michigandaily.com
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Tuesday, September 15, 2015
CELEBRATING OUR ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FIFTH YEAR OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM
In Iowa speech,
Obama announces
initiative to adjust
FAFSA deadline
By EMMA KINERY
Daily Staff Reporter
With the aim of helping more
Americans see college as an
affordable
option,
President
Barack
Obama
announced
a
new initiative to align the Free
Application for Federal Student
Aid due date more closely with
college applications.
Obama’s
plan,
which
he
announced
Monday
in
Iowa,
would potentially move FAFSA’s
application date to October —
rather than its current January
due date, which falls months after
students have already applied to
college. The changes will go into
effect in the 2017-2018 fiscal year.
FAFSA is a mechanism to check
students’ eligibility for federal and
state government scholarships,
grants and loans. It is also used by
higher education institutions to
determine how much financial aid
to allot students.
Packing college acceptances
with delivery of financial aid
packages is something that the
University has been working
toward in the last year. In an
interview with The Michigan
Daily
earlier
this
month,
University
President
Mark
Schlissel said these efforts could
result in “modest incremental
changes
in
the
direction
of
diversity.”
As a result, Kedra Ishop,
associate
vice
president
for
enrollment
management
at
the
University,
sees
the
announcement as positive for both
higher education institutions and
students.
“The president’s order makes
the financial aid timetable much
more palatable for families and
will broaden what they think is
possible for themselves,” she said.
“This is a win-win for both our
University and our students and
GOVERNMENT
See FAFSA, Page 3
SACUA meeting
addresses diversity
plan, excessive
alcohol consumption
By GENEVIEVE HUMMER
Daily Staff Reporter
More classes might be offered
only early Friday morning next
semester — and it is no accident.
University Provost Martha
Pollack presented two key issues
Monday for the Senate Advisory
Committee
on
University
Affairs’ consideration: diversity
and
student
drinking.
One
suggestion she made to SACUA
members in regard to quelling
campus
drinking
involved
increasing
the
number
of
large
enrollment
classes
on
Friday mornings, in addition
to encouraging faculty to give
short talks about the dangers of
excessive alcohol consumption
in class.
On the topic of quelling
excessive
student
drinking,
Pollack said faculty involvement
could play an important role.
Art & Design Prof. Anne
Mondro, a SACUA member, said
it might be helpful if faculty
suggested dry events to students
in class.
“Let us say, ‘Hey, here’s a
whole list of other events that are
happening.’ ” she said.
Greek and Latin Prof. David
Potter, a SACUA member, said the
solution must involve changing
the school’s image and culture.
“One of the difficulties is that
students come here with the
expectation of partying,” Potter
said. “They’re told this is a four-
day school.”
Before classes commenced
last week, the University rolled
out a package of new initiatives
designed to combat drinking on
ROBERT DUNNE/Daily
LEFT: Washtenaw County Commissioner Yousef Rabhi makes an official announcement of his candidacy for state representative to the 53rd
Michigan House District at Buhr Park Children’s Wet Meadow Project on Monday. RIGHT: Rabhi hugs Ann Arbor resident Margie Teall, a 12-year
city councilmember, after his announcement.
IN THE R ACE
ACADEMICS
Administrators lack
nuance to reach
target audience
with mass event
By THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Editorial Board
For the first time in University
of Michigan Greek life’s 170-year
history, chapter members from all
four councils — Interfraternity,
Panhellenic,
National
Pan-
Hellenic
and
Multicultural
— were required to meet with
administrators
last
Thursday
evening to discuss party culture
and how it affects perceptions of
our school. With problems such as
sexual assault and alcohol abuse
disproportionately affecting Greek
life members, it’s obvious some
sort of action is required. However,
administrators should not be led
to believe that holding a large
meeting, during which they talked
at instead of with members, was
a productive use of time. Instead,
they should realize they failed
to engage their target audience
and made little, if no progress in
initiating needed reforms.
Each chapter was required
to send at least 70 percent of its
members to the meeting at Hill
Auditorium or else face a semester
of social probation, a letter to their
national organization and a $1,000
fine. Perhaps due to this attendance
requirement, the mass meeting
was met with some resistance.
Members of the crowd disrupted
University
President
Mark
Schlissel and other members of the
administration with loud coughs
and laughter when issues such
as alcohol abuse, sexual assault
and other problems pertaining to
Greek life were discussed.
However, this behavior did not
go unreprimanded. Alex Krupiak,
the 2015 IFC executive board
president, ended the meeting by
commenting on the disrespectful
behavior as “flat-out embarrassing”
for the entirety of Greek life. While
only a small minority of members
displayed this massive immaturity,
it demonstrated stomach-churning
ignorance toward the serious
issues facing Greek life that must
be addressed.
That said, the initiative to bridge
gaps between Greek life and the
administration
was
admirable.
However, the lack of awareness
within
the
administration
about the underlying roots from
which alcohol abuse, property
destruction and sexual assaults
stem, coupled with the “not in
my backyard” attitudes of some
students
involved
in
Greek
life, resulted in an ineffective
dialogue that sought to appeal to
emotions instead of proposing real,
substantive changes.
During
the
meeting,
the
University called on members
of Greek life to internally create
a
more
constructive
campus
culture
and
lead
progress
toward upholding school values.
However, administrators stated
they couldn’t find short-term
solutions for the cultural problems
permeating campus, and didn’t
give specific policy suggestions
that could provide a framework
for the student-led changes to
occur. While members of Greek
life ultimately decide how they
FROM THE DAILY
DELANEY RYAN/Daily
Scott Campbell, associate professor of Urban Planning and a member of the Pedestrian Safety and Access Task Force,
presented objectives on making changes to protect pedestrians to the Ann Arbor City Council on Monday.
Task force offers
proposals intended
to reduce pedestrian
fatalities, accidents
By ISOBEL FUTTER
Daily Staff Reporter
Pedestrians in Ann Arbor,
many of whom are students
and young people, are at risk of
injury according to a recent study
conducted by Ann Arbor officials.
Vision Zero — an initiative
endorsed
by
the
city’s
Pedestrian Safety and Task
Force Committee that strives
to eliminate fatalities or serious
injuries to pedestrians — was
presented to the Ann Arbor
City Council Monday night
in an attempt to address this
issue, along with survey results
reguarding pedestrian safety in
Ann Arbor. The report included
several
policy
proposals,
including improved crosswalks
and a ban on using hand-held
devices for drivers.
Though Ann Arbor crashes
involving pedestrians represent
only 16 percent of all crashes,
pedestrians account for one-third
of the fatalities and one-fourth of
all serious crash-related injuries.
The study states that Ann Arbor
averaged 55 pedestrian crashes
per year for the five-year period
2010-2014, which was a 22 percent
increase from the previous five-
year period.
Council did not vote on
the report on Monday, but
will continue to consider the
proposal at future meetings.
After 17 months of studying
Ann
Arbor’s
road
system,
pedestrian fatality and surveying
the community, the Pedestrian
Safety and Task Force created
a 59-page document report.
Linda Diane Feldt, chair of the
Pedestrian Safety and Access
Task Force, said the report was
created in an effort to have a
cohesive and effective plan for
pedestrian safety.
“There
was
disconnect
between
the
experience
of
those people walking, those in
cars, and of course, distracted
roadway users,” Feldt said.
The objectives of the report
is to improve pedestrian access,
improve understanding of traffic
Thursday’s
meeting agenda
also set to include
bond proposal
By MICHAEL SUGERMAN
Daily News Editor
For the most part, the agenda
for
Thursday’s
University
Board of Regents meeting
is pretty standard. Pending
construction projects will be
up for approval, a new round of
professors will likely be granted
tenure and the Central Student
Government president will give
his first monthly report of the
school year.
For this month’s preview,
The Michigan Daily perused
the agenda and sifted out
some of standout items on
Thursday’s agenda.
Public Health major
A resolution to create a
two-year
major
program
through the School of Public
Health, if passed, would allow
undergraduate students to
declare a public health major
as of the fall 2016 semester.
The program will focus on
“the importance of critical
thinking applied to important
health problems of the 21st
century,” according to an
action request written by
Provost Martha Pollack and
Martin Philbert, dean of the
ADMINISTRATION
See PUBLIC HEALTH, Page 3
See PEDESTRIANS, Page 3
See GREEK, Page 4
See PROVOST, Page 3
READ INSIDE
Feds update
timeline for
student aid
application
Provost: Friday class could
help stop weekday drinking
Our View: ‘Greek’
meeting fails in
call for reform
Council reviews report
on pedestrian safety in A2
Regents
consider
bachelor’s
in public
health
INDEX
Vol. CXXIV, No. 125
©2015 The Michigan Daily
michigandaily.com
N E WS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
O PI N I O N . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
A RT S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
SPORTS.........................7
SUDOKU........................2
CL A S S I F I E DS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
NEW ON MICHIGANDAILY.COM
M Farmers Market to run weekly
MICHIGANDAILY.COM/BLOGS
GOT A NEWS TIP?
Call 734-418-4115 or e-mail
news@michigandaily.com and let us know.
WEATHER
TOMORROW
HI: 80
LO: 49