Arbor Update

Ann Arbor Area Community News

Michigan absentee butterfly ballot?

Posted by Murph on 1. October 2004

Local livejournaler juliandrago has posted a scan of part of his Michigan absentee ballot, which appears to have a fairly severe printing error: the candidate names and optical scan arrows in the “Presidential” section are suffering an off-by-one error which has the effect of either rendering the voter unable to vote for George W. Bush or causing voters who think they are voting for John Kerry to actually be voting for George W. Bush.

juliandrago is seeking others who have received a Michigan absentee ballot to see if this is a widespread phenomenon.

Update 4:15pm, Richard Murphy: It appears this is a known problem with some ballots. At the very least, Alma’s ballots were misprinted, and replacements are being mailed out. So far, though, the only media coverage this seems to have received is the LiveJournal post linked above, the Daily Kos (linked in comments to this post), and now here.

Comment [4]

Chomsky to Address University

Posted by Ari Paul on 30. September 2004

Noted scholar, thinker, writer, and political activist Noam Chomsky will give two lectures at the University of Michigan in October.

Illegal but Legitimate: A Dubious Doctrine for the Times Thursday, October 28, 2004, 4:00 p.m.
Honigman Auditorium, 100 Hutchins Hall University of Michigan Law School.

Dr. Chomsky will also be presenting another lecture the following day.

“Biolinguistics and Human Cognitive Capacities”

Auditorium 4, Modern Languages Building
Friday, October 29, 2004
2 pm

Comment [1]

John Edwards' Daughter in A2 Tomorrow

Posted by Rob Goodspeed on 28. September 2004

Cate Edwards, daughter of Democratic vice presidential candidate John Edwards, will be at Arbor Brewing Company tomorrow, Wed. Sept. 29 from 3:45 p.m. for a free “meet & greet”

Here’s a bio from the official Kerry/Edwards website:

Cate Edwards is a recent graduate of Princeton University, where she majored in a joint program in Political Economics and was active in her sorority, Pi Beta Phi. Born in Raleigh, North Carolina on March 4, 1982, she attended public schools including Broughton High School, the oldest public high school in Raleigh. She graduated at the top of her class in 2000. Cate has been active in helping out on the campaign trail, talking to young voters about relevant issues and the importance of voting.

College Republicans to MSA: Don't Register Voters at Moore Talk

Posted by Rob Goodspeed on 28. September 2004

Target: MSA members
Summary: Email from Ally Jacobs, president of the College Republicans,
concerning voter registration at the Michael Moore event.

Dear MSA Representatives and Campus Community:

It is my hope that this letter will serve to address my concerns regarding the Voice Your Vote Commission of MSA. I ask that MSA’s VYV Commission does not do voter registration at the Michael Moore event for two important reasons: the appearance of bias within the student government and the voter registration strategy. Each issue will be outlined as brief as possible in the following paragraphs.

Coming back to campus this fall, I was quick to find excitement in seeing November 2nd shirts proudly displayed across campus, naively believing that this Commission had one goal—to see the youth become involved in the political process regardless where they fall on the ideological spectrum. The non-partisan-at-first-glance image conveyed to new and returning students alike what the University has been trying to portray for years—that diversity of opinion is welcome at the University. Clearly the exemplary actions of many VYV Commission members have shown this principle, however others have not. While I will not go into details, and while I certainly appreciate Commission
members’ passion for politics and their passion for their choice of candidates, there are a few instances that show members’ view are seeping through the non-partisan barrier during voter registration. This weekend a group of politically active students outside the football game experienced this bias. There was absolutely no excuse for parading their views as representative of
the VYV commission, signified so by the November 2nd t-shirts they adorned and the clipboards in their hands.

Students all around campus are starting to feel like they constantly watch the political process on this campus through a liberal haze. Registering voters at the Michael Moore event tomorrow will only further the appearance of bias in MSA and in VYV Commission.

Furthermore, despite the appearance, registering voters and the Moore event would not be the most advantageous use of time. Those students who waited great lengths of time in line for tickets are most likely politically active already—most have made up their minds and are going to see Michael Moore in support or in abhorrence. The students that attend political events are already registered; they are the individuals who registered on their 18th
birthday. I suggest the best use of VYV resources would be to concentrate all human resources on targeting the dorms, to register those students who are less politically active, and to light the flame of activism as we continue to build up the future leaders of our campus community and our nation.

Sincerely,

Allison Jacobs
Sophomore, LS&A
Chair, College Republicans
Alpha Phi Fraternity
University of Michigan
734.730.7050

Comment [9]

City Hall Buzz

Posted by Brandon on 28. September 2004

A few interesting local government/politics stories covered by the Ann Arbor News recently:

>GOP council member switches:

Marcia Higgins, the longest-serving Republican on the Ann Arbor City Council, said she is switching to the Democratic Party.

The defection, announced Saturday, is the latest blow to the city’s Republicans, who in the last 15 years have gone from a majority on the council to now holding a single seat.

[...]

“It just had to do with my own personal values,” said Higgins. “There is room in the Democratic Party to be moderate. ... With the Republican Party … there is a strict party agenda. You don’t want to deviate from that.”

>Mayor wants to put more bite in Clean Community program’s bark:

Ann Arbor Mayor John Hieftje wants the city to start hitting landlords and students in the pocketbook by rigorously enforcing an ordinance that carries stiff fines for people who allow litter to pile up on their property.

A month after the City Council beefed up the Clean Community program by doubling fines to as much as $1,000 for multiple violations, the mayor says it’s time the police stop issuing warnings and start writing tickets.

“We have gone way overboard in being patient in bringing people around slowly,” Hieftje said. “Now is the time to start writing tickets. At this point, there shouldn’t be anyone left in town that doesn’t know we are serious about this program. Now is the time to lower the boom.”

>E-mail to developers causes stir for Hieftje:

A local developer says in an effort to create more dialogue about the future of downtown he got Ann Arbor Mayor John Hieftje in a political pickle.

Peter Allen sent an e-mail to 20 developers and downtown activists last week that said Hieftje had asked him to “bring together those interested in downtown for a discussion and reception.” The catch, Allen said in the e-mail, was each developer had to make a $100 contribution to Hieftje’s re-election campaign.

Allen’s e-mail didn’t mention that the “reception” was the mayor’s already scheduled fund-raiser that’s expected to draw as many as 200 people.

But Allen now says he unwittingly misrepresented what the mayor said. Allen said all the mayor did was invite him to the fund-raiser Wednesday evening at Zanzibar, and asked him to invite anyone else who might be interested to also come.

Has welfare-to-work worked?

Posted by MarkDilley on 27. September 2004

Low-income, low-skilled women found work after the 1996 Welfare Reform Act, but their hardships didn’t end when they gained employment, a New York Times reporter and author says.

Jason DeParle, who writes about poverty, says many gains made by women leaving welfare were offset by new costs, long hours, lack of health insurance and difficulty finding affordable child care.

His lecture about issues in the book, sponsored by the U-M National Poverty Center (NPC), is 7 p.m. Sept. 28 in the Rackham Amphitheatre.

via The Record

A few updates ...

Posted by Rob Goodspeed on 27. September 2004

I get email!

HEY EVERYBODY! Artivism (a university group bent on actively bridging the gap between progressive politics and art) is having it’s first mass meeting of the year!!!

Thursday, September 30 at 8:00 in the upstairs of Rendez-vous on S. University. please come with your ideas/opinions about what projects you’d be interested in doing this year! Hope to see you there!

This event sounds interesting:

As part of Hispanic Heritage Month, The Honorable Brothers of Sigma Lambda Beta International Fraternity, Inc.-Zeta Chapter present:

Latinos in Baseball:
America’s pastime or exploitation?
Guest: Professor Adrian Burgos Jr.
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

When: Tuesday, Sept. 28
Where: South Quad-Ambatana Lounge
Time: 8-9 p.m.
Stadium-style snacks will be provided
Hot Dogs, Cracker Jacks, Popcorn, Sodas and Pops

Our guest speaker, Professor Adrian Burgos Jr. specializes in U.S. Latino history, African American Studies, sport history, and urban history. He is currently finalizing his book manuscript, Playing America’s Game(s): Baseball, Race, and Latinos, 1868-1959 (University of California Press), that examines the tensions that developed regarding the incorporation of individuals from the Spanish-speaking Americas in U.S. professional baseball circuits. The recipient of the Latin American Association Latino Studies Section 2001 Dissertation Award, Professor Burgos received his doctorate in US History from the University of Michigan in 2000.

www.umich.edu/~slbeta
www.sigmalambdabeta.com/zeta

And finally, the Student Code of Conduct is up for review.:

As you may know, the Code of Student Conduct—the document that governs the disciplinary procedure for all students—is up for review this year. CCAB and Students Rights Commission would like greater MSA input and we would like to hear from leaders like you about what changes need to be made.

The Code of Student Conduct, also known as the Statement of Students’ Rights and Responsibilities, can be found at http://studentpolicies.dsa.umich.edu/statementstudentrights.htm.

Next week, we will be holding forums to educate student leaders about what the Code is and how we can fix it. Any member of your organization is invited to attend.

Forums will be held at the following times:

Monday, September 27: Michigan League Room 4 8:30 pm
Thursday, September 30: Michigan Union, Sophia Jones Room 6:00 pm

Please RSVP as soon as possible, including the date you wish to attend. Sessions will last approximately 1 hour.

It is important that students be united behind these changes, and that can only happen with your help. You will not have the opportunity to have your ideas heard again for another 2 years.

Please contact me with any questions.

Sincerely,
Lyric Chen
lyricinc at umich.edu
Student’s Rights Commission Co-chair

Thousands gather in Detroit to demand action

Posted by Matt Hollerbach on 26. September 2004

Thousands of church and community organizations will rally in Detroit this afternoon, including several hundred students from U-M. MOSES (Metropolitan Organizing Strategy Enabling Strength), a Detroit based interfaith coalition, is holding a rally with community members and local leaders, designed hold elected officials accountable to their constituents.

[ upcoming.org entry ]

About 7,000 people will gather in University of Detroit Mercy’s Calihan Hall for “Can You Hear Us Now?: A Rally for Regional Unity and Accountability.” According to the MOSES website, the event seeks to address “issues such as urban revitalization, adequate health care, regional public transportation, and infrastructure repair while preserving natural areas from unwanted development, as well as ensuring the civil rights of Michigan residents, including immigrants and other ethnic minorities.”

Residential College Junior Ryan Bates has been working as an organizer with MOSES since May, and has helped organize a large contingent of U-M students and faculty to join MOSES in Detroit. This will include several dozen volunteers with Voice Your Vote, who have been working with MOSES since early September. The groups have been sharing strategies for voter mobilization, and today, VYV volunteers will handle voter registration and education at the event.

If you are a U-M student interested in attending this event, please come to the Michigan League no later than 1:30 to secure a spot on the buses. Look for VYV volunteers in blue “M VOTE” t-shirts to direct you to the bus captains.

more info:
www.mosesmi.org
www.mgovote.com

University to Add, Renovate Residence Halls

Posted by Brandon on 24. September 2004

In hopes of easing the housing crunch and improving living conditions, University of Michigan administrators announced plans this week to build at least one apartment-style residential building (the first new residence hall to be built since 1967), renovate Stockwell and Mosher-Jordan halls, and make cafeteria improvements throughout campus. From The Ann Arbor News article:

The University of Michigan plans to spend up to $280 million in the next 10 years to build at least one new residence hall and make extensive renovations to five aging halls.

Carole Henry, director of University Housing and assistant vice president for university affairs, unveiled the conceptual plan to the U-M Board of Regents Thursday.

Key elements of the plan call for the first phase of work to be finished by 2008, when renovations to one older residence hall will be complete and a new residence hall with up to 650 beds will be open – the first to be built since 1967.

Dining facilities would also be improved, offering a greater variety of foods, arranged much like a mall’s food court instead of a cafeteria.

>see also The Michigan Daily’s coverage

Comment [2]

Michael Moore tickets sell out

Posted by Matt Hollerbach on 23. September 2004

The tickets for Michael Moore’s speaking enagagement [ upcoming.org entry ] scheduled next Wednesday, Sept. 29 at Hill Auditorium have sold out. They went on sale this morning at 9 am at the Michigan Union Ticket Office and sold at a rate of almost 500 tickets an hour all day. The lines never subsided, and many did not end up getting a ticket.

Those who missed their chance should keep a close eye out, as the organizers of the event (myself included) may be recruiting volunteer ushers. Additionally, anyone interested in working voter registration at the event should contact me at mwh@umich.edu with MOORE REG in the subject line.

Also, we are looking for several qualified Film/Video students to assist us in recording the event. If you think you may be interested, contact me at mwh@umich.edu with MOORE TAPING in the subject line.

For questions, e-mail pj.chairs@umich.edu.

Comment [6]

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