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Thursday, June 20, 2013
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Thursday, June 20, 2013 11
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Former CSG executives reflect
on past entrepreneurship efforts
Pilot intiatives
such as Month of
Entrepenuership to
continue next year
By AMRUTHA SIVAKUMAR
Daily News Editor
Last March, U.niversity alum
Manish Parikh, former Central
Student Government president,
and LSA senior Omar Hashwi,
former CSG vice president, made
a campaign promise to "promote
the spirit of entrepreneurship on
campus" if elected to executive
positions. As promised, the CSG
delivered.
Out of the 59 executive projects
cotmpleted by last year's assembly,
10 were dedicated to furthering
the entrepreneurial community.
The Annual Report compiled by
CSG hailed the newly formed
Entrepreneurship Commission as
its proudest accomplishment.
Parikh said popularizing
entrepreneurship among the
student body meant redefining
what it conventionally
represented.
"We've tried with every single
initiative to try to involve the
entire student body," Parikh said.
For those in CSG working on
spreading entrepreneurship,
involving the greater student
body meant abolishing the idea
that entrepreneurship was
limited to those with business
or engineering academic
concentrations.
Parikh said entrepreneurship
was the "mindset of using
innovation and creativity
to address huge problems."
Through supporting student
ventures that involved a more
diverse set of students - such as
OptiMize, an LSA-based social
entrepreneurship incubator, the
Entrepreneurship Commissions,
a gathering of entrepreneurs
from over 10 University schools
and colleges and the Flipped
Semester, a student-designed
educational curriculum - he
said he had "addressed a larger
part of the student body."
Hashwi said certain
entrepreneurial initiatives, such
Former CSG President Manish Parikh and his administration discuss entrepreneurship during a winter assembly meeting.
as the Venture Expo, did not
heavily involve those outside of
the entrepreneurial community.
However, he believed that
these ventures helped raise
entrepreneurial awareness
further on campus.
"There were a lot of people
who came up to me and (asked
questions) what I was doing,"
he said. "They were learning not
only about our companies, but
what entrepreneurship really
was."
"I believe that the most
powerful message that we spread
was that anybody can become an
entrepreneur," Hashwi said.
The buzz around
entrepreneurship culminated
in March, as CSG kicked off the
Month of Entrepreneurship - a
series of over 35 events spanning
March and April that showcased
the growing entrepreneurial
community.
Although advertised as a
"month," the initiative hosted
events through a six-week period.
Parikh said a combination of high
student demand and events that
were "too huge not to showcase,"
elongated its duration.
As compared to the rest of
the year and its entrepreneurial
activities, Parikh said the month
was the "the most focused bit of
entrepreneurship," as compared
to rest of the academic year.
"We realized why make it a
month long when we can have
it for an extended period of
time," Hashwi said. "Rather
than having (the Month of
Entrepreneurship) for a month,
having it for (a longer time) was
more beneficial for the students."
Furthermore, packaging
campus-wide entrepreneurial
events into a month played a
vital role in characterizing the
University as an "entrepreneurial
university," Parikh said.
"If we aren't able to package
this, if we aren't able to show
our student body, prospective
students, alumni and different
colleges across the world just
how serious we as a University
take entrepreneurship, then I
don't really think we can be an
entrepreneurial university,"
Parikh said.
Parikh added that he sees his
pilotedinitiatives as continuing
for years to come.
"I think we've really
started a catalyst for bringing
entrepreneurship to the entire
student body," he said. "It's
absolutely unattainable to (reach
out to every student) in the
period of a year, but what we've
done is setting the ground work."
In a May interview, Business
senior Michael Proppe, president
ofCSG,saidthe Entrepreneurship
Commission and the Month
of Entrepreneurship would
continue to take place in the
next academic year. However,
available funding and its chosen
allocation would determine
whether other CSG-sponsored
entrepreneurial ventures would
continue.
Business senior Scott
Christopher said next year, one
goal would be to concentrate
events into a 30-day period that
would be more "structured and
strategic."
Rather than characterizing
the month as a mere collection
of events, Christopher said he
believed that it could be an
opportunity for entrepreneurs
to acknowledge and share their
accomplishments.
"I think the Month of
Entrepreneurship should be
a time to really celebrate it,"
he said. "Entrepreneurship
does happen every single day
of the year in Michigan but
entrepreneurs never celebrate
what they do."
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By ZACH SHAW track record of the Big Ten.
Daily Sports Writer "We played almost a month more
volleyball this year than any given
Seven months after capping the year," Rosen said. "It's always good
2012 season with a surprise run to get more volleyball in, especially
to the program's first-ever NCAA with such a big returning group. It's
semifinals, the Michigan volleyball good to just be in contact with the
team found themselves in foreign game at all, let alone compete. But
territory once again. This time, it there are six other Big Ten teams
truly was foreign. doing the exact same thing this year,
After its surprise run to so we'll see if it really turns into an
Louisville, Ky., the Wolverines advantage.
traveled to Buenos Aires, Argentina, "We didn't have much time to
the first stop on their 13-day tour of practice. So once we started playing
Argentina and Brazil. we saw things we wanted to get
Playing 10 games in 11 days, the better at. By the end we had a lot of
Wolverines shrugged off fatigue, stuff we want to get better at once
culture shock and even travel- we start practicingagain."
delaying political protests en route Outside of the court, the trip
to a 9-1 record. proved to be a fun educational
"I thought we played really well experience for the team. From the
the whole time," said Michigan Rio beaches, to historical museums
coach Mark Rosen. "We're always and landmarks, to delicious
trying to get better so we're going food from both countries and
to keep challenging (the team) even karaoke - the Wolverines
throughout. By the end, they were experienced South America as
pretty tired and we had to motivate tourists in addition to athletes.
them to get through the 10 days, But like most vacations, the fun
which they did a great job at." doesn't come completely drama-
Teams are allowed to take free.
summer training trips once every As the Wolverines awaited a ride
four years. With the last trip coming to the Buenos Aires airport to head
in 2009 and 13 player returning into Brazil, news broke out that a
from lastseason, Rosen felt this year political protest was blocking all of
was as good as any to do it. the streets. After frantic discussion
The trip consisted of five matches and with little time to spare, the
in Argentina and five in Brazil. The team and coaches hustled their
first seven were against professional luggage nine blocks on cobblestone
and club teams, with the last streets to the airport.
three against the Brazilian Junior While bystanders laughed, Rosen
National team. Rosen compared the felt the moment was the best of
competition to mid-major or lower many team-building exercises on
Big Ten schools, making a 9-1 record the trip.
impressive considering the strong "Those kind of things just pop
up," Rosen said. "They're what build
a team and create memories that'll
last forever."
Whether it was through conflict,'
sightseeingor games, Rosen believes
his team grew much closer during
the trip, adding an aspect to the
team that will carry into the ups and
downs of the gruelingseason ahead.
"This group travels really well,"
he said. "The trip can be a grind;
it's a lot of time going all over the
place with the same people in closed
quarters with food and cultures that
you aren't used to. But this team
handled it really wellr
You'd think after three weeks
together they'd be at each other's
throats, but it was actually the
opposite. They still wanted to hang
out andspend timetogether. They're
adventurous, outgoing and went
right out of their comfort zones."
After the best postseason finish
in school history and losing only
one player - Claire McElheny,
to graduation -expectations are
as high as ever for Rosen's squad.
While many eyes are on a return
trip to the NCAA semifinals and
beyond, Rosen makes sure to keep
his players close to home, no matter
how far away from it they play.
"This is a very motivated group,
Rosen said. "They understand we
have a good amount of ability and
experience. But I think we need
to keep our expectations in cheek
because they don't do any good. All
we have to do is go out and play the
games."
Unfortunately for them, they
won't be able to go to the beach the
next day.
ADAM SCHNITZER/Daiy
Michigan head coach Mark Rosen took his team to South America to take on international competition and strengthen team
chemistry.
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