New COVID-19 research from the Uni-
versity of Michigan reveals little spread of the
virus between the campus and the surround-
ing community last fall.
Lead researcher Dr. Adam Lauring, a
virologist and infectious disease physician at
Michigan Medicine, told The Michigan Daily
the results of the study are important because
previous work related to COVID-19 transmis-
sion in college environments has been quite
ambiguous in the past. This is mostly because
colleges around the country had different
COVID-19 prevention measures in place last
year, Lauring said.
“Our goal of the study was to try to under-
stand how viruses spread both within the
campus community of students and the sur-
rounding community,” Lauring said. “There
has been a lot of discussion on how those two
groups of people relate. I think the results of the
study would be of interest to anyone wondering
how COVID spreads in these (environments).”
Lauring said that though the research can-
not say how most COVID-19 cases are linked
to each other, he believes that the main reason
for the disconnect between cases in these two
populations is the communities the two demo-
graphics occupy. While interactions between
local residents and students in Ann Arbor were
common last fall in areas like bars and restau-
rants, Lauring said he presumes that students
mostly congregated with students and locals
with locals.
“I think that, whatever it is, students are
congregating with each other more than they
are congregating with non-students in the
community,” Lauring said. “That is probably
what we are seeing here in terms of the lim-
ited amount of transmission we were able to
observe between (these two groups).”
The data from the study suggest that some
COVID-19 cases were introduced from the
broader community into the student commu-
nity, and a few of these introductions caused a
subsequent cluster of COVID-19 cases within
the student population.
In an email to The Daily, Dr. Joseph Eisen-
berg, epidemiology professor in the School of
Public Heath, wrote he was surprised by the
fact that case clusters within the student popu-
lation did not spread into the surrounding com-
munity.
“What is a bit surprising is that (the
study’s) data suggests that these case clusters
were contained and didn’t spread back into
the broader community,” Eisenberg wrote.
“This could be because students are more
likely to socialize with other students. It
could be that they bought more take out food
using DoorDash or other delivery services.
And maybe when they did visit a restaurant
they were still mostly socializing with other
students.”
Public Health junior Janna Girotto said she
used contactless delivery services when order-
ing food from restaurants and diligently wore
her mask in public settings to limit her contact
with anyone outside her circle of friends.
“My friends and I didn’t really feel com-
fortable with (even outdoor dining options)
just because of how high the rates of COVID
were in Washtenaw,” Girotto said. “My
interactions were very limited. If I went
anywhere I had my mask on, even out-
doors.”
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Ann Arbor, Michigan
Wednesday, November 3, 2021
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LSA Dean Anne Curzan gave the
annual State of the College address to
approximately 40 faculty and staff at
Rackham Auditorium on Oct. 27. This is the
second in-person address given by Curzan
in her time as Dean, and third overall.
As in 2019, Curzan opened by
acknowledging that the University of
Michigan is located on the land donated by
the Ojibwe, Odawa and Potawatomi Native
American tribes and acknowledged “their
profound contributions to this institution.”
Curzan then addressed the difficulty
of the past twenty months, mentioning
both the stress of returning to campus
during the COVID-19 pandemic and “the
reckoning with race, justice and anti-Black
racism” within the United States.
Kierra
Trotter,
director
of
the
Comprehensive Studies Program, said in
an interview with The Michigan Daily
that she appreciated Curzan’s use of direct
and precise language when dealing with
sensitive topics.
“Last summer, when she was talking
about anti-Black racism, she called it anti-
Blackness,” Trotter said. “She called it
racism. She called different events that are
happening murders instead of deaths. And
I appreciate that.”
A key part of Curzan’s plan to improve
the college is to focus on LSA faculty and
staff. Her emphasis on the people in LSA
being the backbone of the college was a
theme throughout the address.
Angelo Pitillo, director of the English
Language Institute, said in an interview
with The Daily that he is always impressed
by the way that Curzan puts people at the
forefront of her work.
In her discussion of the University’s
commitment to research, Curzan said the
expenditures last year for research reached
close to $200 million despite the pandemic.
She also mentioned that during 2020
and thus far in 2021, faculty and graduate
students published over 3800 journal
articles and over 90 books.
In reference to this year’s budget,
Curzan
acknowledged
the
many
sacrifices that had to be made over the
last year but said LSA will be expanding
its non-essential spending going forward.
She specifically cited a hiring search for
two Disability Access Coordinators to
support staff with issues of accessibility
and renovations to the Willard H.
Dow Chemistry Building with an
environmentally conscious focus.
Curzan also announced the new LSA
Meet the Moment Initiative. This initiative
will support the $2 million LSA Change the
World Award and the $250,000 LSA Vital
Impact Award.
Curzan said she hopes this award will
reward faculty and their teams to address
pressing societal issues.
“This new opportunity will support
interdisciplinary research with the
goal of leveraging our strengths here
in the college across fields to amplify
the impact of pathbreaking research
collaborations to contribute to positive,
purposeful change in the world,”
Curzan said.
To conclude the address, Curzan
acknowledged many people’s hope that
things return to their pre-pandemic state
but said she hopes to embrace many of last
year’s changes.
“I would like us in the college to
aim for different positive narratives,”
Curzan said. “That we take this moment
as a chance to recreate how we work
and learn and live and that we come
back doing things differently, to align
ourselves even more closely with our
mission.”
In annual address, LSA
dean shares her vision for
the future of the college
Anne Curzan talks plans to ‘create
classrooms where everyone can thrive’
ISABELLA KASSA
Daily News Contributor
UMich study finds little COVID-19 spread
between campus and Ann Arbor community
Researchers discover different coronavirus strains existed at University, in community
NADIR AL-SAIDI
Daily Staff Reporter
BECCA MAHON/Daily
Michigan Medicine announced a virtual way for patients to display their vaccination record through their patient portal or a mobile application.
Read more at MichiganDaily.com
The Ann Arbor Coffee Roasting Co.
began its soft opening on Tuesday, Oct. 19
at 324 State St. The new coffee shop fills
the space formerly occupied by Espresso
Royale, a longtime coffee favorite that
closed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The shop, co-founded by Manthri
Srinath, Amy McEwen Goller and her son
Spencer Goller were all former employees
of Espresso Royale. Ann Arbor Coffee
Roasting Co. is the second to take over
a former Espresso Royale location with
former employees of the coffeeshop —
M-36 Coffee Roasters opened in the
former South University Ave. location in
August.
McEwen Goller and her husband,
Marcus Goller, were the original founders
of Espresso Royale, which opened on State
St. in 1989.
“I think the most interesting thing
about (the shop) is the fact that Manthri
and Spencer and I are doing it together,”
McEwen Goller said. “It’s just really sweet
to have a project with Manthri again, and
it’s incredibly nostalgic for me to have
the store open again and to make it what
we always wanted it to be, just a clean,
beautiful, friendly, high quality place.”
According to Goller, Ann Arbor Coffee
Roasting Co. has another location in
Brighton, Mich., where they are currently
roasting their coffee until the roaster
for the Ann Arbor location is built. They
expect the roaster to be completed by the
first quarter of next year. They also make
their chai at the Brighton location, while
all of the food and pastries are baked
in-house at the Ann Arbor location.
Goller explained that the Loring Smart
Roast roaster the cafe will use is very
sustainable and will be showcased to
customers once it is assembled.
“The roaster) uses a lot of the newer
technology in coffee roasting and recycles
hot air so it’s also very eco friendly. It
uses less energy,” Goller said. “So we’re
planning on having the roaster be really a
showpiece and something that’s upfront
for everyone to get to see.”
Srinath described the coffee shop as
“retro” in its sourcing and supply chain
and said they cater to a wide array of
dietary restrictions.
“That’s a fairly basic menu, with focus
on a lot of plant milk,” Srinath said. “We
do have really good baked goods, a lot
of vegan and gluten-free options. Other
than that, the actual core concept is pretty
simple. We don’t do a lot of super sweet
stuff but the things that we do, when I say
retro, they kind of go back to a time in the
coffee industry when the whole product
line was much simpler.”
The building the shop is located in is
considered a historic landmark by Ann
Arbor’s Historic District Commission.
The commission approved the roasting
company’s renovation plans in July 2021,
which, according to McEwen Goller,
include some structural changes but
“maintains the integrity of the historic
building.”
“One of the other structural differences
is some of the seating has been sacrificed to
make way for the roaster,” Goller said.
While the Ann Arbor Coffee Roasting
Co. initially planned to open their cafe
in September, Goller said the October
opening was caused by construction
delays. Srinath said they are taking a
flexible approach to opening during the
pandemic.
“The business model is going to be
flexible,” Srinath said. “If we cannot use
the space or decide we don’t want to,
we will have take out options or provide
curbside service, or anything along those
lines that the current climate demands at
any given time. It’s very as you go at this
point, it’s really pretty much impossible to
prognosticate.”
Ann Arbor Coffee Roasting
Co. opens in place of old
State St. Espresso Royale
New coffee shop co-founded by former
employees of Espresso Royale
JARED DOUGALL
Daily Staff Reporter
Nearly 700 University of Michigan faculty
members signed an open letter dated Oct. 21
asking for School of Music, Theatre & Dance
Professor Bright Sheng to be reinstated as
professor of his undergraduate composition
seminar less than a month after he stepped
back from the course. The letter also calls for
the University to issue a public apology on his
behalf.
The letter, sent to SMTD Dean David Gier,
University President Mark Schlissel and
Provost Susan Collins, comes after Sheng
showed a 1965 version of the film “Othello”
in which the lead actor appears in blackface.
Some students said Sheng did not properly
contextualize the racism in the film before he
showed it.
The faculty open letter says the response to
this incident hurt the University’s reputation
and Sheng’s career, leading to extensive media
coverage that portrayed the University in a
negative light.
“The
very
public
campaign
against
Professor Sheng has harmed him and the
students in his seminar who wish to study with
him,” the letter reads. “Furthermore, it has
damaged the reputation of the University of
Michigan as a place for thoughtful discourse on
difficult matters.”
Sheng wrote in an email to The Daily that he
was aware of the letter and had no comment as
of publication.
In an email to The Michigan Daily, the
authors of the letter — including Mathematics
Professors Alexander Barvinok and Mark
Rudelson, Business Professor Fred Feinberg,
Associate
Chair
of
the
Mathematics
Department Kristen Moore, and Engineering
Professors Fred Terry and Herbert Winful —
wrote they were worried the incident would
discourage thoughtful discourse and free
debate among faculty due to fear of retaliation.
“The university needs to be a place where
vigorous debate can occur on topics that are
unsettled by conventional wisdom, and where
various voices can be heard without fear of
reprisal,” the statement reads.
The statement from the letter’s authors also
said the University should institute a formal
policy for dealing with situations like Sheng’s
when they occur.
“At the very least, we believe a facilitated
discussion should have occurred between the
students, Prof. Sheng, the department chair,
and the DEI representative in SMTD,” the
statement reads. “It’s critical that universities
have stated procedures for dealing with
situations of this nature.”
The statement also said students should have
been given the option to continue the course
with Sheng or an alternate faculty member
depending on their comfort level and whether
they deemed Sheng’s apology sufficient.
Sheng issued a formal apology to the
department on Sept. 16, writing that he lost the
trust of his students and failed to recognize the
historical connotations of blackface. Sheng also
included a section of the letter noting where he
had worked with people of color in the past.
This section of the letter in particular drew
controversy, leading to an open letter to Gier
from SMTD students and faculty calling for
Shreng to be removed from the undergraduate
composition course.
In the Oct. 21 open letter in support of Sheng,
faculty allege Sheng was removed from his
teaching position without due process. The
faculty claim that the University and Gier’s
response to the incident have worked to portray
Sheng’s actions as “an inherently racist act”
and have been used to justify administrative
sanctions.
While the letter acknowledges that
Sheng’s actions made some students feel
unsafe and uncomfortable, it claims his
apology should have been sufficient and
that his removal from his class threatened
future faculty’s ability to teach controversial
subjects
without
fear
of
academic
repercussions.
“While claiming safe space for themselves,
Professor Sheng’s detractors deprive him of
it and are willing to go as far as to disrupt his
livelihood and teaching process,” the letter
reads.
In an email to The Daily, University
spokesperson Kim Broekhuizen wrote Sheng
decided to step down in consultation with Gier.
Broekhuizen wrote SMTD is committed to
fostering conversations on diverse viewpoints
and pressing issues.
“SMTD
plans
to
host
facilitated
conversations in its community to foster an
open exchange of varied ideas and viewpoints
surrounding this and other emergent issues,”
Broekhuizen wrote.
As of Sunday, the University has not issued a
public statement in response to the letter.
Student petition
In addition to the faculty letter, some SMTD
students have written a second open letter
addressed to Gier and has 59 signatures as of
Sunday. The letter says the University failed to
act in an appropriate manner in response to the
blackface complaints and caused reputational
damage. SMTD seniors Olivia Cho and Helen
LaGrand drafted the letter.
The students wrote that Erik Santos, chair
of the composition department, should have
taken responsibility to initiate a dialogue
between Sheng and the students and was
responsible for the backlash Sheng received.
“The university’s response to the incident
involving Professor Sheng has fostered an
atmosphere of fear and animosity that is
hostile to positive change,” the students wrote.
“When students addressed the Chair (of the
composition department) because they felt
unable to directly approach Professor Sheng,
the Chair should have taken responsibility to
initiate a conversation.”
Nearly 700 UMich faculty, 60
students petition for SMTD Professor
Bright Sheng to be reinstated
ACADEMICS
SMTD professor stepped back from teaching course after showing a film featuring blackface
GEORGE WEYKAMP
Daily Staff Reporter
Read more at MichiganDaily.com
BUSINESS
See BRIGHT SHENG, page 3
Read more at MichiganDaily.com