The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

Wednesday, October 1, 2014 - 7A

The Michigan Daily - michigandailycomWednesday, October 1, 2014 - 7A

PETITION
From Page 1A
firshtime inthe program's history.
CSG President Bobby Dishell,
a Public Policy senior, also issued
a statement Tuesday, echoing
similar sentiments to that of El-
Kiliani's petition regarding the
Athletic Department as a whole,
though not specifically endorsing
or objecting to Brandon's remov-
al. Dishell mentioned the his-
torically poor performance and
wrote that "CSG joins the voice
of students and their demand for
 managerial culpability."
However, Dishell said in an
interview that he has no defined
number of petition signers that
would indicate a student consen-
sus. He also said, to his knowl-
edge, that there is no resolution
yet drafted by any CSG assem-
bly members for consideration
PROTEST
From Page lA
dent ticket prices, a disappointing
home schedule and poor team
performance among his griev-
ances.
Students could be heard orga-
nizing chants among the group,
with "Fire Brandon," being the
most popular followed up by
"Fire Hoke," "Down with Dave"
and "Protect our Players," among
other sentiments. Other times,
the atmosphere seemed relatively
light, with students poking fun at
the administration and wonder-
ing aloud who they'd prefer as a
replacement coach.
At around 7 p.m., several stu-
dents convinced the group to
marci to the nearby University's
residence on South University
Avenue. Just before the protest
was scheduled to begin, Schlissel
released a statement addressing
the decisions made in the after-
math of Morris' injury, which
called for a review of the Athletic
Department's safety procedures.
"As the leader of our University
community, I want to express my
extreme disappointment in the
events surrounding the handling
of an on-field injury to one of our
football players, Shane Morris,"
the statement read. "The health
and safety of our entire student
community, including all of our
student-athletes, is my most
important responsibility as uni-
versity president."
Neither Schlissel nor any other
University administrators were
present at the protest.
LSA junior Audrey Cords said

at tonight's meeting. Dishell
said, as far as he knows, CSG has
never before formally requested
the removal of any faculty or
staff members from the Univer-
sity. Dishell added that he hasn't
decided if he will be signing the
petition himself.
CSG has worked closely with
the Athletic Department over the
past year. Following an unpopu-
lar football student ticket policy
change last year, CSG worked to
establish a new policy based on
attendance. Additionally, CSG
conducted its own investiga-
tion last spring into the Athletic
Department's handling of the
permanent separation of former
Michigan kicker Brendan Gib-
bons for sexual misconduct.
Dishell said many students still
feel like "pawns," citing rising
prices for tickets and concessions,
and the injury of Shane Morris
was part of a "tipping-point" after

a long stretch of poor regard for
University students, athletes or
not.
"If you ask alumni ... they're
still big supporters of Michigan
football, Michigan football still
largely shaped their experience
and they still view it very posi-
tively, and I think that's just not
there anymore," he said. "That's
a combination of the safety of the
students, a combination of how
the students are being treated, it's
a combination of students being
priced-outofbeingable to partici-
pate in this."
Dishell said anyone who still
has a unique name and password
for the University is able to log on
to and sign the petition. El-Kilani
said he knows of several alumni
who have already signed.
Additionally, commenters on
MGoBlog.com have been organiz-
ing a "Fire Dave Brandon" rally on
the Diag Tuesday evening at 6.p.m.


she decided to come to the protest
because she's completely dissatis-
fied withher recentfootball expe-
rience.
"For the past two years, Dave
Brandon has been treating stu-
dents terribly," she said. "Peo-
ple say that only students from
wealthy families go to games
anymore, and I had to pay $295
to see a crappy football schedule
and results. It's not the Michigan
football I grew up with, I've been
coming to games since I was the
age of three and now that I'm a
student, I should be enjoying it
more than ever and it's been- the
worst experience."
She added that in addition to
the lackluster home schedule,
she finds it hard to get excited
about football Saturdays when
the team has a reputation for not
performing well. She said the cur-
rent situation leaves little time for
improvement, and that the only
solution is to replace Brandon and.
Hoke.
"I think that we need a coach-
ing staff that's actually going to
get players outthere who are actu-
ally going to get results. We've
been losing game after game and
the playing is terrible," she said.
"Even those games where we're
losing and then have a comeback
are gone, so I definitely think we
need a new coach and a new ath-
letic director."
Cords emphasized that coming
to University football games is a
family tradition she's grown up
with and not ready to give up.
"It's not just football," she said.
Cords said she was proud to
participate in the protest, but
wishes it had been a little more

organized from the beginning.
"I liked how we walked to the
president's house, I think that's
very symbolic even though he's
not here," she said. "At first I real-
ly didn'tknow what to expect, but
we had helicopters, we had cam-
eras, we had news, and I feel like
people heard us."
Business graduate student
Nathan Falstad joined the protest
after seeing news crews and heli-
copters occupying the campus area.
"It's easy to be down when
we're not doing well, and most
people are frustrated with Dave
Brandon," he said. "He hasn't
done a great job and he's upset a
lot of people, from alumni and
season ticket holders to students
with raising the prices."
He agreed that even if Bran-
don comes forward or develops a.
plan to turnithe programi around,
it might be time to look at-a new
Athletic Director.
"Especially because we have
a new president now, I think it
mightbe more likely that it'll hap-
pen," he said.
The protest was even large -
and loud enough - to attract the
.attention of students who don't
consider themselves big sports
fans. Some students, like LSA
freshman Jimmy Sorrells, were
not completely familiar with the
protest's aims, but still joined the
rally. He said he wasn't disap-
pointed.
"I didn't know much about
Dave Brandon because I just
became a Michigan fan this year,
but I'm disappointed with the
team too and can see why people
are mad," he said. "We're 2-3 and
only getting worse."

Public Policy senior Craig Kaplan rallies for President Mark $chlissel to fire Athletic Director Dave Brandon Tuesday
Senior akes leadership role
at 'Fire Brandon protest

Student leads
rally to University
President's house
ByALEJANDRO ZUNIGA
ManagingSportsEditor
For a while, Monday after-
noon's protest to fire Athletic
Director Dave Brandon wasn't
very much of one at all.
Yes, hundreds of people
arrived at the diag for the 6 p.m.
start time. Yes, several people
brought posters criticizing the
University's handling of sopho-
more quarterback Shane Mor-
ris' concussion suffered in the
fourth quarter of the football
team's loss to Minnesota on
Saturday. And yes, there were
quite a few chants to "fire Bran-
don."
But for the most part, the stu-
dents milled around the Diag as
reporters from numerous local
and national outlets took pho-
tos and conducted interviews.
Then, Public Policy senior
Craig Kaplan and a group of
others had an idea: Move the

protest to University President
Mark Schlissel's house nearby
on South University Avenue.
And then it really got interest-
ing.
Kaplan marched up the steps
of Schlissel's residence with
a megaphone and began to
address his peers.
"I love this University," he
yelled. "I'love this football team.
I love our sports. I do not love
Dave Brandon.
"I am angry, as a student,
as a fan, as a lover of Michigan
football. I'm pissed. I am upset
at how we have been treated, at
our record and at the absolute
mismanagement of this school's
Athletic Department under
Dave Brandon.
"The fact that this rally is nec-
essary - it says enough that the
student body is upset enough to
come together like this as a uni-
fied front to make changes that
need to be made.
"' asns proudof Michigan's his-
tory. I am proud of Bo Schem-
bechler. I am proud of all the
Michigan football players, bas-
ketball players, athletic directors
and the people that come before

us. I am proud of our history. I
am not proud of Dave Brandon
being part ofthat history.
"Come tonight, Dave Brandon
should no longer be the Athletic
Director of the University of
Michigan."
The crowd responded with
its loudest chorus of the night of
"Down with Dave."
Schlissel, who sent a release
to media earlier Tuesday apolo-
gizing for the Athletic Depart-
ment's handling of Morris'
concussion; did not make an
appearance at the rally.
A University police officer
standing on Schlissel's lawn said
he did not interfere with the
demonstration because it was
conducted peacefully.
But the protest wouldn't have
amounted for much of anything
if not for Kaplan's strong words.
"I've been a Michigan fan my
entire life," he said. "Michi-
gan has a special place in my
heart. The fact that it has been
mismanaged like this, it really
hurts me deeply as a student,
as a fan - just as a person that
cares about this state and cares
about this University."

EU says Apple gets illegal
tax benefits in Ireland


CONGRESSMAN
From Page 1A
Morris' case is a "particularly
egregious example" of a player's
health being jeopardized. Spe-
cifically, Pascrell knew a student
athlete who lost his life after pre-
maturely returning to the field
following an in-game head injury,
and thus was inspired to take
action.
Pascrell also leads the Con-
gressional Brain Injury Task
Force and works to raise aware-
ness about concussions and other

traumas, for both soldiers and
student athletes. Pietrykoski said
getting answers regarding Mor-
ris' situation is a "big priority" for
the congressman, emphasizing
that concussions are always seri-
ous injuries.
"I strongly urge you to inves-
tigate the circumstances sur-
rounding Shane Morris's injury
and the decision to return him to
play," Pascrell wrote. "Addition',
ally, Iask that you reexamine the
protocols in place and determine
what changes can be made to
improve them. I also urge you to
establish penalties for violations

of concussion protocols. Every
concussion is brain damage and
must be diagnosed and treated
by appropriate medical per-
sonnel, who prioritize players'
health, safety, and well-being."
Pietrykoski added that since
the letter was sent today, Pascrell
will wait for Delany to respond
before making any further deci-
sions. However, he said he's hop-
ing the investigation will result
in a reevaluation of protocols
regarding situations like Mor-
ris', as well as establishing con-
sequences for those who violate
those protocols in the future.

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Irish government
could bolster funds,
lose business-
friendly reputation
BRUSSELS (AP) - Apple
risks havingto repay Ireland tax
rebates worth billions of dol-
lars after the European Union's
competition watchdog said
Tuesday the company appears.
to be benefiting from illegal tax
deals there.
In a preliminary report into
the company's overseas tax
practices, the 28-nation bloc's
executive Commission said the
low tax treatment Ireland is
granting Apple counts as state
aid and could be illegal under
EU law.
If the finding is confirmed,
Apple Inc. could face a huge
repayment bill because it fun-
nels the bulk of its international
sales 'through subsidiaries in
Ireland.
To keep market competition
fair, the EUforbidsgovernments
from helping individual compa-
nies. The EU first announced
the tax probe in June, also tar-
geting coffee chain Starbucks
and others as part of a crack-
down on multinationals exploit-
ing tax loopholes.
The EU Commission is now
requesting further documents
from Ireland before making
a legally binding decision on
whether the rebate granted
to Apple is illegal and must be
recouped, wholly or partially.
The EU probe focuses on
exaggerated transfer pricing,
where one part of a company
charges another part an inflated
price for goods or services to
shift profits to low-tax locations.
If Apple had to repay some
taxes, the money wouldcome as
a windfall to Irish state coffers.

However, fearful of losing its
reputation as a business-friend-
ly country with low corporate
taxes, the Irish government is
adamant that no EU rules have
been breached.
The Commission said the tax
deals Ireland struck with Apple
in 1991 and in 2007 show "sever-
al inconsistencies" and may not
comply with international taxa-
tion standards. The Brussels-
based executive body also was
critical of the fact that Apple's
applicable tax rate appears to
have been the result of "a nego-
tiation rather than a pricing
methodology" which a "pru-
dent, independent" tax author-
ity should not have accepted.
The Commission added
documents provided by Irish
authorities, including minutes
of meetings with Apple's tax
advisers, fail to providea consis-
tent explanation for the agreed
tax rates. It did not publish an
estimate for Apple's effective
tax rate in Ireland.
Apple maintains it has not
received a favorable treatment
in Ireland.
"We're subject to the same
tax laws as the countless other
companies who do business in
Ireland," the company said in
an emailed statement. "Apple
has received no selective treat-
ment from Irish officials over
the years."
The company added that
its tax payments to Ireland
increased tenfold since it
launched its first iPhone in 2007.
In the statement, Apple also said
that on a global level, "compre-
hensive corporate tax reform is
badly needed."
Apple's tax practices have
also attracted scrutiny in the
United States, where a -Senate
Committee last year published a
scathing report on the Cuperti-
no-based firm's tax schemes.

The report held up Apple as
an example of legal tax avoid-
ance made possible by the
complicated U.S. tax code, esti-
mating the firm avoided at least
$3.5 billion in U.S. federal taxes
in 2011 and $9 billion in 2012 by
usingits tax strategy.
Democratic Senator Carl
Levin, chairman of the Senate
Permanent Subcommittee on
Investigations, said Tuesday the
EU probe underscores the need
to close loopholes that "allow
Apple-type gimmicks whose
sole purpose is to avoid paying
U.S. taxes."
"Apple developed its crown
jewels - lucrative intellectual
property - in the United States,
used a tax loophole to shift the
profits ... offshore to avoid pay-
ing U.S. taxes, then boosted its
profits through a sweetheart
deal with the Irish govern-
ment," he said.
Levin added Apple's Irish
tax rate "has no rational basis"
because it is the result of what
Ireland accepted when threat-
ened with job losses.
The company currently
employs some 4,000 people in
Cork, Ireland.
Apple - one of the world's
most valuable and profitable
firms - sat on some $164 billion
in cash and cash equivalents,
with $138 billion stashed away
in foreign subsidiaries, accord-
ing to its latest quarterly report
in June. The company estimated
its effective U.S. tax rate is 26.1
percent, as opposed to the statu-
tory U.S. rate of 35 percent, pri-
marily because of undistributed
foreign earnings.
"A substantial portion" of
those foreign earnings was gen-
eratedby subsidiaries organized
in Ireland, Apple said in the reg-
ulatory filing, adding that "such
earnings are intended to be
indefinitely reinvested outside

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