E-H Llfan Iai )N(1;4 c l I -WNY-I L L SOFL)T ) X.HIFj O 1. Ann Arbor, Michigan Thursday, January 17, 2013 michigandaily.com CAMPUS LIVING East Quad to offer inclusive living spaces upon opening NICHOLAS WILLIAMS/daily Republican Guv. Rick Snyder delivered his third State of the State address, which did riot include references to recently passed right-to-work legislation. Gov hopef Pine eS c Open Housing Initiative works with 'U' to create new program By AARON GUGGENHEIM Daily StaffReporter Almost four years after LSA senior Amy Navvab successfully pushed the Open Housing Ini- tiative, University Housing has announced plans to start a gen- der-inclusive living community in East Quad Residence Hall for the fall 2013 semester. The Gender Inclusive Living. Experience will allow students who identity as transgender, gen- der non-conforming or as allies to choose a roommate of any gender and live with a community of like- minded individuals. University Housing spokesman Peter Logan said Housing would reserve 12 beds for the communi- ty next fall and would work with the Spectrum Center to review applications to live in GILE. Navvab, chairwoman of the Open Housing Initiative, said she became involved when she real- ized that studdnts who did not identify with the gender binary and who wanted alternative housing options could only find a comfortable living situation in Northwood Housing. "It was something that was unjust," Navvab said. After work with both the Open Housing Initiative and the Spec- trum Center Advocacy Board, students submitted a petition to University Housing to explore more options for gender inclusive housing in 2008. Jackie Simpson, the direc- tor of the Spectrum Center;said the petition sparked a conversa- tion between University Housing and student groups like Central See INCLUSIVE, Page SA State of the State building replete with Michigan State Police officers to hear Sny- addresses Mich. der deliver his third State of the State address. economic recovery Snyder, a University alum who delivered the 2011 Spring By STEVE ZOSKI Commencement speech, said he Daily StaffReporter remains committed to reinvent- ing Michigan through tough As hundreds of warmly decision-making and sacrifices dressed protesters filled the that will leave a better state for steps of the Michigan State future generations. Capitol Building Wednesday He said the 2000s were a night, legislators gathered in a disparaging , decade where a shrinking Michigan lost 750,000 jobs. He said his administration has responded to such dark days and as a result have seen higher incomes, an increasing population and an improving housing market. Snyder recalled a chart he has in his office displaying a history of Michigan's percent- age of the U.S. income. He told legislators he laments that the number went down from 5.25 percent to 2.5 percent between 1965 and 2009 but added that his policies have put the state on a new path. "Our role in the national economy reduced by more than half in thoseyears,but it started to come up again," Snyder said. "We've been coming up the last two or three years, but I don't want us to go back down again and just say it was another blip." Snyder said he's committed to keeping the state growing See SPEECH, Page SA PUBLIC HEALTH Deadly flu season hits United States hard Influenza H3 leads this flu season has proven to be Eden Wells, clinical associate more life-threatening than any professor of epidemiology, to four deaths in other flu in recent U.S. history, said to the circulating flu is not . claiming 20 deaths among considered to be a pandemic, Michigan children as of Jan. 14, four of though such an event is always SHE DIDN'T START THE FIRE 1 1 which occurred in Michigan. By MICHELLE The flu vaccination, which GILLINGHAM is in short supply nationwide, Daily StaffReporter covers three strains: Influenza AH3N2, AH1N1 and Influenza nny noses, muffled coughs B. Another strain of the B virus chy pains are back - flu has been found in Michigan - it n has arrived on campus. is not, however, affected by the minated by Influenza H3, vaccine. a possibility. "Right now we wouldn't expect the strains that are currently circulating that are covered by the vaccine to cause us any problems in terms of a pandemic," Wells said. "Influenza always has a See FLU, Page5A Rur and a seasot Dot SUSTAINABILITY * Energy-saving competition ends with S. Quad victory PAUL SHERMAN/Daily LSA freshman Cristina Shoffner analyzes sand and leaves for the University's Biological Station Wednesday at Nadelhoffer Laboratory to better understand soil degradation caused by forest fires. ONLINE EDUCATION Public Health prof. leverages social media through Youu be channel Six-week program encourages dorms to unplug By STEPHANIE SHENOUDA Daily StaffReporter After ' much anticipation, the results of the 2012 Kill-a- Watt competition have been announced, and the students of South Quad Residence Hall came out on top. Kill-a-Watt is a six-week campus-wide effort to reduce the amount of energy used in residence halls. The University has saved thousands of dollars as a result of the energy con- served through this competi- tion, which began in' winter 2010. LSA freshman Lania Robin- son, a South Quad community adviser, said members of the residence staff sent out e-mails and posted flyers to spread the word and encourage students to participate. "I personally just tried to be a little more conscious of the energy that I used," Robinson said. "I would unplug my lap- top if it was fully charged and turn off-my lights and my desk lamp."' Robinson said although the contest format didn't person- ally motivate her to partici- pate, she felt it created needed awareness about energy con- servation. LSA junior Tara Wells, a South Quad resident adviser, said she encouraged her resi- See COMPETITION, Page SA In six months, page has 30,000 video views By JENNIFERCALFAS Daily StaffReporter A piano sets a beat as a hand holding a marker appears in front of a blank whiteboard. A voice comes in. "Are the Olympics bad for your health?" it asks. The voice belongs to Andrew Maynard, the director of the University's Risk Science Center and professor at the School of Public Health. In the first video in his YouTube series "Risk Bites," Maynard narrates the five riskiest sports in the Olym- pics. Nearly six months after the video's creation, Maynard has more than 800 subscribers and more than 30,000 overall video views on his YouTube chan- nel. Maynard said he hopes his series will make his expertise in risk science available for public access. "I was intrigued to discover when there was some way of See YOUTUBE, Page SA WEATHER HI: 34 TOMORROW LO 30 GOT A NEWS TIP? NEW ON MICHIGANDAILY.COM Call 734-418-4115 or e-mail Alumni Seth Gold, of reality TV fame, is profiled. news@michigandaily.com and let us know. MICHIGANDAILY.COM/BLOGS INDEX NEWS .........................2A SUDOKU. . ......... 2A V61. 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