The University of Michigan’s 

chapter of College Democrats 
kicked off one of its weekly 
voter 
registration 
drives 

Wednesday 
with 
a 
special 

appearance from actor Sean 
Astin, best known for his role 
as Sam in Lord of the Rings.

Astin spoke to students and 

community 
members 
about 

campaigning at ground-level 
events. 
He 
also 
discussed 

his experiences with Hillary 
Clinton who he’s known since 
1992, calling her one of the most 
passionate and hardworking 
people he has ever met.

The 
event, 
held 
in 
the 

Michigan 
Union, 
was 

coordinated 
in 
conjunction 

with 
Hillary 
Clinton’s 

campaign in Michigan.

Voter registration is one of 

several major outreach efforts 
coordinated by the University’s 
College Democrats during an 
election year. This year they 
plan to hold voter registration 
drives every week until Oct. 11, 
the last day to register voters in 
time for the November election.

Collin 
Kelly, 
chair 
of 

College Democrats, said the 
group is holding registration 
drives to promote Democratic 
candidates on both local and 
state levels, along with Clinton.

During the event, Astin 

said he came to campus to 
encourage 
volunteers 
at 

the grassroots level of the 

campaign and remind them of 
their significance.

“Those 
kinds 
of 
people 

need to know that they are not 
operating in a vacuum,” he said. 
“That they have the support 
of millions and millions of 
Americans who rely on them 
to do that footwork … It’s 
endlessly inspiring to see the 
optimism of students when it 
comes to engagement and being 
involved in their civic life.”

The 
organization 
and 

coordination 
of 
celebrity 

events such as this is done by 
the Clinton campaign itself, 
not College Democrats, but the 
campaign works to coordinate 
with student groups in the later 
stages of the process, Kelly 
said.

Kelly 
said 
having 

celebrities 
like 
Astin 
visit 

campus encourages a level of 
excitement 
among 
student 

in this election cycle and 
compliments the more local 
figures that typically come to 
campus.

“When you have people who 

are really respected and well-
known to come voice their 
opinion allows students to 
follow their lead and for that 
enthusiasm to really catch on,” 
he said.

For both Clinton and GOP 

Over 
the 
summer, 
the 

University 
of 
Michigan 

expanded its academic offering 
in an unusual aread — one that 
doesn’t involve sitting in an 
actual classroom.

The University has added 

two new course specializations 
to Coursera, an online company 
which offers Massive Open 
Online Courses to learners 
seeking education in a certain 
field 
from 
an 
established 

university.

Course specializations are 

a sequence of several courses 
that fall under a certain subject. 
The two new specializations 
the University is offering are 
Applied Data Science with 
Python and Data Collection 
and 
Analysis. 
Once 
these 

specializations are completed, 
students receive an electronic 
certificate of completion.

In an email interview, James 

DeVaney, associate vice provost 
for 
academic 
innovation, 

wrote 
these 
specializations 

were approved by a faculty 
committee that works closely 

michigandaily.com
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Thursday, September 8, 2016

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Call 734-418-4115 or e-mail 
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INDEX
Vol. CXXV, No. 130
©2016 The Michigan Daily

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

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

SPORTS...................... 5A

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

CL ASSIFIEDS............... 5A

A R T S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 B

The 
Federal 
Rail 

Administration 
and 
city 

government 
are 
moving 

forward with plans to build 
Amtrak 
stations 
at 
four 

potential sites in Ann Arbor, 
each with varying support from 
City Council members.

The next step in the planning 

process 
is 
completing 
an 

environmental 
assessment 

report within the next two 
months, 
according 
to 
Eli 

Cooper, transportation program 
manager for Ann Arbor.

Cooper said the city has 

sub-contracted environmental 

specialists and engineers at 
the technology firm AECOM 
to gather environmental data, 
and he expects a draft of the 
assessment to be underway in 
October. 

Two of the four possible 

station designs are both at the 
location of the current Amtrak 
station on Depot Street. One 
of the design options is for an 
elevated station. The other is 
for a ground level station north 
of the tracks.

The third possible station 

design, also located on Depot 
Street, would replace the Gandy 
Dancer restaurant, repurposing 
the building as a train station 

See AMTRAK, Page 3A

SAM MOUSIGIAN/Daily

Rob Sellers, vice provost for equity, inclusion and academic affairs, encourage successful college practices at the SuccessConnects Orientation in the Student 
Activities Building Wednesday.

The SuccessConnects program 

held its orientation for its over 
150 student scholars Wednesday 
in the Student Activites Building.

SuccessConnects is a program 

guided by the Office of Academic 
Multicultural 
Initiatives 
that 

works with underrepresented 
freshman students to help them 
sort their way through the pool 
of resources available to them, 
as well as the academic and 
social challenges the University 
of Michigan could potentially 

pose for them. It primarily 
seeks to serve first-generation 
college 
students, 
low-income 

students 
and 
students 
from 

underrepresented minorities.

Mary Taylor, a Success Coach 

and 
program 
coordinator 
at 

OAMI, said her team aims to 
create a community for students 

who may feel lost on a big campus.

“We 
are 
trying 
to 
serve 

students who wouldn’t get served 
by other programs,” she said. 
“We are bringing the resources 
to them and trying to make 
Michigan feel much smaller.”

Music, 
Theatre 
& 
Dance 

See ONLINE, Page 3A

GRANT HARDY/Daily

Actor Sean Astin rallies Hillary Clinton supporters to register voters in the Union Wednesday. 

Party in the AA

We report from the two 

biggest welcome week 

parties: Ann Arbor’s

craziest cultural event

» B-Side

michigandaily.com

For more stories and coverage, visit

In a continued partnership 

with 
the 
University 
of 

Michigan, Toyota announced 
it will invest $22 million to 
fund research on driverless 
cars and methods of artificial 
intelligence. 
This 
is 
an 

expansion 
of 
the 
Toyota 

Research 
Institute’s 
April 

announcement, which revealed 
TRI will be opening a new 
facility in Ann Arbor.

The Ann Arbor location 

is the third facility TRI has 
established in the United States, 
the first in Massachusetts near 
the Massachusetts Institute 
of Technology and the second 
in California near Stanford 
University.

The 
most 
recent 

announcement 
about 
the 

newly established relationship 
between 
the 
company 
and 

the University stated TRI’s 
funding 
will 
be 
used 
to 

continue 
the 
University’s 

commitment 
to 
research 

on autonomous driving and 
artificial 
intelligence. 
The 

research will take place over 

See TOYOTA, Page 3A

See ASTIN, Page 3A

See SUCCESS, Page 3A

City leaders 
divided over 
new Amtrak 
design plans

SuccessConnects aims to assist
underrepresented new students

LOCAL

Four sites in Ann Arbor under 
consideration for new rail station

SOPHIE SHERRY
Daily Staff Reporter

Program welcomes freshmen with resources and encouragement at orientation

NEIL SCHWARTZ
Daily Staff Reporter

University 
announces 
additions to 
Coursera

ACADEMICS

Two new data science 
specializations made 
available to public

RACHEL COHEN
Daily Staff Reporter

Actor Sean Astin speaks at College 
Democrats voter registration event

At UM, Lord of the Rings star discusses importance of grassroots campaigning

LYDIA MURRAY
Daily Staff Reporter

Toyota to 
give $22M 
to ‘U’ for 
car project 

RESEARCH

Company releases 
details for driverless 
vehicle research

KEVIN LINDER
Daily Staff Reporter

