The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Friday, February 22, 2013 - 3
FUNDING
From Page 1
do that."
In an October discussion con-
cerning sequestration and the
fiscal cliff, University President
Mary Sue Coleman said it would
be extremely difficult to make
up widespread losses in federal
research funding with private
donations or industry support.
"It's hard for me to imagine
that there won't be bipartisan
support to prevent (a sequester),"
Coleman said. "We'd be shoot-
ing ourselves in the foot at a time
when all these other countries
are pouring money into science."
Forrest said although the out-
look for federal research funding
does not look strong, the Univer-
sity will continue to plan and he
added that the University has
maintained "solid growth" into
2013.
Looking forward, Forrest said
he will focus on anticipating
funding trends, increasingglobal
engagement and seizing research
investment opportunities.
Despite the possibility of
future funding cuts, Forrest used
the opportunity to highlight sev-
eral upcoming research initia-
tives at the University.
The Michigan Mobility Trans-
formation Initiative, also known
as MiMo, funded by the largest
grant to come out of the Depart-
ment of Transportation, will
wire almost 3,000 cars on an
electronic track around the city
of Ann Arbor. The experiment
aims to reduce collisions and
accidents in an urban environ-
ment and could serve as a model
for transportation systems
around the country.
"Wehave atremendous oppor-
tunity to completely transform
how people get around," Forrest
said. "This is one of the biggest
things that we can see on the
horizon. If we invest now, this
(initiative) will become a major
(project) across, we believe, the
globe."
John DeCicco, a School of
Natural Resources and the Envi-
ronment professor, is one of the
collaborating faculty members
on MiMo. Since much of the
project is still in its early stages,
DeCicco said the initiative's
brainstorming efforts have not
been influenced by the threat of
a looming sequester.
Even though much of the
team's current discussions have
not revolved around funding,
DeCicco is confident that politi-
cal parties will recognize the
importance of the field.
"We're very confident that
we're going to be able to be able
to make a compelling case to not
only the federal government but
the state government, industrial
partners, and many other inter-
ested parties," DeCicco said.
"There's a big opportunity here
to bring multiple players togeth-
er in a very positive way."
DeCicco added that the proj-
ect continues to generate excite-
ment due to its implications for
transportation safety and energy
management, as well as for the
generation of economic opportu-
nities in the region.
"The context is not about
how to make up federal funding
shortfalls," DeCicco said. "We're
more trying to come up with the
great ideas. In my experience,
there are always ups and downs
on funding, and what carries the
bag are good ideas and good peo-
ple and that's what we've been
concentrating on."
In addition to MiMo, Forrest
said the University will fund
social science research analyzing
how American society adapts to
an aging population in the 21st
century. The collection of proj-
ects will involve a partnership
between the social science fac-
ulties and companies in the Ann
Arbor area.
In an interview after the
meeting, Forrest said the proj-
ect is an effort to integrate social
scientists and other scientists to
create a collaborative environ-
ment for producing research.
He added that the University
intends to remain on the fore-
front of international research by
collaborating with Universities
across the globe, including insti-
tutions in China and Israel.
Concluding the presentation,
Forrest said he hopes to use self-
investment and diverse methods
of funding to create long-term
success.
"Our principal objective will
always be and always remain
to attract, retain and produce
the talent and ideas that will
drive the U.S. economy into the
future," Forrest said.
Peter Shahin
contributed reporting.
A rendering shows South Quad Residence Hall's new front facade.
REGENTS
From Page 1
hour and West Quad dining halls
are set to close with the inception
of the South Quad dining hall.
REGENTS APPROVE WEST
QUAD RENOVATION
To complement the South Quad
projects,theboard approveda$114.5
million West Quad renovation,
which will include plumbing and
heating improvements and a new
roofforthe agingresidencehall.
The project will commence in
2014 on the heels of South Quad's
completion. With South Quad's
new Central Campus Dining Cen-
ter, the West Quad renovation
will eliminate the dorm's kitchen
and dining hall in favor of new
common spaces and study areas.
Built in 1937, West Quad is the
third residence hall scheduled for
construction as part of the Uni-
versity's Residential Life Initia-
tive, designed to update facilities
associated with living on campus.
"The goals of the program
were to ensure that we had state-
of-the-art life-safety programs,
to upgrade the infrastructure in
heritage facilities, to modernize
our dining facilities across cam-
pus, to introduce different styles
of living arrangements arid to
design facilities that allow for
better connection between living
and learning," University Hous-
ing Director Linda Newman said
in an interview.
E. Royster Harper, the Univer-
sity's vice president for student
affairs, said the renovation will
create community spaces similar
to the Hill residence halls.
"(West Quad) has been an
important community to gen-
erations of Michigan students,"
Harper said during the meeting.
"Our students spend a great deal
of time in their campus homes,
which are vitally important for
their social experiences, to their
academic studies and to their per-
sonal identity within the Univer-
sity community."
Harper listed improvements
common spaces, temperature con-
trol and privacy in community bath-
roomsas key aspects ofthe project.
Architectural firm Integrated
Design Solutions LLC will draft
a proposal to be submitted to the
regents at a later date.
REGENTS APPROVE
TRANSFER OF
MUSEUM COLLECTIONS
The board also approved plans
to renovate the off-campus Var-
sity Drive building and prepare
it to hold dry museum research
collections from several Central
Campus buildings.
Additionally, the project will
relocate related lab spaces and
select offices of the anthropology,
paleontology and zoology depart-
ments currently at the Ruthven
Museums Building, the Campus
Safety Services Building and the
C.C. Little Science Building to the
renovated space on Varsity Drive.
"It's a very large project but it
will really simplify and improve
the research and accessibility to
the collections," Slottow said.
Funded by LSA, the $27.5-mil-
lion project is expected to improve
administrative efficiency by combin-
ing the collections with wet speci-
men collections currently located in
the Varsity Drive building.
Located off East Ellsworth-
Road between State Street and
Stone School Road, the building
is currently a warehouse. Reno-
vations will include temperature
and humidity controls, as well as
architectural, mechanical and
electrical improvements to facili-
tate the new additions.
Architectural firm Smith-
GroupJJR will design the 71,000
square feet Varsity Drive build-
ing renovation. These plans will
also be submitted for approval at
a future meeting.
Schematic Design for College of
Pharmacy renovations approved.
The board approved schematic
design plans to improve the main
entrance and 12,000 square feet
of the basement and first floor of
the College of Pharmacy Building.
The school's budget will fund
the $2.6-million project and com-
pletion is projected for next fall.
In a message to the board,
Slottow wrote the project will
"address accessibility issues and
provide a more welcoming entry."
UNIVERSITY
APPOINTMENTS
APPROVED
The regents approved the
appointment of Martha Pollack,
the University's vice provost of
budgetary affairs, to be the Uni-
versity's next provost.
The announcement was made
in January that Coleman would
present Pollack for the two year
appointment. Pollack will replace
University Provost Phil Hanlon,
whoisleavingthe UniversityinJuly
to become the next president of his
alma mater, Dartmouth College.
Pollack currently works in
Hanlon's office crafting the Uni-
versity budget, including the
general fund budget, as well as
helping with the space-saving
initiatives to better use classroom
space and other projects.
A University faculty member
since 2000, Pollack was previously
dean of the School of Information.
In her new role as provost, Pol-
lack will oversee the budget as
the University's' chief budgetary
officer. She will also advise aca-
demic affairs as the University's
chief academic officer. She will
continue to serve as a professor in
the School of Information and the
College of Engineering.
Additionally, the regents
approved LSA Dean Terrence
McDonald to become the director of
the BentleyHistoricalLibrary when
histerm as LSAdeanisoveronAug.
31. The regents also approved Mark
West, the Law School's associate
dean for academic affairs and Nip-
pon Life Professor of Law, as the
next Law School dean.
Peter Shahin, Jen Calfas and
Paige Pearcy contributed reporting.
PATRICK BARRON/Daily
LSA junior JoHanna Rothseid leads a discussion with "I Will" at Amer's on Church Street to discuss growing issues and
4 concerns about the Canpus Alert System on Thursday.
CRIME
From Page 1
withholding part of a descrip-
tion, that would not be some-
thing that we do."
Brown said anything that can
help build awareness about sex-
ual assault - including working
with the "I Will" campaign to
improve crime alerts - will only
benefit the community.
"We love to dialogue with any
group on campus," Brown said.
"Certainly this group sounds like a
group thatistryingto ashine alight
on safety issues from a student-to-
student perspective, and that can
only be much more beneficial."
The coffeehouse conversa-
tion, also delved into students'
perception of sexual assault.
LSA junior Elise Coletta said
while issues such as the time
delay and minimal information
provided in crime alerts are
problematic, there are broader
matters on campus that need to
be addressed first.
"I think it will be more ben-
eficial to invest more time and
energy and money into fostering
a climate on campus that doesn't
allow that sort of thing to happen
in the first place," Coletta said.
The group also discussed
the problem of victim blaming
and its prevalence across cam-
pus. Lieberman said this type
of behavior comes with a lack of
education about the issue.
"One of the priorities for us is
to figure out how we can improve
that education in a proactive,
positive way," Lieberman said.
APPLE
From Page 1
prise-oriented," Gurman said.
"That launch was the same week
as Microsoft's enterprise pro
tablet, so that was an interesting
turn of events as far as the busi-
ness, professional aspect of tech-
nology is concerned."
Business Insider recently
called Gurman the "World's Best
Apple Reporter," noting that he
beat out The New York Times,
The Wall Street Journal, Bloom-
berg and most other news outlets
on that story. CNN noted that
seven out of eight of his predic-
tions for Apple product launches
were correct. The eighth turned
out to be true in time.
Gurman said the site has
"industry sources" from within
Apple that regularly come to
them with news. After getting
information from any source, no
matter their reliability, Gurman
will validate the information
withevidence. Inthe mostrecent
case, an iOS code, Apple's land-
mark mobile operating system.
Gurman said he's reached
expert status for his job and in
his field. In addition to areported
six-figure salary, his knowledge
also comes in handy for assist-
ing his friends and family with
simple technological repairs.
Since coming to college, Gur-
man said his time-commitment
level has changed. He is now writ-
ing more on a case-by-case basis
since courses are his first priority.
"It's pretty unorthodox not to
have a specific posting quota asa
reporter, but Seth is very accom-
modating because he trusts
me and my work, and I'm very
thankful for him for that," Gur-
man said. "A lot of the stories that
I write are big, exclusive stories
specific to the industry and so if I
get two to three of those a month,
it's great, and that works with my
writing and school schedule."
In high school --outside of class-
es and social life - Gurman would
occasionally postup to 20 to 30 sto-
ries to 9toSMac per day, especially
around new product launches.
About a month ago, Gurman
wrote a story regarding the
release of the then-new iPhone 5
The University's interim Title
IX policy, which mandates how
the University will respond
to reports of sexual assault,
was also addressed. Under the
interim policy, any "responsible
University employee" - which
does not include staff at SAPAC,
Counseling and Psychological
Services or a religiously-affili-
ated employee - is required to
report any instance of sexual
assault they are made aware of to
their coordinator.
"There's still a lot of questions
as to what a 'responsible Uni-
versity employee' is," Buoy said.
"That's something we're trying
to push forward ... we have a lot
of questions on it still."
A finalized Title IX policy
will reportedly be implemented
sometime next year.
at the same time he was visiting
the Detroit International Auto
Show with friends. It should
come as no surprise that he
wrote the story via his iPhone,
which Gurman says is his most-
used Apple possession.
Though Gurman enjoys writ-
ing, he's currently in the process
of applying tothe Business School,
with his sights set on the busi-
ness side of technology. He said
he plans on staying with 9to5Mac
because of the site's reach, as well
as the network he's cultivated.
"Even though everyone I work
with is older and this is their pro-
fessional career, I feel like they
respect me because of the work
that I'm able to do," Gurman said.
"They couldn't do what they do
without me, I couldn't do what I
do without them, so it's a team."
Gurman said he feels that at
this point in his career writing for
9to5Mac, he's at "the top" of his
field and is happy with the stories
he's been able to accomplish.
"It's random sometimes," Gur-
man said of his work. "It's fun,
it's fierce, it's tiring, butI love that
anything can happen at any time."
ISRAEL
From Page 1
for Israeli policy stances - col-
laborated with StandWithUS, a
non-profit educational and advo-
cacy group that promotes Israeli
interests, to bring the two former
Israeli soldiers, Ari and Lital, to
campus in order to put a "human
face" on the IDF.
"We have meetings and we talk
about all this stuff and we hold
events ... but you're thousands of
miles away from the conflict,"
Kaufman said. "But to put a face
to them, to be able to interact
with actual Israelis that live and
breathe that kind of life and pro-
vide an open forum to see what
life is like."
Talking in mixed English and
Hebrew, both soldiers only used
their first names during the con-
ference for unspecified reasons.
During their presentation, they
emphasized that they want a two-
state solution but said that Hamas,
the group that governs Gaza and is
classified as a terrorist organiza-
tion by the United States, wouldn't
grant any concessions. For the
bulk of the talk, both soldiers field-
ed questions from the audience
about the Arab-Israeli conflict.
They also told personal sto-
ries about their time in combat.
Ari, now a software engineer,
recalled a time when a paramedic
in his unit, Jonathan, was killed
during a mission to arrest a sus-
pected terrorist in the West Bank.
He claimed his friend was killed
because Israeli rules of engage-
ment dictate that soldiers can-
not shoot until they are directly
threatened.
"on the one hand you want to
stop the terrorists, on the other
hand you want to avoid as much
as possible hurting innocent civil-
ians," Ari said.
Both served in combat positions
and frequently noted the difficulty
of living under constant threat
of rocket fire. They claimed that
nearly everyone in Israel knew at
least one person who had been a
touched by terrorism.
"I can't really describe to you
what it means to be an 18-year-old
girl who goes out to a nightclub
and cannot think what to wear,
just about 'is it safe'... her mother
is at home worried sick for when
she'll be back, if she'll be back,"
Lital said.
During the question-and-
answer portion, one student
brought up a scandal the IDF
faced earlier this week that
involved an IDF soldier purport-
edly posting an Instagram photo
of a Palestinian child in the cross-
hairs of his sniper rifle. Both Ari
and Lital condemned the picture
and assured the crowd that the
IDF doesn't view all Palestinians
as the enemy.
"Ifa soldier is doing something
inappropriate in the West Bank,
it's not something that is common
or acceptable and usually that sol-
ider will be punished by his com-
manders and be judged by his
peers," Lital said.
Nick Lieber, a StandWithUs
campus coordinator, said the talks
with soldiers were started in order
to humanize IDF soldiers because
the media presented a skewed
portrait of them. The group's host-
ing of IDF soldiers last year was
met with protests by groups that
advocate for Palestine.
"It was response to disinfor-
mation about Israel in the media
during the Second Intifada, so our
mission is to educate about Israel
and about the conflict," Lieber
said. "The whole point is to put
a human face to the IDF because
people hear stories about the
Israeli army, and you never meet
the people and hear their actual
stories."
LSA junior Samia Ayyash said
she was disappointed with the
event and claimed that the former
soldiers presented a biased view of
the complex conflict and that they
dehumanized the Palestinian side.
She added that, as someone of Pal-
estinian descent, she has seen Pal-
estinian civilians beaten by IDF
soldiers and took offense to the
former soldiers referring to the
Palestinians as "terrorists."
"The Palestinian side is trying
to rid what they see as terrorist
attacks, the attacks on humanity
the attacks ontheir identity,they're
striving for civil rights for water,
for the rights to move," Ayyash
said. "There are two sides to the
conflict and one side was clearly
not acknowledged here today."
Although Ayyash was pleased
that many students came up to
her after the event to thank her
for coming and for asking critical
questions, she felt that dialogue
alone won't solve the Arab-Israeli
conflict.