Rear Admiral Michael Gior-

gione, author of “Inside Camp 
David: The Private World 
of the Presidential Retreat,” 
spoke Wednesday night at the 
Gerald R. Ford Presidential 
Library to discuss his book 
and share personal anecdotes 
from his time at the camp. 

Giorgione was the com-

manding 
officer 
of 
Camp 

David, a country retreat used 
by U.S. presidents and their 
families, from 1999 to 2001. 
During that time, he worked 
under Presidents Bill Clinton 
and George W. Bush. Located 
in the wooded hills of Catoc-
tin Mountain Park in Mary-
land, Camp David, according 
to Giorgione, has been Ameri-
can diplomacy’s secret weap-
on since its founding in 1938, 
playing a vital role in both 
international 
and 
domestic 

relationships.

The Public Policy library 

often invites speakers or hosts 
events that are related to the 
presidency, Elaine Didier, the 
director of the library and its 
affiliated museum in Grand 
Rapids, explained.

“We have both journal-

ists and scholars who are 
researching different presi-
dents, looking at issues that 
the presidents cover, and in 
this case, it’s not the presiden-
cy but a place that the presi-

dents used,” she said. “So that 
was the driver in inviting Mr. 
Giorgione here.”

The lecture began with 

audience 
members 
sitting 

in a pitch-black room, with 
the lights turned off. Almost 
immediately, the sound of 
choppers 
played 
over 
the 

speakers. 
Giorgione 
used 

these effects to highlight a 
typical start to a working day 
at Camp David: the arrival of 
the president.

Edward Vincent, an Ann 

Arbor 
community 
member, 

said he enjoyed the use of 
auditory effects during the 
presentation.

“That really stood out to 

me because that was a very 
dramatic 
and 
suspenseful 

moment. I wasn’t sure if he 
was going to put something on 
the screen. But he used that to 
dramatize how Camp David is 
when the president isn’t there 
and when he is,” he said.

Giorgione 
describes 
the 

camp as a simple place.

“It’s a very nice camp with 

very plain facilities. Single 

story structures. No brass. 
No polish. No marble. That’s 
Camp David. That’s part of 
the allure of this mountaintop 
retreat at 1,800-feet eleva-
tion.” he said.

Such plainness is what cre-

ates the tranquil nature, he 
explained — there is an inti-
macy to the place that cannot 
be felt in the West Wing of the 
White House. Giorgione fur-
ther recounted moments spent 
with members of the Kennedy 
family who have spent every 

Researchers from the Mcity 

Test Facility at the University 
of Michigan are using virtual 
reality to more safely and 
efficiently 
test 
driverless 

vehicles.

The Mcity Test Facility is 

located on North Campus and 
features over 16 acres of roads 
and traffic infrastructure. The 
facility 
allows 
researchers 

to 
test 
automated 
vehicles 

and 
other 
technologies 
in 

simulated urban and suburban 
driving environments.

With a virtual world, similar 

to the simulated environment 
of a video game, researchers 
can test real driverless vehicles 
in an almost infinite number 
of traffic scenarios that would 
be difficult and costly to test 
in real world environments. In 
the augmented reality testing 
environment, real autonomous 
vehicles 
interact 
with 

computer-simulated vehicles.

The 
testing 
method 
of 

using 
augmented 
reality 

was outlined in an MCity 
white 
paper 
released 
last 

The University of Michigan 

Faculty Senate hosted its 28th 
Davis, 
Markert, 
Nickerson 

Lecture 
on 
Academic 
and 

Intellectual 
Freedom 

Wednesday 
afternoon 

featuring Gene Nichol, a law 
professor at the University of 
North Carolina. The annual 
lecture hosts different leaders 
to 
speak 
about 
different 

aspects of educational policies 
and expression for academics.

H. Chandler Davis, Clement 

Markert and Mark Nickerson 
were University professors in 
the 1950s who, in 1954, refused 
to 
give 
testimonies 
before 

the U.S. House Committee 
on 
Un-American 
Activities, 

invoking their constitutional 
right to not disclose their 
political 
associations. 
The 

trio was suspended from the 
University, with only Markert 
asked to return. This lecture 
honors the three professors’ 
adherence to the values of 
academic freedom.

Academic freedom has been 

a hot topic on the University’s 

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ADMINISTRATION

During 
the 
University 

of Michigan’s fifth annual 
Giving Blueday, donors gave 
a total of $3,638,612 to the 
University, according to a 
University press release. Over 
12,600 
donors 
contributed 

over the course of the 24-hour 
event, 
though 
the 
sum 

donated has decreased by 
close to a million dollars since 
2017.

In comparison to previous 

years, the amount of donors 
has increased while the total 
amount raised has decreased. 
In 2016, about 7,000 donors 
raised over $5.5 million on 
Giving Blueday and in 2017, 
over 
8,000 
donors 
raised 

over $4.4 million. The size 
of the average donation has 
decreased considerably, from 
approximately $753 in 2016 to 
$288 this year.

“Our 
primary 
goal 

for Giving Blueday is to 
encourage as many people 
as 
possible 
to 
donate 
to 

U-M, no matter the size of 
the gift,” Pamela Stout, the 
senior director of executive 
communications, wrote in an 
email statement. “We’ve been 
fortunate enough to increase 
that number every year. This 
year, we focused even more 
directly on the goal of 10,000 
gifts, and are thrilled with the 
12,635 gifts received in just 24 
hours.

According to Stout, the 

total 
sum 
of 
donations 

drastically varies based on 
the size of gifts.

“In 
previous 
years, 
we 

booked 
more 
major 
gifts 

on Giving Blueday.” Stout 
wrote. “This year, we focused 
more directly on expanding 
our community of donors, 
and they very generously 
responded.”

Giving Blue 
Day garners 
almost $1M
less than ’17

Samples show rise in dioxane levels, 
need for more tests around Ann Arbor

JACK SILBERMAN/DAILY

2018 brings in more donors but less 
overall donations than previous year

Mayor Taylor emphasized likely carcinogen has not been found in Ann Arbor water 

NIKKI KIM
For The Daily

Water samples taken from 

the storm sewers at West 
Park in Ann Arbor reveal 
an increase in the levels of 1,4 
dioxane — a likely carcinogen — 
in the groundwater. Within a 
year, the samples jumped from 
4.4 parts per billion to 19 parts 
per billion.

In response to the increase 

in 
dioxane 
contamination, 

the Michigan Department of 
Environmental 
Quality 
has 

confirmed plans for further 
dioxane testing in Ann Arbor.

Evan Pratt, water resources 

commissioner of Washtenaw 
County, said while he does not 
think the dioxane in the West 
Park groundwater is dangerous 
to 
residents, 
he 
supports 

continued testing in the area.

“What I’ve asked of the DEQ 

is for them to) take samples 
every month for six months. 
Then we can have a better 

understanding of whether it 
is something that is a trend at 
that location or just something 
that fluctuates,” Pratt said. 
“In addition, I’ve asked for 
sampling at four or five other 
locations.” 

In an MLive article, Gerald 

Tiernan, 
district 
supervisor 

of 
the 
DEQ’s 
Remediation 

and Redevelopment Division, 
confirmed Pratt’s sentiments, 
explaining the DEQ plans to 
take monthly samples from 
multiple locations within the 

area.

Mayor Christopher Taylor 

said the city will continue to 
support further testing.

“We are always looking for 

more testing — it is of critical 
importance to the city of Ann 
Arbor,” Taylor said. “We need 
to make sure that our homes are 
safe, that our drinking water is 
safe. We are going to continue 
to learn more about the location 
and direction of the plume and 
we are going to continue to 

RESEARCH

Researchers say testing 
driverless cars in real 
world is more dangerous

RACHEL LEUNG
Daily Staff Reporter

MIKE ZLONKEVICZ/DAILY 

Rear Admiral Michael Giorgione speaks on his time as the commanding officer of Camp David under Presidents Bill 
Clinton and George W. Bush in the Gerald R. Ford Library Wednesday evening. 

Camp David officer recounts his time 
with presidential families at retreat

Rear Admiral Giorgione presents memories of “secret weapon” at Ford Library 

GRACE KAY

Daily Staff Reporter

UNC prof. 
discusses 
academic 
freedoms 

CAMPUS LIFE

Admist semester clashes of 
faculty over letter, Nichol 
talks student protections

NOREEN KHAN

For The Daily

See MCITY, Page 3

See DIOXANE, Page 3
See GIVING, Page 3

Follow The Daily 
on Instagram, 
@michigandaily

CALLIE TEITELBAUM

For The Daily

See UNC, Page 3

See CAMP DAVID, Page 3

Mcity uses 
augmented 
reality for 
car testing

