The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Friday, February 21, 2014 - 3
SAPAC director addresses regents From Pge
Privacy of sexual
misconduct victims
the focus of recent
discussions, op-ed
By AUSTEN HUFFORD
Online Editor
Holly Rider-Milkovich,
director of the University's
Sexual Assault Awareness and
Prevention Center, spoke to the
University's Board of Regents
Thursday about SAPAC's role in
the community.
In her speech, Rider-Milkov-
ich lauded the University's deci-
sion to keep details of sexual
misconduct inquiries private,
possibly referring to former
kicker Brendan Gibbons' case,
which resulted in his permanent
IFC
From Page 1
hol awareness, so we feel they
can manage those Tier II parties
much more easily," Wydra said.
"I have absolutely no plans to
expand it to Tier II or Tier IIICs."
Proppe said the amendment
will help improve safety at the
larger parties.
"The nice thing about a Tier II
party is you know who is going
to be there and so it's a little bit
more of a controlled environ-
separation from the University.
"I am also proud that this
University has withstood tre-
mendous pressure and not
revealed private student con-
cerns and private student infor-
mation," Rider-Milkovich said.
"From my national leadership
role I believe that it was the
right choice to make."
In January, the Daily report-
ed that Gibbons had been per-
manently separated from the
University in December 2013
for violating the Student Sexu-
al Misconduct Policy in 2009.
Despite national media atten-
tion, the University has refused
to release information about the
case, citing federal privacy laws
and University policies. Experts
told the Daily some information,
including the outcome of sexual
assault proceedings, can legally
be released. Gibbons was never
charged with a crime.
In an op-ed written by Rider-
Milkovich that was published
in The Detroit News Wednes-
day, she wrote that while trans-
parency in how the University
deals with sexual misconduct is
important, respect for student
privacy takes precedence.
"The unintended chilling
consequence of publicly sharing
student information may mean
fewer reports and less safety
for everyone," Rider-Milkovich
wrote.
She also wrote that a report
on the University's handling of
instances of sexual misconduct
will be released in the fall.
At the meeting, Rider-
Milkovich discussed how
changes in the sexual miscon-
duct policy led to a marked
increase in reporting. Following
changes in federal guidance, the
University changed its policy
to an investigative model under
which the University investi-
gates all allegations of student
sexual misconduct. An interim
policy began in 2011 and the final
policy took effect in August.
There were fewer than five
allegations of sexual assault or
sexual harassment reported
yearly to the University in 2009
and 2010. In contrast, there
were 68 sexual misconduct alle-
gations reported in 2011 and
75 in 2012, according to Rider-
Milkovich.
"I am glad that these numbers
have risen dramatically," she
said. "These speak to an increase
in the effectiveness of our sex-
ual misconduct policy and an
increase in the belief among our
student body that the University
of Michigan has the policies in
place to be able to address these
issues effectively."
ment," Proppe said. "At a Tier III
party that's open to students who
are not necessarily a part of the
Greek organization, it's harder to
control and hold people account-
able."
Kinesiology junior Elive
Likine, a member of the Pi Kappa
Alpha fraternity, better known as
Pike, said the policy might do the
opposite of its intention.
"I think it's going to turn into
people pre-gaming harder and
drinking faster in preparation
because they'll know they won't
be able to have it at the party,"
that SAD is most common in
women and in people between 15
and 55 years old.
According to a research report
by John Greden, professor of
psychiatry and clinical neurosci-
ences, 4 to 6 percent of people
have "full-blown" SAD and 10 to
20 percent of Americans exhibit
some symptoms. Greden serves as
the executive director of the Uni-
versity's Comprehensive Depres-
sion Center.
People suffering from SAD
often report feelingsluggish, slow
or unmotivated. Other symptoms
include drowsiness, weight gain
and craving carbohydrates as a
way to increase energy.
Hays said SAD is primarily
trigged by diminished exposure
to sunlight, not cold tempera-
tures.
"Some people are particu-
larly sensitive to changes in the
amount of sunlight, so when
there's less sunlight people feel a
lot worse," she said.
She added that the times of
year when SAD tends to take hold
and then taper off-- mid-October
and mid-March, respectively -
are also high-stress times for stu-
dents, which can make it hard to
pinpoint exactly what contributes
to the seasonal change in mood.
Light therapy is the most
effective way to combat depres-
sion caused by a lack of natural
sunlight. At the University, light
boxes are available for use in the
CAPS Wellness Zone and can also
be purchased for personal use..
People who are susceptible to
bipolar disorder should refrain
from exposing themselves to too
LSA
From Page 1
in every field, so if it ends up being
that you can't change, there's a lot
that you can do just because you
learned how to learn."
LSA junior Kendall Johnson,
LSA-SG vice president, added
much light late in the day, as this
can lead to hypomania or inter-
ruptive sleep. Generally, using
a light box for 20 minutes in the
morning three or four times a
week is recommended.
Another common treatment is
using a dawn simulator, an alarm
clock that mimics the rising sun.
Greden also cited antidepres-
sant medication and exercise as
a treatment for SAD. Because
limited amounts of sunlight can
slow down biological clocks and
delay sleep and hormone cycles,
a combination of light therapy
and prescribed medications can
be particularly effective in some
cases.
Hays said students who think
they might be affected by SAD
can go online to see if their symp-
toms meet the criteriaand explore
treatment options.
"Some of the initial treatment
recommendations can be done
without seeing a mental health
professional, but you won't know
whether or not you actually have
SAD without somebody giving
the proper diagnosis."
Because CAPS is a free service
for students, it generally does not
diagnose specific mental condi-
tions and therefore does not track
numbers of students who report
being affected by specific condi-
tions. However, the number one
reason students seek assistance
at Counseling and Psychological
Services is for issues with anxiety.
Depression is second.
The University's Comprehensive
Depression Center is located in the
Rachel Upjohn Building at 4250
Plymouth Road. The center can be
reached at 1-800-475-6424 or 734-
936-4400.
that having the alumni panelists
from a variety of backgrounds
and interests added to the event's
success.
"I think we had a pretty diverse
panel of people, especially people
who took untraditional pathways
and ended up somewhere differ-
ent than they thought they would
before," Johnson said.
Likine said. "Some people just
don't like beer. When you prevent
something like this, I feel like it
will end up blowing up in their
own face."
As for enforcement, Wydra
said the Social Responsibility
Committee - a group of Greek
members who enforce current
SEMP policy - would be able to
take on the amendment.
"When SRC comes they hit
the bathroom, they hit the
bar, wherever people are SRC
goes and checks," Wydra said.
"They're going to be interacting
with guests at these parties and
randomly checking three to five
guest IDs. As long as there is no
hard alcohol, it will be ok."
Wydra added that he believes
the amendment will be accept-
ed without much controversy
among members of Greek Life.
"Once every Greek member
completely understands the pol-
icy they will be on board with it,"
Wydra said. "It's a lot different
if the Greeks think we're taking
away something just to take away
something rather than doing it
with good intentions."
INCLUSION
From Page 1
organizer.
About 20 BAMN supporters,
with signs in hand, filled the
room with chants of "Open it up
or we'll shut it down."
The BSU members present nei-
ther participated in the chants
nor spoke during the public com-
ments section. LSA senior Tyler
Collier, BSU president, said the
BSU has a different agenda than
the BAMN movement.
"We have a good relationship,
but we do want to differentiate
the agendas," Collier said. "We
want to achieve the 10 percent
demand; we don't think affirma-
tive action is necessary."
Coleman also recognized
that minority students face dif-
ficulties on campus, alluding to
several incidents of racial bias,
though not pointing to any spe-
cific events. In the fall, the Uni-
versity's chapter of the Theta Xi
fraternity was sanctioned by the
University for planning a party
that many viewed as racialized.
The event's description made use
of gang references, and students
who were invited said it paro-
died Black culture and referred to
women in offensive ways.
Beginning in November, mem-
bers of the BSU reinvigorated
discussion of campus climate
through the #BBUM campaign,
a Twitter movement that allowed
Black students to share their
experiences on campus.
On Martin Luther King, Jr.
Day, BSU members protested out-
side Hill Auditorium, announcing
their #7demands initiative, which
called on University administra-
tors to respond promptly to sev-
eral key issues facing progress
toward diversity on campus.
In a meeting with BSU leaders
on Jan. 24, the University pro-
posed to grant the Trotter Mul-
ticultural Center $300,000 for
renovations while continuing to
look for a space closer to Central
Campus for a future building.
After the regents meeting, Col-
lier said BSU representatives will
again meet with administrators
Friday. He added that he has been
pleased with the dialogue with
University officials thus far.
Before the public comments
section, Regent Shauna Ryder
Diggs (D) lauded the BSU stu-
dents for their work on bring
important issues to light.
"I wanted to thank the leader-
ship of the Black Student Union
for their leadership role in try-
ing to improve the experience
of all the students on campus,"
she said. "That is really the way I
view this."
Later in the meeting, the
regents voted to approve the
appointment of a new adminis-
trative position, associate vice
president for enrollment manage-
ment.
The position was first alluded
to by University Provost Martha
Pollack in a Jan. 16 e-mail sent to
the University community.
In an interview with the Daily
on Monday, E.Royster Harper,
vice president for student life,
said one of the biggest issues is
not difficulty finding qualified
students, but persuading those
students to choose the University.
"They've been admitted to
other schools that they perceive
as more prestigious - Yale, Har-
vard, Princeton - or the financial
aid package, or the merit pack-
age that we provide is less com-
petitive than some of the other
schools," Harper said.
The next day, in another inter-
view with Daily, Coleman said
the new position would strength-
en the connection between the
Office of Financial Aid and the
Office of Admissions.
"What we would like to do is
find a closer alliance between
admissions and financial aid,"
Coleman said. "One of the things
that we think is very very impor-
tant is that those positions work
closely together because one
of the things that may have an
impact on students accepting us
is how quickly they find outabout
financial aid or how we package
the financial aid. So this enroll-
ment manager will have the abil-
ity to look at both of those two
essential parts of this student
attraction process as well as focus
on the recruitment of underrep-
resented minority students."
Coleman said the position
will be filled after a nationwide
search, and added that the com-
mittee is "on track" to fill the spot
by this fall.
In her address, Coleman said
the University's commitment to
diversity will not waver as the
campus strives to confront chal-
lenges of inclusion and access.
"We have work to do, all of us,
together. We need to recognize
the societal factors that affect
our public institution; we need
to work within the law and with
respect to a wide variety of opin-
ion and belief," Coleman said.
"But Michigan has long been a
place where these hard conver-
sations have led to new ideas and
new energy."
IT'S FRIDAY,
Friday,
GOTTA GET DOWN ON FRIDAY!
LOOK, YOU ALREADY READ THE
PAPER, SO TREAT YOURSELF TO A
LITTLE NETFLIX, MAYBE SOME Z'S
YOU WORKED HARD THIS WEEK
AND NOW IT'S TIME TO TUNE THE
WORLD OUT AND RELAX
AND WHEN YOU'RE READY TO
COME BACK TO REALITY, CHECK
THE DAILY'S TWITTER
@MICHIGANDAILY
BUILDING
From Page 1
which Ecology Prof. Deborah
Goldberg, chair of the Depart-
ment of Ecology and Evolution-
ary Biology, said would facilitate
the shipping and receiving of lab
supplies.
After construction is complet-
ed, the Department of Molecu-
lar, Cellular and Developmental
Biology and the Department of
Ecology and Evolutionary Biol-
ogy will be transferred into the
new space. Both units are cur-
rently located in the Edward
Henry Kraus Natural Science
Building, which was built in 1915.
Goldberg said the Kraus
building is no longer capable
of supporting contemporary
research and the large number
of researchers within the depart-
ments.
"It is pretty hard to do modern
science in a building that is close
to a hundred years old," Gold-
berg said.
LSA junior Madeline Bersch-
back said the new building will
provide a common space for biol-
ogy majors to collaborate.
"The most exciting part is that
all the biology classes will be in
the same place and we won't have
to be running from building to
building," she said. "I think the
best part of this is it will create a
really nice sense of community."
Architecture firm Smith-
GroupJJR - a firm used fre-
quently by the University - has
been chosen to design the proj-
ect.
The University's Reserve Offi-
cers' Training Corps program,
which had occupied North Hall
for more than half a century, has
been relocated to the Chemistry
Building. Once construction is
complete, the ROTC will move
to the current Kinesiology Build-
ing, and the School of Kinesiolo-
gy will be relocated to the Kraus
Building.
Plans for the demolition of
North Hall and the Museums
Annex will be formally proposed
later this year as part of the five-
year plan to complete the project.
Both biology departments are
expected to be fully relocated to
the new facility by 2019.
Ross additions, renovations
approved
Following the receipt of a
$200 million donation from real
estate mogul and University
alum Stephen Ross in September,
the regents moved ahead with
putting the money to use.
Entirely funded by gift funds,
including $100 million from the
Ross donation, the project will
renovate the older portions of the
Business School. Plans include
exterior finishes to Sam Wyly
Hall and the Hill Street Park-
ing Structure, renovations of the
Business Administration Execu-
tive Dormitory and an addition
to the Kresge Business Adminis-
tration Library.
The plans also call for
the construction of a new,
104,000-square-foot academic
building. To open up space for
the new building, the Computer
and Executive Education Build-
ing will be demolished.
Conceived to create a cohesive
look for the business complex,
the $135 million project will also
create additional research offic-
es, classrooms and study spaces,
plus larger space for admissions,
financial aid and recruiting func-
tions.
President's House renova-
tions approved
The only remaining building
from the campus' original 40
acres, the historic President's
House will soon receive $1.3 mil-
lion in infrastructure improve-
ments and interior cosmetic
upgrades.
The renovation project will
replace the flat roof surfaces,
two heating, ventilation and air-
conditioning units, repaint exte-
rior areas, repair wood, masonry
and stucco, and renovate three
bathrooms and a second floor
kitchenette. The fire detection
and alarm system will also be
replaced.
The building's last major reno-
vation occurred in 2002, before
University President Mary Sue
Coleman moved in. During
Thursday's meeting, Tim Slot-
tow, executive vice president and
chief financial officer, said this
type of project is best complet-
ed when no one is living in the
house, making the presidential
transition the ideal time to com-
mence the renovation.
The project will be funded by
investment proceeds and con-
struction is expected to conclude
before University President-elect
Mark Schlissel moves to Ann
Arbor this summer.
Next major phase in Resi-
dence Life Initiative moves
forward
As renovations at South Quad
Residence Hall wrap up this
summer, the University will
set its sights on West Quad and
Cambridge House during a two-
year renovation.
While schematic designs
were approved last year, the
regents voted Thursday to seek
bids for construction on the
370,000-gross-square-foot resi-
dence hall that is home to 1,100
students.
At a cost of $114.5 million, the
University will convert West
Quad's dining hall into a commu-
nity and practice space, with din-
ing services relocated across the
street to the new Central Campus
Dining Center in South Quad. The
renovation will also update bath-
rooms, windows, heating, cooling
and plumbing.
Schematic designs were
approved last year and construc-
tion will be completed by summer
2016.
I