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Ann Arbor, Michigan
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
michigandaily.com
GREEK LIFE
Sorority
displaced
after fire in
AGD house
Ca
LEFT: LSA sophomore Fatima Chowdhury holds a sign during the Central Student Government meeting that moved to the Michigan Union's Rogel Ballroom
after CSG chambers reached capacity. TOP RIGHT: Only standing room was available in the CSG chambers. BOTTOM RIGHT: Students protest after the CSG
meeting was adjourned Tuesday.
Hundreds rly osupport
CS entreso lution
Representatives vote
21-15 to postpone
Final vote on the issue
By GIACOMO BOLOGNA
Daily StaffReporter
Several hundred students
gathered Tuesday night to
support a Central Student
Government resolution that
would call on the University to
divest from companies alleg-
edly involved in violating Pal-
estinian human rights. CSG
voted to indefinitely postpone
the resolution after the large
number of attendees forced
the body to move the meeting
to the Rogel Ballroom of the
Michigan Union - the largest
meeting space available.
Shortly after the vote to post-
pone a final decision on the res-
olution, the crowd pressed up
against the stanchions dividing
the room and chanted "Divest"
at the CSG members for several
minutes. The assembly moved
to adjourn the still in-progress
meeting and most members
left, but.the crowd continued to
chant and later re-formed on the
steps of the Union, where more
than 100 students listened to
speeches and chanted.
Students Allied for Freedom
and Equality, one of the major
sponsors of the protest, specifi-
cally called for the University to
divest from United Technolo-
gies, General Electric, Heidel-
berg Cement and Caterpillar.
The group alleges that these
companies do business with the
Israeli military and supply some
of its equipment.
Knowing the divestment res-
olution was on the table, Dean
of Students Laura Blake Jones
attended the meeting and noted
the strong sentiments of stu-
dents present.
"I will absolutely be meet-
ing with students," she said in
an interview after the meeting.
"We'll move forward from here
See DIVESTMENT, Page 3A
B'
Af
Delta
day m
buildi
signif
age. T
Th
menti
about
found
the 16
floor
scene.
fire ou
flame
AAFE
nifica
the se
Fir
scene
exten
know
Kevin
ruse of accident tion Bureau is currently investi-
gatingtthe cause of the fire.
has yet to be All 63 residents were able to be
evacuated unharmed and many
determined spentthe rest of the night in near-
by Greek Life-affiliated houses,
y WILL GREENBERG according to University spokes-
Daily News Editor man Rick Fitzgerald. He said it
is unclear where the residents
fire at the Alpha Gamma will be staying moving forward
sorority house early Tues- but said the dean of students will
torning displaced all of the be involved in helping find a per-
ng's residents and caused manent solution. A press release
icant fire and smoke dam- from the AAFD said the Red
'here were no injuries. Cross will also provide assistance
e Ann Arbor Fire Depart- to displaced residents.
responded to a fire alarm at Fitzgerald said the fact that there
2:30 a.m. and firefighters were noinjuriesislikelyatestament
smoke coming from one of to the practice of fire-drills, add-
rooms on the house's third ingthat the chapter did everything
when they arrived on the right to ensure everyone's safety.
.They were able to put the Alpha Gamma Delta's national
ut quickly and contained the organization is coordinating tem-
s in one room. However, the porary housing for the sorority
reported that there is sig- sisters, Fitzgerald said. The local
nt smoke damage on both chapter met Tuesday evening to
cond and third floors. find a place for them to say but no
efighters remained on the representatives were available for
until 6 a.m. and the full commenton details of those plans.
t of the damage is not yet The lnterfraternity Council
n. AAFD Battalion Chief declined to comment Tuesday
Cook said the Fire Preven- morning.
THURNAU SERIES
Chemist draws
inspiration from
the very basics
Professor Anne
McNeil reflects on
her work thus far
By ALLANA AKHTAR
Daily Staff Reporter
To explain why she loves
her field, Chemistry Prof. Anne
McNeil, who is also an assistant
professor of macromolecular sci-
ence and engineering, pulls up a
picture of a kitten calmly sitting
on top of a 4000-degree flame,
protected only by an inch-thick
surface over the torch. The kit-
ten survivesbecause the surface,
RTV 615, has properties that
allow it to absorb high levels of
heat without transferring it.
Many people, after finding out
only the basic facts of why the
kitten is safe, are satisfied enough
by the answer to move on with
their lives. But such an answer
was not enough for McNeil. She
wanted to know the reasoning
behind what exactly gave the
surface such properties, down
to the last atom. This constant
urge to ask "Why?" may be one
of the qualities that factored into
McNeil's selection as one of this
year's recipients of the Arthur F.
Thurnau Professorship, which
recognizes faculty for outstand-
ing contributions to undergradu-
ate education.
McNeil has taught at the Uni-
versity since 2007. She received
her undergraduate degree from
the College of William and Mary
and went on to earn a Ph.D. in
chemistry from Cornell Univer-
sity and a post-doctorate degree
in polymer chemistry from the
Massachusetts Institute of Tech-
nology.
As a child, McNeil was a
self-proclaimed "total nerd"
and dabbled in many scientific,
fields. To understand physics,
she would pour water down her
driveway and observe how it
moved through the crevasses in
the gravel. Interested in earth
sciences and sustainability, she
wrote her grocery lists on hand-
made paper made of dryer lint.
She satisfied her fascination with
animals by housing pets such as
hamsters, chameleons and gold-
fish.
See THURNAU, Page 3A
RENOVATIONS
New bio
building to
increase
lab space
Modern facility will
replace aging Kraus
and Ruthven offices
By TOM MCBRIEN
Daily Staff Reporter
As plans for more campus
construction are finalized, Uni-
versity biology researchers look
forward to migrating from their
nearly century-old buildings to
new facilities better equipped for
modern research.
The E.H. Kraus Natural Sci-
ences Building and Ruthven
Museums Building, both of
which are almost a century old,
house researchers in the depart-
ments of Molecular, Cellular and
Developmental Biology, as well
as Ecology and Evolutionary
Biology, which includes depart-
ments in the Museum of Natural
History.
The age of these buildings
pose both infrastructural and
design problems to the research-
ers assigned to those laboratory
spaces -- problems that should
See BUILDING, Page 3A
Joshua Miller, director of undergraduate studies, introduces the English Department's Open Mic Forum regarding
racial tensions in Angell Hall Tuesday.
English s ents examine
classroom r acial Climate
Faculty aimed to
gather perspectives
to improve teaching
By WILL GREENBERG
Daily News Editor
Efforts to improve the racial
climate on campus contin-
ued Tuesdlay as the '£glish
Department hosted al loper-
mic event to kick off a new
effort to enhance diversity in
the classroom.
Hosted by English Prof.
Joshua Miller and graduate
student group Integrating
Diversity and Equality in the
Academy, the event brought
together undergraduate and
graduate English students
with faculty in the department
to identify and loo for solu-
tiOS toIrr' s ir:: udirg racial
bias and sensitivity.
About 45 attendees gathered
in an English Department lec-
ture room in Angell Hall where
students were given an oppor-
tunity to discuss experiences
they had in English classes in
regards to their race. Partici-
pants were also given a chance
to contribute to the discussion
through anonymous submis-
sions before and during the
See ENGLISH, Page 3A
the
Detroit
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