— is that we believe strongly that
for University of Michigan stu-
dents, we’re a resource wherever
they are, especially in the density
of the areas surrounding the cam-
pus,” said DPSS Executive Director
Eddie Washington in an exclu-
sive interview with The Michigan
Daily on Wednesday.
Though DPSS officers could
eventually have concurrent juris-
diction to enforce state laws in off-
campus locations, such as a noise
complaint at a fraternity, Wash-
ington said the division’s current
efforts, beginning this Welcome
Week, will focus more intensely on
outreach.
“The Division of Public Safety
and Security is now mobilizing in a
way where we want to be more pre-
ventive, and the enforcement piece
is more on the tail-end,” he said.
The Ann Arbor Police has gener-
ally had sole jurisdiction to enforce
city ordinances and state laws off-
campus, whereas units of DPSS
— which includes the University
of Michigan Police Department,
as well as housing, hospital and
museum security — police prop-
erty owned by the University. The
two departments have concurrent
jurisdiction over roads that abut
Ann Arbor and University prop-
erty.
With the proposed arrange-
ment, UMPD officers would be
granted the ability to issue tick-
ets or otherwise enforce laws of
the State of Michigan, though city
ordinances would remain solely
under the jurisdiction of the AAPD.
Similar
collaborations
have
already been in place at schools
like Eastern Michigan University,
which has long partnered with
Ypsilanti authorities.
Washington said the aim is to
allow University officers to interact
with students wherever they are —
which historically has not been the
case.
“It’s more to be proactive,” he
said. “So if you’re at the party, the
idea is that we’ve already talked to
you ahead of time.”
Washington said DPSS would
like to host forums and be invited
to the kinds of educational meet-
ings typically handled by AAPD,
including those hosted by Greek
Life chapters, for example. The
University, he said, aims to devote
more resources to providing the
kinds of proactive programs and
informational
materials
AAPD
didn’t typically have the resources
to cover extensively.
“What we’re saying is we’re
going to be in the room now, too,”
he said.
He also hopes students will
wield DPSS as a resource as well,
citing an instance in which a fra-
ternity reached out to DPSS for
panied by other serious behavior
such as needing medical atten-
tion, significant property damage
or driving under the influence,” or
if one of these students “has a sec-
ond alcohol or drug infraction.”
Whether or not parents are
contacted after the policy’s speci-
fied infractions, however, will be
evaluated on a case-to-case basis.
“Part of what we have talked
about is trying to leave some
space,” Harper said. “Should, in
the course of having a conver-
sation with a student, there is a
sense that actually calling would
not be in their best interest, then
we won’t.”
Desprez elaborated that dan-
gerous behavior in relation to
alcohol and/or drugs can be a
result of family issues, disfunc-
tion or even genetic disposition
— and the University will try to be
sensitive to these issues, among
others, in evaluating the need to
contact parents.
Harper said the new direc-
tive of calling parents is atypical
for the University, but Desprez
explained that the culture of
excess alcohol consumption has
necessitated a response.
Four years of data harvested
from Alcohol Edu, Desprez said,
revealed that 35 percent of first-
year students drink in a high-risk
way. Subsequently, first-years were
determined to be the appropriate
target group for the pilot program.
She said the new policy is not a
matter of policing and punishing
students — but will instead focus
on making students recognize
and prevent “harmful” behavior.
This is where parents come into
the picture: in an increasingly
digital age, Desprez noted, stu-
dents text their parents or other
family members an average of 13
times each day.
“Part of this also is, students
tell us, when we ask them, ‘Who
is the biggest influence on your
decisions and your values,’ they
always say parents or family,”
Desprez said. “So part of this is us
partnering with the people they
have told us are the biggest part of
their support network.”
Sentimentality appears to be
one of the larger motivating fac-
tors behind the decision to contact
parents after inherently dangerous
or repeat violations of the Univer-
sity’s drug and alcohol policies.
The policy, Desprez said, is about
“having a conversation” within the
framework of “constructive, non-
judgmental early intervention.”
This process will also involve
informing at-risk students of
the University’s resources with
regard to future behavior — from
methods for safer consumption
like Stay in the Blue, to units
focusing on addiction recovery.
Ultimately
Harper
and
Desprez acknowledged that there
is not hard evidence to support
the success of involving parents
in the process of monitoring and
preventing alcohol-related harm.
“There are a lot of people who
would tell you that parent-family
communication is a ‘best prac-
tice,’ not an ‘evidence base,’ which
is why we are piloting the pro-
gram,” Desprez said. “So when
you ask what is our motivation
for such a rigorous evaluation, I
think we understand that it’s con-
sidered to be a best practice across
the country, but we also want to
see the data.”
3
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
3A — Tuesday, September 8, 2015
Obama to speak in
Michigan this week
President
Barack
Obama
will appear in Warren, Mich.
Wednesday along with Dr. Jill
Biden,
a
community
college
professor and the wife of Vice
President Joe Biden, to discuss
workplace skills and the economy.
It has been eight months since
Obama has visted Michigan. Most
recently he came to Dearborn to
visit the Henry Ford Museum.
Medicinal garden
opens in Ann Arbor
The
Matthaei
Botanical
Gardens opened a new garden
including medicinal plants.
Plant
beds
are
arranged
according to the part of the human
body each plant affects.
The nearly 110 plant types
will be on display for the general
public, as well as for reserachers
and scholars.
The exhibit is a collaboration
between
various
University
departments including pharmacy,
medicine and botony.
Fight breaks out
in Liberty Plaza
The Ann Arbor News reported
that a fight including 25 individu-
als broke out yesterday afternoon
at about 12:40 p.m.
The Ann Arbor Police Depart-
ment is continuing to investigate
the incident. One person was
injured and taken to the hospital.
Inaugural ‘Gayz
Crayz’ hits Palmer
Pride Outside — formally “Gayz
Craze”
— was held at the Central
Campus Recreational Building
and sponsored by Central Student
Government’s LGBT Issues Com-
mission.
vigil focused on the positive
contributions Brigham brought
into their lives.
LSA senior Danny Bakst
lived
with
Brigham
last
year and said he remembers
spending 10 hours in the
library studying with him for
their political science exam,
as well as time spent together
playing intramural soccer and
basketball.
“The
things
I’m
really
missing the most are the little
moments of him,” Bakst said.
“It’s not the big parties, it’s not
the ski trips or the vacations,
it’s just sitting on the couch
with Josh.”
Kinesiology
senior
Dan
Costa also lived with Brigham.
Costa called Brigham his best
friend; they met while rushing
Chi Phi together, and Costa
almost didn’t get a bid from the
frat because he had spent all of
rush talking to Brigham.
He recounted his birthday
freshman year, which fell on
Thanksgiving. Brigham was
one of the only people who
wanted to go out that night.
“We got a few drinks going
and it was just me and him all
night. We just walked around
Ann Arbor, and it was honestly
one of the most fun nights I’ve
ever had around here,” Costa
said. “He always brings a smile
to my face.”
Josh Rubley, a childhood
friend, said he spent all of
his summer with Brigham.
He said it was one of the best
summers of his life; they hung
out constantly and even got
tattoos together. After Brigham
passed, Rubley didn’t ever want
to return to Ann Arbor because
it brought up memories of
Josh, but the outpouring of
support Rubley received from
Brigham’s college friends made
him feel comforted.
“You guys have shown the
most hospitality; I honestly
never wanted to come back
here,” Rubley said. “Thank you
guys for all of the kindness and
support. It’s awesome to know
he has a great family of friends
here to take care of him as well.”
Nursing junior Ann Marie
Sweeney said she left the vigil
feeling comforted.
“They
encompassed
everything he was: happy, the
best person, thought everything
was positive, had the best
outlook on life,” Sweeney said,
tearing up. “I’m glad they kept it
positive — live like Josh would.
It’s the best thing we can do. It’s
what he would want.”
VIGIL
From Page 1A
PARENTS
From Page 1A
UMPD
From Page 1A
WANT TO HAVE THE
BEST TIME OF YOUR
LIFE?
Then join the Daily!
STOP BY OUR MASS MEETINGS:
9/13, 9/14, 9/17, 9/20
AT 7:OO P.M. AT 420 MAYNARD
See UMPD, Page 5A