ONE-HUNDRED-TWENTY-FOUR YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM Thursday, February 6, 2014
Ann Arbor, Michigan
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FOLLOW THE MONEY
GOVERNMENT
Funds for higher ed. increase in new budget VIRGINIA LOZANO/Daily
Lawrence Porter, the assistant national secretary of the Socialist Equality Party, speaks about the political conspiracy behind Detroit’s bankruptcy on behalf of International Youth and Students for Social Equality in the League Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Liquor store closes doors Blue Front shop owner says rent was too high
inventory this past week, Blue Front locked its doors to the Ann Arbor community after more than two decades of business. The 701 Packard Street convenience store, recognizable by its blue awning and cone-shaped roof, sold beer, wine and other convenience items. In 2005, owner Suresh Bhagat bought the establishment, which was founded in 1988.
By HILLARY CRAWFORD Daily Staff Reporter
“STORE CLOSING” signs plastered the door of the Blue Front party store in January. After selling the last of its
Bhagat acknowledged that although rent has not changed in the last few years, business has declined. Inability to make up for the price of rent was a primary factor in the store’s closure. “Rent was too high — that’s why I closed the store,” Bhagat said. “That’s it.” Robert Kesto, who owns two University-area liquor stores, said smaller businesses like Blue
Front lack the luxury of being able to lower their prices and make up for the losses. “You can’t lower your prices so much to stay in business on campus, because rent is so high,” Kesto said. “So you have to run it as if there’s no competition.” Kesto owns Champions Party Store at 1227 South University Avenue and State Street Liquor at 340 South State Street. See STORE, Page 3A
Gov. Rick Snyder’s budget for public universities grows by $80.3 million By SHOHAM GEVA Daily Staff Reporter
On Wednesday, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R) announced his executive budget proposal for the 2015 fiscal year in a presentation to a joint session of the Senate and House Appropriations Committees. The budget, which totals $52.1 billion, includes significant increases in several areas such as K-12 education, as well as proposals for tax relief and assistance for Detroit during bankruptcy its proceedings. Public universities were recommended to receive a substan-
HEALTH
CAMPUS LIFE
CVS’ removal of tobacco gets mixed reviews
Students weigh in on the convenience store’s historic move By MICHAEL SUGERMAN Daily Staff Reporter
CVS Caremark, the nation’s largest second-largest drug store chain, announced Wednesday that it would stop selling tobacco products in its 7,600 stores by Oct. 1, becoming the first drugstore chain to adopt such a policy. Under the new policy, CVS estimated that it will lose out on approximately $2 billion of annual tobacco-related revenue. However, this figure is only a fraction of its $123 billion in annual sales, according to reports from 2012. Mike DeAngelis, director of public relations for CVS Caremark, said the financial losses linked to tobacco sales aren’t a huge concern, adding that health is the company’s main focus. “Pharmacies are becoming more involved in chronic disease management to help
patients with high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes,” he wrote in an e-mail interview. “All of these conditions are made worse by smoking and cigarettes have no place in a setting where healthcare is delivered.” Robert Winfield, the University’s chief health officer, said reducing access to tobacco products will positively affect communities nationwide. He called tobacco a “substantial killer” and said any means to reduce its use could be beneficial. Winfield acknowledged that CVS’s decision to take tobacco off the market won’t stop everyone from smoking, but this kind of policy coupled with community pressure may change the minds of some smokers. “When we were deciding to have the campus become smoke-free, we knew that we would be addressing the community issue because we were going to change the environment and make it a less welcoming place for people to smoke,” Winfield said. “The fact that CVS is choosing to not See CVS, Page 3A
tial 6.1-percent funding increase amounting to $80.3 million, which represents both the largest increase in higher education funding since 2001 and a structural reversal from the 15-percent decrease in education funding Snyder proposed in 2011 during his first year as governor. State Rep. Jeff Irwin (D– Ann Arbor) said the increase in education funding, along with proposed tax relief measures, represented some of the major differences between the governor’s latest budget proposal and those from previous years. “You can tell it’s an election year with how different this budget is from the previous budgets I’ve had the opportunity to vote on,” Irwin said. “We’re actually seeing education get the money; we’re actually seeing tax relief being targeted more broadly rather than just at wealthy indiSee BUDGET, Page 3A
Greek orgs., PULSE host health fair to aid students Program aims to increase awareness about diversity of services available By JULIA LISS Daily Staff Reporter TRACY KO/Daily
Michigan forward Glenn Robinson III scored 23 points to lead the Wolverines to a 79-50 win over Nebraska.
Student disabilities office celebrates 40th anniversary Panelists discuss center’s progress, future initiatives By CHARLOTTE JENKINS Daily Staff Reporter
The Office of Services for Students with Disabilities is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year with a series of presentations. SSD collaborated with
the Career Center Wednesday to present “Navigating the Road to Work: Making the Connection Between Students with Disabilities and Employment.” The event, which was held in Hatcher Graduate Library, featured panelists from the University and companies to advise students with disabilities. Ashleigh Maynor, career consultant at the Career Center and liaison between SSD and the Career Center, helped initi-
ate the collaboration between the two offices. “I noticed students coming into the Career Center with a lot of questions about talking about disability with an employer,” Maynor said. Maynor said she hopes the event will begin a collaborative initiative that will educate the University community about an increasingly common issue. She added that the program See DISABLED, Page 3A
As students braved the blustery weather, others manned stations throughout Central Campus dedicated to promoting health and wellness. The Greeks for Wellness division of PULSE, a student-run organization sponsored by University Health Service, held a health and wellness fair Wednesday afternoon. Called “7 Wonders of the Wellness World,” the event featured stations around Central Campus focusing on major health issues that college students often face. The stations focused on seven significant health issues for students, including mental health, academics, body image, sexual health, healthy relationships, nutrition and exercise. The stations were spread out See GREEK, Page 3A
the com-side A look at ComCo, the University’s oldest improv troupe
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INDEX
Vol. CXXIV, No. 62 ©2014 The Michigan Daily michigandaily.com
NEWS......................... 2A SUDOKU.....................2A OPINION.....................4A
CL ASSIFIEDS...............6A S P O R T S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7A B-SIDE ....................1B