 1A
on reforming the K-12 agenda by
investing in teachers and school
turnaround efforts, keeping
schools and communities safe
from gun violence, increasing
career readiness in high school
and improving affordability of
higher education.
Duncan said studies have
determined that students with
limited education before pre-
school are less prepared for suc-
cess, an education gap that could
hinder them for the rest of their
lives.
"Dramatically expanding
access to high-quality early edu-
cation will not only help to clog
(the achievement) gap by provid-
ing America's youngest learners
with a strong start, it will also
pay huge dividends down the
road in higher graduation rates,
increased employment, better
jobs at higher salaries, greater
cash revenue, and lower crime
and reliance on public assis-
tance," Duncan said.
The president plans to create
"ladders of opportunity" to the
middle class through the Promise
Neighborhoods program and to
invest in low-income communi-
ties.

Duncan said Obama's budget
shows that education is a "cross-
cutting" issue, as it's spread "all
the way through the adminis-
tration." Obama will be working
to reform Head Start, a national
program that promotes school
readiness by enhancingthe social
and cognitive development of
children.
The budget also plans to raise
all $74 million for preschool
reform by imposing a 94-cent tax
on tobacco, Duncan said.
"The projection is that 233,000
fewer youths will begin smoking
as a result of the tax," Duncan
said. "Obviously, this is a huge
reduction of health-care costs. It
has a benefit to health and benefit
educationally, and we think it's
the right thing to do."
Duncan said the main higher-
education priorities are to make
schools and communities safer
and make college more afford-
able for students and to improve
opportunities for students in dis-
advantaged communities.
"We're working to double
work-studies opportunities to
make college more affordable,"
Duncan said. "In addition, we
have a focus on increasing high-
school graduation rates by help-
ing kids take the next step going
into higher education. We want
to invest more in dual-enrollment

programs which is great not just
for high-achieving, but for at-
risk students who as juniors and
sophomores can start to take col-
lege classes and start to believe
that they can be a part of that
world."
The president plans to address
affordability by investing $1 bil-
lion in Race to the Top: College
Affordability and Completion,
creating change in each state's
higher-education practices. To
encourage students, $260 mil-
lion will be used for a First in the
World fund, which would create
competitive awards for innova-
tion in higher education.
The plan also includes expand-
ing and funding financial aid pro-
grams and the Pay As You Earn
repayment option - a program
that ensures loan payments for
students who don't exceed 10
percent of their discretionary
income.
"Today, millions of Americans
have a better chance of getting a
job, owning their own home and
supporting their family," Duncan
said. "We know we have a long
way to go, but if we want to con-
tinue to make progress we have to
drive and continue improvement
through k-12 reform and we must
invest in human capital, in our
great futures and leaders, which
we propose to do in this budget."

COALITION
From Page 1A
the cause.
"She will really inspire stu-
dents and campus community
members to really respond
to this call to action that her
story shows," Mersol-Barg said.
"There's so much that we can do
when we work with others in the
community to address a wrong."
When Andiola's mother and
brother were deported from the
United States, she began her
fight for immigrants' rights by
connecting with a broader net-
work of activists. Her efforts
stopped the deportation of her
family as well as. other undocu-
mented immigrants.
Andiola's work focuses on law
enacted in 12 states - modeled

after the failed federal DREAM
Act - that allows public insti-
tutions to grant aid to undocu-
mented students. As the leader
of the Arizona DREAM Coali-
tion, Andiola has challenged
three senators and has lobbied
for immigration rights in Wash-
ington D.C.
Mersol-Barg said he hopes
Andiola's speech will inspire
students to work for immigra-
tion rights at the University
level. He added that the event
will serve as a precursor to the
CTE's planned protest at the
University's Board of Regents
meeting next Thursday, which
will be similar to its protest last
December.
"We will be demonstrating
our strong support for tuition
equality and for this commu-
nity for students who are being

really discriminated against for
the University's policies," Mer-
sol-Barg said. "We're going to
really hit home this idea that it's
unacceptable for the University
to stand idly by."
Upon receiving the report
produced by the organization,
the administrationcreatedatask
force to review it, which didn't
include members from the coali-
tion. Mersol-Barg said while the
University has been "relatively
mum" since the release of the
report, protesting at the regents
meeting has been the coalition's
most effective action.
"Although we are somewhat
disappointed that we will not
participate in the executive
community, we will not let that
stay between us and lobbying
the University to draft tuition
equality," Mersol-Barg said.

New section of Western
Wall to promote equality

0


BLUE CARPET
From Page 1A
Engineering graduate student
Nick Fredricks, the group's chief
engineer, said he didn't expect
either award.
Fredricks added that E-MAG-
INE hasn't been on campus for
very long but has already shown
its impact.
"It was amazing to win both of
these," Fredricks said. "It's just
a resemblance of how far we've
come. We've just made such an
impact on this college, and it's all
due to this amazing group, not
just one person's effort."
Malinda Matney, a senior
research associate in the Divi-
sion of Student Affairs, managed
the selection process for the 50
awards presented at this year's
ceremony. She said the organiza-
tions that received awards were
selected in a two-step process:
initial nomination and selection
by the committee.
This year, about 200 individu-
als and groups received nomi-
nations. After nominations are
received, Matney said the com-
mittee contacts the nominators
and nominees directly to get more
information and make their deci-

sion.
"We make step one very easy,"
Matney said. "We just want
to know who's out there. A lot
of what we'll be talking about
in granting the winners their
awards comes directly from that
second step of the process."
Kate Poisson, a student
involvement advisor at the Center
for Campus Involvement, said the
event draws its award winners
from across campus.
"There's a wide range of differ-
ent organizations and individuals
that are recognized. We tried to
hit all of those main groups that
we have on campus," Poisson said.
Poisson said the event offers
a unique look at what leaders on
campus were able to attain this
past year.
"What we're really trying to
do here is not just recognize the
student groups we have here on
campus, but celebrate them,"
Poisson said. "We don't always
get a chance to take a step back
and think, 'Wow, look at every-
thing we've accomplished in the
last year.'"
The ceremony underwent a
major transformation two years
ago to give it more flair. Matney
described it as "Emmys meets
MTV awards."

The eventborrowed manyofits
themes from Hollywood award
shows, including a ceremonial
blue carpet for students enter-
ing the ballroom and'a memorial
video segment for all the trends,
memes and fads that "died" in
the last year. There were also live
performances by Maize Mirchi, a
South Asian acappella group, and
the Michigan Pompon team.
Kinesiology senior Dustyn
Wright attended this year's event
to represent the University's
chapter of the Beta Theta Pi fra-
ternity, which won the Fraternity
or Sorority of the Year Award at
last year's ceremony. Wright said
his fraternity has dedicated itself
to promoting a "higher standard"
within the Greek life system after
the chapter was banned from the
University from 2007 to 2011 for
issues with alcohol..
This year's honor went to
Lambda Theta Alpha. Though his
fraternity didn't win the award
for a second year, Wright said
the ceremony has a very positive
impact on the Greek system.
"It allows the (community) to
celebrate their success alongside
other organizations' successes."
-Daily Staff Reporter Ariana
Assaf contributed reporting.

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Proposal to ern Wall's Muslim neighbors,
reflecting the explosive mix
settle issues of religious sensitivities in the
wer rth dox area.
~Ver Orthodox The Western Wall, a retain-
regulations ing wall of the biblical Temple
compound, is the holiest site
where Jews can pray. Cur-
RUSALEM (AP) - Israe- rently, it is divided into men's
ithorities have proposed and women's sections. Ortho-
lishing a new section at dox rabbis, who control Israel's
Western Wall where men religious institutions, oppose
women can pray together, mixed prayers.
roundbreaking initiative Under the plan, Israel would
would mark a significant create a permanent area for
ry by liberal streams of mixed-gender and women-led
ism in their long quest for prayer. It would be situated in
gnition. an area on a lower level where
:e proposal is aimed at limited mixed prayer already
ng turmoil surrounding is allowed, but which mainly
Orthodox establishment's serves as an archaeological site.
opoly over the site, high- The area would be renovat-
ed by the arrests of female ed with a platform that would
hippers who prayed while place it at the same level as the
rming religious rituals the rest of the Western Wall plaza
odox say are reserved for and operate around the clock,
like the men's and Women's sec-
ne Western Wall for one tions.
sh people," said Natan It also would be easily acces-
ansky, chairman of the sible from the main entrance to
i-governmental Jewish the plaza. Like the other sec-
cy and mastermind of the tions, it would be stocked with
osal. He expressed hope Torah scrolls and prayer books.
the site "will once again Currently, worshippers must
symbol of unity among the bring their own prayer materi-
sh people, and not one of als.
rd and strife." Rabbi Gilad Kariv, who heads
hile it still needs govern- Israel's Reform Jewish move-
approval, the proposal ment, said that the proposal
dy risks upsetting Israel's could become a watershed
'rful ultra-Orthodox com- moment for liberal Judaism.
ty as well as the West- "If the Israeli government

embraces the solution, I think
it's a breakthrough of relations
between the Israeli govern-
ment and the progressive Jew-
ish world," Kariv said.
He said he believed "there
are good chances" that Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanya-
hu's new Cabinet, which does
not include any ultra-Orthodox
parties, will support the plan.
A spokesman for Netanyahu
declined comment. But in a
boost for the plan, the Western
Wall's Orthodox rabbi, Shmuel
Rabinowitz, endorsed the new
prayer section.
"I want everyone to pray
according to Orthodox Jewish
religious law, but I don't inter-
fere," Rabinowitz told Army
Radio. "If these things can be
done at the Western Wall with-
out hurting others, and this can
bring about compromise and
serenity, I don't object."
While most Israelis are secu-
lar, Judaism has a formal place
in the country's affairs, and
Orthodox rabbis strictly gov-
ern religious events such as
weddings, divorces and burials
for the Jewish population. The
ultra-Orthodox, who follow
their strict brand of Judaism
by promoting religious stud-
ies over work, military service
and other involvement in mod-
ern society, wield vast politi-
cal power, although they make
up only about 10 percent of the
population.


INCOME
From Page 1A
equalize pay on a case-by-case
basis - not "blanket regula-
tions." She said she aims to raise
awareness for the wage gap.
State Rep. Pat Somerville
(R-New Boston) said the bill's

language is vague and there's
no "apples-to-apples" consider-
ation of each sex's experience,
education and other variables
when delegating equal pay. For
instance, he said it would allow
women who take time off to
raise a family to receive the same
income as a man in the same job
with more experience.

Somerville added that sta-
tistics are being misconstrued
to show a pay gap exists where
there might not be one. He said
data might reflect that, when
work-related variables are kept
constant, women have an advan-
tage over men in equal pay.
"I believe the bill is searching
for a problem that doesn't exist."


TEDX
From Page 1A
TEDx to create the salon in order
to address issues that students are
already discussing on campus.
"This has been a very relevant
topic that groups within Hillel
 have been focusing on. Word of
mouth has been all about women's
issues lately," Adler said. "It's rel-
evant to conversations in daily life
and relevant to college students
going into the workplace. We

thought it was a really beneficial
conversation to have.
LSA senior Celia Shecter, who
also worked with. Adler create
the event, said she thought TEDx
was helpful in sparking topics for
small-group discussions.
"This was my first introduction
to a salon. I thought it was a really
cool idea to be able to have a dis-
cussion after the video in a small
group," Shecter said.
Shecter added that her goal in
helping create this event was to
raise awareness on the issue of

gender inequality in order to give
students an idea of what to expect
when they leave college.
"Gender inequality in the
workforce specifically interested
me because I feel like, as under-
graduates, we are here preparing
ourselves for some sort of career,"
Shecter said. "I'm really passion-
ate about women's issues. I think
it's important to be aware of
what's coming up; what is it going
to be like in the future, what is it
really like for women and men in
the work place?"

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