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NEVER FORGET
GREEK LIFE
Greek life responds to meeting with admins
GRANT HARDY/Daily
Engineering freshman Harrison McCobe plants American flags at the Diag for The 9/11: Never Forget Project on Friday. Young Americans for Freedom and other volunteers planted 2,977 flags to represent the lives lost on Septemer 11, 2001.
Harper says ‘U’ to consider delayed Greek rush process Officials also consider increased monitoring of ‘rogue’ fraternities By MICHAEL SUGERMAN Daily News Editor
A day after Thursday’s meeting with all chapters of University Greek life, E. Royster Harper,
vice president for student life, elaborated on potential forthcoming policies to better monitor the Greek community. These could include delaying Greek rush and paying greater attention to “rogue houses,” or disbanded former Greek organizations that continue to assemble off campus. Harper said the event was meant to voice genuine concern for students’ health and wellness, not punitively admonish
them. Subsequently, she expressed surprise and disappointment in how both students and administrators handled the meeting. “I think what I ended up feeling was… Let your behavior reflect your values in this setting, as opposed to sort of reinforcing the stereotypical perception,” she said. “Together, we can turn this. This party can’t continue this way, and we all know it. But we could decide, together, to do
something different about it.” This collaborative goal for improvement, Harper said, is representative of the fact that students are as much a part of affecting campus policy as are administrators — and it takes the entire village to catalyze culture shift. Harper was quick to acknowledge that partying can be a part of students’ college experience. And it’s not partying, explicitly, See HARPER, Page 3A
Attendees disappointed by session’s tone, lack of concrete solutions By EMMA KINERY Daily Staff Reporter
Top University administrators addressed Greek life culture Thursday during their first allchapter meeting in the 170 years of University Greek life — and some Greek life members weren’t pleased with what how it went down. Citing examples alcohol abuse, destruction of property and sexual assault rate within the community, University President Mark Schlissel told the members their behavior reflects negatively on the University and ultimately devalues all students’ and alumni’s education. A few members of the audience strategically coughed during
RESEARCH
ADMINISTRATION
University drops sexual assault ruling Settlement to reverse decision in 2012 case, pending court approval By TANAZ AHMED Daily Staff Reporter
The University dropped a sexual misconduct ruling against former student Drew Sterrett in accordance with a lawsuit settlement the University signed on Sept. 1. The agreement was signed by Sterrett on Sept. 8. Per the settlement, the University will reverse its previous findings, which found Sterrett in violation of the school’s Student Sexual Misconduct Policy. The University also cannot investigate the case further. In return, Sterrett agreed to not return to the University or to disparage the University. The settlement is pending approval from a federal judge. Sterrett was suspended from the University in Fall 2012 after the school found Sterrett in vio-
lation of the University’s sexual misconduct code by engaging in non-consensual sex with a female friend in his dorm room. Sterrett was given the option to return to the University on the condition he admitted to committing the sexual assault. In response, Sterrett filed a lawsuit against the University. Deborah Gordon, Sterrett’s attorney, said the University’s handling of the case was a deprivation of constitutional due process rights. According to Sterrett’s lawsuit claim, he and the female friend who later filed the complaint were “socializing” and had sexual relations in his dorm room, where she proceeded to stay overnight. She filed the complaint with the University five months after the incident, but did not contact the police. Sterrett further claims in his suit that the University told him if he delayed his interview with the University to consult a lawyer, the investigation would go on without him. Gordon claims this was an infringement of her See RULING, Page 3A
several parts of his and others’ speeches — to such an extent that E. Royster Harper, vice president for student life, commented on it at the beginning of her speech and IFC President Alex Krupiak, an LSA senior, said their response was further hurting the reputation the administration was trying to mend through the meeting. “Think for a second about how much your chapter means to you,” Krupiak said. “I know it means a hell of a lot to me … But when students sit here and blatantly disrespect the leaders of our University and fellow students like myself and the three behind me, it’s flat-out embarrassing to say I’m a member of Greek life today.” The Michigan Daily spoke with dozens of members of Greek life from several chapters to gauge community reaction to Thursday’s event. Because most members were barred from speaking to the press by chapter leadership, some members who spoke to the Daily were granted See GREEK LIFE, Page 3A
Study links protein to depression in humans Findings could result in improved drug treatments By SANJAY REDDY
RUBY WALLAU/Daily
Daily Staff Reporter
Michigan football players celebrate their 35-7 win against Oregon State by jumping into the student section at the Big House on Saturday.
FOOTBALL
Michigan overcomes slow start to rout Oregon State Smith, defense help Wolverines win in Harbaugh’s home coaching debut By MAX COHEN Managing Sports Editor
Jim Harbaugh did not touch the “Go Blue” banner when he ran onto the field at Michigan
Stadium for the first time as the Michigan football team’s head coach. He sprinted underneath it, his focus directed toward the sidelines. He had insisted all week that his attention was only on the game itself, not the nostalgia of returning to the school he quarterbacked in college. The improvements his team needed to make after its season-opening loss were evident and plentiful. The run game had struggled,
turnovers had been troubling and the defense had experienced lapses. There was little time to consider how it would feel when more than 100,000 fans, his own fans, would scream his name. After his team defeated Oregon State on Saturday, 35-7, Harbaugh did not change his tone regarding the emotional side of his home debut and first victory as Michigan’s coach. He considered himself nothing more than a member See MICHIGAN, Page 3A
Depression has long been associated with a lack of certain chemicals in the brain. However, new University research suggests depression may involve too much of one specific protein. Elyse Aurbach, a neuroscience graduate student, and Edny Inui, who earned her PhD at the University, found FGF9 levels were markedly increased in the brains of depressed individuals. Aurbach and Inui looked at post-mortem brain tissue in people who had had depression and in people who did not, and discovered different levels of a protein called fibroblast growth factor 9. Aurbach said this method had its limitations — it was not possible to determine if high levels of FGF9 caused depression or were an effect of depression. See RESEARCH, Page 3A
One Down Michigan picked up its first win of the Harbaugh era on Saturday
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INDEX
Vol. CXXIV, No. 124 ©2015 The Michigan Daily michigandaily.com
NEWS......................... 2A OPINION.....................4A ARTS......................5A
SUDOKU.....................2A CL ASSIFIEDS...............6A S P O R T S M O N D AY. . . . . . . 1 B