Orientation Edition 2008 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com City policy could ban hot dog vendors By SARA LYNNE THELEN Daily StaffReporter Mar. 11, 2008 - By the end of this month, the city of Ann Arbor will begin enforcing an ordinance that prohibits parking vehicles on pub- lic sidewalks. Though the policy may seem mundane, it could spell doom for longtime campus staples like hot dog vendors and other side- walk snack shacks. The ordinance has been on the books since 1947, but it hasn't been consistently enforced. Ann Arbor City Council mem- ber Stephen Kunselman (D-Ward 3) said he decided the law needed to be enforced because of repeated complaints he's heard about the vendors. He cited an example of a taco stand that ran a generator so loudly last year that blind students couldn't hear the beep that signals when it's safe to cross the street. Sylvia Nolasco, who runs Pilar's Tamales on the corner of South University and East University Avenues with her husband, said the ordinance took herby surprise. "I do this for a living, and to be given two months notice on what I'm going to do is not fair," said Nolasco. Nolasco said city officials have not taken her opposition to the plan seriously. "I just want somebody to e-mail me back or call me and say, 'go to hell,' " said Nolasco, a mother of three young children. "I don't want to be ignored. I have a voice - you're there to help me, you are my repre- sentative, you are my mayor to help me, or to say look: this is how it is. Don't keep passing the buck." Kunselman said he isn't opposed to street vendors, but only wants to reverse the ordinance if vendors ensure their carts don't obstruct sidewalks and avoid the "tacky" aes- thetic of staying parked for weeks. "Nothing's happening until the people who have been here 24/7 are gone," he said. "Then we can start dialogue." Miriam Lindsey operates a hot dog stand outside her apartment building in Ann Arbor. Prof loses bid for Czech presidency Police find possible marijuana plants in campus greenhouse con in Feb. 18 School jnar w incum presid last Fr siders cess." Init dog, S' a signi membe affiliat Frid Czech to cho electim candid essary that eb votes a The Svejna allegia votes t Man Svejna Svejnar might parliament members received a "significant monetary payoff" to sider another run support the incumbent. Svejnar said part of the reason 1 home country he ran was to combat rampant bribery in the Czech government. By JULIE ROWE After he finishes his sabbatical, Daily StaffReporter Svejnar plans to return to his posi- tion at the University. In addition 8, 2008 - Although Ross to his post at the Business school, of Business Prof. Jan Sve- Svejnar is also the director of the 'as narrowly defeated by International Policy Center in the bent Vaclav Klaus for the Ford School of Public Policy and ency of the Czech Republic an Economics professor in LSA. -iday, Svejnar said he con- Klaus' victory was not unex- his showing a "major suc- pected, but Svejnar held wide- spread support with citizens and ially the election's under- legislators. vejnar gained support from A poll conducted in December ficant number of parliament suggested only 28 percent of Czech ers with varied political citizens would have voted for Sve- tons. jnar in a public election. But, a poll lay's election marked the from earlier this month showed 55 parliament's second attempt percent of Czechs preferred Sve- ose a president. In the first jnar to the incumbent. . n, held Feb. 8 and 9, neither Svejnar's support is largely due late had the 140 votes nec- to the American-style campaign to hold a majority. During he has led. Because the president is lection, Klaus received 139 chosen by the parliament and not nd Svejnar received 113. in a direct public election, Czech second time around, two presidential hopefuls usually cam- r supporters changed their paign by speaking with legislators, nces, leaving Klaus with 141 but Svejnar spent a great deal of o Svejnar's 111. time speaking to citizens. ny Czech officials, including Svejnar's daughter, LSA senior r, said they believe the two Laura Svejnar, said the strategy helped her father's campaign. "It was a risky thing to bring an American-style campaign,because he didn't know how it would be perceived, but it went over really well," she said. Laura Svejnar said her fam- ily was excited by her father's success, but was not expecting him to win. Instead, she said the campaign process was meant to introduce Svejnar as a possible candidate for future presidential elections. Svejnar has served as an advisor to government officials in the past, but hasn't held public office. Svejnar said he will consider the possibility of running for the presidency in the future, but hasn't made a decision yet. "A lot of people expect me to, but depending on the circumstances, I may or may not run." Svejnar said. "I wouldn't rule it out." Although the past three months have been exciting, Svejnar said he looked forward to returning to Ann Arbor. "The good thing is that it has had a major, positive effect on democracy in Central and Eastern Europe," Svejnar said. "And the other positive effect is that I can come back and be with the stu- dents and faculty at Michigan." Suspected cannabis found among student botany projects By LISA HAIDOSTIAN Daily StaffReporter Feb.20.2008 -AstudentinaPrac- tical Botany class may have gotten a bit too practical in the greenhouse. A staff member at the Matthaei Botanical Gardens, where the class meets, found 11 "very small plants that appear to be cannabis" in the greenhouse, Department of Safety spokeswoman Diane Brown said. The apparent cannabis was found on a table along with several other plants being grown by stu- dents. Police have no suspects. "We don't know at this point if it was a student in the class or if it was someone else who put the plants there or started the plants or was growing the plants," Brown said. LSA sophomore Annie Bern- stein, who's enrolled in the class of about 80 students, said she didn't think anyone else used the room where students grow plants. Instructors give students seeds to plant, she said, butthey also have the option of bringing their own. While the greenhouse is large, there isn't much supervision, Ber- nstein said. "We can grow basically what- ever we want," she said. The greenhouse is only acces- sible during class hours, according to Bernstein. "It's not like people are going off and doing their ownthings secretly - we're all in the same room," she said. "I don't know what time they would do it." Students will sometimes joke about growing marijuana, but although students are told at the beginning of the semester not to grow anything illegal, the possibil- ity of growing cannabis isn't talked about much. Deep down; though, students know it's a possibility. "It's kind of the elephant in the room," she said. The questionable plants are cur- rently being tested, Brown said. Manufacturing illegal drugs is a felony charge. The penalty if someone is found and convicted is a four-year prison sentence and/or a $20,000 fine.