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Ann Arbor, Michigan
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APPROPRIATIONS
Path forward for higher ed. funding unclear Universities see increase under Snyder, but express long-term concerns
DAVID SONG/Daily
LSA sophomore Antoinette Wade portrays Ella Fitzgerald for the Black on Wax event hosted by Sigma Gamma Rho at the Michigan League on Monday.
Daily Staff Reporter
GOVERNMENT
Bill could remove limits on Mich. absentee voting First-time voters currently required to vote in person for elections ALLANA AKHTAR Daily Staff Reporter
A bill proposed in the Michigan state legislature could make voting easier for University students.
Earlier this month, several state senators sponsored a bill that would allow first-time voters in the state of Michigan to vote by absentee ballot or mail. The bill has been sent to the Senate’s Committee on Elections and Government Reform for review. Currently, first-time voters in Michigan are required to vote in person unless disabled, older than 60 or temporarily residing overseas. Proponents of the new legislation said the current law presents
a problem for many University students, who are living in Ann Arbor during their first election and cannot return to their hometown to vote in person. Steve Bieda (D–Warren), a co-sponsor, said he hopes to encourage voter turnout by making voting more accessible. He said current legislation unfairly benefits the state’s Republicans because college students tend to be younger and more liberal, and are more likely to vote for Democratic candidates.
By JACK TURMAN
“Frankly, I think it’s a very partisan attempt to prevent people from voting,” he said. Bieda added that he is unsure if the committee, which is made up of four Republicans and one Democrat, will schedule a hearing for the bill. He said he predicts the bill will not receive a hearing. “This is one example that we’re trying to overcome on a useless law that doesn’t serve any purpose other than make it more See ABSENTEE, Page 3
Following statewide elections in which higher education was a point of debate, this article is the first in a series examining the changing landscape of higher education funding in Michigan and what those changes mean for four-year universities. When current Gov. Rick Snyder (R) assumed office in 2011, his administration cut 15 percent from higher education funding. Snyder then began a series of incremental increases to higher education for each subsequent year — a 3.1-percent raise in 2012, a 2.2-percent raise in 2013, a 6.1-percent raise in 2014 and a 2-percent raise in 2015 — though the final dollar amount still remains lower than it was when he took office. However, much before Snyder, under Republican and Democratic governors alike, higher education has seen both heavy fluctuations and a pattern of cuts. In interviews, state higher edu-
cation officials and legislators said past few years’ increases, are promising, but a long-term problem still remains. State economics Significant cuts to higher education started in the late 1970s and early 1980s due to a recession in Michigan, according to Stephen DesJardins, professor of education and public policy. DesJardins wrote “Michigan Public Higher Education: Recent Trends and Policy Considerations for the Coming Decade,” published in 2006. Under former Gov. James Blanchard (D), public universities saw an increase in state appropriations in the mid-1980s. According to DesJardins, Blanchard believed that a postsecondary education would stimulate both economic growth and development. After Blanchard finished his term as governor, former Gov. John Engler (R) assumed office in 1991, and the state started to struggle with funding higher education, though DesJardins noted that Engler still managed to increase student financial aid. At the conclusion of Engler’s years as governor, former Gov. Jennifer Granholm (D) was elected in 2003. Granholm cut higher education funding to balance the state budget, continuing a downSee HIGHER ED, Page 3
TRANSPORTATION
ANN ARBOR
Committees debate Snyder’s road proposal
City Council talks more funding for police dept.
Michigan voters to consider 1 percent sales tax increase on May ballot By SAMANTHA WINTNER Daily Staff Reporter
In January, Gov. Rick Snyder (R) approved a plan to fund road repairs and other infrastructure upgrades in the state. But because the proposal must also receive approval from Michigan voters, both proponents and critics are already prepared to sway voters before the May election. Snyder’s plan, Proposal 1, has received mixed reviews from the state’s residents and businesses. Supporters say they are concerned with the poor condition of Michigan’s roads. However, others worry that increasing the state sales tax caters to special interests groups and will have a disproportionate effect on lower-income residents. Under the plan, a wholesale tax on motor fuels would replace the state sales tax on fuel, which currently provides funding for K-12 schools and local municipal governments. Revenue from that wholesale
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tax would be earmarked entirely for funding transportation and related infrastructure. Snyder’s proposal also includes a 1-percent increase in the state sales tax, from 6 to 7 percent, to replace the funding for schools, municipalities and other entities that would be lost with the elimination of the sales tax on fuel. Though the legislature passed the proposal in December, a sales tax change requires an amendment to the state constitution. Michigan constituents will vote on the proposal May 5. If passed, the legislature anticipates the restructuring will raise about $2 billion per year, according to an analysis by the Senate Fiscal Agency. Safe Roads Yes, the ballot committee in favor of Snyder’s proposal, has focused on the message that fixing the roads is an urgent matter of public safety. “Any of us who drive Michigan roads and bridges understand just how dangerous it’s become,” said Roger Martin, a spokesperson for the committee. “It’s dangerous for firefighters and ambulance drivers and dangerous for police officers and sheriffs.” See ROADS, Page 3
Meeting is first of several to address 2016, 2017 fiscal year budgets By ANASTASSIOS ADAMOPOULUS Daily Staff Reporter RITA MORRIS/Daily
East Quad hosts it’s first Meatless Mondays menu, where Malibu veggie burgers replace traditional meat dishes at the Wild Fire station in the dining hall Monday.
East Quadrangle pioneers “Meatless Monday” event Initiative designed to promote human, planetary health By LINDSEY SCULLEN Daily Staff Reporter
Students searching for hot dogs in East Quad Residence Hall on Monday were headed for disappointment. Monday marked Michigan Dining’s first step toward joining “Meatless Monday” — a global movement started in 2003 at the John Hopkins
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Bloomberg School of Public Health. East Quad was the first to try it out — throughout the entire day, no meat was served at the dining hall. The initiative has reached 36 different countries and is rooted in the idea that decreasing the amount of meat eaten is good for the health of both humans and the planet. LSA sophomore Katherine Hamilton said she agrees that Meatless Monday is beneficial to health. “A lot of meat isn’t really made ethically or totally healthily and so I think giving up meat for a day a week is just a
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good idea in general,” she said. The Meatless Monday campaign’s website says going meatless at least once a week can make diners less likely to develop chronic conditions such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity. Buzz Cummings, head chef at East Quad, agrees that meat can increase these risks, and said he eats with health in mind. “I’ve tried to eat more fruits and vegetables because I was diagnosed with cancer myself,” Cummings said. “You can really satisfy someone’s diet with See MEAT, Page 3
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The Ann Arbor City Council convened Monday night to discuss the first part of the city budget for fiscal years 2016 and 2017. The meeting was the first round of discussions on the budget, and included comments from representatives of the courts, the fire department and the police department, as well as City Administrator Steve Powers. Tom Crawford, the city’s chief financial officer, said the city’s general fund has not yet recovered from the 2008 economic recession. “The general fund is still recovering from the downturn in a number of different ways and it’s still going to take us more time do that,” he said. Crawford noted that projections for the operating budget, which are based on both existing operations and staff requests, show there will be an adjusted net deficit of $1,815,978 in 2016 and of $2,550,605 in 2017. The See BUDGET, Page 3
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