4be 1J6id gan i aiF c n I I )\r It 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 issue statement WEATHER HI:42 TOMORROW LO:26 GOT A NEWS TIP? Call 734-418-4115 ore-mail news@michigandaily.com and let us know. 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