ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-EIGHT YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM
Thursday, November 29, 2018
Ann Arbor, Michigan
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ADMINISTRATION
Giving Blue Day garners almost $1M less than ’17 2018 brings in more donors but less overall donations than previous year JACK SILBERMAN/DAILY
Samples show rise in dioxane levels, need for more tests around Ann Arbor Mayor Taylor emphasized likely carcinogen has not been found in Ann Arbor water GRACE KAY
Daily Staff Reporter
Water samples taken from the storm sewers at West Park in Ann Arbor reveal an increase in the levels of 1,4 dioxane — a likely carcinogen — in the groundwater. Within a year, the samples jumped from 4.4 parts per billion to 19 parts per billion. In response to the increase in dioxane contamination,
the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality has confirmed plans for further dioxane testing in Ann Arbor. Evan Pratt, water resources commissioner of Washtenaw County, said while he does not think the dioxane in the West Park groundwater is dangerous to residents, he supports continued testing in the area. “What I’ve asked of the DEQ is for them to) take samples every month for six months. Then we can have a better
understanding of whether it is something that is a trend at that location or just something that f luctuates,” Pratt said. “In addition, I’ve asked for sampling at four or five other locations.” In an MLive article, Gerald Tiernan, district supervisor of the DEQ’s Remediation and Redevelopment Division, confirmed Pratt’s sentiments, explaining the DEQ plans to take monthly samples from multiple locations within the
area. Mayor Christopher Taylor said the city will continue to support further testing. “We are always looking for more testing — it is of critical importance to the city of Ann Arbor,” Taylor said. “We need to make sure that our homes are safe, that our drinking water is safe. We are going to continue to learn more about the location and direction of the plume and we are going to continue to See DIOXANE, Page 3
CALLIE TEITELBAUM For The Daily
During the University of Michigan’s fifth annual Giving Blueday, donors gave a total of $3,638,612 to the University, according to a University press release. Over 12,600 donors contributed over the course of the 24-hour event, though the sum donated has decreased by close to a million dollars since 2017. In comparison to previous years, the amount of donors has increased while the total amount raised has decreased. In 2016, about 7,000 donors raised over $5.5 million on Giving Blueday and in 2017, over 8,000 donors raised over $4.4 million. The size of the average donation has decreased considerably, from approximately $753 in 2016 to $288 this year.
“Our primary goal for Giving Blueday is to encourage as many people as possible to donate to U-M, no matter the size of the gift,” Pamela Stout, the senior director of executive communications, wrote in an email statement. “We’ve been fortunate enough to increase that number every year. This year, we focused even more directly on the goal of 10,000 gifts, and are thrilled with the 12,635 gifts received in just 24 hours. According to Stout, the total sum of donations drastically varies based on the size of gifts. “In previous years, we booked more major gifts on Giving Blueday.” Stout wrote. “This year, we focused more directly on expanding our community of donors, and they very generously responded.” See GIVING, Page 3
Camp David officer recounts his time UNC prof. Mcity uses augmented with presidential families at retreat discusses
RESEARCH
reality for car testing Researchers say testing driverless cars in real world is more dangerous RACHEL LEUNG Daily Staff Reporter
Researchers from the Mcity Test Facility at the University of Michigan are using virtual reality to more safely and efficiently test driverless vehicles. The Mcity Test Facility is located on North Campus and features over 16 acres of roads and traffic infrastructure. The facility allows researchers to test automated vehicles and other technologies in simulated urban and suburban driving environments. With a virtual world, similar to the simulated environment of a video game, researchers can test real driverless vehicles in an almost infinite number of traffic scenarios that would be difficult and costly to test in real world environments. In the augmented reality testing environment, real autonomous vehicles interact with computer-simulated vehicles. The testing method of using augmented reality was outlined in an MCity white paper released last See MCITY, Page 3
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CAMPUS LIFE
Rear Admiral Giorgione presents memories of “secret weapon” at Ford Library NIKKI KIM For The Daily
Rear Admiral Michael Giorgione, author of “Inside Camp David: The Private World of the Presidential Retreat,” spoke Wednesday night at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library to discuss his book and share personal anecdotes from his time at the camp. Giorgione was the commanding officer of Camp David, a country retreat used by U.S. presidents and their families, from 1999 to 2001. During that time, he worked under Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. Located in the wooded hills of Catoctin Mountain Park in Maryland, Camp David, according to Giorgione, has been American diplomacy’s secret weapon since its founding in 1938, playing a vital role in both international and domestic relationships. The Public Policy library often invites speakers or hosts events that are related to the presidency, Elaine Didier, the director of the library and its affiliated museum in Grand Rapids, explained. “We have both journalists and scholars who are researching different presidents, looking at issues that the presidents cover, and in this case, it’s not the presidency but a place that the presi-
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dents used,” she said. “So that was the driver in inviting Mr. Giorgione here.” The lecture began with audience members sitting in a pitch-black room, with the lights turned off. Almost immediately, the sound of choppers played over the speakers. Giorgione used these effects to highlight a typical start to a working day at Camp David: the arrival of the president. Edward Vincent, an Ann Arbor community member,
said he enjoyed the use of auditory effects during the presentation. “That really stood out to me because that was a very dramatic and suspenseful moment. I wasn’t sure if he was going to put something on the screen. But he used that to dramatize how Camp David is when the president isn’t there and when he is,” he said. Giorgione describes the camp as a simple place. “It’s a very nice camp with very plain facilities. Single
story structures. No brass. No polish. No marble. That’s Camp David. That’s part of the allure of this mountaintop retreat at 1,800-feet elevation.” he said. Such plainness is what creates the tranquil nature, he explained — there is an intimacy to the place that cannot be felt in the West Wing of the White House. Giorgione further recounted moments spent with members of the Kennedy family who have spent every See CAMP DAVID, Page 3
MIKE ZLONKEVICZ/DAILY Rear Admiral Michael Giorgione speaks on his time as the commanding officer of Camp David under Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush in the Gerald R. Ford Library Wednesday evening.
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INDEX
Vol. CXXVIII, No. 40 ©2018 The Michigan Daily
academic freedoms
Admist semester clashes of faculty over letter, Nichol talks student protections NOREEN KHAN For The Daily
The University of Michigan Faculty Senate hosted its 28th Davis, Markert, Nickerson Lecture on Academic and Intellectual Freedom Wednesday afternoon featuring Gene Nichol, a law professor at the University of North Carolina. The annual lecture hosts different leaders to speak about different aspects of educational policies and expression for academics. H. Chandler Davis, Clement Markert and Mark Nickerson were University professors in the 1950s who, in 1954, refused to give testimonies before the U.S. House Committee on Un-American Activities, invoking their constitutional right to not disclose their political associations. The trio was suspended from the University, with only Markert asked to return. This lecture honors the three professors’ adherence to the values of academic freedom. Academic freedom has been a hot topic on the University’s See UNC, Page 3
NEWS.........................2 OPINION.....................4 ARTS......................6
SUDOKU.....................2 CLASSIFIEDS...............5 SPORTS....................7