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. 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