michigandaily.com
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Tuesday, January 26, 2016

ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FIVE YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM

INDEX
Vol. CXXV, No. 59
©2016 The Michigan Daily
michigandaily.com

N E WS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

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

NEW ON MICHIGANDAILY.COM
Check out our 2016 Election coverage from Iowa
MICHIGANDAILY.COM/SECTION/NEWS

GOT A NEWS TIP?
Call 734-418-4115 or e-mail 
news@michigandaily.com and let us know.

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

