Archive for April, 2009

Writing in her blog “In My Dreams I Can Talk,” a woman from Texas who’s learning sign language describes encountering an unfamiliar word while watching a video of someone finger-spelling: “Example number 23 showed a man telling where his mother lived. I tried and tried and tried to figure out what in the world this man was spelling. For the life of me, I just COULD NOT figure out where this guy’s mother lived… Luckily, after my nine millionth attempt to figure out the city name, the lab assistant told me. It was Ypsilanti. Ypsilanti? Where in the world? The lab assistant had no idea where this city was either. I wrote the name down and then decided to look it up … [Full Story]

A study by UM researchers Mesmin Destin and Daphna Oyserman suggests that if children think college is unattainable, they might give up on studying at a young age, according to a report from United Press International. “The study, published in Psychological Science, reveals that students as young as age 11, who felt that college was an option for them, expected to do better in school and planned to put more effort into studying and homework, compared to students who did not view college as a realistic possibility.” [Source]

Jay Nordlinger, writing on the National Review Online blog, The Corner, summarizes a letter he received: “This is pure Ann Arbor — the mindset I grew up with.” But he allows “I kind of like the term ‘crapfest,’ however. And the ‘absolute’ makes it even better — I’ll give him that!”   [Source]

UM News and Information has announced that WFUM-TV will discontinue operating Michigan Television (WFUM-TV/Flint) because of shortfalls in revenue since 2005 and the need to control the university’s costs in the face of the continuing economic downturn. [Source]

Metromode runs a piece on smart car owners in metro Detroit, and quotes Ann Arbor resident Linda Diane Feldt, who owns a smart Passion Coupe: “I’d like to see a combination of Zipcars, the co-ownership of larger vehicles, small cars for commuting, and access to vans and larger cars for families that need them… So a whole system that has greater mass transportation and co-using, sharing either commercially or privately, is the future. But certainly, small safe commuter cars are an essential component.” [Source]

Time magazine published an article about the possibility of UM becoming a private or quasi-private institution. The article quotes former UM president Jim Duderstadt: “It was the state support that allowed us to have that public character…We still promise that no Michigan student will ever be denied the opportunity to attend for financial reasons. But that means we can’t provide help for students from out-of-state. So the economic distribution for them is significantly different from those in-state.” [Source]

The Freep reports that several former executives at Ann Arbor-based Borders Group received large payouts from the company, according to a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. Former CEO George Jones got $4.6 million in salary, stock and other compensation in fiscal 2008. In January, the board brought in a new CEO, Ron Marshall, who’s receiving a $750,000 base salary and possible annual bonuses of up to 200% of his base pay. [Source]

Gov. Jennifer Granholm has appointed two Ann Arbor residents to the state’s Asian Pacific American Affairs Commission: Tackyong Kim, publisher of the Michigan Korean Weekly; and Tsu-Yin Wu, associate professor for the Eastern Michigan University School of Nursing and director of the Healthy Asian American Project at the University of Michigan. The commission “is charged with promoting awareness of the Asian and Pacific American community in the areas of economic development, social and cultural issues.” [Source]

A U.S. News & World Report article about aerospace engineering programs quotes Wei Shyy, head of UM’s aerospace engineering department. Talking about the skills needed in this field, Shyy says: ”It’s really very much frontier designing. There’s no margin for error.” [Source]

Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners (April 15, 2009): A report that’s crucial in calculating how much the county can collect in property taxes this year was delivered to the board, one of several budget-related topics as commissioners and the administration grapple with declining revenues and a multimillion-dollar deficit in the coming years.

County administrator Bob Guenzel, left, talks with county clerk Larry Kestenbaum during a break at the April 15 meeting of the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners.

As county administrator Bob Guenzel had foreshadowed at the commissioners’ April 11 retreat, the 2009 taxable value of property in the county fell 2.16%. It was the first time in 50 years that Washtenaw County saw a decline in both taxable value and assessed value – but it almost assuredly won’t be the last.

The board also took time to honor public health official Ellen Clement, who’s leaving the county staff after nearly 25 years, and to recognize Guenzel for his 35 years of service. He’ll be sticking around. [Full Story]

Marcia Higgins (Ward 4) holds a red ribbon representing the general fund dollars in the Ann Arbor city budget. In the background are Mayor John Hieftje and Jim Mogensen, who gave a presentation during public commentary.

Ann Arbor City Council Meeting (April 20, 2009): At its Monday night meeting, Ann Arbor city councilmembers approved around $1.3 million in human services funding (after a “red-ribbon” presentation during public commentary on that subject).

They also heard the 2008 annual report from the chair of the local development finance authority (who was closely questioned by councilmember Marcia Higgins), allowed Tios an early exit to its lease, accommodated the University of Michigan’s request for a lane closure in connection with the football stadium renovation, and rejected the planning commission’s adopted downtown plan (which was expected) – which bumps the final decision on A2D2 zoning to early July.

During public commentary, council again heard support for  public art, a critique of the proposed early-out option for police officers as a part of the proposed budget, a suggestion to remove the East Stadium bridge, as well as Jim Mogensen’s “red ribbon” presentation.

Roger Fraser also gave the official presentation of the city’s budget, which had been presented twice previously last week – at a working session and also at a town hall meeting. [Full Story]

The sixties are known for being one of most turbulent decades in American history. Ironically, however, perhaps the most turbulent year of the sixties was actually the first year of the seventies. Before it was even half over, the Weathermen had blown up a townhouse in Greenwich Village, killing three of their own number (including former Ann Arborite Diana Oughton), the unlucky Apollo 13 moon shot had ended in failure, Nixon had invaded Cambodia, four students had been killed at Kent State while protesting the invasion, and a week later, two more students had been killed at Jackson State in Mississippi. Even the Beatles broke up that fateful spring.

A popular button made by U-M student activists to promote their March 1970 teach-in and its tie-in to Earth Day. (Courtesy of John Russell)

The sudden swelling of tension and conflict seen across the nation in early 1970 was also occurring in Ann Arbor. In February, the University of Michigan chapter of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) organized a series of spirited protests against campus recruiters representing corporations such as General Electric that were supplying material for the war in Vietnam. At one of these “recruiter actions,” thirteen protesters were arrested following a street battle with police.

At the same time, a coalition of African-American student groups calling itself the Black Action Movement (BAM) were demanding that the university take immediate steps to increase black enrollment, and threatening a campus-wide strike if their demands were not met. (Eventually, BAM would call the strike, shut down the university for ten days, and win accession to all their demands.) On top of this were almost daily smaller protests and demonstrations on the war, women’s lib, gay rights, tenant’s rights, and nearly all the other sociopolitical issues of the day.

It was into this maelstrom that a group of U-M natural science students dove when they decided to set about organizing a teach-in on the environment, the latest movement to emerge in a nation awash in movements. The students initially desired to keep the teach-in apolitical, sober, and focused on science. In the highly charged atmosphere of the time, such a goal would prove impossible. Ironically, though, the eventual politicization of the teach-in would prove to be a significant factor in making it the watershed event it would ultimately become. [Full Story]

On GreenovationTV (a website that he launched on Earth Day 2009), Ann Arbor resident Matt Grocoff writes: “When we bought our 107 year old home on Ann Arbor’s Historic Old West Side, it was a dream come true: lead paint, zero insulation, a half-century old furnace, asbestos siding, and a gas powered mower in the shed. What more could a couple of treehuggers ask for?” [Source]

The three candidates running unopposed for the Ann Arbor Public Schools board at a League of Women Voters forum Monday night at CTN studios. From left: Glenn Nelson, Irene Patalan, and Ravi Nigam.

On May 5, voters in Ann Arbor will choose three people to serve on the Ann Arbor Public Schools board. Actually, “choose” might not be the operative word: All three candidates are running unopposed.

Two incumbents – Glenn Nelson and Irene Patalan – are running for four-year terms. Ravi Nigam, a local attorney who has not previously held an elected position, was originally running against Adam Hollier for a two-year term. Hollier has dropped out of the race, though his name will still appear on the ballot.

So rather than the debates they typically hold before local elections, the League of Women Voters instead held a forum Monday evening for the three candidates, asking their opinions on the budget, technology, the achievement gap and a range of other topics. The hour-long event was broadcast live from the Community Television Network studios on South Industrial, and is available to view online.

The league had asked Chronicle readers to suggest questions for the forum, which moderator Judy Mich incorporated to some extent. Here’s a summary of candidates’ responses. [Full Story]

Jennifer Dai, Vivian Lam and Lola Liu move fast to find the craft supplies they need at last Tuesday's Artsbreak in the Michigan Union.

If nothing else, the bright yellow paper covering two long tables in the Michigan Union ground floor – the union’s lower level food court, known as the MUG – would have tipped you off that something was going on last Tuesday night. Another clue: two smaller tables crammed with bottles of glitter, colored markers, spools of ribbon, boxes of rubber stamps, and sheefs of stickers and colored paper.

For the past few years, Tuesday nights at the MUG have been alive with arts and crafts provided by Artsbreak. Together with Friday night UMix, another event intended to bring students together, Artsbreak provides a chance for students to escape the stressful life of a University of Michigan undergrad and have a little fun. Whether it’s making Hershey kiss roses for Valentine’s Day or picture frames out of wires, every Tuesday you’re guaranteed to see at least a few people getting their hands dirty – or sticky with glue. [Full Story]

EMUtalk.org highlights the production “Anywhere You Want to Go: A Theater Performance Based on the Real Stories and Sounds of Ypsilanti.” It’s a partnership between EMU’s Communication, Media and Theatre Arts Department and the YYEA: Crosstown Theatre Troupe. The free show is Tuesday, April 21  at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. at the Parkridge Community Center, 591 Armstrong in Ypsilanti. [Source]

The Michigan Daily reports that the University of Michigan is planning to make all three of its campuses smoke-free by 2011. The article quotes Bob Winfield, UM’s chief health officer, who will also co-chair the Smoke Free University Steering Committee: “What we plan to do is as of July, 1, 2011, the campuses will be smoke free on the grounds. We don’t know how we will get from where we are today to there.” [Source]

We previously reported an incorrect location for the next Park Advisory Committee meeting. It takes place on Tuesday, April 21, at 4 p.m. in county board of commissioners chambers at the County Administration Building, at 220 N. Main St. We note the error here and have corrected it in the original article.

A little less than a week after hearing a presentation from city administrator Roger Fraser on his recommended budget for fiscal year 2010 and a plan for 2011, mayor pro tem Marcia Higgins canceled council’s regularly scheduled Sunday night caucus (April 19). No explanation was provided on the city’s website for the cancellation, which was posted on Friday. At least one citizen was alerted to the canceled meeting by reading a sign on city hall’s door at 7 p.m. Sunday evening.

Council must act to amend the recommended budget by its second meeting in May – or the administrator’s recommended budget is automatically adopted, a provision of Ann Arbor’s city charter. There are thus possibly two more caucus meetings before council makes its decision on the recommended budget, which contains a number of proposed cuts.

One of the possible functions of council’s caucus is to assemble “caucus questions” – questions from council to city staff about issues they are going to be considering. Some council members have contended that electronic mail is a far more efficient method of communication, and that caucus is not an efficient use of their time.

Recognizing  that the work that would otherwise be accomplished at caucus can achieved via electronic mail, The Chronicle asked all councilmembers and the mayor to forward their caucus questions to us, in an effort to move the more mundane and tedious work of council more squarely into public view. We report below the responses we received, plus the questions The Chronicle has identified in connection with the city’s budget – some of which have already been answered. [Full Story]