ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-SIX YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM
Friday, November 18, 2016
Ann Arbor, Michigan
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Mike being Mike Michael Jocz is known for being the brainiest member of the Michigan football team. But it’s not quite that simple, and it hasn’t always been easy.
» Page 4B CAMPUS LIFE
Students talk about being transgender at University PAUL AHNN/Daily
Ashley Blake, community and engagement lead at Avalon House, speaks about addressing chronic homelessness in the School of Social Work Building Thursday.
Forum explores reasons for chronic homelessness in Washtenaw County
Event highlights affordable housing, wealth disparities and available resources KEVIN LINDER
Daily Staff Reporter
The University of Michigan’s School of Social Work hosted a talk on the current state of homelessness in Washtenaw County and the efforts social workers and organizations
undertake to combat it Thursday evening. The event, organized by the Community Action and Social Change Student Board and presented to an audience of about 20 students, included speaker Ashley Blake, a community building lead with Avalon Housing, an Ann Arbor-
based nonprofit organization that both manages and develops affordable housing units in the county. According to Blake, there are currently 342 known homeless individuals in Washtenaw County, 301 of whom are unsheltered. Blake said 138 of those individuals reported
having a serious mental illness and 70 reported problems with substance abuse, both of which are issues heavily associated with causing homelessness. “People with mental illness are disproportionately affected by homelessness, so it is estimated that 26 percent of homeless See HOMELESSNESS, Page 3A
Discussion focuses on shared experiences and hopeful messages RACHEL LEUNG Daily Staff Reporter
As part of Transgender Awareness Week, the Spectrum Center and TransForm, a student organization that focuses on transgender activism and support, held a panel discussion Thursday where speakers at the University of Michigan who identify as transgender women or transgender femme shared their experiences on campus. At the discussion, attended by about 35 students, panelists told stories of when they struggled to realize their gender identities and
determine how they wanted to represent them publicly. Panelists described how they struggled with realizing and expressing their gender identities, as well as anecdotes about receiving threats and being called names on campus because of them. Panelist LaVelle Ridley, a Rackham graduate student, said it was important to discuss transgender women’s positive stories to contrast those of bullying and intimidation. “Trans women, and especially trans women of color, fall into these stories of just being harassed or See STORYTELLING, Page 3A
During town hall, campus community ‘U’ joins in Process to nationwide reflects on sustainability initiatives fill vacancy
SCIENCE
ANN ARBOR
day to stop smoking
Several offices and departments evaluate current and future long-term efforts
The campaign aims to advance national antismoking efforts
Students and staff filled the Hatcher Graduate Library gallery Thursday for the annual Campus Sustainability Town Hall Meeting to discuss the University of Michigan’s efforts to meet long-term sustainability goals. In 2006, the University set several goals for reducing the campus’s negative effect on the environment by 2025, including the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent and of landfill waste by 40 percent. At Thursday’s event, various University staff members addressed these particular goals by outlining initiatives to reduce both emissions and waste. Andy Berki, director of the Office of Campus Sustainability, said the University’s efforts thus far have been moderately successful, citing the relative stability of the University’s environmental footprint despite its 22 percent growth in infrastructure — an increase of 8 million square feet in the past 10 years. However, he also said additional efforts and innovative solutions are necessary to meet the reduction numbers set in 2006. “A lot of efforts are making a difference, yet our goals are not normalized,” he said. “They’re absolute. … As an institution,
JENNIFER MEER Daily Staff Reporter
Over the past month, MHealthy’s Tobacco Consultation Service has encouraged smokers in the University of Michigan community to “Quit For A Day” on Thursday as part of a nationwide anti-smoking day sponsored by the American Cancer Society. As part of their campaign, TCS connected with other branches of the University Health System by attending staff meetings and discussing their services throughout the month. The service also distributed quit kits on campus, which hold information about ways to quit, including devices like Red Hots candies, worry stones and other resources, and to patients across the health system who are interested in quitting. Additionally, TCS sponsored a webinar Tuesday led by Kate Collins, regulatory counsel in the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Tobacco Products, to discuss See SMOKING, Page 3A
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EMILY MIILLER Daily Staff Reporter
that’s one of the big challenges we face, is how to meet our longterm sustainability goals.” Presenters described several operations that will be implemented in the coming years, including an increase in the amount of power the University produces internally, the transition of the Big House to zero-waste production by 2017 and a boost in composting opportunities around campus.
Presenters also raised the topic of fostering a sustainabilityoriented campus climate, highlighting initiatives like the Sustainable Living Experience theme community for freshmen. The event also included various booths, manned by various University departments and student organizations that audience members could visit before and after the event. Focusing on sustainability
efforts, these booths included Planet Blue Student Leaders and the Student Sustainability Initiative, which aim to facilitate a campus-wide commitment to sustainability-related actions. Tracy Artley, an employee with the University Waste Reduction and Recycling Office who presented during the town hall, emphasized the importance of events like See SUSTAINABILITY, Page 3A
ELIZABETH XIONG/Daily
Emily Canosa, assistant director of Sustainable Living Experience, speaks at the Hatcher Graduate Library Gallery Thursday.
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INDEX
Vol. CXXVI, No. 32 ©2016 The Michigan Daily
on council commences
City must appoint a replacement for Sabra Briere within 30 days SOPHIE SHERRY Daily Staff Reporter
Preparations are in place to fill the seat of Councilmember Sabra Briere (D-Ward 1) after she steps down in December. After nine years in office, Briere announced her intention to resign last week. Briere has been an Ann Arbor resident since 1973 and the Ward 1 representative for City Council since 2007, making her the longest-seated current council member. On Nov. 7, Briere published an online letter announcing her plans to resign. She stated in the letter that she is resigning to move with her husband to Santa Rosa, Calif. to be closer to their son. Though Ann Arbor’s city charter states the council must appoint a replacement to fill Briere’s seat within 30 days of the vacancy, Briere pointed out in an interview there is no mention in the rules of how the council gets news of the vacancy or fills the vacancy, just that it must be filled. When Briere finalized her decision to See CITY COUNCIL, Page 3A
NEWS......................... 2A OPINION.....................4A CL ASSIFIEDS...............6A
SUDOKU.....................2A ARTS..............5A F O OT B A L L S AT U R DAY. . . 1 B