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Ann Arbor, Michigan
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
michigandailycom
STUDENT GOVERNMENT
Polls open
for student
government
elections
student prays before the Central Student Government meeting begins in the Rogel Ballroom at the Michigan Union Tuesday.
D ivest resolution r
CSG proposal
voted down after
extended public
comment period
By WILL GREENBERG and
KRISTEN FEDOR
Daily News Editor and
Daily Staff Reporter
After hours of discussion
and debate, the Central Stu-
dent Government reversed the
indefinite postponement of the
controversial divestment reso-
lution and subsequently voted
to not pass it in a 25-9 vote with
five abstentions early Wednes-
day morning.
Hundreds of students lined
the second floor of the Michigan
Union and entered the Rogel
Ballroom on a first-come, first-
served basis Tuesday evening,
and more than 2,000 viewers
watched CSG's live-stream of
the six-hour-long event. Uni-
versity Police regulated the
large crowd that formed both
inside and outside the Union
and organized the crowds to
line up on State Street. Students
allowed into the meeting were
given tickets and encouraged
not to leave the room once they
entered. When the meeting
began, the number of people in
the room exceeded its 375-per-
son capacity. An additional 200
students were seated in the
nearby Pendleton Room as an
overflow space.
On March 18, many mem-
bers of SAFE and its support-
ers attended the CSG Student
Assembly meeting to advocate
for a proposal to encourage
the University to divest from
certain companies allegedly
involved in human rights viola-
tions against Palestinians. After
the CSG assembly chose to post-
pone the vote indefinitely, SAFE
and its partners staged an indef-
inite sit-in in the CSG chambers
and formed "calls for account-
ability," asking CSG to make
amends for what SAFE viewed
as its poor handling of the situ-
ation and to bring the proposal
to a full vote.
The sit-in garnered atten-
tion across campus leading up
to Tuesday night's meeting.
This week, individuals both
supporting and opposing the
divestment resolution attended
in significant numbers. SAFE
representatives and members
of the 36 student organiza-
tions that have pledged support
for the resolution spoke to the
assembly about the proposal.
Students who spoke against the
resolution did not identify with
specific organizations, but were
See DIVEST, Page 3A
With revised election
codes, candidates to
face strict guidelines
for two-day event
By KRISTEN FEDOR
Daily StaffReporter
With recent rule changes to an
already strict election code, Cen-
tral Student Government presiden-
tial candidates will need to remain
cautious during the next two days
after the CSG election polls opened
at midnight Wednesday.
Changes to Article VI of the
CSG compiled code have increased
the severity of consequences for
all levels of infractions. Demerits
are assigned at the authority of the
University Election Commission
to individual candidates or parties
based on violations of the code.
In the past, demerits did not
affect a candidate until five demer-
its were accumulated, at which
point that candidate would be
removed from the election. If a
party received 10 demerits, the
entire party would be disqualified.
Under the new code, each demerit
results in a 3-percent deduction of
total weighted votes in the elec-
tion.
The UEC now also has the
power to issue an official warning
instead of a demerit. The warning
does not carry any penalty like a
demerit does.
One of the minor infractions
that a warning has been used for
was the absence of several candi-
dates at the mandatory candidates'
meeting that took place Feb. 27. A
violation at this level usually calls
for one to two demerits to be issued
to the individual candidate.
Prior to the hearing, Law stu-
dent Bryson Nitta, election direc-
tor, said the precedent of issuing
a warning for this offense was a
likely possibility.
"The way that we're approach-
ing this is with an awareness that
there can be big consequences
down the road that might not be
commensurate with the prob-
lem that arises when a candidate
doesn't come to the meeting," he
said.
The results of the March12 UEC
hearing regarding these infrac-
See ELECTIONS, Page 2A
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Racing team
launches new
motor vehicle
MRacing celebrates
latest innovations
at Crisler Center
By MICHAEL SUGERMAN
Daily StaffReporter
An army ofstudents wearing
khakis, brown shoes and blue
button-downs embroidered in
maize with "MRacing" on the
front, stood smiling around
their preliminarily finished
product Tuesday evening: a
Formula SAE race car.
The unveiling of the team's
MR-14 car came in the Col-
lege of Engineering-sponsored
program's 28th year and after
nearly 10 months of work
designing and manufacturing
this year's vehicle.
The event, held in the Junge
Family Champions Center at
Crisler Center, celebrated the
completion of this process. In
the presentation, College of
Engineering Dean David Mun-
son spoke about the location's
significance.
"Right here, adjacent to
Michigan Stadium ... it is a
perfect setting to recall the
oft-repeated phrase from our
legendary football coach, Bo
Schembechler: 'The team,
the team, the team,"' he said.
"MRacing is successful year
after year because talented and
generous individuals dedicate
themselves to the team."
Munson spoke of the state-
of-the-art engineering facili-
ties that allowed students to
create a Formula SAE car. He
complimented the "creative
community" of "bright minds"
and innovative problem-
solvers" spanning from all
disciplines of campus that con-
tributed to the project.
Engineering senior Joe
Martin, MRacing team cap-
tain, said the main issue this
year's team faced in building
its car was to improve its aero-
dynamics package.
This package, he said, has
three main physical compo-
See RACING, Page 3A
Detroit Emergency Financial Manager Kevyn Orr speaks about the future of urban governance in Detroit during the
Policy Talks sponsored by the Ford School of Public Policy in the Michigan Union Tuesday.
Detroit EM Orr discusses
bankruptcy, public service,
BUSINESS
Ice cream
shop to open
on W. Liberty
this summer
Blank Slate Creamery
influenced by natural
flavors, ingredients
By CHRISTY SONG
Daily StaffReporter
As Ann Arbor continues to freeze
over, anew ice cream shop is getting
ready to add a little more chill - this
summer, at least.
Blank Slate Creamery, an ice
cream store offering 24 flavors, is
expected to open in June at the cor-
ner ofFirst Street and West Liberty.
Among the offerings, Blank Slate
Creamery will accommodate vegan
customers with four flavors of sor-
bet. Other options include blueberry
and prickly pear, as well as creamier
flavors, such as Tahitian vanilla,
blueberry pancake, white chocolate
raspberry swirl chip, pistachio and
mocha almond fudge.
Blank Slate founder Janice Segler,
a University alum, said she wants
to keep all ingredients natural and
locally sourced. For example, Guern-
sey Farm in Lansing will supply the
See ICE CREAM, Page 3A
Restructuring, during a visit to the University
'Tuesday.
urban governance During the address hosted
by the Ford School of Public
take center stage Policy and titled "The Future
rm rs of Detroit Urban Governance,"
inremarks Orr spoke of his intentions to
propose financial measures that
By AMRUTHA SIVAKUMAR would address blighted neigh-
Daily StaffReporter borhoods and insufficient pub-
lic services.
Exactly one year after Orr, who graduated from the
becoming the role of Detroit's University with a bachelor's
emergency financial manager, degree in political science in
University alum Kevyn Orr dis- 1979 and a law degree in 1983,
cussed the city's restructuring said unlike his prior experi-
ence representing Chrysler
and other large corporations in
bankruptcy filings, developing a
plan to restructure Detroit also
required improving the city's
level of services.
In chronological fashion, Orr
explained how he first became
involved with the city of Detroit.
He said while he initially felt he
should turn down the job after
being offered the position, a
commitment to service moti-
vated him to take the job.
"Are you willing to step out-
See ORR, Page 3A
WEATHER H{I 43
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