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The Daily's take on summer news

While the weather may have been mild in Ann Arbor this summer, the news was not. Here's the lowdown on what issues reared their head while you were away from campus - and will surely be garnering attention this fall.

Hospital food service gets shafted

The University Hospitals announced plans to outsource many of its food service and janitorial jobs to Aramark, a food service company, in an effort to cut $4 million from its budget. The currently unionized workers allege a breach of contract with the University Hospitals and the Board of Regents.

Not only is the University obligated to honor contracts and adequately provide for its workers, but the move highlights a disturbing increase in the outsourcing of labor and hiring of temporary workers in both private and public sectors to increase profitability above human needs. It also puts the University in the position of harming workers and their families because of lowered wages and inadequate insurance benefits.

With more than $1 billion in cash reserves, the University Hospitals have more than enough money to take a loss in order to reevaluate its infrastructure and re-appropriate funding that will save jobs. Lopping off jobs from the lowest rung may be a quick fix, but the effects are detrimental to the community and the hospital environment through decreased loyalty, lowered productivity and jilted employees as a result of reduced wages and decreased benefits.

Workers say that the hospital's budget could be reduced by reorganizing the top-heavy bureaucracy that runs it. The University should not replace University employees with disposable Aramark food service company workers and look into changing the structure of the hospital bureaucracy.

A new athletic era?

The always attention-garnering Athletic Department hired Bill Martin as the University's 10th Athletic Director this summer. Martin was serving as interim in the wake of a string of scandals.

Stabilizing the Athletic Department's financial situation will be Martin's most immediate concern. In the recent past the department has grossly mismanaged its budget and finished two straight fiscal years in the red. Even worse, Nike decided to drop out of discussions to renew its apparel contract with the University. Martin has decided to partially remedy the department's financial situation by raising ticket prices.

Of arguably equal concern is a perceived lack of internal communication and accountability within the Athletic Department. Furthermore, Martin has also pledged to improve the track facilities and build a much-needed new baseball stadium. These are both worthy goals but Martin's energy should be primarily focused on keeping the department within its budget and cleaning up the department's image.

Activists need to work with FLA

Of interest to the anti-sweatshop movement is University President Lee Bollinger's decision to join the Fair Labor Association in addition to the Worker's Rights Consortium. Campus activists are concerned that the FLA is backed by Nike and other companies they accuse of using sweatshops. The WRC is mostly comprised of college students and does not have the finances or the infrastructure to sufficiently monitor worker's rights violations around the world. Activists should be willing to work with the better-funded FLA, despite the conflicts of interest, because it is for the overall good of their cause.

Affirmative action gets GM support

General Motors filed an amicus brief with the federal court for Michigan's eastern district, supporting the University's position in the admissions lawsuits brought against the college of Literature, Science and the Arts and the Law School. The Center for Individual Rights, a Washington D.C.-based legal advocacy group, brought the suit against the University on behalf of two rejected white applicants. General Motors rightly decided to file the brief in support of the University because of the large number of University graduates they hire and the need to have workers from a diverse educational environment in order to best compete in the global economy.

Men's soccer upgrade is a mixed bag

After more than 50 years of club status, the men's soccer team was elevated to varsity status this summer. Unfortunately, rather than provide them with adequate facilities, the Athletic Department is having them play on Elbel Field, displacing the numerous other student recreational activities that take place there.

While students in general will be disadvantaged by the decrease in time they will be able to use Elbel Field - one of the few open spaces reserved for student use - the men's soccer team will also be hurt by having a facility torn up by club sports participants on a regular basis, leaving them at a disadvantage to other varsity teams. It is no secret that this is a sport-affirming school. So it is surprising that both varsity athletes and frisbee afficionados would be getting a slight shaft. The men's soccer team needs its own field and the rest of us should get to keep our Elbel.

Free music may not be here to stay

Napster also got its day in court - and lost badly. Their site was shut down by a court injunction until an appeals court granted a last minute reprieve. In effect, as long as none of the 18 recording companies suing Napster own any of the songs being downloaded, Napster servers can remain online until the retrial this fall. But this court action won't slow the flow of digital music proliferating over the net. With a host of downloadable Napster alternatives that provide decentralized servers and no central company to attack, we can count on free music to remain a burgeoning new facet of campus life for at least the near future.

None of the issues directly or indirectly affected by this summer's events have been resolved. There are a variety of student groups on campus that will be trying to influence the eventual outcome of everything from the University's affirmative action lawsuits to its contract with Nike to how use of its athletic facilities is allocated. The best way for students to get themselves heard is to stay informed and get involved.