Your Stinky Socks are Killing the Earth

Donald Wuebbles, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Illinois, comments on this odd story about how odor killing socks could possibly lead to an increase in greenhouse gas emissions and the depletion of the ozone layer.

Illinois Professor named Architecture Fellow

University of Illinois professor of architecture, Jeffrey Poss has been elected be a fellow at the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects. He is among only four percent of AIA member to receive such an honor.

UM and MSU to Help Explore Ship

There is an article in the Detroit Free Press today about a man who believes he has found Le Griffon, the oldest sailing shop on the Great Lakes. It sunk in 1679, and there has been a mystery as to where it has been. However, there has also been a dispute between the man and the state as to who can claim the ship, and the French government has claimed the ship as well. The area still needs to be explored before anything can be done, and UM and MSU are among the schools to help.

Big Ten Expansion: Big East

The other weakest remaining conference, with many members that are geographically close to existing Big Ten schools, this time let's look at the Big East.

Connecticut
Pros: A very good basketball team, and a football team that is coming up. Located close to a large media market (New York), and also being the number one public school in New England could mean new viewing areas for the Big Ten.

Cons: Doesn't necessarily have that big of a grip on the New York market. Also not a member of the AAU. Doesn't have a very big football stadium, but it could be expanded.

Pittsburgh
Pros: Already within the Big Ten geographic footprint, and adds a nice counterpoint to PSU. Has good football and basketball, although isn't quite nationally prominent in those yet.


Cons: Already within the Big Ten geographic footprint, and doesn't add new viewers. Hasn't quite hit the big time in revenue sports.

Rutgers
Pros: In a large state that is close to major television markets. Academically solid.

Cons: Culturally different than other Big Ten schools. Doesn't have very good sports. Also might not do much for viewership or prominence, because Philadelphia and New York are pro towns. Rutgers also isn't the biggest name school in the area.

Syracuse
Pros: Expands the Big Ten into a new big state. Academically respectable. Has one of the best basketball programs in the country, and often plays in New York City.

Cons: Again, not the biggest academic enterprise in the state. Awful football, and doesn't necessarily have that much of a draw in New York City.

While some of these schools might be a smart idea, the Big Ten needs to be careful which ones it chooses, and which will be the best all-around fit.

Graduation Rates

Ever wonder what the graduation rates were for Michigan's public colleges? Check this out and be amazed that less than 50% of the state's public colleges graduate at least 50% of their students in six years. In fact Michigan is the only school that graduates over half its students in four years.

Here are the graduation rates for the Big 10 schools

Drinking During a Job Interview?

The university thinks you should not drink during a job interview.

Ways to Have Fun on the Cheap

There's an interesting article in the Daily Illini about cheap ways to have fun in college.

Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index Rises

The University of Michigan/Reuters Consumer Sentiment Index rose to 69.6, which is up from last month, when it was 67.8, which is a good sign for economic recovery, because consumer spending is 70 percent of the economy. However, lack of jobs will still limit consumer spending for the foreseeable future.

Big Ten Expansion: Big 12

One of the weakest remaining conferences, with many of the schools contiguous with existing Big Ten states, the Big 12 is a ripe candidate for Big Ten expansion. Let's look at the options.

Kansas
Pros: One of the strongest basketball programs in the country, with a national following. Member of the AAU. Already has a history with future member Nebraska, and relatively close to other schools.

Cons: Weak football. One of the main reasons for expansion is to get more people to watch the BTN, and Kansas is a relatively small, slow growing state. Also more conservative than many other Big Ten states, with a different history.

Missouri
Pros: Practically surrounded by BT states, with a strong history with Illinois, as well as Nebraska. Kind of part of the South as well as the Midwest, which might bring new appeal. Strong in basketball, and not bad in football. State is medium sized, but growing.

Cons: The BTN is already available in St. Louis, which means it would not necessarily grab new viewers. Not quite nationally prominent in football or basketball yet, although this could change with continued success.Also not quite as academically prestigious as many other current BT schools, although this could change.

University of Texas
Pros: Texas is a very large, rapidly growing state. School is good at all sports, with many devoted alumni. Also academically prestigious.

Cons: One of the reasons the Big 12 is so much in danger of breaking up is because Texas controlled everything. They took the largest share of the money and dominated everyone. This could jeopardize the cooperative nature of the Big Ten.

Texas A&M
Pros: Would probably be part of a package deal involving UT. Has been good at football in the past, and is good at basketball. Would also do a lot to open up the Texas market, and is considered academically solid.

Cons: Hasn't been good at football for a while, and is culturally very different from all existing Big Ten schools.


The addition of Nebraska makes it easier to add more Big 12 schools, but it remains to be seen which ones would be advantageous to the Big Ten.

Five Things You Should Know

I think it might be important for the incoming freshman if we attempted to share five things we feel are important about Umich and Ann Arbor that we did not learn during orientation. So lets get this thing started.

Five things you should know about UMich and Ann Arbor:

1. The Fishbowl is not the only computing site on campus. I highly recommend checking out the Union Basement as it is often empty. Also check out the basement of the Michigan League if you are into gaming and need your WoW fix.
2. Don't believe the crap they told you about the student who was lost for days in The Stacks. The Graduate Library is actually a great place to study and I recommend isolating yourself in The Stacks if you are like me and easily distracted. Sometimes you just need a desk, a chair, and very little to look at.
3. You don't need to bring a computer to campus. Make use of mfile or Google Documents to store and share out files and remember there are public computers just about everywhere. I often see people more engrossed in facebook and Perez Hilton than their lectures.
4. Make an effort to visit your professors and GSIs during office hours. I know the classes may seem easy but it is important you start getting to know people with influence. This really helps when you want someone to write you a letter of recommendation or grease the cogs of academic bureaucracy for you. The cold hard truth is that nepotism is just as important to your success as your abilities and knowing the right people will help you get a foot in the door.
5. We all know college is expensive. If you want to save some money you can always do your first two years at a community college. Check your individual college for details but according to the LSA Bulletin, if you complete a semester at UMich and remain in good academic standing, there is nothing to stop you from doing the next three semesters completely at a community college. As long as you are gone for less than 24 months, you do not even need to reapply for admission. Check the Bulletin for the entire details.
   

Parents Still Worry About Adult Children

A new study co-authored by a researcher at the University of Michigan says that parents still worry about adult children, especially if they have problems.

Michigan Grad Student Charged with Child Abuse

A Michigan grad student was charged with hitting his two children below the waist on Monday, according to annarbor.com. He is free on bond, and if convicted he faces up to two years in prison.

Rare Coin Found in Israel

A rare and valuable gold coin from 191 BC was found by researchers from the Universities of Michigan and Minnesota. It is the most precious, well preserved coin found in Israel to date.

Michigan No Longer Most Expensive School in State

There's good news and there's bad news. The good news is that the University of Michigan is no longer the most expensive school in the state. The bad news is that it has only dropped to number two, and that's just for in state tuition. For out of state, with room and board, it is approaching $40,000.

Keep it under 20

I for one feel the Big Ten (11? 12?) should not add anymore teams. The Big Ten is a traditional conference, the oldest collegiate conference in America and it should do everything it can to maintain this classy status. We are not the "Summit League", we have a tradition dating back to the 19th century and are the winningest conference (in football) of all time. Lets not dilute our traditions by sprawling our family over the entire continental United States
Growing up, the Big Ten conference always meant Midwest. The U of M-Ohio State game is as much of our cultural fabric as corn, flat terrain, Lutheranism and a good work ethic. To suggest that a school (and with all due respect to the Scarlet Knights, as they are a great institution) like Rutgers would be worthy to join our ranks is downright absurd. Road games to New Jersey? Get out of here. Maybe after the game we can party with Snooki and go fission fishing in a nuclear waste dump.
Please, lets keep our conference a tight-knit family, with long established rivalries and game day traditions. We are not the Sunbelt, and therefore don't add sub-par teams whenever we need to increase our attendance. Remember, we have the Big House.

GO BLUE!

Rich Roriguez Faces Football Issues, On and Off Field.

Problems for the Michigan football team seem to be piling ever higher. First it was the allegations of NCAA rules infractions at Michigan. Then, it was news of similar infractions he committed at West Virginia. Now comes news that one of Michigan's top prospects from 2009 is transferring before he ever played a game. This, along with Rodriguez himself says that some of the players just aren't ready for D1 football, and the fact that the NCAA Rules Committee decision will come smack in the middle of the football season could spell further trouble for the coach and the struggling Wolverines.

Betting on Grades

There is an interesting article on annarbor.com today about a new site called Ultrinsic where students can bet on their grades. It's worth thinking about, if only because it brings up that age old question, "Should students be paid for academic success, or is it a reward in and of itself, for use in later life?"

Big Ten Expansion: ACC

This summer has been a crazy time for college football conferences. Talk of Big Ten expansion has seemed to die down recently with the addition of Nebraska, but don't think that means expansion is dead. With talk ranging everywhere from staying put at 12, to a doomsday scenario of a 20-plus team megaconference, the BTPT blog is here to inject some much needed sanity into the discussion. The following is the first in a series that is a breakdown of every team that has been discussed for BT expansion, from an academic, cultural, geographic, demographic, and atlhletic standpoint. This time, the ACC.

Duke
Pros: This school would be a solid counterpart to Northwestern in terms of size and the fact that it is private. Very influential in the rapidly growing state of North Carolina. Also, the current men's basketball and lacrosse champions. Considered a semi-Ivy. Could be helpful in recruiting both students and athletes in the South.

Cons: Far away from many current Big Ten schools, not contiguous with any other Big Ten states. Not much of a football program to speak of. Also possibly pretentious.

Georgia Tech
Pros: Also in a state that is growing very rapidly. Highly respected in engineering, and a top ten public school. Has solid football and basketball programs. Most recent member of the AAU. Could be helpful in recruiting both students and athletes in the South.

Cons: Also far away from other Big Ten schools. Might not have as much pull in the Atlanta market, because it is largely an SEC town.

Maryland
Pros: Member of the AAU, and contiguous with Pennsylvania. Might be the ACC school most willing to make the switch, which could produce a domino effect. Has some pull in the DC/Baltimore market. Strong in basketball, as well as non-revenue sports like soccer and lacrosse.

Cons: Might not have that much pull in the DC/Baltimore market. Also has a very bad football program, and doesn't open up much in the way of recruiting for other Big Ten schools. 

UNC
Pros: See Duke for basketball and North Carolina. A top five public school that would fit in well with Michigan and Wisconsin and the like.

Cons: Mostly the same as Duke. Although their football team has come up in recent years, it is probably still not on the same level as the Big Ten, and it is still kind of far away geographically.

UVA
Pros: Also in the South, in a relatively large state. A very good academic fit with Michigan and Wisconsin and the like. Revenue sports (football, basketball) aren't awful, as well as being good at soccer and lacrosse.

Cons: Kind of far away, and doesn't have a great foothold in the DC/Baltimore market. Revenue sports aren't on the same level as the Big Ten, and the sports it is good at aren't sports Big Ten teams are good at.


The odds of more than one ACC team joining the Big Ten go up if one team does.

The Big Ten Plus Two

Welcome to The Big Ten Plus Two (TBTPT). This is a blog devoted to all things Big Ten, and is for all people attending a Big Ten school who want to keep up on the doings of all the schools in the conference, both in terms of sports and notable people and events. Check back often as we expand our coverage.