ONE-HUNDRED-TWENTY-FOUR YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Ann Arbor, Michigan
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ADMINISTRATION
Finance VP will return to Chicago Controversial shared services architect to depart for alma mater By YARDAIN AMRON Daily Staff Reporter
He’s heading home. Rowan Miranda, associate vice president for finance and former head of the controversial shared services initiative, has left the University for a position at the University of Chicago, his alma mater. Miranda confirmed the decision Tuesday, and said he is excited for his new position as treasurer and senior associate vice president for finance and administration at the Chicago school. “I’ve been interested in working at the University of Chicago for a long time,” Miranda said. “It’s the place where I went to school and the opportunity presented itself so it was a good time to make a change.” University spokesman Rick Fitzgerald said Director of Procurement Nancy Hobbs will assume Miranda’s responsibilities while the University begins the search for a permanent replacement.
Hobbs has financial experience managing the $1.5 billion budget that supports the three University campuses and the University Health System. She was unavailable for comment on Tuesday. Miranda’s decision to move comes one month after Thom Madden, the University’s director of sponsored programs, took over the reigns of the University’s shared services initiative. In a statement released the day the transition was announced, the University said Miranda would focus his attention on the health system’s agreement with Allegiance Health, the search for a new University treasurer and the next stage of strategic procurement as the shared services initiative transitioned into its next phase. Miranda spent four years at the head of the shared services project. The initiative, still planned to launch this summer, will downsize and consolidate approximately 275 staff from different departments into a single center, and is expected to save the University about $5 million annually. The plan itself was widely protested by faculty — a petition in opposition has garnered more than 1,100 signatures. Miranda himself also became a point of contention because of his past See VP, Page 3A
JAMES COLLER/Daily
Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) speaks to a panel representing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineering Tuesday evening at the Michigan League. Stabenow expressed her concerns during the presentation about possible solutions to the spread of Asian Carp into the Great Lakes.
Stabenow talks Asian carp Army Corps report outlines options for fighting damaging invasive species By SHOHAM GEVA Daily Staff Reporter
Though the Twenty Pound Carp lost its bid for election to the Ann Arbor City Council in November, its aquatic relatives are continuing to generate conversation around the state. Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D–
Mich.) spoke at a public meeting hosted by the United States Army Corps of Engineers on campus Tuesday to discuss plans to stop the spread of the invasive species Asian Carp. Held at the Michigan League and attended by nearly 100 people, the event aimed to giving residents a chance to speak on the Great Lakes and Mississippi River Interbasin Study recently released by the USACE. The event is one in a series of public meetings being held across the Mississippi River and the Great Lakes regions. The GLMRIS report explores
PHILANTHROPY
strategies to stop Asian carp and other invasive aquatic species from entering the Great Lakes and Mississippi River Basins. It focuses on the Chicago waterway system as the primary connection between the two bodies of water and offers seven potential solutions to control the flow of aquatic species between the waterway and the Great Lakes. Asian carp feed on many endangered species of mussels and snails, disrupting local food webs and native species, including fish. These environmental consequences have also affected local fishing and boating indus-
HOSPITAL
Hesitant to get vaccine, youth still vulnerable
Motor City donors aid ‘U’ in many initiatives Nine organizations grant gifts to art institute, Detroitfocused programs
CDC report finds younger people more susceptible to current flu strain TERRA MOLENGRAFF/Daily
Ann Arbor Mayor John Hieftje prepares to begin the city council meeting Tuesday night.
By CLAIRE BRYAN Daily Staff Reporter
Since 1885, the Detroit Institute of Arts has served as a rich part of the city’s culture. But due to Detroit’s recent bankruptcy, it’s struggling just to hold on to its collections. Earlier this month, nine organizations endowed a $330 million fund that would finance the city’s pensions and protect the Institute’s art collection during bankruptcy proceedings. Although these organizations have been active in their philanthropic efforts in the Motor City, Joseph Sutkowi, the University’s assistant director of foundation relations, said all nine foundaSee INITIATIVES, Page 3A
tries. Stabenow spoke first during the public comment section of the meeting and said she sees the report as an important first step. However, she added that the project needs to move more quickly, as most of the solutions specified in the report had a time horizon of more than 10 years. “Every day is a risk to us on something that’s incredibly important,” Stabenow said. In an interview after the event, she added that a more focused proposal needs to be See STABENOW, Page 3A
After wait, City approves extensive zoning proposal Council applies changes suggested in Oct. report By MATT JACKONEN Daily Staff Reporter
The city’s long-debated zoning changes may be turning into the final stretch. After months of debate, the Ann Arbor City Council passed
a resolution Tuesday regarding recommended downtown zoning changes. Last October, a city-hired consultant released a 27-page report advising the city to make certain changes to Ann Arbor’s downtown zoning. The report contained proposed alternatives to the city’s present D1 and D2 zoning amendments that took effect in 2009. D1 zoning is for highdensity developments that
include a blend of residential, office and commercial buildings, while D2 zoning is for medium-density developments that are both residential and mixed-use. The proposed changes will create more effective buffer zones between zoning districts and reduce the maximum height of buildings on the borders of different zones. The need for buffer zones is due to See ZONING, Page 3A
By PAULA FREDRICH Daily Staff Reporter
If her mom had not insisted, Kinesiology senior Briana Dumond probably wouldn’t have gotten a flu vaccine this year. “It’s a hassle to go and get it,” Dumond said. “Just because I don’t live around here, and so I don’t have a doctor around here, and so trying to get into UHS to get a flu shot just doesn’t seem worth it.” In the week ending Jan. 11, the University Health Service saw 10 patients with an influenzalike illness — a number that’s not uncommon for this time of year. “Normally the flu affects young children and older adults over the age of 60 because of
their immune systems being a little bit more vulnerable,” said Robert Winfield, chief health officer and director of University Health Services. As this year’s flu season picks up, Winfield and other health officials urge everyone — especially those in Dumond’s age demographic — to get vaccinated. The recent H1N1 outbreak, the most common strain of flu this year, has affected many young, otherwise healthy adults. Though this year’s vaccine covers the H1N1 strain, the 18- to 49-year-old demographic has one of the lowest vaccination rates. The Michigan Department of Community Health reports 9 percent of Michigan residents between the ages of 18 and 24 and 11 percent of residents in the 25 to 49 demographic were vaccinated last year. According to Winfield, UHS administers about 3,000 flu shots every year. “We know that if you’re vaccinated you might get ill still, but See VACCINE, Page 3A
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INDEX
Vol. CXXIV, No. 52 ©2014 The Michigan Daily michigandaily.com
NEWS......................... 2A SUDOKU.....................2A OPINION.....................4A
ARTS........................... 5A CL ASSIFIEDS...............6A S TAT E M E N T. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 B