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michigandaily.com
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Tuesday, September 23,2014
JOB. PLEASE
ADMINISTRATION
Committee
calls for
diversity
initiatives
AMANDA ALLEN/Dally
Engineering Graduate student Rohan Puranik speaks with a company representative at the Engineering Career Fair hosted by the Society of Women
Engineers and Tau Beta Pi at the Duderstadt Center Monday.
SENATE ASSEMBLY
Schlissel talks emergency
response at faculty senate
Faculty outline
recommendations to
better campus climate
in report to provost
By ALLANA AKHTAR
DailyStaff Reporter
After the University's Black
Student Union called on the Uni-
versity last year to take steps
toward building a more inclusive
campus, the Office of the Provost
is starting the school year with
a new set of recommendations
to foster diversity and improve
campus climate.
The Office of the Provost
released reports Sept. 16 from
three faculty-led committees,
including the Committee on
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
The report contained 13 recom-
mendations designed to build a
more diverse student body and
faculty, create a welcoming cam-
pus climate for minority students
and establish programs to help
members of the University com-
munity recognize and address
instances of discrimination.
The committee consists of
11 faculty members from eight
schools and colleges, plus one
graduate student, one under-
graduate student and two staff
members. The committee was
convened by University Pro-
vost Martha Pollack in Decem-
ber 2013, shortly after the BSU
launched their #BBUM Twitter
campaign. The committee met
on weekly basis through last May
to gather data and compose a
plan to address issues related to
diversity.
In an announcement in Janu-
ary, Pollack pledged to address
several of the BSU's demands,
including the allocation of funds
for a renovation of the Trotter
Multicultural Center.
The committee's new recom-
mendations include creating a
strategic plan for diversity, form-
ing a committee to study the
experiences of faculty members
of color and forming partner-
ships with school districts to
improve the pipeline of minor-
ity students to the University's
freshman class.
See DIVERSITY, Page 3
President calls for
administrative
transparency
By EMILIE PLESSET
Daily StaffReporter
As he continues to adjust to
his new role, University Presi-
dent Mark Schlissel turned to
the faculty and staff in a ques-
tion and answer session as he
addressed the University Sen-
ate Assembly on Monday.
Before opening the floor for
questions, Schlissel expressed
his desire for cohesive and
transparent leadership among
staff and faculty.
After the brief gun scare in
the Chemistry Building earlier
this month when a student in
the NROTC was seen carrying
a benign gun-shaped training
device, many faculty and staff
expressed concerns about gun
safety on campus.
Schlissel said while a simi-
lar situation will probably not
happen again, there is always
a concern that as a large public
center, the University could be
a target for outside violence.
In response to the incident,
University administrators will
take part in an exercise to dis-
cuss the chain of command and
response procedures during
various gun violence scenarios.
In a report by The Michigan
Daily, several faculty members
voiced concern about wheth-
er they would be capable to
respond to this situation appro-
priately.
See SACUA, Page 3
* ENTREPRENEURSHIP
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direct
preneu
iversity alumni that Center's growth in the last
six years reflects the growingcul-
pired to pursue ture of entrepreneurship in Ann
Arbor.
siness ideas as He wrote that its location in
the Duderstadt Center is twice
undergrads as big as its original location, and
added that these offices are "rap-
ICHAEL SUGERMAN idly" reaching capacity.
Daily StaffReporter "We are always looking for
more spaces we can use to facili-
higan has been called the tate student entrepreneurial
Mitten - and an integral activity," Frank wrote.
of that glove's stitching is In the past three years, he said
rbor. the Center for Entrepreneurship
dent organizations tout has had over 6,800 undergradu-
reneurial spirit abound atesenroll in its entrepreneurship
nely MPowered, optiMize program. In the same time, more
Hacks - and administra- than 140 "business concepts"
cilities and programs, like have been identified - and more
nter for Entrepreneurship than 20 of these each year work
snovate Blue, foster start- with TechArb to further develop
as and passion, providing their ideas.
ces that turn those con- As far as continuing to expand,
nto realities. Frank wrote that the Center has
n outside the University, been working with places like
p enthusiasm is every- Ann Arbor SPARK to provide stu-
Incubators and consulting dents with more space to learn
like TechArb, Ann Arbor and explore.
K and Menlo Innovations University alum Bill Mayer,
high demand - the former SPARK's vice president of entre-
ven partner with the stu- preneur services, said Ann
through Innovate Blue. Arbor's demographics are condu-
ther, the introduction of cive to the recent boom of innova-
esai Family Accelerator tion.
gust marked a strength- "I really enjoy the fact that not
ffort to cater these valu- only is Ann Arbor a well-educat-
ervices to parties outside ed city, but it's a nice-sized town,"
niversity, expanding both Mayer said.
reneurial drive and the He added that many compa-
sity's influence beyond nies headquartered in states more
enaw County. well-known for entrepreneur-
Frank, the executive ship, like California, plan to open
or of the Center for Entre- offices in Ann Arbor to continue
rship, wrote in an e-mail See STARTUP, Page 3
AMANDA ALLEN/Dail
LSA senior Cooper Charlton, Student-Athlete Advisory Committee president, speaks at the Wolverine Support
Network social media launch in the CSG chamber Monday.
Ss o new mental
health support network
OBITUARY
Professor
remembered
for personal
engagement
Pierre T.Kabamba
passed away Saturday
afterbattlewithcancer
By STEPHANIE SHENOUDA
DailyNewsEditor
Students and faculty in the
aerospace engineering depart-
ment are mourning the loss of a
teacher and colleague after Prof.
Pierre T. Kabamba lost his battle
with lung cancer Saturday, Sept.
20. He was 59 years old.
Kabamba came to the Univer-
sity in 1983 after receiving his
undergraduate degree in Belgium
and his doctorate from Columbia
University. In the winter of 2013,
Kabamba visited the doctor for
what he thought was pneumo-
nia, only to discover he had stage
4 lung cancer, which forced him
to stop teaching. His health was
reportedly improving and Kabam-
ba was scheduled to teach two
classes this term, before decid-
ing in late August that his health
wouldn't allowit,
Kabamba taught Introduction
to Aerospace Engineering and an
advanced design course involving
space and aircrafts. Additionally,
he did research in controls design
and scheduling operations, and
addressed problems associated
with spacecraft.
Prof.Dan Inman, the Aerospace
Engineering department chair,
said he worked with Kabamba at
the beginning of his career and
even offered him his first job at
See OBIT, Page 3
New initiative aims
to help students
maintain mental
wellness
By TANAZ AHMED
Daily StaffReporter
An array of student lead-
ers gathered in the Michigan
Union Monday for the launch
of the Wolverine Support Net-
work, a University-wide peer
support program designed to
improve mental health.
The initiative aims to help
students work through their
issues with WSN student lead-
ers in weekly meetings, which
are set to begin in January. In
addition to weekly meetings,
the network will also host
events on Fridays that will
focus on community building
and mental health education.
The support network was
one of the main initiatives that
CSG President BobbyDishell, a
Public Policy senior, based his
platform on during last year's
student government elections.
"The number one place stu-
dents turn to for a personal
issue is their friends," Dishell
said during the launch. "How-
ever, there is currently not a
space where this is encouraged
or facilitated. That's why we
came together to really create
this... Our mission statement
is that we empower University
of Michigan students to create
a community to support each
other's mental health."
CSG worked with the Uni-
versity's Counseling and Psy-
chological Services to create
the program. CAPS will train
WSN student leaders through
a three-day retreat as well
as consultations with CAPS
staff throughout the semes-
ter. Applications for students
interested in becoming WSN
leaders will be available Oct.
22.
"I think it holds a promise
of a wonderful idea to help
complement all the other
things on- campus around
mental health," CAPS Direc-
tor Todd Sevig said. "Some of
that is CAPS, some of that is
our Department of Psychiatry,
some of that is the Depres-
sion Center... I really want to
promote the idea of peer edu-
cation, peer support, friends
helping friends and I think
Wolverine Support Network
holds the promise of that."
See CSG, Page 3
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