4 r 4jo Ll 41 pan 4,3atig O\ 1",-f 1UN I}ICI'I?-rl'WF..NN"rY-Fo tTIt Y14% JI S () ' fAj) () LI fJ 4 f", a1 ' BOOM !p Ann Arbor, Michigan Thursday, October 31, 2013 michigandaily.com GREEK UFE Theta Xi's racialized party plans draw ire LILY ANG LL/Daily A University employee hangs lights on trees at Ingalls Mall Wednesday in preparation for the launch party for the University's next fundraising campaign, Victors for Michigan, Thousands of lights will be put up around the Diag and Ingalls Mall in anticipation of the Nov. 8 kickoff, CAMPUS LIFE SAAN talks domestic violence, Students file complaints with administration By$TEPHANIE SidENOUDA aily StafReporter An investigation has been launched into the University's chapter of the Theta Xi fra- ternity after several students filed formal complaints with the University administration regarding the fraternity's now- cancelled plans to host a party with a "ratchet" theme next Thursday. Many students of color say they were personally offended by the invitation that was sent via Facebook, complaining that it parodied Black culture and offended women, refer- ring to twerking contests, "bad bitches," gang references and repeated use of the word "ratchet." Early Thursday morning, Theta Xi members said the fraternity won't be comment- ing on the matter. Fraternity brothers were camped out on the Diag for their annual "Defend the Diag" ritual. Dean of Students Laura Blake Jones, who lodged a formal complaint with the fraternity, said the University responded immediately and took student complaints very seriously. Jones held a meeting yes- terday with the Greek Life Director Mary Beth Seiler, Interfraternity Council lead- ers and LSA senior Eric Quang, Theta Xi's president. The University also reached out to Theta Xi's national board, whose members expressed concern and are conducting their own investigation. The administration made it clear that the party will not be allowed to take place on Nov. 7, and Theta Xi's national head- quarters has determined all further social events will be suspended until their investi- gations are concluded. "It was very important that See PARTY, Page 5A County SafeHouse intern discusses types of abuse By CARLY FROMM Daily StaffReporter Social Work graduate student Krysten Gonzalez, standing in a huddled group of about 20 stu-. dents in East Quad Residence Hall Wednesday night, capti- vated the audience with a simple line: "Domestic violence does not discriminate." i Gonzilez is an intern at the SafeHouse Center, which pro- vides support for Washtenaw. County victims of domestic vio- lence. Gonzalez and a colleague led a discussion Wednesday about domestic violence and the importance of educating the community on the epidemic. The event was sponsored by the South Asian Awareness Net- work, in observation of Domestic Violence Awareness Month. The talk focused on different types of abuse - verbal, emotional, economic, sexual and physical - and how individuals can cope with abuse. "The most at-risk age group for women is ages 16 through 24, and that's a lot of undergradu- ates - even some graduate stu- dents - so it's reallyimportantto get the message out there: what this is, what you can do and what resources are available to you," Gonzalez said. LSA junior Shaina Shetty, education and outreach co-chair of SAAN, emphasized the impor- tance of a safe space for discus- sion. "The goal behind the work- shop series as a whole is to pro- See SAAN, Page 5A STUDENT GOVERNMENT CSG internship program gears up for new year DEFENSE! Interns are given opportunities not available to other freshmen in gov't By PAULA FRIEDRICH Daily StaffReporter Central Student Govern- ment's internship program is gearingup for another year. The goal of the program is* to give motivated freshmen a chance to hone their leader- ship skills, get involved quickly and have a "big picture" view of CSG. The program was cut in 2007, but Manish Parikh, then CSG president, revived it in 2012. CSG President Michael Proppe sail the intern experi- ence is something that is usu- ally only accessible through the Exegutive Commission or the General Assembly, both of which aren't open to freshmen. Proppe said the program was scaled down considerably from last year to create a more valuable experience forinterns. The program has shifted from 24 internsto eightinterns, each with an executive officer to help ease their workload. Proppe said the program also benefits interns by giving them responsibility early in their CSG careers, along with taking sdme of the research load off of himself. LSA sophomore Bryan Fred- erick said without the intern- ship program he would never have gotten involvedwith CSG. "I wouldn't know what the heck CSG is," Frederick said. "I think that's the reality of a lot of freshmen. They don't know what CSG stands for or they just don't know how to get involved." Frederick was part of last year's intern outreach team, which has since turned into a commission that he chairs. He said the intern program gave him "the guts" to do See CSG, Page SA Students participate in Theta Xi fraternity's Defend the Diag ritual Wednesday. Members of the fraternity set up couches around the Block M and had a raffle to raise money for Multiple Sclerosis research. ACADEMICS $2M Info School initiative to boost student outreach ANN ARBOR Student runs for A2council with focus on zoning reform Running with Mixed Use Party, LSA senior hopes to clinch Ward 2 By MATTHEW JACKONEN DailyStaffReporter The Mixed Use Party is shaking up Ann Arbor's Ward 2 elections this November. LSA senior Conrad Brown, running for City Council as an independent,. hopes to be a force to be reckoned with against independent incumbent Jane Lumm and Democratic challenger Kirk Westphal. Brown, along with the rest of the Mixed Use Party, bases his platform on concepts of fiscal conservatism and "classical liberalism." "We are a political party that start- ed in order to address some of these fundamental issues facing the city of Ann Arbor that in most ways our cur- rent and past city leaders have failedto address," Brown said. "We are trying to offer some real reforms to address these issues, such as reforming the See REFORM, Page 5A Funds will support service projects, global impact By JENNIFER CALFAS Daily StaffReporter With just a week left before the launch of the University's next fundraising campaign on Nov. 8, the School of Informa- tion has a new endeavor of its own. The school's Initiative for Information Impact, announced Monday, aims to establish new programs and enhance existing ones to engage more University students in information and technology related service projects. The $2-million program will sponsor proj- ects that put experience and interdisciplinary to work to improve quality of life for people around the world. Funded from a variety of outlets - including the school's general fund budget, gifts, faculty donations and fundraising - the initiative introduces a host of new pro- See INITIATIVE, Page SA .1 F' j. fl,..''.... .:sir.. WEATHER HI: 53 GOTA NEWS TIP? NEW ON MICHIGANDAILY.COM Call 734-418-4115 or e-mail The Filter: NBC's comedy conundrum TOMORROW LO: 42 news@michigandaily.com and let us know. 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