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Michigan needs to reform laws so bad contractors truly pay for mistreating customers

Clinton Andrews, a lecturer in finance at Wayne State University, says in an op-ed that Michigan's inability to get rid of bad contractors is costing the state's good contractors and consumers millions of dollars. He adds that the process, known as the Michigan Construction Lien Fund (MCLF), needs to be reformed. The MCLF was established to reimburse suppliers and homeowners for losses caused by contractor defaults. Residential builders, maintenance and alteration contractors, plumbing, electrical, fire alarm and mechanical contractors are all paying into the fund. Since 1982, the fund has paid out more than $5.9 million in claims, but the problem is getting worse. In the last five years alone, the fund has paid out $2.6 million or 43 percent of the amount it paid out in the last 22 years. "The Michigan Legislature needs to seriously investigate the problem and make the necessary changes in the law to break this vicious cycle."

Bush's budget for 2006 may propose killing 2 key programs for college access

President Bush may propose eliminating funds next year for two popular programs that help needy students prepare for college, in an effort to finance an expansion of his signature No Child Left Behind law to high-school students, according to higher-education advocates. The college-access programs, Upward Bound and Talent Search, have a combined budget of $460-million and serve a total of about 455,000 students and veterans. While Bush\'s proposal will not be certain until he releases his 2006 budget in early February, reports of the potential cuts have alarmed advocates of Upward Bound and Talent Search, which are part of the federal TRIO programs for disadvantaged students. Supporters of the programs said the Bush administration had probably taken aim at them because the programs and the president\'s proposed high-school initiative serve a similar purpose -- to prepare students for postsecondary education.

Congress has mixed reaction to report on simplifying student-aid process

Students from families earning $25,000 or less would be automatically eligible for the maximum Pell Grant, and low-income students could work more hours without losing any federal financial aid, under proposals that will be issued this week by a Congressional advisory committee. The two proposals, offered by the Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance, are among dozens of recommendations contained in \"The Student Aid Gauntlet: Making Access to College Simple and Certain.\" The report, which was ordered by Congress, is part of a continuing effort to simplify the application process for federal student aid and make college more affordable for low-income students. Many of the proposals could be considered as part of the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, which lawmakers are expected to take up this year.

WSU paper airplane tradition flies into immortality

Columnist Neal Rubin dedicated a feature story to the Wayne State student tradition of impaling the ceiling tiles in the North Commons of the Student Center Building with paper planes. Hundreds of planes, nose first, are tossed up to the acoustic ceiling tiles 2 ½ stories above the carpet. "We've claimed for years that the airplanes in the ceiling are the only true student-generated tradition Wayne has," says David Johnson, director of the student center building. Michael Bowen, the student center's assistant director, can't be sure if any of his airplanes still hang like bats from the ceiling. "I didn't sign anything," he explains. A photo of the North Commons ceiling is included.

Despite gains, women continue to battle against the erosion of reproductive rights

Jacquelin Washington, executive vice president of the ACLU Fund of Michigan and a past president of Planned Parenthood of Southeast Michigan, (Member and Chair of Wayne State's Board of Governors - not identified in article), wrote an op-ed about the move to overturn Roe v. Wade. Washington warns that if lawmakers have their way, more and more women will be thwarted in their efforts to prevent unwanted pregnancies and to obtain an abortion if and when they need one. "Without services," Washington argues, "comprehensive reproductive health services, including access to abortion, women cannot fully participate in the workforce or in the political arena, or make responsible choices for themselves and their families.

Trend of commuting to work has economic effect

Kurt Metzger, research director with CULMA's Center for Urban Studies, commented about the commuting trends in the Kalamazoo area. Metzger said the 2000 Census showed that 69 percent of workers in Kalamazoo County work outside their immediate community of residence. \"This shows that the usual state of affairs, except in large cities, is for the majority of workers to work somewhere other than where they live,\" Metzger said. The choice can have a significant financial impact on the municipalities where the commuting workers are employed.

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Dieter Zetsche, president and CEO of Chrysler Group, was a guest on \"Leaders on Leadership\", co-produced by Detroit Public Television and the Wayne State University School of Business Administration (SBA). This is part one of a two part program featuring Zetsche, with part two to be broadcast on Jan. 30. The interview by program host, Larry L. Fobes of the SBA, and questions by members of the Wayne State student audience, focused on leadership in the very difficult situation of merging two major firms, with two different business cultures, into a single business entity.

Race, class and the race to get in class

Wayne State Law School Dean Frank Wu takes issue with UCLA Professor Richard H. Sander's recent paper arguing that eliminating racial preferences in law schools will actually result in more, not fewer, black lawyers. "He (Sander) uses old data from 2001 to support his claims that without affirmative action there would only be a 14 percent decline in the number of African-American law school applicants. If Sander had used new data from 2002 and 2003 there would be a more significant decline of 35-45 percent of African-American applicants," Wu says.

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