University of Michigan

A new facility has opened at the University of Michigan to handle diagnostic testing of millions of samples per year including patients' blood, saliva and tissue. 

The Michigan Medicine Clinical Pathology facility is located in four former Pfizer buildings in Ann Arbor and received its first patient sample last month.

Samples also include urine, cells and DNA. They come in for testing from University of Michigan clinics and hospitals as well as from around the country.

A former lawyer with the state of Michigan who had intense hostility for a gay college student has lost an appeal to keep his law license. Shirvell's 2017 disbarment was affirmed Tuesday by the Attorney Discipline Board.

Shirvell was an assistant attorney general. He was fired in 2010 after criticizing Christopher Armstrong on an anti-gay blog, on Facebook and during visits to the University of Michigan. The controversy made headlines.

A student-run council at the University of Michigan says fraternity social events will resume after being suspended following allegations of sexual misconduct and hazing involving fraternity members. The Interfraternity Council says in a statement Wednesday that the self-imposed suspension allowed it to "conduct an extensive review ... to identify the policies and practices needing improvement within the community." 

The University of Michigan Museum of Art has reopened its Robert B. Jacobs Asian Art Conservation Laboratory . The Ann Arbor school announced the update last month about the lab, which provides conservation services and mounting or remounting of East Asian paintings and Asian and Western works on paper for institutions and individuals worldwide.

The lab, which operates under the direction of conservator Qian He, also cares for the museum's Asian art collections.

Economists at the University of Michigan say in an annual forecast that the U.S. economy will continue to grow in the coming years and add jobs.

Researchers at the school's Department of Economics put out the assessment Thursday. They say overall economic output growth, as measured by gross domestic product, will rise to 2.2 percent during 2017, 2.5 percent in 2018 and 2.1 percent in 2019.

The University of Michigan's Central Student Government has voted to ask the school to look into possible divestment from companies that do business in Israel amid criticism of Israeli policies toward Palestinians. The Ann Arbor News reports the motion passed following a nearly eight-hour meeting that ended early Wednesday calling on university administrators and the school's Board of Regents to investigate ethical and moral implications of the school's investments. 

Nearly half of local officials in Michigan's large municipalities report struggling to find enough people with the necessary skills to work at the polls on Election Day.

The figure is included in a survey of more than 1,100 cities and townships released by the University of Michigan's Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy on Monday.

When smaller municipalities are included, the number of officials reporting trouble recruiting skilled poll workers is almost 30 percent.

University of Michigan President Mark Schlissel found it "ironic" that students who voted for President Donald Trump felt shunned on campus after the 2016 election.

Schlissel also wrote last year that he was "torn" about recommending appointees for the new administration. He said, "I can't imagine lending one's name to a Trump administration."

The remarks were in emails released Wednesday by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy.

University of Michigan President Mark Schlissel found it "ironic" that students who voted for President Donald Trump felt shunned on campus after the 2016 election. Schlissel also wrote last year that he was "torn" about recommending appointees for the new administration. 

He said, "I can't imagine lending one's name to a Trump administration."

Hundreds of students walked out of classes and blocked streets at University of Michigan as part of a planned weeklong protest against racism. The demonstrations at the Ann Arbor school began Monday morning and included people blocking roads and sitting on medians studying. Some buses had to be rerouted and students sought other stops. Traffic resumed within about an hour.