CELEBRATING OUR ONE-HUNDRED TWENTY-FIFTH YEAR OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM Wednesday, November 19, 2014
Ann Arbor, Michigan
michigandaily.com
Panel talks Report shows mixed feminism on results on alcohol use the Internet, in new media
CAMPUS LIFE
Women in Technology event examines gender roles online By EMMA KINERY Daily Staff Reporter
The School of Information’s entrepreneurship program and the University’s chapter of the American Library Association hosted a panel Thursday highlighting women in technology. The event, held in North Quad, featured two prominent feminist technologists, Stefanie Wuschitz, founder of a feminist hackerspace in Vienna, and Lisa Nakamura, co-facilitator of FemTechNet and the University’s coordinator of digital studies. Both discussed the growing role of women in the digital realm, the issue of gender over the Internet and feminist approaches to combatting discrimination in these areas. Though the panel was femalecentric, the audience was comprised of both males and females, which the coordinators said they
were pleased to see. “We had no idea what to expect,” said Emily Puckett Rodgers, entrepreneurship program manager for the School of Information. “We just shared this as broadly as we could, and I think this shows that this is a conversation that’s happening on campus and this is a conversation that we can continue. As we move from learners into professionals, I think that we can take these experiences, this critical thinking and these skills with us.” During the panel, Wuschitz discussed why she chose to create her own feminist hackerspace — spaces where people with interests in technology, computing and science can collaborate and socialize. She said hackerspaces are often almost all male and not always comforting, alluding to a time when one of the best programmers in Austria and a cofounder of the all-female hackerspace was sexually harassed in a hackerspace. “So that was a moment for me when I thought, we need our own space.” Wuschitz said. See WOMEN, Page 3A
ON CAMPUS
On campus emergency calls decrease while off campus sees higher enforcement By MAX RADWIN Daily Staff Reporter
Like many freshmen during the 2014 Welcome Week, the first home game against Appa-
lachian State University was not only University President Mark Schlissel’s first exposure to Michigan football, but also to the University’s culture of alcohol consumption on campus. And after seeing students drinking on rooftops and struggling to stand up, Schlissel said he was terrified. Though Schlissel called increasing alcohol safety a longterm project, the University has already taken steps to limit the kind of unsafe alcohol activity he
witnessed first-hand that takes place during Welcome Week, which is known for promoting an excessively unsafe drinking environment. However, the University’s efforts to quell drinking this year had mixed results. According to data compiled by the University’s Division of Public Safety and Security, this year’s Welcome Week saw a general decline in on-campus alcoholrelated activity, but an uptick
in off-campus neighborhoods. The discrepancy may not reflect a shift in drinking culture, but rather increased enforcement of underage drinking violations by the University police compounded with a shorter move-in period for on-campus residents. During an October SACUA meeting, SACUA Chair Scott Masten, a professor of business economics and public policy in the Ross School of Business, See WELCOMEWEEK, Page 3A
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
BUSINESS
‘U’ based startup works in Ghana
Technology company director discusses global businesses
Sisu Global Health provides medical equipment to needy communities By LINDSEY SCULLEN Daily Staff Reporter
The word “sisu” is a Finnish word used colloquially around Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. It means, “resilience,” “determination” or “perseverance in the face of adversity.” Appropriately, Sisu Global Health lives up to its tough name. Sisu Global Health is a Michigan-based, social venture and medical device company that provides medical equipment in areas where technology is scarce. Currently, the company’s focus is in Ghana. See GHANA, Page 3A
iXperience founder pitches international internship program BY ANASTASSIOS ADAMOPOULOS Daily Staff Reporter
ZACH MOORE/Daily
CSG President Bobby Dishell, a Public Policy senior, speaks at the CSG meeting at Pierpont Commons Tuesday.
CSG introduces resolution to sponsor annual award Assembly gives updates on WSN, meetings with new AD Hackett By TANAZ AHMED Daily Staff Reporter
In a change of pace, Central Student Government held its meeting at Pierpont Commons
instead of the CSG chambers at the Union Tuesday night. The change was in accordance with a resolution passed by CSG earlier this year, which required some CSG meetings to be held at other University Unions in an effort to increase its presence around campus. The Golden Apple Award, the Wolverine Support Network and relations with interim Athletic Director Jim Hackett were discussed during the meeting.
A resolution to sponsor the 2015 Golden Apple Award and lecture was proposed by CSG President Bobby Dishell, a Public Policy senior, along with finance committee chair Jacob Ruby, an LSA junior, and finance committee vice-chair Chris McCurry, a Business sophomore. The Golden Apple Award is the only campus-wide, studentnominated teaching honor. ProSee CSG, Page 3A
Students from the Ross School of Business, StartUM Entrepreneurship and TAMID Israel Investment Group at Michigan continued their missions to encourage innovation on a global scale, all while learning about tech startups Tuesday. Aaron Fuchs, founder and CEO of the South African technology startup iXperience, discussed his experiences starting a technology firm with about 40 students at the Business school. “The whole concept around iXperience is to help people get the skills that they need to succeed in the digital world,” Fuchs said. The event was also intended to promote the company’s summer internship program. iXperinece hosts an eight-week summer internship program in Cape Town, South Africa. During the
first four weeks, students focus on coding before working on technology projects with existing South African companies. Fuchs said the program was created to meet the increasing demand for technological information in emerging markets, where there are fewer opportunities for a technical education. Fuchs, who grew up in southern South Africa and said he didn’t come in contact with technology until he was 10 years old, asked students to think about their goals, assess their inspirations and determine their life’s purpose. “What do you love doing?” he said. “What does the world need to be a better place? What can you be paid for and what are you good at? And where all these things intersect, is where your find your purpose exists and you can actually add so much more value to whatever it is that you are doing.” He also encouraged students to interact with people who inspire and motivate them, as well as find mentors who can share their own experiences. Fuchs noted that the most important assets one could have See STARTUP, Page 3A
The Statement Magazine A look at how theory and practice come together in liberal arts curriculums
» INSIDE WEATHER TOMORROW
HI: 25 LO: 11
GOT A NEWS TIP? Call 734-418-4115 or e-mail news@michigandaily.com and let us know.
NEW ON MICHIGANDAILY.COM New Single: A$AP Ferg, “Perfume” MICHIGANDAILY.COM/BLOGS
INDEX
Vol. CXXIV, No. 28 ©2014 The Michigan Daily michigandaily.com
NEWS......................... 2A SUDOKU.....................2A OPINION.....................4A
ARTS........................... 5A CL ASSIFIEDS...............6A T H E S TAT E M E N T. . . . . . . . . .1 B