spoke at the event, shared an 
anecdote about how he won the 
election primaries for commis-
sioner in 2010 by only one vote. 
Rabhi is currently a candidate for 
state representative.

Councilmember Sabra Briere 

(D–Ward 1), who has served on 
the council for five terms and is 
running uncontested to retain her 
seat, stressed that in addition to 
voting, it’s also important for stu-
dents to contact elected represen-
tatives to voice their concerns.

“Your voice is really impor-

tant,” she said. “If you don’t vote, 
the decisions that people make on 
your behalf may not be the deci-
sions they want you to make. Your 
tasks as voters and as activists in 
the Democratic party is to make 
sure they hear from you.”

Ann Arbor resident Chip Smith, 

who is running uncontested for 
City Council in the 5th Ward but 
faces opposition from a write-in 
campaign from Kevin Leeser, a 
nurse at the University of Michi-
gan Health System, cited housing 
affordability as a top issue in his 
campaign that was relevant to 
students.

Smith suggested housing costs 

led to many University students 
leaving Michigan after graduat-
ing.

“We are tired of seeing the best 

and brightest leaving the state,” 
he said. “I think it’s very impor-
tant to figure out how to create an 
environment that invites you to 
participate, help shape the com-
munity you live in and gives you 
the option to stay.”

In an interview, College Demo-

crats Chair Max Lerner, a Public 
Policy senior, said holding events 
like Thursday’s meeting is impor-
tant in bridging the gap between 
students and politicians.

“Any time we can connect 

local leaders with students, we’re 
reducing that gap and creating an 
environment for more effective 
politics and more effective gover-
nance,” Lerner said.

In an interview with The 

Michigan Daily, Briere said she 
hopes students who attended the 
meeting left feeling more confi-
dent in themselves as voters.

“I hope they leave with a more 

positive sense of how important 
their involvement in local poli-
tics is, because the sexy stuff is 
all national politics, we know 
that,” she said. “Yet we don’t see 
how much difference one vote can 
make in national politics but we 
can really see it in local politics.”

up into a University-wide stra-
tegic plan,” Martin said. “In 
LSA, there are a handful of dif-
ferent discrete activities that 
we are doing that are all work-
ing together.”

Martin also touched on how 

diversity could be increased in 
nonacademic areas.

He said the University’s 

Office for Student Life is cur-
rently engaging in a strategic 
planning process as well.

“We know that on campus 

at various times and in various 
places that we do not have a 
climate that fully embraces the 
diversity of our student popu-
lation,” he said. “A lot of what 
happens here that is social, 
cultural and academic happens 
out in the residence halls in our 

community and it’s important 
that we try to have the best cli-
mate we possibly can.”

LSA 
sophomore 
Patrick 

Mullan-Koufopoulos said he 
thought the new diversity plan 
was important moving forward 
for the University.

“I think that it’s a really 

interesting plan and I support 
it wholeheartedly,” he said. “I 
think that as a campus we need 
more diversity and I think that 
we are moving in the right 
direction.”

Martin also discussed the 

recent faculty senate vote to 
support the delay of releasing 
course evaluations. Many fac-
ulty members have addressed 
concerns with the Universi-
ty’s current course evaluation 
mechanisms and have advocat-
ed for revisions before the data 
is released.

Martin said this information 

should be available to students.

“This is something that my 

leadership team and I have dis-
cussed over the past few weeks 
and although this is not a unan-
imous view, it is the view of the 
college that students should 
have access to course evalua-
tions,” he said.

He said the administration 

has reached a standstill on the 
issue, but he believes students 
have the power to get the infor-
mation.

“We are sort of at an 

impasse,” Martin said. “As you 
all know, you as students have 
agency here. You can obtain 
the data, but it may be costly. 
You’ve got resources through 
Central Student Government 
or LSA Student Government 
that could go ahead and get the 
data and publish it in some way. 
In my judgment it would be the 
right thing for these data to be 
available.”

In addition to discussing 

the University’s diversity plan 
and course evaluations, Martin 
fielded questions on a recent 
CSG proposal to list mental 
health resources in course syl-
labi, the University’s race and 
ethnicity 
requirement 
and 

dual-degree programs.

One student asked about 

why some schools, like the 
Ford School of Public Policy, 
do not allow students to com-
plete majors in two different 
schools.

“This is a decision that the 

Ford School has made,” he said. 
“We would be happy to have 
dual-degree students with the 
other schools and colleges. It 
doesn’t make any sense to tell 
a student who’s going to com-
plete the requirement for a 
major that they cannot get the 
real major on their transcript.”

3-News

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
News
Friday, October 30, 2015 — 3

ELECTION
From Page 1

DEAN
From Page 1

viduals being “OK” with the 
scenario, the yellow piece with 
them being unsure or slightly 
uncomfortable and the red 
piece with them feeling firmly 
that the situation was unac-
ceptable.

Scenarios presented a vari-

ety of potentially offensive 
costume 
possibilities, 
from 

someone of native ancestry 
wearing a “sexy native prin-
cess” costume, to someone 
wearing a “white trash” cos-
tume by taping pieces of crum-
pled paper to themselves, to a 
Black person dressing as Jus-
tin Bieber.

Other scenarios intention-

ally did not reveal the identi-
ties of the costume wearer. 
For instance, one situation 
addressed 
someone 
wear-

ing a Caitlyn Jenner costume; 
another addressed someone 
dressing as President Barack 
Obama.

After completing the exer-

cise, 
participants 
split 
off 

into small groups to discuss 
their spectrum of views. Most 
agreed that the intent of the 

wearer was important, but that 
wearing a person or identity 
as a costume carries weight 
regardless.

Rackham 
student 
Mike 

Varano 
acknowledged 
the 

range of intent in cultural 
appropriation, 
from 
some 

making uninformed decisions 
and others perpetuating ste-
reotypes intentionally.

“I think that’s a huge prob-

lem,” he said in an interview 
before the event began. “I 
would lean towards the direc-
tion of … people not having 
enough sensitivity or maybe 
questioning 
the 
decisions 

they’re making around these 
things. And I think that we 
could do to have more aware-
ness and reflection about even 
costumes that are meant to be 
jokes especially.”

During one exercise, the 

participants got back together 
in a circle to discuss their con-
versations. 
Many 
scenarios 

revealed a variety of perspec-
tives.

For example, the group was 

split with regard to the “white 
trash” costume. Some felt that 
the 
particular 
scenario 
of 

wearers taping crumpled paper 
to themselves was acceptable, 

as it was a clever play on words 
and not a direct attempt at 
stereotyping. Others believed 
that any stereotyped attempt 
to wear a marginalized group, 
such as white people of low 
socioeconomic standing, was 
dangerous.

The “sexy native princess” 

scenario was highlighted for 
being both appropriative and 
sexist. 
LSA 
senior 
Corine 

Rosenberg pointed out the 
“exotic erotic” phenomenon — 
that people who are deemed 
“exotic” for arbitrary reasons 
can be harmfully sexualized 
and dehumanized.

The dialogue then turned 

to acting out skits to promote 
bystander intervention, allow-
ing participants to tag each 
other in to intervene while 
another participant pretended 
to wear an appropriative cos-
tume.

Being able to educate the 

appropriative wearer became 
complicated, as scenarios in 
which these costumes were 
worn at parties made it more 
difficult 
for 
bystanders 
to 

effectively inform the wearer. 
Potential issues in the “party” 
situation included the wearer 
being drunk or the environ-

ment being too casual to inter-
vene.

During group discussion, 

LSA junior Adedolapo Adeniji 
was interested in pointing 
out why costumes of particu-
lar people — such as Caitlyn 
Jenner, Nicki Minaj, Barack 
Obama and Trayvon Martin — 
become popular.

“Dress up as a celebrity, 

but why are you costuming 
(them)?” she asked.

Particular 
attention 
was 

given to the Caitlyn Jenner cos-
tume, which is expected to be 
a top-selling choice this year. 
Many felt that any attempt to 
appropriate an identity, such 
as transgender, Black, Native 
American or Mexican, in par-
ticular, is harmful.

The general consensus was 

that there is a clear issue with 
being able to wear these identi-
ties as a costume for the night, 
as opposed to being someone 
who actively lives with these 
identities and the stereotypes 
that come with them.

“You don’t want to give peo-

ple the idea that you can wear 
this identity and then throw it 
away,” said LSA senior Ivory 
Bradley during group discus-
sion.

COSTUMES
From Page 1

ing) all depends on which party is 
in power … and how these lines are 
drawn impacts policy issues.”

Among attendees at the forum, 

several concerns were raised, 
namely how Michigan compares 
to redistricting practices in other 
states.

Seven states, including Cali-

fornia and Arizona, currently 
use independent commissions to 
redistrict the state, which Smith 
said mitigated the consequences 
of gerrymandering.

Bob King, a former president 

of the United Auto Workers 
who attended the event, said he 
thought independent commis-
sions would be beneficial for the 
state.

“I think if there were a better 

way to set districts with an inde-
pendent commission it would 
make our government a lot more 
responsive and a lot more demo-
cratic,” King said. “I’m tired of 
gridlock in the government. I’m 
tired of polarization. I’m tired 
of people who don’t really care 

what the citizens think.”

However, Smith and Schewe 

noted that changing the way 
Michigan is redistricted is a long 
process, 
requiring 
long-term 

commitment. Changing redis-
tricting methods would require 
an amendment to the Michigan 
constitution. This can happen by 
either the introduction of a pro-
posed amendment by a legisla-
tor, which, in turn, will be voted 
on by the legislature or a citizen 
petition for a statewide ballot 
question on the issue.

After the event, Ann Arbor 

resident Vince Caruso said he 
thought the Ann Arbor area in 
particular was suffering from 
the effects of partisan redistrict-
ing.

“I think we are a laughing-

stock in some ways with our 
district in particular being so 
gerrymandered,” Caruso said. 
“Several sources I’ve checked 
have labeled our district one of 
the worst in the country. It’s not 
a good representation, I think we 
are better than that.”

REDISTRICTING
From Page 2

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@MICHIGANDAILY

Scientists ‘go bananas’ for new application of 
fruit protein as method for treating viruses

‘U’ prof. leads 

research to 
mitigate side 

effects of BanLec

BY TOM MCBRIEN

Daily Staff Reporter

The banana: a favorite fruit, 

a preferred source of potas-
sium and the source of a mol-
ecule that could fight some of 
the world’s deadliest viruses.

Scientists have known for 

years that a protein inside 
bananas called banana lec-
tin, or BanLec, has powerful 
antiviral properties. The only 
problem: BanLec also over-
stimulates the immune sys-
tem, resulting in harmful side 
effects that make it useless as 
a medicine.

However, an internation-

al team of researchers, led 
by Internal Medicine Prof. 
David 
Markovitz, 
recently 

announced that it was able to 
engineer a special version of 
BanLec called H84T that has 
the virus-fighting abilities of 
normal BanLec without the 
harmful side effects.

Though Markovitz’s team 

is focusing on the anti-influ-
enza properties of the modi-
fied BanLec protein, they also 
found 
preliminary 
results 

suggesting it could be used to 
treat HIV, hepatitis C, Ebola 
and other viruses.

“One scenario we’d love 

to see but are — again — far 
from, is that it works against 
other important respiratory 
viruses like MERS and SARS,” 
Markovitz said. “So one could 
imagine someone ill with a 
viral pneumonia coming in 
and you don’t know what’s 
causing it, but you could treat 

them with the modified Ban-
Lec before you know what the 
diagnosis is.”

BanLec, like all of the lec-

tin class of proteins, is a spe-
cial molecule that binds to 
sugars on the surface of cells. 
Because sugars are a very 
diverse class of molecules, 
cells cover themselves in dif-
ferent sugars to send various 
messages to other cells. When 
proteins like BanLec bind to 
those sugars, they are able to 
alter which messages get sent 
and received.

“Sugars offer a very sophiti-

cated way to regulate biology 
because they’re so complicat-
ed and they can be put togeth-
er in many different forms,” 
Markovitz said. “For example, 
you can have multiple man-
noses interacting with other 
sugars. They can be on cer-
tain proteins covering certain 
structures of the protein and 
not other structures.”

In BanLec’s case, binding to 

mannoses — sugar molecules 
that bind to other molecules 
— on the outside of viruses 
blocks those viruses from 
binding to human cells. As a 
result, they lose the ability to 
invade human cells and will 
die out instead of establishing 
an infection.

Unfortunately, 
BanLec 

can also bind to multiple 
mannose-containing 
struc-

tures on the outside of special 
immune cells called T-cells. 
When a T-cell binds to some-
thing in multiple places, it 
causes inflammation, leading 
to swelling and pain. Usually, 
this reaction is a healthy part 
of the immune system. But 
when it results from BanLec’s 
attachment to the mannose 
structures on T-cells, it can 
cause a dangerous reaction 

akin to a system-wide allergic 
response.

The research team study-

ing BanLec, which included 
26 scientists from around the 
world, used a host of tech-
niques to discover whether or 
not they could tweak BanLec 
to remove these side effects.

“We like to approach these 

questions by taking advantage 
of a wide range of expertise,” 
Markovitz said. “One of the 
nice things about this work is 
that it employed many differ-
ent modalities. We had virol-
ogy, glycobiology, molecular 
biology, immunology, animal 
models, dynamic modeling, 
NMR and crystallography. A 
lot of these are very specific 
techniques, so no one would 
know how to do all of these on 
their own.”

Using these techniques, the 

researchers discovered that 
a single structural change in 
BanLec removed the danger-
ous side effects. They shifted 
a structure that had previous-
ly shared a special chemical 
bond with another structure. 
This 
bond 
separated 
two 

sugar-binding sites, meaning 
they could both attach to a 
T-cell separately, stimulating 
inflammation. By moving one 
of these structures, the bond 
disappears and the two bind-
ing sites act more like one. 
The structures then lose the 
ability to activate T-cells.

Markovitz said there’s a 

long way to go before H84T 
will be available as a drug. 
The team still has to figure 
out how to make H84T in 
large, chemically pure quan-
tities, hire private companies 
to perform full toxicology 
reports and see if the protein 
is as powerful if given 24, 48 
or 72 hours after infection 

instead of the four hours used 
for the first study. After that, 
clinical trials on humans can 
begin.

As the researchers contin-

ue to study and refine H84T, 
they are also focusing on how 
best to bring it to market.

“This is part of why aca-

demia 
is 
fun,” 
Markovitz 

said. “You get to do all sorts 
of different things, and one 
of them can be trying to make 
something 
come 
to 
mar-

ket. So that’s what we hope. 
But we’ve got a long way to 
go before getting to human 
treatment.”

As part of this commer-

cialization 
effort, 
Markov-

itz’s team is working with the 
University’s Office of Tech 
Transfer to brainstorm how 
best to bring H84T to market, 
assuming it continues to show 
promise.

Markovitz said he hopes 

this research inspires more 
scientists to research other 
modified sugar-binding pro-
teins.

“What we hope is that this 

will embolden other groups 
who are totally unrelated to 
us to take a look at lectins and 
see whether they could modi-
fy them in a targeted manner 
to treat other diseases that we 
wouldn’t do because there are 
only so many hours in a day,” 
Markovitz 
said. 
“Another 

thing is that it opens up the 
whole idea — and I don’t want 
to overstate our contribution 
because people had thought 
about using lectins as anti-
virals long before we got in 
the field — but I think this is 
another indication that more 
specific therapy against the 
sugars on viruses might be 
effective.”

the michigan daily wishes you a happy and safe halloween