ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-SIX YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM
Wednesday, October 26, 2016
Ann Arbor, Michigan
michigandaily.com
DEFEND THE ‘M’
HEALTH
Eisenbergs donate to Depression Center at ‘U’ Family gives $10.74 million to fund research projects on mental illnesses CAROLYN GEARIG/Daily
LSA junior Holden Spencer mans Theta Xi’s camp on the Diag. The fraternity will be stationed there 24 hours a day to protect the block “M” until the football game against Michigan State University Saturday.
Members of Greek life angered by mandatory hazing film viewing
Some students leave film portraying violent behavior by fraternities, sororities REBECCA LERNER For the Daily
At a mandatory screening of the film “HAZE” Tuesday, a pseudodocumentary that explores a negative and violent depiction of University of Michigan fraternity and sorority life, more than 120 members of Greek life left after a contentious debate during Q&A with the film’s director, David Burkman. At least ten members of each fraternity and sorority were
required to attend the Office of Greek Life event. Most of the students who spoke during the Q&A voiced opposition toward the violent and graphic images within the film, and said the behavior portrayed in the film is not reflective of what happens in Michigan Greek life. Students also said because the Michigan Panhellenic Association is selfgoverning, there is a system of accountability that prevents intense hazing like that shown in the film. In 2013, Alpha Epsilon Pi was
RESEARCH
accused hazing its pledges and their president was removed, and in 2011 Sigma Alpha Epsilon was expelled by the Interfraternity Council. The film portrays hazing with jarring canted angles and black-and-white shots dispersed throughout. One scene, which was brought up by multiple students during the Q&A, depicted a pledge class violently attacking and killing a dog. The film also staged the portrayal of a pledge member’s alcohol-poisoning-induced death and the sexual assault of a
freshman sorority member. Information senior Sarah Barnitt asked the director about the film’s portrayal of women in the Greek life system, and how much stereotypes surrounding sorority culture played a part in the construction of its characters. “As a member of Panhellenic Executive board, that image that you constructed sorority women is not accurate and it is not flattering, and it’s actually kind of offensive,” Barnitt said. “To be honest, it’s offensive to women as a whole See HAZING, Page 3A
IRENE PARK
Daily Staff Reporter
University of Michigan alumni Frances and Kenneth Eisenberg, as well as the Eisenberg family overall, donated $10.75 million last Thursday to the University’s Depression Center to fund research projects for mental illnesses such as depression and bipolar disorder. Kenneth Eisenberg said in a press release his family’s goal was to find solutions to meaningfully treat this widespread disorder, emphasizing the need to challenge existing negative perceptions held in society. “It is time to put our energy and resources into finding solutions for depression,” Eisenberg said. “Everyone has been touched by a loved one or friend affected by mental illness. Our family’s goal is to remove the stigma associated with this disease and to provide the necessary
financial support to assure that meaningful treatment is accessible.” According to the National Center of Mental Health, depression can reveal itself differently across individuals, with symptoms including persistent sad, anxious or empty moods; feelings of hopelessness and pessimism; and loss of interest or pleasure in hobbies. Data collected from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey the Center for Disease Control distributed from 2009 to 2012, 7.6 percent of people 12 years of age and older in the United States suffered from depression at any given twoweek period. Globally, about 350 million people suffer from depression, and it is one of the main causes of disabilities. The University’s center, located in the Rachel Upjohn Building, was established in 2001 as the first center in the nation to tackle bipolar See DONATION, Page 3A
Researcher places onus of Flint, D.C. A2 officials water crises on government officials talk new CITY
Professor partners on Detroit greenhouse Project utlitizing abandoned homes nears completion KEVIN LINDER
Daily Staff Reporter
On Burnside Street in Detroit, just northwest of Hamtramck, a greenhouse collaborative project utilizing old abandoned houses is only a few short steps away from completion. By the time winter sets in, the small neighborhood greenhouse, named Afterhouse, will be warm enough to grow fruits and other plants that otherwise wouldn’t otherwise be able to flourish in cold Michigan weather. The project was the brainchild of Abigail Murray, a ceramist and Ann Arbor resident who has had experience with community gardening and See GREENHOUSE, Page 3A
Marc Edwards delivers lecture to 100 at Gerald Ford Presidential Library NEIL SCHWARTZ Daily Staff Reporter
Marc Edwards, professor of civil engineering at Virginia Tech, delivered the Walter J. Weber Jr. Distinguished Lecture in Environmental and Energy Sustainability to an audience of about 100 students, faculty and staff Tuesday at the Gerald Ford Presidential Library. The annual lecture, which is organized by the College of Engineering, brings experts in environmental engineering and science to the University of Michigan to share their work and ideas for the future of their fields. This year’s lecture, “The Flint and Washington D.C. Drinking Water Lead Crises: How Scientists and Engineers Betrayed the Public Trust,” focused on Edward’s role in exposing water contamination in Washington D.C. between 2001 and 2004 and the current water crisis in Flint.
Edwards is the researcher responsible for investigating and uncovering misconduct on the part of scientists at the Environmental Protection Agency and the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention. In his remarks, Edwards talked about the aftermath of exposing the failures of scientists and politicians
in charge of protecting public health during both disasters, saying both times it caused a lack of trust in the government. See WATER, Page 2A
BRIAN KUANG
ARNOLD ZHOU/Daily
Marc Edwards, professor of engineering at Virginia Tech, speaks out about the corruption surrounding the EPA, CDC, and various other government agencies at the Gerald Ford Library Tuesday.
In response to a new discovery last week of the toxic chemical 1,4-dioxane in shallow groundwater on Ann Arbor’s west side, city officials are exploring the possibility of new legal actions against the original polluter that could potentially bypass state environmental regulators. Improper wastewater disposal by the Ann Arbor-based company Gelman Sciences — which has since been purchased by Pall Corporation — from 1966 to 1986 has created a large plume of the carcinogenic dioxane toxin underground in the city of Ann Arbor, as well as Scio and Ann Arbor Townships. See DIOXANE, Page 3A
CSG talks Halloween weekend UMPD officer addresses the assembly on campus safety concerns at Tuesday meeting.
In these pages, you will find seven personal essays ranging from the comical to the revealing to the optimistic
» michigandaily.com
» Page 1B
Call 734-418-4115 or e-mail news@michigandaily.com and let us know.
New discovery of toxin in groundwater prompts legal discussion Daily Staff Reporter
Personal Statement Issue
GOT A NEWS TIP?
response to dioxane
For more stories and coverage, visit
michigandaily.com
INDEX
Vol. CXXVI, No. 17 ©2016 The Michigan Daily
NEWS......................... 2A OPINION.....................4A S P O R T S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7A
SUDOKU.....................2A ARTS......................5A S TAT E M E N T . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 B