According to Public Policy professor Brendan Nyhan, fake news may have a more complex impact on the American public than experrts previously thought. For the last several years, Nyhan has been working on a comprehensive study of U.S. fake news consumption, aiming to determine the scope and influence of fake news on the political leanings of Americans. Nyhan presented the facts and implications of his research Monday afternoon at the School of Information’s seminar “Who Reads Fake News?” About 25 faculty members were in attendance. Media literacy has been of interest to many on campus in the wake of the 2016 election. Last fall, the University offered a one-credit class on fake news to at help students dispel bias in the media, while computer science researchers are building an algorithm deisgned to detect fake news better than human reviewers. Introducing his research, Nyhan said he wanted to investigate the tangible University of Michigan expenditures on research reached a record high for the third year in a row in fiscal year 2018, and the school remained No. 1 in research volume across all public universities for the eighth year in a row, according to the National Science Foundation. The report stated the volume of research at the University increased by 4.4 percent from fiscal year 2017 — from July 1, 2017 to June 30, 2018, the volume of research at the University totaled $1.55 billion. The highest volume of research was at the Medical School, with $624.4 million dedicated to the school, followed by Engineering, LSA and the Institute of Social Research, all of which had research expenditures totaling greater than $100 million. In a press release from Michigan News, University President Mark Schlissel said the No. 1 research volume With the renovation of the Michigan Union estimated to continue until early Winter 2020 and renovation of the Central Campus Recreational Building beginning in 2021, these facilities will remain closed due to construction. The University of Michigan Board of Regents approved both of these multimillion-dollar renovation projects, most recently the CCRB in September. The temporary closing of these facilities affects students across campus, including those who worked in these locations. The estimated $85,200,000 Michigan Union Renovation Project includes updates to the building’s exterior, increased student space, improved disability accessibility, an expansion to the Counseling and Psychological Services space and gender-neutral bathrooms. The CCRB project has a $150 million budget and will create a new 200,000 square foot space for recreational sports and exercise. The University Unions and Recreational Sports — a subset of the CCRB — are both large providers of student employment. Susan Pile, the senior director of the University Unions, said approximately 100 students worked at the Union, excluding the employees of leased operations such as Starbucks or Panda Express. Every year, Student Life employs about 4,000 students in part-time, work-study, and temporary positions. These positions encompass customer services, rec sports, Michigan dining, information technology and more. According to Director of Recreational Sports Mike Widen, Recreational Sports as a whole employs more than 600 students per year. Student employees at the Union were informed of the renovation plans years before the building closed for construction. “We knew a few years prior to michigandaily.com Ann Arbor, Michigan Tuesday, November 27, 2018 ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-EIGHT YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM GOT A NEWS TIP? Call 734-418-4115 or e-mail news@michigandaily.com and let us know. INDEX Vol. CXXVIII, No. 38 ©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 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 S P O R T S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 michigandaily.com For more stories and coverage, visit CAMPUS LIFE Closure of ‘U’ buildings affects work for students Former Chief Official White House Photographer takes on resistance NATALIE STEPHENS/Daily Pete Souza, former Chief Official White House Photographer for the Obama Administration, signs copies of his book “Shade” after speaking at Rackham Auditorium Monday night. Before renovations, the Union held a job fair for new employment opportunities SAYALI AMIN Daily Staff Reporter Pete Souza speaks before sold-out Rackham audience on Obama versus Trump On Jan. 22, 2017, two days after President Donald Trump was inaugurated into office, former White House photographer Pete Souza posted a picture on Instagram of President Barack Obama sitting on his desk with red curtains in the background with the caption “I like these drapes better than the new ones. Don’t you think?” This photo came shortly after Trump redecorated his office with gold ornate drapes. After posting the picture, Souza recalls someone commented he was “dropping shade” at Trump. After looking “shade” up in the dictionary, he agreed. “Yep,” Souza said. “That’s exactly what I’m doing.” Souza’s series of “Shady” Instagram posts have since been compiled into a book titled “Shade: A Tale of Two Presidents,” which he discussed before a packed Rackham Auditorium Monday night at the University of Michigan. The photobook he presented consists of headlines referencing the Trump administration on the right side, juxtaposed by a photograph of the Obama Administration on the left. Over the course of the night, Souza highlighted several of his most pertinent moments with the Obama administration, ranging from iconic photographs of the former president with children to the worst day in Obama’s presidency to his hopes for the future. Souza’s report in photojournalism spans decades before being Obama’s White House photographer. In the early 1980s, he worked for the Chicago-Sun Times and in 1983 became a junior White House photographer at the request of the Ronald Reagan administration’s senior photo editor. While Souza noted he wasn’t initially sure if he should take the position, he decided it would be an incredible opportunity to pass up. “I was not politically aligned with Reagan,” he said. “I was essentially being hired by the JULIA FANZERES Daily Staff Reporter The Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs met Monday to discuss students’ resolutions to combat climate change, as well as converse with guest speakers about initiatives the University of Michigan administration is employing to improve student and faculty life on campus. The meeting began with a discussion of the recent Central Student Government resolution to encourage the University to achieve carbon neutrality by 2035. CSG recently asked SACUA to join this effort to persuade the University to establish clear benchmarks and goals on its commitment to carbon neutrality. SACUA debated the accuracy of statistics cited in the CSG proposal, mentioning the necessity to ensure the proposal used reliable facts. After deliberation, the assembly agreed to support the goals of the proposal, but did not endorse it until it has been Assembly addresses enviroment resolution ACADEMICS CSG asks faculty body to clarify ‘U’ commitment on carbon neutrality by 2035 DANIELLE PASEKOFF Daily Staff Reporter MATT VAILLIENCOURT/Daily Public Policy professor Brendan Nyhan, a political scientist, discusses his research into who reads fake news and the role of Facebook in exposing people to it in a seminar at North Quad Monday. Ford prof. discusses impact of fake news on 2016, 2018 election cycles Nyhan asserted media influence on elections more complex than many make out to be BEN ROSENFELD Daily Staff Reporter U-M no. 1 in research volume for eighth year RESEARCH Expenditures on public universities research up along with federal funding MOLLY NORRIS Daily Staff Reporter See RESEARCH, Page 3 See ASSEMBLY, Page 3 See PHOTOGRAPHER, Page 2 See EMPLOYMENT, Page 3 Follow The Daily on Instagram, @michigandaily See ELECTION, Page 3