3-News The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com News Wednesday, January 20, 2016 — 3A NEWS BRIEFS after watching the crisis unfold and realizing the far-reaching impacts of the contaminated water. “Our center has worked directly with the Flint community for over twenty years,” she said. “We know people who live in the community; they are our partners, our friends and our colleagues. We just wanted to be able to do something.” The Black Student Union at the University has also started a GoFundMe campaign to raise money that will be directly donated to help the citizens of Flint. The funds will go to providing fresh fruits and vegetables — which help combat the effects of lead poisoning, according to LSA senior Christopher James, BSU mass communication chair — to be distributed at schools and childcare centers. The BSU is partnering with local elementary schools and the Community Foundation of Greater Flint in their efforts. James said the BSU decided to contribute to the effort to support the residents of Flint after the increased national attention to the crisis. “It’s getting national recognition now, but it’s always been a problem,” he said. “Nationally, everyone had been rallying behind them, so we thought we’d do the same thing here. We cannot be the leaders and the best and not help them out.” The Michigan Republican Party contributed to water bottle collection efforts Tuesday by collecting water bottles on the steps on the Michigan Capitol building. During Tuesday’s State of the State Address, Snyder discussed several long and shot- term funding efforts to aid the city, including a $28 million request for funds from the state legislature. “This is a challenge we must work together to solve,” Snyder said. “We will not stop working for the people of Flint until every single person has clean water every single day, no matter what” CRISIS From Page 1A less sensitive to phone alerts. Using the Psychology Subject Pool, University researchers created an online survey to analyze the increasingly common phantom phone vibration phenomenon — which a cell phone user believes they felt a phone vibration or heard a notification erraneously. The survey consisted of different measures to gauge the link between the sensation and the subject’s attachment style in relationships, considering anxiety responses vs. avoidance responses, specifically. Daniel Kruger, research assistant professor of health behavior and health education, collaborated on the research with assistants in his Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program in his lab. Kruger said he studies evolutionary theory to understand the psychology of behavior, and has done previous work with attachment styles, which are ways we feel attachment to others. He was also part of a previous study with a former UROP research assistant who observed people and saw that cell phone use is contagious. The project began with looking into the intersection of virtual social space and in-person space, specifically researching social media. “If you have a couple of people and they’re sitting together in a coffee shop and talking together, and one person picks up their cell phone, the other person is more likely to do so,” Kruger said. Considering this phenomenon, research assistant Jaikob Djerf, an LSA junior, suggested researching phantom vibration, or phantom cell phone ringing. “I was curious why some people feel it more than others, why people are even feeling it in the first place,” Djerf said. “It’s a cultural phenomenon — so many people do experience it, and it’s significant in the sense that we found personality traits that influence this phenomenon.” Though Kruger said the phenomenon was something he has experienced before while driving, he was at first unaware this was a common sensation. However, because there is not much research being done about phantom vibration, Kruger said they designed the study to analyze several different aspects that were related to this sensation. “In one way, [cell phones are] a practical device,” Kruger said. “You can get information, you can find out where the bus is, you can read the news. But it’s also your connection to social world, with Facebook, Twitter, the other different social media applications and websites.” Some of the reasoning behind having attachment cravings is simply individual differences, Kruger said. However, he noted a craving for reassurance could be a combination of genetic variation and environmental and developmental experiences. Normally, attachment style develops in infants and young children and can potentially in adult social relationships. “Because the cell phone isn’t just this objective, practical tool for objective information, because it has the social component, detection is going to be influenced by these psychological factors, such as a craving for relationship stimulation,” he said. Djerf said researchers used a popular personality scale called the Big Five to create their survey. The Big Five is a five- factor model which refers to the five dimensions psychologists use in analyzing personality — openness, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism and extraversion. According to Kruger, inn addition to the Big Five, the researchers also used the Dark Triad, another group of personality traits psychologists use that holds a negative connotation. The Dark Triad includes narcissism, Machiavellianism and psychopathy, indicating that scoring high in these traits is related to malevolence. Kruger said the researchers also made their own scale about phantom cell ringing, asking if the participant had ever experienced it, and if so, how often and how bothersome the sensation was. The three types of stimulation highlighted in the survey included a cell phone’s ringing, vibration and notification. Among the most common sensation felt by those surveyed was a phantom vibration, in which people feel something on their skin that might be simple sensation, but they interpret the sensation as their phone buzzing. “This could be due to the ambiguity of the stimulus,” Kruger said. “Sounds are more distinguishable, and it is more difficult to have a visual hallucination than it is to interpret a tactile sensation.” With the new and rapidly developing state of technology, cell phones and social networking, Kruger said the world is only starting to understand the psychological dynamics and implications of objects like cell phones. “Still, it just kind of shows at least some people might be too dependent on this cell phone technology, so the recommendation is it might be good practice to sometimes not have your phone on or not constantly be checking these applications.” STUDY From Page 1A “(Public Act 269) would prevent factual communication about matters of communal interest from municipal bodies and elected officials, and thereby impedes voter knowledge in the voting booth,” Taylor said. “It warrants repeal.” Councilmember Graydon Krapohl (D–Ward 4), who also opposes the law, emphasized the significance of passing the resolution. “I don’t want to be known as the king of resolutions opposing state actions, but our voice does matter when it comes to issues like this in Lansing,” Krapohl said, adding that Ann Arbor would be joining numerous other cities in protesting the law. City Council also heard public comments from Ann Arbor residents who opposed the city’s deer cull — a group of Ann Arbor residents who support the city’s plan to kill a portion of Ann Arbor’s deer population — as has been typical at recent meetings. In addition to criticizing councilmembers, multiple anti- cull activists also criticized the pro-cull group Washtenaw Citizens for Ecological Balance, accusing it of having unfair influence on the council. Ann Arbor resident Lorraine Shapiro pointed to recently disclosed e-mail exchanges between councilmembers and members of WC4EB to argue that they had undue influence over other citizens when the council was still deliberating over the cull in 2015. “It is apparent that WC4EB has privileged access to councilmembers that I and others do not,” Shapiro said, referring to the e-mails. “We are being governed behind a cloak of secrecy.” In an interview after the meeting, three members of WC4EB dismissed these accusations as absurd. WC4EB member Bernie Banet said the communications his association had with members of City Council were completely normal and that the accusations were an attempt to distort reality. “All groups were communicating with council as we have a constitutional right to do, we have every right to petition our government,” Banet said. “The notion that there were some improper connections or magical power, other than the information that we provided is kind of laughable.” COUNCIL From Page 1A scandals like the poisoning of Flint’s children with lead and the throwing away of $134 million on new legislative offices the state doesn’t need and can’t afford,” said Brandon Dillon, chair of the Michigan Democratic party. Snyder ended his remarks by committing to the state of Michigan to fix the problems he outlined, admitting to making mistakes during the last years of his term. “Challenges we face in Flint, Detroit and beyond are serious but solvable,” he said. “The question is can we come together today. Every single citizen depends on us and we need to give them a better, brighter future. They deserve it.” For state and federal Democrats, the reaction to the address was predominantly skeptical of Snyder’s plan for Flint’s future. In a statement released by his office, U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D–Mich.), condemned the governor’s plan for moving forward with the Flint crisis. “While I was pleased to hear the Governor speak directly to the people of Flint, I believe the plan he outlined tonight fell short of what is needed to fully address the extensive needs of Flint residents suffering from lead exposure, especially Flint’s children,” Peters said. Lonnie Scott, executive director of Progress Michigan, echoed Peters’sentiments in a statement released Tuesday night, also highlighting the organization’s dedication to hold the state accountable. “While it’s a good first step for the Governor to release these emails, Progress Michigan remains committed to advocating for a complete repeal of the exemption for the Governor and legislature in our FOIA laws,” Scott said. “It’s nice that now that the spotlight of national media is shining a light on Snyder’s failures that he decides to give lip service to transparency. We will continue to shine a spotlight on the Governor to encourage action and not just empty words.” other people,” she said. “It takes just a little bit of courage to be uncomfortable enough to understand life from other people’s point of view.” Resolutions A new resolution on increasing voter registra- tion on campus was brought to the assembly floor during Tuesday’s meeting. The pro- posal sought to install a popup window on Wolverine Access about registering when stu- dents register for classes to make the voter registration process easier for students. The resolution was passed to the finance and resolutions committee for further review. The body also voted on win- ter CSG election dates with a resolution that had been brought to the table last week. The resolution was passed, with applications for candida- cy due the week before spring break. Among old business brought back to the table was a resolution to amend CSG’s 2016 $400,000 winter semes- ter budget, and another to enact it. Flint residents file lawsuits against city Flint residents filed two new class action lawsuits on Tuesday against city and state officials regarding the water crisis, according to MLive. The plaintiffs argue that water bills since April 2014 should be considered void as the water was unsuitable for consumption. Families involved in filing the lawsuits accused officials of supplying contaminated water from the Flint River to citizens as a cheaper alternative to receiving Lake Huron water from the city. They highlighted that government officialls at all levels failed to provide safe water to residents and want compensation for personal and physical injuries. On Tuesday, the request for the preliminary injunction was filed at the circuit court level to pursue the lawsuit. The city of Flint, the state Receivership Transition Advisory Board and other individual officials were listed as the defendants. DPS plan to move forward with second “sickout” protest Detroit Public School teachers are deciding to continue protesting the quality of their buildings, inaccesable wages, and crowded classrooms by staging a second protest, The Detroit Free Press reported. Teachers boycotted their classrooms last Wednesday by unanimously calling in sick, effectively closing schools in five districts. Two other demonstrations, hosted by Detroit Federation of Teachers union and a second group of parents and community members, will occur in tandem with the sickout in a show of solidarity with the teachers. University receives NIH grant to study back pain University researchers received a $1.4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to investigate the cost of back pain treatment ouside the primary care system, according to a University press release. They will also examine the impacts of complimentary and alternative medicine providers, such as chiropractors. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services noted that back pain is a common reason for primary care visits, but predicts primary care physicians will decrease signigicantly by 2020. Consequently, researchers claim the study will be an important and timely topic for policymakers. —CAMY METWALLY ADDRESS From Page 2A CSG From Page 2A Join the Daily. IT’S 1:48 A.M. AND WE’RE STILL HAPPY TO BE HERE. Come to a mass meeting. THURSDAY 7 P.M. AT 420 MAYNARD