At an intimate meeting with about 50 students yesterday, University President Mary Sue Coleman discussed a wide range of issues including the NCAA’s recent allegations against the Michigan football program.

At the gathering, which was one of Coleman’s monthly fireside chats where students are invited to discuss campus issues with her, one student brought up the NCAA investigation and recently announced set of allegations, asking Coleman if the University had a zero tolerance policy for major violations of NCAA rules.

The charges, which were announced last month, include allegations that the football program violated rules regarding the number of coaches that can work with student-athletes, exceeded the limit of allowable practice hours and that Michigan football coach Rich Rodriguez did not promote an “atmosphere of compliance,” among other allegations.

Coleman didn't explicitly address the student’s question regarding the investigation, and instead said the rest of the process needed to play out first. The University has 90 days from when they received the allegations to respond and University officials will also appear before the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions in August.

“These are allegations and I think we need to let the process play out,” Coleman said. “I do think it does matter whether there was intent or not. We don’t know that yet.”

However, Coleman did say she wouldn’t try to dodge any allegations that prove to be true.

“We are not going to make any excuses. If there are things that we’ve done wrong, then we’ll make sure that we correct them,” she said. “We are still going through the process. Both I and the AD take this very seriously.”

Coleman continued by saying the football coaches also take the charges "very seriously."

“We are determined to have a program that meets all the rules and regulations and does it in the right way. Nobody wants to not do it in the right way.”

However, Coleman made it clear that there is more left in the process and that she is focused on “finding out what the issues are and then addressing the issues in the appropriate way.”

“I think we just have to get through the process. It’s very important,” Coleman said.

In further discussion with one of the students at the event, Coleman told the audience she believes the football program is still in good standing.

“We do have a good reputation and having a good reputation in the future is very important,” Coleman said.

COLEMAN RESPONDS TO STUDENT COMPLAINTS ABOUT UNIVERSITY DINING

At the event, students also expressed mixed opinions about the quality of the food served in the dining halls and the selection of food that is available, with a few students saying they believe they're paying too much for substandard food.

Linda Newman, director of University Housing, said the University tries to make sure there is a wide variety of quality food at all dining halls on campus. She added that because of the plethora of food available, and because so much goes into the making of the food, prices are higher than at some restaurants.

“Granted, in this kind of environment it will be more than the price you will pay for the price of a hamburger at McDonalds,” Newman said. “But there is a lot more that goes into providing that hamburger than there is at McDonalds.”

Coleman encouraged students to share any issues they have with the dining halls, adding that the University is committed to providing the best experience for diners.

“We continue to try and provide the best we can for the price. We are not making a profit on the food service, believe me,” Coleman said.

Students also expressed concern about the amount of food that is wasted in the dining halls each day.

Dan Schleh, associate director of Residential Dining Services, said the University always tries to reduce the amount of waste.