The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Thursday, October 31, 2013 - 5A
PARTY
From Page 1A
we all get together and discuss
the impact this unfortunate
event has had on the University
community, as well as our expec-
tations moving forward," Jones
said. "Obviously, the way the
party was both conceived of and
executed is in direct contradic-
tion to the standards of our uni-
versity."
Jones plans to meet with stu-
dents Thursday to discuss ways
* of remedying the situation, as
well as making sure their under-
lying concerns about racial issues
on campus are addressed. She
added that an e-mail informing
students of the discussion and
expressing disappointment will
be sent out Thursday to address a
largely "negative" situation.
While Jones stopped short of
calling events like this a trend,
she said it's clear that some
level of education and dialogue
is necessary to ensure that stu-
dents are aware what language
and behavior is appropriate, and
how cultural appropriation has
potential for harm.
"In society we certainly see
examples, not only in parties
but in the media and how people
present themselves; it's certainly
not a problem unique to Greek
Life or our campus," Jones said.
"The incident in question was
not only racially offensive, but
degrading to women in general,
and the most restorative way to
SAAN
From Page 1A
vide a space for conversations that
aren't normally had and conversa-
tions that you need a safe environ-
ment to have," Shetty said. "It's a
space to have honest conversa-
tions about our experiences and
to be open with each other."
By fostering a dialogue among
the students, Gonzilez hoped to
make a sensitive subject more
comfortable to confront.
"Domestic violence and a lot
of violence against women and
children are invisible, and it's a
taboo topic, and people think it's
CSG
From Page 1A
meaningful work within CSG,
crediting a close relationship
with Parikh.
"He advocated for me when I
wanted to start my own commis-
sion," Frederick said.
While Frederick admits 24
interns was too many, he thinks
downsizing the program is a loss
because it gives fewer freshmen a
INITIATIVE
From Page 1A
grams that focus on increasing
the variety of projects that Infor-
mation students can apply their
skills to.
Jeff MacKie-Mason, dean of
the School of Information, said.
Wednesday that the initiative
aligns with the school's strategic
goals of harnessing the power of
applied information to improve
people's lives.
"We've always known and
believed in the power of experi-
mental learning," MacKie-Mason
said. "We want to increase the
amount of that, with a particular-
ly strong focus on service."
MacKie-Mason convened a
strategic planning session three
years ago when he assumed his
post, succeeding Martha Pollack,
who is now University Provost.
He added that faculty, students
and staff were consulted to ensure
the program's goals aligned with
the needs and aspirations of the
different constituencies.
Judy Lawson, the School of,
Information assistant dean of
academic and student affairs, said
MacKie-Mason's efforts as dean
have refocused the school's mis-
sion.
"Our dean has recommitted the
move forward is to provide edu-
cation on why this is not accept-
able."
The fraternity is in the process
of drafting an apology to the stu-
dents who came forward, which
will later be broadly circulated
as a means of accepting respon-
sibility for their situation, Jones
said.
LSA junior Geralyn Gaines,
secretary for the Black Student
Union, described her initial reac-
tion to the event as "complete
and utter disgust." She said this
was the first time she's personal-
ly experienced racism on campus
or felt specifically targeted and
attacked.
"I love U of M and even today
I'm fundamentally happy, but it's
scary to think that I sit in class
with people who think this way
and people that agree with them,
people who legitimately thought
this party was a good idea and
was okay," Gaines said. "The
invitation amplified stereotypes
and used a level of disgusting
language that it was evident they
actively tried to offend us."
Gaines said she was particu-
larly offended by the use of the
word "ratchet," which she says
is prominently used in the Black
community to describe some-
thing terrible or someone who
doesn't know how to handle
themselves. She also took issue
with the invitees section, which
specifically asked for "bad bitch-
es" and "rachet pussy," which
she believes was an attempt to
make a mockery of Black culture.
Gaines believes that requir-
ing the University to approve all
,party themes moving forward
would help avoid similar issues
in the future.
Music, Theatre & Dance
senior Erica Nagy said she was
compelled to write a formal com-
plaint after seeing the emotional
toll the situation took on her
roommate.
"We were all mad and found
the situation unacceptable, espe-
cially after seeing how upset
she'd been the whole day after
carrying this hurt around with
her," Nagy said. "You don't have
to be a certain race to be offend-
ed by racist material; I think
anyone who isn't offended isn't
paying attention."
She specifically took issue
withthe factthat no one involved
in the fraternity identified with
Black culture and that they used
language "that wasn't theirs to
use" in an attempt to directly
offend people.
Though this was the first time
she had been invited to a party
with an offensive theme, Nagy
she knows it happens often -
both in and out of Greek Life -
because people don't understand
the ramifications of cultural
appropriation.
"I guess my hope for all of this
is that it starts a conversation
about race on this campus so that
people can learn thattheir words
and actions truly affect other
people," she said. "I don't want to
see (Theta Xi) punished because
I don't think that would solve the
true problem here; we need to
get people talking and learning."
REFORM
From Page 1A
city's zoning codes, which is at
the core pf our platform."
Perhaps the most important
tenet of Brown's campaign is the
idea of implementing a policy of
mixed-use zoning rather than
the city's current single-use
zoning policy. This essentially
means Brown and his party
endorse the usage of city zones
for more than simply one pur-
pose - whether it be residential,
commercial, etc. Brown hopes
this type of policy will alleviate,
if not solve, many of the city's
pressing issues.
Brown argued that the .gov-
ernment of Ann Arbor has been
trying to control the use of cer-
tain zones for too long, and such
a policy has been hurting the
city rather than helping it in
many instances.
"Sometimes the best govern-
ment solution is no government
solution," Brown said. "We need
to give more flexibility and free-
dom to property owners and
communities to address their
own problems rather than the
other way around, and I think
that's what Ann Arbor needs
right now."
The issue of urban sprawl is
especially important in Brown's
platform, as he believes the
suburban, residential areas are
becoming too far removed from
more highly commercialized
areas. He attributed many prob-
lems to sprawl, such as higher
traffic, pedestrian safety and
student discrimination.
"If we really want to change
this in the future, because
zoning reform is not going to
change these problems over-
night including parking, we
have to ensure that more people
live in the city, and mixed-use
zoning will allow this to hap-
pen," Brown said.
Brown also discussed the
ways students are affected by
zoning laws. He and many other
Mixed Use Party candidates
have said current zoning practic-
es discriminate against students,
particularly codes about frater-
nities, sororities and co-ops.
He specifically noted his
desire to abolish the part of the
zoning code that forbids more
than four students from living
together in any single unit where
one bathroom and kitchen is
shared, calling the law "unpro-
ductive" and "backwards think-
ing."
"The code itself states how a
functional family does include
a fraternity, co-ops, or any kind
of association that is considered
temporary," Brown said. "The
law itself specifically mentions
students, so the law was never
meant for safety reasons. It was
more or less a discriminatory
law."
Another issue pertaining to
students raised by Brown is that
of consistency of punishment in
cases of minors in possession of
alcohol. While he noted that Ann
Arbor residents would not find
such an issue pertinent, he noted
that much of the city's policies
regarding illegal substances are
inconsistent, specifically with
regards to minors caught pos-
sessing alcohol versus possessing
marijuana, as marijuana posses-
sion is treated as a civil infrac-
tion.
He also noted that-while he
and Lumm may agree on some
things, Lumm is not offering real
reforms some of these issues.
As a candidate, Brown said he
has gotten a lot of positive feed-
back in his ward, and he noted
that a lot of people are sympa-
thetic to his party.
"Conservatives love the fact
that I don't abide by tax incre-
ment financing," he said. "Lib-
erals love the fact that I want to
create more affordable housing
and make Ann Arbor a place
where everyone can live."
Brown said he is not simply
running because he thinks he
can win, but he wants to bring a
fresh perspective into city poli-
tics.
"I'm fighting an uphill battle,"
Brown said. "I didn'trunbecause
I thought I could win hands-
down. I ran because I wanted to
bring real issues to the table and
express the kind of voice that is
needed in these debates because
if we didn't, we'd still have the
same two type of status quo can-
didates bickering over the same
issues without offering real sub-
stance."
a private matter, but it's actually
a social disease," Gonzilez said.
"It's very preventable. That's
why I'm here doing community
education - because I think
that's the first step of preven-
tion."
One student raised his hand
and asked, "How do you respond
if a friend comes to you and con-
fides in you that they are being
abused?"Another student asked
what to do if the victim does not
want to seek help.
Although it is common to
become frustrated with victims
of domestic violence who refuse
to leave their abusers, Gonzalez
stressed the importance of a
non-judgmental support system.
"Statistics say it takes a vic-
tim seven to eight (incidents of
abuse) to leave," she said.
Business senior Yash Bhuta-
da, co-chair of SAAN, thought
the event was a success.
"I think it was really nice to
talk about something serious
in a comfortable and safe set-
ting and, hopefully, people go,
out and are comfortable talking
about these issues, spreading it
onto their friends who weren't
able to come to the event,"
Bhutada said.
SAAN hosts SAAN Talks
twice a month. Each talk aims
to generate a dialogue on a spe-
cific'topic. Recent talks have been
focused on bullying and identity.
Boston Red Sox win World
Series at Fenway Park
chance to get involved.
But leaders say a smaller
cohort will allow each intern to
develop a close relationship with
the executive officer they are
assigned to, something that Busi-
ness sophomore Kevin Ziegler
found to be the most valuable
part of his experience as intern
to former CSG treasurer Chris
Osborn, an LSA senior.
"He took a personal invest-
ment, making sure he helped
develop me as a leader and as a
professional," Ziegler said. "He
actually sat down as often as he
could and just held a little bit
of training sessions in various
areas."
This year's intern class has
only been on the job for a week.
LSA freshman Lauren Krzis-
nik, who is one of Proppe's
interns, said she will be helping
research other school's football
admission policies after this
year's switch to general admis-
sion.
Team defeats
St. Louis Cardinals
6-1 in game six
BOSTON (AP) - Jubi-
lant Red Sox fans took to the
streets around Fenway Park
to cheer their team's, World
Series victory Wednesday
night, the first time Boston
has won baseball's fall classic
at home in 95 years.
Fans chanted and caroused
outside the ballpark and nearby
bars after Boston vanquished
the St. Louis Cardinals 6-1 in
Game 6. Several fans were seen
giving high fives to police offi-
cers.
"Words cannot describe how
I feel," said Sam D'Arrigo. "This
is what being a Boston fan is all
about."
An excited Boston Mayor
Tom Menino tweeted: "Get
the ducks ready, we're having a
parade."
The Red Sox have now won
three World Series in a decade,
but they hadn't won at home
since 1918.
Police reported no signifi-
cant problems immediately fol-
lowing the game but said they
were ready for post-game cel-
ebrations and any unruly fans.
Throughout the night, the
department tweeted caution-
ary messages, encouraging fans
to "Celebrate with pride" and
"Celebrate responsibly."
In St. Louis, fans were disap-
pointed that the Cardinals lost.
Many watched the game 1,200
miles away from the comfort
of their couches. Some tour-
ists favored the 26th-floor view
of the Gateway Arch over the
play-by-play of a third cgnsecu-
tive loss in a series that earlier
looked like it could have ended
at Busch Stadium after the Car-
dinals won two of the first three
games.
"It's pretty quiet in here,"'
said Coltier Blakely of Mexico,
Mo., who was in town for a
statewide meeting of commu-
nity college administrators.
Earlier in Boston, President
Barack Obama delivered a talk
on his embattled health care
reform. He departed Boston an
hour before the game began.
Police and bomb-sniffing
dogs swept through Fenway as
hundreds of fans gathered out-
side in the afternoon. Scores of
officers stood outside the park,
directing traffic, giving direc-
tions to fans and standing ready
for what was likely to be a long
night.
Boston has hosted sever-
al celebrations over the last
decade as the Celtics, Patriots,
Bruins and Red Sox have all
won titles since 2004, but some
of the post-championship par-
tying has caused problems. In
2004, a 21-year-old college stu-
dent was killed-by a pepper pel-
let fired by Boston police during
crowd-control efforts following
the Red Sox win in the Ameri-
can League Championship
Series. In 2008, a 22-year-old
man died after police took him
into custody during street cel-
ebrations of the Celtics' title.
Chris LeBlanc of Glocester,
R.I., skipped class last spring
to watch the Red Sox's sea-
son opener. On Wednesday he
was at Fenway with his father
Michael, hoping to score tick-
ets.
Despite a dismal 2012 season
LeBlanc,,18, said he always felt
good about the team's chances
this year. "I was optimistic," he
said.
Michael LeBlanc, 45, shook
his head and smiled. He
remembers well the decades
of disappointment, the talk of
curses and the blown chanc-
es. He knows what a treat it is
to have a shot at three World
Series wins in a decade.
"He doesn't know how good
he has it," he said.
school towards core values that
we've had throughoutcour history,
but now we want to make those
values and act on them in a more
forward-thinking way in.terms of
getting our students involved in
makinga difference in the world,"
Lawson said.
Some of the programs support-
ed by the initiative include new
community impact projects link-
ing students to nonprofit orga-
nizations; a global information
engagement program, which will
send students to India to work on
information challenges starting
in 2014; and the Citizen Interac-
tion Design project, which will
develop a partnership between
the School of Information and the
city of Jackson, Mich.
The Office of the Provost pro-
vided the funds for the glob-
al information engagement
program, which Lawson said
reflects the idea that the initiative
will grow tobe a University-wide
effort.
"It's driven from students; it's
driven from faculty and from
staff," Lawson said. "We see the
huge impact it has on the student
experience and we have advocat-
ed for this expansion as well."
The initiative will also pro-
vide more support for the school's
Alternative Spring Break - one
of its flagship programs. The pro-
gram gives students the oppor-
tunity to work at public sector
organizations over spring break
and participation has risen from
about 40 students to 130 students
over the past few years.
Some of the program's funds
will provide grants for students'
international internships, unpaid
internships and student organiza-
tions focused on data and infor-
mation-related projects. Students
will begin receiving aid in time
for the 2014 summer internship
season.
In describing the fund's
impact, Lawson highlighted
A2DataDive, a student-led proj-
ect that helps nonprofits handle
their data. Founded by Univer-
sity alum Nikki Roda in 2011, the
program has hosted two DataD-
ive events, where students help
teach nonprofits how to-handle
their data over the course of a
weekend workshop. The pro-
gram began receiving financial
support through the program
this year.
Priya Kumar, an Information
graduate student and co-leader
of A2DataDive, said the program
has allowed her toput her knowl-
edge to work in the organization's
projects.
"It's kind of like you get to visu-
alize and see whatyou're learning
in the classroom," Kumar said.
"That's the most powerful ele-
ment of doing the DataDive."
United States assures U.N.hat
communications are not tapped
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"And
rman magazine were indeed in touch with the
U.S. authorities. I understand
claims body that the U.S. authorities have
given assurance that the United
as previously Nations communications are
not and will not be monitored."
wiretapped Nesirky would not elaborate
on whether spying had taken
ITED NATIONS (AP) place and declined to answer
ie United Nations said . related questions. For empha-
esday it has received sis, he held up a piece of paper
ances from the U.S. gov- that said: "No comment."
ent that U.N. commu- A U.S. official told The Asso-
ons networks "are not ciated Press that "The United
ill not be monitored" by States is not conducting elec-
ican intelligence agencies. tronic surveillance targeting
hief U.N. spokesman Mar- the United Nations headquar-
'sirky would not comment ters in New York." The official,
ether the world body had who was not authorized to be
monitored in the past, as named, spoke on condition of
ted recently by the Ger- anonymity.
nagazine Det Spiegel. It was not clear whether for-
sirky said the United eign U.N. missions in New York
ns had been in contact could be monitored, by U.S.
Washington about the intelligence agencies.
is that surfaced two Former U.S. Ambassador
hs ago and has received a John Bolton, who held the post
uarantee of no current or at the United Nations from
e eavesdropping. 2005-2006, would notcomment
;ck in August when these on "what may or may not have
is first surfaced; we said gone on in the past" because
ould be in touch with the he's no longer in government.
nt authorities," he said. "That said, it seems to me
I can tell you that we that the United Nations and
everybody walking through
the U.N. building are perfectly
legitimate intelligence tar-
gets, and I think any decision
by any president to say we are
not going to eavesdrop on U.N.
headquarters is a mistake," he
told the AP.
"There's nothing in the U.S.
Constitution that says you may
not eavesdrop on the U.N.,"
Bolton said. "Silence and a
deeply emphasized 'No com-
ment' is how you should deal
with all these intelligence ques-
tions."
Der Spiegel reported that
documents it obtained from
U.S. leaker Edward Snowden
show the. National Security
Agency secretly monitored the
U.N.'s internal video conferenc-
ing system by decrypting it last
year.
Der Spiegel quoted an NSA
document as saying that with-
in three weeks, the number of
decoded communications had
increased, from 12 to 458. Der
Spiegel also reported that the
NSA installed bugs in the Euro-
pean Union's office building in
Washington and infiltrated the
EU's computer network.
DO YOU LIKE MARY SUE?
WE DO TOO. WE'VE BEEN FOLLOWING HER AROUND ALL THESE
YEARS, AND WE'RE GOING TO MISS HER WHEN SHE'S GONE.
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