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Ann Arbor, Michigan
Friday, October 11, 2013
michigandaily.com
Protestors demonstrate outside of the Supreme during the Fisher v. University of Texas on October 10, 2012. The Court will take up affirmative action again, this time Specific to Michigan, with oral arguments begin Tuesday.
'Court to discuss Prop. 2
SCOTUS will hear
arguments on
state's right to ban
affirmative action
By TAYLOR WIZNER
Daily News Editor
Michigan residents voted to
ban affirmative action in 2006
ballot initiative, but a case
before the U.S. Supreme Court
may reverse that decision and
set a new precedent for the way
Michigan's higher-education
institutions consider race in
application processes.
On Tuesday, the justices
will hear oral arguments on
Schuette v. Coalition to Defend
Affirmative Action, a case that
will approach the question
of whether or not the state of
Michigan violated the U.S.
Constitution and federal statu-
tory law by changing the state's
constitution to prohibit all sex-
and race-based discrimination
or preferential treatment.
The case is part of a series
of responses that occurred
after the Supreme Court's
2003 decision on affirmative
action involving admissions to
the University's Law School
in Grutter v. Bollinger, which
bears the name of former Uni-
versity President Lee Bollinger,
now president of Columbia
University. In a5-4 decision,
the court held that the Law
School's more holistic admis-
sions program, which includ-
ed race as a possible factor in
admissions decisions, was con-
stitutional. However, in Gratz
v. Bollinger, the court held that
the University's undergraduate
admissions program's assign-
ing substantial points to cer-
'tain students based on race
was unconstitutional since the
undergraduate admissions pro-
cess was more formulaic.
After the ruling, the Univer-
sity and many other institu-
tions adopted programs that
were closer to the Law School's
holistic approach and did not
assign point values based on the
different qualitiesthe applicant
possessed, particularly those
related to race.
However, the two Supreme
Court rulings based on Univer-
sity admissions policies did not
quell controversy surrounding
affirmative action, and in 2006,
58 percent of Michigan voters
approved Proposal 2. The refer-
endum amended the Michigan
constitution to prohibit racially
based preferences in admis-
sions for public universities.
University President Mary
Sue Coleman has continued to
be a vocal proponent of the use
of affirmative action in higher-
education policies, and the day
after the passage of Proposal
See PROP, Page 3
'U' invested
in affirmative
action debate
After defending
policies in two other
cases, University is
watching this one
By TAYLOR WIZNER
Daily NewsaEditor
After Michigan voters
approved Proposal 2 in 2006,
which banned public colleges in
the state from taking race into
account as a factor in admissions,
the University has made signifi-
cant changes in the way it consid-
ers applicants.
The Law School, especially,
which survived the scrutiny of
U.S. Supreme Court in its affirma-
tive action admissions process in
See DEBATE, Page 3
11
w
ANN ARBOR
Biz incubator
expands to aid
older startups,
Stage two of
program helps
growing ventures
By WILL GREENBERG
DailyStaffReporter
Local business incubator
Ann Arbor SPARK has expand-
ed to help Ann Arbor technol-
ogy startups grow and increase
profitability.
SPARK has added a second
stage to its incubation program,
allowing startups a chance to
advance from stage one after
growing to four or five employ-
ees. The second stage allows
companies to maintain support
from the incubator until they
reach 12 employees.
Bill Mayer, director of busi-
ness acceleration at SPARK,
said creating the bridge
between the early beta stages
of a new product and profitabil-
ity from that product is very
helpful for young companies -
especially in Ann Arbor where
space can be hard to find and is
particularly expensive.
"It doesn't make sense for a
company for 12 months, espe-
cially a task for startups, to pay
for twice thetspace they need
hoping that they'll grow into
it," he said. "Now we've grown
the capacity of companies
that we can house along their
growth curve."
SPARK's new space on the
third floor of its East, Liberty
Street building adds 2,500
square feet. He added that
having stage two helps solve a
space problem, with the stage
one space becoming overfilled
with rapidly growing compa-
nies. Stage two currently has
three residents, he said.
Len Gauger, creator of Mes-
sage Blocks, an event-planning
service, is one of the stage-two
residents. He said SPARK's
expansion, has allowed him
and his company to stay in Ann
Arbor.
"Being involved in the stage
two allowed us to continue
growing our company with-
out really chilling our bank
account," Gauger said.
While Gauger said an entre-
preneur with a prdfitable idea
is likely to be successful on his
or her own, he said the SPARK
program provided many cru-
See BIZ, Page 3
PAUL SHERMAN/Daily
Members of the Michigan Ice Hockey team celebrate after senior forward Luke Moffatt scored one of his two goals
versus Boston College Thursday. Michigan defaeted the Eagles by a score of 3 to1.
STATE GOVERNMENT
Ann Arbor, barn managers
-mixedon. proposed laws'
ADMINISTRATION
University
ranks third
in cost of
attendance
List compiled in
response to Obama
pledge to keep college
a sound investment
By JEN CALFAS
Daily StaffReporter
The University placed third in a
set of rankings that reflectsPresident
Barack Obama's criteria for afford-
ability in higher education.
The report, released by Affordable
Colleges Online, serves as a response
the Obama administrations's pro-
posed plan to make federal funding
focus on "making college a smart
long-term investment for everyone,"
accordingtothe website.
The ranking's methodology
considered the net price of tuition
and fees subtracted by scholarship
money provided per -capita, student
loan default rate, graduation rate, the
breadth and depth of student servic-
es andstarting salaries for graduates.
In August, Obama proposed the
new set of criteria for determining
federal funding for higher-education
institutions. The plan is to reward
institutions for offering the greatest
See COST, Page 3
House, Senate to
debate longer hours,
rules on glass size
By STEPHANIE
SHENOUDA
Daily StaffReporter
College students across
Michigan may feel more favor-
ably toward state legislators
when they learn they're work-
ing to protect their interests in
an unforeseen arena: the bar
scene.
A bill introduced in Lansing
last week would amend the
Liquor Control Act to ensure
that a pint of beer is at least
16 ounces, after allegations
surfaced that some bars and
restaurants were distributing
less than their advertisements
suggested. A second piece of
legislation would allow bars
the option to stay open until 4
a.m., as opposed to the current
closing time of 2 a.m., provided
they pay $10,000 fee each year.
In an interview with NBC
News, state Rep. David Knezek
(D-Dearborn Heights), a spon-
sor of the legislation, said the
See BAR, Page 3
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