protecting the city’s environ-
ment.
James D’Amour, political chair
of the Sierra Club, Huron Valley
Group, said the three candidates
support the environmental causes
they value.
“These candidates have been con-
sistent in their policies and standing
up for fundamental values we are
looking for,” he said.
D’Amour also commended Kun-
selman for being “steadfast in the
protection of our parks.”
Running against Kunselman is
Zachary Ackerman. Ackerman has
lived in Ann Arbor since he was
eight years old and currently works
as an IT supervisor for the Univer-
sity. He also works remotely on the
national managing committee for
a Washington DC-based human
rights advocacy organization called
STAND. Ackerman also worked on
current Ann Arbor Mayor Christo-
pher Taylor’s campaign and serves
on the executive board of the Ann
Arbor Democratic Party.
Ackerman’s political agenda con-
sists of improving the city’s water
and sewage systems, planting more
trees in high-risk flood areas to
increase initial protection against
dangerous weather, making plans
to provide housing or shelter to Ann
Arbor’s homeless population, devel-
oping programs that allow residents
to invest in renewable energy and
improving public transit and traffic
congestion.
Ackerman is endorsed by Mayor
Taylor, former Ann Arbor Mayor
John Hieftje, current councilwom-
an Julie Grand and the HVCLC.
Taylor believes Ackerman to be a
similar politician to himself.
“Zach is a careful, thoughtful per-
son,” Taylor said. “We share many of
the same values and visions.”
Ward 4: Jack Eaton (D) v. Jaime
Magiera (D)
Like Briere and Kunselman,
Eaton is also seeking re-election to
City Council. Other than as a rep-
resentative for Ward 4, Eaton has
served the city as an attorney and
as the president of the Friends of
Dicken Woods, an organization
dedicated to preserving the integ-
rity of the underdeveloped Dicken
Woods neighborhood. Eaton also
founded the South Maple Group, an
organization opposing a proposed
housing development project on
South Maple road and co-founded
the Neighborhood Alliance, a group
connecting neighborhood environ-
mental protectionists as well as his-
toric preservationists among other
activist groups.
Eaton’s political agenda consists
of adding jobs in the public safety
sector, maintaining weekly trash
pick-up, improving Ann Arbor’s
stormwater system, restoring a leaf
pick-up system in the fall, improving
the city’s watersheds and protecting
local transportation.
While Eaton is endorsed by the
Sierra Club’s Huron Valley Group
and Michigan Chapter as well as
the HVCLC, Eaton does not seek out
endorsements. In an e-mail to the
Daily, Eaton wrote that he does not
believe this information is critical to
garnering votes.
3
NEWS
Thursday, July 30, 2015
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Fund created to cover student’s medical costs
Fraternity brothers
create page after
member’s accident
By IRENE PARK
Daily Staff Reporter
After diving into shallow water
to retrieve a volleyball at Lake Sher-
wood in Commerce Township, ris-
ing business junior Taylor Janssen
broke his neck at the C5 vertebrae.
Janssen was taken to the Univer-
sity Hospital, where he was treat-
ed in the intensive care unit until
Wednesday, when he was trans-
ferred to a general hospital room to
focus on physical therapy and talk-
ing.
Rising LSA junior Seth John-
son, Janssen’s friend and fellow Phi
Kappa Psi fraternity brother, helped
to set up a Gofundme page to raise
money to help cover Janssen’s medi-
cal expenses. As of Wednesday, the
page has raised $137,954.
Johnson said the fundraiser is
the productive effort between his
fraternity brothers.
“I set up the page with the fam-
ily’s permission but it was really an
effort of all his friends,” Johnson
wrote in an e-mail to the Daily.
“The idea came from his fraternity
brothers [Phi Kappa Psi] of which I
am one.”
Janssen’s father, Mark Janssen,
said in interview with MLive the
incident has been emotional for his
family.
“It’s devastating — I won’t sugar-
coat it,” Mark said. “He’s a strong
kid. It is what it is.”
According to Johnson, Janssen
was initially emotional once he got
over the shock, but has made signifi-
cant progress since then.
“Taylor is a strong kid,” Johnson
wrote. “Understandably, it has been
an emotional process as the real-
ity of his situation has set in. Since
then, however, Taylor has held an
incredibly positive attitude, focus-
ing on surpassing every physical
therapy goals given to him.”
Johnson added the accident has
not affected Janssen’s mental state.
“He is completely there mentally,
and is the same old Taylor,” Johnson
wrote.
In addition to the support from
the gofundme page, Janssen has
received support from the Uni-
versity’s football players, who vis-
ited Janssen at his hospital bedside.
Coach Jim Harbaugh sent him
an e-mail. The 1980 U.S. Olympic
hockey team captain Mike Eru-
zione tweeted his support for Jans-
sen, and former Detroit Red Wings
coach Mike Babcock sent the family
an inspirational video. The hashtag
#JanssenStrong
helped
spread
Janssen’s story on social media,
building a community of support-
ers.
“It really kind of blows my mind
away,” Mark Janssen said. “I’m just
shocked by the response and hum-
bled, all at the same time.”
LSA rising junior Gabrielle Hous-
ka, Janssen’s friend, said she finds it
great to see support from all over.
“It’s been amazing to see so
many different communities come
together to support Taylor and his
family,” Houska said. “Every dona-
tion counts, and every ‘share’ shows
the Janssens how much support
they have behind them.”
Houska added Taylor’s friends
hope to support him to return the
positivity Taylor has given them.
“So many of his friends hope to
support him in any way that returns
one of the hundreds of smiles he put
on our faces,” Houska said.
Navy awards University student scholarship
Post-graduate training
focuses on military and
technical skills
By ALEX JUNTTI
Daily Staff Reporter
Engineering senior Johnathan
Klee was selected for one of the
Navy’s most prestigious and com-
petitive scholarships, the Navy
Nuclear Propulsion Officer Candi-
date program.
Klee will receive a monthly
income from the Navy throughout
his senior year, including a food
and housing allowance as well as
military health-care benefits, in
exchange for his service as a nucle-
ar engineer after graduation.
Lieutenant Jesse Hermsen, an
engineering officer recruiter for the
Navy, said Klee is a well-groomed
student ready to take on the many
challenges the NUPOC program
has to offer.
“For the NUPOC scholarship, the
Navy values leadership potential
and a strong STEM academic back-
ground,” Hermsen said. “When I
first met with John, I knew that
he was somebody I’d like to serve
with. John is a hard-working, bright
young man who I saw as a future
leader. I am confident that John will
go far in the Navy with his work
ethic and University of Michigan
education.”
Klee said the Navy will give
him an opportunity to utilize his
engineering degree while gain-
ing organizational and leadership
experience.
“The Navy is really one of the
best employers for specialty and
technical fields, which I am going
into. In addition there is no better
place to gain leadership and team-
work experience,” Klee said.
Klee has already taken a VIP
trip to San Diego, where he vis-
ited a naval base and took a guided
tour of both a Navy destroyer and a
submarine. Klee has also flown to
Washington D.C. where he inter-
viewed with the Navy’s top nuclear
engineers and the Director of the
Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program,
Admiral John M. Richardson.
The next step for Klee is to attend
a 12-week Officer Candidate School
program in Rhode Island after he
graduates.
The course is designed to push
recruits to their limits with an
emphasis on training and militari-
zation, academics, weapons, leader-
ship management and naval history.
After OCS, Klee has several addi-
tional steps before he will trusted
with managing nuclear reactors
aboard naval aircraft carriers.
He will attend Nuclear Power
School in Charleston, South Caro-
lina for six months. Following that,
he will be sent to a nuclear power
training unit and then he will be
assigned to his first submarine.
Klee said he was both nervous
and excited to be a part of the Navy
and the nuclear propulsion pro-
gram.
“Of course, because I am in fact
going to be on a warship, I’m a little
apprehensive about the real-world
experiences involved in protecting
our national security,” Klee said.
Lt. Hermsen was very reassuring
that the NUPOC program is one of
the finest opportunities for dedicat-
ed engineers who show the capacity
for leadership and excellence.
“The NUPOC program will pre-
pare future leaders for their initial
training. Then they will be placed
in charge of Sailors, cutting-edge
technology and billions of dollars
of advanced equipment,” Hermsen
said. “NUPOC selectees will be
taking on monumental responsi-
bilities while their counterparts in
the civilian world are still working
to get their careers off the ground.
Whether students stay in the Navy
for four or 24 years, they will gain
valuable leadership experiences and
responsibilities that will advance
their careers, all while serving our
country.”
Ready to dive into one of the
greatest challenges of his life, Klee
thanked the University of Michigan
for preparing him for a career as a
nuclear engineer with the Navy.
“My time here at Michigan has
put me in a great position to take
on this leadership role,” he said.
“Whether it was from our group
projects in Eng. 100 or just working
on homework with friends, I have
already gained experience get-
ting the group on track and work-
ing toward the same goal. Another
component that has prepared me
for this is simply challenging cur-
riculum and high expectations set
by the professors.”
ELECTIONS
From Page 2
See ELECTIONS, Page 8