The lecture began with a 
short instructional video on the 
steps of creating a hat.
Jones 
discussed 
how 
throughout his time in boarding 
school, he wasn’t sure exactly 
what he wanted to do — all he 
knew was that he wanted it to 
be something exciting. He also 
recalled how his family always 
communicated via art, which 
is why he decided to apply 
to fashion school in London. 
Upon arriving at the school, 
Jones said he saw two distinct 
cliques.
“My first day of college I 
walked into this room … on the 
left-hand side, there were all 
these very chic, elegant girls, 
all wearing beige cashmere and 
smoking cigarettes,” Jones said. 
“And then on the right-hand 
side of the room, there were a 
few, some miserable fucking 
punks … and I thought, ‘I’m 
either going to go left or going 
to go right. I’m either going to 
have to wear beige cashmere, 
and or I’m going to wear cheap 
vinyl.’ I went to the cheap vinyl 
side and never looked back.”

As a student at St. Martin’s 
School of Art, Jones got an 
internship at a couture shop 
working 
for 
the 
tailoring 
department. While Jones said 
his main responsibility was 
going on coffee runs, he advised 
students to take advantage 
of knowledge gained during 
internships.
“Keep your eyes open … when 
you are interns,” Jones said. “It 
doesn’t matter what you do, 
it matters what you observe 
which is the most fascinating 
thing. And I observed the 
politics of the couture house.”
It was during this internship 
that 
he 
became 
fascinated 
by the millinery department 
within the couture shop. Jones 
asked his boss to transfer to 
the millinery department, even 
though he had never created 
a hat before. He was given a 
weekend to produce a hat and 
to present it to the head of the 
department. This left Jones 
scouring for materials at home 
in order to create a pillbox hat.
“So, I got an old box of 
cereal and took the cardboard 
from that and some glue, and 
I begged my sister for some 
fabric, and she gave me an old 
blouse,” Jones said. 
Jones’s 
millinery 
career 

started picking up as he began 
spending his nights at the 
Blitz nightclub and premiering 
his hats on the fashion scene. 
By 1980, he had dropped out 
of art school and opened his 
own millinery. Jones credits 
his success to his successful 
networking, 
especially 
befriending Jasper Conran, a 
fellow fashion designer. Jones 
recalled how, one day, Conran 
told him that he had a new 
client opportunity for him.
“So, I went to his showroom 
and I opened the door and 
in the fitting room… to my 
complete 
amazement 
[was] 
Princess Diana, Princess of 
Whales,” Jones said. “And then 
I said, ‘Oh, where’s Jasper?’ and 
I heard an ‘I’m here’ and Jasper 
suddenly appeared from under 
the ballgown.”
Jones said he works with 
large scale couture shops such 
as Dior and Marc Jacobs, but 
he also works with individual 
celebrities. The slideshow he 
displayed showed all of his 
hat creations on the heads of 
Madonna, Rihanna, Lady Gaga, 
Janelle Monae, Meghan Markle 
and Amal Clooney.

In 2016, it was renamed 
the 
Center 
for 
Academic 
Innovation 
and 
became 
a 
presidential 
initiative, 
allowing it to expand its 
offerings and reach out to 
more students. 
Currently, 
the 
center 
runs 
about 
160 
Massive 
Open 
Online 
Courses 
to 
make a University education 
accessible to students online. 
The 
MOOCs 
are 
courses 
designed by University faculty 
that are meant to be taken 
online by anyone interested in 
learning more about a specific 
subject.
Schlissel also introduced 
the Firearm Injury Prevention 
Research Initiative, a new 
program that aims to harness 
the 
University’s 
research 
capabilities to advocate for 
safer gun use across the 
country. Schlissel stressed the 
program is not interested in 
debating Second Amendment 
rights or introducing gun 
control measures, but instead 
is focused on collecting data 
to prevent gun deaths through 
safer and smarter use. 
“I 
trust 
the 
initiative 
to engage the breadth of 
expertise across the University 
of Michigan with input from 
non-academic 
stakeholders 
to generate knowledge and 
advanced solutions that will 
decrease firearm injury in 
the United States,” Schlissel 
said. “The focus is not on gun 
control, but rather on injury 
prevention.”
During the Q&A session 
that took place after the 
speech, an attendee asked 
Schlissel to elaborate on how 
firearm 
injury 
prevention 
is not a form of gun control. 
Schlissel responded by noting 
that the new initiative is only 
focused on the ways research 
can help prevent injury and is 
not politically affiliated in any 
way. 
“The challenges around the 
politically contentious debate 
over 
interpretation 
of 
the 
Second Amendment actually 
seem to paralyze our country 
from dealing with the health 
crisis,” Schlissel said. “So, 
the notion is, it’s not that I 

don’t think people should be 
discussing 
and 
considering 
gun control, but it’s not our 
research initiative.”
During 
his 
speech, 
Schlissel 
also 
touched 
on 
current 
Diversity, 
Equity 
and 
Inclusion 
plans 
that 
will 
continue 
throughout 
the semester. The five-year 
DEI plan — the University’s 
program to increase diversity 
in all sectors of the institution 
— is currently in its fourth 
year. Schlissel said he plans 
to 
work 
with 
University 
administrators, faculty and 
students to continue these 
efforts even after the fifth 
year finishes. 
“Thanks to the dedication 
and hard work of people of 
people all across our campus 
… the values we share are 
becoming ingrained deeply in 
the content of our mission as 
a public university,” Schlissel 
said. 
LSA sophomore Julianna 
Collado, 
the 
external 
director of La Casa, a student 
organization 
representing 
Latinx students and faculty 
at the University, attended 
the 
Leadership 
Breakfast 
alongside 
three 
other 
members of the organization. 
Collado said she and other 
representatives from La Casa 
wanted to hear Schlissel’s 
plans for expanding current 
DEI projects. 
“I 
was 
particularly 
interested 
in 
the 
DEI 
initiatives that are happening 
and 
how 
that 
work 
will 
continue 
after 
the 
five-
year plan,” Collado said. “It 
was interesting to see what 
was 
highlighted, 
but 
also 
acknowledging that there is 
still a lot of work that needs to 
be done.”
In the Q&A session, Craig 
Reynolds, 
the 
executive 
director 
of 
the 
Office 
of 
Research 
and 
Sponsored 
Projects, 
asked 
Schlissel 
how the University plans to 
respond to current policies 
that make it difficult for 
academics in other countries 
to do research in the United 
States. 
“A challenge that we face is in 
the rhetoric in policy changes 
coming out of Washington in 
respect to foreign influence 
on research,” Reynolds said. 

“One of the hallmarks of a 
strong university is our ability 
to attract students and faculty 
and post-docs from across the 
world, either as collaborators 
are 
as 
members 
of 
our 
community.”
Schlissel emphasized the 
University’s commitment to 
fostering 
an 
international 
and diverse student body and 
faculty, and said the University 
would do the most it could to 
continue attracting students 
from around the world. 
“We are a global university, 
and that means being open to 
collaborations, 
educational 
efforts, global travel in all 
parts of the world,” Schlissel 
said. “Twenty percent of all 
Michigan faculty were not 
born in the United States. 
Our 
talented, 
hardworking 
students 
in 
this 
year’s 
freshman class come from 68 
countries around the globe. 
We’re a global university, and 
that’s inextricably linked to 
our excellence.”
Other topics discussed at 
the 
Leadership 
Breakfast 
included 
the 
Commission 
on Carbon Neutrality, the 
Ideas Lab at the Biosciences 
Initiative and the retirement 
of Vice President of Student 
LifeE. Royster Harper, among 
others. 
Schlissel also announced 
that an anonymous donor 
recently 
donated 
several 
million 
dollars 
to 
the 
University to fund projects 
that will help the campus 
achieve 
carbon 
neutrality. 
Schlissel said he asked the 
Graham 
Sustainability 
Institute to set up a fund with 
the money that will be used 
by faculty toward developing 
carbon-neutral strategies. 
Schlissel 
mentioned 
that 
the 
University 
recently 
joined the University Climate 
Change Coalition, a group 
of North American research 
universities that help their 
campuses 
and 
surrounding 
communities 
reach 
their 
climate goals. 
“The 
problem 
of 
global 
climate change is far too big for 
any one institution to solve,” 
Schlissel said. “Collaboration 
and engagement are key to 
creating real, lasting solutions 
that will benefit our society.”

Eyer previously worked at 
MLive and the Ann Arbor News. 
After leaving MLive in 2016, 
Eyer replaced Conan Smith on 
the Washtenaw County Board 
of Commissioners. Smith left 
to pursue a position in the 
county’s Office of Community 
and Economic Development, and 
Eyer served the remainder of the 
term. 
Following 
an 
unsuccessful 
write-in campaign to continue 
in that position, Eyer became a 
partner at Vanguard, a Michigan 
public relations firm representing 
organizations in the fields of 
education, labor and advocacy. 

According to Eyer, she is 
running 
because 
she 
wants 
to reshape how the council 
approaches issues in the city. 
“When I look at our current 
City Council, I’m frustrated … 
because I see a lot of ‘no’ when 
ideas come to the table, and I 
don’t see a lot of solutions being 
put forth,” Eyer said. “I don’t 
think that’s leadership, and I 
think that has to change.”
Ginny Rogers, Ann Arbor 
resident 
and 
a 
member 
of 
the Citizens’ Climate Lobby, 
explained she attended the event 
hoping to learn more about Eyer’s 
campaign, as she is attracted 
to Eyer’s stances on affordable 
housing and climate action. 
“Seeing 
what 
she’s 
said 
on 
social 
media 
about 
the 

importance of those issues, I’m 
just really interested in Jen’s 
campaign and what she can do to 
address those issues in the city,” 
Rogers said. “I just want to hear 
more details of what she thinks 
and what she’s hoping to do.”
Jenna Jarjoura, a Community 
High School student, helped sign 
in guests at the door. Jarjoura 
explained she wanted to help 
with the campaign because she 
has known Eyer since befriending 
Eyer’s daughter in kindergarten. 
“Every time I’ve gone over 
to her house, she’s always made 
sure I’ve had everything I needed 
from a very young age all the way 
until now,” Jarjoura said. 

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
News
Friday, October 4, 2019 — 3A

Read more at 
MichiganDaily.com

“Recent 
changes 
have 
already made parking easier for 
patients: in August we created 
more than 250 spaces for patient 
parking because patients were 
missing or late to appointments, 
or just arriving quite stressed 
out by the parking process.”
Leah Karr, a nurse at Mott’s 
Children’s Hospital, said she 
understood the need for more 
patient parking, as she has a 
child who is a frequent patient 
at Mott. However, Karr said 
the converted parking spots 
disproportionately 
affected 
nurses and other direct bedside 
employees and can put them in 
dangerous situations if their 
shifts end late at night. 
“I also have a son that has 
a chronic medical condition, 
and I spend a bit of time at 
the hospital as a parent as 
well, so there definitely was a 
very strong need for increased 
patient and visitor parking at 
the hospital hands down, I do 
not disagree with that,” Karr 
said. “However, the solution 
that they came up with was 
to maintain that top level of 
parking — the gold parking 
— and cut the blue parking, 
which really affects a lot of 
direct bedside employees. And 
then, so they’re forced to go to 
outline lots, which would be 
OK, except there is not reliable 
and 
safe 
transportation 
to 
get the employees to work on 
time. The shuttles do not run 
frequently enough and many of 
the lots are not well lit, and so 
you’re asking them to go back 
out to their cars late at night. 

It’s a problem.”
A University of Michigan 
graduate and current registered 
nurse at the University of 
Michigan Hospital has asked to 
remain anonymous to protect 
her job. She will be referred to 
as Nurse 1. 
Nurse 1 said she can attest 
to struggling to find parking 
as a hospital employee. She 
expressed that she has been 
late to work as a result of these 
difficulties and feels like the 
University doesn’t prioritize the 
needs of those working in often 
undervalued hospital positions, 
such as nurses and clerks.
“Parking is a daily hassle,” 
Nurse 1 said. “In the first two 
months of work, I was late 
twice because of it. It comes 
up almost daily on my unit as 
it being an issue. That being 
said, it’s a problem for everyone, 
patients included. The solutions 
that they’ve come up with 
don’t solve anything though, 
and a lot of times it feels like 
the critical employees are put 
on the back burner when they 
make decisions. Without us 
though, you have no functional 
organization.”
Masson 
said 
Michigan 
Medicine has heard the nursing 
union’s concerns, and that a 
new parking lot will open in the 
fall of 2020.
“We 
also 
have 
listened 
to 
staff 
and 
have 
made 
improvements: 
adding 
more 
buses, 
more 
direct 
express 
routes and more low-cost and 
free remote parking spaces with 
shuttle service for employees,” 
Masson wrote. “A new garage 
for employees on Wall Street is 
under construction and opens 
in fall 2020 with more than 

1,000 parking spots.”
Masson 
noted 
the 
new 
12-story 
hospital, 
that 
is 
supposed to open in 2024, 
will help alleviate the parking 
problems overall. 
LSA junior Rayna Shamah 
emphasized 
the 
importance 
of 
nurses 
in 
a 
hospital 
environment. She cited her 
own personal experience as a 
patient, saying the nurses made 
her feel the most cared for. 
“When I was in the hospital, 
nurses were the figures that 
provided hands on support and 
helped me get through my time 
there,” Shamah said. “They 
kind of personalized the whole 
experience and allowed me to 
feel cared for, and that they 
actually wanted to help me. 
I wasn’t just another person 
coming through the hospital 
that they needed to take care 
of.”
Shamah said the University 
should realize how important 
nurses are and prioritize their 
safety as well. 
“I feel like it makes them 
feel undervalued when they’re 
not 
given 
parking 
spaces,” 
Shamah said “Which makes 
them late for work and makes 
them miss out on patient care, 
which could be very vital for 
the patient. The patient always 
comes first, and the University 
should know that, and care 
about their nurses’ safety and 
well being.”
Ultimately, Karr said she 
loves her job, and she just wants 
to be able to do the best she can. 
“I love being a nurse, I love 
what I do,” Karr said, “and I 
just want my colleagues to get 
to and from the hospital 24/7 
safely.”

HATS
From Page 1A

KICKOFF
From Page 1A

SCHLISSEL
From Page 1A

“To come visit me and try to 
get me to go to Michigan was a 
fond memory of people taking 
interest in you as a person.”
Russell would go on to set 
the school’s record for single-
season scoring as a sophomore, 
breaking it as a junior and again 
as a senior, becoming a three-
time All-American and one of 
the greatest players in Michigan 
basketball history. 
After 
his 
time 
at 
the 
University, Cazzie went on to 
play for five National Basketball 
Association 
teams 
including 
the New York Knicks and the 
Los Angeles Lakers. He earned 
an NBA championship and was 
named an NBA All-Star player. 
From his time at the University, 
he was the National College 
Player of the Year of 1966 and 
had his jersey number 33 retired 
from the team.
“I am a part of history,” 
Russell said. “They have blessed 
me by retiring my number.”
Martin Vloet, founder of 
Michigan Stadium Products, 
invited Russell back to campus 
in honor of the launch of his 
latest product, a pen made from 
wood from the arena where he 
used to play. Vloet came upon 
the original redwood bench 
seats at The Big House, which 
were installed in 1927, during 
the repurposing of the stadium 
in 2010. The redwood seats 
were going to go waste. As a fan, 
Vloet said he couldn’t sit by and 
let this happen.
“When I saw what was 
bound for the dump, I figured 
someone’s gotta save this … I 
felt like I had to take some of it 
with me,” Vloet said. “I wanted 
something to maintain that 
connection … I’ve had a passion 
for Michigan sports for a long 
time.” 
He salvaged the bit of wood he 
could and turned it into multiple 
limited-edition products to sell 
to fans who wanted to have a 
piece of Michigan history with 
them. Once the University had 
licensed 
and 
authenticated 
the wood, Vloet turned it into 
pens, bottle openers, cufflinks, 
pendants and bracelets. He 
said what makes his product 
special is the limited amount of 
material to use, and therefore, 
an exclusive amount of product 
he can sell.
“It’s a piece of Michigan 
Stadium history, which is really 
nice because it’s something 
even donors who are giving 
tens of millions of dollars can’t 
find somewhere else,” Vloet 
said. “Really just something for 
Michigan fans to connect with 
and to hold on to. The material 
is so limited that we wanted to 

reflect that in a product.”
In early 2019, Vloet decided 
to 
move 
into 
basketball-
inspired products to appeal to 
a wider Michigan fan base. He 
found the final few boards of 
the original hardwood floors 
of the Crisler Arena that had 
been installed in 1967. The 
Crisler Center has been dubbed 
“The House that Cazzie Built” 
after he led the team to victory 
at the Big Ten Conference 
championship three years in a 
row. Though he never played 
in the arena, Russell grew the 
Michigan fanbase beyond the 
limits of the Yost Field House, 
where he originally played.
“We wanted to tie it to the 
Crisler,” Vloet said. “There 
is so little of it (Yost Field 
House) that we wanted to try 
and attach it to the history of 
Crisler Arena, so on a whim 
I looked up Cazzie Russell. I 
wanted something that went 
all the way back in history, 
the same as the flooring did 
and I sent a couple of letters to 
Cazzie (and said) we wanted to 
build something on the history 
of the program.”
The wood floor of the original 
Crisler Center was salvaged and 
turned into a dedication wall 
inside of the current Crisler 
Center. The remaining few feet 
of wood saved by Vloet will be 
turned into 266 limited edition 
pens to commemorate Russell’s 
legacy at the University and on 
the team.
“I think (the pens are) a nice 
tribute to history,” Russell said. 
“I am glad and humble about 
that. I think I also have gotten 
some wood from the two arenas 
that have sent to me: the floor 
from Yost and a piece from the 
renovation of Crisler. When I 
walk in (the Crisler arena) and 
get on the escalator and went 
up there I almost cried because 
when you go up there and you 
look at that, that really reminds 
me of coming to Michigan in 
1962.” 
Russell 
calls 
himself 
a 
Michigan man and is looking 
forward to his return to campus.
“I am a Michigan man,” 
Russell 
said. 
“I 
went 
to 
Michigan. I am a part of history. 
I want to be there for the 
reunion … I am truly grateful 
for the opportunity to come 
back to see everyone and to be 
involved in the homecoming 
atmosphere.”
Russell discussed the story 
behind the famous picture of 
him standing in the construction 
site of Crisler Center. He said 
when the picture was taken, the 
team had just finished two good 
years for Michigan basketball 
and were hoping to play in 
the new arena senior year. 
Something went wrong with 
the roof so Russell didn’t get to 
play in it while at Michigan, but 

he did get the chance as a rookie 
for the Knicks. 
“I took a picture in the first 
Crisler Arena hoping to play 
there,” Russell said. “ ... I played 
in it a year later as a rookie for 
the Knicks … and the people 
were so wonderful, they gave 
me a five minute standing 
ovation; sometimes I wish I can 
go back and replay that because 
it lets you know how blessed 
you are to be a part of history. 
It really is a great feeling … to 
say, ‘Thank you for your years of 
playing and your dedication to 
making Michigan good.’” 
Russell said Ann Arbor has 
changed a lot since he played. 
He said there used to be nothing 
but train tracks where the 
Crisler Center is located. 
“I came to Michigan in 1962 
when a lot of the stuff that is 
built now was not built,” Russell 
said. “I am excited about it. 
Ann Arbor is somewhere very 
special because when I look 
back over what has happened in 
and around Yost, it was nothing 
but train tracks over there … 
I’ve been blessed to be 75 where 
I can enjoy that and look back 
over it.”
LSA junior William Rieck, an 
avid Michigan basketball fan, 
appreciates Michigan Stadium 
Product’s mission and devotion 
to history.
“I think it’s awesome,” Rieck 
said. “Cazzie’s legacy in Ann 
Arbor is still felt in the program 
today, and repurposing Crisler’s 
old hardwood is a great way 
to remember the past and 
get excited for the future of 
Michigan Basketball.”
Vloet said the next step in the 
expansion of his business is the 
move into hockey with acquired 
wood benches from Yost Field 
House.
“I want to find some new 
avenues, and some people like 
sports, and Michigan Stadium is 
a temple of college football and I 
look forward to expanding a bit 
and looking to do more,” Vloet 
said. “I picked up the original 
seats from Yost, so I have two or 
three long bench seats.”
During Russell’s visit, he 
will be doing a public signing 
session and tailgate, in addition 
to reuniting with his teammates 
of 1964 and 1965. He said they 
are all now between the ages of 
75 and 80. 
Russel said he is very excited 
to meet with new basketball 
coach 
Juwan 
Howard 
and 
watch the Iowa game from a box 
on Saturday. 
“I am very, very grateful 
God gave me a chance to play 
for Michigan and I got to do 
something to help people enjoy 
winning because I am a tough 
loser,” Russell said. “I don’t like 
losing. But it was a real pleasure 
for me to play for Michigan and 
I hope they feel the same way.”

PEN
From Page 1A

PARKING
From Page 1A

Read more at 
MichiganDaily.com

