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The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
News
Thursday, February 25, 2016 — 3A

Ann Arbor to the Ross Athletic 
Campus and Briarwood area.

The 
project 
will 
cost 

approximately 
$500 
million 

to $700 million, and add an 
additional 8 percent increase in 
annual operating costs system-
wide — to both the Ann Arbor area 
transit system and the University. 
The exact breakdown of funding 
and sources has not yet been 
determined. 
However, 
similar 

projects in the past have seen a 
combination of federal, state and 
University funding along with 
public and private partnerships.

Currently, 
the 
University 

transportation system and the 
AAATA serve over 30,000 daily 
passengers. 
Compared 
to 
a 

standard bus, the Connector is 
estimated to run about 43 percent 
faster and increase capacity by 
approximately 52 percent.

During 
Wednesday’s 
press 

conference, 
Steve 
Dolen, 

University 
executive 
director 

of parking and transportation 
services, highlighted the impact 
of forecasted growth in ridership 
in the community. The current 
high levels of demand means 
the established transportation is 
already operating at full capacity, 
he said.

“Our 
current 
systems 
are 

stressed to meet that demand 
efficiently, 
reliably 
and 

conveniently,” Dolen said. “This 
advanced system will not only help 
us with today’s capacity issues, but 
it also sets us up for the future.”

Officials also stressed several 

other expected benefits of the 
proposal, saying riders can expect 
greater travel time reliability 
because the Connector will not 
be at the mercy of traffic, instead 
benefiting from a dedicated lane. 
Additionally, the project hopes to 
use 100 percent alternative and 
renewable energy, largely focusing 
on local sources of hydroelectric 
power.

The project is still in the 

early planning stages, and the 
implementation 
process 
could 

take anywhere from six to 12 
years according to a press release. 
Planners described the project 
as being in a phase of exploring 
alternative 
transportation 

strategies. Once the project clears 
that phase and is approved, it 
will then begin with a 24-month 
environmental 
review 
and 

preliminary engineering phase, 
followed by the final design stage. 
The construction and testing will 
take about an additional 24 to 36 
months.

According 
to 
Dolen, 
the 

University is slated to play a large 
role in the implementation and 
funding of the environmental 
review phase. The current phase 
is being led by the AAATA.

“The intention is that the 

University will lead the next phase 
of the project, but it’s still the same 
collaborative effort that we’ve had 
going forward,” he said.

In 2011, the University and the 

city collaborated with AAATA 
and the AADA to fund a study 
investigating the feasibility of 
such a transit system. Eli Cooper, 
city 
transportation 
program 

manager, said Wednesday that 
the 
study 
explored 
various 

available technologies, travel 
patterns 
and 
community 

growth, but it did not delve into 
the more logistical details, such 
as location or technology, which 
is what planners are currently 
exploring.

He said once the city realized 

the system was a feasible concept, 
it was no longer just a vision. 
The Ride then took over for the 
alternative analysis stage because 
a transportation agency was best 
suited to lead this phase.

“This is nearing the level of 

the initial vision statement in the 
context of there is and should be a 
level of excitement and enthusiasm 
that this vision is becoming more 
real on a day-to-day basis,” Cooper 
said. “This is a moment in time to 
reflect on advancing through the 
alternatives analysis and having 
a recommendation to carry and 
allow us to move forward.”

Alternatives 
analysis 
study 

are 
considered 
best 
practice 

by 
the 
U.S. 
Department 
of 

Transportation. Matt Carpenter, 
CEO of The Ride, said the study is 
the entryway for federal funding 
and requires the evaluation of the 
technical merits associated with 
different routes. In this case, the 
light rail option has been deemed 
the most cost effective.

“The 
alternatives 
analysis 

confirms the win-win opportunity 
for a study like this to create an 
asset that can be used by everyone 
and anyone in the community,” 
Carpenter said. “That helps us 
accommodate the growing interest 
in this growing community and 
provides a faster, more reliable 
and more comfortable means of 
travel.”

Dolen 
noted 
that 
because 

Connector 
ridership 
numbers 

are largely driven by University 
activity related to health care, 
employment, academics, research 
and visitors, the project should be 
well poised to compete for federal 
funds.

Before 
the 
lengthy 

implementation process can begin, 
the proposal must be approved. 
In the meantime, the long-term 
project is seeking public support 
and opinions.

On 
March 
24, 
a 
public 

engagement event will take place 
at the Ann Arbor District Library 
or Detroit Public Library Main 
Branch from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 
another from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the 
Traverwood Branch.

University planner Sue Gott 

said the goal is to gather feedback 
and ideas from the public about 
some of the more specific details 
associated with the plan.

“Part of what we hope the 

community 
input 
will 
help 

contribute both in terms of the 
refinement of the alignment and 
also the design of the product 
that’s used,” Gott said. “It’s 
important that we remain open-
minded about the possibilities 
so that as we continue to move 
forward, we’re very inclusive of 
good ideas, of the most advanced 
technology.”

TRANSIT
From Page 1A

cells have the potential to be useful 
in other conditions, especially 
conditions where the organs 
become damaged by disease or 
other conditions and ideally, you 
would need to replace the cells in 
the damaged organ by new cells. 
You can consider using stem cells 
as a way to do that in the future.”

Along with helping develop 

treatments, stem cells have also 
been used to provide information 
about human biology and replace 
cells in a damaged organ.

There are several different 

types of stem cells —adult stem 
cells are found in individual 
tissues as stem cells that have 
already chosen which type of cell 
to become. Embryonic stem cells, 
on the other hand, are found in 
the embryo only at early stages, 
when the embryo consists of just 
a few cells. Usually, to be used for 
research, embryonic stem cells 
are kept at this young state to 
prevent them from growing into 
adult cells, according to MStem 
Laboratories, the center for stem 
cell research at the University.

Gary Smith, the director of the 

MStem Cell Laboratories, said his 
lab primarily focuses on making 
human embryonic stem cells for 
single-gene disorders, such as 
muscular dystrophy.

“What we do is make the 

embryonic stem cell line from the 
embryo, grow it, characterize it, 
and then with documentation, 
we submit them to the National 
Institute 
of 
Health,” 
Smith 

said. “They review all of the 
documentation and then accept 
them — every line we’ve made has 
been accepted on the NIH registry 
… any researcher in the country 
can get the stem cell lines from the 
University of Michigan and work 
on them with federal funds.”

The cells are typically derived 

from fertilized embryos of couples 
who created them for reproductive 
purposes yet no longer need them. 
The embryos are either discarded 
as medical waste or donated with 
consent for research needs.

Maillard said the potential 

to help the patients he interacts 
with on a daily basis motivates his 
research, which often uses stem 
cells for bone marrow transplants 
as an effective treatment in many 
cases.

“I work with these patients,” 

Maillard said. “I see them in the 
clinic and I see their problems. I 

see the ones that we can help, and I 
also see the limitations of the field. 
I see the patients that we are not 
able to help enough and I want to 
be part of the solutions that we’re 
going to bring to these patients.”

State proposal on stem cell 

research

The 
Michigan 
Stem 
Cell 

Amendment, 
more 
commonly 

known as Proposal 2, was passed 
by the state’s electorate in 2008. It 
expanded use of human embryos 
in research so long as the embryos 
were created for the purposes of 
conceiving children and were not 
suitable for implantation or would 
be otherwise discarded unless 
used for research. The proposal 
also required that donations were 
made from consenting couples 
who 
voluntarily 
sought 
out 

fertility treatment.

Following 
the 
passage 
of 

this legislation, the University 
announced the opening of the 
A. 
Alfred 
Taubman 
Medical 

Research Institute Consortium for 
Stem Cell Therapies in 2009. The 
institute was intended to facilitate 
the development of new stem cell 
lines. At the same time, President 
Barack Obama issued an executive 
order lifting restrictions placed on 
embryonic stem cell research by 
former President George Bush.

In 2015 alone, the National 

Institutes of Health gave $445 
million in grants for human non-
embryonic stem cell research 
nationally. The NIH also funded 
$180 million in human embryonic 
stem cell research last year. 
According to the organization’s 
spending 
report, 
nearly 
$4.2 

million out of that total went to the 
University.

The University was able to 

develop the state’s first human 
embryonic stem cell line, or group 
of stem cells cultured in vitro, in 
2010 through the Consortium 
for Stem Cell Therapies. In 
2012, it was announced that 
the 
University’s 
first 
human 

embryonic stem cell line would be 
added to the National Institutes of 
Health’s national registry.

Maillard noted that while 

he does not directly work with 
embryonic stem cells, he thought 
2008’s Proposal 2 affected the 
stem cell research field as a whole.

“(Proposal 2) has expanded 

the potential of researchers at the 
University to derive new lines of 
embryonic stem cells for research 
purposes,” 
Maillard 
said. 
“It 

has ensured that this remains 
something 
that 
was 
possible 

in Michigan in general and at 

the University of Michigan in 
particular.”

However, 
there 
is 
also 

still 
significant 
controversy 

surrounding the research. There 
are many groups opposed to stem 
cell research, such as Concerned 
Women for America, a national 
interest group that has decried 
federal and state measures to make 
the research legal. Because the 
group believes that life begins at 
conception, they see research like 
that performed at the University 
destructive to human life.

At the University itself, there 

is also dissent from parts of 
the student body. LSA junior 
Rachel Crawford, vice president 
of Students for Life, said the 
organization only supports adult 
stem cell research.

“We do oppose all embryonic 

stem cell research because it 
destroys that human embryo,” 
Crawford said. “In order to 
procure any kind of stem cells 
from an embryo you have to 
destroy it.”

Crawford said many believe 

a moral question remains as to 
whether it should be permissible to 
create the excess human embryos 
to begin with, due to the fact that 
genetically 
mutated 
embryos, 

sometimes donated for research, 
often have to be discarded.

“In the past years, adult stem 

cells have been used to treat 
more than 70 conditions but 
never had a condition treated by 
using embryonic stem cells yet,” 
Crawford said. “A lot of the strains 
that they create from them often 
have to be discarded because of 
genetic mutation.”

Maillard said from a scientific 

perspective, 
the 
research 
is 

justified in using embryos that 
otherwise 
would 
have 
been 

discarded.

“The reality is that there is not 

a single embryo that is used for 
research unless it has already been 
decided that it would be otherwise 
discarded,” Maillard said. “All the 
embryos that are used in research 
would otherwise be discarded as 
medical waste.”

Jason 
Spence, 
assistant 

professor 
of 
cell 
and 

developmental 
biology, 
works 

with both embryonic and induced 
pluripotent stem cells. Induced 
pluripotent stem cells, or IPs, are 
grown in a dish and potentially 
have the ability to become any 
human tissue.

Read more online at
michigandaily.com

at the University, during the event. 
Approximately 
27.8 
percent 
of 

female undergraduates, 11.8 percent 
of male undergraduates, 21.5 percent 
of female graduate students and 10.3 
percent of male graduate students 
who responded to the survey 
screened positive for an eating 
disorder.

The survey also showed that 

treatment levels remain low: 82 
percent of women and 96 percent 
of men who screened positive did 
not seek treatment. As well, even in 
the absence of a diagnosable eating 
disorder, many respondents suffered 
from body image, self-confidence 
and self-worth issues.

Along with their presentation, 

the group also held an open dialogue 
session with three panelists.

In response to a question about 

how eating disorders affect different 
genders, age groups and identities, 
Stephanie 
Koenig, 
leader 
and 

founder of Project Heal southeast 
Michigan’s 
chapter, 
affirmed 

that anyone can be vulnerable to 
suffering an eating disorder.

“Eating disorders can affect 

anybody, regardless of age and 
gender,” she said. “The fact that 
people 
have 
better 
access 
to 

treatment can skew statistics. Some 
are also less likely to seek treatment 
because of stigma, shame and 
cultural factors.”

On campus, the U-SHAPE survey 

noted prevalence of both stigma and 
perceived stigma surrounding eating 

disorders. More than 60 percent of 
students surveyed said they thought 
peers would think less of them if 
they had an eating disorder; 30 
percent said they would think less of 
peer with an eating disorder.

Fawcett also pointed to the 

potentially devastating effects of an 
eating disorder on the body.

“In our center, we teach how 

eating disorders affects the three Bs: 
brains, bones and baby. Bones: people 
with eating disorders are at risk of 
low bone density and osteoporosis. 
A woman who is malnourished for 
a long time might not be able to have 
a baby. Finally, the brain shrinks and 
loses gray and white matter when 
the body is malnourished.”

While these health effects can be 

mitigated with early treatment, some 
might ultimately be irreversible, 
Fawcett added.

All three panelists agreed that 

starting a conversation with a friend 
whom you suspect has an eating 
disorder is difficult but necessary.

Engineering sophomore Maggie 

Hafers, a panelist, pointed out 
the importance of discerning the 
meaning behind each response and 
taking follow-up action.

“A super defensive reaction is a 

huge red flag. Don’t stop there. Don’t 
let the person convince you that 
what they do is normal,” Hafers said.

Fawcett suggested a gentle, kind 

and direct approach when reaching 
out to someone you suspect has an 
eating disorder.

Koenig also addressed the need to 

be sensitive in choice of comments 
and language.

“Saying things like, ‘I ate, then 

went home to do crunches so I could 
eat more’ — that could set someone 
else who already has disordered 
thinking off on a slippery slope.”

Hafers 
said 
supportive 

friendships were key to her own 
decision to seek treatment and 
recover from an eating disorder that 
had affected her since sophomore 
year of high school.

“As a friend, you can create a 

supportive, inclusive and blame-free 
environment,” she said. “My best 
friend accompanied me to my first 
appointment on campus, and came 
with me for subsequent therapy 
sessions.”

The panel also pointed to available 

resources like the online toolkit 
provided by the National Eating 
Disorder Association. On campus, 
students can seek help from the 
UM Counseling and Psychological 
Services.

Though 
acknowledging 
the 

difficulties inherent in overcoming 
eating disorders, the panel stressed 
that a complete recovery is possible.

“There is a commonly held belief 

that recovery from eating disorders 
isn’t possible — once you get it you 
are always going to have it. I saw 
therapists and doctors who told me 
that,” Koenig said. “Project Heal 
believes that full recovery, both 
physical and mental, is possible. 
It is possible, I have reached that 
point.”

LSA freshman Emma Kuske 

said she decided to attend the panel 
because of the many people in her 
social circle who suffer from eating 
disorders or have family histories of 
the disorder.

of the Student Financial Aid 
Association, was the main speaker 
for the event. Bhaumik is also a 
staff member in the University’s 
Financial Aid office, and teaches a 
class on the topic, UC 170.

Bhaumik started the seminar 

with a clarification on the definition 
of financial literacy.

“I think financial education is 

really about being savvy,” she said. 
“You have to be educated but take 
it to the next level. Start to become 
strategic. Start to become mindful of 
the choices you make because that’s 
the whole point of being savvy.”

Bhaumik said first steps for 

students are organizing the reality 
of their spending, their financial 
state 
and 
setting 
reasonable 

financial goals, reminding students 
to organize before budgeting and 
saving.

“We usually get this wrong,” 

Bhaumik said. “Many of us are 
taught: save, save, save. I put 10 
percent of my paycheck into my 
savings account, every paycheck, 
but I take $100 out a week later. 
That’s 
not 
saving, 
that’s 
bad 

budgeting.”

Other topics covered including 

knowing the specifics of your 
spending and the importance of 
renter’s insurance.

The seminar also discussed 

credit, which Bhaumik called a 
“measure of your trustworthiness.”

“A lot of people are looking at that 

credit report,” she said, explaining 
that landlords and employers look 
at credit to evaluate the timeliness 
of one’s payments and financial 
awareness. “Take seriously that 
payment and debt.”

Bhaumik ended the seminar 

with 10 tips, which included: “Be 
proactive, 
not 
reactive,” 
“keep 

records organized” and put a special 
emphasis on “create a budget and 
stick with it.”

Strobl said the seminar was 

just the beginning of a CSG plan 
to increase finance education on 
campus.

“We are hoping to have a series 

of events like college affordability, 
financial literacy,” he said. “We are 
hoping to have one on paying your 
taxes, and we are hoping to have 
a panel with state legislators on 
how the state of Michigan is trying 
to make college be much more 
affordable for students.”

Some of the students who 

attended the seminar, such as LSA 
senior Michael Garbose, said they 
were interested in business as a 
career option or wanted to learn 
how to support themselves in the 
future.

“I have taken some classes 

in economics and business in 
general, and I just wanted some 
better practical knowledge moving 
forward,” Garbose said. “I plan to go 
to business school and get my MBA 
in the future, and I figured that this 
could be a good starting point.”

RESEARCH
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PANEL
From Page 1A

FINANCE
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