all the different fruits and vegeta-
bles that are out there. The whole
movement has gotten pretty large
in the last 15 years or so.”
Michigan Dining also cited
several sustainability reasons for
taking this meatless step, includ-
ing to reduce the University’s car-
bon footprint. The United Nations
estimates that around one-fifth of
man-made, greenhouse gas emis-
sions come from the meat indus-
try.
A second reason is to reduce
dining hall water usage.
“Close to 2000 gallons of water
are needed to produce a single
pound of beef, where it only takes
40 gallons of water to produce a
pound of vegetables,” Cummings
said.
Cummings mentioned a third
benefit of going meatless: reduc-
ing Michigan’s fuel dependence.
In the United States, it takes
around 40 calories of fossil fuel
energy to produce one calorie of
feedlot beef while it takes only
around 2.2 calories of fossil fuel
to produce an equivalent amount
of plant-based protein.
In a press release, Michigan
Dining said it elected East Quad
as the pioneer for Meatless Mon-
day in dining hall for two reasons.
First, a proportion of the student
community eating at East Quad
has backed sustainability efforts
in the past. Second, East Quad
is located close to the Mosher-
Jordan and South Quad dining
halls, providing meat eaters with
nearby options if a meatless meal
is unappealing.
Though the day’s food options
were entirely vegetarian, Cum-
mings and his staff strove to cre-
ate a menu that would appeal to
all types of eaters.
For the “burger and fries peo-
ple,” for example, the kitchen
staff concocted portobello slid-
ers, which contained marinated
grilled portobello mushrooms
on a slider bun with a baby kale
mix.
“We try to make everything
every day as fresh and appetiz-
ing as possible, but today we’re
really going to try to turn it up
so we can get nothing but posi-
tive comments,because we’d like
to keep this going,” Cummings
said.
Yet, for some students, like
Kinesiology
freshman
Ryan
Armbruster, the accommoda-
tions were not enough.
“I’m paying for this food and I
don’t think it should be restrict-
ed to certain things. They have
different stations in there — it
works well the way it is,” he said.
“They have the vegan station,
the vegetarian station and things
like that. It’s not like I’m com-
pletely condemning it. I’m still
going to eat there today.”
East Quad’s number of student
customers did go down today.
At both breakfast and lunch the
dining hall saw a decrease in
about 150 students from a nor-
mal day’s dining numbers. Still,
Cummings has hope.
“Will we do it again? I don’t
know,” he said. “I don’t think it
was a total bust.”
Alongside the negative feed-
back posters hanging on the wall
outside East Quad’s dining hall
— which included Armbruster’s
comments — there were also
positive feedback postings. Some
comments included, “It’s better
for human and environmental
health,” and “actually v. tasty
options!”
Cummings said the staff and
administration will review the
positive and negative feedback
before deciding whether Meat-
less Monday will continue. If
feedback is positive, he said he
hopes this is an initiative they
can repeat once a month, or
maybe even once a week.
bulk of these deficits, he added,
are caused by staff compensation.
Ann Arbor Police Chief John
Seto discussed a proposed bud-
get expansion for the police
department. According to the
city’s budget impact analysis, the
police department is requesting
$290,667 in additional funds for
2016 and an additional $132,867
for fiscal year 2017.
The request includes money
for replacements of police armor
for 70 police officers, which will
cost a total of $49,000. Tasers
for 25 officers are also included
in the budget projection.
Additionally,
Seto
noted
that by June 30, 2017, 13 of the
department’s
25
supervisors
will be up for retirement and
therefore promotions will need
to be made. The staffing adjust-
ments are estimated to cost
$35,000.
Larry Collins, chief of the
Ann Arbor Fire Department,
said the department is asking
for $200,666 in additional mon-
ies for 2016 and $103,202 in 2017.
The additional money would
cover two four-wheel drive
emergency staff vehicles for
assistant fire chiefs. Until now,
stipends allowed assistant fire
chiefs to use their own vehicles
for transportation in cases of
emergency.
An important point for both
Seto and Collins was accrediting
their departments by becoming
members of professional organi-
zations.
Seto said the Ann Arbor
Police Department was previ-
ously a member of the Commis-
sion for the Accreditation of Law
Enforcement Agencies (CALEA)
but left in 2003. He now wants
the department to regain its
membership, which is estimated
to cost a one-time fee of $14,000.
“We will be held to standards
that are nationally accepted,”
Seto said. “Much like I speak
about many times being on the
same page on training policies
with local departments, I feel
it’s just as important to have
our standards on training and
policies on the national level as
well. Receiving that accredita-
tion will give us that process
and that system.”
He added that he would like
to make one of the police offi-
cers or detectives a lieutenant to
take on the process of achieving
accreditation.
Expressing a similar senti-
ment, Collins said he wants the
Ann Arbor Fire Department to
become a member of the Center
for Public Safety Excellence.
“It’s all about promoting
excellence
and
encouraging
quality services to the commu-
nity,” Collins said. “It lets us a
show you in a host of different
ways what our service package
is and how we are achieving
that service package for the dol-
lars that are invested.”
Collins noted he would like to
hire a part-time intern for three
years rather than relocating a
fire department employee for
the job of moving through the
accreditation process. Accord-
ing to the budget, the intern
would cost $72,000 for both fis-
cal years.
The next hearing on the bud-
get process is set for March 9.
The Council will formally con-
sider the budget May 18.
ward path.
The main impact of this trend
can be viewed in the balance
between tuition and state appro-
priations in University budgets.
In the 1970s, the state used to
pay approximately 75 percent of
public universities’ operations,
while the universities’ tuition
and fees would pay for the rest,
said Mark Burnham, Michigan
State University’s vice president
for governmental affairs.
However, Burnham said the
trend has now reversed, and
MSU’s funding from the state is
now below 22 percent.
This situation is similar at the
University, as 71.2 percent of the
University’s budget came from
tuition and fees for the 2015 fis-
cal year, according to the Uni-
versity’s Funding Snapshot. The
state contributed 16.4 percent
of the University’s budget this
year. These state appropriations
are a continuation of a down-
ward trend, as state appropria-
tions were around 59 percent
in 1978, but fell to 32 percent in
2002, according to DesJardins’s
research.
“The amount of state support
has eroded dramatically,” Burn-
ham said.
In an interview last month,
Cynthia Wilbanks, the Univer-
sity’s vice president for govern-
ment relations, said the state’s
economic conditions were chal-
lenging from 2002 to 2011, which
was when Granholm held’s the
governor’s office.
She said she would argue that
at times, areas identified as a pri-
ority for gubernatorial admin-
istrations have to be abandoned
based on factors such as poor
economic conditions.
“I would make the case that
each governor has to have their
set of priorities and wants to
hold themselves to those priori-
ties unless or until other factors
that they simply can not control
really force decisions that may
not be their favorite thing to do,”
Wilbanks said.
During
Granholm’s
early
years as governor, about 26 per-
cent of the population in the
age range 25 to 34 in Michigan
received a bachelor’s degree or
higher, which was below the
national average of 28 percent
for the same age range. How-
ever, DesJardins wrote this phe-
nomenon should not have been
surprising because many high
school graduates went to manu-
facturing jobs, which provided
a high standard of living com-
pared to jobs in other states not
requiring a college degree.
“The days of (manufacturing
jobs) being a viable option are vir-
tually gone, as the auto industry
continues to lose market share to
foreign competition, with it the
jobs that provided an avenue to
the middle class for a generation
(or more) of Michigan’s citizens,”
DesJardins wrote.
Along with drawing high
school
students
straight
to
the workforce, the automotive
industry also affected higher
education funding.
Because
the
“Big
Three”
automakers — Ford, General
Motors and Chrysler — provided
approximately 80 percent of the
cars in the world market in 1950,
the state of Michigan’s tax base
was heavily dependent on the
automotive industry, according
to DesJardins.
As
time
progressed,
the
Detroit automobile industry’s
share of the world market fell
below 25 percent and Michigan’s
tax revenue suffered. As a result,
he wrote, higher education fund-
ing was targeted and cut.
Wilbanks
said
economic
activity clearly affects higher
education funding.
“As much as higher educa-
tion support comes from the
state’s General Fund, and the
General Fund is almost entirely
from revenues that are based
on economic activity, when the
economic activity of the state is
either declining or anemic, the
opportunity to fund at a high
level, some state priorities is
really the $64,000 question,”
she said.
Echoing the trends observed
by DesJardins, in an interview
earlier this month, state Rep.
Adam Zemke (D–Ann Arbor)
emphasized that higher educa-
tion cuts aren’t exclusive to the
Snyder administration.
He said past legislators and
governors are also to blame for
the common trend of cutting
higher education.
“The higher education fund-
ing problems, meaning the lack
of adequate funding, is an issue
that has transcended guberna-
torial administrations,” Zemke
said.
Long-term planning
Most
recently,
over
the
decade from 2004 to 2014, the
state’s support for higher edu-
cation decreased by 29 percent,
according to the think tank the
Center for Michigan.
John Austin, president of
the State Board of Education,
said this decrease amounts to
approximately $800 million.
Along with this data, the
National Association of State
Student Grant and Aid Programs
recently released an annual
report which revealed Michigan
as the worst state in the country
in regards to the state spending
money for financial aid over the
decade from 2003 to 2013. In fis-
cal 2003, the state spent $218.185
million on college scholarships.
Fast forward 10 years and the
state spent $92.674 million in
the fiscal 2013, which represents
a $125.511 million decrease.
Austin said he recognized the
increases made to higher educa-
tion funding the past few years,
but added that it will be hard to
recover from the series of cuts.
“It’s beginning to get some
attention, but it’s been severely
damaged and has a long way
to go before we’re arriving at
enough aid to reverse some of
the damage and support for
institutions,” Austin said. “The
damage has been done.”
Similar to Austin’s view-
point, Zemke said the increases
to higher education are a posi-
tive sign, but clarified that these
increases won’t make a big
impact in the long run. Zemke
is the vice chair of the House’s
education committee.
“I’m glad that it’s an increase,
but I think that we’re still going
to run into the same problem
that we’ve been running into,”
Zemke said, referencing a lack of
long-term planning.
Burnham
said
MSU
cuts
approximately $110 million per
year on a recurring basis due
to cuts. Burnham added that
these cuts led to the termina-
tion of more than 40 academic
programs at MSU, which had
long-term impacts beyond an
individual year.
“If we’re going to continue to
be a competitive institution that
provides a quality education
that makes students who gradu-
ate here world class, competi-
tive anywhere in the world, then
you have to have the faculty and
facilities that are needed to do
that,” Burnham said.
At the University, cuts were
similar. In response to the 2011
decrease in funding, several aca-
demic programs, including the
Center for Ethics in Public Life,
were closed. In recent years, the
University has launched several
cost-cutting initiatives such as
strategic sourcing — purchasing
supplies and equipment in bulk
— and the Administrative Ser-
vices Transformation Project,
which included an initiative to
congregate some support staff in
a shared service center.
The
University
has
also
increased
its
development
efforts to compensate for small-
er state appropriations. The
current campaign, Victors for
Michigan, is aiming to raise
$4 billion over the next several
years.
Austin
said
the
Snyder
administration’s small increases
aren’t innovative and did not
require long-term planning for
the future.
“There is no strategy,” he
said. “It’s just some incremen-
tal change up or down of what
we’ve already done.”
In an e-mail interview, Dave
Murray, Snyder’s deputy press
secretary, refuted the idea that
Snyder doesn’t have a long-term
plan for maintaining higher edu-
cation funding.
“Gov. Snyder’s goal is to
increase the state’s investment
in higher education, and to make
sure a college education is with-
in reach for all Michiganders,”
Murray wrote. “The governor’s
goal is for 60 percent of residents
to hold a high-quality degree or
other credential by 2025.”
difficult for people to vote, to
restrict people from voting,”
Bieda said.
Republic committee mem-
bers
David
Robertson
(R–
Grand Blanc), Patrick Colbeck
(R–Canton),
Judy
Emmons
(R–Sheridan) and Mike Shir-
key (R–Clarklake) could not be
reached for comment.
Jesse Buchsbaum, chair of
Voice Your Vote, a nonpartisan
Central Student Government
initiative aimed at engaging
students in politics, said ease
in voting is particularly impor-
tant for student voters.
“Because students have so
much going on in their lives
all the time, students are most
likely to vote if the process is
very, very easy for them,” he
said.
To curb the potential aver-
sion students may feel toward
toward both registering and
going out to vote, Voice Your
Vote aims to help students
along and make the process as
easy as possible. Along with
educating students on both
issues and candidates during
election years, Voice Your Vote
also encourages students to
register by going door-to-door
in residence halls and holding
booths in the Diag.
Despite the group’s efforts
to register and educate vot-
ers, Buchsbaum said efforts
are still somewhat hindered by
current law.
He said the bill’s passage
would have mixed results for
students on campus because it
would only help students reg-
istered to vote in Michigan.
Though the legislation would
allow Michigan residents to
vote for the first time while
remaining in Ann Arbor, the
bill would have no effect on
out-of-state students, as their
home state legislature may not
allow first-time absentee vot-
ing.
“Most states don’t have laws
where first time voters can
vote absentee; you have to vote
in person,” Buchsbaum said.
“So, because many students at
Michigan are still from out-
of-state, it may cause a decent
amount of confusion.”
Martin also said Michigan
currently spends less per capita
on infrastructure than most
other states.
The
Coalition
Against
Higher
Taxes
and
Special
Interest Deals, one of several
committees formed in opposi-
tion to Snyder’s plan, agrees
that Michigan roads are in a
state of disrepair. However,
Randall Thompson, a spokes-
person for the group, said the
committee does not believe
Snyder’s current proposal is the
right remedy.
Thompson said the group
opposes Proposal 1. He said $1.2
billion of the $2 billion raised by
the proposal would go toward
road funding, with the remain-
ing 40 percent funneled toward
other projects.
He said the Snyder admin-
istration claimed it would use
that remaining 40 percent for
an income tax credit as well as
to fund education, public trans-
portation and municipalities.
However, Thompson said the
Snyder administration had to
give out “sweetheart deals” to
these interests so that the pro-
posal would have enough sup-
port to pass in May.
“(The administration’s) sup-
port of Proposal 2015-1 requires
$700 million of other invest-
ments to special interests in
order for us to fix our roads,”
Thompson said. “We believe
that Michigan roads are a prob-
lem — but we shouldn’t have to
pay out $700 million to special
interests to have the opportu-
nity to fix the roads.”
Martin said the $700 mil-
lion figure is mostly a realloca-
tion of funds that these groups
already received from the sales
tax on fuel, but will now come
from the state sales tax revenue.
Martin said the proposal
increases the state govern-
ment’s accountability and cre-
ates a fairer taxation structure
for taxpayers.
“Right now, the 6-percent
state sales tax on gasoline
doesn’t go to fix roads and
bridges,” Martin said. “The pol-
iticians in Lansing can basically
spend that money wherever
they want, and that’s wrong. We
shouldn’t be paying taxes on gas
that aren’t used to fix the roads
and bridges.”
Martin said Proposal 1 would
guarantee all tax revenue on
the proposed new (wholesale)
fuel tax would go to road fund-
ing.
The groups also disagree on
the potential effects of a hike in
the sales tax for consumers.
Thompson
said
such
an
increase would make it more
difficult for many Michigan
taxpayers to afford their taxes.
He said the tax increase would
strongly
affect
low-income
taxpayers because it would
take a larger chunk out of their
monthly budgets than it would
for higher income residents.
These types of taxes are often
termed regressive taxes.
Opposition groups have said
the proposal could have a net
impact of costing taxpayers $2
billion per year.
“A guy making a million dol-
lars a year — is he really going
to miss 1-percent sales tax? No,
because he can already meet
his basic needs,” Thompson
said. “But to a single mom or a
college student, 1-percent sales
tax? That’s an additional 16.7
percent (in tax) on every single
thing you purchase.”
Martin argued it would be
very difficult to calculate the
cost to taxpayers of this pro-
posal.
Whether
a
taxpayer
would see a net gain or a net
loss if Proposal 1 were enacted
would depend on how much
they drive, how much fuel they
buy and how much they spend
on sales-taxable items, he said.
“The working poor definite-
ly get a tax cut here,” Martin
added. “There’s a tax cut in this
for the working poor: an income
tax credit that was abolished
years ago is restored under this
proposal.”
Donald
Grimes,
senior
research associate at the Uni-
versity’s Institute for Research
on Labor, Employment and
the Economy, said in an e-mail
interview Michigan residents
would see benefits from the
proposal.
“The residents will have a
better driving experience and
less money spent on vehicle
repairs,” he said.
Grimes also said the proposal
will create jobs in the state due
to increased construction. He
said improving the state’s roads
would reduce the cost of trans-
portation and consequently the
cost of doing business in Michi-
gan, encouraging job creation.
“The taxpayers will be get-
ting something for their money
when the money is spent on
roads even if they are not one
of the people who will ben-
efit from the additional jobs,”
Grimes said.
The University’s Center for
Local, State, and Urban Policy
released a report Monday sur-
veying Michigan local leaders’
views on road conditions and
road funding in the state.
As part of the Michigan Pub-
lic Policy Survey, CLOSUP sur-
veyed 1,356 local government
leaders and found that while
road conditions vary across
Michigan, there is widespread
agreement among those lead-
ers that it would take a major
increase in state funding to
simply maintain current road
conditions. Survey respondents
largely said improving roads
would require an overhaul of
state funding.
CLOSUP found that 71 per-
cent of local officials say they
are mostly or only able to focus
on short-term fixes, like filling
potholes, as opposed to practic-
ing long-term management.
“Overall, 65 percent of local
leaders say they would have
significant problems improv-
ing roads and bridges within
their jurisdictions if the state
does not significantly increase
road funding,” a release on the
survey said. “In fact, a major-
ity (53 percent) say it would be
a significant problem just to
maintain their roads if the state
does not significantly increase
funding.”
Safe Roads Yes and the Coali-
tion Against Higher Taxes and
Special Interest Deals have
received support from a variety
of demographics and from both
Democrats and Republicans.
Safe Roads Yes has a diverse
membership, including school
districts, police officers, county
sheriff departments, business
organizations and local units of
government, Martin said.
As of Feb. 10, the commit-
tee had reported contributions
of $3.2 million in a campaign
finance statement, including
support from the Michigan
Infrastructure and Transporta-
tion Association, as well as sev-
eral other infrastructure and
transportation-related groups.
In contrast, The Coalition
Against Higher Taxes and Spe-
cial Interest Groups said they
rely
on
small-denomination
checks from residents across
the state.
Both Martin and Thompson
said their groups aim to turn
out voters to the polls.
“We’ve got to have average
citizens, got to have college stu-
dents, families and so on that
get on board and make sure
that their friends, loved ones,
coworkers and fellow students
vote,” Thompson said.
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Tuesday, February 24, 2015 — 3
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