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Ann Arbor, Michigan
Friday, February 13, 2015

CELEBRATING OUR ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FIFTH YEAR OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM

Proposal to make two 
years of community 
college free could 
impact University

By ANASTASSIOS 
ADAMOPOULOS

Daily Staff Reporter

Last week, President Barack 

Obama outlined the specifics of his 
plan to provide two years of tuition-
free education to community col-
lege students — a program which 
could affect student enrollment at 
the University.

The plan, expected to cost the an 

estimated $60 billion over 10 years, 
will be funded by closing tax loop-
holes and increased taxation for 
high-earning tax brackets. The fed-
eral government will pay for three-
quarters of the program and the 
states will pay the rest.

Additionally, 
the 
proposal 

includes certain stipulations for eli-
gible students, including having a 
GPA of 2.5 or higher and be enrolled 
at least half time. Community col-
leges must also fulfill several con-

ditions. Their academic programs 
must be eligible for transfer to local 
four-year institutions or they must 
have high graduation rates in career 
and technical programs.

According to the White House, 

should the proposal be imple-
mented in all states, around 9 mil-
lion students would annually save 
approximately $3,800 each.

Higher education officials have 

identified two potential impacts of 
the plan: a boost in the number of 
community college students and 
fluctuations in the transfer rate 
between four-year institutions and 
community colleges.

Jason Morgan, director of gov-

ernment relations at Washtenaw 
Community College, said the plan 
could potentially increase the num-
ber of community college students, 
but noted that it is still just a pro-
posal.

“Our first impression is that the 

plan sounds extremely positive,” 
Morgan said. “As we learn more 
details we’ll hopefully learn how, 
exactly, it is going to impact com-
munity colleges.”

Along with increasing the num-

ber of community college students 

GOVERNMENT

See OBAMA, Page 3

ZACH MOORE/Daily

Rackham student Jae Beom Bae speaks with student entrepreneurs at the ICE Winter Blast innovation event at the Michigan Union Thursday. 

Innovate Blue, 

CSG bring together 

students from 

different schools

By LINDSEY SCULLEN

Daily Staff Reporter

The ICE Winter Blast, an 

event for entrepreneurs, got a bit 
hot Wednesday.

Hosted by Innovate Blue, the 

University’s unifying body for 
innovation and entrepreneur-
ship, and the Central Student 
Government’s Commission on 
Student Innovation, the event 
brought together several hun-
dred innovators from multiple 
University schools, as well as the 
Ann Arbor community — before 
kicking them out briefly to the 
tune of a fire alarm and a faint 
smell of smoking popcorn.

Held 
Wednesday 
evening 

in the Michigan Union’s Rogel 
Ballroom, the blast was halted 
briefly but resumed after a quick, 
impromptu tour of the Union’s 
front steps and the event’s ice 
sculpture being carved on the 
front lawn.

Kristen Kerecman, Innovate 

Blue communications manager, 
said the purpose of the event was 
to showcase campus-wide inno-
vation and to bring more students 
into the University’s entrepre-
neurial “ecosystem.”

“This is the way to show stu-

dents what’s happening, like 
some of the ventures that stu-
dents are working on, and the 
resources to help them get there,” 
she said.

But pulling in new students 

was not the event’s only purpose.

“The Commission was cre-

ated to connect and unify all of 
the 
various 
entrepreneurship 

entities on campus and to have 
this big celebration of what we 

CAMPUS LIFE

Founder says he 
will personally 
speak at CSG 

meeting next week

By TANAZ AHMED

Daily Staff Reporter

The organizers behind a pro-

posed Michigan spirit song have 
pulled a funding resolution pro-
posed during Tuesday’s Central 
Student Government meeting.

First introduced during the 

meeting 
Tuesday, 
“Hail 
and 

Unite” sparked debate over the 
future of the University’s fight 
song, “The Victors.”

However, LSA senior Mike 

Weinberg, one of the project’s 
main founders, said the song 
would be a pump-up song and is 
not intended to replace the long-
standing fight song.

“During third down, instead 

of having that generic pop song 
that every other school has, we’re 
going to have our own song that 
we created, that we were a part 
of,” he said in an interview with 
The Michigan Daily on Wednes-
day evening.

Project organizers officially 

launched the initiative’s website 
Thursday morning.

Tuesday’s initial announce-

ment generated criticism from 
alums and students, who saw the 
project as an attempt to replace 
“The Victors.” Weinberg said 
the project was not explained 
thoroughly at the CSG meeting. 
Because the project was mis-

understood, Weinberg said the 
resolution has been pulled and he 
plans to personally present on the 
project at CSG’s meeting on Feb. 
17. He also said the resolution will 
also likely be reintroduced.

The 
organization 
initially 

asked CSG to appropriate $2,750 
from its Legislative Discretionary 
Fund. The funds would support 
a promotional video campaign to 
raise additional donations for the 
project as well as provide accom-
modations to visiting contribu-
tors to the project.

Several CSG representatives 

asked for a more detailed project 
budget and the proposal was later 
sent to the finance committee for 
review.

Weinberg stressed the impor-

tance of student, alumni and fan 
involvement in creating the song.

The group working on “Hail 

and Unite” is composed of 22 
students from several University 
schools and colleges, including 
LSA, Art and Design, Business 
and Music, Theatre and Dance.

Weinberg expressed interest in 

partnering with MUSIC Matters, 
the University group that orga-
nizes an annual benefit concert, 
as well as the marching band and 
local organizations based in Ann 
Arbor.

“Everyone is coming together 

to create this amazing project 
that is going to revolutionize what 
it means to have music, sports and 
entertainment,” Weinberg said.

MUSIC 
Matters 
President 

Darren Appel, a Business senior, 
said the “Hail and Unite” orga-
nizers pitched the initiative to 

See ICE, Page 3

See SONG, Page 3

ACADEMICS

ZACH MOORE/Daily

Author Jonah Goldberg speaks about his book on “Liberal Fascism” at Rackham Amphitheater Thursday. 

Jonah Goldberg 

considers ties 

between liberalism, 

fascism

By WILL GREENBERG

Daily News Editor

It was with attention-grab-

bing language and crowd-pleas-
ing wit that Jonah Goldberg 
discussed his views on Ameri-
can history and politics — offer-
ing a perspective rarely seen at 
the University.

Goldberg, author of the 2008 

bestseller 
“Liberal 
Fascism” 

and 2013’s “The Tyranny of 
Clichés,” talked misinterpreta-
tions of world history, debunk-
ing liberal heroism and political 
correctness in the Rackham 
Amphitheatre 
on 
Thursday. 

Goldberg is also a frequent col-
umnist for National Review 
Online, and it appeared he had 

many in fans in the crowd.

During the lecture, he dis-

cussed the arguments of his 
books — that fascist movements, 
contrary to popular belief, are 
left wing at their core, and how 
liberals profess to be pragmatic 
problem solvers when they, in 
fact, have an ideological agenda.

Goldberg walked through 

his argument of liberal fas-
cism by elaborating on the Nazi 
party in Germany. He asked: 
“Except for the murder, big-
otry, genocide and war, what 
is it, exactly, about Nazism you 
don’t like?” He argued that the 
Nazi’s support of nationalism, 
condemnation of consumerism 
and denouncement of religion 
exemplified how “fascism” and 
“communism” were not oppo-
sites.

Additionally, going deeper 

into “The Tyranny of Cliches,” 
he discussed how clichés tend 
to “do our thinking for us,” and 
cited a favorite of his: “Violence 

never solves anything.”

“Violence 
is 
very 
useful 

is some specific situations — 
they’re called violent situa-
tions,” he said, adding how he 
feels the phrase is too often 
addressed at the respondent to 
violence and not the original 
aggressor.

Goldberg 
also 
addressed 

political dialog and political 
correctness more generally. In 
an interview with The Michi-
gan Daily before his speech, he 
said he took issue with the idea 
that liberal students see them-
selves as “sticking it to the man” 
when they are surrounded by 
mostly liberal professors and 
peers.

He said it’s problematic how 

students assume college is a 
time to join protests and social 
movements when they have 
no knowledge of the conflict 
they’re involved in.

On the topic of campus inclu-

See GOLDBERG, Page 3

28 students and six 
professors receive 
grants for global 
research projects

By NABEEL CHOLLAMPAT

Daily Staff Reporter

The University will continue 

to boast the highest number of 
Fulbright recipients of any pub-
lic institution in the country.

For the 2014-2015 academic 

year, 28 University students 
received Fulbright grants. Six 
faculty members were also 
awarded grants through the 
program.

The Fulbright U.S. Student 

Program 
distributes 
fellow-

ships for students to pursue 
studies, research, training or 
teaching abroad.

The U.S. State Department 

announced the list Thursday 
morning, with only Harvard 
University, which earned 33 
grants, receiving more than the 
University.

Last year, 33 University stu-

dents were named scholars.

In a release, University Pres-

ident Mark Schlissel said the 
28 scholars represent the Uni-
versity’s commitment to global 
affairs.

“U-M is thrilled that our 

young scholars are once again 
so 
well-represented 
in 
the 

Fulbright Program,” Schlissel 
said. “These 28 students are a 
testament to our strong aca-

See FULBRIGHT, Page 3

President’s 
higher ed. 
plan targets 
affordability

Interdisciplinary ‘U’ event 
promotes entreprenuership

Organizers to 
present spirit 
song plan again

Conservative author talks 
political climate at colleges

University 
Fulbright 
recipients 
announced

INDEX
Vol. CXXIV, No. 66
©2015 The Michigan Daily
michigandaily.com

N E WS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

O PI N I O N . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

S P O R T S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

S U D O K U . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

CL A S S I F I E DS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

A R T S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

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