Tuesday, May 29, 2007
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
3
TEXTBOOKS
From page 1
gan Student Assembly approached
him with student concerns over
textbook prices, said MSA Vice
President Mohammad Dar, who is
also a member of the taskforce.
"This is a real victory,"
said Monts. "It's a real les-
son to students - it's been their
persistence to resolve these issues
that got this carried out."
Monts said several University
deans and faculty members are
behind the taskforce's suggestions.
But he added that changes in the
textbook system wouldn't be seen
for a few more terms.
"In terms of rollout, we may
have to wait until next year," he
said. "I'm hoping it's the spring,
but it might be the fall of 2008."
The taskforce suggested that the
University create an online system
for posting required reading and
advise professors to have textbook
lists available at least 10 weeks
before the start of a term.
The taskforce plans to gain fac-
ulty support for the program by
emphasizing the strain of high
textbook prices on students and
by asking professors to encourage
their colleagues to use the system.
The proposal also includes cre-
ating a website where faculty could
post textbook lists for students and
booksellers to view, and students
could buy or sell used textbooks.
Links to postings about textbooks
would appear on students' sched-
ules on Wolverine Access.
The taskforce found that
the University's textbook sys-
tem is lagging behind those
at many other universities.
The report compared how early in
the year 39 universities make their
textbook lists available to book-
stores. The University of Michi-
gan ranked number 38, while Ohio
State University ranked number 20
and Santa Fe Community College
ranked first.
Half of all universities in the
studyhadatleast79percentoftheir
winter term textbooks ordered by
Dec. 1. Only about 45 percent of the
University's order was in bythen.
But local booksellers aren't to
blame for the lack of used books.
If the University does not make
textbook lists available at least 10
weeks before the start of the next
term, other universities get first
choice of used books available from
the stores' parent companies.
The current system also leads
booksellers to offer students lower
prices for used books because with-
out book lists they can't be certain
the books will be in demand.
CEO alum gives $4.5 mill to 'U' ACLU pursues partner benefits
By EMILY ANGELL
Daily News Editor
University alum and JetBlue
Airways CEO David Barger
recently gave a $4.5 million gift
to the Barger Leadership Insti-
tute in the Organizational Studies
Program in the College of Litera-
ture, Science and the Arts.
The gift will support fellow-
ships, internships and research
for undergraduates.
Barger hopes to provide under-
graduate students with global
leadership experience early in
their education, said a statement
released May 11.
"There is a big difference
between management - the abil-
ity to get something done - and
leadership - the vision for how
something should be done," Barg-
er said in the statement. "Leader-
ship is front-line connectivity. It's
about being plugged in to the cus-
tomer, the culture, the govern-
ment and being visionary."
$1.5 million of the $4.5 mil-
lion gift will be matched with
$500,000 from the University
President's Donor Challenge to
support an Organizational Stud-
ies professorship.
The funds will also go to
attracting leaders of business,
government and philanthropy to
speak on campus.
"We are tremendously grate-
ful for this transformational $4.5
million gift to Organizational
Studies," LSA Dean Terrence
McDonald said. "The Barger
Leadership Institute will prepare
undergraduates early in their aca-
demic experience to become the
strategic leaders of tomorrow in
an increasingly global, techno-
logically driven and innovation
hungry society."
Barger established the Barger
Family Professorship with a $2
million gift in 2005. That same
year he created the JetBlue Air-
ways London School of Economics
Summer Program with a $75,000
donation.
CORRECTIONS
Please report any error in the Daily
to corrections@michigandaily.com.
By EMILY BARTON
Daily News Editor
The Michigan Supreme Court
granted the American Civil Liber-
ties Union its request to appeal the
February decision that banned the
ability of public institutions to offer
health benefits to the partners of
same-sex couples.
The prohibition of benefits in
February was based on an amend-
ment passed in 2004 that banned
same-sex marriage in Michigan.
The ACLU is asking for the case
to be considered in a lower court so
that voter intent can be evaluated,
said Jay Kaplan, the ACLU Lesbi-
an Gay Bisexual and Transgender
legal director.
Kaplan said if this is granted, the
ACLU will listen to voter testimony
to determine how people generally
interpreted the original amend-
ment.
A date still hasn't been set for the
appeal, but Kaplan said it will prob-
ably occur in the next few months.
The February ruling allowed
the University to continue grant-
ing benefits to same-sex couples
through December.
The University supports the
ACLU's appeal, University spokes-
woman Kelly Cunningham said in
an e-mail.
"The University works hard to
provide a welcoming and inclusive
environment and will continue to
promote access to health benefits
for our employees and their fami-
lies," she said.
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