Ann Arbor, MI

ONE-HUNDRED-TWENTY-ONE YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM

Weekly Summer Edition


NEWS
Students organized
walkout at Law
School graduation
Graduates protested Ohio
Republican Senator Rob
Portman.
>>SEE PAGE2
OPINION
Expansion of
offshore drilling is a
mistake
Will Grundler discusses the
irrational new energy policy.
>> SEE PAGE 4
ARTS
'Thrones' plays
murderously well
HBO's ambitious new series
lives up to the network's
expected excellence.
>> SEE PAGE 9
SPORTS
Carr honored at
fundraiser dinner
The former coach will be
inducted into the College
Football Hall of Fame.
> SEE PAGE 12
V [ xNo 137o. 2011The Michigan Daily
NEWS ......................... 2
OPINION......................4
CLASSIFIEDS ........ ........... 6
CROSSWORD......... ....6
ARTS ..............................8
SPORTS ..............10

. .. .;

ERIN KIRKLAND/Daily
Co-owner Phillis Engelbert serves dinner at The Lunch Room on Thursday, May 12. The Lunch Room opened last Monday
and according to co-owner Joel Panozzo, business during lunch has been non-stop.
New food cart opens in downtown food
court to cater to the city's vegan crowd

STATE BUDGET
Budget to
cut partner
benefits
State House approves
proposal to reduce
funding by 5 percent
By HALEY GLATTHORN
Daily Staff Reporter
A recent Michigan education
budget proposal moved into the
state Senate on May 5 with a provi-
sion that cuts funding by an addi-
tional 5 percent for universities
that offer benefits to the unmarried
partners of employees, including
those in same-sex partnerships.
The provision was proposed
by State Rep. Dave Agema (R-
Grandville) and supported by the
Republican-controlled state House
of Representatives. The proposal
would impact the University since
it currently provides domestic part-
nership benefits to its employees,
and would result in a 20-percent
loss in funding for the University
if passed, in addition to Republican
Gov. Rick Snyder's proposed 15per-
cent cut to higher education.
Gabe Javier, assistant direc-
tor of the University's Spectrum
Center, said the provision's conse-
quences would extend beyond the
University community.
"I think it hurts the state of
Michigan as a whole," Javier said.
"It sends a message about the
state's values (which results in)
people thinking that Michigan is
not LGBT-friendly."
Javier said the University has
"always been committed" to pro-
viding assistance to both hetero-
sexual and LGBT employees, but
he is uncertain to how the Univer-
See BUDGET, Page 3

The Lunch Room
offers array of vegan
food options
By PATRICIA SNIDER
Daily StaffReporter
Students enjoying a sum-
mer stroll through downtown
Ann Arbor ngay have noticed
the aroma of fresh fruit juice
smoothies and tofu sandwiches
wafting from a newly opened
vegan food cart on West Wash-
ington Street.
The Lunch Room - located
in the new outdoor food court
called Mark's Carts - opened last
Monday and is among numer-

ous venders selling food ranging
from authentic Asian street food
to Mexican delicacies.
Joel Panozzo, co-owner of
The Lunch Room, said the cart
was inspired by the personal
tastes and vegan lifestyle of both
him and his business partner,
Phillis Engelbert.
"We're both vegans, and our
cart is specifically vegan food
only," he said. "We've been doing
these private dinners and lunch-
es that we started in October,
and so we just wanted to serve
more vegan food to our friends
and other people."
Panozzo said he and Engel-
bert built the cart on their own
"from the ground up" after
securing a spot in the outdoor

food court and that they are
looking forward to serving both
vegans and non-vegans alike
with the hope of changing com-
mon misconceptions about vegan
food.
"We're excited to serve not
just vegans, and to serve meat-
eaters and everyone in-between
and to show people that they can
eat vegan and it can be satisfying,
fulfilling, inexpensive and com-
munally healthy," Panozzo said.
Panozzo said that while he
and Engelbert are "excited to
have a fun summer outside," they
hope that their cart may lead to
potential business opportuni-
ties in the future since they were
both working office jobs before
See VEGAN, Page 3