Posts filed under 'Campus life'
‘U’ lecturers’ union endorses Deitch, Ilitch for Board of Regents
By Chris Herring, written on Oct. 30, 2008
Jacob Smilovitz
Daily Staff Reporter
With less than a week until Election Day, the labor union that represents University of Michigan lecturers have endorsed a pair of candidates vying to join the University’s Board of Regents.
The Lecturers’ Employee Organization threw its support behind incumbent Larry Deitch and newcomer Denise Ilitch, both of whom are Democrats from Bingham Farms.
Ian Robinson, LEO’s Ann Arbor campus co-chair and a lecturer in the Residential College, said members of his group feel connected to the regents and the work they do.
“We actually talk with the regents regularly about policy issues, so we have some real knowledge of their positions of relevance to our work,” he said.
The Graduate Employee Organization, which represents GSIs, has yet to endorse regent candidates. Neither group plans to back a presidential candidate. They each deferred that endorsement to their parent organization, the American Federation of Teachers, which supports Democratic nominee Barack Obama earlier this year.
Solar car team overcomes penalties to keep large lead
By Charles Gregg-Geist, written on Jul. 19, 2008
The University’s solar car team is enjoying Winnipeg, Canada right now, more than an hour ahead of its closest competition, the team from Principia College. Continuum arrived at Red River College in Winnipeg, Manitoba at 11:32 this morning and the team is now enjoying themselves at a barbecue thrown by the college.
College of Engineering senior Jeff Ferman said the team was happy with the progress Continuum had made since leaving Sioux Falls, South Dakota Friday.
“The drive today was wonderful,” Ferman said. “We’ve been going right at the speed limit.”
But things haven’t been going as well as they might for the team. Continuum would be even further ahead of the pack if not for some costly penalties they picked up on the drive into Sioux Falls.
The team was set back twenty minutes for four counts of speeding. But the big penalty the team picked up was for an hour and ten minutes when Continuum’s emergency braking system began to wear out.
Continuum uses “regenerative braking” most of the time, Ferman said, because it regains some of the power that would otherwise be lost by braking. But they use mechanical brakes, like those found on any other car, when they need to stop quickly.
When they used the mechanical brakes to slow Continuum’s descent down a hill towards a stoplight, they had some trouble stopping, but just thought the driver hadn’t begun braking soon enough, Ferman said. About five miles later — after successfully stopping at a number of lights and stop signs using the regenerative braking system, Ferman emphasized — they tested the brakes and realized that their brake pads had worn through. Though they were only five miles from the site they’d chosen to stop for the night, but two miles later they pulled off the road, he said.
The team won’t file an objection to the penalty, Ferman said, but he also maintained that it hadn’t made any errors.
“While (our brakes) were reduced in one form, we have redundant systems for a reason,” he said. “We were operating safely.”
But he added, “Given that the penalty was for running with an un-ordinary brake system, we did do that, so we’re not going to appeal that.”
The team will submit a brief to race officials explaining why they decided not to stop immediately. But for the most part, the penalties seem to be in the past, and the team is pleased with their position. They even got to partake in a parade today, Ferman said.
“Morris (Manitoba) has an annual stampede,” he explained. “It just happened that this weekend was the parade.”
When Continuum arrived at the little town the parade was just getting organized. At first team members were worried they’d have to stop and wait for it to finish, but that didn’t happen.
“Rahter than wait for it, they let us join the parade,” Ferman said.
Parading through the town with the horses did slow Continuum by about ten minutes, but Ferman seemed philosophical about the loss.
“It would have been worse… if we had come later. They did stop teams,” he said, and added, “We did get some good press from it.”
Solar car team leads North American Solar Challenge Race
By Charles Gregg-Geist, written on Jul. 17, 2008
For many students, summer is a time to work, take an internship, and see their families. For others, summer is a chance to travel — to leave Ann Arbor, to leave their home town, and see a little more of the world. For 18 undergraduates, it’s an opportunity to usher a solar-powered car across the continent from Dallas, Texas to Calgary, Alberta.
Right now, the University’s Solar Car Team and their car Continuum are parked in Sioux Falls, South Dakota waiting for their competition to catch up. They arrived in Sioux Falls yesterday at 12:35 p.m., an hour and 40 minutes ahead of their closest competition, the team from Principia College. The next team to arrive, from Bochum University of Applied Sciences in Germany, pulled in an hour and 35 minutes after that, around 3:15 p.m.
The University’s team was also the first to qualify for the race, and won the right to start first by outlasting the other cars on a racing track. Engineering senior Steve Hechtman, Continuum’s project manager, said the early start allowed them to escape bad weather and was part of the reason the team was able to take a big lead.
“The front-running teams were able to use their battery packs to get out in front of the storms, but the slower teams got caught up in the storms and that really slowed them down,” he said.
Another reason for its success is the car’s ability to stay on the road. Hechtman, who is also one of Continuum’s drivers, said they haven’t had any mechanical errors or even a flat tire. Some “electrical bugs” kept them off the road for about 20 minutes in the first day of driving, he said, but there haven’t been any other problems in the 22 hours they’ve spent on the road.
In fact, he said the biggest constraint so far has been the speed limit, which has been about 55 mph on most of the highway they’ve driven. But they’ve done a good job staying at a legal pace, and haven’t picked up any penatlies, which are assessed for traffic violations.
We’ll see if they can keep it up. At about 2400 miles, the NASC is the world’s longest solar car race.
I’ll keep you up to date on the team’s progress here on The Wire, but you can also check the team’s blog for reports from the road.
LSA senior awarded for her work on reproductive rights
By admin, written on Jul. 15, 2008
Recognized for her work on reproductive rights, LSA senior Kym Lovell was one of five individuals recently chosen from across the country to receive Choice USA’s 2008 GENERATION award. The Washington, D.C. based organization announced the winners earlier this week and on Thursday, Lovell will travel to Washington to receive her award.
The annual award recognizes young people under the age of 30 who have had a significant impact in the area of reproductive health. This year, Lovell was recognized for her work with an on-campus campaign to give University students access to affordable birth control. The LSA senior was also recognized for her work abroad, where she traveled to the Dominican Republic to conduct her own research on the cultural challenges associated with contraceptive use.
More recently, Lovell traveled to Morazan, Honduras, where she worked with local women in a rural health clinic.
On campus, Lovell serves as chair for the University’s chapter of Students for Choice.
The GENERATION award is the only one of its kind that recognizes young adults from across the nation for their work with reproductive health issues. In a press release issued on Monday, Choice USA Executive Director Kierra Johnson had this to say about Lovell.
“Kym is a remarkable example of the depth and breadth of concerns that today’s college students have when it comes to reproductive rights,” Johnson said. “She has created a truly integrated, holistic approach to the new landscape of choice. She recognizes, and has worked hard to address, the complex, interconnected web of issues that must be addressed for choice to have a real meaning – from costs issues to cultural barriers.”
Ferris State University rumors gain headway…in war of ridiculousness
By thesara, written on Jul. 14, 2008
Ask a random Ferris State University student why their sororities don’t have houses, and you may be nonplussed by their response.
“The rumor is, and it’s always been, that there are no (sorority houses) because there’s a city ordinance from the 1800s that says if there’s more than four unrelated women living in a house, then it’s a brothel,” said FSU alum Austin Oubre, a newly hired intern at Big Rapids city hall.
“I suppose somebody should probably start telling people, but no,” he laughed. “Everybody’s convinced that it’s totally legitimate fact.”
Mary Bacon, the public affairs representative for the panhellenic association at FSU, said that “nothing could be further from the truth.” She guessed that the sensational sexism of the brothel rumor is what has allowed it to hold water for the past several years. Mark Gifford, the director of neighborhood services in Big Rapids, said he gets a handful of calls per year from reporters who want to verify the rumor.
Bacon was more than happy to steer this one in the right direction: by the time panhellenic sororities came to campus in the 1960s, she said, zoning regulations and insufficient space had rendered sorority houses more of a headache than they were worth.
“There’s just very few large homes that have a lot of property that could be converted, or what one might consider a fraternity or sorority house,” she said.
Not to mention “all the rules that go with sorority housing–no booze, no boys. Not everybody likes that,” she said.
Panhellenic rules make it mandatory for all sororities to agree on issues like the construction of houses. But Bacon said that sisters on campus are content.
“You don’t join the house, you join the organization,” she said. “Was it ever true? I don’t know–who cares? There are a lot more important things we can talk about, that sororities can do for the community.”
ESPN on the Diag Monday
By Charles Gregg-Geist, written on Jul. 12, 2008
Does the University’s athletic success make Ann Arbor the top sports city in the country? Maybe. It’s one of 20 cities ESPN is considering in its search to find TitleTown, USA.
An ESPN crew will be on the Diag Monday to film the segment on Ann Arbor, which wll air July 20. It’ll be hosed by Nicole Manske, and feature the University marching band, cheerleaders.
“It’ll be college game day in the summer,” said the segment’s producer Jon Fish, a University Alum.
Former Michigan wide receiver Desmond Howard, who won the Heisman Trophy in 1991 and now covers college football on EPSN, will also be on the Daig Monday. Fish said he hopes as many students as possible turn out for the taping, which will begin at noon (though he recommends students arrive between 11 and 11:30).
“Be loud and proud, wear your maize and blue,” he advised, “Sing the victors, chant ‘let’s go blue,’ (do) everything that makes Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor.”
Fish wouldn’t speculate on Ann Arbor’s chances at wining the TitleTown crown, but competition is stiff. Not only are pro-sports powerhouses Los Angeles, Chicago, New York and Boston nominated, but so is Detroit, which may draw Michiganders’ votes away from Ann Arbor.
Other possible uses for the Athletic Department’s $2.5 million check to West Virginia University
By Andy Kroll, written on Jul. 10, 2008
The Rich Rodriguez-WVU-He-said-She-said saga ended today with Rodriguez, his lawyers and the University of Michigan agreeing to pay the $4 million buyout clause in Rodriguez’s contract with WVU.
According to reports, Rodriguez will pay $1.5 million of the clause in three annual payments of $500,000 beginning in January 2010. The remaining $2.5 million—along with Rodriguez’s attorney fees—will be paid by the University’s Athletic Department in a single payment made by the end of July.
Below are a few examples of what $2.5 million could’ve paid for had the Athletic Department (whose funds, remember, are independent of the University’s general fund) not covered Rodriguez’s fees and over half of the buyout clause…
The Athletic Department prides itself on the fact that it often gives money out of its own coffers to the University’s general fund, which provides financial aid to University students, among other things.
Had the Athletic Department saw fit to invest that $2.5 million in the futures of University students and not in the ugly past of its football coach, it would’ve covered (according to figures from the University’s Office of Financial Aid) tuition and fees, room and board, books and personal expenses for 113 undergraduate in-state students.
That same $2.5 million would’ve covered those same costs for 58 undergraduate out-of-state students.
Not that there aren’t uses for $2.5 million within the Athletic Department.
That money could’ve lowered football season tickets for students—or anyone buying football tickets for that matter. That money could’ve gone to help fund any number of facilities upgrade projects, like the much needed renovations at Crisler Arena. It could’ve been seed money to help endow the successful men’s lacrosse team. It could’ve endowed individual athletics scholarships for any number of Michigan teams. It might have even helped do away with the loathed preferred seating program at the Big House in which some football season ticket holders have to make an annual donation each year on top of the cost of their tickets just to keep their seats.
And so on and so forth. You get the point. The possibilities that spring to mind for how $2.5 million could’ve been better spent are endless. These are only a few. Do you have any of your own?
Steve & Barry’s files for bankruptcy
By Charles Gregg-Geist, written on Jul. 9, 2008
This may be the last incoming class to do its Orientation shopping at Steve & Barry’s. Citing a “generally poor environment for apparel retailers,” the low-price chain filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in a New York court today.
The company says it plans to close some of its 276 stores across the country, and after losing its license to manufacture University of Michigan apparel and souvenirs, it may have little reason to keep the Ann Arbor store open.
Steve & Barry’s will also immediately cut 172 jobs. They will be both in-store and corporate positions, the company said.
Oddly, the bankruptcy filing comes even as the company reported strong sales, according to the Associated Press. Slim profit margins may be the primary cause for the retailer’s financial woes, since in the weak economy customers should be attracted to the cheap products at a place like Steve & Barry’s.
Ann Arbor bars receive mixed marks on latest health inspections
By Andy Kroll, written on Jun. 29, 2008
A number of popular campus bars throughout Ann Arbor have had their 2008 health inspections from Washtenaw County’s Environmental Health department and the results for these campus haunts have been mixed.
BTB Cantina, Conor O’Neill’s pub, Necto and Rush Street were among the most cited of the more than 10 local bars that had undergone inspections by the county so far this year.
Conor O’Neill’s, Necto and Rush Street were all cited for having facilities that were in disrepair, such as floor tiling in need of immediate replacement. For Necto and Rush Street, citations for disrepair have become as recurring theme, as Necto was cited by the county in November of 2006 and October of 2007 for subpar facilities. Rush Street was previously cited in August of 2007.
Health inspection reports listed pest problems at both Conor O’Neill’s (dead cockroaches in the kitchen) and Necto (flies in several bars, restrooms and in bottles of opened liquor). Necto was also cited for pest control problems in the club’s previous inspection report in October of 2007.
Health inspectors also cited the relatively new BTB Cantina for unsanitary dishwashing practices in the kitchen and by the Cantina’s cooks. The bar’s latest report also stated there were uncovered and exposed containers of food in storage, among other citations.
For access to Washtenaw County’s public health inspection database for restaurants, click here.
More commuter colleges are adding residence halls, including the University of Michigan at Flint
By Julie Rowe, written on Jun. 29, 2008
Georgia State University, once populated solely by commuter students, built dorms on campus to increase enrollment. It worked. The school built luxury residence halls, added to their athletic programs and increased student activities.
”Students say it makes it a ‘real university,”’ Georgia State President Carl Patton told the Associate Press while sitting in the campus’ airy student center. ”What they mean is, ‘You have sports, you have an honors program, you have fraternities and sororities, you have freshman housing, you have places to eat on campus and you have a theater to go to.”’
University of Michigan administrators hope the first residence hall on the Flint campus, approved last year and scheduled to open this fall, will have similar effects. Administrators want to increase enrollment in Flint from 6,500 to 8,000 students by 2010.
“This beautiful, state-of-the-art housing for students will enhance the campus, while helping U-M-Flint achieve its goal of increasing enrollment,” University President Mary Sue Coleman said in a press release.
Increasing enrollment would add revenue to the University’s purse and could have a positive effect on the poor economy of Flint, which is still suffering the loss of automotive manufacturing jobs.
As GSU transitioned to a more traditional campus, restaurants and other businesses followed. When Temple University in North Philadelphia more than doubled the number of enrolled students because of the addition of residence halls, an $80 million complex with student housing, a movie theater and a shopping center was built in what was once a “decaying neighborhood” according to the Associated Press report.
“University housing in downtown Flint will be a part of the vitality of downtown and beyond,” said Regent Olivia Maynard, who lives in Flint, in a press release.