ONE-HUNDRED-TWENTY-FOUR YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM Tuesday, April 8, 2014
Ann Arbor, Michigan
michigandaily.com
ANN ARBOR
A Council pushes for smoking regulations 2
Ordinance would prohibit smoking in public areas By MATT JACKONEN Daily Staff Reporter LUNA ANNA ARCHEY/Daily
Wolverine Wellness director Mary Jo Desprez speaks about the alcohol climate at the University at a Senate Assembly meeting in the Fleming Administration Building Monday.
SACUA discusses possible alcohol education changes Presentation notes high rate of alcohol consumption at ‘U’
ing towards reducing the public health risks of alcohol consumption on campus. E. Royster Harper, vice president for student life, Chief Health Officer Robert Winfield, director of the University Health Service, Wolverine Wellness director Mary Jo Desprez and J. Ann Hower, director of the office of new student programs, joined SACUA for the meeting.
By ANDREW ALMANI Daily Staff Reporter
The Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs met Monday with several administrators who are work-
During her presentation, Desprez presented materials on alcohol consumption trends and strategies for combatting high-risk drinking. She said 64 percent of students drink socially, and 61 percent drink to celebrate. At one point, Desprez asked the faculty seated around the table if they were familiar with the “I’m Shmacked” video filmed at the University. No
one in the room had seen it, so Desprez proceeded to play the video and explain the role that social media plays on the environment that induces drinking for students. “I’m Shmacked’” is a video series that glamorizes partying and alcohol consumption at campuses across the nation. There are at least three “I’m Shmacked” productions featurSee SACUA, Page 3
The smoke is beginning to clear. After being deferred twice, the Ann Arbor City Council passed the first reading of an ordinance that would prohibit smoking in certain parts of the city. The ordinance received eight votes. Only Councilmembers Jane Lumm (I–Ward 2), Sumi Kailasapathy (D–Ward 1) and Jack Eaton (D–Ward 4) voted against the ordinance. The ordinance would prohibit citizens from smoking within 20 feet of any bus stop or city building as well as within certain areas of specific city parks. While the official penalty for violating the ordinance is $50, the new legislation would ensure that offenders must first be asked to extinguish any outlawed product before receiving a citation. Another pressing issue with
the ordinance has been who has the responsibility to enforce the law. Councilmember Chuck Warpehoski (D–Ward 5) amended his legislation to guarantee that only police officers can write citations and give warnings, whereas the ordinance previously stated that any city employee reserved such power. Further, the bill’s sponsors Warpehoski and Christopher Taylor (D–Ward 3) also allowed an amendment by Councilmember Sabra Briere (D–Ward 1) that added e-cigarettes to the list of banned smoking products explicitly laid out in the ordinance. Councilmember Stephen Kunselman (D–Ward 3) expressed concerns about the lack of focus on preventing smoke from wood burning as well, and added that smokers having the ability to walk down the sidewalk while smoking near buildings would be cause for worry. He added that he does not believe there should be a fine for violating the ordinance since the ordinance will be “self-regulating.” He instead asked council to eliminate the fine and revisit the See COUNCIL, Page 3
BUSINESS
CAMPUS LIFE
New products bring caffeine to baked goods
Engineering event looks into student health at ‘U’
University alum’s start-up expands to campus cafés By HILLARY CRAWFORD Daily Staff Reporter
Getting that caffeine fix has become tastier and more convenient than ever before — no coffee required. For lack of a better alternative in the local market, University alum Chris Bogdan decided to combine his favorite breakfast items into one product, called Get Up and Go. While it is not necessarily uncommon for bakeries to add espresso to their offerings for taste, it is rare that they do it to pack the punch of a cup of coffee. Bogdan said he used his Cellular and Molecular Biology major to combine the amount of caffeine in a cup of coffee and the baked goods commonly found in cafés. The entrepreneurial path was a sharp digression from Bogdan’s original plan to apply to medical school. However, he said the long process to becoming a doctor lost its appeal. “I realized I had a good idea, I’m still young and I really didn’t have anything to lose,” Bogdan said. “The way I look at it is that I could graduate and get a job or I could start a business.”
WEATHER TOMORROW
During his busy schedule as a student, Bogdan found himself stopping into local cafés such as Espresso Royale to grab a quick coffee and muffin. “Basically I was spending $6 to $7 a day because I didn’t have time to make breakfast,” Bogdan said. “I wanted something that was convenient but also that was a better price.” During his junior year at the University, Bogdan’s kitchen turned into a “lab,” as he experimented with crushing and purifying caffeinated pills to add into muffins. When this combination didn’t work out, Bogdan began using coffee bean extract— a natural form of caffeine that does not require the masking of any bitter taste. “The whole idea is that you’re getting a cheaper product that’s kind of killing two birds with one stone, but also something that’s convenient and quick,” Bogdan said. Until this past fall, Get Up and Go items were only sold online. The 7-Eleven at 1300 S. University Ave. underneath Landmark was the first business to sign on and agree to sell the product. “I’ve literally been in retail for six months, so it’s really been the past six months that have proved this is a viable business,” Bogdan added. Get Up and Go products can now be found at twenty locaSee CAFFEINE, Page 3
HI: 56 LO: 31
Keynote speakers address methods of attaining joy, fighting depression By MICHAEL SUGERMAN Daily Staff Reporter
ADAM GLANZMAN/Daily
Benjamin Sommers, an assistant professor at the Harvard School of Public Health and Harvard Medical School, spoke about Medicaid policy and national healthcare reform at the School of Public Health Monday.
Lecture examines possible Medicaid expansion effects Harvard Prof. says current system fails to meet needs of lowincome population By AMABEL KAROUB Daily Staff Reporter
June 28, 2012, the Supreme Court voted the U.S. government could not require states to expand Medicaid under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Today, 26 states and the District of Columbia
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have chosen to expand Medicaid, and the other 24 have yet to do so. At the University’s School of Public Health Monday night, Benjamin Sommers, assistant professor of Health Policy & Economics at Harvard School of Public Health, discussed the implications of the Supreme Court’s decision regarding Medicaid expansion. Sommers said a Medicaid expansion is overdue because, contrary to popular perceptions, Medicaid does not cover most underprivileged individuals. Medicaid has traditionally
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covered low-income people who have a disability, are pregnant, are under 18 or are parents of children who live at home. But these categories fail to capture the majority of the low-income uninsured. “What’s conspicuously absent from those categories are the bulk of uninsured — adults between the ages of 19 and 64,” Sommers said. “Because they don’t have a child who live in the home and they don’t have a disability, they’re not eligible.” The ACA proposed that Medicaid be expanded to every perSee MEDICAID, Page 3
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Observe. Connect. Act. — This is the motto of Own It, a fledgling student movement in the College of Engineering aimed to build community awareness of mental health issues since its inception this fall. In its second keynote event Monday, titled “Leading Inclusion: Ending Stigma Around Mental Health,” Own It hosted three speakers to address the importance of combatting depression among students in engineering. Engineering senior Luke Bruski, executive director of Own It, said the organization’s main goal is to foster academic success by encouraging inclusivity within the College of Engineering. “Own It is a challenge to the Michigan Engineering community to be our most authentic selves and to support others in doing the same,” he said. Bruski added there is a culture of poor mental health awareness at the University — an assertion substantiated by data presented by Public Health Prof. Daniel Eisenberg Monday night. See ENGINEERING, Page 3
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