The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
News
Wednesday, October 21, 2020 — 5

Amid pandemic, students 
pursue passion projects

While 
the 
pandemic 

brought restrictions on social 
interactions, it also provided 
time for students to explore 
their passions. During the past 
six months, some University 
of Michigan students tried 
their hand at new projects and 
even started their own small 
businesses.

As the pandemic negatively 

affects the mental wellbeing 
of many young people, recent 
University 
alumni 
Maggie 

Li and LSA senior Emily 
Serhan created an app called 
“Nois” to facilitate mental 
health screening. The app 
uses artificial intelligence to 
assess people’s responses to 
a questionnaire and identify 
their mental health condition.

Afterward, the app also 

connects 
users 
with 
local 

psychiatrists 
for 
further 

treatment. 

“What this app does is 

revolutionize the process from 
diagnosis to treatment,” Li 
said. “I feel like we’ve created 
such a cool, viable product, 
and even if it doesn’t end up 
blowing up, at least a few 
people can get something out 
of it.”

Business 
junior 
Michael 

Sikand started a multimedia 
platform. His business Our 
Future consists of a podcast, 
a career-series, a newsletter 
and a merchandise line. In 
an attempt to bridge the gap 
between CEOs and college 
students, he publishes advice 
on how to enter the business 
world. 

“I get to interview business 

leaders from the most exciting 
companies and flesh out the 

magic of what goes on behind 
the scenes in business,” Sikand 
said. “I like to take listeners 
beyond the headlines — get a 
little deeper, get a little more 
personal.”

Similarly, LSA junior Bret 

Duntley 
created 
a 
social 

media platform, Jillion, that 
allows users to post any type 
of content they want through 
their own individual “pages.” 
His hope is that people will 
be able to engage with others 
about 
complicated 
issues 

in depth. Over the summer, 
Duntley spent 10 hours a day 
writing more than 30,000 
lines of code. 

“I used to do a lot of art in 

high school, but I never really 
saw the connection between 
art 
and 
computer 
science 

until I started my website,” 
Duntley said. “What’s kept 
me going through this is the 
fact that I can be creative 
while designing something I’m 
passionate about.” 

LSA 
sophomore 
Annie 

Malek has a sticker-making 
business. As a creative outlet 
during 
the 
long 
months 

of quarantine, she took to 
drawing and designing. She 
uses the website Redbubble to 
sell stickers and face masks. 

“Honestly, I really love just 

making people happy with 
my 
designs,” 
Malek 
said. 

“Whenever someone receives 
something 
I 
make 
they’re 

always so thankful and it 
makes me super happy to make 
them something that they love. 
It also gives me something 
more creative to do, since I 
am majoring in chemistry and 
most of the things I do during 
the day are STEM-based.”

The students emphasized 

that one of the more difficult 

aspects of starting a new 
project is the fear of it not 
being successful. However, all 
three students trusted that it 
would work out in the end. 

“Starting a small business 

is a great way to get to know 
people who you never would 
have talked to before,” Malek 
said. “I love being able to 
put something I made on my 
laptop or water bottle and then 
creating conversation starters 
out of it.”

The 
students 
said 
their 

projects have also brought 
them closer to their family 
members 
and 
teammates, 

whether 
through 
team 

meetings 
over 
Zoom 
or 

conversing with supporters.

“One of my favorite parts 

about this process was being 
able to have conversations with 
my dad (who’s in business) 
that he and I have never had 
before,” Serhan said. “It was 
really insightful to be able to 
learn about his perspective 
of running a business. The 
amount of support that we 
received 
from 
people 
like 

this created such a positive 
contribution.” 

Malek 
said 
she 
would 

encourage others who are 
interested 
in 
trying 
new 

endeavors to not put too much 
pressure on themselves. Li 
agreed and added that an idea 
can grow into a hobby or even 
a larger passion project.

“When you have an idea, 

you never know what’s going 
to come from it,” Li said. 
“Everyone’s brain is wired 
differently, and that’s what 
makes 
everyone’s 
ideas 

awesome.”

Daily 
Contributor 
Ashna 

Mehra 
can 
be 
reached 
at 

ashmehra@umich.edu.

ASHNA MEHRA

For The Daily

On Oct. 2, Robert Gordon, 

director 
of 
the 
Michigan 

Department of Health and 
Human 
Services, 
received 

news 
that 
the 
Michigan 

Supreme Court struck down 
Gov. 
Gretchen 
Whitmer’s 

authority 
to 
extend 
or 

declare any executive orders 
pertaining to the COVID-19 
Pandemic. 

Gordon, 
who 
oversees 

many statewide health and 
human 
services 
programs 

such as Medicaid, Children’s 
Protective Services and food 
assistance, 
expressed 
his 

disappointment at the ruling, 
stating that it helped to save 
thousands of lives over the 
course of the past few months 
since the beginning of the 
outbreak. 

“I thought it was a bad 

decision,” Gordon said. “(The 
ruling) undermined rules that 
have helped to save thousands 
of lives.”

Following 
the 
ruling, 

Gordon and the rest of the 
Michigan 
Department 
of 

Health and Human Services 
released 
an 
order 
with 

mandates that mirrored those 
of Gov. Whitmer’s executive 
orders. 
The 
DHHS 
was 

allowed to set in place their 
own protocols by issuing them 
in accordance with Public 
Health Code Act 368, a law 
that resulted from the 1918 flu 
pandemic that swept through 
the United States.

The public health order 

requires those who attend 
a public gathering of 10 or 
more people to wear a mask 
and limits the number of 
people who can be in a store 
or restaurant at a time. Under 
the order, restaurants, retail 
stores, libraries or museums 
can reopen at 50% capacity 

and gyms can reopen at 25% 
occupancy. The order also 
attempts to strengthen contact 
tracing efforts by requiring 
that all businesses mentioned 
in the order get the contact 
information of anyone who 
enters the establishment. The 
order also allows for bars 
to reopen, a provision that 
was not in any of Whitmer’s 
executive orders.

In Michigan, there have 

been nearly 160,000 cases of 
coronavirus 
reported 
since 

the start of the pandemic 
in March, and over 7,000 
deaths, according to the state 
government.

Gordon 
expressed 
the 

need 
for 
the 
orders 
and 

a 
coordinated 
approach 

between the state’s health 
department and localities to 
ensure that the risk of COVID-
19 in Michigan remains low. 

“We know that shared goals 

help people know what they 
need to do,” Gordon said. “And 
there is a great deal of evidence 
that shared rules have been 
effective in the spread of 
COVID and the absence of 
rules has increased the spread. 
It’s our job to provide things 
for public health.”

In order to enforce these 

mandates, law enforcement is 
authorized to enforce the order 
and investigate any possible 
violations of the mandates. 
Violators may be charged with 
a misdemeanor, which could 
be punishable by six months of 
jail time, or a fine of $200, or a 
fine of $1,000 if it is labeled a 
civil offense.

The 
Washtenaw 
County 

Health 
Department 
also 

released a set of its own public 
health mandates in response 
to the Michigan’s Supreme 
Court’s decision. The public 
health provisions stated that 
indoor gatherings are limited 
to 10 guests and outdoor 

events can only hold up to 25 
people. The orders also act 
in accordance with those set 
forth by the DHHS, limiting 
the occupancy of bars and 
restaurants to 50% capacity.

Susan 
Ringler-Cerniglia, 

Communications and Health 
Promotion Administrator at 
the University of Michigan, 
talked about the need for 
social gathering limits given 
that Ann Arbor is home to 
more than 40,000 students 
who attend the University. 

“There was a lot of concern 

just around college culture,” 
Ringler-Cerniglia said. “That 
there would be a lot of house 
parties and large gatherings 

when folks came back to the 
area. (The order) was more 
about 
generally 
trying 
to 

reinforce smaller gathering 
size 
and 
precautions 
and 

making it a little easier to 
manage.” 

In 
Washtenaw 
County, 

there have been over 4,000 
confirmed cases since the 
start of the pandemic.

The University of Michigan 

also recently triggered two of 
its metrics for reevaluating 
in-person campus activities, 
as 
Washtenaw 
County 
is 

seeing more than 70 new cases 
per 
million 
residents 
and 

exceeding five days straight of 
increased positive cases. 

Public Health junior Sophia 

Heimowitz spoke to The Daily 
about her growing concerns 
that without any public health 
provisions in place, college 
students and other residents in 
Michigan will totally disregard 
any attempt at mitigating the 
spread of COVID-19. 

“People 
already 
are 
not 

wearing masks when it was 
required,” Heimowitz said. “So 
to take any recommendations 
and 
requirements 
away, 
I 

think it drastically impacts 
(the spread of) COVID way 
for the worse, and (the virus) 
would 
spread 
much 
more 

rapidly.” 

Therefore, 
to 
continue 

to mitigate the spread of 
the 
coronavirus, 
Director 

Gordon and other Michigan 
Health 
Department 
leaders 

will continue to enforce the 
provisions they set forth to 
continue to save the lives of 
people across the state of 
Michigan. 

“Our focus is what our role is 

in public health,” Gordon said. 
“Our role is ‘what will help 
as many people as possible?’ 
Our goal is to protect public 
health and protect all of our 
Michiganders.” 

Daily Staff Reporter Julia 

Forrest can be reached at 
juforres@umich.edu.

Michigan DHHS, local governments issue new 
protocols following MI Supreme Court ruling

Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s executive orders jeopardized after justices rule against her; government agencies fill gap

ASHA LEWIS/Daily

Governor Gretchen Whitmer speaks at the State of the State in January 2020.

Entrepreneurs start small businesses during quarantine

JULIA FORREST
Daily Staff Reporter

ALEC COHEN/Daily

Rick’s announces its opening with limited capacity Thursday morning.
Popular local bar Rick’s 
reopens with restrictions

After being shut down since 

March due to the pandemic, Rick’s 
American Cafe announced on social 
media they will reopen their doors 
Thursday with limited capacity.

Complying with guidelines from 

the Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention, masks will be required 
for entry and guests will have their 
temperatures taken before being 
let inside, the post read. Tables 
will be spaced out to follow social 
distancing protocols. Rick’s is also 
requiring guests to save their place 
in line through the application 
LineLeap. 

“WE’RE BACK TOMORROW!” 

a Wednesday post on Rick’s 
Instagram read. “Due to limited 
capacity and high demand, the 
only way to get in is to reserve your 
spot 
through 
@lineleaptickets 

SpotSaver feature on the LineLeap 
app!”

To book a reservation through 

the app, guests are able to select a 
30-minute time slot in which they 
plan to arrive that night. Upon 
arrival, customers must show the 
doorman their pass on their phone 
to be let into the bar. 

Rick’s recommends four to six 

people for each reservation with a 
maximum of eight people. A limited 
number of places are available for 
each 30-minute time slot. Guests 
with reservations are allowed to 
stay for an unlimited amount of 
time. 

Rick’s 
did 
not 
immediately 

respond to The Michigan Daily’s 
request for comment.

LSA senior Margo Dickstein 

said she felt angry about Rick’s 
reopening. She said she does not 
understand how the bar will be 
able to accommodate guests in a 

safe manner and foresees Rick’s 
potentially becoming the source of 
a COVID-19 outbreak.

“It’s been kind of obvious in 

this semester that a lot of people 
simply don’t care that we’re in a 
pandemic, and they’ve been going 
out to parties,” Dickstein said. 
“But now it’s Ricks — it’s already 
always crowded and full of people. 
I just don’t understand how they’re 
allowed to be open.”

Dickstein turned 21 in April and 

has not yet had the chance to go to 
Rick’s. 

“I would love to be able to go to 

Rick’s in a normal time, that would 
be really fun, it’s an experience 
I haven’t been able to have,” 
Dickstein said. “But I would never 
go there now because of public 
health reasons.”

Daily 
News 
Editor 
Barbara 

Collins can be reached at bcolli@
umich.edu. 

BARBARA COLLINS

Daily News Editor

Student favorite returns to business with limited capacity

