ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FIVE YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM Friday, January 29, 2016
Ann Arbor, Michigan
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LSA dean discusses inclusivity on campus Ann Arbor Police Dept. has 65 untested rape kits City ranks 6th in state in Michigan attorney general survey
ments in number of untested rape kits, according to survey results released Thursday by Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette. The attorney general’s survey found 1,189 untested kits in total, not including police departments in Wayne County. The survey was prompted by a 2009 study that found 11,000 untested rape kits in Wayne County, which is why the county was excluded in the survey. According to the survey, AAPD currently has 65 untested rape
By EMMA KERR and RIYAH BASHA Managing News Editor, Daily Staff Reporter
The Ann Arbor Police Department ranks 6th highest out of 548 Michigan police depart-
kits. Overall, the number of untested rape kits in Washtenaw County ranked 6th-highest out of the 83 counties in Michigan. The vast majority of counties included in the survey data had zero or nearly zero untested rape kits. 14 had 30 or more untested rape kits. Of those counties with 30 or more untested rape kits, 50 percent are home to a university or college. The University of Michigan
Police Department reported 0 untested rape kits. UMPD’s jurisdiction includes sexual assaults that occur on University property or at a university function. Other universities, however, reported significant numbers. Of the 11 university police departments in Michigan, Western Michigan University Police Department reported 40 untested rape kits, Eastern Michigan University Police Department reportSee KITS, Page 3
At Michigan League, faculty and students talk diversity efforts By ANDREW HIYAMA For the Daily
LSA Dean Andrew Martin hosted about 20 students and faculty in the Hussey Room of the Michigan League Thursday to discuss the University’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Plan. The event, #withDeanMartin, was one of a series of ongoing town hall-style forums held by Martin with the aim of facilitating communication and openness between the students and administration. In the first of three planned guided forums on diversity, the discussion began with highlighting the role of admissions in diversifying the University.
BUSINESS
ANN ARBOR
79 parks added to A2 ban on smoking
App aims to spark student connections “Branch,” developed by two seniors, links likeminded individuals By KATHERINE CURRAN For the Daily
Almost two years ago, LSA senior Ryan Wolande and Engineering senior Kevin Lee felt frustrated with connections present-day social media provided — sparking a desire to create an app that made connecting online a more personal and interactive experience. For Wolande and Lee, that desire turned into developing Branch, a social app that aims to harnesses people’s desire to connect with others in a more personal way. After users of the app post anonymously to a “Spot” on campus, such as the Shapiro Undergraduate Library or the Michigan Union, anyone can respond to their post and start a conversation. If the users conversing feel comfortable, they can later send each other a “profile share request” to reveal their identities and meet up in the real world. “People are glued to their phones,” Wolande said. “Social media today is not a social experience, it’s an experience with a phone.” Wolande said Branch, now available on iOS and coming to Android mid-February, allows
WEATHER TOMORROW
Martin said while the admissions process is fundamental, recruitment is perhaps more important in creating a diverse environment. “The way in which we recruit students, and the way in which we orient students, and the way in which we sort of welcome students to join our community defines the climate for what we end up having on campus,” Martin said. The explicit use of race and other demographic factors in admissions for public colleges in Michigan was banned in 2006 by a statewide ballot proposal. Martin noted the importance of reaching out to communities from which — due to differences of socioeconomic status — the University doesn’t receive many applicants. Angela Dillard, associate dean of undergraduate education, also addressed facilitating more inclusivity in study abroad See INCLUSION, Page 3
users to connect one-on-one and post exact locations. He added that Branch is different than apps like Tinder, which people also use to meet each other in person, because it focuses more on real connections rather than appearance. “It’s the only one that allows you to start as anonymous so you can express yourself fully without being concerned of being judged, while it still has the potential of meeting people in the real world,” Wolande said. Currently, Branch has about 100 active users and a total of 300 to 400 downloads. However, Wolande said he and Lee hope the usage of the app will increase exponentially once they start marketing Branch in mid-to-late February. He noted that the Branch team has secured a $20,000 investment from an unexpected angel investor and plan to use the money to promote the app by hosting events at bars and handing out free merchandise, like T-shirts, koozies and lighters. “We hope to have 5,000 to 10,000 users by the end of the semester and then hopefully achieve campus-wide use after the beginning of next semester,” Wolande said. If Branch becomes more popular campuswide, Wolande said he thinks it will be a useful social tool for incoming freshmen in particular by making the University seem less overwhelming. See APP, Page 3
HI: 42 LO: 30
Officials seek to limit effects of second-hand smoke By ALEXA ST. JOHN Daily Staff Reporter MATT VAILLIENCOURT/Daily
Kedra Ishop, Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management at the University of Michigan, addresses the crowd gathered for the discussion of the importance of diversity in higher education at Rackham Amphitheater on Thursday.
Schlissel, higher ed. leaders talk about campus diversity Panel aims to promotes awareness, responsibility about equity By CAITLIN REEDY Daily Staff Reporter
As part of the University’s ongoing initiative to build campus diversity and inclusion, University President Mark Schlissel hosted a public panel discussion with various leaders in higher education Thursday. The talk, titled “Facing the Challenge: the continued commitment to diversity in higher education,” took place at the Rackham Graduate School. The University’s National Center for Institutional Diversity partnered with the American Council on Education to bring together higher educa-
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tion leaders and leading faculty members the University. For the event, representatives from Rutgers University, the University of Maryland, the University of New Mexico and EducationCounsel, an education consulting firm, were present at the discussion. Schlissel kicked off the conversation with comments on the role of public institutions in today’s society and the responsibility they have to encourage diversity. “Ensuring the diversity of its academic community is perhaps the biggest challenge facing institutes of higher education,” Schlissel said. “Racial strife has exposed wounds and inspired students to protest. All must feel welcome. Those of us at public institutions have a special role to serve all of humanity. Race and ethnicity are undoubtedly key factors in expanding our reach.”
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Robert Sellers, vice provost for Equity, Inclusion, and Academic Affairs, said he thought the panel brought in leaders to address the changes happening in our world in regard to diversity. “This special panel is part of a larger ongoing two-day conference … The panel today is particularly timely given a lot of the activism going on in our campus today,” Sellers said. “Most importantly, the panel today is timely because of what is going on in our society. If higher education is going to meet the needs of this more diverse society, we need to open access to communities that have never had access before.” The night’s discussion also came at a significant time judicially, as a landmark case is being heard this term by the U.S. Supreme Court against the University of Texas-Austin for See DIVERSITY, Page 2
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Starting Monday, a smoking restriction for Ann Arbor city parks will expand from prohibiting smoking in 77 parks to including 79 additional parks, the city announced last Friday. The ordinance now applies to a total of 156 out of 159 city parks. The smoking prohibition not only applies to smoking traditional cigarettes, but also to cigars and pipes and e-cigarettes. In April 2014, the Ann Arbor City Council approved the outdoor smoking ban that allowed the city administrator to select certain parks to become smoke-free. Following collaboration with the city’s Park Advisory Commission, the ban went into effect February 2015, but only affected 77 parks in the city. The only recreational areas that will be exempt are Cobblestone Farm, Huron Hills Golf Course and Leslie Park Golf Course. Josh Landefeld, deputy manager of Parks and Recreation, said there never was a huge issue with smoking in parks prior to the ordinance. However, he said having a See PARKS, Page 3
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