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The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
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Warmer weather melts student-made snowmen at the Diag on Tuesday.
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said. “All of this took place against
a backdrop of massive social and
economic transformation resulting
from free-market reforms.”
Fried ended his lecture with
a succinct five points — which
he admitted were much easier to
envision than to put into action.
Broadly
outlined,
the
points
included the need for the United
States to “show up” and present
strategy,
establish
a
message
nuanced with sensitivity, defend
Central
Europeans
against
Russia’s offensive tactics, notify
governments
when
they
are
risking democratic values and
maintain the position as a leader of
the free world.
Following the lecture, Fried
engaged
with
the
audience
during a 40-minute question and
answer session. One audience
member asked Fried the meaning
of
American
leadership
and
how the phrase is embodied in
international affairs.
“American leadership means
having our power in the window
so everyone can see it, but not
talking about that — talking about
our vision of the world,” Fried
responded.
Engineer junior Neil Karr
said he appreciated the novelty
of how Fried defined American
leadership.
“It was kind of reassuring to
hear that there is a purpose to our
leadership and to our values and
that it is okay to have strong belief
in your values if you think they are
right,” he said.
Public Policy senior Gabriel
Lerner was also in attendance and
said Fried’s analysis of a successful
democracy resonated with him.
“I think the point that he
closed with that the successes of
democracies in Poland are shared
between liberal and conservative
governments, sort of democracy
is not of a party, but it is of a
constitution, and a system, and a
history,” Lerner said. “I thought
that that was really compelling.”
AMBASSADOR
From Page 1A
depress the firing of these
neurons,” Shore said.
The researchers identified
the intervals of sound and
orders of touch that caused the
depression of the firing nerves.
They took that information
and used it to stimulate the
same nerves on a guinea pig
for 20 minutes per day for
25 days. The results showed
a reduction in the firing of
the cells, thus reducing the
tinnitus in the animals.
“We
use
guinea
pigs
because
they
are
a
good
model for auditory research
because their … peripheral
auditory system is similar to
humans,” Shore said. “Also
their brains are easy to access
for recordings.”
After seeing its success in
guinea pigs, scientists took
the experiment to humans,
creating a non-invasive way
to stimulate human auditory
nerves for 30 minutes per day.
In the 20-person trial, each
subject was given a box with
wires
attaching
electrodes
that connect to the face or
neck and an earphone.
In order for the device to
work, scientists must program
it to fit the subject’s unique
tinnitus patterns and pitch.
Inaccuracy in the device could
worsen the subject’s tinnitus.
The success of this trial
provides
insight
into
the
science
of
the
brain
and
auditory system.The hope is
that this research can be used
to help others with auditory
disorders. The research team
received funding in the fall
from the National Institutes of
Health for a larger 50-subject
study. Following the larger
trial,
the
team
plans
to
commercialize the product,
which it already has patented.
“This tells us a lot about
how the circuitry in the brain
changes after noise damage
and tells us how the auditory
system works in general, so
that can end up helping other
kinds of hearing disorders as
well,” Shore said.
But according to a Gizmodo
article about the device, it has
its limitations. Following the
end of the trial, much of the
tinnitus returned in subjects.
The study also only worked
with those with a specific
form of tinnitus, so this means
that the device might not work
for 20 percent to 40 percent of
its sufferers.
“The
subjects’
tinnitus
largely returned a week after
they stopped using the device,
even for the two people who
reported losing it completely,”
according to the Gizmodo
article.
Business sophomore Jordan
Stanton often spends time
around loud music as a student
DJ at WCBN radio station
and member of the Michigan
Electronic Music Collective,
and he fears the effects of
tinnitus.
“I was basically told by a
close friend with tinnitus
who played the violin that
I
should
be
very
careful
about listening to loud music
consistently,” Stanton said. “I
recently decided to purchase
some
hearing-protecting
earbuds to use during DJ sets
and concerts to avoid tinnitus
onset.”
TINNITUS
From Page 1A
following a two month long self-
imposed ban. The committee
voted to suspend all social
events
following
multiple
hazing
and
sexual
assault
allegations involving fraternity
brothers.
Twenty-seven
fraternities,
including
ZBT,
were given specific action plans
in order to regain their social
privileges.
A statement obtained by The
Daily, on behalf of the Michigan
chapter of ZBT, confirms the
members were given an action
plan and were willing to work
with the IFC to make necessary
changes. The revoking of their
official charter came as a
complete surprise to chapter.
“We were given sanctions
and a rehabilitation plan by
the normal IFC process and
the university, we were fully
willing
to
abide
by
those
sanctions, then were blindsided
by this decision from ZBT
national,” the statement read.
“The reasoning we were given
was minimal, and was certainly
a culmination of unreasonable
ongoing frustration between
national and us.”
The IFC worked with the
Office of Greek Life to review
fraternity
guidelines
for
social events and develop a
reformation
process.
Some
changes include the removal of
hard alcohol from IFC events
and limiting social activities to
specific days of the week.
University
spokeswoman
Kim Broekhuizen confirmed
in an email correspondence
the decision to revoke the
national was made by ZBT’s
headquarters.
“Yes, the university is aware
of the situation and the Dean of
Students office is working with
the
students,”
Broekhuizen
wrote.
ZBT’s
Eta
chapter
was
shut down in 2012 following
a claim from the fraternity
headquarters
that
the
University chapter had become
an “unsafe environment.” An
anonymous member at the time
told The Daily these claims
were not substantiated. ZBT
was removed from the IFC in
2006, but remained on campus
as an official chapter of ZBT
International.
The
chapter
had been expelled for violating
their one-year suspension by
recruiting new members. ZBT
had also been suspended once
before in 2000 for a hazing
incident that resulted in a
pledge being burned by bleach.
According to the chapter’s
Facebook page the University’s
Eta chapter was “re-colonized”
in
2016.
The
chapter
was
an official member of the
University’s
Interfraternal
Council
inducting
its
first
pledge class in February 2016.
between airports and hotels
as well as hotel to hotel in
Las Vegas and San Francisco.
Through a mobile app, users
can arrange for a worker to pick
up their luggage at a designated
time –– two pieces of luggage
pieces cost $35, and additional
items are $10 each.
The company will debut at
CES to introduce itself to the
consumer market. Last year,
more
than
184,000
people
attended and 4,000 companies
had exhibits –– Eu said he
would use it to gauge consumer
interests.
“We see it as an opportunity
because these people traveled
there...they bring stuff there
and they want everything to
be productive,” Eu said. “With
180,000 people coming, we are
trying to watch out for interests
of the market share.”
In
an
attempt
to
gain
customers from an obvious base,
the company will also offer a
50% off code to University of
Michigan students and alumni
for the first three months of
usage.
Anne Perigo, the Associate
Director for the Zell Lurie
Institute at the Ross School
of
Business,
has
advised
Eu
on
his
entrepreneurial
journey since his first year
at the University. She also
mentored the development of
Carrycott, another company Eu
co-founded. Carrycott offers
strollers designed to be easily
carried with one hand and
cooling technology to prevent
children from being hot or
uncomfortable while in the
stroller.
In an email to The Daily,
Perigo described her excitement
about Eu’s new endeavor.
“Benjamin
is
a
great
role
model
to
other
entrepreneurially-minded
students at Michigan,” Perigo
wrote. “He is willing to put in
the hard work necessary to be
successful and smart enough
to really listen (to potential
customers, coaches, advisors,
judges) to know when to pivot
or move on to a different idea/
venture. I look forward to
seeing his success as a serial
entrepreneur.”
While
he
anticipates
difficulty with attending school
and managing his company, Eu
remains optimistic of his ability
to balance his time between the
two because of the way he and
Yong will manage the company.
“I will mainly be managing
the technological and backend
side of the operations while
my co-founder will be in the
state
managing
the
drivers
and
operations,”
Eu
said.
“That’s helpful for us because
we are able to connect with
the developers and develop
the product while staying in
school.”
LSA freshman Kate Sherwin
welcomes
the
idea
of
the
company. While she is not a
business traveler, she resides
out-of-state and would find the
service helpful for moving in
and out of campus.
“I think that a lot of people
coming
off
airports
don’t
really want to deal with a lot
of
luggage,”
Sherwin
said.
“Especially for me when I
was moving into school, my
family had to carry four or
five suitcases...especially for
students, it’s a great product
and a great company.”
source could influence internal
decisions; as a solution, Sarkar
mentionedshe
is
planning
on working with the Office
of Student Life to reach a
just resolution, possibly by
offering free tuition to serving
executive
members
rather
than
by
compensating
all
individual CSG members.
CSG also emphasized their
launch of INNOVATE, the very
first university-wide public
service pitch competition, and
discussed how to publicize
the event and reach a larger
audience. LSA senior Cassie
Fields, CSG communications
director,
explained
how
students will be given the
opportunity
to
work
with
mentors on their project ideas
in an email sent to The Daily.
“The
upcoming
public
service
pitch
competition,
INNOVATE,
creates
opportunities for students to
further their efforts in public
service,
entrepreneurship,
and other issues they are
passionate
about,”
Fields
wrote. “Students will be given
the chance to network with
other students to form teams,
listen to speakers, and receive
guidance from mentors on their
proposed
ideas.
Following
multiple rounds of judging,
the top teams will be awarded
funding from CSG, the Center
for
Entrepreneurship,
and
University of Michigan Library
to continue their work.”
Many representatives were
elected
to
new
positions,
including
LSA
sophomore
Isabel Baer and LSA freshman
Pragya Thakur, Baer to vice
speaker of the Assembly and
Thakur to chair of academic
affairs commission.
Baer
emphasized
how
her experience in CSG has
encouraged her to speak up
and feel confident in voicing
her opinions, and spoke of
her plans to implement a
mentorship program within
CSG to promote new member’s
mental health and confidence,
in her position as Vice Speaker
of the Assembly.
Thakur
said
plans
to
implement
LSA’s
race
and
ethnicity requirement across
all
schools,
and
aims
to
make calculators accessible
for students to rent from
the library as her position
as chair of academic affairs
commission.
LSA senior Sujay Shetty,
chief of staff to the president
and Engineering senior AJ
Ashman, chief of staff to the
vice
president,
announced
their
resignation
due
to
conflict of interest in other
organizations, effective Jan.
15. Both reflected on their
time and positive experience
at
CSG,
and
Ashman
emphasized the importance of
the organization.
“The
potential
to
bring
about change on this campus
is not equal to anywhere else
besides this room,” he said.
CSG aims to implement
change
this
semester
by
reaching
out
to
larger
audiences
through
social
media
strategies
such
as
Facebook
networking,
and
by hosting office hours to
meet with constituents and
improve their communication
and transparency with their
operations.
FUNDING
From Page 1A
WITHDRAWN
From Page 1A
she wasn’t planning to come
back in the fall and at the last
minute “they were all (she) had
to choose from.”
Business alum Liz Herrick
described
her
chaotic
experiences
with
Cribspot.
She said there was a lack of
communication with staff, the
house was not cleaned at move-in
and she had to threaten litigation
multiple times.
“I’m not surprised they’re
closing.
They
just
couldn’t
manage what they took on,” she
said.
The timing of the closing of
Cribspot came as a shock to
those in the housing business. In
an email interview, Jon Keller,
president of J. Keller Properties,
said he would have expected the
company to close at a different
time.
“The
closing
of
cribspot
came as a surprise to us at J
Keller Properties,” he wrote. “I
expected this to come during a
softening of the rental market-
not at its peak.”
Furthermore,
he
said
relatively little is known about
the cause of Cribspot closing.
“I don’t know if it was a
calculated closure or if the ‘rent
guarantee’ was a cause,” he said.
According
to
Cribspot’s
website, their “rent guaruntee”
ensures
landlords
of
their
properties
will
recieve
100
percent of the rent they charge,
regardless
of
whether
the
property has tennants.
“You’ll receive the rent you
want, no matter what, even if
we struggle to find tennants or
if our tennants stop paying,”
their
website
states.
‘‘It’s
your ensurance policy against
vacancies.”
While
the
reasons
for
Cribspot’s
closing
remain
unknown, Keller speculated as
to what factors may have led to
the closing of the company — one
such factor being its management
model.
“We had a feeling the Cribspot
model was not sustainable based
on the guarantees they made and
rates they charged,” Keller said.
An ex-employee of Cribspot,
who
requested
to
remain
anonymous, explained a similar
theory behind Cribspot’s closing.
“Essentially what happened
— to the best of my knowledge —
is that the company was kind of
going in two different directions,
one more tech oriented and the
other more concerned with the
physical business of Ann Arbor
housing management,” he said.
“With this in mind it was starting
to look less feasible for the latter
to continue functioning if the
company was to follow these two
separate paths.”
Keller affirmed this point,
adding limited experience may
also have played a role in the
difficulties faced by Cribspot.
“I really liked the founders
and
the
disruption
they
caused, but cribspot was a
tech company first- with very
limited experience in property
management,” he said.
Nick Hume, a property owner,
agreed
with
this
statement,
saying that a lack of property
management
knowledge
in
Cribspot
contributed
to
the
difficulties
his
tenants
complained of.
“They needed experience,” he
said.
The
house-leasing
market
offers
many
hurdles
for
newcomers to overcome, and
those who have been in the
market for a long time, such
as Keller, believe it is difficult
to stand out in the industry of
housing management.
“With that limited brokerage
experience
and
a
lack
of
supporting maintenance teams,
it was certainly an uphill battle
for them in a unusually tough
college market,” Keller said.
The
anonymous
employee
agreed.
“My opinion is that there
was a lot of young energy in the
office, a lot of millennials, and
a lot of bright futures, although
I somehow doubt that many of
us will make our names in the
housing management industry,”
the employee said.
CRIBSPOT
From Page 1A
Wednesday, January 10, 2018 — 3A
I’m not surprised
they’re closing.
They just couldn’t
manage what they
took on.