2019-09-13 by The Michigan Daily

ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-EIGHT YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM

Friday, September 13, 2019

Ann Arbor, Michigan

michigandaily.com

ADMINISTRATION

Symposium discusses psychedelic VP E. Royster therapies, neuroscience impact Harper retires Keynote speaker Rick Doblin takes a trip to Rackham, discusses ongoing projects

after 20 years in leadership

Campus community reflects on her legacy, commitment to diversity and lengthy career JULIA FANZERES Daily Staff Reporter

RUCHITA IYER/Daily Neuroscience graduate student Emma Trammel presents research findings at the Psychedelic Neuroscience and Therapy Symposium in the Rackham Thursday.

HANNAH MACKAY Daily Staff Reporter

On Thursday in Rackham Auditorium, about 200 attendees listened to experts on psychedelic neuroscience share their research and the vast potential for psychedelic therapies to treat patients with mental health disorders. The “Psychedelic Neuroscience and Therapy” symposium was hosted by the University of Michigan’s Center for Consciousness Science. Psychedelic science and therapy go far beyond the familiar party

drugs characteristic of the 1960s. Researchers and advocates aim to sway public opinion away from entrenched taboo stereotypes and toward decriminalization. Originally characterized as hallucinogens, psychedelic drugs are known for inducing states of psychosis or altered perception. Many drugs like MDMA (commonly known as ecstasy) and LSD were discovered in the early 20th century. These drugs were used for research purposes in their infancy, and it wasn’t until the 1960s that their recreational use became popularized. This

CAMPUS LIFE

Consulting group to be politically connected

First non-partisan student organization forms to work for local campaigns

led to mass criminalization of psychedelic substances by the FDA and the development of their illicit social stigma. The keynote speaker of the event was Rick Doblin, founder of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies. Through MAPS, Doblin has dedicated himself to popularizing a more positive and scientific view of psychedelics. Doblin introduced several ongoing projects investigating the healing potential of psychedelic drugs. One aimed to use MDMA as a treatment for post-traumatic

stress disorder. The brains of people suffering from PTSD are altered to respond dramatically to fear triggers and to think less logically. “MDMA changes the brain too, but does it in the opposite way,” Doblin said. “It increases activity in the frontal cortex so that people can think logically about these things and not get triggered so easily.” Doblin discussed studies which show promising healing potential for MDMA in other disorders.

Vice President of Student Life E. Royster Harper, is retiring from the University of Michigan after 20 years in her current position. In an email to the University community Thursday morning, Harper announced her retirement, which will be effective at the beginning of the Winter 2020 semester. She cited wanting to spend more time with her family and enjoying other life pursuits as the reason for her retirement. “I read a statement recently that said, ‘Life is too precious to be anything but deeply alive in it.’ For me that means moving from my current role that I have cherished over these past 20 years, and spending more time with my family and life’s other pursuits,” Harper wrote. “Thus, it is with deep gratitude that I am announcing my retirement, effective Jan. 17, 2020. While this was an incredibly difficult decision to make, I am ready and excited for this next adventure.” As vice president of Student Life, Harper works closely with several student organizations such as Sexual Assault Prevention and Awareness Center, Fraternity

& Sorority Life and the Trotter Multicultural Center. In an email statement, University President Mark Schlissel thanked Harper for her service with the broader Michigan community for the past two decades. “During the five years I have known her, I’ve been continually impressed by her thoughtful and innovative leadership on important issues,” Schlissel wrote. “In particular, she has spent all of her time at U-M working to improve the student experience, particularly for those who are underrepresented, and she has led groundbreaking sexual misconduct prevention efforts and empowered survivors to report, recover, and seek justice.” Faculty and student leaders on campus who have previously worked with Harper describe her commitment to prioritizing student voices. Julio Cardona, director of the Trotter Multicultural Center, detailed how Harper’s dedication to the University’s student body has spanned over her decades of service. “Dr. Harper has committed her career to making a positive difference in the lives of generations of U-M students,” Cardona said. See RETIRE, Page 3

See PSYCH, Page 3

TRANSPORTATION

Study finds marijuana usage among Research college students at historic 35-year high focuses on

Researchers note dramatic increase in vaping as mode of consumption LEAH GRAHAM Daily News Editor

Marijuana use by college students hit a 35-year high, according to a study released last Tuesday. The annual Monitoring the Future panel study, a joint effort

by researchers at the University’s Institute for Social Research, found that, in 2018, 43 percent of full-time college students said they used marijuana at least once in the previous year, while one in four said they had used it in the last 30 days. The national survey also showed

that binge drinking and other types of illicit drug use had decreased among college students. The study surveyed 1,400 adults age 19 to 22, including 900 who were full-time college students and approximately 500 non-college youth. Principal investigator John

Schulenberg put it bluntly: He noted that prevalence levels for marijuana use have not been this high for three-and-a-half decades, when 45 percent of full-time college students in 1983 said they had used marijuana in the last 12 months. See STUDY, Page 3

sickness in automobiles

White paper examines method for quantifying illness in driverless vehicles

EMMA RUBERG

FRANCESCA DUONG

Daily Staff Reporter

A group of University of Michigan students recently launched Michigan Political Consulting, the first political consulting organization on campus. The non-partisan organization works with various state and national campaigns and currently comprises of an executive board and a small consulting team. MPC Vice President Sam Burnstein, an LSA sophomore, said the group was founded to fill a gap in opportunities for campus involvement. “There are over a dozen different business consulting groups that are well known and highly coveted by students pursuing those careers,” Burnstein said. “But there wasn’t even one for politics or campaign work.” LSA senior Rachael Freedman is interested in campaigning and was intrigued by MPC’s mission.

The University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute released a report detailing methods to quantify motion sickness in automobiles in August. With the conversation on driverless vehicles growing, motion sickness has been a concern, since one out of three people is highly susceptible to motion sickness according to the National Institutes of Health. UMTRI Director James Sayer, an adviser to the project, said the autonomous car industry talks about how these cars would free up time for passengers, allowing them to even watch movies. But motion sickness needs to be addressed before this idea can be made into reality, Sayer said. “The idea that you could have a fully autonomous vehicle drive you to work while you get work done or watch a movie … that’s something that the industry has been pedaling for some time,” Sayer said. DESIGN BY SHERRY CHEN