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Tuesday, January 26, 2016
ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FIVE YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM
INDEX
Vol. CXXV, No. 59
©2016 The Michigan Daily
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O PI N I O N . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
A R T S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
S U D O K U . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
CL A S S I F I E DS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
SP O RT S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
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WEATHER
TOMORROW
HI: 30
LO: 23
In campus-wide
e-mail, Schlissel
outlines preventative
measures at UM-Flint
By TANYA MADAHANI
Daily Staff Reporter
In an e-mail to the University
community Monday, University
President
Mark
Schlissel
commended
the
efforts
of
UM-Flint Chancellor Sue Borrego
to
combat
lead-contaminated
drinking water on the Flint
campus amid the ongoing water
crisis in the city.
“Their
considerable
efforts
began more than a year ago, and
because of their actions, drinking
water on the campus is safe,”
Schlissel wrote. “This is a long-
term crisis for one of our state’s
most important cities and its
people. The strong ties (Borrego)
has built with the community
will be needed more than ever.”
In a November 2015 statement
to The Michigan Daily, Borrego
said
the
Flint
campus
has
implemented multiple initiatives
in an effort to provide safe water
on its campus.
According
to
Borrogo,
although the campus itself was
not required to start filtering and
boiling their water at that time,
all drinking water fountains,
break
room
sinks,
kitchen
sinks and food prep areas were
installed with filtration devices.
Faucet mounted filters were fitted
for students living on campus in
residences halls, as well as those
living off campus.
In a November 2015 e-mail
to
The
Michigan
Daily,
Marjory
Wisniewski,
senior
advisor for media relations and
communications for the Flint
campus, wrote that Borrego
drove the measures to improve
water quality.
“Borrego took the stance that
our campus must go beyond the
federal guidelines to ensure we
protect students, faculty and staff
from any and all lead exposure
and to provide peace of mind
by installing filters throughout
campus,” Wisniewski wrote.
Borrego noted in her statement
that while the water emergency is
not expected to subside anytime
soon, resources from all three
campuses are being provided
to the Flint student, faculty,
and staff community, and Flint
Researchers
attribute decrease
to apathy, increase
in vehicle costs
By AMANDA DELETKA
For the Daily
Though it may come as
surprise to commuters who
driving
bumper-to-bumper
traffic on State Street some
mornings, the number of people
receiving their driver’s license in
the United States is decreasing
each year, according to research
conducted by the University of
Michigan Transport Research
Institute.
The
study,
which
was
published earlier this month,
shows that the number of 19
year-olds becoming licensed to
drive has decreased 18 percent
from 1983 to 2014
Michael Sivak and Brandon
Schoettle, who are UMTRI
research scientists, attributed
the
decrease
to
increasing
costs associated with driving
and a stronger environmental
conscious, but ultimately boils
down to an apathetic generation.
Michigan State University
junior Paige McKeon said she
waited until she was 19 before
becoming licensed to drive.
“I was lazy and it was not
necessary.” McKeon said. “I
Attendees share
anecdotes about
grappling with anti-
Muslim prejudice
By ALEXA ST. JOHN
Daily Staff Reporter
The words “Move to your
homeland” appeared on the
screen at the front of the
Pendleton Room Monday night.
The phrase, serving as one
example of a negative comment
aimed at the Muslim community
on campus, was part of the
School of Literature, Science
and the Arts sponsored event
Sharing
Stories,
Building
Allyhood:
Student
Voices
Against Islamophobia, which
drew hundreds of students and
faculty to the Union Monday
night.
The event’s emcee, American
Culture Prof. Evelyn Alsultany,
who is also the director of Arab
and Muslim American Studies,
said she wanted to demonstrate
how Islamophobia affects the
University
community
and
prompt thinking about how to
create a campus environment
that is inclusive of all people.
“Islamophobia has been a
problem in our country for
a very long time,” Alsutany
said. “Recently there has been
an increase in Islamophobia,
(meaning) hate crimes against
Muslims
and
people
who
are perceived to be Muslims,
discourses
by
presidential
candidates and other people
that
perceive
Muslims
as
un-American or anti-American
and not part of this country and,
in general, a way of thinking
about Muslims — a logic that
justifies their exclusion.”
During the event, students
spoke in front of dozens of
‘Michigan App’ will
now send emergency
messages through
push notifications
By SEAN DEW
For the Daily
The University is set to unveil
another way to stay connected
to its emergency alert system
sometime this semester.
Beginning Dec. 4, Michigan’s
Department
of
Information
and Technology Services began
testing a way for students to
receive emergency alerts via
push notifications from the
University’s
official
mobile
application, the Michigan App.
The
notifications
would
supplement
the
University’s
already established system for
distributing emergency alerts,
which includes text messages,
voicemail,
e-mail,
digital
signage, the University website
and Twitter.
The update would also allow
non-Michigan
community
members, such as parents or
University
contractors,
to
stay informed of potentially
threatening
situations
as
well, as long as they have
downloaded
the
application
and enabled push notifications.
During the testing process,
ITS researchers sent surveys
to more than 4,000 University
students,
staff
and
faculty
seeking
feedback
about
the
effectiveness
of
push
notifications on the application.
In
an
interview,
Diane
Brown,
spokeswoman
for
the University’s Division of
Public Safety and Security,
said the surveys showed push
notifications
were
reaching
University
community
members quickly.
“With initial testing, it was
discovered that at many times
the push notifications would
reach recipients faster than
texts,” she said.
In
a
statement,
Scott
Taylor,
executive
director
of ITS Solution Design and
Delivery and interim executive
director of ITS Application and
Information Services, said he
believes the surveys will help
further improve the system.
“We
are
continuing
to
refine our systems to send
texts,
e-mails
and
voice
alerts out faster than ever,”
he said. “The Michigan App
push alert mechanism needs
some adjustments to increase
reliability for emergency alerts.”
Brown
said
one
of
the
main
obstacles
facing
the
ITS department to create the
feature was accounting for
the
formatting
differences
between Android and Apple
operating systems.
“During testing we realized
there was a difference in
Body also discusses
status of strategic
plan for diversty,
inclusion
By ISOBEL FUTTER
Daily Staff Reporter
Topics ranging from the
bicentennial
anniversary
of
the University, the Flint water
crisis and diversity initiative
were on University President
Mark Schlissel’s mind when he
came to speak at the University
Senate Assembly Monday.
Starting with the upcoming
bicentennial in 2017, Schlissel
said the University is one of
few universities who have the
opportunity to celebrate 200
years.
“We’re really a pillar of
society
and
that’s
pretty
exciting
to
think
about,”
Schlissel said. “A team has been
planning a year or more’s worth
of activities to commemorate
our 200th, and probably more
importantly to look together to
what the University is going to
be in the years ahead.”
Schlissel
said
he
has
appointed
faculty
members
to
separate
committees
to
organize
three
colloquiums
celebrating
the
University’s
bicentennial throughout the
year. The colloquiums will each
focus on a different aspect of
the University’s future and
involvement in the greater
community.
Taking on a topic that
has garnered statewide and
national
media
attention
and outrage, Schlissel also
spoke about the Flint water
crisis,
highlighting
efforts
the University’s Flint campus
has been making to provide
support for their community.
He said in addition to installing
its own water filter in 2015,
the Flint campus has been
testing its water since fall
2014 and uses an independent
water-testing
laboratory
to
ensure water safety. Schlissel
RYAN MCLOUGHLIN/Daily
Business senior G.S. Suri talks about his experiences with Islamophobia during the Voices Against Islamophobia discussion in the Michigan Union on Monday.
ALLISON FARRAND/Daily
A multiple exposure of sophomore gymnast Lauren Marinez competing in a meet against Ohio State at Crisler
Center Jan. 16. Michigan won 196.950-195.275.
FLIPPING THROUGH TIME
See UPDATE, Page 3
See SHARING, Page 3
See DRIVER, Page 3
See SACUA, Page 3
See CAMPUS, Page 3
All three ‘U’
campuses
take part in
Flint effort
Students gather to discuss
Islamophobia on campus
DPSS to debut
enhancements
to alert system
Schlissel talks bicentennial
plans at Senate Assembly
Number of
U.S. driver’s
licenses sees
sharp decline
ADMINISTRATION
CRIME
SCIENCE
ACADEMICS