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Ann Arbor, Michigan
Monday, September 14, 2015

CELEBRATING OUR ONE-HUNDRED-TWENTY-FIFTH YEAR OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM

Michigan picked up its first win 

of the Harbaugh era on Saturday

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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
michigandaily.com

NEWS......................... 2A

OPINION.....................4A

A R T S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 A

SUDOKU..................... 2A

CL ASSIFIEDS...............6A

S P O RT S M O N DAY. . . . . . .1 B

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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

