ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-SIX YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM
Thursday, September 7, 2017
Ann Arbor, Michigan
michigandaily.com
ARTS
Big Ticket Productions to host Mac DeMarco Canadian musician to perform at Hill Auditorium on October 21 ANAY KATYAL
Managing Arts Editor AMELIA CACCHIONE/Daily
Nao, a robot used for a project in the developmental psychology department, is just one example of the University’s commitment to cutting edge robotic technology.
College of Engineering to complete drone testing facility by end of year
Transport, military purposes, data collection all possibilities with new space ANDREW HIYAMA Daily Staff Reporter
It’s not a bird, it’s not a plane, it’s a new improvement to robotics research at the University. Construction began last month for the College of Engineering’s new, 9,600-square-foot, 50-foothigh, state-of-the-art dronetesting facility, and will be completed by the end of the year according to a University of Michigan press release. S. Jack
Hu, vice president for research, said the facility will be the best of its kind. “We’re giving our students and faculty the most comprehensive, safe testing facilities possible for these vehicles, which hold great promise for a wide range of applications,” Hu said. Varying in size, drones have the potential to be used for military purposes, transport, environmental surveillance, data collection and package delivery, among other things. The $800,000 project, dubbed
M-Air, will be a netted, outdoor facility, which aerospace engineering professor Ella Atkins says allows testing to be as realistic as possible while still remaining safe. “The reason it’s important to have an outdoor facility is a lot of the hardest questions in handling these vehicles involve imperfect navigation, bad weather, wind, the kind of environmental conditions that you can’t really create in an indoor space,” she said. “It’s just too perfect indoors ––
the temperature, lighting, no precipitation.” Federal Aviation Administration regulations restrict researchers to conducting outdoor drone flights at low altitudes, and only to where they can still be seen by the operator. Additionally, outdoor drone flights on the University’s campus must go through a University approval process to avoid interference with University hospital helicopters and other See TESTING, Page 3
Canadian singersongwriter Mac DeMarco will be the latest musician to grace the University of Michigan’s campus thanks to a performance slated for Oct. 21 at Hill Auditorium. In bringing DeMarco to campus, student group Big Ticket Productions seeks to shake up the general type of artists who have come to Ann Arbor more recently. “Looking at the past four years, I can’t think of a show that was booked by a student org at Hill that expanded beyond the rap realm so we made it one of our goals for this term,” said Business senior Daniel Madion, artist booker for Big Ticket Productions. Additionally, the change of pace is something that has been quietly desired by students on campus as well. “Before booking this year’s
show, we sent out anonymous surveys around campus and one of the major themes was getting a new sound in Hill,” Madion said. DeMarco’s Hill Auditorium appearance is a one-off performance for Michigan before he ships off for the European leg of his tour, according to Big Ticket. The performance also doubles as DeMarco’s first time playing in Ann Arbor. “Not to say that we don’t love bringing hip-hop artists to campus — they’ve each been amazing shows — but this year we’re excited to represent a different genre of music,” Madion said. “Mac is an incredibly talented musician and we’re so excited to have him play.” Tickets to the performance will start at $15 for students with valid UM IDs and $25 for the public. Tickets will be available both online and in-person at Michigan Union Ticket Office beginning Sept. 7 at 9 a.m.
Two solar pavilions constructed to LSA final Local shop exam policy contribute to ‘U’ sustainability efforts under fire
ACADEMICS
BUSINESS
to change, dean says
Grant funds solar panels built at Palmer Common, Bob and Betty Beyster buildings
Dean Andrew Martin aims to reduce having exams on last day of class
Students at the University are taking “going green” to another level. With the recent construction of two solar pavilions, students will now be able to socialize while powering their phones, laptops and tablets on renewable energy on campus. The two pavilions are located near Palmer Commons on Central Campus and the Bob and Betty Beyster Building on North Campus, respectively. Business junior Grant Faber, vice president of Students for Clean Energy, the organization which facilitated the initiative, shared the group’s intention for the pavilions. After receiving a $25,000 grant from the Planet Blue Student Innovation Fund, the Students for Clean Energy purchased the pavilions from Harvest Energy Solutions. Each pavilion is made up of a 315W solar panel, LED lights for night use, an energystorage battery, four AC outlets and six USB ports. “It creates an outdoor, solar-powered workspace that would serve as an open-air space for student collaboration and learning, all powered by clean energy,” Faber said. “Students can now use these pavilions day or night for
CARLY RYAN & KAELA THEUT
Daily Staff Reporters
LSA Dean Andrew D. Martin confirmed faculty will place a special emphasis on ensuring professors hold their exams solely during the designated exam period in the upcoming academic year. “For many years, the LSA Faculty Code—the governing document of the LSA faculty— has mandated that all faculty members refrain from having final exams on the last day of class or during an earlier instructional time,” Martin wrote in an email to the Daily. Students who still have classes going on at the time of certain exams say they have found this to be difficult, while others say they appreciate the chance to focus on other finals or have a lengthier break. Regardless, Martin said there are adverse consequences in pushing up finals they will be addressing. “We’ve learned from conversations with our See EXAMS, Page 3
GOT A NEWS TIP? Call 734-418-4115 or e-mail news@michigandaily.com and let us know.
CORY ZAYANCE Daily Staff Reporter
studying and hanging out, and they will be able to charge their devices using 100 percent clean energy while doing so.” University alum Jayson Toweh, former president of Students for Clean Energy, has high hopes for the solarpowered pavilions. “I hope people get more of an awareness about renewable technology and for more students to have an
opportunity to engage with it,” Toweh said. The mission of Students for Clean Energy is to encourage the University of Michigan to utilize cleaner and more renewable sources of energy. According to Faber, this project helps further these goals by helping raise awareness about clean energy, working to combat climate change and attempting to
begin a motion to reduce dependence on foreign oils. LSA sophomore Anna Kang shared her thoughts on the new solar pavilions. “I think people too often forget about how their decisions now create the world of tomorrow,” Kang said. “Renewable energy is a focus on creating a healthier earth for generations to come, See SOLAR, Page 3
COURTESY OF MATTHAEI BOTANICAL GARDENS & NICHOLS ARBORETUM
An example of a solar panel installation, the Michigan Solar House is located in the Matthaei Botanical Gardens.
For more stories and coverage, visit
michigandaily.com
INDEX
Vol. CXXVII, No. 84 ©2016 The Michigan Daily
for political shirt sales
Underground Printing removed merchandise from online after backlash MAYA GOLDMAN Daily Staff Reporter
What first started as a simple, local business venture was shut down when fears of customer disapproval became priority. Underground Printing stopped selling political merchandise last month in an effort to stay politically neutral, according to Underground Printing co-owner Rishi Narayan. The company, which began when co-owners Narayan and Ryan Gregg were students at the University of Michigan in 2001, is primarily a custom T-shirt company. With two retail stores in Ann Arbor and several more on other college campuses around the country, it has established itself as a major college apparel outfitter. The company also sells printed apparel on Amazon. Last year, it began to experiment with selling political merchandise, and released “Not My President” shirts and “Make America Great Again” apparel. Narayan said the decision to See PRINTING, Page 3
NEWS.........................2 OPINION.....................4 ARTS......................6
SUDOKU.....................2 CLASSIFIEDS...............6 SPORTS....................7