The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Wednesday, April 6, 2011 - 7A STEM CELL From Page 1A include the study of stem cell lines for other diseases such as Huntington's disease and Rett syndrome, Smith said. The creation of the lines was aided by a partnership between the University and Genesis Genetics of Detroit, a company that tests days-old embryos for genetic diseases, according to a University press release issued Monday. O'Shea described how the embryonic stem cells are the result of in vitro fertilization, a process available to couples who have a history of genetic SAPAC From Page 1A intended to clear up discrepancies between university policies and the Department of Education's policy, Duncan said during the conference call. The guidelines came in the form of a document released Monday titled the "Dear Colleague Letter" and details the protocol schools and universi- ties must follow under Title IX, which "prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in any feder- ally funded education program or activity," the letter states. "(The Department of Educa- tion) is issuing the (Dear Col- league Letter) to explain that the requirements of Title IX cover sexual violence and to remind schools of their responsibilities to take immediate and effec- tive steps to respond to sexual violence in accordance with the requirements of Title IX," the let- ter states. SAPAC Director Holly Rider- NORTH CAMPUS From Page 1A munity Center last month that the University is eager to make North Campus more attractive to students. "The idea is to take what's so wonderful and beautiful about North Campus and build on it rather than fighting it..." Harper said at the fireside chat. "(We're) just trying to think about what's unique about North Campus that we could do that would make it feel less secluded or less isolated, so you'd have both the trees and the squirrels and the muskrats and all that, but some- times a little bit of a party atmo- sphere." Elizabeth Zollweg, project manager of the North Cam- pus Initiative, who organized tonight's event, said the proj- ect is trying to improve existing programs on North Campus by increasing student awareness of CHURCH From Page 1A Gray said. The program is sustained on private donations, supplemented by aid from other churches and businesses in the area, Gray said. Over the years, the church has had hundreds of volunteers from across the community and a vari- ety of religious denominations. Gray said she didn't realize the program would have such longevity when it initially began, but each year the number of peo- ple coming to the breakfast has increased. In addition to the com- munity's homeless population, she said other disadvantaged individ- uals in the area occasionally seek meals, including those struggling to make ends meet while working minimumwage jobs. Beside serving food at the breakfasts, Natalie Mobley, a local nurse practitioner, volun- teers to take blood pressure for those who need a check-up. "(It's a) simple thing I can do as a volunteer, and I make sure to refer the clients to a source of care if they need it," Mobley said. Mobley said because of the recession, she's seen an increase in the number of people using the service since she started volun- teering at St. Andrew's in 2004. "For many people, this is the only meal they get each day," Mobley said. "The breakfast is truly a life-saving program." disease that allows them to have an embryo grown in a culture dish and tested for genetic dis- ease. If the embryo tests posi- tive for a genetic disease, O'Shea explained, the embryo will not be used for reproduction, and couples have the choice to freeze it, throw it out or donate it to sci- entific research. Before Michigan voters passed a ballot initiative in 2008, University researchers could not legally use donated human embryos for research purposes. Since the proposal's passage, couples can choose to donate their embryos, instead of them being automatically dis- carded. According to O'Shea, other Milkovich said there is no dis- crepancy about how to handle sexual violence at the University. "Nearly all of the pieces that they are asking for colleges and universities to implement, we already have in place," Rider- Milkovich said. She said programs like peer education have been available since SAPAC was established 25 years ago. SAPAC, which is oper- ated under the University's Divi- sion of Student Affairs, raises awareness about sexual assault and abuse and "provide(s) people with the tools to be able to pre- vent those crimes in the first place," Rider-Milkovich said. "Our education and prevention measures are ahead of the curve across the board," she said. According to the U.S. Justice Department's Justice Blog, the University was one of 11 educa- tional institutions honored by the department in 2010 for its commitment to combating sexual assault. However, other universi- ties have received more negative universities have been making embryonic stem cell lines while Michigan laws prohibited the practice. She said she hopes to make an impact on the diseases that have not been studied by other universities. According to Sean Tipton, spokesman for the Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research, the University's proj- ect is a step in the right direction. The coalition is a national group that works to discover improved treatments for diseases. "It's an important advance," Tipton said. "People have known that you can make stem cell lines with specific disorders, and this expands that work with some new conditions. attention for their sexual violence policies. Yale University students and alumni filed a complaint last month with the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights about the university claiming the administration didn't effec- tively deal with several situations involving sexual misconduct that occurred in the last few years, according to an April 1 Yale Daily News article. The complaint states that Yale violated Title IX. Despite the recent grievance, Duncan stressed during the con- ference call that the release of the guidelines was completely inde- pendent of Yale's situation. Rider-Milkovich said SAPAC has not taken any actions in direct response to Biden's announce- ment at this time, but added that the program always aims to get better. "We are always looking for ways to improve our prevention approach and also improve our services to survivors," Rider- Milkovich said. ^A U'LE/Dy Former head football coach Lloyd Carr speaks at a School of Public Health symposium yesterday. CARR From Page1A Carr said participation in sports is important for students and children, but necessary pre- cautions must always be taken to ensure safety. "(It's) always important to remember the risks involved and preparing for the safety, health and well-being of ourselves before engaging in such sports," Carr said during the discussion. In an interview with The Michigan Daily after the event, Carr said people should take advantage of the University's resources to educate themselves about concussion prevention. "I think it is important to recognize that there are a lot of things going on at this University from an educational standpoint," Carr said. "It is important that we take advantage of this potential and put it to good use in stopping this injury problem." While Carr highlighted the University's resources, another panelist, David Sleet, associate director for science in the divi- sion of unintentional injury pre- vention at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, focused on steps the CDC has taken to spread information to athletes and coaches about how to prop- erly deal with concussions. Sleet also spoke about trau- matic brain injuries in children, citing that children ages 10 to 14 are most likely to suffer from con- cussions or other traumatic ,rain injuries. He added that traumatic brain injuries are responsible for 50,000 deaths and 235,000 hos- pitalizations each year. The CDC offers more than 200,000 training sessions annu- ally to youth sports coaches and staff on how to properly diag- nose, treat and prevent traumatic brain injuries, he said. "It is very important to recog- nize that sports are not the only way a concussion is suffered," Sleet said. "It is also important to note that a concussion can occur - despite common belief - with- out loss of consciousness, and in fact, more commonly does occur without loss of consciousness." A player who suffers a concus- sion might forget plays, appear dazed or confused, have long- lasting dizziness or speak in inco- herent sentences, Sleet said. He stressed the importance of iden- tifyingandreportingthese symp- toms to ensure players' safety. The third panelist, Jeffrey Kutcher, the director of the Michigan NeuroSport Concus- sion Program at the University, said one of the biggest miscon- ceptions about head traumas, specifically concussions, is that they primarily occur in football. However, he noted that over the past severalyears,one ofthe most common sports in which Univer- sity athletes suffered head trau- mas was water polo. Head injuries are not a new phenomenon and have been an issue for decades, Kutcher said. He added that the National Col- legiate Athletic Association was founded in 1906 at the direction of former President Theodore Roosevelt to help prevent injuries in college sports. "Head injuries are not a new concept," Kutcher said. "This was first described in 1928 in boxers, so these problems have been occurring for decades. This is nothing new, as has the process of prevention, arguable at too slow of a rate." what is offered there. Zollweg said she invited Harper, members of the Division of Student Affairs Assembly and Loren Rullman, associate vice president of stu- dent affairs, to attend tonight's event at the Pierpont Commons Cafe at 6 p.m. The program doesn't current- ly have a set budget, but Zollweg said making improvements on North Campus is an important goal for the University. "If Michigan is going to strive to be the leaders and best, this is something that needs to bea high priority for students up there to really feel that they are the Lead- ers and Best," she said. Some future activities on North Campus may include out- door concerts and ice skating on the pond, Harper said. The initiative is a collaborative effort between several entities including the College of Engi- neering, University Unions Arts and Programs, the Michigan Student Assembly North Campus Looking for a place to volun- teer when she arrived on campus, LSA junior Shannon Chase heard about the St. Andrews breakfast program and now volunteers every Wednesday morning. She said she enjoys helping at St. Andrew's in particular because it has built a sense of community in Ann Arbor. "I liked that it had been going on for so many years, and it was involved in the community," Chase said. "It wasn't sensational or a fad, just people serving peo- ple in need year after year." Chase added that volunteer- ing at St. Andrew's allows her to get to know homeless individuals in Ann Arbor in a more personal way. "I like learning people's names and faces because when you see people asking on the street for money it's easy to just dismiss them," Chase said. In addition to servingthe daily meal, the church offers a weekly writing workshop. Beginning at 8:30 a.m. every Tuesday, Court- ney Mandryk, an English lectur- er at the University, and George Cooper, a University lecturer in English and the Sweetland Writ- ing Center, come to the church to guide a small group in writingon a variety of topics. Mandryk and Cooper began working at the church about a year and a half ago, but the writ- ing program at St. Andrew's has been in existence for five years. The workshop begins with the Commission and the Residence Hall Association, according to Zollweg. A survey regarding North Campus has already been admin- istered to students, Zollweg said. The survey showed that many students were concerned with the accessibility of University Health Services for sick students on North Campus. Zollweg added that students also requested bet- ter lighting throughout North Campus and more social events. Speaking in anticipation of tonight's event, Zollweg said she wants to hear more about what students want in terms of services and programs on North Campus. "(It is) an opportunity for stu- dents to voice their reactions, their needs ... what they want," Zollweg said. "North Campus has the potential to be fabulous." - Daily News Editor Joseph Lichterman and Managing Editor Kyle Swanson contributed to this report. instructor choosing a prompt. Participants write for about 20 minutes on a fresh topic from the previous week and then share their work with one another. Those who come to the work- shop are very committed to their writing, Cooper said. He said the participants attend the weekly seminar as a way to express their ideas and strengthen their writ- ing. He added that it is important for everyone to have access to a program like St. Andrews's writ- ing workshop. "Writing is a means of discov- ery," he said. "It's a discovery of what one knows ... It's a discipline and a liberation." During last week's workshop, one participant wrote a poem about Colonel Muammar Gad- dafi and the situation in Libya. After hearing the poem, Cooper told the writer he was surprised by the change in themes he pre- sented compared to previous ses- sions. "You're focused on the day to day. And here you were reach- ing out to the world in a way I don't think I've known you to do before," Cooper told him. Cooper said the workshop attendees' economic circum- stances aren't important to the workshop's functioning. "I don't know the situation of the people that come here," Coo- per said. "We don'ttalk aboutthat on a day-to-day basis. I know that everyone here has been through some sort of struggle." NORTH! North, Campus..Rant: The Good, The Bad, and The Dude! Wednesday, April 6th 6:00-7:30 pm Commons Cafe in Pierpont Commons North Campus University of Michigan Welcome If you are unable to attend, email your thoughts, ideas and stories to northcampusinitiative@gmail.com UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN DIVISION OF ST UDENT AFFAIRS FOLLOW THE DAILY ON TWITTER @MICHIGANDAILY i