CELEBRATING OUR ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FIFTH YEAR OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM Friday, January 30, 2015
Ann Arbor, Michigan
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TRANSPORTATION
Legality of Uber, Lyft 2 in A still unresolved Taxi cab drivers express grievances at lack of rideshare service regulation By LARA MOEHLMAN Daily Staff Reporter
Across Michigan, local governments have placed regulations on two prominent rideshare companies operating in the state, Uber and Lyft. However, breaking from that trend, this past August the Ann Arbor City Council did not pass proposed regulations that would have placed significant restrictions on these rideshare services, requiring drivers to register with the city, provide proof of insurance and obtain a valid chauffeur’s license, among other regulations. No action has been taken on the issue since, leaving their status in Ann Arbor uncertain. Councilmember Sabra Briere (D–Ward 1) voted against the proposed regulations. Briere said she opposed them because she believes that the Ann Arbor City Council has not yet figured
out how to properly handle the operating models of companies like Uber and Lyft. “Part of the reason we struggled with this is because the only model we have is an old model that doesn’t respond to modern technology,” Briere said. Rather, she said the ordinance proposed in August treated rideshare services as if they were taxi services, instead of a separate entity. “Trying to make (Uber) operate like a taxi would destroy it,” Briere said. Though she acknowledged that Uber has received negative press, she said there are distinct benefits to having an accessible rideshare service that doesn’t require a reservation an hour in advance. “All of the people I have spoken with who use Uber have felt comfortable and safe — which is not to suggest that every driver is perfectly vetted — I don’t know whether they are or aren’t,” she said. “It’s not to guarantee that every driver in every place that deals with Uber specifically is properly trained and has a properly safe vehicle, because I can’t guarantee those things either. I See UBER, Page 3
PREVIEW
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Rackham graduate student Alison Carey performs during Uma Noite Brasileira at the Ford School of Public Policy on Thursday.
Experiential learning class plans spring trip to Brazil Students focus coursework on cultural, academic exploration By WILL GREENBERG Daily News Editor
Add this to the list of nominees for coolest class of the year. A group of 22 graduate students have been working since last semester on creating their
own experiential learning class. Called the International Economic Development Program, the class is through the Ford School of Public Policy’s International Policy Student Association, and each year consists of class work in Ann Arbor followed by a spring break trip to a foreign country selected by the students. This year the group is going to Brazil. The group, consisting mostly of Public Policy students but also law and natural resource and environment students, is in the
Obama pushes for student tax credit changes
Ann Arbor could join municipalities in support of samesex marriage
White House proposal part of effort to aid lowincome families
By LARA MOEHLMAN
By ANASTASSIOS ADAMOPOULUS
Daily Staff Reporter
At the Ann Arbor City Council meeting Monday, members will discuss filing an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in the DeBoer v. Snyder case, along with the construction of an airport solar installation and a resolution to approve zoning changes for a new Plum Market. Amicus brief In January 2012, Hazel Park couple April DeBoer and Jayne Rowse filed a lawsuit challenging Michigan’s ban on adoption by same-sex couples because they wanted to adopt each other’s children. Several months after, the couple changed their suit to instead challenge Michigan’s overall ban on same-sex marriage at the invitation of U.S. District Judge Bernard Friedman. In March of last year, Friedman ruled that Michigan’s ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional, leading to a brief 24-hour period in the state where roughly 300 marriages were performed. However, the decision See CITY COUNCIL, Page 3
WEATHER TOMORROW
HI: 32 LO: 13
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Artist Rebecca Lambers speaks at her opening reception, Reflection on Place, at the School of Natural Resources and Environment Art & Environment Gallery on Thursday.
BUSINESS
New organization aims to increase financial literacy ‘U’ sophomores form Moneythink chapter, partner with local school By SAMANTHA WINTNER For the Daily
After nine months of preparations, the national organization Moneythink has made its Michigan debut at Skyline High School in Ann Arbor. The group, launched in the wake of the 2008 economic
recession, is dedicated to providing a financial education to high school students through college partnerships. Co-presidents Dillon Stuart, a Business sophomore, and Greg Lobel, an LSA sophomore, have been working since April 2014 to bring the organization to the University. Stuart said one of the program teaches students important financial literacy skills that they might not receive elsewhere. “We’re teaching them some things that I don’t think you would normally get from any
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high school curriculum, like how to choose a bank, and what’s important about that,” she said. Lobel initially contacted the national organization and learned they had been interested in starting a chapter at the University for a while. He then approached Stuart about starting the chapter, and with the help of their adviser, Economics Lecturer Mitchell Dudley, and the national organization. Soon, the vision became a reality. Along with a leadership See MONEYTHINK, Page 3
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The trip is estimated to cost between $45,000 and $50,000 total and the primary funding comes from the Ford School, the International Institute, the William Davidson Institute, the Graham Sustainability Institute and the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies. The guests Thursday included Ford School Dean Susan Collins, who said the IEDP program was a valuable part of the school. “It’s wonderful that students put together the program to eduSee BRAZIL, Page 3
GOVERNMENT
REFLECTION RECEPTION
City Council set to discuss amicus brief to SCOTUS
process of studying the country, organizing the trip and raising money to pay for their travels. The class hosted a Brazilian cultural night Thursday—“Uma Noite Brasileira”— both as a fundraiser and educational event for the campus. Lessons on Brazilian dance, a performance from the Vencedores Samba Bateria drumline and Brazil trivia drew a small crowd to the Ford School great hall. The group generated “a couple hundred bucks” in donations.
INDEX
Daily Staff Reporter
Several education initiatives announced by President Barack Obama in his annual State of the Union address earlier this month have garnered both negative and positive reactions from the higher education community. During the address, Obama announced his intention to both expand the American Opportunity Tax Credit beyond 2017 and to establish two years of free tuition for community college. The AOTC is part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. It was originally set to expire in 2017, but the president’s proposal calls for making it a permanent part of the tax code. Students who want to use the AOTC must be paying tuition and/or book expenses. To be eligible, the student’s parents or guardians need to make less than $80,000 if they are a single parent or under $160,000 if there are two parents filing a joint tax. A student can earn a credit of up to $2,500 per year. This
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amount would consist of 100 percent of the first $2,000 paid on tuition or books and up to 25 percent of the next $2,000. Furthermore, 40 percent of the tax credit is refundable if the total amount of taxes is lower than the credit amount received. The president is also proposing to make this refundable amount up to $1,500 on a fixed rather than a percentage scale. Mark Kantrowitz, publisher of the Edvisors Network, an organization that consults parents and students on managing college expenses, said tax subsidies have some benefits, but do not target many students in the most effective manner. He added that middle and lower-high income students mostly enjoy AOTC benefits. Instead, he said, more effective relief for lower-income students, who the president identified as a target population for his reforms, can be found through the Higher Education Act. The Higher Education Act is the mechanism through which federal financial aid programs such as Pell Grants are regulated. “If they wanted to really target this at low-income students, the people who have the need, what they should do is get rid of the American Opportunity Tax Credit, the Lifetime Learning Tax Credit and Tuition and Fees Deduction and take the 16 or 17 See SOTU, Page 3
NEWS.........................2 OPINION.....................4 ARTS...........................5
SPORTS......................7 SUDOKU.....................2 CLASSIFIEDS...............6