Brown also detailed how the
University is in the process of
developing
virtual
resources
for prospective students, which
include a video narration of the
information session, Campus Day
presentations,
alumni
videos,
social media interactions and
a 360-degree video tour of the
campus.
“We
have
a
number
of
opportunities
in
the
works
for prospective and admitted
students to access information,”
Brown
wrote.
“One
exciting
resource that we’ve been working
closely with Michigan Creative
on is a 360 video tour of campus.
We’ve done a lot of videotaping
already in collaboration with
our
campus
partners,
but
unfortunately,
that
work
is
stalled for the moment. We’ll get
back to it just as soon as students
and faculty are back on campus.”
Due to the stalled production,
Brown
said
the
360-degree
campus tour will not be available
for current high school seniors,
but rather future prospective
students,
faculty
and
staff
looking to get a sense of the
University’s community.
Brown also said the University
will proceed as normal with the
enrollment
deposit
deadline
on May 1, while allowing those
with extenuating circumstances
to request extensions. Some
universities across the country
have begun to move the deposit
deadline
to
June
1,
giving
students
additional
time
to
commit.
Options for summer events
are
still
being
discussed,
and
notifications
of
any
cancellations will be sent out at
least a month in advance, Brown
said.
LSA senior David Dorsky has
been a Campus Day leader for
four years and a tour guide for
three years. He said touring the
University allows prospective
and
incoming
students
to
experience college life among
other students.
“A lot of people make their
decisions off of how it feels to
actually be on campus amongst
these students,” Dorsky said.
“You can read about it so much
in a brochure and watch videos
about the University, but to
actually be on campus is just
a whole other feeling that
really gives you a sense of the
University and the culture and
the vibe here for prospective
students.”
Prospective
LSA
student
Stella McCabe-Soares is from
New York City and said she
was able to tour some schools
near her home, but due to the
distance, she was planning on
touring the University after she
was accepted.
“I
definitely
would
have
wanted to do a tour,” McCabe-
Soares said. “I think touring
is valuable. Although it’s not
the most accurate way to see
if you would like the school or
anything, it’s nice to go there
because you could be living
there.”
Faith
Richardson,
an
incoming Ross student, is from
Berrien Springs, Mich, and was
able to visit the campus before
classes were moved to remote
learning. She said how the
University has responded to the
coronavirus outbreak is also a
factor she is keeping in mind
while making her decision.
Michigan
Medicine
is
currently licensed for 1,000
beds, according to a press
release.
Aggressive
social
distancing could reduce the
number of hospitalized COVID-
19 patients by 65 percent.
Parekh
explained
social
distancing works because it
slows
down
what’s
known
as “doubling time.” He said
Michigan’s doubling time right
now is three days — meaning
the number of cases doubles
every three days. The second
model shown depicts how social
distancing
can
significantly
increase doubling time.
At
50
percent
social
distancing, the doubling time
is
approximately
7.7
days,
according to the chart.
During a Q&A session, Parekh
said these percentages could
generally apply to hospitals
all around the country, but
the individual numbers would
differ.
Marschall Runge, executive
vice
president
for
medical
affairs
and
chief
executive
officer of Michigan Medicine,
said in the press release that
Michigan Medicine is doing
all they can to prepare, but he
noted the importance of social
distancing as demonstrated by
the projections.
“I want to reassure the public
that we are doing all we can
to prepare to care for COVID-
19 positive patients as well as
other patients who urgently
require the highly-specialized,
safe
and
reliable
advanced
medical care that Michigan
Medicine
delivers,”
Runge
said. “We have reached out for
donations of medical equipment
and
received
thousands
of
gloves, masks and more so we
can better meet this challenge.
We
prepare
constantly
for
emergencies like this and have
some of the world’s top experts
preparing for the problem. But
we need your help, and these
projections prove it.”
Parekh said they currently
have
enough
personal
protective
equipment
for
Michigan Medicine staff but are
testing ways to safely sanitize
and reuse PPE if it becomes
necessary.
“The short answer is yes,
right now we do feel that we
have
enough
PPE,”
Parekh
said. “We have a robust system
in place to track how much
we use each day and what
our inventory is. We are also
taking aggressive measures to
conserve and potentially reuse
PPE when safe and effective.”
Parekh concluded by asking
everyone
to
practice
social
distancing in order to reduce
transmissions and stay healthy.
“We want to reinforce our
key takeaway messages here:
the biggest takeaway is social
distancing,” Parekh said. “So
for everyone to do their part,
stay at home, minimize contact
with others, to not leave your
home unless absolutely needed
and obviously, at home and
wherever you go — practice
good
hand-washing
and
maintain six feet of distance
from others.”
Daily
News
Editor
Emma
Stein can be reached at enstein@
umich.edu
Wednesday, April 1, 2020 — 3A
News
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
TOURS
From Page 1A
HOSPITAL
From Page 1A
The University of Michigan
is mostly vacant now that the
majority of students have gone
home due to the push from
University Housing to leave
campus. Two weeks ago, local
police were notified of an
armed person in a home on the
400 block of North State Street
in Ann Arbor. The situation
was resolved as the suspect was
taken into custody.
Despite the armed person
incident, Melissa Overton, chief
of the Division of Public Safety
and Security, said she does not
expect the decreased number
of people to result in increased
crime or looting.
For one, Overton said the
number of workers who remain
at the University, such as those
working at Michigan Medicine
along with other essential staff,
is no different than during
University breaks.
“The vacant campus gives us
the opportunity to get in the
buildings more frequently, and
if there are people who aren’t
supposed to be around we get
more calls as well,” Overton
said. “We don’t expect any
influx of crime at all, and the
quiet makes it easier for us to
know who belongs and who
doesn’t.”
Sergeant Corey Mills, who
is in charge of the community
engagement unit for the Ann
Arbor Police Department, also
said calls for service have gone
down. He said assault numbers,
which include both simple and
domestic assaults, have not
changed and may have even
decreased.
“We attribute the decrease
in calls from not many people
being on the road, which lessens
traffic crashes as well as minor
offenses such as trespassing,”
Mills said. “To be expected,
we’re
not
getting
many
property claims either, simply
because larceny and breaking
into homes can’t happen when
everyone is home and overall,
general calls for service have
been lowered.”
Similarly, some students who
chose to remain on campus,
such as Taubman sophomore
Madhumita Krishnan said she
feels safer as Gov. Gretchen
Whitmer’s Stay Home, Stay
Safe Executive Order and other
Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention
guidelines
about
coronavirus influences her to
stay inside more. Because her
apartment has proper security
systems,
Krishnan
said
she
doesn’t feel any more in danger
than before.
Additionally,
Krishnan
said she thinks most empty
apartments do not have what
potential looters might want to
take.
“At this point, I don’t think
that
stealing
things
like
furniture
or
electronics
is
useful because people aren’t out
to buy it right now,” Krishnan
said. “I’d think they’d want
food, and because many people
cleared out their apartments,
and there’s probably no food,
there’s nothing for them to
steal.”
Business senior Gabrielle de
Coster said she hasn’t noticed a
difference in crime levels due to
social distancing, as she spends
her time either walking in
Nichols Arboretum or isolating
herself in her apartment. De
Coster said she believes staying
indoors by herself helps keep
her safe from possible crime in
the area.
“Honestly if it weren’t for
the emergency alert on my
phone, I would have had no
idea about the (armed person)
because I was fully quarantined
waiting for my tests results
for COVID-19,” de Coster said.
“I also live over by Tappan
and Hill, so it doesn’t feel as
desolate or more dangerous
in comparison to areas with
mostly undergraduate students,
such as White Street.”
Even though the incident with
the armed individual happened
just a block from where he
lives, Engineering junior Sahil
Saini said he feels safe. He said
he has been taught to be well-
prepared for any circumstances
of looting or crime and doesn’t
feel there is a need to move off-
campus.
“I mean this is the stuff I
grew up with, but everything in
my car is in my trunk, because I
have a trunk cover, and even if I
need to leave stuff in my car, it
goes under a blanket or inside a
bag or hidden somewhere,” Saini
said. “I check the front door a
couple times a day because I’m
living with subletters now as
all my roommates moved out,
but I can honestly say I would
walk around Kerrytown with
my laptop and feel safe.”
According to Overton, in any
case of possible crime, DPSS
covers security for housing, the
museums and the hospital. She
said everyone is working hard
to ensure those who remain on
campus are safe.
She also urged community
members to take precautions
for their own safety as well.
“Be
aware
of
your
surroundings, and make sure
to lock your doors if you’re the
only ones working in the office,”
Overton said. “And make sure
to call if you see anybody who
doesn’t belong in the area.”
Mills said everyone in the city
should abide by the governor’s
orders to stay home, including
students.
“Students often want to still
congregate in four or five groups
of people, and we’ve caught a
couple kids playing beer pong
and we have to remind them
they are in violation ... in order
to stop the spread and flatten
the curve out,” Mills said. “To
my knowledge, we have not
issued any violations, but we
have had to give out warnings
and have ordered people to go
home and disperse.”
Contributor Cheryn Hong can
be reached at cherynh@umich.
edu.
CHERYN HONG
For The Daily
Law enforcement says increase in crime
unlikely despite vacant student homes
As University of Michigan population clears out, Ann Arbor Police Department, Division of Public
Safety and Security doubt empty campus will lead to rise in reported criminal activity around city
Read more at
MichiganDaily.com