— 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

