ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FIVE YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM Friday, April 1, 2016
Ann Arbor, Michigan
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ADMINISTRATION
‘U’ expects new policy to increase complaints Sexual misconduct regulation expansion could prompt more Title IX cases
Hash Bash highlights state, campus marijuana policies Contrasts between local and federal law draw mix of student reactions
around campus — will be on the University of Michigan’s Diag Saturday afternoon. Nationally recognized since 1972, Hash Bash is meant as a rally for the decriminalization of marijuana and a more lenient drug policy nationwide. Marijuana legalization, long a controversial topic nationwide, has gained steam in recent years as multiple states have chosen to allow the drug either entirely, or for medicinal purposes. Over the past few decades,
By ALEXA ST. JOHN Daily Staff Reporter
Hash Bash — an annual April event when pot enthusiasts from Ann Arbor and beyond gather to smoke marijuana and meander
studies have shown it has the potential to have powerful medicinal effects on conditions such as severe or chronic pain and cancer. Advocates for the drug also argue that overall prohibition has been ineffective, and doesn’t make sense when compared to how alcohol is regulated. Allen St. Pierre, executive director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, an organization that argues for reform of marijuana laws, noted that the majority of the
American public is currently in support of legalization. “The Gallup polling of today indicates 58 percent of the population supports legalization,” St. Pierre said. “When NORML was founded in 1970, it was 10 percent.” According to the University Health System, however, marijuana is not recommended by some medical experts due to the fact it is not yet approved by the Food and Drug See MARIJUANA, Page 3
By CAMY METWALLY and RIYAH BASHA Daily Staff Reporters
Amid other impacts of a planned new policy on student sexual misconduct, University of Michigan administrators said they are expecting the changes will prompt the number of Title IX cases to increase. Title IX investigations are cases filed against the University for possible violations of federal law regarding the handling of sexual misconduct. Up until this July, they will be governed by regulations laid out in the Student Sexual Misconduct Policy. After that, the University will adopt the University of Michigan Policy and Procedures on Student Sexual and Genderbased Misconduct and Other Forms of Interpersonal Violence.
GOVERNMENT
ANN ARBOR
‘U’ simulation tracks impacts of oil pipe break
Study says potential spill could impact 720 miles of Great Lakes shoreline By LYDIA MURRAY Daily Staff Reporter
A break in the Enbridge Line 5 pipeline — a 63-year-old pipeline that runs beneath the Straits of Mackinac and carries up to 23 million gallons of light crude oil and natural gas per day — could potentially spill into 720 miles of Great Lakes shoreline, according to a University of Michigan study released Thursday. Researchers created a model to demonstrate 840 possible simulations of an oil spill by the pipeline and outlines of where the oil could go. Based on the model, up to 720 miles of coastline could be affected by a spill and require extensive cleanup. David Schwab, a research scientist for the University’s Graham Sustainability Institute and designer of the simulation, said due to the strong, rapidly changing currents in the Great Lakes, it would be difficult to predict how and where the oil would be distributed to. However, Schwab noted the spread would be vast and disastrous. “This is possibly the worst place in the Great Lakes in terms of how fast and how far something would spread,” he said. “If there were a spill it
WEATHER TOMORROW
would be really hard to predict where that oil would end up.” Schwab’s research in Thursday’s study goes into detail about the movement of the oil and the extent to which shorelines could be damaged. Based on the model, nearly 60 percent of Lake Huron’s open water and more than 15 percent of Lake Michigan’s open water could have visible oil in the event of a spill. The effects an oil spill would have on surrounding ecosystems were beyond the scope of the study, but Schwab said in a press release prior to this study that the potential effects of an oil spill in the area were largely unknown, this model shows the extent of the possible impact. “Until now, no one knew exactly how much shoreline was vulnerable to spills in the Straits of Mackinac,” he said in the release. “These findings show that under the right conditions, a spill in the Straits of Mackinac could affect a significant amount of shoreline and open-water areas in either Lake Michigan or Lake Huron, or both, very quickly.” Enbridge Line 5 and the danger of a potential spill has been a matter of concern for the public over the past years, including on campus. Earlier this month, the University’s chapter of College Democrats hosted a discussion on water issues in the state, which highlighted the pipeline as a threat. LSA junior Taiwo Dosunmu, communications director for See PIPELINE, Page 3
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The new policy, announced last Tuesday, makes several changes, including expanding to include gender-based harassment — violence suffered due to gender identity, sexuality or orientation — and intimate partner violence. It also modifies the definition of consent and the scope of prohibited conduct, as well as restructuring the sanctioning and appeals process. Anthony Walesby, the University’s Title IX coordinator, wrote in an e-mail interview that the Office of Institutional Equity — the office responsible for processing sexual misconduct complaints — largely anticipates the rise in cases because of the inclusion of genderbased harassment and intimate partner violence. The revisions come after the release of OIE’s annual sexual misconduct report in January, which showed that though the number of reports increased by 33 percent from 2014 to 2015, the number of cases investigated by OIE stayed the same. According to the report, 29 of the 172 cases OIE See MISCONDUCT, Page 2
City Council set to vote on purchases of equipment Monday’s meeting will also include resolutions for construction grants By BRIAN KUANG Daily Staff Reporter
DELANEY RYAN/Daily
Pediatrician and sociologist Kathryn Fessler speaks on challenges faced by the transgender community in health care at the Ford School of Public Policy Thursday.
Transgender health panel emphasizes access to care Discussion aims to draw attention to barriers facing community By IRENE PARK Daily Staff Reporter
Thursday night at the Ford School of Public Policy, four panelists discussed various obstacles the transgender community face, especially concerning health care, at the Trans Health Access Panel. Approximately 0.3 percent of the U.S. population is estimated to
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be transgender — about 700,000 adults — according to a study from the University of California, Los Angeles. Transgender is an umbrella term for individuals whose gender identity and/or gender expression differs from the sex they were assigned at birth. Laura Jadwin-Cakmak, the panel’s moderator and Health Behavior and Health Education research director, said transgender community members face unique health care issues for several reasons, including discrimination when their gender identity does not fit in the binary male-female system. Panelist Leslie Nicholas,
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a naturopathic medicine practitioner, noted how deeply ingrained the binary system is in people’s minds, saying it does not include those who do not identify themselves as simply male or female. “When someone has a baby, we first ask them if it’s a boy or a girl,” Nicholas said. “Why not ask for the baby’s name? Why not ask how the baby is doing?” Several panelists emphasized that several countries — including Germany, New Zealand and Australia — recognize that there are more than just two genders. Jadwin-Cakmak highlighted how health care problems See PANEL, Page 3
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At Monday’s meeting, Ann Arbor City Council will be voting on $3.9 million worth of appropriations for construction contracts and equipment purchases. Construction Four separate resolutions related to granting construction contracts, worth a total of 2.8 million, will be voted on. The resolutions include a $1.6 million contract award to Doan Construction Company to repair 20 percent of the deteriorating sidewalks in the city, as well as to increase access to handicap ramps across the city. Also pertaining to sidewalks, the council will vote on a $197,940 contract award to Sidewalks Plus USA for further repair services to sidewalks across the city. The other contracts are a $243,077 allocation to P.K. Contracting Inc. for pavement marking maintenance and to E.T. MacKenzie Company for on-demand construction services for the next three years for $250,000 a year. Construction Consulting Noting seasonal fluctuations in city construction activities, another resolution proposes See COUNCIL, Page 3
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