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Ann Arbor, Michigan
Monday, September 14, 2015
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One Down
Attendees
disappointed by
session’s tone, lack
of concrete solutions
By EMMA KINERY
Daily Staff Reporter
Top University administra-
tors addressed Greek life culture
Thursday during their first all-
chapter meeting in the 170 years
of University Greek life — and
some Greek life members weren’t
pleased with what how it went
down.
Citing examples alcohol abuse,
destruction of property and sex-
ual assault rate within the com-
munity,
University
President
Mark Schlissel told the members
their behavior reflects negatively
on the University and ultimately
devalues all students’ and alum-
ni’s education.
A few members of the audience
strategically
coughed
during
several parts of his and others’
speeches — to such an extent that
E. Royster Harper, vice president
for student life, commented on
it at the beginning of her speech
and IFC President Alex Krupiak,
an LSA senior, said their response
was further hurting the reputa-
tion the administration was try-
ing to mend through the meeting.
“Think for a second about how
much your chapter means to you,”
Krupiak said. “I know it means
a hell of a lot to me … But when
students sit here and blatantly
disrespect the leaders of our Uni-
versity and fellow students like
myself and the three behind me,
it’s flat-out embarrassing to say
I’m a member of Greek life today.”
The Michigan Daily spoke
with dozens of members of
Greek life from several chapters
to gauge community reaction
to Thursday’s event. Because
most members were barred from
speaking to the press by chapter
leadership, some members who
spoke to the Daily were granted
See GREEK LIFE, Page 3A
Officials also
consider increased
monitoring of
‘rogue’ fraternities
By MICHAEL SUGERMAN
Daily News Editor
A day after
Thursday’s meet-
ing
with all chapters of Universi-
ty Greek life, E. Royster Harper,
vice president for student life,
elaborated on potential forth-
coming policies to better moni-
tor the Greek community.
These could include delaying
Greek rush and paying greater
attention to “rogue houses,” or
disbanded former Greek organi-
zations that continue to assemble
off campus.
Harper said the event was
meant to voice genuine concern
for students’ health and well-
ness, not punitively admonish
them.
Subsequently, she expressed
surprise and disappointment in
how both students and adminis-
trators handled the meeting.
“I think what I ended up feel-
ing was… Let your behavior
reflect your values in this setting,
as opposed to sort of reinforcing
the stereotypical perception,”
she said. “Together, we can turn
this. This party can’t continue
this way, and we all know it. But
we could decide, together, to do
something different about it.”
This collaborative goal for
improvement, Harper said, is
representative of the fact that
students are as much a part of
affecting campus policy as are
administrators — and it takes the
entire village to catalyze culture
shift.
Harper was quick to acknowl-
edge that partying can be a part
of students’ college experience.
And it’s not partying, explicitly,
See HARPER, Page 3A
Settlement to
reverse decision in
2012 case, pending
court approval
By TANAZ AHMED
Daily Staff Reporter
The University dropped a sex-
ual misconduct ruling against
former student Drew Sterrett
in accordance with a lawsuit
settlement the University signed
on Sept. 1. The agreement was
signed by Sterrett on Sept. 8.
Per the settlement, the Uni-
versity will reverse its previous
findings, which found Sterrett in
violation of the school’s Student
Sexual Misconduct Policy. The
University also cannot investi-
gate the case further. In return,
Sterrett agreed to not return to
the University or to disparage
the University. The settlement is
pending approval from a federal
judge.
Sterrett was suspended from
the University in Fall 2012 after
the school found Sterrett in vio-
lation of the University’s sexual
misconduct code by engaging
in non-consensual sex with a
female friend in his dorm room.
Sterrett was given the option to
return to the University on the
condition he admitted to com-
mitting the sexual assault.
In response, Sterrett filed
a lawsuit against the Univer-
sity. Deborah Gordon, Sterrett’s
attorney, said the University’s
handling of the case was a depri-
vation of constitutional due pro-
cess rights.
According to Sterrett’s law-
suit claim, he and the female
friend who later filed the com-
plaint were “socializing” and
had sexual relations in his dorm
room, where she proceeded to
stay overnight. She filed the
complaint with the University
five months after the incident,
but did not contact the police.
Sterrett further claims in his
suit that the University told him
if he delayed his interview with
the University to consult a law-
yer, the investigation would go
on without him. Gordon claims
this was an infringement of her
See RULING, Page 3A
RUBY WALLAU/Daily
Michigan football players celebrate their 35-7 win against Oregon State by jumping into the student section at the Big
House on Saturday.
Smith, defense help
Wolverines win in
Harbaugh’s home
coaching debut
By MAX COHEN
Managing Sports Editor
Jim Harbaugh did not touch
the “Go Blue” banner when he
ran onto the field at Michigan
Stadium for the first time as the
Michigan football team’s head
coach. He sprinted underneath
it, his focus directed toward the
sidelines.
He had insisted all week that
his attention was only on the
game itself, not the nostalgia
of returning to the school he
quarterbacked in college. The
improvements his team needed
to make after its season-opening
loss were evident and plentiful.
The run game had struggled,
turnovers had been troubling
and the defense had experienced
lapses. There was little time to
consider how it would feel when
more than 100,000 fans, his own
fans, would scream his name.
After his team defeated Oregon
State on Saturday, 35-7, Harbaugh
did not change his tone regarding
the emotional side of his home
debut and first victory as Michi-
gan’s coach. He considered him-
self nothing more than a member
Michigan overcomes slow
start to rout Oregon State
See MICHIGAN, Page 3A
Findings could
result in improved
drug treatments
By SANJAY REDDY
Daily Staff Reporter
Depression
has
long
been
associated with a lack of certain
chemicals in the brain. However,
new University research suggests
depression may involve too much
of one specific protein.
Elyse Aurbach, a neuroscience
graduate student, and Edny Inui,
who earned her PhD at the Uni-
versity, found FGF9 levels were
markedly increased in the brains
of depressed individuals.
Aurbach and Inui looked at
post-mortem brain tissue in peo-
ple who had had depression and
in people who did not, and discov-
ered different levels of a protein
called fibroblast growth factor
9. Aurbach said this method had
its limitations — it was not pos-
sible to determine if high levels of
FGF9 caused depression or were
an effect of depression.
See RESEARCH, Page 3A
GRANT HARDY/Daily
Engineering freshman Harrison McCobe plants American flags at the Diag for The 9/11: Never Forget Project on Friday.
Young Americans for Freedom and other volunteers planted 2,977 flags to represent the lives lost on Septemer 11, 2001.
NEVER FORGET
INDEX
Vol. CXXIV, No. 124
©2015 The Michigan Daily
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WEATHER
TOMORROW
HI: 79
LO: 50
GREEK LIFE
Greek life
responds
to meeting
with admins
Harper says ‘U’ to consider
delayed Greek rush process
ADMINISTRATION
University
drops sexual
assault ruling
Study links
protein to
depression
in humans
RESEARCH
FOOTBALL