Board of Regents scheduled to meet Feb. 19 at University Hall

The Board of Regents will meet Feb. 19 at University Hall in the Alexander G. Ruthven Building. The meeting is tentatively scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m. Members of the public will also be able to watch a livestream of the meeting. To make comments during the meeting, one must attend in person. An agenda will be posted online at noon Feb. 16 at regents.umich.edu/meetings/agendas/. Those wishing to sign up to speak at the meeting, or to submit written or video comments, must do so by 5 p.m. Feb. 16. To sign up or learn more about the public comments policy, visit regents.umich.edu/meetings/public-comments/. People with disabilities who need assistance should contact the Office of the Vice President and Secretary of the University in advance at 734-763-8194. For more information, go to regents.umich.edu.

U-M, GEO reach agreement on union election for GSRAs

The University of Michigan and the Graduate Employees’ Organization have reached an agreement on the parameters for an upcoming election in which graduate student research assistants will vote on whether they want to join the GEO bargaining unit. The secret-ballot election, which is governed by the Michigan Employment Relations Commission, will take place through mail-in ballots between March 9 and March 25, with MERC vote counting to begin March 26. If a majority of those voting agree to be represented by GEO, more than 2,400 GSRAs across all three campuses will be added to the bargaining unit, which currently includes graduate student instructors and graduate student staff assistants. MERC will mail election ballots to the addresses on file with the university. Graduate students who have appointments as graduate student research assistants may update their current local address via Wolverine Access in the Employee Self Service tab under Campus Personal Information.

U-M study shows noise pollution affects birds’ reproduction but it’s fixable

New research led by the University of Michigan is painting a more comprehensive picture of how noise pollution is impacting birds around the world. “The major takeaway from this study is that anthropogenic noise affects many aspects of bird behavior, with some responses more directly tied to fitness,” said Natalie Madden, lead author of the new study. The research, published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, was supported by federal funding from the NASA Biodiversity and Ecological Conservation Program. While earning her master’s degree at the School for Environment and Sustainability, Madden launched an extensive analysis encompassing data from more than 150 studies published since 1990. These studies covered six continents and 160 bird species. “Several of the studies we pulled data from focus on a single species and a single noise source,” said Madden, who is now a conservation science and policy analyst with Defenders of Wildlife. “Based on our assessment of this meta-analysis, we were able to generate a broader statement about trends we’re seeing.” Generally speaking, the noises made by humans — coming from traffic, construction and other activities — are impacting birds’ behavior, physiology and even their reproduction. Although noise is creating all sorts of negative consequences for birds, understanding this can be turned into a positive, said the study’s senior author, Neil Carter, associate professor at SEAS. “By synthesizing across these studies in a meta-analysis, we find that there are predictable effects,” he said. “And if we can predict them, then we can mitigate them, we can reduce them, we can reverse them.” For more on the study. 

U-M economists: Detroit’s economic engine recalibrates, will power growth

Retooling is nothing new for the city that put the world on wheels. It turns out that Detroit’s economy still has enough torque to keep pushing up employment, wages and household incomes. The city recently has experienced labor disputes, high interest rates, shifting trade policies and uncertainty surrounding its auto industry. However, U-M economists consider this volatility “a pause in its growth path,” and expect moderate growth over the next five years. That’s the main message of the Detroit Economic Outlook for 2025-30, produced as part of the City of Detroit-University Economic Analysis Partnership between U-M, the city of Detroit, Michigan State University and Wayne State University. Detroit’s unemployment rate, which has been on a gradual but steady rise since 2024, is expected to increase to an average of 10% this year. However, economists forecast it will edge down one-tenth of a percentage point next year and drop to 9.5% by 2030. The report notes the city’s average labor force count has reached its highest level since late 2010, while its unemployment rate has roughly remained in the single digits. That’s encouraging, the report says, because it’s occurred in a time of high interest rates and volatile international trade policies. Another encouraging sign: The jobless rate gap between Detroit and the state has narrowed substantially over time, falling from 12.3 percentage points in 2010 to 3.3 points in 2023.

— Compiled by Jeff Bleiler, The University Record