vacy. Even so, the synthetic data 
was based on real patterns from 
150 of the most popular cours-
es at the University. The data 
included information regarding 
high school performance, current 
course performance and gender.

Each team took a different 

approach to the data. Team Col-
lab estimated where correlations 
might occur within the data sets. 
Information senior Meera Desai 
said one factor they focused on 
was GPA.

“We are trying to understand 

how GPA, courses and faculty 
members correlate, and if you 
can understand and predict GPA 
based on certain variables and 
factors,” Desai said.

Team Bunker took a different 

approach. They sought correla-
tions by performing a series of 
statistical tests for the class data 

from Physics 140 and Physics 240. 
LSA senior Alexander Verros said 
certain variables became insig-
nificant when analyzed together.

“When you start adding inter-

actions, the first thing that 
becomes insignificant is high 
school GPA,” Verros said. “But 
the most insignificant thing was 
actually the interaction between 
college GPA, major and sex.”

At the end of the event, both 

teams presented their findings 
and outlined how they would pro-
ceed with their work if they had 
more time.

McKay, the founder of the 

hackathon, discussed the uses of 
the students’ ideas for academics 
at the University.

“A lot of people talk about 

this as grade prediction, which 
is scary and negative in a lot of 
ways, so I try to speak about this 
as learning from experience,” 
McKay said. “If we know you 
are headed for trouble we should 
treat it as something to act on, not 

as what’s going to happen.”

Kris Steinhoff, lead developer 

at DIG, said he was interested by 
the students’ unique take on proj-
ects already in the works.

“From the comments that I’ve 

overheard, they’ve been propos-
ing a number of ideas that we’ve 
been 
discussing 
separately,” 

Steinhoff said. “It’s really inter-
esting to see that they’re coming 
up with some of the same ideas 
that we’ve had, but it’s also inter-
esting to see their unique take on 
those problems.”

McKay said he constantly finds 

that students rise to the occasion 
when presented with a challenge.

“Every time I give students the 

chance to just contribute, they do 
that in a way that amazes me,” 
he said. “I used to think that I 
had to shape the student experi-
ence more, but the more I provide 
students with the open spaces to 
contribute, the more successful 
they seem.”

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
News
Wednesday, October 21, 2015 — 3A

 

Faculty elected to 
National Academy 
of Medicine

Four members of the University 

faculty 
were 
named 
to 
the 

National Academy of Medicine, 
one of the highest honors that 
recognizes experts for their work 
in the advancement of medical 
sciences, health care and public 
health. 

The faculty members elected 

were Dr. Kathleen Cho, Dr. 
Laurie McCauley, Dr. Robert 
Neumar and Marita Titler. These 
experts were recognized for their 
advancing work in the fields of 
cancer biology, emergency heart 
care, bone biology and chronic 
disease care.

The University now has 54 

faculty members who are either 
current or previous members 
of the National Academy of 
Medicine.

Harbaugh visits 
White House for 
education event

Coach Jim Harbaugh visited 

the White House Monday and 
briefly 
met 
with 
President 

Obama.

Harbaugh was in Washington 

to promote Better Make Room, 
a campaign drawing attention 
to the First Lady’s Reach Higher 
Initiative, which aims to provide 
students 
with 
resources 
to 

extend their educations and 
obtain better careers. 

Harbuagh’s visit follows his 

May 1st meeting with the First 
Lady at Wayne State University 
in 
Detroit, 
where 
Michelle 

Obama spoke to 2,000 high 
school 
students 
to 
promote 

higher education. 

In an interview with the 

Detroit Free Press, Harbaugh 
said the president offered his 
sympathy regarding Saturday’s 
shocking football game. 

“(He) told the fellas to keep 

their chin up. ... (He) likes the 
way our team plays and he 
told the guys to keep it going,” 
Harbaugh said. 

Schlissel initiates 
search for next 
research VP

University 
President 
Mark 

Schlissel has initiated the search 
for a new, permanent vice presi-
dent for research, after a year 
and a half with an interim vice 
president for research in office.

S. Jack Hu, who previously 

served as a professor of indus-
trial and operations engineer-
ing, mechanical engineering and 
manufacturing technology at the 
University, has been the interim 
vice president since January 
2014.

The 
vice 
president 
for 

research sits on the University’s 
Board of Regents as one of 13 
executive officers, overseeing a 
$1 billion research portfolio.

He or she is also tasked with 

leading the University’s nation-
al and international activities 
regarding research policy in 
addition to guiding the Uni-
versity in its research goals 
and recognizing new research 
opportunities.

Home invasion 
reported off campus

A resident reported a home 

invasion at an apartment on 
Oakland Avenue near Hill Street 
early Sunday morning, according 
to a crime alert distributed by 
the Division of Public Safety and 
Security.

A resident told the Ann Arbor 

Police Department she discov-
ered an unknown male turning 
on the bedroom light around 
3:40 a.m. The resident screamed 
and the man fled. Two laptops 
were missing in other parts of 
the house.

According to a description 

provided by the witness, the sus-
pect is thought to be a Black male 
in his early 20s, medium build, 
wearing a denim backwards 
baseball cap with a flat-brim, a 
red plaid shirt, a vest and blue 
jeans.

— Lara Moehlman

NEWS BRIEFS

KRISTINA PERKINS /Daily

Mary Fales, senior assistant city attorney, evaluates liquor license requests at the Liquor License Review Committee 
meeting in the City Council chambers on Friday

Ann Arbor considers 
options for regulating 

alcohol on pedal-
powered vehicles

By RIYAH BASHA

For the Daily

The city’s Liquor License Review 

Committee met Friday at City Hall 
to discuss, among other items of 
business, the legality of Trolley 
Pub Ann Arbor, the pedal-powered 
vehicle that began running city 
tours in September.

Trolley Pub’s business model 

encourages customers to bring their 
own drinks, but also makes inter-
mittent stops at bars and popular 
destinations downtown. Trolley 
Pub’s current operations are com-
pletely legal, following a law signed 
by Gov. Rick Snyder (R) in July that 
permits consumption of beer and 
wine by individuals on pedal pubs. 
The city could, however, pass an 
ordinance to make the practice ille-
gal.

The meeting marked the first 

formal introduction of Trolley Pub’s 
managing partner, Amanda Swan, 
to the committee. Swan, a 26-year-
old Detroit resident, has already 
been in regular contact with the 
Ann Arbor Police Department to 
establish a positive working rela-
tionship.

“I’d like to take responsibility 

to initiate contact and be on good 
terms with the city,” she said during 
the meeting.

As a driver present on all tours, 

Swan helps steer and direct the 

14-person bike, and monitors 
drinking 
passengers. 
Patrons 

must sign waivers in advance, 
are carded upon boarding and 
are not allowed to bring any hard 
liquor or glass bottles on board.

The committee, composed of 

three voting members, weighed 
two main options: regulating 
drinks or an outright ban on 
serving alcohol. City Council-
member Sumi Kailasapathy (D–
Ward 1) expressed concern about 
allowing Trolley Pub to continue 
operation unchecked.

“This is a real serious issue for 

me, people drinking and on the 
streets,” Kailasapathy said. “Our 
police force is already so stretched. 
I don’t give lip service to the people 
who protect us.”

AAPD Lieutenant Renee Bush 

acknowledged the potential diffi-
culty in dealing with unruly pas-
sengers on the streets, as Trolley 
Pub has the authority to remove 
riders at the driver’s discretion. 
Because the company is the first 
of its kind in Ann Arbor, Bush 
and Swan have had to work close-
ly together to analyze pedestrian 
patterns and traffic.

“(Swan) has been very amenable 

to my suggestions, and I appreci-
ate (her) willingness to reach out,” 
Bush said. “These are uncharted 
waters we are on.”

Trolley Pub operates in five other 

cities across the country, including 
campus towns such as Madison, 
Wis., and Raleigh, N.C. In drafting 
an ordinance, the committee will 
not only look to other cities’ poli-
cies, but also consider the opinions 
of major stakeholders, such as busi-

ness associations, city public servic-
es and safety administration, and 
the University.

Mary Fales, senior assistant city 

attorney, shared preliminary com-
ments from some of the entities.

“The Main Street Association is 

generally favorable to regulation 
… and the University wasn’t par-
ticularly interested in having opera-
tion of commercial quadricycles on 
‘University streets,’ ” Fales said.

Swan agreed it would be wise to 

avoid University traffic, especially 
on game days, and does not take the 
trolley into the vicinity of congested 
pedestrian areas such as near State 
Street or the Michigan Stadium. 
Even if the review committee votes 
to ban alcohol from the pedal pubs 
all together, Trolley Pub would still 
run tours.

“It’s not as profitable, but the 

model works without alcohol,” 
Swan said.

Committee Chair Jane Lumm 

(I–Ward 2) stressed that it would 
take time to finalize an ordinance, 
as the next meeting is scheduled 
for sometime in November. In the 
meantime, Trolley Pub and the city 
will work together to map approved 
routes and institute safety practices.

“There’s so many unknowns and 

public safety for everyone is criti-
cal,” Lumm said. “We’re trying to 
do this thoughtfully and purpose-
fully.”

Despite concerns, Swan said she 

is dedicated to promoting the ser-
vice in the city.

“My personal goal is to integrate 

Trolley Pub into Ann Arbor,” Swan 
said. “I’m willing to work with 
whoever and whenever.”

Liquor license committee 
talks plans for pub trollies

to repurpose the land for 
other projects. This has 
prompted concern from his-
torical preservation groups 
that the house might be 
destroyed in the process.

Though 
the 
council 

agreed to investigate, sev-
eral members were unsure 
whether 
Liberty 
Plaza 

would be a feasible location.

Councilmember Stephen 

Kunselman 
(D–Ward 
3) 

noted that it may be difficult 
to justify removing the only 
park located downtown for a 
historical building.

“The idea of moving a 

house to our park — the only 
park that we have in down-
town Ann Arbor — as a way 
of addressing issues that 
we have there seems far-
fetched,” he said. “You’re 
going to be talking to a lot of 
people who are not going to 
be that happy about giving 
up their park just to put up 
a house.”

Conditional zoning 

agreement

Council also discussed a 

conditional zoning agree-
ment 
that 
would 
allow 

developmental 
company 

Toll Brothers to build new 
470 new residences on the 
city’s north side.

Both members of the pub-

lic and council members 
raised several issues with 
the plan, citing, in particu-
lar, lack of detail on how 
it would impact the city in 
regard to traffic and preser-
vation of wetlands and other 
nature elements in the area. 
 
 

Ann Arbor resident Kami 

Meader said the plan was 
rushed.

“There are too many 

unanswered questions and 
problems with this con-

ditional zoning,” she said. 
“They’re just voting for it 
because they’re afraid they 
are going to lose the land to 
the University of Michigan 
and then they won’t get the 
tax payer dollars.”

Because the University 

is public, all of the land it 
owns is tax exempt. As the 
University buys up land, the 
purchases cut into the city’s 
tax revenues, which has 
prompted concerns from 
the city.

Kailasapathy raised con-

cerns regarding the plan’s 
lack of detail, specifically 
citing the acreage allocated 
for parklands, how the city 
will be paid, and a traffic 
mitigation agreement.

“How could we vote on 

this when it is not linked to 
some other document?” she 
said. “We need to know the 
ramifications of this.”

In response to the con-

cerns, 
Kevin 
McDonald, 

senior assistant city attor-
ney, said many of the issues 
cited with the conditional 
zoning agreement could be 
addressed in the site plan.

Despite the concerns, the 

council approved the condi-
tional zoning agreement 6 
to 4.

Councilmember 
Sabra 

Briere (D–Ward 2) noted 
the benefits of securing 
this agreement now, as it 
prevents the development 
company from making any 
significant changes moving 
forward without the coun-
cil’s approval.

“This locks the developer 

into producing exactly the 
site plan we approve,” she 
said. “If he fails to do that, 
the zoning falls through, 
and no other developer can 
build on that land unless 
they’re doing exactly the 
same thing within a certain 
amount of time.”

HACKATHON
From Page 1A

COUNCIL
From Page 1A

more than 380 donors, sur-
passing the campaign’s goal 
of $20,000.

Rape kits consist of mate-

rials — including small plas-
tic bags and microscopes 
— that can be used to collect 
forensic evidence of rape, 
such as clothing fibers, hair 
or body fluids. Legally, the 
kits can be used to identify 
those responsible for rape 
or exonerate the wrong-
fully accused. However, the 
rape kits have to be tested 
— or sent to a lab for foren-
sic analysis — to be useful 
in court. It is estimated 
that more than 70,000 rape 
kits remain untested in the 
United States. According 
to USA TODAY, one rea-
son rape kits may remain 
untested is because of the 
expensive cost for police to 
send the kits out for analy-
sis.

In 2009, 11,341 untest-

ed rape kits were found 
in a police storage facil-
ity in Wayne County. The 
kits were collected when 
the crimes were reported, 
but 
never 
analyzed. 
In 

response, Enough Sexual 
Assault in Detroit — a col-
laboration among Michi-
gan Women’s Foundation, 
the Wayne County Pros-
ecutor’s Office and the 
Detroit Crime Commission 
— formed to raise money to 
test the kits and investigate 
the crimes associated with 
them. In early September, 
Wayne County Prosecutor 
Kym Worthy, who founded 
Enough SAID, announced 
10,000 of these kits had 
been tested, with 1,341 
remaining untested. The 
effort resulted in 21 convic-
tions, 106 active cases and 
1,350 cases to be investi-
gated. 

Enough SAID launched 

the 
AA490 
Challenge 

in early October as an 
18-month-long project to 
raise money for the 1,341 
untested rape kits. The ini-
tiative was named for the 
$490 the campaign says it 

costs to test each kit. The 
campaign’s goal is to raise 
at least $657,090 — the 
minimum amount of money 
needed to test every kit. 
More money will be nec-
essary to investigate the 
crimes and prosecute the 
suspects associated with 
the results.

Worthy, 
a 
University 

alum, represented Team 
Michigan. MSU alum and 
co-host of the ESPN show 
“His & Hers” Jemele Hill 
represented Team MSU. 
Other 
people 
on 
Team 

Michigan included Univer-
sity Regents Shauna Ryder 
Diggs (D–Grosse Pointe) 
and Denise Ilitch (D–Bing-
ham Farms), Megan Davis, 
University 
of 
Michigan 

Black Alumni president and 
Darci 
McConnell, 
presi-

dent and CEO of McConnell 
Communications, Inc.

McConnell 
said 
the 

donation face-off was a suc-
cess.

“The short version is 

that (it) has been very suc-
cessful,” McConnell said. 
“We’ve raised $15,000 from 
just the rivalry alone.”

In an interview with the 

Detroit Free Press, Wor-
thy said the real winners of 
this face-off are the women 
whose rape kits will be test-
ed.

“While it always feels 

good to trump MSU, it 
really is great that both 
schools could come togeth-
er because the real win-
ners will be those who get 
justice as a result of this 
effort,” Worthy said.

Peg Tallet, chief com-

munity engagement officer 
for the Michigan Women’s 
Foundation, said the cam-
paign could also shine light 
on sexual assault and rape 
on college campuses spe-
cifically.

“Enormous amount of 

rape occurs on or around 
college campuses,” Tallet 
said. “We hope that there 
will be a light shined on this 
issue and there will be an 
opportunity to educate and 
change attitudes on college 
campuses.”

RAPE KITS
From Page 1A

@michigandaily

