CELEBRATING OUR ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FIFTH YEAR OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM Tuesday, April 14, 2015
Ann Arbor, Michigan
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ACADEMICS
‘U’ maintains unpopular LSA majors despite costs Provost emphasizes importance of offering a broad array of disciplines
DAVID SONG/Daily
Melody Barnes, chair of the Aspen Institute Forum for Community Solutions, talks about the disconnect between policy makers and those affected by policy and outlines a better way to provide opportunity to lower income, disadvantaged kids at the Annenberg Auditorium on Monday.
Obama’s former domestic policy director talks youth Melody Barnes discusses people who lack access to education, jobs By EMMA KINERY Daily Staff Reporter
The Ford School of Public Policy ended its yearly policy talk series Monday with a lecture from a University alum. Melody Barnes, chair of the Aspen Institute’s Forum for Community Solutions, gave a lecture to aspiring policy makers, titled “Creating Opportunity for America’s Youth: Anatomy of a Public Policy Challenge.”
Barnes received her law degree from the University in 1989. Prior to becoming the chair of the forum, Barnes served as an assistant to the president and director of the White House Domestic Policy Council from 2009 to 2012 under President Barack Obama. In her opening remarks, Barnes said she was happy to return to Ann Arbor. “I don’t think I’ve been back in Ann Arbor for a number of years,” Barnes said. “It’s terrific to be back. I already had a Zingerman’s brownie, so I’m in good shape.” Barnes’ lecture focused on the issue of young adults in America who are disconnected with the education system — college and high school
dropouts — as well as those not interacting with the economy in a significant way or holding jobs that cannot support them or a family. Barnes refers to the estimated 6.7 to 7 million American 16- to 24-year-olds who fall into this category as “opportunity youth.” Contrary to the common narrative, which categorizes these youths as disconnected and uninterested in engaging in the community, Barnes said she and her counterparts discovered their value while engaging with the opportunity youth. “I believe that, having spent time with many of these young people, that this is an untapped, but vital resource for our country,” she said. “They have much to contribute in intellectual
By TANAZ AHMED Daily Staff Reporter
Though LSA offers more than 75 majors, some majors are far less popular than others. According to the enrollment report from the Office of the Registrar, as of the current winter semester the Ancient Greek, Modern Greek and Earth Sciences majors each have only have one student enrolled. Ancient and Modern Greek are offered by the Classical Studies Department, while Earth Sciences is housed in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences. However, Michelle Biggs, the undergraduate coordinator for the Classical Studies Department, said there are five students enrolled in the Modern Greek concentration. There are also 14 students majoring in Classical Language and Literature, seven of whom chose Greek as their main language. The Classical Languages and Literature concentration requires students to study both Greek and Latin, but to choose one language as their main focus.
gifts and in grit, and a view of the world that can help us solve many of the challenges before us.” Barnes explained the importance of investing in opportunity youth for both moral and economic causes. During the question and answer period, Barnes said failing to address the challenges faced by opportunity youth costs taxpayers billions of dollars — including loss of federal revenue to funding the juvenile justice system and healthcare, as well as loss in federal tax revenue. Barnes said society’s perceptions of opportunity youth is one of the biggest roadblocks to finding solutions. See YOUTH, Page 3
ADMINISTRATION
FACULTY
Regents to consider new robotics lab Board will also vote to approve $38.5 million parking and transport facility By ALLANA AKHTAR and GEN HUMMER Daily Staff Reporters
The University’s Board of Regents will meet Thursday to approve the construction of a brand new Transportation Operation and Maintenance Facility project and the construction for a $54 million robotics laboratory on North Campus. Doug Strong, the University’s interim chief financial officer, recommended constructing a new research and teaching facility for the robotics program through the College of Engineering. The new building will house research laboratories, offices, classroom space and other functions. The project will be funded in part through resources and gifts from the College of Engineering. Strong also proposed to replace the current Parking Transportation Services Building with a larger building to accommodate heavier
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equipment and larger buses. Though the Parking and Transportation Services Building is located currently on South Campus, on Kipke Drive and past the Yost Ice Arena, the new building is to be located on North Campus near Green Road and Hubbard Street. According to Strong, the movement will allow the University to save approximately $400,000 per year in operating expenses by reducing miles out of service buses travel to get to the farther location. Furthermore, the new facility would allow about 185 parking spaces to become available on the Stephen M. Ross Athletic Campus. The new site is estimated to cost $38.5 million and construction is set to begin in fall 2017. Construction proposals The regents will also consider a variety of construction proposals. The North Quadrangle Residential and Academic Complex, which opened in 2010, is in need of a new roof. An investigation is underway to determine the cause of the roof’s premature deterioration. The proposal recommends replacing approximately 25,000 square feet of the metal roofing on the building’s south wing. See REGENTS, Page 3
The differences between the information in the enrollment report and the actual number of students enrolled in a program may be due to students studying abroad. The report also does not also include students who declared their majors after the data for the report is collected. University Provost Martha Pollack said there is no specific enrollment number and the University does not require concentration programs to retain a minimum number of students because it is important the University provide a large variety of subjects for students. “What distinguishes us is our breadth of excellence,” she said. Pollack said the cost of maintain each major and minor is only one of the factors the University takes into consideration. The importance of the major or minor in the field also impacts the University’s decisions. “We are very, very concerned with the cost of higher education, but we are also concerned with having the breadth that makes us great,” Pollack said. According to JoAnn Peraino, the University’s curriculum and enrollment manager, low enrollment does not impact how majors are modified or how their futures are decided. “It’s driven by pedagogy,” she said. “It’s about the subject, not the numbers.” Periano said the University as a See MAJORS, Page 3
SACUA considers adding ‘U’ honor code Committee also adds new guidelines for faculty grievance procedures By CARLY NOAH Daily Staff Reporter DAVID SONG/Daily
Producer Mike Dilbeck speaks to members of Sigma Delta Tau sorority about taking action in times of moral crisis in the Michigan Union Ballroom on Monday evening.
Sorority that attended ski trip hosts bystander training Sigma Delta Tau kicks off “Speak Up! Michigan” initiative By EMMA KILBANE Daily Staff Reporter
After the University placed its chapter of the Sigma Delta Tau sorority on a two-year disciplinary suspension for attending a January ski trip
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that resulted in thousands of dollars in damage, the sorority is launching a bystander intervention program. The newly implemented Speak Up! Michigan program kicked off Monday evening with a lecture by Mike Dilbeck, who founded Response Ability, a program providing people with the tools to intervene in difficult situations. SDT organized the initiative to promote bystander intervention education on campus. The audience was mostly
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composed of students affiliated with Greek life. SDT members made up a majority of the audience. Michelle Carlson, SDT national president, also attended, and referenced the chapter’s current disciplinary suspension. Dean of Students Laura Blake Jones sanctioned the chapter in February upon the conclusion of the University’s disciplinary proceedings. “Our women really believe that they did not have the See BYSTANDER, Page 3
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The Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs convened Monday afternoon for their second-to-last meeting before newly elected members take office on May 1. The committee reviewed the Statement of Student Rights and Responsibilities and adopted an edited version of the SACUA Guidance on Grievability. SACUA member David Potter, a Classical Studies professor, discussed two main takeaways from attending a recent luncheon sponsored by the University’s Office of Student Conflict Resolution. He noted the types of statement violations reported to the University and the potential of adding an additional honor code to supplement the statement. Potter said 600 statement violations were reported within the last year, and the University issued no expulsions or suspensions during See SACUA, Page 3
NEWS.........................2 OPINION.....................4 ARTS...........................5
SPORTS......................7 SUDOKU.....................2 CLASSIFIEDS...............6