2 a Monday, July 6, 2009
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
UNEMPLOYMENT
From Page 1
November before Chrysler LLC and
General Motors Corporation filed for
bankruptcy.
The Michigan Department of En-
ergy, Labor and Economic growth
found that unemployment in the Ann
Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area
rose from 6 percent in May 2008 to
9.1 percent in May 2009, including
a 1.3-percent increase in unemploy-
ment from April to May of this year.
The increased unemployment
rate comes with an unprecedented
amount of job applicants. Although
fewer employers are hiring, numer-
ous Ann Arbor businesses have seen
a significant rise in the number of
students and local residents applying
for jobs since last summer. Yet few
businesses can afford to take on extra
workers.
At U Go's Convenience Store in
the Michigan Union, slower busi-
ness has forced the store to cut back
hours. The store is also no longer
taking applications because it has
already received more applications
than managers can process.
U Go's cashier Christina Wren
said she has given applications to
everyone from students to adults in
their mid-40s, adding that she thinks
the spike in applicants is because of
the current state of the economy and
the lack of available jobs.
"I think people are ready to take
lower-paying jobs because of the
economy being what it is," Wren
said.
Wren added that she thinks that
people are now just "willing to settle
having to make less:'
Vickie Crupper, associate direc-
tor at the Office offinancial Aid, said
that because of the economy, fewer
on-campus and off-campus employ-
ers are posting listings on the Stu-
dent Employment Office's Web site
for both work-study and non-work-
study jobs.
According to Crupper, there were
1,019 fewer jobs posted on the Stu-
dent Employment Office's Web site
during the 2007-2008 school year
than the previous school year. The
Web site posted a greater loss of 1,061
fewer jobs during the 2008-2009
school year.
Crupper wrote in an e-mail re-
ponse that the decrease in job post-
ings can also partially be accounted
for by the increase in Michigan's
minimum wage over the past couple
years.
University employers can also at-
test to the currentcompetitiveness of
the job market.
Beth Theros, an administrative
specialist and building manager at
MedRehab - a University of Michi-
gan Health System rehabilitation
program for patients with brain inju-
ries - received 388 applications only
a few days after posting an opening
for an entry-level position on the
University's job listing website in
March.
Theros said those positions usu-
ally.only get about a quarter as many
applications and that several teach-
ers and adults with master's degrees
applied.
"These are people that were laid
off from other industries - they were
downsized by another company,"she
said. "So they're out there scrambling
to try and get another job."
Sebille-White said in an interview
students still looking for summer
jobs should not be discouraged and
should continue searching for open-
ings and connecting with potential
employers.
"It's planning ahead, starting early
if you can ... being proactive, having
their resume reviewed, building net-
works and connections with people
who are working in the professions
that they're interested in," Sebille-
White said. "If you talk with them
and say, 'I'm really interested in the
work that you ... (do); those are all
tools to help build some of those con-
nections."
METERS
From Page 1
pending more funding and posi-
tive reception of the machines from
motorists.
Susan Pollay, executive direc-
tor of the DDA, wrote in an e-mail
interview that the number of sta-
tions could eventually reach 175,
given sufficient funding and sup-
port from motorists.
"The installation of the first 25
gives us a chance to see if commu-
nity members find the equipment
easy to understand and use, which
is helpful to know before commit-
ting to a larger purchase," Pollay
wrote.
A slight raise in the city's hourly
parking rate - effective Wed., July
1, 2009 - will provide some of
the revenue to fund the purchase
and installation of the original 25
machines.
Other funding comes from prof-
its made by existing parking meters
and structures, Pollay said.
"Each year, parking system costs
increase by 3 to 4 percent, but it is
impossible to raise rates until we
reach an increment that can be
divisible by dimes or nickels," Pol-
lay wrote, adding that the revenue
from the e-parks will fund the con-
struction of a new under-
ground parking structure
on South Fifth Avenue.
Morehouse said the
plan to replace the old
single-space meters origi-
nated after the DDA com-
missioned a parking study
in 2007 and found that the
old parking meters were
startingto deteriorate.
"The street meters are
nearly 10 years old and are
starting to show signs of
wear and tear, so they will
eventually need replace-
ment," Pollay wrote. The city
Though DDA members equivale
are optimistic about the machines'
efficiency and ease of use, some
motorists are cautious of the new
system.
"The old ones were more
straightforward," Ann Arbor resi-
dent Lauren Franzblau said.
Larry Brayboy, an Ann Arbor
resident and curbside bookseller
on N. Main Street, was startled
to find an e-park payment station
placed directly in the middle of his
normal selling location on Wednes-
day. He expressed concern over the
machines' susceptibility to weather
damage and vandalism.
"I guess it's nice that you can
add time on the phone and all that,
but they could be a future magnet
for mischief," Brayboy said. "They
could become targets for graffiti.
(The DDA) should consider how
much it would cost to repair dam-
age."
Brayboy added that unforeseen
repair and maintenance costs could
raise hourly rates even more.
Nonetheless, Pollay said the new
parking system is in the best inter-
ests of Ann Arbor motorists.
"Because the DDA is committed
to making downtown parking as
convenient for patrons as possible,
they opted to purchase these pay
stations rather than more meters,"
she wrote.
Shei fici an Wig
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