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Ann Arbor, Michigan
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
michigandaily.com
ADMINISTRATION
New chief
of UMPD
picked after
long search
Former lieutenant
Robert Neumann
has been with the
police since 1985
By WILL GREENBERG
and SAM GRINGLAS
Daily News Editors
Robert Neumann, previously a
University Police lieutenant, has
been selected as the University
of Michigan Police Department's
next chief. The appointment is
effective immediately.
According to a Tuesday press
release, Neumann was chosen
from a pool of more than 150
applicants. He has served with
the UMPD since 1985 and was one
of the original six officers to first
be sworn into the force in 1990.
He became a lieutenant in 1999.
Neumann graduated from the
Federal Bureau of Investigation
National Academy as well as East-
ern Michigan University's School
of Police Staff and Command. He
is also a Civil Air patrol captain
serving as personnel officer and
professional development officer
with the Willow Run Composite
Squadron and serves on the Ann
Arbor Transportation Authority
Accident Review Board.
"I am humbled and honored
to accept this opportunity," Neu-
mann said in a statement. "Hav-
ing worked in the department
since before it became a sworn
police agency, I've participated
in an incredible transformation
of safety and security services'at
the University. This is a wonder-
ful community in which to work."
In a statement, Eddie Wash-
ington Jr., executive director of
the Division of Public Safety and
Security, lauded Neumann's con-
tributions to the UMPD.
"Bob's years of successful
experience in working with many
campus leaders, students and
other law enforcement agencies
as well as managing several units
within the UMPD, contributed to
his strong candidacy for this posi-
tion," Washington said. "I admire
that Bob consistently provides
proven integrity and fairness to
every situation."
Neumann succeeds current
Chief Joe Piersante, who was
named chief operations officer for
See UMPD, Page 3A
Protesters gather on the Diag Tuesday to raise awareness for the recent outbreak of violence against peaceful demonstrations this past week in Venezuela
Protest exhibits solidarity
Over 100 gather
to support anti-
government efforts
in Venezuela
ByALLANA AKHTAR
Daily StaffReporter
While scores of Venezuelans
have taken to the streets of
Caracas amid anti-government
protests, more than 100 people
gathered on the Diag Tuesday
to show their solidarity with
the movement.
Last week, three people were
,killed when Vene7uelan secu-
rity forces used tear gas and
weapons to break up the street
demonstrations in opposition
to former Venezuelan President
Hugo Chavez's socialist succes-
sor, President Nicolas Maduro.
On Tuesday, security forces
arrested opposition leader Leo-
poldo Lopez. The 42-year-old
economist and Harvard Univer-
sity graduate surrendered him-
self to soldiers after delivering
a heartfelt speech that inspired
numerous demonstrations.
In response to the unrest in
Venezuela, two University stu-
dents created "SOS Venezuela,"
a Facebook event posted less
than 24 hours in advance of the
Diag rally. The event aimed to
raise awareness of the govern-
ment's violent intervention in
response to the mostly peaceful
student-led protests.
LSA sophomore Fabiana
Diaz and Engineering fresh-
man Fernando Mezquita, the
event's creators, said they felt
they needed to bring attention
to these protests since the Ven-
ezuelan government's Internet
service provider has intermit-
tently blocked the spread of
information on Twitter and
Facebook.
"With all that's been going
on, we've been watching the
news and we've been watching
the web with everything that's
been posted and we really feel
a sense of patriotism, to say the
least, that we have to do what
we can to help the situation,"
Mezquita said.
Born and raised in Venezu-
ela, Mezquita has ties to many
people still in the city and fac-
ing adversity caused by the gov-
ernment.
"I know people who have
been directly affected by what's
going on," he said. "The streets
are covered with tear gas daily,
people hear shots in the streets
at all times, there are parts of
the city that are completely
unable to be transited due to
burning cars, militia, guards
just blocking the. It is total
chaos at this point."
Diaz said the protest was
successful in bringing the issue
to the University community's
attention and spurring dia-
logue.
"I think the event created a
lot of awareness, not just for the
University students, but in gen-
eral," she said. "I think these
voices that were heard today
are going to keep carrying on;
See PROTEST, Page 3A
BUSINESS
BBQ eaterie
to fill empty
space along
E. Liberty
Tomukun Korean
BBQ to connect to
established noodles
restaurant next door
By CHRISTY SONG
Daily Staff Reporter
Empty since March, the space
vacated by the Grand Traverse
Pie Company will house a new
eaterie by April.
Tomukun Noodle Bar busi-
ness partners Renee Jin, Scott
Meinke and Thomas Yon plan
to open a Korean barbeque res-
taurant on East Liberty Street.
The new restaurant, named
Tomukun Korean Barbecue, is
tentatively scheduled to open in
April.
"Korean barbecue in general
is more of a communal expe-
rience," he said. "It's a place
where you go with a few of your
See EATERIE, Page 3A
GOVERNMENT
Dingell talks
wildlife refuge
significance
ALEX GALEL/Daiiy
Barbara Ransby, a professor of Gender & Women's Studies and African American Studies & History at the University
of Chicago, speaks during a sit-in for racial justice in the Shapiro Undergraduate Library Tuesday.
Sit-in calls for racial justice
across Unive rsity system____
Congressman hails
University's 10-year
partnership with
ecology group
ByALLANAAKHTAR
Daily StaffReporter
The longest-serving mem-
ber of Congress visited campus
Tuesday to commemorate the
University's 10-year partner-
ship with the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service and the Detroit
River International Wildlife
Refuge.
Rep. John Dingell (D-
Mich.) joined alumni, faculty
and students from the School
of Natural Resources and the
Environment in the Dana
Building for a press conference
to laud the collaboration's suc-
cess.
The event was prompted by
the Detroit River IWR's recent
hiring of Catherine Dennis, a
SNRE alum. Dennis will join
three other SNRE alumni hired
by the Detroit River IWR inthe
last 10 years.
The speakers at the con-
ference included SNRE Dean
Marie Lynn Miranda, SNRE
Prof. Bob Grese and John Har-
tig, Detroit River IWR refuge
manager.
The University's partnership
with the Detroit River IWR
began, just three years after the
project first commenced. The
SNRE also partners with the
Detroit River IWR for graduate
training by sending students to
the site to do field-based work
and using the Detroit River
IWR's resources to teach criti-
cal concepts in landscape archi-
tecture.
The Detroit River IWR is
the only international wildlife
refuge in North America and
one of the major metropolitan
wildlife refuges in the country.
See WILDLIFE, Page 3A
Students occupy alumni and students converged
on the Shapiro Undergraduate
UGLi to raise Library Tuesday night.
The sit-in was hosted by the
awareness UCRJ, which ran from 8 p.m.
to 8 a.m., featured free food,
By CAROLINE BARON speeches, student-organized
Daily StaffReporter teach-in sessions, hip-hop per-
formances, film screenings and
The United Coalition for action planning. It concluded
Racial Justice's "Speak Out" Wednesday morning with cof-
sit-in event continued the cam- fee and breakfast.
pus discussion on the Univer- The evening opened with an
sity's racial climate as speakers, introduction by former Uni-
versity President James Dud-
erstadt and a keynote speech
from University alum Barbara
Ransby, a professor of history
and African-American studies
at the University of Chicago.
Ransby, a scholar and activist,
led several movements on cam-
pus while earning her doctor-
ate in History at the University,
including a 12-demand reform
package advancing racial diver-
sity and inclusiveness. These
See JUSTICE, Page 3A
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