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