Ube ~') idqn0iIlj *Ann Arbor, Michigan Friday, January 29, 2010 michigandaily.com At town ball, 'U' officials talk campus sustainability MARISSA MCCLAIN/Daily Engineering senior Jerome Singleton prepares to run in the indoor track and field building on Tuesday. Singleton was born with fibular hemimelia, a serious bone disorder. One-le sprinter Si eon always keeps his ye o tepri ze Students, faculty and administrators gather to discuss new initiative By MICHELE NAROV Daily StaffReporter University leaders and admin- istrators held a town hall meeting yesterday to discuss environmental sustainability on campus. The meeting - hosted by the University's Graham Environmen- tal Sustainability Institute and the newly formed Office of Campus Sustainability - aimed to intro- duce and invite discussion on a new initiative on campus, which Uni- versity administrators have dubbed an "integrated assessment" by the two organizations. Members involved in the project are examining ways to increase the University's commitment to the environment through initiatives in research, academics and opera- tions. A group of panelists took the stage at the meeting and discussed. the project's goals from both opera- tional and academic perspectives. Faculty leaders from each com- mittee spoke of possible objectives for the initiative and University administrators discussed the orga- nizational components of the proj- ect. Addressing a crowd composed of about 200 students, faculty and staff members and Ann Arbor resi- dents,.Timothy Slottow, executive vice president and chief financial officer, said it's necessary for the University to take a multifaceted approach to increasing the Univer- sity's commitment to the environ- ment because there are so many important parts of the issue. "In a complex system with mul- tiple components you rarely will achieve best results by looking at one component in isolation," he said at the meeting. Slottow said integrated assess- ment is a new concept that rep- resents an opportunity for the University to act as a global agent for change in the national environ- mental sustainability movement. "It is a unique time for the Uni- versity of Michigan to really seek out a position of leadership nation- ally, in higher education and hope- fully beyond," he said. Don Scavia, the director of the University's Graham Environmen- tal Sustainability Institute, said he See SUSTAINABILITY, Page 7 Engineering senior exists. He isn't a football player. He is a world class isn't one of the many past Olym- pians who attended school here, Paralympic athlete back to relive his college days. He doesn't even don a varsity jacket. By BEN ESTES No, this athlete hasn't been - For the Daily nor will he ever be - on a Wolver- ine varsity team. Officially, he's Every day, a world-class, medal- just one of many bright students in winning athlete walks across this the College of Engineering. campus amongst a sea of 40,000 of But he also managed to win two his peers. But you have no idea he medals in Beijing in the summer of 2008. Oh, and he happens to have just one leg. The first thing that strikes you about Jerome Singleton when he walks (yes, walks) over to meet you is how normal he appears. Sporting a pair of glasses, with a mild demeanor, he looks like any other undergraduate. But Single- ton is anything but normal. He is the world's top sprinter in his class, having outperformed just about every feasible competitor. Singleton was born in Green- wood, S.C. with fibular hemimelia, a serious bone disorder. His fibula bone never grew in, essentially leaving him without an ankle. As a result, his right leg had to be amputated below the knee when he was one and a half years old. He now uses a prosthetic leg. So at an early age, Singleton learned that the best way to han- See SINGLETON, Page 8 AFTER THE QUAI 'U' officials advise students to avoid traveling to Haiti Only experienced aid workers should go to country, e-mail says By CHELSEA LANGE Daily StaffReporter In the aftermath of the cata- strophic earthquake that devas- tated Haiti on Jan. 12, many in the University community are look- ing to participate in relief efforts. But with the country still in ruins, many students and faculty may have to waitchefore they can travel to the country to help. Before the earthquake hit, members of Ann Arbor's New Life Church had been planning to trav- el to Haiti for an alternative spring break trip. University alum Karl Jansen was to co-lead the group of 16, in conjunction with Rain Catchers - a non-profit organization based in Howell, Mich. that builds gutters on Haitian homes in order to col- lect rainwater. The group was planning to go to the village of Seguin in the mountains of southeastern Haiti, according to Jansen. Butnowthatthe earthquake has left the nation in chaos with many devastating problems, Jansen said the trip must be postponed. "After the earthquake, we were hoping to go down there and do earthquake relief, but there is just too many logistical challenges and safety challenges right now," he said. "They just need emergency responders and professionals to get things under control before volunteers like our group would be able to go down there and help." Sara Gibbs, director of the Gins- berg Center's SERVE program - a University group that organizes various community .service proj- ects including alternative spring break trips - said it hopes to plan See HAITI, Page 7 ,;, ARIEL BOND/Daily Wolverine State Brewing Co. brewmaster Oliver Roberts, left, and co-owner E.T. Crowe, right, work on plans for their new tap room. With new space, brewery to add local lagers to area's beer scene CONNECTING TE COUNTY Wireless Washtenaw faces money woes Program to bring be in jeopardy if necessary federal funding doesn't come through. wireless Internet to Initiated in 2004, Wireless Washtenaw has begun the process rural areas of providing broadband coverage to areas that traditionally haven't By MICHELE NAROV had access to wireless Internet Daily StaffReporter services. But without federal fund- ing, the undertaking may soon col- Wireless Washtenaw, a project lapse. that aims to bring wireless Inter- In addition to providing free net access to sparsely populated web access within Washtenaw areas of Washtenaw County, could County, the project offers high- speed private access to residents for a monthly fee in order to cover the costs absorbed by 20/20 Com- munications - an Ann Arbor- based Internet provider that helped to privately fund the proj- ect. Project Manager James McFar- lane said much of Washtenaw County currently lacks a reliable option for residential high-speed Internet access. See WIRELESS, Page 7 Wolverine State Brewing will open a new tap room south of campus By LINDSAY KRAMER DailyStaffReporter Though Ann Arbor is already known for its many ale breweries, a new business is planning to make its mark in townwith its homemade lagers. Wolverine State Brewing Company, which will be the city's first tap room and specialize in premium American lagers, is set to open this spring. Ann Arbor residents and Univer- sity graduates Matt Roy and Trev- or Thrall began Wolverine State Brewing Company three years ago in Ann Arbor. Since entering the beer business, the company has been contracting its production with Michigan Brewing Company - a brewery in Webberville near East Lansing. But it is through the upcoming bar that the two entrepreneurs plan to market their production on a different and larger scale. "We want to be a household name around the state of Michigan so that people know who we are and what we are,"Roysaid. "We are distinguishing ourselves from all the other microbreweries because they are all primarily making ales, and we are a lager company." This distinction could be signifi- cant in Ann Arbor because the city See BREWERY, Page 7 WEATHER HI: 23 TOMORROW LO:16 GOT A NEWS TIP? Call 734-763-2459 or e-mail newsComichigandailv.com and let us know. NEW ON MICHIGANDAILY.COM U.S. Rep.John Dingell is now @johndingell. MICHIGANDAILY.COM/BLOGS/THE WIRE INDEX NEWS... . . . 2 ARTS .................................S..5 Vol. CXX, No.83 SUDO KU......... ..............3 CLASSIFIEDS........................6 i The MihiganDaily POPINION ...............................4 SPO RTS.............. ............. 8