Spring commencement is one of the busiest times of the year in Ann Arbor as large crowds visit town to celebrate with the year’s graduating class. For the past two years, commencement has looked a little different: the commencement was canceled in 2020 and was closed to guests in 2021. This year, however, there will be two commencement ceremonies, one for the class of 2022 on April 30 and a special “Comeback Ceremony” for the class of 2020 on May 7. Ann Arbor businesses typically rely on spring commencement as a way to drive in large amounts of traffic before students leave and foot traffic slows down. The cancellation of the 2020 commencement ceremony and the pared-down 2021 commencement ceremony to graduates has put a strain on Ann Arbor businesses already trying to stay afloat. For businesses like Ashley’s Bar & Grill on State Street, graduation leads to an increase in turnout. Ashley’s owner Jeff More said he expects a steady increase as individual schools and colleges within the University of Michigan have their own commencement ceremonies. “It’s not just the Saturday commencement,” More said. “There’s different colleges. So they’re utilizing Hill Auditorium for an awful lot for different college commencements as well. (Ashley’s Bar & Grill) being right across from (Hill Auditorium) we see so much (business) throughout the week.” Lauren Bloom, owner of Bløm Meadworks, a local mead and cider company located on Fourth Ave, said her business does not typically surge after commencement. Rather, restaurants and other food or drink related businesses in the city become the main attraction as families celebrate with a meal. “We see kind of an overall general increase in business, but it doesn’t end up being this huge surge,” Bloom said. “What we’ve found in the past is that the real spike in business tends to mostly hit restaurants in Ann Arbor because most people are looking to go out with their family, get a meal and sit down for a while.” Lisa Bee, co-founder of Sweetwaters Coffee & Tea, which has seven locations throughout Ann Arbor, said quick service businesses are expecting demand to increase around commencement for a quick bite to eat or drink. “It’s a mix of both (taking out and dining) in and then if it’s a nice day, they usually want to walk around … but if (it is not a nice day), then they’ll come in and sit down,” Bee said. “So we definitely see a lot more of the seats filled. Especially if it’s a nice day, then they’re sitting outside and this year, we’re going to have the street area closed off so the patio seating will be a lot bigger. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the city of Ann Arbor expanded permits for patio seating, the city closed specific streets on the weekends during the pandemic to allow for increased outdoor seating. The city is continuing the program this summer after citizens spoke out in support of al fresco dining. More said he plans to reopen Ashley’s patio once the weather improves. “During (the winter of 2021), we kept our little bit of outdoor seating, like six tables, open all last winter,” More said. “And we had a lot of 50 degree days on a Saturday and, you’d turn the heaters on and every table would be full all day long, even though we’re otherwise shut down.” While Bløm does not usually receive large surges of business at commencement, Bloom said she is overstaffing her restaurant for the weekend to prepare for more customers. “We usually ask one or two extra staff members to come on for the weekend,” Bloom said. “That usually tends to be a good balance of being prepared and making sure that we can see people quickly and serve people quickly.” LSA freshman Daniel Silva works at Bert’s Cafe inside the Shapiro Library. Silva said he has been asked to pick up more shifts during the graduation season. This additional demand for shifts is not solely a result of graduation. Throughout the pandemic, businesses have reported having a harder time finding workers. For businesses with fewer workers, there is additional strain on workers. Silva said this extra demand is even more stressful for full-time students. “I have the pressure of, ‘Oh, we need a shift covered,’” Silva said. “It’s just worse because you want to catch up, do your work, study for that exam, but also, you don’t want to let down your coworkers that you get so close with, and you become actual friends with.” Preparation for graduation goes beyond simply adding more staff, however. Bee said Sweetwaters is also adding additional merchandise and menu items to prepare for the influx of customers. “We’ll bring in more desserts, more treat items, celebratory items,” Bee said. “Students who are graduating usually want to take something with them. And because we’ve been in Ann Arbor for such a long time, and there’s multiple locations in Ann Arbor, they usually want to take a little piece with them whether it’s like a Sweetwaters t-shirt, or something like that.” The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com News 2 — Wednesday, April 20, 2022 Local businesses prepare for first fully in- person UMich commencement since 2019 PHOTO MATTHEW SHANBOM Daily Staff Reporter SELENA SUN/Daily A Michigan student organization performs in That Brown Show, a collection of Indian classical music and dance, at the Michigan Theater April 16. The Michigan Daily (ISSN 0745-967) is publishing weekly on Wednesdays for the Winter 2022 semester by students at the University of Michigan. One copy is available free of charge to all readers. Additional copies may be picked up at the Daily’s office for $2. If you would like a current copy of the paper mailed to you, please visit store. pub.umich.edu/michigan-daily-buy-this-edition to place your order. PAIGE HODDER Managing Editor phodder@umich.edu DOMINIC COLETTI and KRISTINA ZHENG Managing News Editors news@michigandaily.com Senior News Editors: George Weykamp, Kaitlyn Luckoff, Kate Weiland, Nadir Al-Saidi, Roni Kane, Shannon Stocking Investigative Editors: Julian Wray, Vanessa Kiefer JULIAN BARNARD and SHUBHUM ‘SHUBS’ GIROTI Editorial Page Editors tothedaily@michigandaily.com Senior Opinion Editors: Brandon Cowit, Quin Zapoli, Siddharth Parmar, Olivia Mouradian, Jess D’Agostino LILLIAN PEARCE and SABRIYA IMAMI Managing Arts Editors arts@michigandaily.com GRACE BEAL and TESS CROWLEY Managing Photo Editors photo@michigandaily.com GRACE TUCKER Managing Statement Editor statement@michigandaily.com Deputy Editors: Taylor Schott, Julia Maloney CAROLINE ATKINSON and ETHAN PATRICK Managing Copy Editors copydesk@michigandaily.com Senior Copy Editors: Melissa Kurpiers, Ella Krumerman, Alex Stamell, Lizzie MacAdam, Olivia Bradish, Dana Elobaid, Audey Ruhana DORA GUO and ERIC LAU Managing Online Editors webteam@michigandaily.com Project Managers: Zach Breger, Simran Pujji, Christina Tan, Aasher Akhlaque, Der-Yu Meng, Salik Aslam HANNAH ELLIOTT and JULIA RAGUCKAS Managing Video Editors video@michigandaily.com Senior Michigan in Color Editors: Yasmine Slimani, Maya Kadouh, Anchal Malh, Safura Syed Senior Sports Editors: Aidan Woutas, Josh Taubman, Brendan Roose, Jack Kingsley, Jacob Cohen, Abby Snyder Senior Video Editor: Jordan Shefman Senior Social Media Editors: Christian Juliano, Justin O’Beirne, Martina Zacker, Jillian Sacksner, Mishal Charania, Mae Veidlinger, Kirti Aplash, Jacob Cohen Stanford Lipsey Student Publications Building 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1327 www.michigandaily.com ARTS SECTION arts@michigandaily.com SPORTS SECTION sports@michigandaily.com NEWS TIPS tipline@michigandaily.com LETTERS TO THE EDITOR tothedaily@michigandaily.com EDITORIAL PAGE opinion@michigandaily.com AARON SANTILLI Business Manager business@michigandaily.com JASMIN LEE Editor-in-Chief eic@michigandaily.com PHOTOGRAPHY SECTION photo@michigandaily.com NEWSROOM news@michigandaily.com CORRECTIONS corrections@michigandaily.com JARED GREENSPAN and NICK STOLL Managing Sports Editors sports@michigandaily.com Senior Arts Editors: Emilia Ferranti, Mik Deitz, Katrina Stebbins, Sarah Rahman, Fia Kaminski Arts Beat Editors: Emmy Snyder, Jacob Lusk, Kai Bartol, Laine Brotherton, Matthew Eggers, Meera Kumar ERIN SHI and SOPHIE GRAND Managing Design Editors design@michigandaily.com ELIYA IMTIAZ and JESSICA KWON Michigan in Color Editors michiganincolor@michigandaily.com EVAN DELORENZO and ZOE STORER Managing Social Media Editors socialmedia@michigandaily.com Editorial Staff Business Staff Senior Photo Editors: Julia Schachinger, Jeremy Weine, Kate Hua, Emma Mati, Anna Fuder Assistant Photo Editors: Dominick Sokotoff, Jenna Hickey, Lila Turner, Julianne Yoon, Becca Mahon IRENE CHUNG Creative Director DOUG MCCLURE and MAX ROSENZWEIG Managing Podcast Editors podeditors@michigandaily.com KATIE Sales Manager ADVERTISING wmg-contact@umich.edu AYA SALIM Digital Managing Editor ayasalim@umich.edu ANDY NAKAMURA and RIPLEY NEWMAN Chairs of Culture, Training, and Inclusion accessandinclusion@michigandaily.com Senior Podcast Editors: Sofia Terenzio, Isaac Mintz Associate Editor: Lilly Dickman Senior Layout Editor: Ellie Orlanski Restaurants, companies say they expect higher demands, will increase staffing in coming weeks Downtown Ann Arbor District Library installs free Narcan vending machine RILEY HODDER Daily Staff Reporter Home of New Vision leads effort to support individuals with substance abuse disorders A new vending machine now stands outside the Ann Arbor District Library that dispenses free Narcan, the brand-name version of the overdose-reversing drug naloxone, according to an April 1 tweet from AADL Director Eli Neiburger. The vending machine was installed by Home of New Vision, an organization devoted to supporting those with substance abuse issues. According to Rackham student Derek Frasure, policy director for Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) at the University of Michigan, the vending machine supplies resources that could be vital in saving someone’s life. “(The vending machine) is something that can mitigate that tide of deaths, which has currently outpaced car accidents for common fatalities,” Frasure said. Lieutenant Mike Scherba of the Ann Arbor Police Department (AAPD) said that in 2021, the AAPD received a total of 68 calls recorded in their system as drug overdoses in Ann Arbor, which averages out to about one call per week. While all AAPD officers and supervisors are required to carry naloxone, Scherba said the vending machine has the potential to create faster distribution of the drug to those experiencing an overdose. “Provided that the person has the ability to administer (naloxone) properly, I think the potential, at least, is there for faster administration,” Scherba said. Public Policy graduate student Alyshia Dyer is a former law enforcement officer for the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office and a member of SSDP. Dyer said she has responded to many previous 911 calls involving an overdose and expressed how critical naloxone is in overdose situations. “The times that I’ve used naloxone, it really felt like you were saving someone’s life, because it wasn’t looking good before that,” Dyer said. “It showed me how important it was to make naloxone readily available.” Dyer also said quick administration of naloxone was integral to ensuring the recovery of the person overdosing, and that by making naloxone readily available, the community was saving lives. “I have done research on opioid response in Michigan, and basically, making naloxone widely available is one of the best public health initiatives that you can do to save people’s lives,” Dyer said. Though the vending machine can provide quicker access to naloxone, Scherba said the primary concern with its installment is that it could create a false sense of security among those experiencing substance abuse. “(People who are witnessing an overdose) may not call for help as soon as they could or would have otherwise, which could potentially put the user at risk,” Scherba said. However, Brianna Dobbs, Recovery Opioid Overdose Team coordinator for Home of New Vision and coordinator for the vending machine project, expressed that the vending machine will help beyond just saving lives. “Having (the vending machine) in such a public place will raise awareness, reduce barriers and increase access to a life-saving medication,” Dobbs said. Dobbs added that Home of New Vision is trying to decrease the stigma around naloxone, as it is not just to be given to those experiencing substance abuse. Dobbs emphasized naloxone can also be used in cases when prescribed medication is inadvertently misadministered. She said every household should have naloxone in their first aid kit. “People can have an opioid overdose because they took too much of a prescription medication, they read the bottle wrong or a small child gets into someone’s medication,” Dobbs said. As for the future, Home of New Vision hopes to expand the vending machines to other libraries in Washtenaw County. Dobbs said they are trying to expand these vending machines to the areas in Washtenaw County that experience the most overdoses. The organization told The Daily that their priority is challenging the stigma around drug overdoses, and there is still more to do. “I think there’s so much that can be done,” Dobbs said. “I think the starting point is to provide empathy and passion and support for people.” Daily Staff Reporter Riley Hodder can be reached at rehodder@umich. edu. ANN ARBOR BUSINESS