CELEBRATING OUR ONE-HUNDRED-TWENTY-FIFTH YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM Friday, October 3, 2014
Ann Arbor, Michigan
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ATHLETICS
Physicians silent on Morris concussion TERESA MATHEW/Daily
University Athletic Director Dave Brandon discusses the Athletic Department’s recent mistakes, including playing sophomore quarterback Shane Morris at Saturday’s game against Minnesota, during a one-on-one interview at The Michigan Daily Thursday.
AD Brandon speaks out on ‘mistake’ after controversy AD says he hasn’t considered resiging after Morris’ concussion
resigning. Nor has he considered firing Michigan football coach Brady Hoke, he said. And he admits that the Athletic Department made a mistake on Saturday. Two days after a student protest called for Brandon’s termination, he sat down for an interview with The Michigan Daily Thursday to answer questions that have been on the minds of members of the Michigan community. The outcry followed the Athletic Department’s response to a concussion sophomore quarter-
By GREG GARNO, JEN CALFAS and ALEJANDRO ZUNIGA Managing Section Editors
Amid nationwide controversy of fans, alumni and students calling for his removal, University Athletic Director Dave Brandon has not considered
back Shane Morris suffered in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s football game against Minnesota. Morris was left in the game for another play after taking the hit and was later reinserted for another snap, apparently not undergoing evaluation for head trauma. According to NCAA policy, a player must be removed from the game immediately if he shows any sign of a concussion. But Hoke has maintained that he, other coaches and medical personnel did not see the incident occur in real time.
Brandon said he doesn’t know how Hoke eventually learned of the concussion. As of Monday afternoon’s press conference, the coach had claimed he was only aware of Morris’ high ankle sprain, also suffered against Minnesota. “That was just another example of the failure of communication that took place between among of the doctors, all of the trainers — in this case, the head coach — to try to piece together what happened,” Brandon said. Monday afternoon, Hoke See INTERVIEW, Page 3
Team’s medical personnel have yet to release a statement one week after event By IAN DILLINGHAM and MAX COHEN Daily News Editor and Senior Sports Editor
One week after sophomore quarterback Shane Morris suffered a concussive hit in the Wolverines’ matchup against Minnesota, the University Athletic Department has begun to open up about the incident with media outlets — including Athletic Director Dave Brandon in an interview with The Michigan Daily Thursday. In addition to Brandon, University President Mark Schlissel and Michigan coach Brady Hoke have both addressed the media. However, as of Thursday, there has been no communication from any of the eight team physicians currently contracted with the football team. In a 12:30 p.m. Monday press conference, Hoke told the media
CAMPUS LIFE
BUSINESS
Play promotes dialogue about sexual assault ‘Good Kids’ production part of new awareness campaign By NEALA BERKOWSKI Daily Staff Reporter
The University is trying to renew the conversation about sexual assault on campus by taking it to the stage. As part of the University’s new sexual assault awareness campaign, the School of Music, Theatre & Dance debuted Naomi Iizuka’s play, “Good Kids” Thursday evening in the Arthur Miller Theatre on North Campus. “Good Kids” is the first production from the Big Ten Theatre Consortium’s New Play Initiative. Produced with support from the University’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Awareness Center, the play is part of the University’s Expect Respect: Flip the Script campaign to prevent sexual assault. “I think that theatre as a whole is incredibly powerful because it transforms an audience into a story,” SAPAC director Holly Rider-Milkovich said. “It asks them to imaginatively contemplate this happening in their own lives or the lives of someone else. And that is a different kind of learning than in a
WEATHER TOMORROW
workshop or in training.” Set in a Midwestern high school, the play is loosely based on events that occurred in Steubenville, Ohio in 2012 when the rape of a female high school student by two football players was documented and posted on social media, gaining national media attention. Sexual misconduct has also been a prominent topic on campus in the last year. The University’s response to allegations of sexual misconduct is currently under investigation by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights. Last year, the University ranked second nationally among colleges and universities in the number of reported sexual assaults, though officials have attributed the increase to higher reporting rates. In recent weeks, the University announced plans to hire a sexual misconduct program manager and to release a full report on sexual misconduct on campus, separate from the Office of Student Conflict Resolution’s annual report. “We know that sexual assault happens at the University of Michigan,” Rider-Milkovich said. “We know that alcoholfacilitated sexual assault happens and we know that students are victimized by social media. All those things happen on our campus happen too, so it’s very See SAPAC, Page 3
HI: 50 LO: 40
the medical department would deliver a statement on Morris’ condition. However, no further communication was received until Brandon’s 12:52 a.m. statement Tuesday. And there have been no followups by medical personnel since. Attempts by The Michigan Daily since early Wednesday to contact the team’s eight physicians yielded no responses. Two of the eight declined comment — one citing his desire to not comment on the work performed by colleagues — while the other six did not respond to interview requests. In addition to their roles with the Athletic Department, seven of the team physicians hold a professorship in the University of Michigan Health System. Each holds a medical degree, unlike the athletic trainers and athletic medicine staff. Jeffrey Kutcher, the football team’s neurologist, has been widely credited as a leader in concussion research and safety. His prominence in sports medicine landed him a place as one of the Team USA physicians for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, See CONCUSSION, Page 3
Local start up looks to compete in Ann Arbor PAUL SHERMAN/Daily
Former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney attends a rally in support of Republican U.S. Senate candidate Terri Lynn Land in Livonia Thursday. University regent candidates Ron Weiser and Rob Steele attended the rally.
Romney campaigns for Michigan GOP candidates Republicans gather support before upcoming midterm election By SHOHAM GEVA Daily Staff Reporter
LIVONIA – A slate of statewide Republican rallies received a boost Thursday morning when former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney visited the state for a rally a little more than one month before Election Day. Romney, a Michigan native who lost the state by 450,000 votes in the 2012 presidential election, spoke at Laurel Manor in Livonia in support of mul-
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tiple GOP candidates, namely U.S. senatorial candidate Terri Lynn Land (R) and Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette (R), who is running for reelection. Both have been within single-digit margins in recent polls with their opponents. Before Thursday’s engagement, Romney visited Colorado, which, like Michigan, features several tight statewide races. Republican Gov. Rick Snyder, who is running to maintain his seat in another major statewide election, was absent from the rally. He hosted a campaign town hall Thursday evening in Sterling Heights. “As many of you know, this could not be a more critical year for Michigan,” Michigan GOP Chairman Bobby Schostak told
NEW ON MICHIGANDAILY.COM Data analysis: Students minority of petition signees MICHIGANDAILY.COM/BLOGS
INDEX
the crowd to kick off the event. “Michigan Republicans have been working diligently the past four years to put Michigan back on the road to recovery.” Romney spoke to the crowd about his Michigan roots, and said he enjoyed visiting the state because of the connections many of his family members have with it, including his father, a former governor who served between 1963 and 1969. “I have family here, and I feel like you’re family,” Romney said. “I appreciate the support of people in this great state.” He said he supports Land because of the contrast she represents to the policies of President Barack Obama and Senate Majority Leader Harry See ROMNEY, Page 3
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Vaultd storage company hopes to make inroads into student market By MICHAEL SUGERMAN Daily Staff Reporter
One of Ann Arbor’s fledgling startups is looking to vault its competition by creating an easier, more social way of storing students’ valuables. Its motto: “Your closet away from home.” The goal of Vaultd, co-founded by LSA senior Mikey Shen and Engineering junior Brett Mecham, is to provide low-cost storage, in addition to free drop-off and pickup capabilities, to students throughout the year. Shen said there are currently few storage facilities in Ann Arbor. “The options here are pretty limited,” Shen said. “They do have self-storage things that are around here, but most of my friends are paying a couple hundred dollars a month for storing whatever.” Shen said his idea for more affordable storage came during his freshman year, when he noticed how expensive it was for his outof-state friends and international students to store their belongings over the summer. He ultimately started the company in April 2014. See STARTUP, Page 3
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ARTS...........................5 CLASSIFIEDS...............6 SPORTS......................7