The Michigan Daily - Monday, August 14, 2006 - 3 M-PACT Continued from Page 1. one-third of out-of-state students need financial assistance. One student's financial story Architecture senior Armando Lopez is an out-of-state student from Guadalupe, Arizona. His mother, who never gradu- ated from high school, works as a sales associate at JC Penney, making about $10,000 per year. Lopez's said his father was absent while he was growing up and he has three young- er siblings - Bianca, Steve and Michael. According to the United States Depart- ment of Health and Human Services 2006 Poverty Guidelines, a five-person family with an income of $23,400 or less is living below the poverty line. Lopez left his mother's home to live with his grandparents because there was no access to quality education in his mother's community. By living with his grandfather, he was able to attend a public school where he ran track and cross country, participated in the orchestra and marching band and was the vice president of the Christian club. But, Lopez said, both communities were equally impoverished and dangerous. When Lopez was younger, he was asked to be in a gang, but refused. He said if someone drives through Guadalupe in a nice car or walks by in an expensive suit, residents stare with resentment. A relative of Lopez has been shot in Guadalupe. "It's a really scary place," Lopez said. He said there were many gangs in his community and he often heard gunshots and police sirens. "When you live there, it's very hard to get out; he said. Lopez knew it was the right choice to leave Guadalupe when a relative and his friends slashed Lopez's car tires. Lopez said lie thinks they may have acted this way out of envy - they knew Lopez was planning to move away, and this particular family member and his friends were not. Lopez is the first person in his family to attend college. When Lopez learned of his acceptance to the University, he had doubts about attending because of financial constraints. Lopez said his per- spective changed when a recruiter for the University named Penny called. Lopez said he told the recruiter that he probably would not attend the University because he could not even afford to fly up to see the school. Penny was able to get Lopez into contact with a local alumni club that later paid for his airplane ticket to visit the University. The club also found a stu- dent for Lopez to stay with during his visit. Lopez said he "fellin love" with the Uni- versity after spending a day in Ann Arbor. Since his LEGO-playing days in kin- dergarten, Lopez said, he has intended to study architecture. Last year, Lopez's estimated financial need was $43,290. He received a $9,000 grant from the University, more than $7,000 in federal grants, several thousand dollars in scholarships and about $7,000 in federal and private loans. Lopez said his family is unable to pay i for any of his expenses, except for a few hundred dollars in emergency situations. Faced with the pressures of living on his own, he maxed out his credit card dur- ing his first year at the University. Lopezsaidthatafter visiting the financial aid office and asking if they had resources to assist him, he was able to obtain addi- tional funds. He said he has realized dur- ing his time at the University that it is fairly simpleto askforadditional aid. After going on the Internet and requesting aid, "it is pretty much auto- matically approved," he said. Lopez has had to apply for addition- al aid when in need of items such as a winter jacket or to pay for a dentist appointment. As an architecture student, Lopez has an even heavier financial burden. He says the suppliesheuses for class - in addition to books - cost about $1,000 per year. The supplies he needs include a drawing board, required computer software and materials to construct models like wood, concrete mix or cardboard. Lopez said he wants to make it clear that it is possible to attend the University without depending on family funds. Lopez said he owes special thanks to the alumni clubs in Phoenix and Sun City, Arizona. "They are like my family," he said. "I really didn't have role models growing up. The Phoenix and Sun City alumni club members are the role models I've need- ed," Lopez said. Lopez said he plans to earn an MBA and a master's degree in archi- tecture. He said he hopes to develop affordable housing in New York City NORTH QUAD Continued from Page 2 Robert A.M. Stern on the North Quad project. While North Quad is to be the northern . "gateway" to Central Campus, Weill Hall is often billed as the southern gateway to Cen- tral Campus. The hall's "Michigan" red brick gives it an overall appearance similar to the Michigan Union, Hanlon said. The firm's work on Southwest Quadrangle, a similar academic and residence hall complex at Georgetown University, also contributed to the decision to hire Robert A.M. Stern, Hanlon said. Although University alum and employee David Fulmer said he hoped that the Frieze Building would not be torn down, he said the new firm may make North Quad's design more fitting. "I'm looking forward to the new design," he said. "I like Robert A.M. Stern and I like Weill Hall." University officials hope to preserve the Carnegie library attached to the Frieze Build- ing if possible. Robert A.M. Stern has previous experience preserving other Carnegie library collections across the country. "One of the objectives is to appropriately memorialize the Frieze Building," Hanlon said. Elliot Bergman, the band leader of Nomo, plays at The Ark Saturday night. The show brought Nomo home to Ann Arbor after a four-month long national tour. Last Chance For Fall! -Small Classes -'Expert Instructors '7-point avg score increase - # Courses Start: August 12 * August 19 , September 5 Ie sd aoku To play: Complete the grid so that every row, column and 11 UCR E DIT ForYour Best Choice in Financial Services ' 'M' checks " Free online banking 24/7 - ATMs on campus umcu.org - Three campus branches email: umcu@umcu.org - StudentVlSA credit card phone: 734-662-8200 -VISA Check Card cN sudok u To play: Complete the grid so that every row, column and - every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 to 9. There is no guessing or math involved, just use logic to solve. Good Luck and enjoy! Difficulty: Hard 872 1 1 2 9 86 5 6 4 5 I I IC i 8 5 9I M I - i i i i i - i , i AM r 7 12 5