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4 - The Michigan Daily - Orientation Edition 2006
Lease-date ordinance OK'd
Council leaves out provision to
stagger viewing, signing dates
Mar. 21, 2006
By Andrew Grossman
Daily Staff Reporter
In the culmination of what has been an unprec-
edented level of collaboration between the Michigan
Student Assembly and Ann Arbor City Council, last
night the Council unanimously approved an ordi-
nance pushing back lease-signing dates.
The ordinance, first proposed by Mayor John
Hieftje in an interview with The Michigan Daily
almost exactly a year ago, prohibits the signing
of rental agreements until the current lease has
been in effect for 90 days.
It also prevents landlords from showing property to
potential tenants for the same period.
For September-to-September leases, that
means contracts for the following fall may not
be signed until Dec. 1.
One version of the ordinance staggered the earliest
date a property can be shown and when a lease can be
signed, creating a one-month "shopping period."
The Council unanimously voted to remove that
provision last night after landlords pressured them to
do so. Without staggering, students will have less time
than they wanted an abundance of time to appraise
the true quality of the property they are renting.
Students showed strong support for the ordi-
nance throughout its development. Landlords
generally opposed it.
"We're jumping out of our seats for this one," MSA
President Jesse Levine said.
Levine was so eager to lend his support to the pro-
posal that he rushed to the microphone at the first
opportunity for public comment. The mayor informed
Levine that the first public comment period at last
night's meeting was on the rezoning of alot on South
Division Street, not the lease-signing ordinance.
Landlords were not nearly as enthusiastic
about the proposal.
Landlord Mike Davalos sprinted from his South
Forest Street home when he saw the proceedings
underway on television. Although he arrived just
after Hieftje closed the comment period, Davalos
was allowed to speak.
Davalos placed the blame for the housing rush on
the shoulders of students, not landlords. He argued
that student government should educate students to
help them make informed choices about housing,
not push for legislation.
Landlord Lelahni Wessinger presented an inch-
thick pile of listings printed from University Hous-
ing's website to underscore her point that there are
still many housing units available for this fall.
"There are right now over 1,100 postings at the
University of Michigan website," she said. "It's
more about the rumor mill on campus than it is
about facts on the ground."
But only 617 of those listings are available
next fall - the rest begin earlier.
Student after student took the microphone to tell of
the pressure to sign leases early.
"Students name the housing rush as a hardship each
and every year," said Mohammad Dar, vice chair of
MSA's External Relations Committee.
City Council member Leigh Greden (D-Ward 3)
joined students in urging passage of the legislation.
"There are many times when the market fails,"
he said. "When that happens, it is the duty of the
government to step in and correct that failure."
The University will likely now hold its fall
housing fair in late November or early December
next year, Levine said. In years past, the Univer-
sity has held the event in late October.
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LSA sophomore Joel Skaistis waits outside of Mary Sue Coleman's house on Valentine's
Day. Joel wanted to propose to Mary Sue Coleman but she never left the house. After
waiting for one hour and 15 minutes, Skaistis decided to leave.
V-
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Student's plot to propose
to Coleman on Valentine's
Day interrupted by DPS
Feb. 15, 2006
By Gabe Nelson
Daily Staff Reporter
Dressed in a tuxedo, LSA sophomore Joel
Skaistis stood on the sidewalk in front of Uni-
versity President Mary Sue Coleman's house
early yesterday morning.
His mission: matrimony.
His target: Coleman.
Four months ago, Skaistis' buddies had chal-
lenged him to create a Facebook.com group
that would attract a lot of members. He decided
to promise that he would do something embar-
rassing if enough people joined the group.
When his friend suggested that he pledge to
propose marriage to someone on Valentine's
Day, Skaistis agreed and chose Coleman.
"As Valentine's Day got closer, I was kind of
nervous about going through with it, but this
morning, I was completely gung-ho," Skais-
tis said. "I had months to prepare, and I knew
exactly what I was going to say."
At about 8 a.m., Skaistis's attempt was foiled
by a call to the Department of Public Safety.
According to DPS officer David Dupuis, a
caller told DPS there were strangers loitering
and videotaping outside Coleman's home. It
was not clear who called the police.
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