News 3 Student fee increases will fund MSA and Arls fexpansion of SLs Monday,July 25, 2005 Arts 9 'The Island': all Summer Weekly sound, no furySu ereky One-hundred-fourteen years of editorildfreedom www.mic/gandaily.com Ann Arbor, Michigan Vol. CXV, No. 134 02005 The Michigan Daily Regents approve $1000 tuition increase By Justin Miller Daily News Editor Students can expect to pay about $1000 more this year for tuition in light of the University Board of Regents' approval of a 12.3-percent hike for in-state undergraduates and a 6.9-per- cent raise for out-of-state students last Thursday. This year's increase is based on the $5.9 mil- lion funding reduction that the University would face if Gov. Jennifer Granholm's proposed bud- get is approved. The hike is about four times larger than last year's tuition increase of 2.8 per- cent and comes after $43 million worth of state funding cuts from the University since 2002. "This is unprecedented in the history of the University," University Provost Paul Courant said about the three consecutive years of state appropriation cuts. The last time the state cut University funding was in 1982, but funding was increased the fol- lowing year. Cuts aside, there has been a long- term trend that has shifted the responsibility of financing the University away from the state and increasingly onto the University, as well as stu- dents and parents who pay tuition. In 1982, with the share of state funding already declining, Michigan funded 51 percent of the University's operating budget. Last year it was about 27 percent. The University has responded to state fund- ing cuts with modest tuition increases over the past several years, but these increases were not enough this year. A larger tuition increase is needed for the upcoming academic year, Courant said. He also warned mid-year cuts may occur, citing four con- secutive years of such cuts from the state. University President Mary Sue Coleman cited Michigan's tepid economic growth as the "heart of this year's pressure on tuition." The University will be cutting $20.1 mil- lion from its 2006 budget by releasing staff, recalculating employee benefit packages and canceling some courses, while offering others less frequently. This cut comes in addition to the $57.3 million the University has cut from its internal budget since 2004. At the same time, the University will allocate another $11 million to academic pursuits, such as a center to work on faculty and student programs in Detroit, new teacher preparation programs in the School of Education and an internship pro- gram in Washington, D.C. The University will also direct money to aca- demic units to ensure that there are enough sec- tions for LSA and Engineering and students have enough class offerings to graduate in four years, Courant said. Courant defended more money for academic programs, saying the University must change what it offers to students to keep up with their demands and to remain an educational leader. "Our mission is to be on the cutting edge," Courant said. He said, twice as much should be ideally invested in new academic programs, but budget problems have held that figure to $11 mil- lion for next year. To help students as tuition rises, the University will also increase financial aid from its General Fund by 14.5 percent for in-state undergradu- ates and 6.3 percent for out-of-state undergradu- ates. The General Fund contains money from state appropriations, tuition and fees and a small amount from research grants that help cover operating costs. In-state students will also be eligible for aid from the University's new M-PACT program, which will allow them to replace loans in their See TUITION, Page 3 REMEMBERING THE FALLEN MSA angered by City Council oarking decision Parking districts will reserve spots for houses. limiting studlent parking By Amber Colvin Daily Staff Reporter Ann Arbor City Council passed a resolution to create a residential parking district for Oxbridge and North Burns Park residents last week despite objections from members of the Michigan Student Assembly. MSA President Jesse Levine and Rep. Stuart Wagner spoke at the beginning of the meeting and were upset because the council was voting on a resolution in the summer when most students affected by the parking change are gone. "37,500 students live in Ann Arbor, yet tonight it feels like we are not rep- resented," Levine said. "Tonight's a slap in the face." Wagner began his speech by pre- senting the council with earplugs, to symbolize what Wagner believed is the City Council's relationship with students. He then looked around the room and asked, "Where are the students?" One residential parking district will be located between Forest and Washt- enaw Avenue, south of Hill Street and another between Washtenaw Avenue and Geddes Avenue. Parking will be limited to two-hours per car, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Fri- day. Neighborhood residents will be MSA representative Stuart Wagner holds up earplugs in protest at the Monday, July 18 City Council meeting in Council Chambers. able to purchase up to four parking permits per house at $40 per pass, allowing residents to park anywhere in the district during the year. The program aims to preserve parking for residents, instead of out-of-town commuters who use the neighborhood like a park-and-ride parking lot, said Council member Jean Carlberg (D-3rd Ward). Council member Leigh Greden (D-3rd Ward) said that the develop- ment of the resolution included input from students who live in the neigh- borhoods, which includes many fra- ternity and sorority houses. "I have received a total of zero complaints about this program from students that live in this neighbor- hood," Greden said. Carlberg said it was necessary to pass the resolution now, even though it is during the summer, so there would be time for the University to notify faculty, staff and students about the change before their return in the fall. Wagner said that the students would probably not be notified of the changes and would return in the fall expecting to park where they have in the past. "Most students expect those park- ing spaces to be available, and now there will be this change," he said. Wagner added that the City Coun- cil's actions were reminiscent of last summer's activities when it was pro- posed that couches be banned from front porches. The couch ban, how- ever, did not pass. "I was extremely upset that they would take this action two years in a row," Wagner said. See PARKING, Page 3 Lori Arthur of Ypsilanti looks at pairs of shoes placed on the Diag by American Friends Service Committee last Saturday. The civilian shoes were used to represent Iraqi civilians who have been killed during the conflict. military boots were used to represent the soldiers who have died.