ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-NINE YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM
Thursday, January 16, 2020
Ann Arbor, Michigan
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Community bridges gaps within ‘U’ counseling
Organizations find alternatives to resources provided by CAPS JASMIN LEE & CALDER LEWIS
Design by Lizzy Rueppel
Student Advisory Panel says ‘U’ overlooked input on emmissions
SAP members: President’s Commission on Carbon Neutrality ignored comments ARJUN THAKKAR Daily Staff Reporter
Nearly one year after University President Mark Schlissel announced the addition of a Student Advisory Panel to help advise the President’s Commission on Carbon Neutrality (PCCN), a group working to reduce carbon emissions on campus, some members of the student panel claim the Commission has sidelined their role. The Commission’s creation followed months of student
activism and protests that urged the University to reduce its carbon footprint. In Schlissel’s video announcing the creation of the PCCN on Feb. 4, 2019, he directed part of his remarks to students, telling them the Commission would value their input throughout the process. “All stakeholders will have opportunities to contribute their perspectives along the way,” Schlissel said in the video. “... I especially want our students to know
that their insights and contributions will be key to the successful future we are seeking to achieve.” Schlissel charged the PCCN with creating four advisory panels, including the SAP, to provide various stakeholder perspectives on the Commission’s focus and work. In the past year, most of the panel’s work has consisted of reviewing the Commission’s reports and providing comments addressing additional issues that the members believed merited inclusion.
According to SAP member Grant Faber, a Rackham student at the School for Environment and Sustainability, there was initially the possibility that the student panel might do research for the Commission as well. He said the PCCN’s co-chairs, Jennifer Haverkamp, director of the Graham Sustainability Institute, and Stephen Forrest, professor of electrical engineering and computer science, had indicated this possibility. See CLIMATE, Page 3A
Daily Staff Reporters
This is the second installment of a three-part series investigating student mental health at the University of Michigan. The Daily interviewed students on campus, students across the country and prominent leaders of mental health to contribute to this series. In part one, The Daily examined student complaints about Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS). This part looks at student-led alternatives to CAPS on campus. Part three will discuss how mental health systems work at other universities, such as Michigan State University. The University of Michigan offers resources to complement services offered by the University’s Counseling and Psychological Services — such as peer-to-peer counseling,
TRANSPORTATION
A2 raises Center of the City Task Force talks fines for possibilities for library lot at open house parking Residents divided on affordable housing planned on potential site for new park violations MELANIE TAYLOR
Local motorists faced with new increase in ticketing penalties implemented by city ISABELLA PREISSLE Daily Staff Reporter
The University of Michigan plans to increase the cost of parking violations on campus property starting Feb. 1, 2020. The fine for parking at an expired meter will increase to $40, or $30 if paid the next business day. The fine for parking with no permit in a University lot will be $75, or $65 if paid the next day. The city of Ann Arbor has its own traffic laws separate from the University, with meters charging $1.90 per hour of parking. The price of a parking ticket in the city is $25, or $15 if paid the next day. The University fees are more expensive than city fees for the same violations. The Ann Arbor fine for violations such as parking over the legal limit at a meter, parking when no stopping or standing signs are posted and parking in no-parking zones are all $35, or $25 if paid the next day. The biggest difference is the fee for parking in a fire lane. The Ann Arbor violation is $50, or $40 if paid the next day, and the University violation is $100, or $90 the next day.
Daily Staff Reporter
On Wednesday night, about 75 Ann Arbor residents gathered in the SPARK office for the Center of the City Task Force open house. Residents discussed plans for a new park and civic center commons on the library lot between Fifth Avenue and Division Street, as well as improvements to Liberty Plaza, a public park located on East Liberty. The Task Force, a 10-person municipal committee, was established following the November 2018 passage of
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Proposal A, which designated the plot adjacent to the city’s downtown public library for recreational use. Wednesday’s event, in combination with an earlier open house and online survey, will serve as the basis for the Task Force’s recommendation to City Council in February. Task Force Chair Meghan Musolff, Ann Arbor resident and University of Michigan librarian, said the event was meant to “report back” prior comments and provide an opportunity for other residents to voice their opinions about the park
and commons. Musolff said the Task Force aims to incorporate all opinions from the community without bias. Residents discussed three issues: the oversight of the library lot, the existence and extent of a plot of land adjacent to the library and the renovation of Liberty Plaza. These three issues were controversial, Musolff said. The event included three tables where attendees could discuss these issues in small groups, monitored by a Task Force member. “We are here to steward this process, but it’s really
important to me that we gather the feedback, we hear from the community and synthesize that and refer back to it as we develop recommendations and submit them,” Musolff said. “Then it is up to City Council to execute.” Musolff said the Task Force has so far identified community interest in developing both affordable housing and a green, open area that could accommodate different events like protests and community gatherings. See PARK, Page 3A
Wolverine Wellness and Wolverine Support Network (WSN) — but many students told The Daily they were unaware of these resources. In response, students rely on a number of efforts to fill in the gaps of CAPS. While these resources are distinct from the professional counseling services, many of them have affiliations with CAPS. Student Efforts Some students have stepped up to promote positive mental health when they can’t find what they need in University services. Wolverine Support Network, founded by students in 2014 in the wake of two suicides on campus, provides a peer-led alternative to traditional counseling. More than 30 groups of six to 10 students meet weekly for open-ended discussions on their well-being, facilitated by trained student leaders. See CAPS, Page 3A
ANN ARBOR
Council considers limits on Airbnbs Jan. 6 vote discusses ban on non-owner occupied housing within Ann Arbor ANGELINA BREDE Daily Staff Reporter
After the Ann Arbor City Council voted to consider banning dedicated rental houses, Airbnb owners and students who rely on the service expressed disappointment at what they considered an unjust and misinformed decision on the part of the council. On Monday, Jan. 6, City Council held a vote considering the ban of non-owner occupied short-term rentals in the city — including dedicated Airbnb homes. The vote was 9-2, with the majority of council members in support of the ban. City Council has called for city staff to draft potential regulations for shortterm rentals by the end of July. City Council previously held three public forums considering regulations for short-term rentals in October. These regulations considered banning short-term rentals in certain zones, taxing the properties, requiring registration and inspection, establishing a minimum and maximum length of stay for guests and only allowing properties where the owner remains at home during the stay.
ALEX BAKER/Daily Edith Croake speaks at the Center of the City Task Force open house at Sparks Offices Wednesday evening.
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INDEX
Vol. CXXIX, No. 51 ©2019 The Michigan Daily
NEWS.........................2 OPINION.....................4 CLASSIFIEDS................5
Read more at MichiganDaily.com SUDOKU.....................2 SPORTS...................7 ARTS...............1B