ONE-HUNDRED-TWENTY-FOUR YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM Friday, November 22, 2013
Ann Arbor, Michigan
michigandaily.com
RACE ON CAMPUS
After #BBUM, regents vow to take action on race relations Administrators voice support for students of color at meeting By JENNIFER CALFAS Daily Staff Reporter
While #BBUM trended nationally on Twitter, its message reached the University’s Board of Regents. The board heard Thursday heard from student leaders and administrators about the campaign and offered a glimpse at how they might respond. The Being Black at the University of Michigan campaign gained momentum Tuesday as students took to Twitter to share their experience and thoughts about what it means to be Black at the University — both good and bad. Over the past two days, #BBUM — created by the Black Student Union — has been used more than 16,000 times and spread far beyond the confines of campus. National figures have responded in solidarity with the students and the hashtag has inspired a similar movement at Michigan State University, #BBMSU. Although some administrators have already responded to the movement on Twitter, the meeting marked the first time the officials addressed
the campaign in person. The official University Twitter account initially responded on Tuesday, saying administrators are listening. During her monthly report on the Division of Student Life, E. Royster Harper, the division’s vice president, said the administration is working to address the issues brought up by the campaign. “It’s quite an informative and robust and honest and painful conversation among the community about the experiences of African-American students,” Harper said. Earlier in the meeting, Physics Prof. Timothy McKay gave a presentation on predicting student success at the University. The presentation included statistics demonstrating that students in less supportive environments tended to not perform to the best to their academic abilities academically. Many of the students who contributed to the BBUM discussion said they often felt isolated in their classes and with their nonBlack peers. Harper, who said she was struck by the presentation’s findings, said the administration will work toward improving the University’s focus on celebrating diversity — “the commitment that this institution has and will continue to have.” See BBUM, Page 3
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TRACY KO/Daily
Ed Seaberg, Vice President of IT Operations at Rockwell Automation, speaks at “Leading Inclusion in Corporate America” in the Chesebrough Auditorium at Chrysler Center Thursday.
HOUSING
Dining options to change University expands Dining Dollars, makes meals unlimited By CAROLYN GEARIG Daily Staff Reporter
After encouraging students to waste less food in the new trayless initiative, University Housing is implementing unlimited meals with all meal plans. For the 2014 academic year,
all plans will include unlimited meals, a certain amount of Dining Dollars and no Blue Bucks for students living in residence halls and Northwood III Apartments. Blue Bucks will be available for purchase but will not automatically come with any plan. The unlimited plan will be included in students’ room and board rates. The new offerings also include several different options to balance Dining Dollars and guest meals. The Bronze Plan comes at no extra cost and will include
‘U’ CFO clarifies service changes
With $4.5 M grant, researchers look at video game therapies Simulations could help young adults with disabilities By IAN DILLINGHAM Daily Staff Reporter
Letter sent to faculty addresses concerns over cost-cutting Daily Staff Reporter
In response to the recent slew of letters from department chairs concerning the proposed Shared Services Center, the University released a statement noting the latest developments. University administrators apologized to concerned department chairs Thursday about the lack of communication and clarity in their decisionmaking process about the center, which is expected to cut costs by $5 to 6 million by consolidating humanresource and finance services to a centralized location. Timothy Slottow, the University’s executive vice president and chief financial officer, sent an e-mail to faculty Wednesday correcting previous factual errors and clarifying the University’s relationship with Accenture, the consulting firm contracted for the project. The Accenture contract is valued at $11.7 million. Slottow’s e-mail focused largely on a report released to faculty on Nov. 18 by purported alumni and graduate students concerning the University’s contractual relationship with the consultSee SERVICE, Page 3
WEATHER TOMORROW
HI: 33 LO: 18
ing hall,” Siegel wrote in an e-mail. “We are hoping that the plans will encourage students to use our dining facilities as hubs for socializing and studying.” Currently, a 125- or 150block meal plan comes at no extra cost with room and board rates. The 125 plan includes 125 meals, 300 Dining Dollars and 75 Blue Bucks, while the 150-block plan includes 150 meals, 100 Dining Dollars and 100 Blue Bucks. The 200-block plan, Unlimited plan and Unlimited+ plan See DINING, Page 3
STUDENT GOVERNMENT
ADMINISTRATION
By JENNIFER CALFAS
25 Dining Dollars and two guest meals. The Silver Plan costs an extra $175 per semester, and will include 200 Dining Dollars and eight guest meals. The Gold Plan costs an extra $275 per term, and will include 300 Dining Dollars and 12 guest meals. Christine Siegel, senior associate director of housing services, said University Housing has been studying the design of new plans for over a year. “We want students to feel comfortable that they can eat as often as they like in the din-
TRACY KO/Daily
Rackham student Ben Alterman, Jim Struve, Michael Fox, and Jeffrey Glover share their stories as male survivors of sexual abuse at “Dare to Dream: Male Survivors of Sexual Abuse Movie/Discussion” at Kraus Auditorium in the Natural Science Building Thursday.
Screening discusses stigma of being a male survivor Men discuss healing after sexual assaultw By JACK TURMAN For the Daily
While many events regarding sexual abuse are guided toward raising awareness for female survivors, an event held Thursday night aimed to raise awareness, show support and explain available resources for male survivors of sexual abuse. The event, entitled Dare to Dream, was co-sponsored by the Central Student Government and the Rackham Dean’s Strategic Initiative Grant. The
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event emphasized that healing is possible for male survivors. The event started with a viewing of the documentary “Boys and Men Healing,” which tells the story of three male survivors and how their abuse impacted their recovery process. After the documentary, Chris Anderson, executive director of MaleSurvivor, and Jim Struve, one of the nonprofit’s original founders, facilitated a panel discussion. MaleSurvivor is a national organization that supports male victims of sexual abuse. Rackham student Ben Alterman coordinated the event with help from MaleSurvivor and many other University
and local organizations. Currently, one in six males are sexually abused before the age of 18 and one of every eight adult rape victims are male, according to Anderson and Struve. According to Alterman, 3,584 out of 7,446 sexual abuse survivors at the University of Michigan are male. Alterman, Anderson and Struve are survivors of male sexual abuse and believe that the first step toward recovery is reaching out to people. While this may not seem hard in theory, Anderson described that social stereotypes are huge barriers toward reaching out. Struve explained that sociSee SURVIVOR, Page 3
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At the intersection of video games and medicine lies a new University initiative to construct a center for the development of medical technology. The U.S. Department of Education’s National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research recently awarded a $4.5 million, five year grant to a team of collaborative researchers from multiple disciplines and departments across the University. This grant will fund researching therapies for adolescents and young adults with physical, cognitive and neurodevelopmental disabilities. Michelle Meade, an assistant professor in the Medical School’s Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, said the project — called Technology Increasing Knowledge, Technology Optimizing Choices — will likely spawn a new research center at the University, tentatively named the Center for Self Management and Rehabilitation Technology. Such a center would aim to supply practical therapies to improve the lives of patients with debilitating physical
Vol. CXXIV, No. 34 ©2013 The Michigan Daily michigandaily.com
impairments. Among other projects, this includes the development of rehabilitation video games intended to provide patients with support in their daily lives, Meade said. “No matter what level of injury someone has, there is a capacity for that individual to have a happy, productive life,” Meade said. “How people do that often depends on their personality and the resources they have available.” One resource that Meade and collaborators are developing is SCI-Hard, a computer game that engages the patient in simulations of common daily struggles they may face at home. By solving problems and developing strategies to win the game, patients simultaneously develop tools that help them in the outside world. “That game is focused on teaching self-management skills — the attitude that people with spinal cord injury can and should be able to get out and manage their health and, once they’re able to do that, take on all the other challenges that life throws at them,” Meade said. The grant is also funding the development of a “virtual coaching” application that will track the body movements of patients with limited mobility and provide them with feedback from a health professional. Meade said researchers hope the app can See VIDEO GAME, Page 3
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