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Ann Arbor, Michigan

Tuesday, September 2, 2014

michigandailycom

ADMINISTRATION
Students
aid in new
president's
transition

MCKENZIE BEREZIN/Daily
Engineering freshman Caleb Glover speaks with LSA Junior Ashley Burnside, chair of the LGBT Issue Commission, at Gayz Craze at Palmer Field on Sunday.
Gayz Craze ShOWS support
for LG Qcommunity

Schlissel met with
campus leaders to
discuss leading issues
on campus
By MICHAEL SUGERMAN
Daily StaffReporter
The Michigan Daily ia publiahing
an article each day this week to cover
the start of UniversityPresident Mark
Schlissel's first semester. He will be
formally installed as the University's
14thpresident duringa day ofinaugu-
ration festivities Friday.
Familiarize yourself with cam-
pus; meet new people; move to a new
home in a new city. Apparently, the
experiences of a new president and
a first-year student are not so differ-
ent.
Since starting his new job in mid-
July, Schlissel has been busy prepar-
ing for the school year. In the last
few weeks, he has met with a group
of student leaders and opened his

home to University students and
parents for introductions, pictures
and ice cream.
E. Royster Harper, vice presi-
dent for student life, said both
August gatherings demonstrate the
president's desire to be visible and
involved in student activities.
"I think he is going to continue
that tradition of being engaged with
students," Harper said at the Aug. 28
open house. "He's been really clear
(about that)."
Schlissel launched the initia-
tive to improve his administration's
relationships with students with a
small roundtable of representatives
from the University's largeststudent
organizations on Aug. 20.
Organizations present included
Central Student Government, the
Black Student Union, The Michigan
Daily, Hillel and Students Allied for
Freedom and Equality.
CSG President Bobby Dishell,
a Public Policy senior, said Schlis-
sel's newness has been a key driver
behind his push to engage with stu-
dents. He added that student leaders
See SCHLISSEL, Page 3A

An
a

nual event draws munity for LGBTQ students and
their allies.
rray of student Organizations, performance
groups, faith groups and students
organizations gathered on Palmer Field, cre-
ating a showcase of resources,
By EMMA KERR support and acceptance for the
Daily StaffReporter LGBTQ community on campus.
The event, which had a theme of
rz Craze returned to cam- "M Go Pride," included free food,
or another year Monday music and volunteers ready to
mote education and com- direct and inform students.

LSA junior Michael Bourke,
organizer of this year's Gayz
Craze, said both incoming and
returning students can enjoy
and benefit from both University
and student-run resources, and
one of the goals of Gayz Craze
is to introduce students to these
opportunities.
"We want this to be a gateway
to them to show that this Uni-
versity is inclusive and provides

resources to students that need
them. It's sort of a Festifall tar-
geted toward LGBTQ resources.'
In its seventh year, Gayz Craze
drew a variety of performance
groups including EnCore, Sina-
boro, Amazin' Blue, Dance 2XS,
funKtion and Michigan Sahana.
LSA senior Michelle Jendry,
a volunteer for the event, has
attended Gayz Craze since her
See CRAZE, Page 3A

Gay
pus f
to pro


STUDENT GOVERNMENT
Shiokar steps
down from
VP position

CSG vice president
resigns to undergo
medical treatment
By SHOHAM GEVA
Daily StaffReporter
LSA junior Meagan Shokar,
Central Student Government
vice president, announced in
a statement Friday afternoon
she would be stepping down
from her position in CSG.
Shokar was elected last
winter by the student body,
along with her presidential
running mate, Public Policy
senior Bobby Dishell, for the
2014-2015 academic year.
The statement, released on
social media, cited an injury
and resulting treatment plan
as the reason for the decision,
and thanked the student body
and University administration
for their support during her
time in CSG, as well as Dishell
for his understanding.
In an interview Saturday,
Shokar said she is disappoint-
ed to be stepping down from

the role, but wants to ensure
her replacement can be fully
dedicated to the role's respon-
sibilitiesboth interms of time
and physical ability to get the
job done, which she said she
is unable to do at the moment.
"At this point, I'm taking
my life back to basics," she
said. "And that means classes,
and my treatment, and there's
not really much else I can do
right now."
Both Shokar and Dishell
indicated in a separate social
media announcement that
they would like to see LSA
senior Emily Lustig succeed
Shokar. Lustig was a co-chair
of Make Michigan, the party
Dishell and Shokar ran with
in the CSG elections. She has
also served as the chair of
the CSG Campus Safety and
Security Commission for two
years.
"She's always cared about
CSG, especially about the stu-
dents in general, in so many
ways and so much," Shokar
said. "She's just an extraordi-
nary leader, and I've just been
See VP, Page 3A

School of Education Senior Jon Nafso waits for LSA senior Arhum Shahab totake his place to battieat the UMOJA festi-
val hosted by the Black Student Union on Sunday in the Diag.
SFest encourages
campus cultural,, awareness

SCIENCE
Professor
appointed to
lead research
consortium
Committee on Space
Research selects
Fisk as group's first
American president
By IAN DILLINGHAM
Daily News Editor
As tensions continue to escalate
following the United States' and
European Union's economic sanc-
tions against Russia, the scientific
community appears immune to the
effects.
Engineering Prof. Lennard Fisk
was elected president of the Com-
mittee on Space Research at its 40th
assembly in Moscow this August,
making him the first American to
hold the position. He isthe Thomas
M. Donahue Distinguished Univer-
sity Professor of Space Science.
Fisk will serve a four-year term
as head of the organization, which
facilitates international scientific
cooperation in space research.
Historically, a European member
has served as president while one
American and one Russian member
have filled the two vice president
See RESEARCH, Page 3A

Student orgs. join
forces to highlight
campus diversity
By NEALA BERKOWSKI
Daily StaffReporter
University students were given
a taste - and sight and sound - of
other cultures Monday at UMOJA
Fest, a day-long event dedicated
to promoting cultural awareness
through traditional food, music,
and dance.
Several student organizations

dedicated to cultural awareness,
including the Black Student Union,
the South Asian Awareness Net-
work, the Native American Stu-
dents Association, the Michigan
Latin Assembly and the Persian
Students Association, collaborated
to provide an opportunity for stu-
dents to see cultural diversity on
campus firsthand. The event fea-
tured free food, drinks, dance per-
formances and carnival games, and
was open to all students and mem-
bers of the Ann Arbor community.
The Swahili word "umoja"
translates to "unity," reflecting the
partnership of these groups in put-

ting this event together. BSU Vice
Speaker Geralyn Gaines, an LSA
senior, said the UMOJA Fest is a
way for students to become more
culturally aware.
"It's really easy togetlostinyour
own sheltered community," Gaines
said. "Just to open up your eyes
and to see maybe I should try this
food, or this dance looks really cool,
maybe I should talk to somebody
about it, or just to give people an
opportunity that they may not have
had otherwise during Welcome
Week."
LSA senior Parisa Soraya, presi-
See UMOJA, Page 3A


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INDEX
Vol. CXXIV, No.129
©2014The Michigan Daily
michigondaily.com

NEW S .......................2A SUDDKU......... ...... NONE
OPINION.....................4A CLASSIFIEDS.......... NONE
ARTS......................7A SPORTSTUESDAY.........1B