After defining important
and frequently misunderstood
terms
including
sexual
orientation
and
gender
identity
and
expression,
Sugar discussed the growing
global awareness of inclusive
fashion.
“We’re seeing a lot of
mainstream,
high-fashion
designers
on
the
runway,
designing for gender-equal
clothing and non-gendered
styles,”
Sugar
said.
“This
is important because … if
we’re seeing the opening up
of gender expression, and if
we’re seeing non-gendered
clothing styles on the runway,
eventually those are going to
be passed down because of
influencers.”
Sugar
showed
a
video
portraying the 2018 runway
show
from
the
Brooklyn
Museum, hosted by dapperQ,
a queer fashion magazine that
inspires all people to think
uniquely about queer fashion
as beauty and art. In this
video, models defined what
queer fashion meant to them
and set trends that would
spread awareness about queer
fashion on a broader scale.
Sugar also talked about
prominent existing designer
lines such as Virgil Abloh’s
Off-White luxury line. The
designers were focused on
not only creating LGBTQ
inclusiveness,
but
also
inclusiveness for race, gender,
ability and size.
Finally,
Sugar
discussed
her own company, Play Out
Apparel,
a
company
that
provides multiple styles of
underwear,
anatomically
adjusted for both males and
females. They create prints
that will be equally available
for any gender and style of
underwear or athleisure.
“I started this company
because I wasn’t able to find
clothing that affirmed my
gender identity or gender
expression,”
Sugar
said.
“Underwear, when I started
this company years ago, was
extremely gendered. Every
color should be in every single
cut or style available.”
Stacy
Miller-Bond,
a
marketing manager at Spark
Foundry, spoke to The Daily
about her high hopes for
growing inclusivity in the
fashion industry after the
event.
“I think overall, my hope is
that (the fashion industry) is
always inclusive, and not just
inclusive of a specific look or
of a specific group of people,”
Miller said. “(In terms of)
intersectionality, it was not
always inclusive of people
of color … but I definitely
feel like it’s moving there. In
the presentation itself, just
in the choices of imagery,
there weren’t just stick-thin
models,
white
models
or
Black models. It was a little
bit of everyone which made it
feel more at home, and that’s
how I feel fashion and queer
fashion should be.”
Oasis
Grill
will
be
moving into the previous
location of China Gate,
another South U. eatery
that closed recently.
“Because the lease is not
expired yet for the Oasis,
they gave him the other
location there and I think
the Oasis Grill is going to
move on Jan. 7 over there,”
Ghussani said.
Ghussani also explained
South U Pizza would not be
relocating after December.
“He’s not going to open
any more because it says
South U Pizza, it should be
on the South U, and there’s
no more locations on South
U,” Ghussani said. “There’s
a lot of customers that are
really, really sad, they have
customers from a long time
ago.”
Many students know the
restaurant as a quick and
easy pizza stop. Business
junior
Jaylen
Burch
explained South U is his
choice for a pre-class meal.
“Before class, if I just
want a little bite to eat
since this looks probably
cheap and inexpensive, I’ll
come grab a slice here,”
Burch said.
LSA
junior
Laura
Sanderson expressed her
disappointment since her
usual stop between classes
would be closing down.
She bemoaned the loss of
South U’s many creative
pizza flavors.
“I’m
disappointed.
I don’t know how long
they’ve been here, but I’ve
seen plenty of businesses in
Ann Arbor open and close
within
a
few
months,”
Sanderson said. “But it
does make me sad, because
now, where am I going to
go for my mac and cheese
pizza and what not?”
Sanderson
also
elaborated on her concern
for
the
replacement
of
local
restaurants
with
apartment complexes and
its effect on student life.
“I
mean,
there’s
the
whole argument that Ann
Arbor
does
need
more
housing,
hopefully
that
more supply is supposed
to
drive
the
price
of
housing down, but I don’t
know that’s really going
to
happen,”
Sanderson
said. “If South U is just
apartment
complexes,
then it’s not going to be a
popular place to hang out
anymore.”
In the past year, many
of Ann Arbor’s small local
businesses
have
closed
down,
and
the
large
number of developments
like
those
already
and
soon to be on South U.
may be linked to this.
South U Pizza employee
Felipe Lopez said he has
experience with working
at businesses which have
closed in Ann Arbor.
“I mean, this is normal,
you know? I used to work
in other places, and they
closed,” Lopez said.
Ghussani also shared his
thoughts on the real estate
developers that will build
another high rise where a
cohort of local businesses
sits right now.
“They
have
money,
they’re
going
to
do
whatever they’re going to
do,” Ghussani said.
Steven Wilson, associate
director of the institute,
said
their
approach
towards fostering economic
innovation is particularly
unique, as each business’
needs
are
different
and
the
institute
responds
accordingly.
“We don’t have a canned
approach, we don’t have a
basket of goods that solve
your
problem,”
Wilson
said. “We don’t come to
the table with anything to
sell. We’re always looking
for the right thing for that
company, regardless if that’s
in our camp or in some other
university’s camp… we have
projects going on at the 15
other
public
universities
because it was a better fit, it
was the right thing to do.”
Wilson
also
reflected
on what it means for the
institute
to
have
won
the award and why the
University
stands
out
nationally.
“Why our university over
all others in the nation won
the innovation award, was if
you look at other ecosystems
around the country, some
of them have more gaps
than others and I think in
our ecosystem we fill those
critical gaps,” Wilson said.
Sorrell said the programs’
state funding is to be cut
and that they will be ending
shortly, but the institute will
continue to serve Michigan’s
businesses in different and
evolving capacities.
“These two programs, we
were notified the same week
that we won the award that
they were being cancelled
by the state. It’s unfortunate
because
they’ve
been
running
for
seven
years
now,” Sorrell said. “We’re
always looking to build on
the skill sets that we have
and the success that we’ve
created.”
Allen said the optional
workshops introduce the idea
of nuclear waste, help students
get a better understanding of
entrepreneurship and foster
interactions between possible
teammates.
Engineering
senior
Mackenzie
Warwick,
a
participant
in
the
competition, said about 30
people are participating in
the competition and about 10
people attend each workshop.
Warwick said she pitched
the idea of a prize competition
to Allen during the summer,
which led Allen to collaborate
with Energy Impact Center’s
Managing
Director,
Bret
Kugelmass.
Warwick said her team is
working on a project that uses
radiation from used nuclear
fuel to decompose plastics
for hydrogen, alternative fuel
production and hydrocarbon
base chains.
“I’m so excited,” Warwick
said. “Anything about nuclear
excites me, and so I think
it’s a cool way to kind of get
everybody
in
the
college
thinking about things.”
Since
an
important
aspect of the competition is
interdisciplinary
teamwork,
Warwick said her team is
made of a diverse group
of students. However, she
mentioned
she’s
the
only
NERS student in the group,
which makes it frustrating to
explain concepts at times. She
said the competition provides
a low stress environment that
allows her to work on these
skills.
“With a very specific set
of people with the same
mindset, being able to convey
what you want and know
technically
to
someone
who has no experience is a
challenge,”
Warwick
said.
“It’s very helpful because
now I have to see how other
people are thinking about the
competition and interpreting
the information.”
Kugelmass said the most
important
aspect
of
the
competition is to create a
new narrative around nuclear
waste.
“They
are
tasked
with
reimagining nuclear waste,”
Kugelmass said. “The idea is
to come up with ideas of how
nuclear waste can productize
so you change something
that once was thought of as
dangerous and a liability, and
by giving it economic value,
you change the perception.”
Allen
agreed
with
Kugelmass saying this is an
important opportunity to get
people talking about nuclear
waste and come up with a
technological solution that
changes the way people think
about the issue.
“The
most
optimistic
innovation
would
be
we
come up with something that
actually changes the national
narrative on nuclear waste,”
Allen said.
Warwick
said
she
got
interested in nuclear energy
after the Fukushima accident
occurred in 2011. She said
she
hopes
disasters
like
Fukushima
and
Chernobyl
don’t happen again.
“I hope that these are
some very good initial steps
into getting the status quo of
nuclear to be a more positive
outlook,” Warwick said. “A
lot of the people who refute
nuclear use Chernobyl or
Fukushima as examples.”
The organizers also formed
a group of advisers who are
experts in nuclear energy
and
entrepreneurship
to
help students develop their
ideas. Allen said participants
will
have
an
opportunity
to enroll in a Center for
Entrepreneurship course to
receive academic credit for
their work.
The
technological
innovation portion of the
competition
will
officially
begin in the winter semester
when the teams are finalized
and will conclude with teams
pitching their ideas to a
panel of judges on April 9.
The winning team will win
$17,000.
Kugelmass said the prize
money will help incentivize
students, and could be thought
of as an investment in a future
company that may be created
out of the competition.
“We’re hoping that some of
these students become very
encouraged and really get
the momentum going that
they’ll turn their projects into
real life products, perhaps
through
entrepreneurship,”
Kugelmass said.
Kugelmass said the new
innovations could lead to
a more positive outlook on
nuclear energy, which could
be useful in reducing carbon
emissions in the future.
“This is one step towards
making nuclear more publicly
favorable,” Kugelmass said.
“Nuclear energy as a whole as
it increases in share will have
dramatic effects on reduction
of carbon dioxide emissions.
This is one way to popularize
nuclear energy.”
Allen echoed this thought,
saying
the
competition
may provide initial steps to
move toward zero carbon
emissions.
“If our prize comes up with a
different pathway that makes
people more comfortable with
nuclear
technologies,
that
will be important for moving
towards zero carbon,” Allen
said. “I also think it helps
more people understand just
what nuclear waste means. I
think that’s helpful, because
it is informative and allows
people to better understand
the conversation.”
Kugelmass said he hopes
to
partner
with
more
universities and organizations
in the future.
“The
University
of
Michigan is a real leader in
a lot of areas,” Kugelmass
said. “They’re definitely a
pioneer with us in the first of
these nuclear energy grand
challenges, but there’ll be
many more to come.”
Warwick said she hopes
to participate in other prize
competitions in the future
and would like to see her
project come to life one day.
She hopes people become
more informed through the
project.
“I think it’s just a fear of
the unknown and the fact
that (nuclear energy) was
originally
used
for
war,
and it wasn’t a peaceful
application,” Warwick said. “I
think if anybody is interested
in nuclear, just look at the
many options it could be used
for.”
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
News
Wednesday, November 27, 2019 — 3
PIZZA
From Page 1
Read more at
MichiganDaily.com
ENERGY
From Page 1
In some cases, the webpage
for certain topics includes a
section explaining to the user
why the data are important.
In order to make the data
more accessible, the website
includes the option for users
to build their own customized
dashboard or view premade
community
dashboards,
focusing on a specific location
or topic. It also has options for
colorblind users and a video
about how to best use the
website.
Once on a dashboard, users
are able to see more specific
information for each topic
and subtopic of data. A variety
of icons show how the data
compares to other locations,
whether the levels met the
target goal and how they
have changed from the prior
value. Some of the data are
also categorized into a green,
yellow or red level based on
a comparison with 500 U.S.
cities.
Washtenaw County Health
Department
Performance
Improvement Manager Lily
Guzmán
discussed
how
the
Health
Department
hopes the website will make
information more accessible
for community members.
“We recognized that there
is so much data out there,”
Guzmán said. “What we really
liked the idea of was having
more of a central location
where folks in our community
can come to one central place,
know it’s a trusted source and
get all their data needs met at
one time.”
Based on this measure,
Ann Arbor is in the red zone
for adults who binge drink,
homeownership,
median
household gross rent, people
living
below
the
poverty
level and households without
a
vehicle,
among
other
categories.
Guzman
also
discussed
how Ann Arbor is in a unique
situation for data collection,
as it is one of the 500 largest
cities in the United States. She
also explained why the large
student population does not
skew the data when compared
to these other cities.
“There are some specific
indicators
that
are
only
available on the Ann Arbor
level,” Guzman said. “That
is because Ann Arbor is one
of the largest 500 cities in
the country, and so there are
some special indicators on
the website that only Ann
Arbor has because there is an
extra data source for them.
I’m sure some of the other
largest 500 cities also have
large universities in them, so
I would imagine there is some
comparability
with
other
communities.”
Aubree McMahon, Public
Health senior and president
of
the
Public
Health
Association,
commented
on how University students
interested in public health
can use this new information
to improve problems faced by
the community.
“As
students
at
the
University of Michigan, we
have heightened access to
people with resources that
can
make
a
difference,”
McMahon
said.
“Making
your voice heard on ways the
University should give back to
… the community and talking
to local and state legislators
for this area are some ways
to draw attention to these
issues. (You can also) use the
new website to find programs
where you can volunteer your
time, resources and talents.”
In addition to data, the
website also houses various
resources
for
community
members,
including
funding
opportunities
for
public health projects and
a
community
calendar
of
events. It also includes the
ability to build a customized
report to download or share
with others.
Public
Health
junior
Maxwell Ryner is the liaison
to the School of Public Health
for CURIS, a public health
advocacy
organization.
He
discussed
why
the
accessibility
of
data
and
resources is important and
how it could be used for public
health projects to help the Ann
Arbor community, specifically
with homelessness.
“I
personally
believe
that
the
information
being
accessible
to
the
public is crucial in getting
conversations started,” Ryner
said.
“(Especially
when)
addressing
the
problem
of
homelessness
in
our
communities. There is far
too much stigma surrounding
public
misconceptions
regarding homelessness and
is often a conversation most
shy away from. Having this
information available to the
public would be beneficial to
public awareness.”
The creation of Health for
All Washtenaw comes after
a steering committee was
created earlier this year —
composed of ten community
members, four organizations
and two hospitals — to improve
public health conditions and
bring attention to related
issues.
The
committee
is
part of a national model for
improving
public
health
through community planning
known
as
Mobilizing
for
Action through Planning and
Partnerships.
HEALTH
From Page 1
APLU
From Page 2
Maggie Rousseau, Dingell’s
deputy
chief
of
staff
and
communications director, gave
a
statement
regarding
the police presence on
Tuesday.
“When the event was
posted
on
Facebook,
the
Dearborn
Police
communicated
to
our
office that protests are
not
allowed
without
proper permits, and the
building manager when
alerted gave us written
notice that no protests
are allowed inside the
building,” the statement
said. “Dingell and her
staff strive to be good
tenants in the space we
lease to continue serving
the people of the 12th
Congressional
District
with critical services such
as help with Veterans and
Social Security benefits.”
The
statement
also
included
an
explanation
of
Dingell’s absence.
“Dingell
returned
to
Washington,
DC
Tuesday
to perform the Pro Forma
sessions of Congress over the
Thanksgiving holiday – a part of
her elected duties as a Member
of Congress,” the statement
continued. “She was very clear
with staff and Dearborn police
that she respects this group
working very hard on this
issue. Dingell strives to build
coalitions – making friends, not
enemies – to achieve goals and
takes that seriously.”
Agrawal-Hardin
expressed
her dissatisfaction with what
she sees as Dingell’s continued
lack of direct response to those
promoting the Green New Deal.
“A lot of my friends and my
parent’s friends are quick to
remind me — knowing that
we’re running this campaign
trying to get Congresswoman
Dingell to cosponsor the Green
New Deal — that she is a really
fantastic representative and a
really fantastic advocate
and to be honest, I think
that’s true,” Agrawal-
Hardin said. “But that’s
not been the way that
she’s treated us young
constituents who have
peacefully
protested
her inaction on climate
change … She hasn’t
made us feel like she
wants to hear what we
have to say.”
Lindstrom
said
she feels she needs to
continue demonstrating
to make change.
“I don’t think she
seriously
started
considering things until
we started popping up
everywhere,” Lindstrom
said. “I think it takes
flooding
the
office
with constituent calls,
and occasionally with people,
to get her attention. But her
constituents
should
always
matter, and her constituents
shouldn’t have to organize like
this for her to take our lives
seriously.”
PROTEST
From Page 1
FASHION
From Page 2A
“We have to make
substantive changes to
our economy so that
it fights for our lives,
and it fights inequality,
and it addresses the
ways in which we are
experiencing climate
change here
in Michigan.”