Starting at the beginning 

of 
classes 
Tuesday, 
the 

University 
of 
Michigan’s 

two-year-long 
transition 

to Canvas was complete — 
drawing mixed reactions from 
faculty over the process and 
implementation, and overall 
positive 
impressions 
from 

students.

Canvas 
is 
an 
online 

learning management system 
that includes features such 
as assignments, grades and 
discussion 
boards. 
Moving 

forward, it will be the class 
platform for all University 

classes, 
replacing 
CTools. 

The switch is one part of the 
University’s NextGen plan — 
a strategy for investing in the 
next generation of technology 
and 
creating 
shared 

infrastructure across campus.

The 
University 
piloted 

Canvas 
in 
the 
2014-2015 

school year with lukewarm 
responses from faculty and 
students, using it in 130 
courses and engaging more 
than 10,000 students and 
150 instructors. The decision 
to move forward with the 
transition was motivated by 
a decided need to, once the 
transition had begun, reduce 

At their meeting Tuesday, 

City Council voted 8-3 to 
approve the proposed and 
long-delayed Woodbury Club 
Apartment project three years 
after it was first brought before 
the council for approval.

The 
Woodbury 
project, 

slated to be built on the 
southeast corner of Nixon 
Road and M-14 near North 
Campus, was introduced in 
2013. However, approval has 
been consistently delayed due 
to pushback from neighboring 
residents concerned about the 
potential ecological damage to 
nearby wetlands and increased 
flooding risk.

Dozens of city residents 

living 
in 
neighborhoods 

adjacent 
to 
the 
proposed 

development 
attended 

Tuesday’s 
City 
Council 

meeting to advocate against 
the 
project 
— 
a 
regular 

occurrence whenever a vote to 
approve the project has been 
brought before the council for 
debate in the past.

Along 
with 
ecological 

concerns, opponents to the 
project expressed frustration 
with a perceived lack of effort 
by 
the 
project’s 
developer 

in 
engaging 
neighboring 

residents and the potential 
for 
overcrowding 
schools. 

They also pointed to a lack 
of 
accessibility 
to 
public 

transportation 
from 
the 

proposed apartments, which 
they 
said 
could 
lead 
to 

increased traffic congestion.

Ann Arbor resident Jane 

Kingston reiterated concerns 
expressed by many of her 
neighbors, saying the proposed 
project will damage the nearby 
wetlands and increase the risk 

of flooding.

“I’m really sad, and kind 

of mad and kind of frustrated 
that I’m here again to try and 
argue the case for this issue,” 
Kingston said. “We’ve been 
told by consultants and the 
people in the area that the 
parkland that’s there, as well 

as the properties nearby will 
be negatively damaged in a 
manner that is dramatic and 
severe. We’re not talking about 
just a little bit of development 
impact, we’re talking about 
damage in a manner that is not 
reversible.”

The South University Avenue 

business district is preparing to 
undergo a 10-story change.

Hughes 
Properties 
is 

working with Hobbs + Black 
Architects to construct a new 
student housing building near 
the intersection of the Diag and 
South University. The building 
will offer a combination of 
four-, 
five- 
and 
six-person 

bedrooms to appeal to a wide 
range of students, and it will 
include commercial spaces on 
the ground floor.

It will replace a few buildings 

along the north side of South 
University 
between 
Church 

Street 
and 
East 
University 

Avenue, 
though 
Espresso 

Royale and TCF Bank will 
remain standing.

Over the past years, high-

rises such as these have been 
controversial, 
with 
students 

pointing to them as one of many 
examples of unaffordable rent 
downtown.

The cost to rent in the 

South U. building has not 
been 
disclosed. 
However, 

rent at Landmark — another 

michigandaily.com
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Wednesday, September 7, 2016

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INDEX
Vol. CXXV, No. 129
©2016 The Michigan Daily

NEWS......................... 2A

OPINION.....................4A

CL A SSIFIEDS ..............6A

SUDOKU..................... 2A

ARTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5A

S P O R T S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7A

See CANVAS, Page 3A

E. Royster Harper, vice president for student life, addresses the students of the Central Student Government about her wishes for the coming school year at the CSG 
meeting in the Michigan Union Tuesday.

Central Student Government 

President David Schafer, an LSA 
senior, spoke to the body about 
issues ranging from diversity to 
mental health support on campus 

at their first meeting of the 
semester on Tuesday,

Schafer specifically highlighted 

the need to increase the number 
of staff members in Counseling 
and 
Psychological 
Services, 

noting that four more full-time 
members have already been added 
after discussions between CSG 

and University Provost Martha 
Pollack.

“Last year the ratio stood 1 to 

14,000 and now it should be down 
to about 1 to 1,150 to 1 to 1,200,” 
Schafer said. “Obviously there’s 
still work to be done but this is 
a really positive development 
and this is a strong foundation 

on which additional work and 
advocacy in the area of student 
mental health and well-being can 
be built.”

The body also discussed new 

directives to focus on during 
the year. Schafer said six new 
directives were considered as 

See APARTMENTS, Page 3A

CAROLYN GEARIG/Daily

Ann Arbor Mayor Christopher Taylor listens to community concerns at the Ann Arbor City Council meeting at City 
Hall Tuesday.

The Statement

How students on campus 

navigate social life without 

Facebook
» Page 1B

michigandaily.com

For more stories and coverage, visit

The University of Michigan 

is the world’s number one 
public college, according to a 
recent report. 

Last year, the University 

ranked 30th on the QS World 
University Rankings, behind 
the 
public 
University 
of 

California, Berkeley and the 
University of California, Los 
Angeles.

The 
ranking, 
determined 

by global education company 
Quacquarelli 
Symonds, 

included top public and private 
institutions 
from 
North 

America, Europe and Asia.

The University ranked 23rd 

overall among both public and 
private colleges. It followed 
several Ivy League institutions 
and 
elite 
universities 
from 

China, Australia, Switzerland, 
Singapore 
and 
the 
United 

Kingdom.

The list ranked more than 

700 universities, using a system 
analyzing 
academic 
quality, 

student-to-faculty 
ratio, 

employer reputation, citations 
per 
faculty, 
international 

faculty ratio and international 

See RANKING, Page 3A

See COUNCIL, Page 3A

Peppers’ progress

Perhaps the most indispensable 
player on the Michigan football 
team, Jabrill Peppers is happy 
in Don Brown’s defense

Page 8A »
disconnected

See CSG, Page 3A

‘U’ finishes 
transition to 
Canvas after 
long process

CSG pushes for Regents bylaws to 
include student input in decisions

ACADEMICS

Students and faculty express mixed 
feelings about the switch

JENNIFER MEER
Daily Staff Reporter

Body president says more work is needed , but the resolution is a step forward

JACKIE CHARNIGA

Daily News Editor

Developer 
considering 
new South 
U. high-rise

ANN ARBOR

10-story complex would 
offer 4, 5 and 6-person 
bedrooms to students

RHEA CHEETI
Daily Staff Reporter

City residents express environmental 
concerns about proposed building site

Council debates Woodbury Club project during Tuesday meeting

BRIAN KUANG
Daily Staff Reporter

University 
top public 
college in 
new report

ADMINISTRATION

UM ranked among 700 
other top global schools 
in international study

LYDIA MURRAY
Daily Staff Reporter

