en's tennis player Evan King doesn't get the
of Denard Robinson or Darius Morris. But
it be Michigan's best-kept secret.
( bet ffidlian 0aIlj
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Monday, April 4, 2011
michigandaily.com
PUPPET PARADE
CAMPUS COMMUNITY
Armstrong
gets award
for LGBT
activism
I
Students and Ann Arbor residents gather on Main Street to celebrate the fifth annual Festifools parade despite rain showers yesterday. University students created
puppets for the parade, which is sponsored by the Loyd Hall Scholars Program.
C AM PUS PA R TY CU LT U RE
Campus rinking patterns
hard to define, officials say
Judy Shepard
urges campus to
support LGBT
community
By RACHEL BRUSSTAR
Daily StaffReporter
With inspiring stories, a
passionate theatrical perfor-
mance and afilm evoking tears
from the audience, about 130
people gathered on Saturday
evening to hear testimonies
about prejudice against the
LGBTQ community across the
nation.
At the presentation in Blau
Auditorium, Judy Shepard
shared the story of her son
Matthew's death that resulted
from a hate crime in 1998. MSA
President Chris Armstrong
and University alum Jim Toy,
founder of the University's
Spectrum Center, were also
honored for their activism on
LGBTQ issues.
In her presentation, Shepa-
rd explained that she became
an activist after her son's
death when she began the
Matthew Shepard Foundation
on the anniversary of her son's
birthday Dec. 1,;in 1998.
Shepard said one of the most
integral steps in furthering the
rights of the LGBTQ commu-
nity is to educate people and
bring the issues to the fore-
front, emphasizing the crucial
role of allies in the fight.
Armstrong is the first MSA
president in the student gov-
ernment's history to be openly
gay. At the event he received
an award from the Jim Toy
Community Center for his
composure and resilience
when dealing with harassment
by former Michigan assis-
tant attorney general Andrew
Shirvell, who created a blog
that targeted Armstrong for
his sexual orientation and
accused him of having a "radi-
cal sexual agenda."
In February, Armstrong's
attorney Deborah Gordon told
The Michigan Daily that she
and Armstrong intend to file
a civil lawsuit against Shirvell
if he does not recant his state-
ments.
See ARMSTRONG, Page 6A
'U' hosts alcohol-
free activities as
party alternative
By CLAIRE HALL
DailyStaffReporter
Instead of grabbing a cup of
jungle juice on Friday nights,
many students choose free food
at the Michigan Union, accom-
panied by a movie screening or
singing karaoke.
The free weekend activities
are part of UMix, a University-
sponsored event that takes place
every other week. While it was
originally instituted as an alter-
native to drinking on Friday
nights, University officials say it
is unclear whether UMix has had
a significantimpact on the rate of
underage drinking on campus
since it began almost five years
ago.
Though binge drinking on
campus decreased from 2007
to 2009, there has been an
increase in the number of stu-
dents brought to the University
hospital for drinking this year
compared to last year. There has
also been a rise in the number of
violations reported to University
offices related to alcohol educa-
tion and conflict resolution. But
due to several factors, University
officials say it is hard to deter-
mine the actual patterns of stu-
dents' drinking in the last few
years.
Eric Heilmeier, program
adviser for University Unions
Arts and Programs who oversees
the UMix program, said UMix
See DRINKING, Page 5A
LOCAL BUSINESSES
New SPARK CEO looks to
bringhigh-tech companies
Paul Krutko
makes move from
Silicon Valley
By ADAM RUBENFIRE
Daily StaffReporter
Ann Arbor's local business
incubator has selected a Sili-
con Valley businessman to take
charge of the organization.
Starting April 18, Paul Krut-
ko will be the new CEO and
president of Ann Arbor SPARK.
Krutko, who recently worked in
economic development in Sili-
con Valley, was appointed to his
forthcoming position last month.
In an interview on Friday,
Krutko said his focus in leading
SPARK will be on bringing high-
tech companies to Ann Arbor.
"The important thing is to be
able to create an environment
where companies think they can
be successful, where they can
find the talent they need to be
successful," Krutko said.
Co-founded by Republican
Gov. Rick Snyder, Ann Arbor
SPARK is a non-profit business
incubator that serves all areas
of Washtenaw County. It works
with businesses, government
officials and academic institu-
tions - like the University - to
assist in development and main-
tenance.
SPARK's previous CEO,
See SPARK CEO, Page SA
CAMPUS CRIME
DPS gives 'all clear' after report of
armed man in Chemistry Building
Derrick Jensen, an environnental activist, speaks at the third annual Social JusticeConference at the Dana Building
yesterday.
Students engage in discussion
at Social Justice Conference
Police: No suspect
found fitting
reported description
By CAITLIN HUSTON
Daily News Editor
As of 1:15 a.m., University
Police have issued an "all clear"
notice on a report that a man
with a gun was in the Chem-
istry Building early Monday
morning.
An emergency alert was
issued at about 1 a.m. by the
Department of Public Safety
stating that a man was reported
with a gun in the Chemistry
Building at about midnight. Stu-
dents were instructed to avoid
the building and to remain at
their location if they were in
the building. However, since the
all clear notice has been issued,
f See where
CrimeMAP thisincident
on i yv was reported
University Police say it is safe to
resume normal activity.
In an interview with DPS
spokewoman Diane Brown at
1:30 a.m., Brown said police
searched the building located
on North University Avenue,
but were not able to locate any
See DPS, Page SA
Environmental
activist Derrick
Jensen talks issues
By BRANDON SHAW
Daily StaffReporter
Student activists turned
out in large numbers this past
weekend to engage in an array
of activities involving issues
ranging from gay and lesbian
rights to relations with Israel
for the University's third annu-
al Social Justice Conference.
Public Policy senior Joseph
Varilone, the event's principal
organizer, said the purpose of
the conference was to prove
students have a voice in devel-
oping social policy by creating
a program that emphasizes the
freedom of expression and fos-
ters discussion about current
events related to social justice
issues.
Coordinated by the Multi-
ethnic Student Alliance, Grow-
ing Allies and the University's
Center for Ethics in Public Life,
the event, which was held at the
Dana Natural Resources Build-
ing, included an open mic night
on Saturday and nine hours of
panel discussions, film screen-
ings and a guest appearance by
See CONFERENCE, Page SA
WE ATHER Hi 48
TOMORROW L o 36
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