Legislature to boost funding
OPINION
From the Daily:
Tallying the damage
Sorting out the facts and figures
for this year's incoming class,
it's obvious that the University
needs to up its game against the
affirmative action ban.
See Page 4
ARTS
Lil Wayne returns
with smash album
Tha Carter ltl brings rapper to
the forefront of modern hip hop
thanks to ingenious singles and
audacious lyrics.
See Page 9
SPORTS
Brown recharged
Junior free safety Stevie Brown
considered transferring after
being benched in Michigan's
opening loss to Appalachian
State but still sees himself as
a leader on this year's defense.
See Page 11
By LINDY STEVENS
Daily News Editor
Both houses of the Michigan
Legislature agree higher educa-
tion funding should increase this
year. They just can't seem to agree
on how much.
While the House of Representa-
tives voted Wednesday to increase
funding to the state's universi-
ties, the state Senate rejected the
increase the next day because
the amount allotted by the House
wasn't as high as the senators additional funds - more than any
would have liked. public university in the state.
A bill passed by the state House Members of the House and Sen-
would have allocated $332.4 mil- ate are expected to start negotia-
lion in funding to the University tions on the bill next week.
for the 2008-2009 fiscal year - an Leslee Fritz, spokesperson for
increase of more than $8.9 mil- the State Budget Office, said any
lion from last year. The legislation talk of increased funding is good
would have increased higher edu- news for Michigan's universities.
cation funding to each university "There is a general agreement
by an average of 2.8 percent. among everybody that higher
Though Sen. Liz Brater (D-Ann education deserves and needs an
Arbor) voted in favor of the House increase in funding," Fritz said.
bill, she said other senators held off "Now it's just the question of how
approving the 2.8-percent funding much and how to distribute it."
hike in hopes of securing a 3-per- Fritz said part of the problem
cent increase that was passed by has to do with differences in how
the Senate in March. the House and Senate split up the
That version of the bill gave the $2.35 billion allocated to fund
University just over $9.7 million in See FUNDING, Page 2
WAVING IN THE SUMMER
by 'U'
Despite minority
application decline,
admissions rate
stays level
By JULIE ROWE
Managing News Editor
After the passage of the 2006
ballot initiative banning race- and
gender-based affirmative action,
University officials said they
braced for a significant decrease in
the number of underrepresented
minorities in this year's freshman
class but thatthey were delighted
to report a relatively low decline.
Underrepresented minorities,
which the University defines as
black, Hispanic or Native Ameri-
can, will make up 10.5 percent of
the Class of 2012. The class from
the previous year was comprised
of 10.8 percent underrepresented
minority students. The Class of
2011 were admitted during an elec-
tion cycle place partially after the
affirmative action ban took effect.
The Class of 2010, the last to be
chosen prior to the ban, was made
up of 12.6 percent underrepresent-
ed minorities.
Despite fears that minority stu-
dents would feel unwelcome on
campus in the wake of the ban, 48
percent of those students offered
See ADMISSIONS, Page 8
INDEX
Vol. cxviii. No. t42
02000 The Michigan Daily
michigondaily.com
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Detroit resident Marco Mancinelli entertains the crowd with flags and umbrellas in front of Rackham Auditorium last Friday
during Top of the Park, an outdoor music and movie series that is part of the Ann Arbor Summer Festival.