Bollinger speaks on key issues

By Paul Berg
Daily Staff Reporter

University President Lee Bollinger outlined his goals and positions on an array of issues yesterday in a speech at the first meeting of the Senate Assembly this semester.

Bollinger told the members of the faculty's governing body - which held its meeting in the Rackham Amphitheater - he does not intend to settle the two lawsuits filed challenging the University's use of race in the admissions process, which were filed in the in the Detroit U.S. District Court last fall.

The lawsuits, filed by white applicants who were not admitted to the College of Literature, Science and the Arts and the Law School, allege the schools discriminate in their admissions policies.

"Diversity - racial and otherwise - is crucial to a contemporary education," Bollinger said. "We view this as a matter of deep principle and do not see a way to preserve this principle and even come close to the other side."

Bollinger said he wants the assembly's help in increasing funding to the University.

The University needs ample funding in order to remain competitive with prestigious private institutions, he said.

Bollinger said that in recent years, these private institutions have seen gains of 15 to 20 percent in revenue annually, while the University has gained only six or seven percent.

The difference in revenue affects the University's ability to compete with private colleges in many categories, Bollinger said.

"These private institutes are offering salaries 45 percent higher than the University can," Bollinger said. "We really believe that faculty compensation is inadequate in some departments."

To decrease this gap in revenue, Bollinger suggested multiple courses of action the assembly could help the administration pursue.

"It is very important to recognize that the University has very diverse sources of revenue," Bollinger said.

Bollinger criticized the state government for spending more money on correctional facility expenditures than on higher education.

Bollinger said that by making the benefits of education well known while promoting an academic effort to overturn current state sentencing policies, the University could benefit from the money saved on prison costs.

"But at the end of the day, we will need more than the state can give," he said.

Tuition, another source of revenue, is often tied to the Consumer Price Index, Bollinger said.

"There is a perception that the CPI should be related to college tuition," Bollinger said. "That, in my opinion, is nuts."

By crusading against this notion, Bollinger said that more money could be generated through tuition increases.

"We have to make a case to the state and to philanthropists," said Medical Prof. William Ensminger, chair of the assembly.

He said Bolligner's speech could be considered a "pep talk," and it was up to each member to help in their own way.

Beyond revenue concerns, Bollinger spoke on a number of issues briefly, including the divestment of tobacco stocks from the University's portfolio, the financial stability of the University Medical Center and the development of North Campus.

Ensminger said Bollinger's discussion of M-Care steerage, the process of requiring faculty to use the University Medical Center as their health care provider, was of great concern to the faculty.

"M-Care steerage would be problematic for the faculty," said Esminger. Bollinger's assurance concerning the financial stability of the University Medical Center will hopefully alleviate the short-falls that sparked the consideration of M-Care steerage as an option, the chair said.

"Nothing will happen on steerage unless it comes through the president's office," said Bollinger.

Maureen Hartford, vice president for student affairs, spoke after Bollinger, requesting input from the assembly on a variety of programs.

"I've appointed a task force to give recommendations on how to approach the problem of binge drinking," Hartford said.

09-29-98