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Wednesday, October 16,2013
AFFRIMATIVE ACTION
-E
michigandaily.com
LEFT: Protestors gather outside of the Lincoln Memorial in preparation to march to the U.S. Supreme Court with the organization By Any Means Necessary in support of affirmative action Tuesday. RIGHT: Western Michigan University
sophomore Tabrian Joe, a BAMN organizer, gathers outside of the Lincoln Memorial before marching to across the National Mall to the U.S. Supreme Court Building.
Students take State's Prop 2 hits ourt
to Washington
t e h
BAMN leads
march on National
Mall toward court
By TAYLOR WIZNER
AND K.C. WASSMAN
Daily News Editors
WASHINGTON, D.C. -
When a bell sounds in the U.S.
Supreme Court it signifies the a
moment of ceremonial impor-
tance: The justices each put on
their robes, shake hands with
one another and take their hon-
orary seats.
As the bell rang at 1 p.m.
Tuesday, it also stood for the
culmination of hours, months
and years of people waiting on
the sidelines to hear the court's
See WASHINGTON, Page 5A
U.S. justices hear
oral arguments on
ballot initiative
By TAYLOR WIZNER
AND K.C. WASSMAN
Daily News Editors
WASHINGTON, D.C. -
Affirmative action in Michi-
gan has once again taken
center stage in the U.S.
Supreme Court.
The high court heard
oral arguments Tuesday -for
Schuette v. Coalition to Defend
Affirnmative Action, which
questions the legality of a
2006 amendment - commonly
known as Proposal 2 - to the
Michigan State Constitution
that bans race-based prefer-
ences in college admission
process. The court must weigh
whether or not a state ban
on race- or sex-based admis-
sions is in violation of the 14th
amendment's equal protec-
tion cause. The case brings
up questions of unfair burden
put upon minority communi-
ties, who would have to take
to courts to change admission
policy instead of that institu-
tion's governing body.
The case came to the U.S.
Supreme Court after the
state appealed the Sixth Cir-
cuit Court's decision, which
struck down equal protection
concerns, based on precedent
set in Washington v. Seattle
School District No. 1. In that
1981 case, the Court found
a statewide initiative for a
neighborhood-school policy
put an unconstitutional bur-
den on racial minorities by
reordering the decision-mak-
ing process.
In order for the court to
overturn the Sixth Circuit
Court's ruling, five of the eight
participating justices - Justice
Elena Kagan having recused
herself from this case - would
have to rule against the lower
court's decision.
If the justices are split in
a 4-4 vote, the ruling is auto-
matically deferred to the lower
court's verdict.
John Bursch, the state's
solicitor general, represented
Michigan Attorney General
Bill Schuette, who appealed
the Sixth Circuit Court's deci-
sion to the court. In his allot-
ted thirty minutes of time,
Bursch argued that it is up
to, each state to determine
whether or not they would like
race-based admissions.
During his opening state-
ments, Bursch noted it's
unclear whether or not diver-
sity has declined at the Uni-
versity in the wake of Proposal
2. He said the 2010 change in
the mandate for reporting
race, which allowed students
See ADMISSIONS, Page 3A
FACILITIES
Coleman
outines
need for
lab space
Pres. says upcoming
renovations will
provide better
biology areas
By JENNIFER CALFAS
Daily StaffReporter
Though its home in North Hall
will likely be razed, the University's
ROTC program will live on.
At the monthly meeting of the
University's Board of Regents on
Friday, the regents will consider a
project to renovate space in several
buildings to accommodate the relo-
cation the University's Army, Navy
and Air Force Reserve Officers'
Training Corps offices from North
Hall.
Once the .project is approved,
another request will be made to
demolish North Hall to make way
See COLEMAN, Page SA
ADMINISTRATION
Endowment report,
construction projects
on agenda for regents
AUSTENHUFFoRD/Daly
Michele Norris host of the NPR show "All Things Considered" and founder of the Race Card Project delivers the
University's 2012 MLK Day Convocation address. Norris will be University's 2013 Winter Commencement speaker.
Form--er NPR host to speak
at Winter Commencem-ent
Thursday meeting
to take place on
Flint campus
By SAM GRINGLAS
Daily StaffReporter
At its monthly meeting on
Friday, the University's Board
of Regents will consider a
number of construction and
renovation proposals - nmostly
moving along pre-approved
plans. Meeting at the Flint
campus, the governing body
will also officially receive its
2013 endowment report, which
measures the performance of
the University's massive nearly
$7.5-billion portfolio.
REGENTS TO APPROVE
SCHEMATIC DESIGNS
FOR THE EARL V. MOORE
BUILDING RENOVATION
Though the regents approved
$23,270,000 for the Earl V.
Moore Building's renovation
lastNovember, the board will
vote Friday to approve the
project's schematic design and
slight budget increase.
The Moore Building, the
North Campus facility that
houses a portion of the School
of Music, Theatre & Dance, will
receive upgrades and expan-
sions to classroom spaces as
well as infrastructure updates.
The revised budget - which
now totals more than $24 mil-
lion- will allow for 4,600 addi-
tional square feet of mechanical
space that was not included in
the initial estimate.
The renovations to the facil-
ity will include changes to both
the first and second floor's
north wing. These changes will
increase the number and size
of practice rooms and will relo-
cate offices originally moved for
practice room expansion.
The larger part of the proj-
edt, a 34,000-square-foot build-
ing addition named the Brehm
Pavilion, will include three
classrooms, a large lecture hall,
piano labs, a jazz and percus-
sion suite, a rehearsal hall,lobby
and space reserved for, future
expansion.
The schematic designs also
call for updates to the build-
ing's fire detection and alarm
systems.
See ENDOWMENT, Page SA
Norris helped
bring Race Card
Project to campus
By PETER SHAHIN
Daily News Editor
Michele Norris, a renowned
journalist, will be the 2013
Winter Commencement
speaker and receive an honor-
ary Doctor of Humane Letters
at the commencement ceremo-
ny, the University announced
early Monday. Five other dis-
tinguished individuals hailing
from a variety of fields will also
receive honorary degrees from
the University.
Norris is best known for
being a former host of All
Things Considered, National'
Public Radio's flagship radio
show. She was the organiza-
tion's first Black female anchor.
During her time as anchor,
Norris regularly interviewed
leading statesmen, academics
and scientists, cultural icons
and professionals from around
the world. She currently heads
the Race Card Project, a nation-
wide initiative that gathers
perspectives on race and aims
to foster dialogue on the sub-
ject. The University teamed up
See NPR, Page 3A
ets risky
search abroad
s with unrest?
Michigan's not-so-hap
ending in Happy Valley.
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