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Friday, October 20, 2017 — 3A
were told their priority apartments
were already in high-demand and
to select another apartment, with
minimal help. Students said they
were not told which apartments
were available, as the management
company didn’t know. Others
put down their deposit without
knowing the repercussions if their
desired residences would be filled
by other tenants.
While waiting in line at the
Prime Student Housing office
for three and a half hours, LSA
sophomore Kathryn Qin decided to
find out if others were experiencing
the same wait times as her.
“While I was in this line I
actually called a different housing
place, and apparently there was no
line for that,” Qin said.
Monday’s line is just one example
of problems students experience
with Ann Arbor housing. While
affordability and vicinity are key
issues many lessors have attempted
to tackle, students are also voicing
concerns over what they call a non-
transparent system.
Ann
Arbor
law
prohibits
leasing to occur until 70 days after
the current lease period begins,
meaning that students have only
70 days to decide if they want to
renew their lease for the upcoming
year. The time period between the
date Prime tenants could move in
— according to the website, Aug. 25
at the earliest, with an early move-
in cost of $600 — and the renewal
date of Oct. 20, is only 56 days, not
70.
Per Prime Student Housing,
students could make appointments
to view apartments or residences
starting Oct. 23 — though the
appointments would begin Oct. 27.
Prime uses what they describe
as “Option to Sign Deposits,” which
allow students to lock down an
apartment before the mandatory
waiting period is over. Prime says
that “Option to Sign Deposits” are
for students who have already have
seen the apartments on their own
time, without an official tour from
Prime itself. Students recalled their
experiences knocking on doors
and asking residents to see their
current apartments or houses.
Prime’s
“Option
to
Sign
Deposits” bypasses Ann Arbor law
by allowing students to reserve an
apartment before the mandatory
70-day waiting period is over and
without receiving a tour of the
apartment that they are placing a
deposit on.
Prime has noted its commitment
to this law; on its website, the
company states: “We cannot begin
to show apartments until the
mandatory time frame has passed.”
However, after several phone
calls,
Prime
Student
Housing
Property Manager Annette Temple
declined to comment for any
portion of this report.
The
Ann
Arbor
Housing
Commission could not speak to
this law due to being a Housing
and Urban Development fund
administrator.
The City Attorney’s office also
did not respond for comment at the
time of publication.
In
comparison
to
other
properties on campus — such as
Cappo Management and Deinco
Properties, Campus Management,
Cabrio Properties and high-rises
like Landmark — Prime is not
completely unique.
For Cappo/Deinco Properties,
though reservations are accepted
Oct. 2 through Nov. 8 — similar to
Prime — the company’s website
explicitly states: “Leasing for Fall
2018-2019 does not begin until
Nov. 10, 2017. … If current tenants
renew, then fee is returned. If
reservationists cancel or do not
show up on 11/10 to sign the lease
then reservation fee is forfeited.
If the lease is signed then the
$500 becomes part of the security
deposit.”
This information — that the
soonest the company can show
properties
or
sign
leases
is
November, but reservations can
be taken as early as October — is
also repeated on the automated
message when calling the office.
The overlap of a deadline to renew
a lease and the time to sign a new
lease, however, is not as stark as
with Prime.
Further leasing difficulties can
be found at Campus Management
properties. The company utilizes a
first come, first serve policy when
it comes to applications for houses
and apartments and states on
their website that — in reference
to this policy — “Unfortunately, in
our fast paced rental market this
does occasionally create footraces
between groups vying to get back
to our office first.”
Campus
Management
also
charges a fee that equates to half
a month of rent if an applicant
decides
to
withdraw
their
application. The company explains
this fee is necessary due to the
lost time created by a withdrawn
application. Campus Management
did not respond for comment by the
time of publication.
Unlike Prime and properties
that operate similarly, Cribspot
properties do not attempt to bypass
this law and instead enforce the
mandatory 70-day waiting period
to sign leases and even to place
deposits.
According
to
LSA
junior
Merissa Maccani, a future Cribspot
resident, her group of roommates
has not been able to sign the lease
or place a deposit for their new
residence yet because the current
residents still have time within
their 70-day window to decide if
they wish to renew their old lease.
“We are waiting for a verbal no
from the group of people that are
currently living there,” Meccani
said.
Similar to Cribspot, Oxford
Companies
allows
current
residents first right to renew until
Nov. 8, according to the company’s
website — just over three weeks past
Prime’s current tenant deadline.
The Oxford website also explicitly
spells out the leasing and renewing
process; residents can apply online
and pay $200 per applicant —
which is split $100 towards the
application and $100 towards a
security deposit. Once applications
are received, an electronic lease is
sent out and future residents have
three business days to sign it. Once
it is signed, “future residents will
have 3 additional business days to
pay the remainder of the security
deposit, which is equal to 1.5X the
monthly rent, minus the $100 you
paid upon applying.” After this, a
manager confirms the lease.
Olivia
Zuver,
property
management and leasing assistant
for the residential team at Oxford
Companies, said the company’s
move-in dates are slightly later,
requiring them to apply the 70-day
ordinance even if it moves the
renewal date later in the season,
than other properties.
“To give the proper amount
of time, 70 days, that’s why we’re
giving them to November 8,” Zuver
said. “Then, starting November
9, is when we’ll officially start
touring and signing leases for new
residents.”
Prior to the renewal date,
residents can place a reservation
in a similar fashion as the official
application.
“We have reservations coming
through basically every day for
places,”
Zuver
said.
“They’re
applying,
putting
down
an
application
(and)
their
fees,
signing a lease and paying the
security deposit — we’re just not
countersigning that lease until
November 9. If somebody were
to put down a reservation on an
apartment, and then the current
residents decide that they are
renewing, we can transfer that to
a different apartment or house that
we have available or we refund
them all the money they’ve put
down.”
Students say this process is
substantially more straightforward
than
Prime’s;
however,
with
disparities apparent in nearly
every
management
company
in Ann Arbor, many students
feel frustrated with the lack of
transparency.
LSA junior Rebecca Deitch, an
Oxford tenant, said she had to do
her own property tours prior to
signing with the company.
“Me and my roommates went
around the area that we wanted
to live and knocked on doors and
found out who was moving out,”
Deitch said. “Also, looked online,
but it was just more reliable to ask
in person.”
Once
they
decided
on
a
property,
the
roommates
put
down a reservation prior to the
renewal date; while this process
was informative, Deitch noted an
overall lack of communication and
unreliability within the company
before signing.
The
application
process
through Landmark — one of Ann
Arbor’s luxury high rises — is also
inconsistent with that of the others.
Along with Landmark’s application,
several fees must be submitted: a
$100 non-refundable application
fee, a $100 non-refundable move-in
fee, a $100 non-refundable hassle-
free fee and a refundable security
deposit of $200.
Even
on
the
application,
Landmark has made it clear:
“Accommodations
are
limited
and will be leased on a first-come,
first-served basis. The acceptance
of (the) application does not
ensure an accommodation. An
accommodation
is
reserved
only upon execution of the lease
agreement by all parties.”
On
the
other
hand,
LSA
freshman Sarah Renberg has had a
different experience with another
high rise.
Renberg — who is planning
to sign a lease with three other
roommates to live in Zaragon West
next fall — spoke positively about
her experience with the company.
Renberg said she found having
four students live in a two-
bedroom Zaragon West apartment
substantially
cheaper
than
most houses around campus —
despite often considered a luxury
complexwas.
Luckily, Renberg said she and
one of her roommates both have
the advantage of older siblings on
campus to forewarn them of the
difficulty of finding housing later
on in the semester.
“We
heard
if
you
left
Thanksgiving break without a
lease, then you probably wouldn’t
find one,” Renberg said. “We’re all
freshmen, so that was intimidating
and overwhelming. We started
hearing that people were already
signing for apartments and that
those fill up pretty fast, so we tried
to move as quickly as possible.”
Renberg and her roommates
were able to set up tours in a few
complexes and were able to see
“model”
apartments
prior
to
filling out any paperwork. Once
the roommates submitted the
housing application — which they
completed before fall break so their
spot was held — a lease was sent to
the group, which they had five days
to sign.
Renberg voiced concern with
other management companies and
the inability to see most apartments
before placing a deposit.
“I’m not going to pay for
something I’ve never seen before.
I think there’s a lot of risk in that,
and I didn’t want to rely on just the
pictures online,” Renberg said.
However, Renberg was overall
happy with her experience, though
she found it challenging and
rushed.
“We didn’t want to wait and
chance it,” Renberg said. “I’ve only
known these people that I’ll be
living with for six or seven weeks,
and now I’m deciding to live with
them again. So it’s definitely an
accelerated process, but that’s just
the way it is.”
HOUSING
From Page 1A
After
the
attackers
left,
Nursing student Danny Vachon
saw the injured student on the
ground bleeding profusely from
his nose. He said the student’s
friend was wearing a New
England Patriots jersey and the
father said the fight broke out
over a sports argument. Vachon
said the injured student and his
friends were clearly intoxicated
and he had to hold the student’s
head up so he didn’t choke on his
own blood. A bystander attempted
to call 911 for the student but, as
they didn’t know enough about
his condition, Vachon called the
Ann Arbor Police Department
and was eventually referred to
the University Division of Public
Safety and Security.
DPSS
spokeswoman
could
not comment on the case but
confirmed the details of the
incident.
The father, referencing the
large crowds typical of a football
game day, thinks there may
be evidence of the assault on a
bystanders’ phone. Existence of
a video of the fight is unknown,
but he believes there is a high
probability someone has some
sort of documentation on their
phone. He is offering a $10,000
reward
on
a
University
of
Michigan
Parents
Facebook
group for anyone with concrete
evidence as to who attacked his
son.
“The first thing is, (my son)
gets attacked by these animals,
when it’s six-on-one or eight-
on-one, even the biggest player
on the football team is not going
to be able to survive, but what’s
just as frustrating is there’s cell
phone video out there because
there were people all over the
place,” the father said. “(DPSS)
has not been able to get any sort
of video from the circumstance
itself whether it was from the
buildings or whether it was from
bystanders and my opinion is
nobody wants to step forward
because nobody wants to be a
rat.”
If it weren’t for Vachon,
according to the father, the victim
could have died by choking on his
blood. Vachon said, as a nursing
student with medical knowledge
and background, he felt as
though it was his duty to put his
education to work and help.
“If it seems as though someone
could be severely injured, if it
looks like the average person’s
help or knowledge wouldn’t
really be something that would
be valuable to that situation … it’s
where actual medical knowledge
and treatment would be probably
necessitated is the point where
I would feel like I would have to
step in,” Vachon said. “A normal
fight, I probably would have kept
walking but something like this,
I kind of felt the need to … step in
and help.”
AAPD took the initial report
and
has
since
shared
the
investigation with DPSS.
Vachon said he was glad he
didn’t walk past the victim,
assuming him to be simply
intoxicated.
“If this would have been a
situation where, let’s say, I didn’t
see him get into the fight and
there’s just someone lying on
the ground, sometimes you have
that passing thought of, ‘Oh it’s
just some drunk person that fell
asleep and they’re on the ground
and OK,” Vachon said. “If no
one had been around to see this
happen and if he had lied there
for an hour or two, he probably
would have died. … I’m just happy
that I was there, that I was able to
help him and I’m happy he’s OK
right now.”
CRIME
From Page 1A
With the upgrade, HERCULES
researchers hope to bump up
the power to two to three times
its current capacity — to 500 or
1,000 terawatts. To do this, they’ll
replace outdated lasers, some of
which are homemade. The laser
industry has progressed since the
time of these homemade lasers,
and researchers can now order
more advanced versions. With
this new equipment, HERCULES
can reach new heights of power
and intensity.
Assistant
EECS
professor
Louise Willingale specializes in
performing
experiments
with
the HERCULES laser. She looks
forward to the new experimental
opportunities
the
upgrade
provides.
“We’re hoping that with the
upgrade we’ll be able to design
new experiments that weren’t
possible before,” Willingale said.
One new experiment they will
attempt is called “boiling the
vacuum.” When a laser reaches
an extremely high intensity and
encounters a single electron,
the two can collide in such a
way that they’ll create particles
out of nothing. The upgraded
HERCULES is expected to mimic
this environment so researchers
will be able to better study this
phenomenon.
HERCULES will also make
exciting new ventures in particle
acceleration — a process that
propels particles to faster speeds.
Alexander
Thomas,
associate
professor of nuclear engineering
and
radiological
sciences,
compared this process to wave
surfing.
“Replace the boat with a laser
pulse, which pushes through
plasma, which is like the water,
and the electron beam is the
person gaining energy, being
dragged in by the wave,” Thomas
said.
Particle accelerators can be
hundreds of yards long, but the
HERCULES laser can accomplish
the same job in a few yards or less.
“You’re reducing something
that’s
three
miles
long
to
something that can fit on a tabletop
that impacts all of science, and
that’s pretty exciting,” he said.
Increasing the energy and
intensity of the laser is only
one feature of the upgrade.
Thomas
discussed
another
area of improvement: a higher
repetition rate, which allows
the laser to shoot out pulses
more
frequently.
Originally,
researchers would have to wait
about a minute between the trials
of their experiments. The laser’s
new technology will shorten this
waiting time and allow for more
repetitions.
“In
terms
of
experiment
techniques, it opens up much
more,” he said.
Rackham
student
Amina
Hussein, a graduate research
assistant
in
the
College
of
Engineering, has been working
with HERCULES for two years.
She discussed how incredible it is
to have the opportunity to operate
the laser herself.
“Getting an upgrade in a
group like this where we work
as collaborators who use the
system and also get to take some
ownership of the chambers is
a really cool opportunity that I
think is unparalleled in other
groups that might have similar
systems,” Hussein said.
She is excited for what the
upgrade will permit HERCULES
to accomplish.
“It’ll just allow us to continue
pushing the envelope and do
cutting edge science with these
laser systems that are rare in the
world,” she said.
LASER
From Page 1A
Michigan — which achieved
a record high $476 million in
contributions this year — as a
major source of funding.
Sarkar
delivers
official
statement on renaming of C.C.
Little building
Central Student Government
President
Anushka
Sarkar,
an LSA senior, used her time
before the Board to lobby for
efforts to rename the C.C. Little
building. The building is named
for former University President
Clarence Cook Little, also an
avowed eugenicist, and has been
a site of controversy and protests
this semester.
CSG,
LSA
Student
Government
and
Rackham
Student
Government
have
all expressed support for the
renaming.
“(Renaming is) a relatively
simple way to demonstrate to
the campus community that the
University of Michigan does not
glorify the leaders of our past
that would test a good portion
of our faculty, staff, and student
body,” Sarkar said.
A formal request for the
renaming, authored by four
University
faculty
members
and one student, is currently
before the President’s Advisory
Committee
on
University
History. According to a new
renaming policy released in
January, the advisory board
reviews the request and makes
an initial decision, passing the
proposal to the Board for a final
vote. Sarkar implored the Board
to consider the petition.
“Proponents of the name often
cite the need to preserve our
collective history … I recognize
this as valid,” she said. “It’s
more important to consider the
ways in which we engage with
our darker historical moments.
There is a critical difference
between
understanding
our
history and glorifying our worst
moments.”
LEO Bargaining
Public comments Thursday all
focused on upcoming bargaining
between the University and the
Lecturers’ Em ployee Union. The
union’s platform requests higher
minimum salaries on all three
campuses, a dedicated fund for
lecturers advancing values of
diversity, equity and inclusion
and an extension of health care
benefits. Lecturers who spoke
before the Board on Thursday
complained
their
University
salaries were not competitive
with positions at local high
schools and community colleges.
Construction projects
The
largest
project
the
Board approved Thursday was
a schematic design for $120
million
renovations
to
the
Edward Krause building on
North University Avenue. The
building, which is adjacent to the
Chemistry building currently
houses the LSA Departments
of Ecology and Evolutionary
Biology and Molecular, Cellular
and
Developmental
Biology,
but the School of Kinesiology
will also relocate to Krause
following the architectural and
mechanical renovations.
The project will be completed
in the fall of 2020.
REGENTS
From Page 1A
The report states police then
noticed a crowd of about eight
people surrounding a Hispanic
male and then dragging him inside
the house. The officers went up
to the house and knocked on the
door. When someone opened the
door slightly, one officer forced
their foot inside to stop the door
from closing again, and entered
the house thereafter.
Lambda
brother
Emilio
Velazquez,
an
LSA
junior,
explained he and his brothers
were forcing an agitated brother
inside the house to protect him
from reprisal.
“They came into our backyard
without a warrant … they were
putting people in handcuffs for
loud noises,” he said. “They forced
their way in without a warrant
and took one of the guys who was
holding the door and slammed
him on the porch.”
One officer’s report, on the
other hand, details a student
who “tripped over the bottom
ledge of the door, which caused
him to lose balance.” The officer
then “utilized and guided his
momentum down to the porch.”
An
email
from
the
Multicultural
Greek
Council
coordinator to Velazquez obtained
by The Daily indicates AAPD is
moving to file a public nuisance
against the Lambda house for
repeated offenses. In an interview
with The Daily last year, AAPD
Sgt. Thomas Hickey, community
engagement lead, said officers’
party patrols only respond to
referrals. Velazquez, however,
maintained his house takes pains
before events to ensure neighbors
are not disturbed, and yet the
tickets continue. He said he was
not aware of other fraternities
receiving this level of citations.
The Office of Greek Life
declined to comment on this story.
These
discrepancies
in
accounts are not uncommon
between communities of color on
campus and local police. A report
by The Daily last year found Black
students in particular to be wary
of police after repeatedly hostile
interactions
on
and
around
campus. Kappa Secretary Ka’marr
Coleman-Byrd, a Business senior,
said AAPD has not initiated any
attempts at outreach — even after
policing dialogues hosted by Black
students. Many also perceive
predominantly white chapters to
have working relationships with
AAPD.
“Last year we reached out to
Ann Arbor police as well as the
University police,” he said. “They
have never made an effort to
reach out to us. My trust towards
police is really a case-by-case
relationship.
(Interfraternity
Council) fraternities never get
shut down when hosting a tailgate
or party because they have an
agreement with Ann Arbor police.
It is unfair that we aren’t not given
this same courtesy/ opportunity.”
“I do think it’s a people of
color issue because this doesn’t
happen to the white fraternities
on campus,” Velazquez agreed. “If
you were to walk down Hill Street
you’d see a bunch of kids partying
and blasting music and you never
see them get shut down.”
AAPD did not return requests
for comment.
POLICING
From Page 1A
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