With a new natural gas
turbine in the works at the
University
of
Michigan,
environmentalists
have
expressed
concerns
over
the
University’s
continued
investment
in
fossil
fuel-
based energy.
The
Board
of
Regents
approved
an
$80
million
expansion
to
the
Central
Power Plant in March 2017,
which serves as the main
source of heat and energy
for the Central and Medical
Campus
buildings.
The
project includes the addition
of a natural gas turbine to the
plant, which the University
says will reduce greenhouse
gas
emissions
by
80,000
metric tons a year.
According to the University
press release last year, the
installation would help get
the University halfway to its
2025 goal of reducing campus
emissions by 25 percent.
“Our targeted greenhouse
gas emissions reduction is
an ambitious goal and this
project marks a significant
step in the right direction
as well as providing a sound
financial projection for the
university,” Kevin Hegarty,
chief financial officer, said.
While
no
construction
has
begun,
the
Michigan
Department of Environmental
Quality greenlit the project
over the summer by granting
the University an air permit
for the natural gas turbine.
The permit was granted after
a required public hearing in
August.
LSA junior Timothy Arvan
attended the hearing, along
with a handful of faculty and
community members, though
he recalled no more than 15
people present. Arvan learned
of the natural gas turbine over
the summer while interning
at the Ecology Center, a non-
Last
semester,
University
of
Michigan officials put an
end to the campus tradition of
Michigan Time. Upon hearing
the
initial
announcement,
students and faculty voiced
their concerns but now, with
a new class of freshmen
entering campus on the newly
designed Tower Time, the
push to reinstate Michigan
Time is much less prevalent
but still present.
Michigan Time allowed a
ten-minute grace period for
students arriving to class.
Classes
would
start
ten
minutes late and end at their
listed times.
Under
the
new
Tower
Time,
classes start at the time they
are listed and students are
excused ten minutes before
their listed end time.
Many
ardent
supporters
of Michigan Time have been
bombarding Facebook pages
with
Tower
Time
memes
to express their disdain for
arriving 10 minutes earlier
to class, while others are just
waiting for the grumbling to
end.
Engineering
senior
Sam
Morris
has
been
one
of
the
students
leading
the
fight against Tower Time
on
the
Facebook
page,
“Umich
Memes
For
Wolverteens.” He said
he has not seen many
students in favor of the
new system.
“I have not found
one
person
saying
that they enjoy Tower
Time,” Morris said.
“The
popular
Facebook
meme
page
‘Umich
Memes
for
Wolverteens’
is
full
of
disheartened
students
making
cathartic
memes about
the
death
of Michigan
Time. A lot
of them get
between
500
and 1,000 likes,
so it’s easy to
see that the pulse of campus
is pretty much on the same
page.”
Morris started an event
for Monday, Sept. 10, in an
attempt to have all students
arrive to class 10 minutes past
the hour. Morris claims he did
it partly as a joke, however,
only 100 of the 15,000 group
members said they would be
attending.
Not all students are as
frustrated with the end of
Michigan Time. LSA junior
Emily Furstenberg said she
was initially surprised about
the switch, but said it does
not really affect her daily
schedule.
“I’m usually a person who
gets to class early anyways, so
Tower Time hasn’t affected
me much,” Furstenberg said.
“Most people I’ve talked to
have
already
gotten
used
to Tower Time and only
complain about it for 8 a.m.
classes, which I get.”
When the end of Michigan
Time was first announced,
students
worried
about
whether
professors
would
honor the 10-minute early
dismissal,
or
just
keep
lecturing.
Engineering
sophomore Jeff Yin said the
only reason professors are
ending on the scheduled time
is
because
students
start
packing up their books.
“The only reason most of
them let people out 10 minutes
early is because people just
start packing up, which makes
noise,” Yin said. “If people
don’t do that, professors just
keep on going.”
Yin
also
expressed
frustration when Tower Time
was first announced.
“I was annoyed, shocked
and sad I suppose,” Yin said.
“I had only transferred to
Michigan winter of 2017 as a
michigandaily.com
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Tuesday, September 11, 2018
ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-SEVEN YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM
GOT A NEWS TIP?
Call 734-418-4115 or e-mail
news@michigandaily.com and let us know.
Check out the
Daily’s News
podcast, The
Daily Weekly
INDEX
Vol. CXXVII, No.132
©2018 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
michigandaily.com
For more stories and coverage, visit
COMMUNITY AFFAIRS
Community
challenges
benefits of
new turbine
Law professor talks relationship
between fossil fuels and militarism
ALEC COHEN/Daily
Author Leif Wenar introduces his new book, “Blood Oil,” at the Donia Human Rights Center Distinguished Lecture in Weiser Hall Monday afternoon.
University says natural gas addition
will reduce greenhouse gas emissions
MAEVE O’BRIEN
Daily Staff Reporter
Leif Wenar addresses crowd at Donia Human Rights Center Distinguished Lecture
More than 70 students and
faculty
members
gathered
Monday night in Weiser Hall to
hear Leif Wenar’s lecture titled
“Blood Oil: Tyrants, Violence,
and the Rules that Run the
World.” The lecture, based on
Wenar’s book, explored the
history of conflict in nations
that carry rich oil deposits
and the “blood oil curse” — an
idea that mandates if a country
is present at the time of oil
discovery and mining, it will
be involved in political and
economic decisions involving
the resource.
Wenar
is
the
chair
of
Philosophy and Law at King’s
College
London
School
of
Law, in addition to working
as
a
visiting
professor
at
Stanford University, Princeton
University and the Australian
National University.
Wenar began his lecture
by outlining the current state
of global affairs, tracing both
national security threats and
human
rights
abuses
from
war to failed states with rich
oil
deposits.
He
explained
the paradox that arises when
considering these states hold
abundant
natural
resources
while also suffering from issues
of widespread poverty, hunger,
lack of human rights, armed
conflict and refugees.
“Our
governments
have
engaged in unjust actions for the
sake of oil, all over the world,
for many years, especially in
the Middle East,” Wenar said.
“The oil curse is behind the
news we see all the time.”
KATHERINA SOURINE
Daily Staff Reporter
Democratic
gubernatorial
candidate Gretchen Whitmer and
running mate Garlin Gilchrist
spoke to more than 120 students
Monday night at Lorch Hall
during a special meeting of the
University of Michigan’s chapter
of College Democrats.
Several local elected officials
including
U.S.
Rep.
Debbie
Dingell, D-Mich., and state Rep.
Adam Zemke, D-Ann Arbor, were
in attendance as Whitmer and
Gilchrist discussed issues ranging
from infrastructure and clean
drinking water to student voter
turnout and the so-called “blue
wave” — an anticipated influx of
liberal candidates to elected office
in November.
“To have a good life, you gotta
be able to get into a good job, which
means a solid education and skills,
but also, you gotta be able to get
there, whether it is through public
transit or through affordable car
insurance or through roads that
will get you there safely,” Whitmer
said. “...Regional transit is critical
to us making this a state where not
just businesses but where we have
a good quality of life.”
Whitmer,
Dingell talk
‘U’ turnout
in midterm
GOVERNMENT
College Democrats plan
event to increase voter
participation in November
LEAH GRAHAM
Daily Staff Reporter
ROSEANNE CHAO/Daily
One week later, students still have
mixed feelings about “Tower Time”
Supporters of Michigan Time attempt to organize protest of shift in class schedules
Bird
Rides
are
familiar
to residents of places like
California
––
and
more
recently, Detroit –– but the
motorized
scooters
made
their debut for anyone with a
smartphone in Ann Arbor on
Friday. The company says it
“works closely with the cities
in which it operates,” but it
has a reputation for leaving
“nests” of its scooters available
to users of its app in cities,
often without notifying city
officials.
Though
the
company
communicated
with
city
officials in Detroit ahead of
the scooters’ installation there
in early August, the city of
Ann Arbor appeared to have
been caught off guard. On
Friday, the city sent an email
to residents warning them that
usage of the scooters could
merit a ticket.
“It came to the city of
Ann Arbor’s attention today,
Sept. 7, that a vendor, Bird
Rides,
Inc.,
has
deposited
motorized
scooters
around
the City for short-term use
by City residents,” the email
read. “Residents should be
Bird Rides
appear in
Ann Arbor,
City balks
ANN ARBOR
Students take to electric
scooters despite threats
of citations from City
ANDREW HIYAMA
Daily News Editor
See WHITMER, Page 3
See TURBINE, Page 2
See FOSSIL, Page 3
See TOWER, Page 3
See BIRD, Page 3
CATHERINE NOUHAN
Daily Staff Reporter