6A - Monday, November 3, 2014 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com 6A - Monday, November 3,2014 N CW S The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Demands on MWireless see 'U' upgrading Wi-Fi Business senior Amber Blanks and LSA senior Canon Thomas celebrate their crowning as Ms. Maize and Mr. Blue at Black Homecoming Saturday. Black Homecoming honors student leadership, impact 15th annual event assumes 'Harlem Renaissance' theme By PARISHA NOVA For the Daily Inside the Michigan Union's Rogel Ballroom, participants in the annual Mr. Blue contest were asked a series of questions. "If you could tell yourself something at any age, what would you tell yourself?" one organizer asked. "I would go to a time when 'I was younger and tell myself about trying, attempting and being courageous, never having fear, never having regrets, about living my dreams to the fullest," LSA senior Canon Thomas said. "Because when I put forward my passion and mytenacity I will be successful." Thomas would go on to win Mr. Blue, which is awarded to one student who is making a positive difference in their community. Mr. Blue is just one part of the celebrations associated with the annual Black Homecoming, held Saturday evening. Organized by the student groups H.E.A.D.S. - Here Earning a Destiny through Honesty, Eagerness, and Determination of Self - and Sister 2 Sister, "Resurgence: The Harlem Renaissance" was the theme celebrating the 15th annual semi-formal event, which. also included an official after- party that nightin the Biomedical Science Research Building. Kinesiology senior Fitz Tavernier, H.E.A.D.S. chairman and president, wrote in an e-mail interview that the event's theme was meant to highlight African American art, music and dance during the 1920s. "It represented a time period that fosters black pride and uplifting of race through the use of intellect," he wrote. Tavernier also wrote that the crowning of Mr. Blue and Ms. Maize at Black Homecoming, an honor historically bestowed on two members of the senior class, was meant to highlight students who "made strides to enhance the school community, bring about social awareness, while also achieving high academic success." Participants in the competition went through an elaborate application process, which included writing several essays. Throughout the event, votes were taken and the winners of the titles were announced toward the end of the event. Business senior Amber Blanks, who won this year's Ms. Maize title, said the contest is about being a leader who can make a positive impact in the community. It is also about being recognized by peers in the community for one's contributions. In addition to celebrating the achievements and contributions of current students with the Mr. Blue and Ms. Maize titles, organizers aimed for Saturday's event to increase the depth and breadth of student involvement in creating positive changes across campus and the greater community. Read the rest of this article online at MichiganDaily.com Current $3.6 million project phase to be completed by Summer 2015 By MAYA KALMAN Daily StaffReporter This past weekend marked a significant milestone in the ongoing Campus Wi-Fi Upgrade Project. As of Saturday at 3 p.m., all Wi-Fi access points in 19 pub- lic buildings were transferred over to an updated system in order to improve the experience of those using wireless networks on campus.' In recent years, students, fac- ulty and staff have experienced slow Internet connections while using MWireless, the primary wireless network on campus, due to both increased traffic on the networks and increased usage of technologies that take up a large amount of the Wi-Fi bandwidth. Wi-Fi, which uses unlicensed spectrum, can be used by anyone with an enabled device, causing high traffic volumes in the small bits of bandwidth allocated to Wi-Fi. Andrew Palms, executive director of the University's Com- munications Systems and Data Centers, compared heavy traffic to having multiple people talk at once. "From a technical perspec- tive, that's like four of us all talk- ing at the same time," Palmssaid. "All of a sudden it doesn't work and you can't understand any- one because we're all talking at once. If you take all four of us and you separate us out 100 feet and then we start talking, some- body could understand each of us individually. That's a lot like what unlicensed spectrum is. If you have a lot of folks who are implementing Wi-Fi and they're all implementing it and talking at the same time, it creates a bad situation." The core problemis that Wi-Fi can only run on three small bits of spectrum, which are now becoming overcrowded. "It's like oceanfront proper- ty," Palms said. "There's only so much of it." The increased use of wireless devices on campus over a short period of time is a major driver of the problem. From January 2012 to January 2013, the number of devices connecting to MWireless has nearly doubled, according to Patricia Giorgio, marketing com- munication specialist senior at the University's Information and Technology Services.As aresult, ITS has struggled to stay in front of that growth. "The wireless was fine and suitable for the amount of devic- es students, faculty and, staff were bringing on campus at the time it was built. But the prob- lem is, we've all become more of a digital population," Giorgio said. "The more people that try to connect to an access point, the slower the traffic will move and the performance of the wireless becomes degraded." This problem extends past the University to large institutions across the country. The problem has been exacer- bated by interruptions to the net- work by other Wi-Fi networks on campus. The use of personal hotspots and wireless printers that broadcast their own sig- nals interferes heavily with the MWireless enterprise network. This effectexplains why the Uni- versity requeststhat students not set up their own access points in their dorms. Another contributor to the problem is the change in how devices are used. Specifically, the increase in video streaming has been a huge driver of the chal- lenges. "The biggest bandwidth hog, so to speak, is streaming video," Giorgio said. "And, as you know, students, faculty and staff are all doing a lot more with streaming video. So it's not only the num- ber of devices, but it's the type of devices." Finally, the problems are greatest in buildings with older wiring and electronics, which further slow the network. In the face of these prob- lems, which were identified by students, University Provost Martha Pollack and ITS have developed the Campus Wi-Fi Update Project. The project, which began last year, aims to increase the quality of the wire- less network on campus by both increasing the number of access points in buildings and by raising the spectrum at which the net- work runs. The priority placed on this project was raised dramatically directly in response to student requests, Palms said. And other facultymembers agreed. "I hear from students it's water, food and Wi-Fi - that's what they want, maybe not even in that order," said Susan Pile, director of the Michigan Union and the Center for Cam- pus Involvement. "I think Wi-Fi enables students to, certainly, have an enhanced academic experience, but from a student life perspective, it's really part of your Michigan experience." Using the wireless network has not been a seamless activity previously. The goal of the proj- ect was to improve the experi- ence in heavily used campus common spaces, Pile said. The first phase of the proj- ect, which took place last year, involved upgrading libraries. Due to the high wireless usage by students in these buildings, the University decided to upgrade them first, costing approximately $1.2 million. The current phase of the proj- ect, which will be completed by summer 2015, began in the Michigan Union, the Michigan League and Pierpont Commons, worth approximately $3.6 mil- lion. "I think that this will speak volumes to students in terms of the University making a move of this nature to enhance their experience, so it's great. We're excited,"saidPierpontCommons Director Michael Swanigan. The first part, increasing the number of access 'points, involves installing more devices that amplify the wireless signal, much like wireless routers. These devices have now been installed in more places than ever before, increasing the number of rooms in which Wi-Fi is available in all included buildings. In addition, all of the existing access points have been replaced with upgrad- ed devices. The number of access points added to each room is deter- mined by the number of people who typically use that room and the type of technology being used in the space. For example, large lecture halls require more access points to allow for wire- less use by many students simul- taneouslv. 0 EXL PLORINO CAREERS I Collaborative clinic reviews p Ofrllg Mfkeig i d Adve tsIng Caeer °product design for disabled IN~ mk b C4 n3 m Location. The Career Center nee( Novem er 6t at 6:30 p.m. Location: The Career Center [iplodinglover men tCareers November 11th at 1:00 p.m. Virtual Panel- RSVP on the Career Center Connecter 1xlrn PuIlic Health Carers November 13,12014 at 6:30 p.m. Locaflon: The Career Center By GI In 2 vices ft ties sai the stt fled as 2,100s SSD, Prof. R ity isst The Clinic, man Ct UrbanI Depart need fo ogy anc ple wit] "It's versati versity, still all that are vogue, as they The dents a nity to feature Pullin, Digital Univer and aut Meets I The how design chore, 1 ent emphasizes to think innovatively. Partici- pants also discussed how design d for innovative geared toward the disabled has the potential to benefit everyone. technology During the clinic's discussion, a conversion service translated every spoken word into text. This ENEVIEVE HUMMER text was projected onto a screen Daily StaffReporter as the conversation took place. "This is a good example of dis- 013, the University's Ser- ability as a cultural knowledge sr Students with Disabili- producer because even if no one d almost five percent of around this table would identify udent population identi- as 'needing' that, I have needed disabled. And despite the it multiple times today to catch a students registered with reference that someone had said Associate Architecture that I didn't g'et the first time," obert Adams said disabil- Rackharp student Joshua Kupetz ill a taboo topic. said. -1 Design Meets Disability Adams, who helped coordi- sponsored by the Taub- nate the event, said personal ollege of Architecture and experience sparked his interest Planning and the English in the relationship between dis- ment highlighted the ability and design. Ten years r more inclusive technol- ago, his daughter was diagnosed d product design for peo- with muscular dystrophy, a con- h disabilities. dition he also has, but in a mild- important that the con- er form. on takes place in the uni- Struggling with this diagno- . an environment that sis, Adams was inspired to think ows one to explore things of disability as a creative prac- e maybe unpopular, not in tice. - not always on other tables "It changed everything, and it should be," Adams said. got me excited about the work I two-day clinic gave stu- could do as a result of thinking nd faculty the opportu- through that," he said. discuss these needs and Pullin added that disability- d a lecture from Graham sensitive design could improve the course director of existing design practices. Interaction Design at the "Discourse within disabil- sity of Dundee in Scotland ity can actually radically disrupt thor of the book "Design notions of what design is as well, Disability." not in a sanctimonious way but in symposium emphasized a creative, expanding way," Pul- alternative methods of lin said. should not be seen as a Adams' interest in disabili- but as a way for designers ty-sensitive design is reflected throughout Taubman College. Two years ago, a new program was created that allows students pursuing a Master of Science in Architecture to choose a con- centration in Design and Health. The unique interdisciplinary program allows students to con- sider medicine, psychology and the humanities alongside design. Taubman graduate student Xuan Fei, who is concentratingin Design and Health, is working to design a space for children with disabilities that is both accessible and enjoyable. Fei said her goal is for these children to be integrat- ed with their peers rather than be made to feel different. Education graduate student Jason DeCamillis, who is legally blind, reiterated Fei's concerns about spaces that segregate the disabled. "I'm interested more in the similarities between people, not the differences," DeCamil- lis said. "For me, it's that these notions of difference and ability and disability are all created and perpetuated in schools." Adams noted that the Univer- sity is not always conducive to those living with disabilities. In particular, Adams criti- cized the narrow doorways in many campus buildings that are difficult to pass through for those in wheelchairs, and the poor placement of elevators in far-flung areas of campus build- ings. "I think our campus is littered with all these instances of soft discrimination, it seems, against people with disabilities," Adams said.