Imagine a world in which
new careers and those that
are unheard of today, exist,
and those careers that exist
today are no longer available.
A world where robots have
complete control of certain
occupations,
and
where
humans have the opportunity
to implant knowledge into
their brains through the use of
technological advancements.
On Monday evening, Dr.
Kevin LaGrandeur, a professor
of English at the New York
Institute
of
Technology,
addressed these possibilities
to a crowd of about 100
students,
faculty
and
community members as part
of the Science, Technology
and Public Policy Lecture
Series.
LaGrandeur,
along
with
James
J.
Hughes,
wrote
“Surviving the Machine Age:
Intelligent Technology and
the Transformation of Human
Work,” a book describing how
an increase in technology
may
influence
employment
in future years. These spurts
of technology advancement
are
not
new
to
society,
LaGrandeur
explained.
In
the 1960s, the automobile
industry underwent a change
in which industrial robots
began displacing workers.
“Now
this
process
is
affecting jobs in a much
broader way, not just in the
working classes, but even in
the middle and upper-middle
classes,”
LaGrandeur
said.
“This process in technological
displacement is accelerating.”
Among the most notable of
displacements include a farm
in Japan completely managed
by robots, an Australian robot
with the capability of laying
bricks at about 20 times
faster than a human in the
construction industry, bionic
bartenders on several Royal
Caribbean cruise ships and a
restaurant in Japan capable of
quickly making ramen dishes
for customers.
LaGrandeur continued by
showing audience members
a
chart
displaying
the
probabilities of robots taking
over certain careers in the
next 20 years. The four careers
with the highest probabilities
included telemarketers, with
a 99 percent chance of being
replaced,
accountant
and
auditors at 94 percent, retail
salesperson with 92 percent
and technical writers at 89
percent. He also described
the more recent virtual reality
real estate tours, in which
prospective buyers can look
through 3D glasses at real
estate, even at buildings that
At its first meeting of the
academic
year,
the
Senate
Advisory
Committee
on
University
Affairs
passed
a
resolution condemning the recent
anti-Latino
graffiti
incident,
when hate messages were spray
painted on the Rock, a campus
landmark at the intersection
of Hill Street and Washtenaw
Avenue on Aug. 31.
The
resolution
—
which
passed by a narrow 4-7 margin
— states SACUA’s support for
Latino
community
members,
their devotion to the equity
and
inclusion
of
all
ethnic
communities,
and
denounced
any acts of hate or messages
targeting any ethnic or national
community.
However,
despite
their
unanimous
condemnation
of
the bias incident, the members
of SACUA were split over the
language of the resolution.
In a debate among SACUA
members about the wording of
the resolution, Michael Atzmon, a
professor of nuclear engineering
and radiological sciences who
michigandaily.com
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Tuesday, September 12, 2017
ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-SIX YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM
GOT A NEWS TIP?
Call 734-418-4115 or e-mail
news@michigandaily.com and let us know.
INDEX
Vol. CXXV, No. 87
©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
See SACUA, Page 3
SACUA
condemns
anti-Latino
spray paint
ACADEMICS
Resolution also approved
unanimously to extend
Tri-Campus Task Force
ALEX COTT
Daily Staff Reporter
JOSHUA HAN/Daily
Kevin Lagrandeur, professor at the New York Institute of Technology and Fellow of the Institute for Ethics and Emerg-
ing Technology, presents on the history of technological displacement of workers in Weiss Hall Monday afternoon.
Professors consider tech displacement
in employment, concerns with ethics
Event outlines possibilities of new advancements, unique career changes with robots
JORDYN BAKER
Daily Staff Reporter
michigandaily.com
For more stories and coverage, visit
See ROBOTS, Page 3
It’s been quite a month
for Kid Rock. The rock star
and
Michigan
native
has
become embroiled in a slew
of controversies lately, as he
has been criticized as the
opening-night choice for the
Little Caesars Arena in Detroit,
Michigan
and
accused
of
violating campaign law.
The singer released an official
statement on his Facebook page
Monday morning to address his
adversaries.
“People! Pay NO attention
to the garbage the extreme left
is trying to create! (and by the
way, f—- the extreme left and
the extreme right!),” Kid Rock,
whose real name is Robert
Ritchie, wrote on Facebook.
Controversy
arose
when
Sam Riddle, political director
of
the
Michigan
National
Action
Network,
criticized
the Red Wings in an interview
with the Detroit Free Press
for
admonishing
a
white
supremacy group who paraded
with the team’s logo but still
booking Kid Rock, who used
See KID ROCK, Page 3
Kid Rock
responds to
‘campaign’
criticisms
GOVERNMENT
Singer speaks out after
allegations of racism,
violations of campaign law
MAYA GOLDMAN
Daily Staff Reporter
LGBTQ-focused student groups provide community
DESIGN BY AVA WEINER
The organizations aim to promote welcoming environment, provide networking opportunities, resources across disciplines
LGBTQ-focused student groups
on campus aim to foster welcoming
communities
and
enhance
professional
opportunities
for
LGBTQ individuals and allies,
at several of the University of
Michigan’s schools and colleges.
Out in Science, Technology,
Engineering
and
Mathematics,
Out for Business, and Outlaws are
just three of the organizations with
such missions.
oSTEM
New York Times columnist
Manil Suri once asked, “Why is
science so straight?” He wrote
while the statistics are difficult to
find, an analysis by Rice University
says the government-STEM field
has 20 percent fewer LGBTQ
workers than should be expected.
Another study, in 2015, shows 43
percent of LGBTQ workers in the
field are in the closet. Suri theorizes
it could be because the culture of
STEM suggests personal identity
could interfere with neutrality.
Engineering senior Caity Hines
is on the executive board of oSTEM
and President of Society of Women
Engineers— an organization meant
for LGBTQ students in STEM
fields; she works in event planning
and serves as a liaison between
the group and other campus
organizations, as well as with the
administration.
The organization is registered
through
the
College
of
Engineering, though it is open to
people in STEM fields and beyond;
it is also part of a national oSTEM
organization.
Hines said the group has
a
positive
relationship
with
the Spectrum Center and the
administration, especially as a
result of an effort by the Diversity,
Equity and Inclusion initiative to
“hear all voices” on campus.
“I’ve had administrators ask
specifically if somebody from
oSTEM was going to be present
at different meetings with other
student organizations,” she said.
Hines explained how within the
College of Engineering there are
DEI-focused meetings that include
oSTEM and other identity-based
organizations.
She
specifically
noted a meeting that occurred the
day after racist and anti-Semitic
emails were sent to University
engineering and computer science
students.
Though not directly affecting
the LGBTQ community, the email
incident, Hines said, was addressed
in an oSTEM meeting; she noted
an intersectionality of identities in
the group.
“There has not been a lot of
direct homophobia; it’s a lot more
indirect — just attitudes — and
then we have a fair number of
students of color in the org,” she
said. “Last year the majority of our
board was students of color. So the
intersectionality … has played into
our activity.”
Currently, Hines said, there are
30 to 40 active members, which
she noted is to be expected seeing
as there are not a lot of people
in STEM fields who are openly
LGBTQ; however, she added low
numbers can be difficult when
trying to organize events.
Engineering sophomore Jaim
Befeler is a student from Costa Rica
and member of the organization.
He
said
the
organization
is
important to him because in Costa
Rica it is hard to be out and in the
science field, and added Costa Rica
is a very conservative country. He
learned of oSTEM at the annual
Pride Outside event when he was a
freshman.
“Coming here and being able
to have people understand me not
only for my identity, also for what I
love doing, it was really supportive
and it … made me feel like I am not
alone,” he said.
Befeler,
who
is
studying
computer engineering, noted one
feature of the organization that
has been an asset to him is the
academic support.
“It was really, really nice when
I started coming to the meetings
and having discussions and having
people that told me, ‘If you need
help in your class I can help,’ or
JENNIFER MEER
Daily Staff Reporter
See ORGS, Page 3