Arts 9 Stone finds unlikely middle ground in 'WTC' Sports 13 Starting spots on 0-Line still open as Jbe £ rbi4anlTali Monday, August 14, 2006 Summer Weekly practice starts for M One-hundred-slvteen years ofeditornalfreedom www.michigandaily.com Ann Arbor, Michigan Vol. CXVI, No. 130 @2006 The Michigan Daily The M-PACT impact Hieftje, Warren A comparison between last year's M-PACT guidelines and the new program for 2006-2007 take primary expands } 0 Grants will replace loans for the most needy in-state students, one out-of-state student tells his financial aid story By Leah Graboski Daily News Editor For many college students, paying back thousands in loans is a daunting task. But for some this year, the bur- den will be slightly less overwhelming. The University announced Tuesday that the M-PACT program - a year-old financial aid program available only to Michigan residents - will replace student loans with grants for about 400 students who need the most finandial assistance. These students will be awarded $3,700 in grants instead of the $3,478 in loans they received last year. In addition, last year's work-study offerings of $2,500 will be slightly lowered to $2,278. The policy will give the University students most in need a clean slate after graduation by eliminating the GRAPHIC BY BRIDGET o'DONNELL -PACT grants burden of repaying thousands of dollars in debt. M-PACT is funded by private gifts, some of which are a result of The Michigan Difference Campaign, a fund- raising effort launched by University President Mary Sue Coleman in 2004 with a goal of raising $2.5 billion. In all, M-PACT impacts 1,800 students. The minimum aid students can receive is a $500 grant. M-PACT is only one aspect of the financial assistance University students receive. The students most in need can also expect to receive $8,800 in federal grants and $1,300 in state grants. "Financial aid isn't just about low-income students. Bear in mind that more than two-thirds of University undergraduates receive some sort of financial aid - either need-based or merit-based," University spokesman Joe Serwach said in an e-mail. Financial aid will increase by 10 percent for all stu- dents this year. Serwach said between 5,500 and 5,800 students are expected to receive more aid this year than in 2005-2006. Although out-of-state students do not qualify for M- PACT, Serwach said the University recognizes that about See M-PACT, Page 3 Incumbent John Hieftje, Rebekah Warren win race, voter turnout reached about 15 percent By Sandy Liberman Daily Staff Reporter In this past Tuesday's primary election, citizens selected city can- didates to join the state senate, rep- resentative and governor candidates on the Nov. 7 election ballot. Although some candidates came away Tuesday night with over- whelming victories, the races for city council and state representa- tives remained close. Because Ann Arbor is primarily democratic,the winners of the demo- cratic primary in the city are expect- ed to win in the November election. In the mayoral race, incumbent John Hieftje won a majority of the votes and will serve another six-year term in office. Hieftje won more than two- thirds of the vote to defeat current Ward S City Councilwoman Wendy Woods. "I will continue to work on the Green Energy Plan, bringing rail transportation to Ann Arbor, balanc- ing the budget and protecting human services funding," Hieftje said. Rebekah Warren won the demo- cratic nomination for the 53rd District State Representative, which includes most of Ann Arbor. She defeated Ward 3 City Coun- cilman Leigh Greden by roughly 2,000 votes. "I feel that my 13-year experience in Lansing resonated most with the public because they really liked the idea that I will be able to hit the ground running as representative," Warren said. The city council race - contested only in Wards 1, 3 and 5 - attracted fewer voters to the polls, with each vote significantly impacting the results of the election. In Ward 1, Ronald Suarez will take Jon Roberts' seat, which Rob- erts assumed last winter. "Even though I am elected from a ward, I feel like I represent people across the city," Suarez said. He said he will go against the sta- tus quo and give citizens a voice in city politics. In Ward 3, Stephen Kunselman won a tight three-way race by just 29 votes. Kunselman said he was the only candidate to take a strong position against the Allen Creek Greenway Project, which will estab- lish a public park around a private railroad near Main Street. Despite his opposition to the divi- sive project, Kunselman said he is optimistic that the third ward will unite behind him. "Though the vote was close, there were many similarities between me and the other candidates," he said. Incumbent Ward 5 councilmem- ber Chris Easthope won a bid for another term in office. With fewer than a 15-percent voter turnout in the election, most citizens did not make it out to the polls. "Between the students gone and homeowners on vacation, August is probably the worst month of the year for voter turnout," Suarez said. Although turnout was low, some nominees pointed out that this is normal for a primary election. "We are satisfied with the vote," Warren said, adding thatcomparedto See PRIMARY, Page 2 'U' hires new North Quad architect After criticism of original design, complex's exterior will be more like existing buildings By Kelly Fraser Daily News Editor Nearly five months after University administrators sent plans for North Quad- rangle back to the drawing board, a sec- ond architecture firm has been selected to revamp the complex's exterior design. The University recently hired the New York-based firm Robert A.M. Stern to serve as lead designer on the combined academic and residence hall complex project. Einhorn, Yaffee, Prescott - the original team of archi- tects - remain on the project, said Philip Hanlon, associate provost for academic and budgetary affairs. A schematic design of the complex was expected to be presented to the University's Board of Regents for approval this past March, but the project was pulled from the agenda at the last minute because University officials were dissatisfied with the complex's exterior design and overall feel. Hanlon said that University administrators wanted the building's facade be more welcoming. During the meeting, Timothy Slottow, the University's Chief Financial Officer, said that based on conferences with University admin- istrators, the project was not ready to be pre- sented to the regents. University officials later announced that the complex's opening would be delayed by one year, until fall 2010. Hanlon said University officials still hope to meet this schedule. New schematic plans may be ready to be presented to the regents as early as this fall, he said. Costs are also expected to rise above the See NORTH QUAD, Page 2 Today's issue is the last edition of the Daily printed this term. We thank you for your readership throuhout the semester and encourage you to keep track of the latest campus news during - the break by reading online updates on our website, www. michigandaiy.:corn.