ONE-HUNDRED-TWENTY-FOUR YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM Tuesday, October 8, 2013
Ann Arbor, Michigan
STRUNG OUT
STUDENT GOVERNMENT
Social justice focus of CSG partnership Student government teams with South Asian Awareness Network for events By AMRUTHA SIVAKUMAR Daily Staff Reporter
The Central Student Government has joined forces with the South Asian Awareness Network to advance social justice on campus. Last week, the CSG Assembly passed a resolution that formalized a partnership between SAAN and the legislative assembly. In return for a $1,750 sponsorship from the assembly, SAAN will promote social-justice events hosted by CSG, and two members from the assembly will serve as ex-officio members on the SAAN board. While the majority of student organizations apply for funding through the Student Organization Funding Commission — the executive commission responsible for distributing funds to student organizations based on established need — the resolution established that CSG would sponsor and support SAAN for the academic year. The $1,750 would go toward supporting the annual SAAN conference in January. A partnership with SAAN, out of all the active organizations that focus on social justice, was far from arbitrary. LSA sophomore Meagan Shokar, vice speaker of the assembly and co-author
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of the resolution, said a partners will give the assembly access to SAAN’s vast network. “SAAN has a really strong message and a really strong network that they’ve already created in the social justice community on campus,” Shokar said. “It’s an issue that isn’t really brought up enough unless you really seek it.” The resolution also established a partnership between SAAN and the newly created Commission on Social Justice. LSA sophomore Arielle Wisbaum, chair of the Commission on Social Justice, said her goal over the course of the year was to bridge the gap between organizations that work on social justice on campus and CSG. As per a new structure instated by CSG in August, all executive commissions are researching and preparing reports on projects they will be undertaking throughout the course of the year. A formalized partnership with SAAN was the first step in what Wisbaum hopes will be a greater network. “I wanted to have the socialjustice organizations realize that they can use CSG as a resource and use it to be more effective,” she said. “SAAN is a really good place if CSG really wants to get involved with the social-justice community.” As the SAAN talks — biweekly dialogues hosted by SAAN that are dedicated to various socialjustice issues — take place at the same time as the weekly commission meetings, Wisbaum said she See CSG, Page 3
JAMES COLLER/Daily
LSA junior Charlie Engelman leads a charge across the Diag with other members of Do Random Acts of Kindness. The student organization led a sillystring war in part of its campus-wide effort to inspire kindness through small, seemingly random acts.
ANN ARBOR
A council talks safety 2
Traffic-calming measures focus of City Council By MATT JACKONEN Daily Staff Reporter
At the Ann Arbor City Council meeting Monday night, the council members attempted to address concerns that drivers may be driving recklessly on city streets. Council members postponed a resolution that would attempt to allay speedy traffic within the city, specifically within residential areas of concern. Traffic calming has become a serious answer to the question
of speeding and traffic concerns for many residents. Traffic calming measures include narrowing of lanes and installation of speed bumps and neighborhood signs, among other things. For an area to qualify, it must meet certain requirements, including having an average daily traffic flow between 200 and 4,000 vehicles and an 85th percentile of speed averaging 5 miles per hour above the posted speed limit. The Ann Arbor Transportation Authority and Ann Arbor Public Schools will soon give input regarding the traffic calming plans for streets that they use. The council’s resolution tentatively appropriates about $55,000 out of the city’s general
TRANSIT
Tech Transfer office hits all-time record More than 400 innovations logged for fiscal year 2013 By ARIANA ASSAF Daily Staff Reporter
Ups green-friendly bus count to 10 of 58 total Daily News Editor
Environmentally-conscious students may calm their consciences during their daily commute, as three new Hybrid Blue Buses will join the fleet this month, according to a University press release. The additional three buses puts the of hybrid fleet at ten, out of the 58 University-owned buses. The new diesel-electric buses are replacing older diesel models, in a steady transformation from gas to hybrid. The replacements are part of President Mary Sue Coleman’s sustainability initiative to reduce greenhouse gases. “One out of every six University buses is now a hybrid,” Keith Johnson, associate director of transportation operations, said in a statement. “Our long-term goal is an entire fleet of highly effective and sustainable vehicles.” The buses are charged by a See BUSES, Page 3
WEATHER TOMORROW
HI: 68 LO: 45
she fears for the quality of life in such neighborhoods where speeding and failure to adhere to traffic standards are commonplace. Councilmember Stephen Kunselman (D–Ward 3) expressed concern about the haste of the amendment to the budget and its consequences. “I would request that we postpone this until the next meeting to get a little more information on the trafficcalming program to figure out how we can fund it for a much longer duration or, at least, keep the program in the eyes of the public for a much longer duration,” Kunselman said. “As much as I’d like to spend these See COUNCIL, Page 3
INNOVATION
3 hybrid buses added to ‘U’ fleet By TAYLOR WIZNER
fund to the cause, and would amend the budget for the 2014 fiscal year to include the addition. Councilmember Sabra Briere (D–Ward 1) said she has had personal experience led her to support the issue. “There were days I would stand in the street to allow the ducks to cross … because the traffic wouldn’t slow,” Briere said. “One of my neighbors had the entire front porch ripped off her house because a car ran into it … I would like to see that we include additional traffic calming measures in every future budget.” Councilmember Sumi Kailasapathy (D–Ward 1) also spoke in favor of measures and said
ALLISON FARRAND/Daily
Laurita Thomas, assosiate vice president for human resources, speaks at the weekly SACUA meeting Monday.
SACUA talks savings, benefits Faculty body enters closed session to discuss employee pension plans By STEPHANIE SHENOUDA Daily Staff Reporter
Much of the weekly meeting for the Senate Advisory Committee for University Affairs was held behind closed doors after information regarding procedural changes for managing employee retirement savings and benefit plans was deemed confidential until Friday. Though she could not disclose details of the closed executive
session, SACUA Chair Karen Staller described the meeting afterwards as “a heated, engaging debate.” Four guest speakers involved in the proposed changes were invited to share their perspectives during the executive session. They will return for a larger audience at the Senate Assembly meeting on Oct. 21. At that time, the information and discussion will be open to the public. The agenda was also approved unanimously and will be used for the meeting. A memo to faculty and staff Monday from University Provost Martha Pollack and several other administrators said the University is “deeply commit-
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ted” to health of their employees. Due to increasing healthcare costs, the memo said the University is considering changes to the retirement and healthcare plans available to University staff and faculty, with a final decision expected by the end of the semester. Up to this point, the memo stated changes to the plans offered have been “modest” with a contribution of $236.5 million made to employee retirement savings accounts last year. Without cutbacks, the funds for mission-driven purposes will be restricted, which would lead to increasing pressure on tuition. See SACUA, Page 3
NEW ON MICHIGANDAILY.COM The Wire: Three hybrid buses added to fleet MICHIGANDAILY.COM/BLOGS
INDEX
Anyone who has ever feared getting a flu shot should thank the University’s Tech Transfer and FluMist. FluMist, a painless alternative to the flu shot, was one of the inventions developed in Tech Transfer, a 20-year-old University program that helps faculty members and researchers develop and commercialize inventions and companies. The University’s Office Technology Transfer reported this week that it had harbored a record 421 new inventions in the 2013 fiscal year. Ken Nisbet, associate vice president for research-technology transfer, said this large number is due to a combination of factors, including “years of encouragement within the University from Mary Sue on down.” There weren’t very many ideas pitched during the early days of the Tech Transfer Nisbet said, so it didn’t receive the level of support from the University that it does now. With Tech Transfer’s mission well underway, idea con-
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tributions by faculty members and researchers have been on the rise, fueled by the increased success of inventions and companies that have been developed in the business incubator. Mark Maynard, marketing manager for the office’s TechStart internship program, said although success was gradual, there has been a steady increase in participation. “More people are kind of seeing that things do actually have the opportunity to get out of the University and have a positive impact,” Maynard said. “People who have invented before didn’t think it would translate to products, but now there’s a decent shot.” Maynard added that inventors tend to consider current events, including economic recovery, when thinking of inventions. Similarly, Nisbet said local economic challenges made faculty “really want to see their discoveries help the regional economy.” An annual report, which will be released on Oct. 23, lists inventions that range in category from dentistry to naval engineering. Although things that were licensed and launched during this fiscal year will take time to have a widespread impact, FluMist is just one example of Tech Transfer products that eventually generate revenue See INVENTIONS, Page 3
NEWS............................ 2 OPINION.......................4 SPORTS......................... 5
ARTS...........................6A SUDOKU..................... 3A CL ASSIFIEDS...............6A