The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Friday, March 16, 2012 - 3
The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Friday, March 16, 2012 - 3
NURSING
From Page 1
Timothy Slottow, the University's
executive vice president and chief
financial officer, the project is esti-
mated to cost about $50 million.
The 75,000-square-foot structure
will also accommodate approxi-
mately 40 new faculty members
that the School of Nursing plans to
. hire in the next decade.
Hanlon projected that ground-
breaking on the building will take
place within a year and a half,
pending completion and regent-
al approval of the architectural
design. The current building will
remain occupied, but Hanlon
added that it is rapidly becoming
less useful.
CRISLER ARENA
BECOMES CRISLER CENTER
The regents also voted to
change the name of Crisler Arena
to Crisler Center during yester-
day's meeting.
Addressing the regents, Slot-
tow said because Crisler Center
now contains training centers and
retail shops, it is no longer appro-
priate to refer to the complex as
simply an arena.
"Crisler Arena has expanded
and been converted into many,
many things beyond a basketball
arena," Slottow said.
UNIVERSITY HIRES
EXTERNAL AUDITOR CASE
In her opening remarks, Cole-
TORNADO
From Page 1
Hall, but said there was "apparent
water" inside the Ross Academic
Center.
University of Michigan Health
System spokesman Ian Demsky
said there was a small leak in a
stairwell in the Comprehensive
Cancer Center and that precau-
tions were taken to protect patients
depending on their condition and
their location in the hospital. He
said blinds were closed, some
patients were moved into hall-
ways and other interior spaces, and
blankets were placed over several
patients to protect them in case
of shattering glass from a tornado
impact.
Brown said the typical response
to a tornado warning depends on
the amount and type of calls DPS
receives. For example, Brown
said if there is a power outage on
campus, police officers are often
required to respond to calls of indi-
viduals stuck in elevators.
Still, if severe weather is report-
ed close to the University, Brown
said officers will take necessary
precautions to protect themselves.
"If it's really coming to campus,
then they've got to take cover for
themselves," Brown said.
Ann Arbor Police, Housing
Security, and Hospital Security
could all be heard over police radio
yesterday afternoon performing
checks to ensure that University
buildings took necessary precau-
tions to protect students, staff and
faculty.
LSA senior Courtney Fletcher
said she had been stuck in Angell
Hall for more than three and a half
hours waiting for the worst of the
weather to pass.
While the weather may have
interfered with her day, Fletcher
was not bothered studying in the
hallways alongside the leaks.
man shared with the regents that
the University hired former senior
auditor Fred White Jr. as the
external auditor per the regents'
order. White will oversee the
implementation of recommenda-
tions made by the earlier internal
audit and will also serve as liaison
for an external audit.
In May, a University of Michi-
gan Health System staff member
found a flash drive belonging to
former resident Stephen Jenson
and reported it to UMHS authori-
ties. UMHS waited more than six
months to report the incident to
investigators and proceed with
the case.
"We are making excellent
progress in following up on the
internal audit in the pediatrics
residence case," Coleman said.
REGENTS APPROVE HON-
ORARY DEGREE RECIPI-
ENTS
In addition to Monday's
announcement that Sanjay
Gupta, CNN's chief medical cor-
respondent, will serve as the key-
note speaker at the 2012 Spring
Commencement address and will
receive a Doctorate of Humane
Letters, a slew of other notable
professionals will be in atten-
dance to receive awards.
The regents approved that
honorary degrees also be grant-
ed to The New Yorker's Susan
Orlean - who will deliver the
Rackham Graduate School
address - and Chris Van Alls-
burg, author of "The Polar
"I mean it needs to be fixed, but
now they know what's going on so
hopefullythey fix it as soon as pos-
sible," Fletcher said. "I'm not wor-
ried about anything going wrong.
It's leaking but most buildings
leak."
Because of the inclement weath-
er, Central Student Government
had to cancel its presidential and
vice presidential debates that were
scheduled for yesterday evening.
CSG President DeAndree Wat-
son, who was taking shelter from
the storm in the Michigan Union,
said time spent takingshelter from
the storm allowed him to get some
work done.
Watson said conditions at Angell
Hall as a result of the storm are not
fit for students at the University.
"We get heavy rainfall, we start
leaking and use trash cans at the
University of Michigan - I don't
think that's acceptable," Watson
said. "We're going to push hard to
make sure we improve our facili-
ties."
A tornado that spurred from the
storm damaged and destroyed sev-
eral homes in nearby Dexter and
Pinckney in northwest Michigan.
Dexter resident Victor Hola, a
nurse at the UMHS Cancer Cen-
ter, said the roof and garage of his
home near Hudson Mills Metro-
politan Park were torn aparthby the
tornado. He said he didn't suffer
any injuries, but was driving home
when the tornado touched down in
his neighborhood.
Scott Ferguson, Hola's partner,
said he did not hear any tornado
sirens go off when the tornado
warning was issued because his
neighborhood - located about
five miles away from the Village
of Dexter - does not have an alert
system. However, Ferguson said he
heard the warning over National
Public Radio broadcasts and quick-
ly took shelter in the basementwith
his dog and cat.
Though he sustained no physi-
Express" and "Jumanji," who
will also receive a Doctorate of
Humane Letters.
Additionally, Richard Sarns,
chairman of J.1. Harris & Associ-
ates, will receive a Doctorate of
Engineering; J. Ira Harris, a for-
mer member of the University's
Investment Advisory Commit-
tee, will receive a Doctorate of
Laws; and Jose Antonio Abreu,
founder of a youth program for
children in Venezuela and a
prominent musician, will receive
a Doctorate of Music.
BOARD APPROVES
INCREASED BUDGET FOR
RENOVATIONS TO YOST ICE
ARENA
The regents also gave the
green light for a $2-million
increase yesterday for renova-
tions to Yost Ice Arena- which is
slated to include seating replace-
ment and window installation
- bringing the project total to
$16 million, up from the initially
approved $14 million.
In a communication to the
regents, Slottow and Athletic
Director Dave Brandon sug-
gested the increase, in order to
properly accommodate for the
renovations.
"Due to a strong desire to
include the alternates, and the
fact that the bids received were
higher than expected due to the
cost of the steel and bleachers,
we are recommending increasing
the budget by $2 million," Slot-
tow and Brandon wrote.
cal injuries, Ferguson said the
tornado ripping through his home
was a terrifying experience.
"I've never been so scared in my
entire life," he said. "Think of ten
freight trains coming at you all at
once and you can't move ... that's
what (the tornado) was like."
Hola added that his neighbor's
garage and roof were also torn
off during the storm. The first
responders in the neighborhood
worked to remove fallen trees and
repair down power lines that lit-
tered the streets.
In an e-mail interview yester-
day, Perry Samson, a professor of
atmospheric, oceanic and space
sciences, wrote that yesterday's
storms came as a "surprise" to him
so early in the year.
"Usually this time of year we're
worried about ice storms and/
or episodes of dense fog," Sam-
son wrote. "This warm weather is
remarkable."
Samson wrote that the cause for
the storm isn't clear, as it could be
the result of several factors.
"No scientist worth their salt
will say this is due to global warm-
ingbecause we knowthe only thing
normal about weather is that it's
rarely normal," Samson wrote. "On
the other hand, no scientist worth
their salt will claim with certainty
that this is not related to a larger
trend as we frankly don't know
with confidence how the warm-
ing of the globe will affect specific
weather phenomena. We'd need
to see a trend on top of the wild
fluctuations that normal weather
presents."
Samson added that examining
causes behind rarities in weather is
a major aspect of his course, AOSS
102.
"I am working on a review of
today's events and remain a bit
perplexed to be honest," Samson
wrote. "This storm happened away
from any major fronts and away.
from the jet stream where we nor-
EQUALITY
From Page 1
about them, and that we are doing
something to remedy the situa-
tion," Meza said.
After Meza spoke, Darlow
requested that University Provost
Philip Hanlon provide the regents
with information about the status
of undocumented students at the
University for later review. Han-
lon stated that the Provost's office
would make that information
available to the regents as soon as
possible.
Rackham student Laura Wash-
ington spoke on behalf of eRA-
Cism, a University organization
that focuses on fighting racism on
campus and advocates for affir-
mative action based admissions
policies. Washington described
occurrences of racism and pro-
vided testimonies from anony-
mous students at the University
who have encountered racial dis-
crimination.
"Unfortunately, it is a common
misconception that we live in a
post-racist society and we should
no longer discuss such historical
attitudes," Washington said. "We
know that racism isstill alive and
shaping the experiences of stu-
dents at this university."
Washington described the des-
ecration of images of Dr. Martin
Luther King Jr. and Cesar Chavez
in the Mary Markley Residence
Hallandthe alienationofAfrican-
American students in group work,
among other incidents.
Washington added that eRA-
Cism aims to see a 10-percent
increase in African-American
student enrollment by2016.
The group presented informa-
tion from the Office of the Reg-
istrar, showing a decline in the
enrollment of African-American
students from 6.58 percent in 2007
to 4.71 percent in the fall of 2011.
Washington echoed Meza, say-
ing that an intergroup relations
class was essential for breaking
down barriers at the University.
The two groups had previously
arranged to protest their griev-
ances on the same day. organi-
zations such as the University's
chapter of the NAACP also sent
students in support of the Coali-
tion and eRACism.
Members of the Graduate
Employees' Organization - the
union that represents graduate
students' interests - also spoke to
request improved access to day-
care services at the University.
The University provides a
$150,000 fund to help graduate
students cover the cost of child-
care. According to Rackham
student Patrick O'Mahen, the
school's Central Student Govern-
ment representative, that amount
was recently supplemented with
another $35,000 from CSG.
Rackham student Daniel Bir-
chok discussed how the fund
has impacted his family and his
research.
"Without these funds, my wife
and I would have to cut Anna's
daycare in half," Birchok said. "I
would have to write most of my
dissertation while simultaneously
caring for her, something that
would not be fair to Anna or my
scholarly pursuits."
A graduate student parent
whose spouse does not work more
than 20 hours a week is not eli-
gible for the childcare subsidy.
However, Birchok said the policy
often excludes international par-
ents who do not have work visas
in the United States and spouses
that are currently unemployed
but dedicate many hours per week
searching for work.
He added that in the last con-
tract between graduate students
and the University, the gradu-
ate students opted to forgo pay
increases in order to establish the
fund.
Samantha Montgomery, presi-
dent of the Graduate Employees'
Organization, said CSG's recent
commitment to the fund was a
stark contrast to the University's
obstinacy onthe issue.
"The latest offer from the Uni-
versity was extremely disappoint-
ing, and it neglected to adequately
address our concerns," Montgom-
ery said. "It is also disappointing
in light of the recent resolution
by the Central Student Govern-
ment to contribute an additional
$35,000 to this fund, represent-
ing the commitment of students to
support the fair-'treatment of all
members of this University com-
munity."
Darlow also requested that
Hanlon provide information on
the childcare issue to the regents
at their next meeting.
mally expect such storms to devel-
op. It was remarkably slow moving
(hence the flooding) and there
were few indicators in advance
that the atmosphere contained sig-
nificant convective potential."
His class will be conducting a
donation drive for the Washtenaw
County chapter of the American
Red Cross today and Monday from
10 a.m. to 11 a.m. in his class in conduct an initial review of the
Angell Hall Auditorium C. Sam- severe weather.
son wrote that he will person-
ally match the first $500 of student -Daily News Editor Adam
donations received during both Rubenfire and Daily Staff Reporter
class periods. Students looking to Anna Rozenberg reported from
contribute should bring cash or Ann Arbor. Online Editor Zach
checks donations made out to the Bergson reported from Dexter.
American Red Cross. During those The Associated Press also
class periods, Samson will also contributed to this report.
ASSAULT
From Page 1
Tri-Delt house. After the driver
allegedly sexually assaulted the
victim, Bush said the victim alert-
ed a female passerby who drove
her to her friend's house. The
e-mail, however, suggests that the
victim was picked up by a known
acquaintance.
Bush also noted that the sus-
pect is a state-licensed limo driv-
er, not a city-licensed taxi driver,
adding that the incident is cur-
rently being classified as a "possi-
ble misdemeanor sexual assault."
In an interview on Wednesday,
the driver, whose name is being
withheld since he has not yet been
charged, denied the e-mail's alle-
gations, and said he would be will-
ing to submit to a polygraph test to
prove his innocence.
"I haven't done anything," the
driver said.
The driver said he is a married
man with two "grown daughters,"
and said he was not contacted by
the Ann Arbor Police Department
until yesterday.
In addition to denying his
involvement in the incident, he
also said he would have never
allowed Emily to ride in his car
while he served other customers.
"I did not pick anybody up and
take anybody anywhere in any
wooded area," The driver claimed.
"I was very busy (last) Thursday,
and it's not my wayof doing things
- if the girl wasn't able to get in
she would have to go somewhere,
because I'm not going to let her
ride around with me all night."
The driver said he talked to
Ann Arbor police last night and
they told him that there was no
police report filed in the alleged
incident.
While the e-mail alleges that
the incident occurred after the
bar closed at 2 a.m., the driver
said he doesn't accept customers
after 3 a.m., and he said he had
recorded in his reservation book
that he told two customers he was
not able to drive them at 3:31 a.m.
and 3:59 a.m. Friday.
The driver said most of his pas-
sengers are women who use his
service because they feel a sense
of protection in his taxicab.
"They call me because they feel
safe with me," the driver said.
The driver said he was particu-
larly surprised to hear that the
reporter of the incident appeared
to be a member of Tri-Delt.
"Some of my best customers are
in Tri-Delt," The driver said, nam-
ing off several of the sorority sis-
ters that are his regular customers.
The driver said he is concerned
about his reputation as a result of
the e-mail.
"I would really like to know
where the e-mail comes from,"
The driver said. "I would like to
know what happened."
The driver said he was contact-
ed by police and will be coming
into police headquarters with his
attorney at an unspecified time.
"I've got nothing to hide," the
driver said. "I hope the girl gets
her justice, but it ain't me."
A Tri-Delt board officer
declined to comment on the
e-mail, calling the incident a
"police matter," not a "Greek mat-
ter."