Engineering sophomore Maggie 

Hafers, president of Zeta Tau 
Alpha, said the Speak Out had an 
emotional atmosphere.

“(I felt) shock, heartbreak, but 

also empowerment,” Hafers said.

LSA senior Alyssa Gorenberg, 

a founder of the Panhellenic peer 
educators program, said she hoped 
the Speak Out would help create a 
safer and more supportive Greek 
community.

“We want this event to be a staple 

in our community for the future,” 
Gorenburg said. “I think it’s really 
important to raise awareness for 

our sisters in our chapters and the 
Panhellenic community as a whole. 
I am hoping that people find that 
they have a space that is safe and 
confidential, that they can start to 
heal or continue their process.”

Panhellenic 
Peer 
Educators 

handed out pamphlets at the the 
beginning of the Speak Out, which 
detailed 
confidential 
resources 

available to survivors and allies on 
campus. The back of the pamphlet 
had a blank space left for students 
to write, draw and/or reflect. There 
was also a confidential SAPAC 
advocate in attendance available to 
students if needed.

Though SAPAC hosts annual 

Speak Outs at the University, LSA 
senior Laura Meyer, volunteer 

coordinator for the networking, 
publicity and activism program 
at SAPAC, said there was an 
important 
distinction 
between 

this Greek Life Speak Out and the 
campus-wide one.

“I think a lot of people make 

assumptions about Greek life 
without listening to the lived 
experiences of people within the 
Greek life system, which is why I 
think this is so important to create 
the community where people are 
comfortable listening to each other 
and sharing with each other,” she 
said. “And with that we can try to 
go forward and change the culture 
so this event is not necessary in the 
future.”

SINDUJA KILARU/Daily

Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha gives a talk about the Flint drinking water crisis at the School of Public Health on Wednesday.

3-News

Funding awarded to 
encourage medical 
discovery projects

The Center for the Discovery 

of New Medicines has awarded 
funding for discovery projects 
done by University faculty 
regarding important health topics 
such as chronic kidney disease, 
different types of cancers and 
atherosclerosis. 

The grants will help researchers 

advance these projects so they 
can receive more funding from 
additional sources, such as federal 
agencies, foundations and industry 
partners.

The CDNM’s role is to provide 

both financial resources and access 
to technology for researchers who 
could potentially create life-saving 
therapeutic drugs.

Recipients of the awards include 

Ronald Buckanovich, associate 
professor of medical oncology; 
Vernon Carruthers, professor of 
microbiology and immunology; 
and Yuqing Eugene Chen, 
Frederick Huetwell professor of 
cardiovascular medicine. Also 
awarded were Raymond Trievel, 
associate professor of biological 
chemistry and Matthew Soellner, 
assistant professir of medicinal 
chemistry. 

The awards given this year 

ranged from $37,000 to $50,000. 
Since being established in 2012, 
the center has given more than 30 
awards totalling nearly $860,000. 

 

Study on apes 
highlights research 
gaps present in 
Africa, Asia

Anthropologist Andrew 

Marshall, along with several of 
his colleagues, found that one-
third of protected nature areas 
in Africa have not received any 
research attention. These findings 
hold implications that there is a 
disproportionate focus on great 
apes and their homes as compared 
to other equally important species. 
This can hold consequences for the 
field of anthropology, as well as the 
species being neglected.

In a press release, Marshall 

said this obvious preoccupation 
with apes is detracting from other 
species that also need attention, 
especially in this region and in 
tropical Asia. 

Ultimately, nature areas and 

protected national parks in both 
Africa and Asia with great apes 
returned 3.1 times more hits than 
those without great apes. 

These findings lead to 

unrealistic assessments of the 
status of threatened species 
and result in serious gaps in the 
amount of knowledge available 
on how these species live — both 
in protected and unprotected 
habitats. 

 Studies reveal 
average increase in 
fuel economy last 
month 

The average fuel economy for 

new vehicles sold in January 
increased to 25.1 miles per gallon. 
The increase is from 24.9 as 
measured in December. 

Though overall, fuel economy 

is down 0.7 mpg from an all-time 
high in August 2014, it is still 
5 mpg up from October 2007, 
the first month monitored by 
researchers at the University 
Transportation Research 
Institute.

Researchers Michael Sivak and 

Brandon Schoettle also focused 
on a national Eco-Driving 
Index, an index that estimates 
the average monthly emissions 
generated by a single driver from 
the United States. This index 
took into account the amount of 
fuel used per distance driven and 
the amount of driving.

Sivak said in a press release 

that this increase likely reflects 
the seasonal decrease in sales of 
pickup trucks and SUVs, rather 
than an exponential increase 
in the amount of four-doors 
purchased. 

 
 
—ALEXA ST. JOHN

NEWS BRIEFS

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
News
Thursday, February 4, 2016 — 3A

help the people of Flint deal with 
the aftermath of the crisis.

“It’s Congress that needs to take 

action,” he said. “The purpose of 
the oversight committee is to hold 
public officials accountable.”

In his remarks, Kildee said 

he thinks it is important to 
recognize that the major decisions 
that led to the water crisis were 
made by Earley and not the local 
government officials.

“So when we talk about failure 

of government at every level, let’s 
just be clear about one point — 
one very important point: Every 
decision that was made for the city 
of Flint that relates to this crisis 
was made by a state-appointed 
emergency manager,” he said. 
“The mayor of the city has no 
authority; the city council in Flint 
had zero authority to make any 
decisions. That is an important 
point.”

According to Jacobson, because 

of Michigan’s Public Act 72 — 
often referred to as the emergency 
manager law — Earley is unlikely 
to face legal consequences for his 
actions as the law provides virtual 
legal immunity for any actions 
taken by an emergency manager.

During the hearing, Kildee 

also submitted a memo from 
the Michigan Department of 
Environmental Quality which 
indicated they had misinformed 
the Environmental Protection 
Agency regarding their use of an 
optimized corrosion control plan. 
This information could have had 
the potential to keep lead out of 

the water for an estimated $80 
to $100 per day, according to the 
memo.

Walters 
said 
the 
MDEQ 

misinformed the EPA due to 
alleged misinterpretation of the 
law, causing residents to think the 
water was safe for many months 
when it was not.

“The MDEQ claimed they 

misinterpreted 
federal 
law 

regarding corrosion control,” she 
said. “They were allowed to tell 
EPA that they were following the 
law. Citizens in Flint were told 
for 18 months that the water was 
safe.”

Snyder was not among those 

called 
to 
testify 
before 
the 

committee. Jacobson said this 
was part of a partisan bias, in 
which Congressional Republicans 
— who have the majority in 
both 
chambers— 
want 
to 

avoid harming a prominent 
Republican 
governor 
by 

shielding him from any tough 
questions he would face in the 
hearing.

“The majority party rarely 

wants to expose wrongdoing 
among its own party members,” 
he said. “My guess is Snyder 
is not being called because 
they do not want to expose 
him to the questions from the 
minority members.”

U.S. Rep. Elijah Cumming 

(D–Md.), one of the committee 
members, said he requested 
the chair of the commission, 
Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) ask 
Snyder to come and to have him 
submit documents, but was 
refused.

“Governor Snyder should 

have 
to 
answer 
for 
his 

decisions,” Cumming said during 
the hearing. “We asked the 
chairman to invite him today, 
but he would not. We asked the 
chairman to send the same kind of 
document request that we sent to 
the EPA, but he would not.”

Colleen Crossey, a political 

activist 
who 
co-organized 
a 

recent Ann Arbor protestcalling 
for Snyder’s arrest, said in an 
interview that she would like to 
see Snyder face consequences and 
appear before the committee.

“Snyder 
should 
be 
held 

accountable because of his lack of 
oversight,” she said. “I want to see 
him held accountable and for him 
to go to Washington and answer 
the questions that he needs to 
answer.”

TESTIMONY
From Page 1A

SPEAKOUT
From Page 1A

video feeds. Public Health graduate 

student Patrick Kelly said he 

attended the event because he saw 

the crisis as an issue that hits close to 

home for him.

“I think it’s one of the biggest 

environmental health crises of our 

time,” Kelly said.

Though the passion in the room 

was clear, it seemed to be driven by 

curiosity rather than outrage.

 “It’s a sad situation, but I still 

need to learn more about it, myself,” 

said Public Health graduate student 

Christian Balcer.

However, by the end of the 

presentation 
some 
attendees 

expressed 
anger 
toward 
the 

government’s 
response 
to 
the 

crisis. Health Informatics graduate 

student Jarrod Sandel said he was 

distressed by the official response.

“You look at the work that Dr. 

Mona and other people have tried 

to do to try to bring this to a head,” 

Sandel said. “And to have them be 

stonewalled at every step is just 

horrendous. It’s a public health 

failure.”

During her remarks, Hanna-

Attisha 
said 
approximately 
18 

months went by with the state 

government and the Environmental 

Protection 
Agency 
withholding 

information.

“Right away the water was 

brown,” Hanna-Attisha said. “It 

looked gross. It smelled gross. It 

tasted gross. People complained 

instantly about rashes and hair 

loss, but it fell on deaf ears … Then, 

in October 2014, GM stopped using 

this water because it was corroding 

engine parts. This is when alarms 

and red flags really should have gone 

off.”

Hanna-Attisha 
also 
noted 

the 
potential 
effects 
of 
lead 

contamination on children. These 

effects may include decreased IQ, 

ADHD behavior and increased 

criminality. Most of all, Hanna-

Attisha said the children and the 

community as a whole have been 

affected by trauma.

“We have a community that’s 

absolutely traumatized,” Hanna-

Attisha said. “I see the moms in 

clinic, and the sacks under their 

eyes. This is trauma for two things, 

loss of trust in their government — 

governmental betrayal and neglect 

for two years. This is 2015. This is 

Michigan. We are literally in the 

middle of the Great Lakes and we 

could not guarantee a population 

that they’re drinking clean water. 

And they’re traumatized by lead.”

Social effects aside, the cost to 

the government for treating these 

ailments will be significant, Hanna-

Attisha added. 

“In the nation we spend about 

$50-100 billion dollars a year 

treating the consequences of lead 

poisoning,” 
Hanna-Attisha 
said. 

“So you add up decrease of lifetime 

earning, special education costs, 

criminal justice costs, mental health 

costs — it is staggering.”

Speaking to ways to buffer 

the impact of lead exposure, she 

also discussed efforts to increase 

accessibility to the Hurley Medical 

Center. 

The Hurley Medical Center 

confronts all the biggest obstacles 

between Flint residents and better 

health 
such 
as 
transportation, 

consistency and diet, according to 

Hanna-Attisha. To combat these 

issues, the center is located next 

to a bus stop, vulnerable families 

visit the same nurse at least until 

the child reaches age two and the 

center is located above a healthy 

foods farmers market, which offers 

special deals to clients. However, 

Hanna-Attisha said the center still 

needs a lot of development. “We’re 

building a plane while flying it,” she 

said.

Hanna-Attisha offered advice 

on how to help the Flint area, 

specifically in regards to the water 

crisis.

“Stop giving us water, we don’t 

need water,” Hanna-Attisha said. 

“What we need is an investment in 

tomorrow.” 

She recommended donating to 

research funds and hospitals on 

the front lines or to community 

organizations helping the day-

to-day situation of these families. 

She finished the presentation by 

emphasizing the need to empower 

children, 
quoting 
Frederick 

Douglass.

“It’s easier to build strong 

children than to repair broken men.”

free enterprise a hallmark of the 
American Dream, and suggested 
students get stipends to attend 
universities and colleges.

In response to D’Souza, Ayers 

questioned the United States’ 
commitment to allocating its 
budget to military engagements 
abroad instead of devoting more 
spending to make education 
more accessible for all students. 

Attendees often cheered in 

agreement with both speakers. 
D’Souza drew raucous applause 
when he stated that health 
care costs kept rising because 
of the high number of people 
who rely upon publicly funded 
health care and the large tax 
burden this poses to the average 
taxpayer.

“The guy who is getting the 

benefit is not the guy who is 
paying for it,” he said. 

Ayers’ biggest applause from 

the crowd came when he spoke 
about privilege throughout the 
country.

“We, as a democracy, as 

a people, ought to say that 
whatever the most privileged 
and wisest parents have for their 
children, we should have for our 
community’s children,” he said. 

Ayers also emphasized the 

important role of education in 
a healthy democracy several 
times during the debate. 

One question submitted by an 

anonymous student directed to 
both speakers was: “If you could 
have been one of the framers of 
our Constitution, what would 
you have changed?”

D’Souza answered that he 

would 
have 
reinforced 
the 

built-in checks and balances 
that help curb the power of the 
government. In response, Ayers 
simply stated that he would have 
changed two things: abolished 
slavery and given women the 
right to vote.

Following the three student-

submitted 
questions, 
Dean 

Martin opened the floor to any 
attendee who wished to ask the 
debaters a question. The topics 

of these questions ranged from 
the Flint water crisis to the 
Black Lives Matter movement.

On the topic of the Flint water 

crisis, Ayers said Gov. Rick 
Snyder (R) should be driven 
from office for his failure in the 
matter. He called the incident 
a 
“catastrophic 
example 
of 

government being run like a 
business.”

When the debate concluded, 

each debater received a standing 
ovation 
the 
audience 
and 

D’Souza and Ayers both were 
approached by dozens of fans 
and critics when they left the 
stage.

In an interview, D’Souza 

described the debate as “more 
substantive” 
than 
another 

debate 
held 
between 
him 

and Ayers, at his alma mater, 
Dartmouth College. He stated 
his desire for liberal universities 
to be more open to dialogue 
from conservative students and 
to be more vigilant to protect the 
right to free speech. He called 
the undergraduate experience 
“a stage of life where you are 
learning,” and said he felt 
political activism on campuses 
to be less important than 
learning from one’s peers and 
developing personal political 
beliefs.

Ayers said in an interview 

after that there was only one 
area that he wished had been 
further discussed — climate 
change.

“Climate change is one area 

where you can see ideology 
trumping reality,” he said. “The 
problem with ideology is that 
it can be helpful as a guide for 
thinking but can also be a prison 
and a trap.”

Strobl said he was pleased 

with the discourse between the 
D’Souza and Ayers, as well as 
the enthusiastic involvement 
from the crowd. 

“I was really happy with how 

the night went,” he said. “The 
debate could not have gone any 
better, especially because both 
speakers were unafraid to take 
on the tough issues. I think that 
is what the campus needs.”

DEBATE
From Page 1A

@michigandaily

