ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FIVE YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM Thursday, January 28, 2016
Ann Arbor, Michigan
michigandaily.com
CITY
Flint crisis 2 reignites A well water concerns AVA RANDA/Daily
Rohit Chopra, senior adviser to the U.S. Department of Education, speaks about the population most affected by defaulting student loans at Weill Hall Wednesday.
Forum looks at populations affected by student debt Students with low income, less education most likely to struggle By KIRSTY MCINNES For the Daily
Cumulatively, nearly 40 million Americans carry 1.3 trillion dollars worth of student
debt and one out of every four Americans are either in delinquency or default, Susan Collins, dean of public policy, said to a full room of 100 at Weill Hall Wednesday. At the University specifically, she noted, last year’s graduating class cumulatively owed $35,000. In light of those numbers, Collins led a discussion with Susan Dynarski, professor of public policy, education and
economics, and Rohit Chopra, senior adviser of the U.S. Department of Education, about whether there is a student debt crisis in the U.S. According to Dynarski, University students often aren’t the ones at risk of defaulting on their student loans. “Erase from your mind the image of a Yale graduate, NYU graduate, a Columbia graduate or even a U of M graduate — in fact, anyone who graduates
with a BA is relatively unlikely to default (on their student loans),” she said. Rather, Dynarski said the average victim of student debt crisis is a college dropout from a non-selective, community or for-profit college. “(Those who) grew up poor, entered college late, in their 20s or 30s, to improve their job market skills,” Dynarski said. The amounts being borrowed See DEBT, Page 2A
Ann Arbor carefully monitors filtration systems to avoid potential harm By BRIAN KUANG Daily Staff Reporter
As the water crisis in Flint dominates national headlines, local attention has turned to Ann Arbor’s water system — specifically, a case of possible contamination in the city’s groundwater. From 1966 to 1986, Gelman Sciences of Ann Arbor manufactured medical filters using dioxane, a potentially dangerous organic compound, subsequently contaminating the city’s surrounding groundwater with the toxic substance 1,4-dioxane. Gelman, acquired by Pall Life Sciences in 1997, is
SPORTS
SCIENCE
Connecticut’s Warde Manuel to fill athletic director spot Michigan hires former UConn A.D. to same position, source confirms
By LEV FACHER AND SIMON KAUFMAN Daily Sports Writer and Daily Sports Editor
Warde Manuel, the current athletic director at Connecticut and a former Michigan football player, will become Michigan’s next athletic director, a source close to the Connecticut athletic department said Wednesday in an interview with the Daily, confirming earlier reports from the Detroit Free Press and ESPN. Manuel will replace interim Athletic Director Jim Hackett, who has held the post since Dave Brandon’s resignation in October 2014. Connecticut has yet to publicly confirm Manuel’s departure.
According to the source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not yet authorized to speak publicly on the matter, Manuel met with the university’s board of trustees Wednesday morning. Susan Herbst, the university’s president, acknowledged Manuel’s exit to donors and others close to the program following the meeting. In a November interview with the Daily at the Battle 4 Atlantis basketball tournament in the Bahamas, Manuel spoke effusively of Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh and Hackett, but declined to answer questions about his long-term interest in making the jump to Ann Arbor. Manuel was Harbaugh’s teammate in 1986, when the Schembechler-led Wolverines won the Big Ten, and he has made no secret of his love for his alma mater. “I can tell you, wherever we See MANUEL, Page 5A
currently held by the Danaher Corporation, who acquired it in 2015. Since 1992, Gelman Sciences has been held legally liable by the Environmental Protection Agency for monitoring and cleanup of the contamination; this responsibility has been passed on to Gelman’s successor companies. Currently, both Pall Life Sciences and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality independently test samples from monitoring wells several times a year. The plume of contaminated water is heavily monitored to avoid human consumption and is undergoing gradual cleanup. More than 120 private wells in the city have been closed since 1985 due to the contamination, but it is currently not considered a danger to the overall city water supply. “I was told there was dioxane here, and in my See WATER, Page 2A
‘U’ energy researchers receive $1.4 million grant Project to simulate power grid one of seven efforts funded
MARINA ROSS/Daily
Dr. David Fisher, director of the Museum of Paleontology, speaks about the wooly mammoth that was recently found near Chelsea Michigan at Connor O’neills Irish Pub and Restaurant on Wednesday.
Experts lead community event on mammoth finding Skeleton set to be displayed at Museum of Natural History By LYDIA MURRAY Daily Staff Reporter
After the remains of a mammoth were found in Chelsea, Mich. last September, Paleontology Prof. Daniel Fisher and Adam Rountrey, manager
of the Research Museum Vertebrate Collection, gathered to discuss the find’s significance and future plans for its display. Fisher worked with farmer James Bristle, who found the remains, and a team of both graduate and undergraduate students on the excavation, and over the course of a single day they uncovered a significant amount of fossil matter. The discussion, held at Conor O’Neill’s Traditional Irish Pub as one of UMNH’s
monthly science café series, consisted of brief presentations from Fisher and Rountrey on the story of the discovery and some of their work in the time following and included time for conversations at individual tables based on prompted discussion questions. According to Fisher, the mammoth specimen provides insights into the creature’s life and interactions with humans. Additionally, Fisher said the mammoth appears See MAMMOTH, Page 2A
By DESIREE CHEW Daily Staff Reporter
Researchers from the University have received a $1.4 million grant from the Department of Energy to help develop data on power system optimization in energy grids. The team will work to develop new test cases to formulate better software algorithms for transmission operators to run the energy grid — algorithms which regulate energy amounts. These operators are largely non-profit government agencies. The need for such research stems from the ongoing energy transition from traditional, emissionheavy sources such as coal and nuclear power to cleaner, renewable sources like wind See GRANT, Page 2A
Life and Death in A2 How two Ann Arbor institutions improve our lives by helping us cope with death
» INSIDE
WEATHER TOMORROW
HI: 37 LO: 20
GOT A NEWS TIP? Call 734-418-4115 or e-mail news@michigandaily.com and let us know.
NEW ON MICHIGANDAILY.COM Sexual assault reported in University restroom MICHIGANDAILY.COM/SECTION/NEWS
INDEX
Vol. CXXV, No. 61 ©2016 The Michigan Daily michigandaily.com
NEWS......................... 2A OPINION.....................4A SPORTS......................5A
SUDOKU.....................2A CL ASSIFIEDS............... 5A B-SIDE ....................1B