The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Wednesday, January 29, 2014 - 3A
GIBBONS
From Page 1A
privileges would be revoked.
An additional OSCR docu-
ment signed by Vander Velde
and dated Nov. 20, 2013, stated
that it was determined by the
University that a preponderance
of evidence supports "a finding
that the Respondent engaged in
unwanted or unwelcome con-
duct of a sexual nature, commit-
ted without valid consent, and
that conduct was so severe as
to create a hostile, offensive, or
abusive environment." The Daily
has been told that the respondent
referred to in this letter is Gib-
bons. Complainants in this case
are not identified in the docu-
ments reviewed by the Daily.
Dave Ablauf, an associate ath-
letic director and spokesman
for the Athletic Department,
declined to comment, noting that
it was the first time it had been
suggested to him that Gibbons
was permanently separated.
"We can't comment on any-
thing that involves private stu-
dent matters in terms of student
academic standings or University
standing," Ablauf said.
University spokesman Rick
Fitzgerald said he could not
comment on Gibbons' academic
record because of the Family
Educational Rights and Privacy
Act.
Gibbons could not be immedi-
ately reached for comment.
Permanent separation is a very
rare sanction in OSCR proceed-
ings. In the latest OSCR data from
the 2011-2012 academic year,
there were zero permanent sepa-
rations. The Statement of Stu-
dents Rights and Responsibilities
states that "some behavior is so
harmful to the University com-
munity or so deleterious to the
educational process" that it may
result in expulsion, among other
possible sanctions.
The Daily is not aware of any
criminal charges pending against
Gibbons. OSCR operates inde-
pendently of the criminal justice
system.
Investigators in the Univer-
sity's Office of Institutional
Equity, which reviews internal
complaintsofsexualassault,work
with alower standard of evidence
than that of criminal prosecutors,
who must prove that a defendant
is guilty beyond a reasonable
doubt. OIE may presume that a
respondent engaged in alleged
conduct if there is a "preponder-
ance of evidence" against the
individual. This standard states
that a respondent is responsible if
there is enough evidence to sug-
gest a complaint is more likely
true than not.
If OIE investigators find a
respondent to be responsible for
alleged conduct, OSCR officials
determine what sanctions, if
any, will be leveled against the
respondent. According to Vander
Velde's letter to him, Gibbons
met with OSCR officials on Dec.
4, 2013, to discuss OIE's findings.
It's unclear why sanctions
were not decided in this matter
until recently. Revised University
policies regarding sexual miscon-
duct may have forced officials to
internally review or re-review the
allegations. The updated policies,
which have been in effect since
2011, state that any allegation of
sexual misconduct received by
the University must be investi-
gated.
Reports made to officials other
than those at the Sexual Assault
Prevention and Awareness Cen-
ter, Counseling and Psychologi-
cal Services and the Office of
Ombuds are not considered con-
fidential and are expected to be
investigated by OIE. The partici-
pation of survivors in sexual mis-
conduct cases is not required for
the disciplinary process to take
place. Other individuals or Uni-
versity officials may report alle-
gations.
A permanent separation would
render an athlete ineligible to
participate in any NCAA event.
Michigan coach Brady Hoke said
at a Dec. 23 press conference that
Gibbons didn't travel to Tempe,
Ariz., for the Dec. 28 Buffalo Wild
Wings Bowlbecause he was deal-
ing with a family matter at home.
Ablauf, the Athletic Depart-
ment spokesman, said he is
unable to comment as to whether
Hoke was referring to the perma-
nent separation.
Earlier, on Nov. 30, 2013, Gib-
bons sat out the football team's
regular-season finale against
Ohio State after team officials
said he suffered an undisclosed
muscle injury in the week leading
up to the game.
"He's a little iffy," Hoke said
on Dec. 16. "He's kicking a little
bit. But I don't want to over-kick
him. I've never been a kicker,
so I can't imagine that (muscle)
problem. So he's a little iffy."
Hoke assumed the position
of head coach in 2011, after
the incident is alleged to have
occurred.
Though it's not clear what
Gibbons' career plans are,
Vander Velde's letter noted that
he might be obligated to inform
future schools or employers
of the sexual misconduct case
in order to comply with those
organizations' respective poli-
cies. The letter advises Gibbons
to "make this disclosure in the
future as appropriate and in a
manner that authentically rep-
resents the behavior for which
you have been found respon-
sible."
Gibbons is fourth in made
field goals in Michigan history
and owns the program record
for consecutive successful extra
points with 141.
OBAMA
From Page 1A
Magill, president of Young Amer-
icans for Liberty, opposed gov-
ernment interference in higher
education, particularly in provid-
ing student loans. He said loans
push tuition increases.
"If you make their cost afford-
able, if you continually give peo-
ple money so that they can pay a
certain price, colleges can raise
their prices," Magill said.
Obama reiterated many issues
explored in his previous address-
es, representing overarching pol-
icy objectives from his term that
he has not completed yet.
Michael Heaney, assistant pro-
fessor of organizational studies,
said it is common for second-term
presidents to address issues that
may only be favored by one party.
"Especially in the president's
second term, especially in a
country that's highly divided,
especially when the president's
approval rating is below 50 per-
cent, it's very difficult for the
president under those circum-
stances to get cooperation from
Congress," Heaney said. "Under
these types of conditions, presi-
dents usually look more toward
things they can do unilaterally."
Obama called for action on
income in equality, announcing
an executive order that will set
the minimum wage for work-
ers under new federal contracts
at $10.10, a $2.85 increase from
the current rate of $7.25. Accord-
ing to an Obama administration
fact sheet, the executive order
will cover workers who are per-
forming services or constructing
buildings.
Luke Shaefer, assistant profes-
sor of social work, said this mini-
mum wage bump would affect
a small group of new federal
employees. However, it has the
potential to have a far-reaching
effect.
"Even if the president's mini-
mum wage increase for federal
contractors is on the whole more
of a symbolic gesture rather than
one with concrete policy effect,
it is possible that it will cause a
chain reaction to increase activity
across states," Shaefer said.
In Michigan, this change is
already underway - a coalition of
organizations called Raise Michi-
gan announced a push Monday to
create a ballot question in Novem-
ber addressing an increase in the
minimum wage.
Dingell said raising the mini-
mum wage was necessary to fos-
ter economic growth.
At the College Democrats'
watch party, members of the stu-
dent organization said minimum
wage discussion was the most
pertinent element of the speech.
Lee said a rising minimum wage
will benefit college students.
"The majority of college stu-
dents work at least part-time jobs
to support themselves," she said.
"With current costs of attend-
ing an institute of higher learn-
ing, raising the minimum wage is
going to really make college more
accessible."
LSA freshman Benjamin
Meisel, freshman chair of the
University's chapter of the Col-
lege Republicans, said Obama's
support of a higher minimum
wage would inhibit growth in
small business.
"We should be encouraging
growth, not stifling it," Meisel
wrote in an e-mail.
Obama also announced the
creation of six more private-pub-
lic research partnerships in 2014.
He added that connecting busi-
nesses and research universities
and creating research hubs are
key to securing high-tech manu-
facturing jobs in the U.S.
The aspiration aligns with
that of the University's Michigan
Mobility Transformation Center,
a $100 million government-indus-
try partnership. Similar to tech
hubs that Obama pointed out, the
Center aims to mark Ann Arbor
as "the first American city with
a fleet of networked, driverless
vehicles."
Another facetofthe president's
approach to Congress came in
his stance on climate change.
Andrew Hoffman, professor of
natural resources and environ-
ment, said there has been a shift
in the president's rhetoric when
discussing environmental issues.
"He's going to get things done
through legislative action or
through other means, but he's
going to follow his agenda with
or without Congress," Hoffman
said.
The president touched on for-
eign policy at the conclusion of
his address, emphasizing that
the United States will remain
invested in Iraq and Afghanistan,
despite all American troops being
withdrawn from the region.
"The fact is, that danger
remains," Obama said. "While we
have put al-Qaida's core leader-
ship onsa path to defeat, the threat
has evolved, as al-Qaida affiliates
and other extremists take root in
different parts of the world."
-Daily Staff Reporters
Michael Sugerman and Jack Tur-
man, and Daily News Editors Ian
Dillingham and Rachel Premack
contributed to this report
COFFEE
From Page 1A
trix, a fungus that mainly attacks
coffee leaves. Pale yellow rust-
like spots will appear on the
leaves of infected coffee plants,
which will then lose their leaves
entirely and die from defoliation.
A disease that ravaged South
Asia during in the 19th century,
coffee rust had not been a sig-
nificant threat to Latin Ameri-
can plantations until late 2012.
Due to reasons not yet under-
stood by scientists, it killed
thousands of coffee trees in the
region, resulting in immense
economic losses.
Vandermeer said spraying
fungicide and removing the
plants' sources of shade are
the two most common ways
to fight the disease in Latin
America. However, both solu-
tions create serious problems
that may result in harming the
complicated ecological sys-
tem.
"Fungicide functions by kill-
ing any kind of fungus directly,
and here's the problem: The dis-
ease is caused by a fungus, but
there are also several other kinds
of fungi that would kill this fun-
gus," Vandermeer said. "So you
kill the bad fungus and the good
fungus at the same time when
using the fungicide."
He added that White Halo
fungus is one of these "good"
fungi that can help control the
disease but is being killed inad-
vertently due to human behav-
ior.
Additionally, abandoning tra-
ditional shade-growing tech-
niques will not stop coffee rust
dispersion. Accordingto Vander-
meer, it actually does the oppo-
site.
He explained that the tra-
ditional plantation in Central
America creates a canopy of
shade for coffee, which resem-
bles a forest system in its com-
plexity.
"But people are removing the
shades, thinking that if they get
the coffee outto the full sun, then
the fungus will stop growing,"
Vandermeer said. "But we know
as a fact that it does not work. In
fact, you get more fungus when
you have them in the sun instead
of the shade."
Exposure to sunlight does
not kill the fungus, but the
shade will lead to less wind,
which is how the fungus
spreads, according to Vander-
meer.
The ecologist provided his
recommendations for fight-
ing the disease: to continue
research on the fungus, return
to shade-growing techniques
and "definitely stop using fun-
gicide."
However, Vandermeer added
that out that these solutions
could face difficulties because
they run counter to the inter-
ests of fungicide sellers.
"They run around telling
people, 'What you need is fun-
gicide.' It was the same thing
with pesticide and our food
system. And most farmers get
their information from sales-
people."
MAYOR
From Page 1A
Working as a transactional
lawyer, Taylor believes he has an
ability to work well with people in
opposition to one another. Since
his election to the City Council
in 2008 - when he defeated Ste-
phen Kunselman (D-Ward 3),
another current councilmember
now running for mayor - Taylor
has focused on a few key issues
in preserving Ann Arbor's char-
acter while still being open to
innovation.
"Ann Arbor is a place where
there is tremendous opportuni-
ty but there is also a value in its
character," Taylor said. "It will
be important that the next mayor
focuses on transportation, stabil-
ity and trying to ensure that we
have the kind of modest growth
that will enable us to attract and
keep young people in the city."
While Hieftje has yet to
endorse any candidate, Taylor's
voting history is very similar to
the mayor's.
Councilmember Sally Peters-
en (D-Ward 2) categorized the
candidates as being in support or
opposed to the mayor's policies.
Petersen, in contrast to Taylor,
is an infrequent supporter of the
mayor. She attended Williams
College and Harvard Business
School and has been on the City
Council for more than a year.
Although she and Kunselman
have been in agreement on many
of the issues that have appeared
in the City Council over the past
year, Petersen said their person-
alities differ greatly.
"He seems to be at odds with
the mayor quite a bit," Petersen
said. "Steve and I actually tend
to vote very similarly, but it's
not because I'm voting against
the mayor, it's because I really
believe in the issue. His tempera-
ment is very different from mine
- I like to consider myself very
diplomatic and collaborative. He
likes the argument."
While Petersen is currently
a stay-at-home mom, her back-
ground includes a focus on busi-
ness and customer concerns,
traits she said are highly trans-
ferable to the position of mayor.
Although Petersen and Taylor do
not seem to be in agreement on
all past City Council issues, she
identifies herself as beingsimilar
in personality to Taylor, citing
the recent decisions in the pedes-
trian crossing ordinance.
"With Chris Taylor, I think
our temperaments are very simi-
lar. He tends to vote more like the
mayor and he tends to have avery
idealistic approach, which I will
say is not always the most prag-
matic approach," she said.
Petersen addressed concerns
relatingnto her lack of City Coun-
cii experience relative to other
candidates.
"There may be a concern that
I've only been on Council for over
ayear nowbut I love Ann Arbor,"
Petersen said. "If I am elected
mayor, I will have had twice the
experience as the current mayor
when he was elected."
The fourth candidate, Coun-
cilmemberSabraBriere (D-Ward
1), said her years of experience on
the City Council and her years
spent focusing on the concerns
and opinions of citizens makes
her the best mayoral candidate.
"I am open to working with
people with whom I disagree,"
Briere said. "That means that I
have learned from people from
all over this community who
start the conversation telling me
what I'm doing wrong, and leave
the conversation knowing they
have been listened to. And I have
been told that is unique from all
of the other people running."
When it comes to the Univer-
sity, each councilmember hopes
to establish strong relation-
ships with the school in spite of
some competing interests. As for
expandingcampus outward, Ann
Arbor residents often voice con-
cerns that their traditional, fami-
ly-based neighborhoods could be
in danger of a student takeover.
"It is not, however, because of
the people in the building," Bri-
ere said. "But for many people,
their shorthand is we don't want
students because what they are
really saying is we don't want
beer pong, and I can understand
that."
The expanding University has
increased tensions with the city,
reducing opportunities for tax
revenue in Ann Arbor amidst
downsizing within the citygiven
the recent economic environ-
ment.
"The University is not con-
cerned about students; they are
concerned about the University,
and the University includes their
physical plant, what they build,
where they build it," Briere said.
"It includes their athletic activi-
ties, it includes maintenance of
the existing physical plant and
it includes their various revenue
sources, but it's not about the city
and the students."
Kunselman echoed similar
views, addingthat the University
tends to operate like a business
enterprise.
Kunselman, an Ann Arbor
native and University alum,
said he's disappointed with the
political insincerity and dishon-
esty he said he has witnessed in
Ann Arbor. He said he hopes to
restore a sense of trust in local
government, which will, in his
opinion, translate to a more posi-
tive relationshipbetween the city
and the University.
"You're not goingto get a dime
from the 'U.' There's already a lot
of existing collaboration between
the University and the city so
there's not much more that you
can do there. But what has been
missing is trust," Kunselman
said. "The University has a very
high standard for reputation, so
if the government is not trusted,
why would they want to be in the
same room with it?"
In regards to his only loss in
his six runs for City Council,
Kunselman said his and Taylor's
politics and personality still dif-
fer for this election.
"Thatgrudge is still outthere,"
Kunselman said. "There is a con-
tingent of people that feel they
are better than the rest of us."
As a University employ-
ee, Kunselman has a unique
approach to University and city
relations. He has also empha-
sized his intentions to make Ann
Arbora more fiscally responsible
and practical city.
"Local government has con-
tracted in the past few years,"
Kunselman said. "It's going be
a slow road to get back some of
that because obviously govern-
ment finance is much more con-
strained than it has been in years
past."
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PROFESSOR
From Page 1A
the University's English Depart-
ment, said he was thrilled when
he heard of Mattawa's induc-
tion.
"His reputation is stun-
ning and growing all the time,"
Schoenfeldt said. "In particu-
lar as a Libyan intellectual, he
is able to use poetry to connect
experiences across continents
brilliantly."
Cultural diversity is an impor-
tant characteristic of the Acad-
emy's Board of Chancellors,
Benka said.
"As a national organization,
we want to make sure we are
being counseled and advised by
poets who come from very dif-
ferent places across the country,"
Benka said.
Mattawa said he is most look-
ing forward to personally meet-
ing his fellow chancellors, whose
works he has known for a long
time.
"I am for poetry that tries
to make the language new and
that tries to make the language
accommodate new ideas and new
concepts," Mattawa said. "It's my
desire to let people know that
poetry is a place where they can
grow as individuals, and they can
learn to begin imagining a better
world."
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