ranking demonstrates how
the University and its schools
are deeply engaged with the
world off campus.
“The
continued
growth
of the research productivity
of our faculty is important
evidence
of
the
amazing
strength of the University of
Michigan,” Schlissel said. “I
am proud that U-M research
spans the breadth of our
outstanding university and
addresses many of society’s
most pressing questions and
challenges.”
The
federal
investment
in
the
University
totaled
$852
million
last
year,
covering 55 percent of the
University’s
total
volume
of research over the last
year.
Federal
investment
encourages research at the
University
that
supports
public
health,
national
security
and
economic
competitiveness.
The
U.S.
Department of Health and
Human Services, which is
consistently
the
greatest
external sponsor of research
at the University, granted
$579 million to the University
in fiscal year 2018. Internal
research spending increased
8 percent from fiscal year
2017, totaling $524 million in
fiscal year 2018. These trends
are consistent with the 2018
budget signed by President
Donald Trump in March,
which approved the greatest
increase in allocation to U.S.
research in a decade.
Industry expenditures also
increased 9 percent, totaling
a record high of $109 million
in fiscal year 2018.
The
increase
in
expenditures led to a tangible
increase
in
research
in
fiscal year 2018. According
to the report, there were a
record breaking 484 new
inventions
last
year,
the
number of startups almost
doubled to 21, and the Office
of
Technology
Transfer
signed 218 license and option
agreements with companies
hoping
to
commercialize
these discoveries made at the
University.
S.
Jack
Hu,
University
vice president for research,
said the financial support
allowed the University to
produce a large amount of
valuable research under the
vision Research to Serve the
World.
“As credit to our innovative
campus
community
and
strong external collaboration,
the University of Michigan
has conducted the largest
volume of research of any
public
university
in
the
United
States
for
eight
consecutive years,” Hu said
in the University release.
“This type of support allows
us to advance knowledge,
solve
challenging
societal
problems,
create
new
products and services that
enhance
quality
of
life,
and support students and
postdoctoral
fellows
in
research and training.”
impacts fake news has on public
political opinion.
“What I want to answer for
you today are some questions like
these: How prevalent was fake
news consumption in 2016, what
effects does have on people’s
political attitudes and behavior
and
how
are
people
being
exposed to this dubious content
in the first place?” Nyhan said.
During his lecture, Nyhan
put a particular emphasis on
his findings that contradicted
popular
perceptions
of
the
influence of fake news.
“The
average
person,
regardless
of
party,
is
not
consuming this heavily skewed
diet that many folks would
predict,” Nyhan said. “There’s a
relatively small subset of people
who have strong predispositions
to seek out and consume pro-
attitudinal information.”
This
subset
of
people,
as
Nyhan
explained,
were
identified through a cognitive
reflection test, or a measure of
one’s capability for thinking
analytically about information
presented to them.
According
to
Nyhan,
his
survey demonstrated this subset
of people were far more likely
to believe fake news sources,
particularly when information
was presented more than once.
“These (fake news) stories
come to seem familiar,” Nyhan
said. “You’ve seen fake news
before, now you see it again,
maybe you think it’s more likely
to be true. We did observe a small
but
statistically
measurable
effect here.”
As
Nyhan
explained,
the
foundations of his work were
influenced by the crucial 2016
report “Social Media and Fake
News in the 2016 Election,”
written by political scientists
Hunt
Allcott
and
Matthew
Gentzkow. According to Allcott
and Gentzkow’s report, fake news
doesn’t rely on an established
audience or reputation to reach
digital readers.
“Content
can
be
relayed
among users with no significant
third
party
filtering,
fact-
checking, or editorial judgment,”
Allcott and Gentzkow wrote. “An
individual user with no track
record or reputation can in some
cases reach as many readers as
Fox News, CNN or the New York
Times.”
Alain
Cohn,
an
assistant
professor
at
the
School
of
Information with a focus on
economics and moral decision
making, said he was particularly
interested in Nyhan’s points
about the strategies of persuasion
utilized by fake news sources.
According to Cohn, Nyhan’s
work intersects with his own in
several capacities.
“I teach a course on persuasion
and social influence,” Cohn said.
“In my course I try to teach
students how they are going to be
persuaded in political contexts
but also in consumer contexts.”
Though his analysis of fake
news impact presented serious
implications, Nyhan contended
fake news had a central impact
on the outcome of the 2016
election. As he explained, the
impact of fake news is far more
complex than many make it out
to be.
“It’s pretty hard to tell a
story about how vote choice
was affected by fake news when
the people you would expect
to be the most unsure about
which candidate to vote for are
consuming very little fake news,”
Nyhan said. “It really challenges
this simplistic account of the
2016 election.”
Cohn, on the other hand,
worries
fake
news
could
have
unforeseen
yet
drastic
consequences.
“Those who consume fake
news have already made up their
opinion,” Cohn said. “However,
if they become more extreme,
that
might
be
dangerous.
There are other ways fake
news consumption may affect
society, even if it’s just among a
minority.”
Though
faculty
made
up
the majority of the audience
Monday
afternoon,
students
are also taking up the question
of fake news, especially in
the context of social media. LSA
sophomore Mackenzie Freeman,
a communication studies major,
told The Daily in an interview
last month fake news is an
issue that, if left undetected,
could alter the efficacy of news
altogether.
“This is really problematic
because people see the news as
being able to express the truth
and that feature is being taken
away,” she said.
the Michigan Union renovation
so we actively informed the
campus community, including
student employees, over those
years,” Pile wrote in an email
interview.
Public
Policy
junior
Nick
Martire worked at the Union
Starbucks for about seven months.
Martire said he was aware of the
closing before his employer told
him.
“While my employer did tell
me about the Union renovation, I
knew about it already when they
told me,” Martire wrote in an
email interview.
Because Starbucks was a
leased operation, Martire said
he did not receive University
assistance in finding his new
job at the Alumni Association.
But Pile said for those students
employed by the University in
the Union, alternate placements
were arranged.
“In many cases, the students
now work at the League and
Pierpont,” Pile wrote. “Any
student
who
was
working
in the Union and wanted
another position was given that
opportunity.”
Pile said the Union also
hosted a job fair for students
employed
by
non-University
operations within the Union to
assist in finding another job.
As for the upcoming CCRB
renovation, Widen said student
employees were informed of the
renovations through meetings
and email announcements after
the Regents voted on it in
September,
though
many
were aware of the project
from
other
means.
Similar
to the Union, time was given
before the start of the project
to allow for the necessary
changes of employment.
“The CCRB isn’t scheduled
to close for replacement for
two
more
years,”
Widen
wrote in an email interview.
“As we get closer to that time,
we will make adjustments to
our hiring.”
Widen said students who
may be working at the CCRB
in two years will work with
Recreational Sports to find
alternate placement.
“We have other facilities
like IMSB, NCRB, Sports
Coliseum, Elbel Field, and
Mitchell Field that all need
student
staffing,”
Widen
wrote. “In addition, we have
a number of programs that
need student employees as
well, e.g. Group-X, Personal
Training, Intramural Sports,
Club
Sports,
Adventure
Leadership.”
LSA junior Mikaela Bradley
currently works at both the
CCRB and the Intramural
Sports Building. In an email
interview, Bradley said she
will no longer be a student
at the University when the
renovations begin; however
she expected if she still
were a student, she would
try to continue working for
Recreational Sports.
“If the CCRB was closing
earlier, I would definitely try
to ensure all of my shifts were
at the IMSB so that I could
still work with recreational
sports,” Bradley wrote.
Bradley also added some
students
are
under
the
assumption that renovations
will be occurring very soon.
“A lot of students that don’t
work at rec sports seem to
think the renovations are
going to happen much sooner
than they are,” Bradley wrote.
“I have had several patrons
ask me when the CCRB is
closing and they are often
surprised that the remodeling
is still a few years away.”
Widen added Recreational
Sports has experience with
renovations over the past few
years.
“We’ve gone through this
same
process
of
making
adjustments
for
student
employees
recently
with
the IMSB (2015-2016) and
the NCRB (2017-2018) were
each closed for their own
renovations,” Widen wrote.
checked for correctness.
Senate Assembly Chair Neil
Marsh expressed his belief that
the resolution is something more
abstract, that supporting CSG
would not take away from the
faculty assembly.
“I see this (resolution) as
being fairly non-controversial
and its heart is in the right
place,” he said. “I don’t see any
particular downside to us saying
we support (their) resolution
once it’s been passed.”
Next, the assembly welcomed
Jerry
May,
University
vice
president
for
development.
One of the largest projects for
the Office of Development, the
Victors for Michigan campaign,
which began in 2011 and is
coming to its close, has raised
over $5 billion and is the
most
successful
fundraising
campaign in University history.
May,
who
announced
his
upcoming retirement last spring,
explained his role of overseeing
all fundraising activities and
answered
the
questions
of
assembly members.
Members
of
the
assembly
mentioned
many
University
programs
receive
consistent
funding, like the Ross School
of Business, while other areas
needing improvement do not
recieve
as
many
donations.
Though donors cannot be told
where to give their money, May
said, many decide to donate to
multiple areas instead of just
one.
“I’m
a
huge
believer
in
multiple
relationships
in
multiple areas, and not having
one development officer … that
hoards your relationship with a
donor,” May said. “What I find
is the more (an individual) is
exposed to the breadth of the
university, the more likely they
are to give to more than just
their one degree.”
University
Provost
Martin
Philbert
then
spoke
to
the
assembly, highlighting the recent
introduction of parental leave
benefits for University faculty
and staff. Philbert discussed
how it’s a joint responsibility
to child rear, and this benefit
will make the University a more
attractive place to work.
“In a time where there are
lots of issues that divide us, this
is one of those that unites us,”
Philbert said. “We will support
the members of our community
who need time to bond with
their children.”
The
meeting
concluded
with questions from members
of the assembly to Philbert,
primarily
regarding
the
Office
of
Institutional
Equity amid criticism of the
office’s
sexual
misconduct
investigations, especially within
the School of Music, Theater
& Dance. OIE’s annual report
released earlier this year found
more reports were filed with
the office, though the number of
investigations dropped. Philbert
voiced support for the policy and
process as a whole.
“I’ve
heard
concerns
about the length of time it
takes to complete some OIE
investigations,” Philbert said.
“We’re always working to ensure
that those investigations are fair,
thorough and timely.”
The student sexual misconduct
policy
dictates
OIE
should
strive to complete investgations
within 60 days of their filing —
anecdotal
evidence
reported
by The Daily found, however,
students
were
waiting
from
five to six months at times for
responses
to
their
reports.
Philbert
said
some
factors
delay the completion of certain
investigations,
and
opened
the
conversation
to
include
suggestions from the assembly
to make this process more
efficient and effective. Philbert
concluded
the
meeting
by
explaining the implementation
of
mandatory
online
sexual
misconduct training for faculty
members in the years going
forward.
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
News
Tuesday, November 27, 2018 — 3
ASSEMBLY
From Page 1
RESEARCH
From Page 1
COUNCIL
From Page 1
EMPLOYMENT
From Page 1
I have had several
patrons ask me
when the CCRB
is closing and they
are often surprised
that the remodeling
is still a few years
away
I am proud that
U-M research
spans the breadth
of our outstanding
university