On his way to attend an 

accessibility event hosted in 
Ann Arbor by the University 
of 
Michigan 
Council 
for 

Disability Concerns in early 
December, the Ann Arbor 
Metro Airport Shuttle denied 
service to Stephen Kuusisto, 
a 
Syracuse 
University 

education professor who is 
blind. Kuusito said he was 
denied service because he had 
his guide dog with him. 

Days before traveling to 

Ann Arbor, while still at home 
in Syracuse, Kuusisto phoned 
Ann Arbor Metro Airport 
Shuttle based on a suggestion 

from a University list of 
approved services. Despite 
being recommended by the 
University, the taxi owner 
told Kuusisto he would not 
give him a ride with his guide 
dog.

“The guy was perfectly 

cheerful, until I mentioned I 
was blind and have a Seeing 
Eye dog,” Kuusisto said.

Kuusisto said the University 

took the taxi company off the 
list of recommended services 
immediately 
following 
his 

incident, and sent the service 
a cease-and-desist letter to 
stop them from using the 
University’s logo.

The University may have 

separated 
itself 
from 
the 

The world can’t stop laughing 

— or at least over text.

The crying-laughing face is 

the world’s most popular emoji, 
researchers at the University 
of 
Michigan 
and 
Peking 

University determined in a joint 
study, according to a University 
press 
release 
published 
in 

December.

Emojis 
— 
ranging 
from 

simplistic 
smiling 
faces 
to 

animals to flags to eggplants— 
have been seen more recently 
with the rise of smartphones 
and social media sites, allowing 
users to simply place an image 
instead of spelling out longer 
messages or reactions. 

The 
University 
study 

examined emoji usage from 
3.88 million active users from 
212 different countries and 
regions from Sep. 1 to Sep. 30, 
2015. Nearly one-third of the 
active users analyzed in the 
data study consisted of users in 
the United States, though Brazil 
and Mexico also held heavily 
dominant users.

Wei Ai, a doctoral student 

at the University’s School of 
Information, 
authored 
the 

study report, one of the first 
large-scale analyses of emoji 
usage.

“(Emojis) 
are 
becoming 

the 
ubiquitous 
language 

that bridges everyone across 
different cultures,” Ai said in 

the press release.

The red heart and heart-eyes 

face ranked second and third, 
respectively.

The 
study 
also 
factored 

cultural 
attitudes 
and 

norms into emoji usage. The 
researchers found that users 
from different countries had 
considerable 
divergence 
in 

emoji usage, variance which was 
mainly related to differences in 
cultural backgrounds.

Texters 
from 
countries 

highly valuing individualism 
such as Australia, France and 
the Czech Republic sent more 
happy emojis. In societies more 
concerned with uncertainty, 
such as those in Portugal, 
Chile 
and 
Peru, 
however, 

users tended toward emojis 
expressing negative feelings.

The widespread use of emojis 

presents an opportunity for 
researchers in fields ranging 

from linguistics to data science. 
According to the study, emojis 
are shared worldwide, and 
research questions previously 
restricted by language and 
geographic barriers can now be 
studied using the icons.

“Research 
questions 
that 

previously 
rely 
on 
small-

scale user surveys can now be 
answered through analyzing 
large-scale behavioral data,” 
the study reads.

Ringing 
in 
the 
new 

year 
brought 
good 
news 

for 
employees 
throughout 

Michigan 
when 
the 
state 

minimum wage increased by 
40 cents — from $8.50 to $8.90 
per hour — as a part of the 
Workforce Opportunity Wage 
Act.

The state bill, which passed 

in 2014, aims to gradually 
increase Michigan’s minimum 
wage from the 2014 rate of 
$7.40 an hour to $9.25 by the 
beginning of 2018. With the 
current 
increase 
to 
$8.90, 

Michigan has the 15th-highest 
state minimum wage in the 
country, 
according 
to 
the 

Detroit News.

Stagnating 
wages 
were 

a 
theme 
of 
the 
recent 

presidential 
election, 
with 

one in every five Americans 
worried about wage reduction, 
according to a 2015 Gallup 
poll. President-elect Donald 
Trump has said he supports an 
hourly minimum wage of $10, 
but thinks states should decide 
what exact number it should be 

michigandaily.com
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Thursday, January 5, 2017

ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-SIX YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM

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INDEX
Vol. CXXVII, No. 2
©2016 The Michigan Daily

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

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

Taxi service 
refuses ride
to visiting 
blind prof.

Ross restructures supply chain 
management masters program 

See TAXI, Page 3A

AMELIA CACCHIONE/Daily

People mingle at the grand opening of Blau Hall on Oct. 21.

ANN ARBOR

University cuts ties with company 
following repeated complaints

KEVIN BIGLIN
Daily Staff Reporter

Top-ranked curriculum updated to keep pace with changing job market 

Due 
to 
evolution 
within 

the demands of the supply 
chain industry, the University 
of Michigan Ross School of 
Business 
recently 
updated 

its Master of Supply Chain 

Management 
Program. 
The 

enhanced program is expected 
to better prepare students for 
the future and help the MSCM 
to maintain its ranking among 
the top five best programs in the 
country.

Business Dean Scott DeRue 

said 
in 
a 
University 
press 

release that maintaining the 

program’s prestige will help 
future generations of students 
stay updated in an evolving 
field. The program will help 
graduates in future job searches 
as well as create more intimate 
relationships 
with 
industry 

partners.

“With these new offerings, 

we are preparing the next 

generation of leaders for the 
dynamic and complex supply 
chains of tomorrow,” DeRue 
said.

One central change to the 

program includes shortening 
it from 12 months down to 10 
months. 
Previously, 
students 

obtained summer internships, 

CAITLIN REEDY
Daily Staff Reporter

See WAGE, Page 3A

Minimum 
wage in MI
sees small 
increase

GOVERNMENT

Ann Arbor salaries 
largely unaffected by 
scheduled 40-cent hike 

CALEB CHADWELL

Daily Staff Reporter

University researchers determine 
the most popular emojis worldwide 

Crying-laughing face, heart and heart-eyes face outshine the rest

Daily Arts writers 

rank their favorites

From albums to songs to TV 
shows, directors and movies 
— it’s the Best of 2016 B-Side

» See insert

michigandaily.com

For more stories and coverage, visit

Two Michigan-based drill 

teams — the Mid America 
Cowgirls Rodeo Drill Team 
and 
the 
Michigan 
Multi-

Jurisdictional 
Mounted 

Police Drill Team and Color 
Guard — along with Michigan 
high 
school 
bands 
and 

orchestras, will be performing 
in 
President-elect 
Donald 

Trump’s inauguration parade 
later this month.

The Presidential Inaugural 

Committee 
released 
the 

performance 
selections 
on 

Dec. 30 for Trump and his Vice 
President-elect Mike Pence’s 
inauguration ceremony, which 
will take place Jan. 20 in 
Washington 
D.C. 
following 

the 
candidates’ 
official 

inauguration.

“People from every corner 

of the country have expressed 
great interest in President-
elect 
Trump’s 
inauguration 

and look forward to continuing 
a 
salute 
to 
our 
republic 

that spans more than two 
centuries,” said PIC CEO Sara 
Armstrong in a press release.

See TRUMP, Page 3A

State acts 
to play at 
inaugural 
festivities

ELECTION

Two high school bands 
prepare for performance 
at Trump inauguration 

MATT HARMON
Daily Staff Reporter

ARNOLD ZHENG/Daily

Engineering student Alexander Mize and School of Music, Theatre, and Dance student Lilliana Talwatte showcase 
their swing dancing skills at M-Swing’s Open Swing Night in the Michigan League on Wednesday.

DANCE BRE AK

See ROSS, Page 3A

2K
1
6

BEST

THE

OF

SOPHIE SHERRY & 

RIYAH BASHA 
Daily News Editors 

