The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

Thursday, October 9, 2014-- 3A


SAFE
From Page 1A
it as the "apartheid wall" and citing
incidents involving family mem-
bers in which the checkpoints hin-
dered timely arrival of ambulances
and created other difficulties.
Business junior Laith Hasan, a
co-chair of SAFE, said his family
lives in Palestine and he has been
through the checkpoints himself.
He explained the range of difficul-
ties the checkpoints pose for Pal-
estinians and his frustration with
what he and his family feel is an
injusticebyIsraeli soldiers.
"For the most part they're all
very similar," Hasan said. "They'll
make you line up; they'll make you
wait avery longtime; they'll search
you; they'll check your identifica-
tion; they'll do random things that

they feel like doing; if they want
to bring you to the side and talk
to you or not let you go through,
somethinglike that. It's really upto
the discretion of the soldier at the
checkpoint."
Joel Reinstein, an active mem-
ber of SAFE, posed as one of the
Israeli soldiers for the simulation.
Reinstein said he created his script
from a combination of researched
reports done by human rights
groups and firsthand accounts.
Both Reinstein and Hasan were
involved in SAFE's #UMDivest
movement last March, which pro-
posed a resolution to Central Stu-
dent Government that called on
the University to divest from com-
panies allegedly involved in human
rights violations in Palestine. After
the vote on the resolution was
postponed indefinitely, SAFE and
its supporters staged a sit-in at the
CSG chambers until the follow-

ing meeting a week later, when the
assembly ultimately voted against
the resolution. SAFE memberssaid
they felt muted by CSG's initial
decision to table the proposal. Stu-
dents perceived to be on either side
of the conflict experienced verbal
hostility throughout the duration
of the sit-in.
Hasan said he hopes this
semester will be calmer and
that SAFE is encouraging all of
its members to report any con-
frontational incidents. In fact, a
passerby approached the SAFE
members working the informa-
tion table Wednesday and berated
them with insensitive and accu-
satory comments regarding Pal-
estine and the students' families.
Hasan said these kinds of issues
persist and make students per-
ceived to be Middle Eastern feel
unsafe on campus.
"We're still really fighting a

tough battle just trying to get our
voice heard and tryingto getcam-
pus to recognize that the power
and privilege dynamics that exist
between a group like SAFE and
other institutions," he said.
Representatives from pro-Isra-
el and Jewish organizations on
campus were also present on the
Diag Wednesday. Business junior
Alex Adler, president of American
Movement for Israel and treasur-
er of University of Michigan Hil-
lel, and LSA senior Erica Mindel
observed the simulation and kept
an eye out for any Jewish students
who mighthave felt threatened or
at odds about the performance.
Both said SAFE has a "right to
self-expression" but felt the dem-
onstration and information pre-
sented lacked context.
Mindel said the presentation
failed to offer the Israeli argu-
ment for the wall, citing incidents

of terrorism and other violence
that could have been prevented by
checkpoints. She said the simula-
tion may have over-dramatized
the racial profiling by Israeli sol-
diers, and that SAFE's interpreta-
tion of events was one-sided.
"I support a Palestinian state,
whatever that might look like when
a two-state solution happens,"
Mindel said. "I don't think that
it would necessarily be the same,
but as a Jewish person I think I'm
entitled to sayI support the state of
Israel without that being kind of an
outlandish statement."
The most recent escalation
in the struggle between Israel
and Palestine began after three
Israeli teenagers were kidnapped
and killed in June. Israel origi-
nally blamed the kidnappings on
Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic
organization that effectively gov-
erns the Gaza Strip and eventu-

ally claimed responsibility in
August. In July, a Palestinian
teenager was murdered by Israe-
lis in what was reported to be a
retaliatory killing.
For nearly two months after-
ward, Israel and Gaza launched
thousands of missiles at each
other, leading to a 28-day Israeli
airstrike along with a 19-day
ground invasion of Gaza. As a
result, thousands of Gaza resi-
dents were killed or displaced.
Palestinian Awareness Week
has already featured a Cultural
Day on the Diag on Monday and
spoken-word performances in
Rackham Auditorium Tuesday.
The events wrap up Thursday
with a movie showing of "When
I Saw You," a drama surrounding
an 11-year-old boy's flight from
Palestine to Jordan along with his
mother during a period of intense
violence in the region.


IRAQ
From Page 1A
tary bases," Savabieasfahani said.
"They found these pits and they
would dump everything in it ... and
just burn it."
The U.S. Department of Veter-
ans Affairs acknowledges these
burn pits were widely used at mili-
tary bases in Iraq and Afghani-
stan but denies that any long-term
health effects among U.S. veterans
have been linked to these pits.
Savabieasfahani said the inha-
lation of pollutants could be
extremely harmful to a develop-
ing fetus. She also cited a study
that examined children with birth
defects in Fallujah, Iraq. These
children had five-times great lead
WELLNESS
From Page 1A
days.
The sandwiches and drinks
were judged on taste, creativity
and price. Many of the items uti-
lized blue cheese or blueberries
to stick with the "blue" theme.
Conor O'Neill's buffalo burger and
Sava's Maize & Blue BLT tied for
best overall sandwich, and Pizza
House's Stay in the Blue shake won
best overall drink.
"Part of staying in the blue is to
be able to eat and to have non-alco-
holic drinks available," said Joy
Pehlke, Wolverine Wellness health
and wellness educator. "Sometimes
on Saturdays or weekends you can
go around and see a lot of alcohol
specials out there. We want to
make sure there's also specials that
highlight eating and drinking in
a way for folks that don't drink or
want to moderate."
The judges included Interfra-
ternity Council President Tommy
Wydra, Panhellenic Association
President Sarah Blegen, Michigan
Daily Editor in Chief Peter Sha-
hin, Central Student Government
President Bobby Dishell, Monica
OBAMA
. From Page 1A
visit would not be the same for the
two candidates.
As many Democratic Senate
candidates are locked in tight races
across the country and the party
faces an uphill battle to maintain a
majority,Peters remainsthe party's
only Senate candidate requesting
an appearance from the President,
according to Politico. Unlike some
other Democratic Senate hope-
fuls, Peters has two factors that
could make a visit from Obama
advantageous: a lead in the polls
and a shared stance on issues that
he and the President can empha-
size. Peters is eight points ahead of
Republican opponent Terri Lynn
Land, according to RealClearPoli-
tics aggregate polling, and that
cushion may mitigate the setbacks
of appearing with an unpopular
president.
Moreover, Peters supported
Obama's 2009 auto industry bail-
out and has made it a point of
emphasis in his campaign. In addi-
tion to the importance of the auto
bailout, the fact that Michigan is

one of the few states left with a vis-
ible union population might make
Obama an effective surrogate for
Peters, according to Political Sci-
ence Prof. Michael Traugott.
"For Peters, (Obama) would be
interested in trying to seal the deal
and to garner enough support to
dissuade the Republican establish-
ment further in their support of

levels and six-times greater mercu-
ry levels than those without birth
defects.
Al-Sabbak has been researching
birth defects in Iraq since 1994. He
said it is important to raise aware-
ness about what is happening in
Iraq in order to stop the harm cur-
rently being done.
The lecture was sponsored by
the School of Natural Resources
and Environment, School of Public
Health's Office of Global Health,
the Center for Middle Eastern and
North African Studies, the Medical
School's Global REACH program
and the Migrant and Immigrant
Rights Advocacy group. Prior to
the event, Savabieasfahani submit-
ted a viewpoint to The Michigan
Daily after initial uncertainty sur-
rounding the University's partici-
pation in the event.
Korzon, Club Sports Council vice
president and women's hockey
team forward, Club Sports Coun-
cil Secretary Lindsey Miller and
LSA senior Josh Thurman, who
volunteered as a random judge and
whose name card read "Awesome
Student"
"I really like how it's a creative
twist on Stay in the Blue," Wydra
said. "I think it's a good measure to
alert our students to the proactive
measures that are taking place spe-
cifically for the nightcgame."
As the judges chowed down
their sandwiches, volunteers from
LSA Student Government and
PULSE asked students crossingthe
Diag trivia questions about how to
be safe on game days and to stay in
the blue. After answering, students
were given free glow-in-the-dark
T-shirts to wear Saturday night
Pehlke said the campaign reach-
es out to all students - those who
are drinking and those who aren't
- to ensure friends are staying
safe.
"Stay in the Blue is for every-
one, whether you drink or not,"
said University Health Services
health educator Christina Gera-
zounis. "If you're not drinking or
if you don't drink, you're always in
the blue."
Land," Traugott said.
For Schauer, however, the pur-
pose of Obama's potential appear-
ance would be different. Unlike in
the Senate race, the auto bailout is
not a wedge issue between Schauer
and Republican Gov. Rick Snyder,
whose support of the auto industry
and Detroit overall has been well
documented. Schauer's campaign
would still try to stake a claim to
the auto bailout issue, though, as
he did support it while in Congress.
"People know that it was Presi-
dent Obama and Democrats like
Mark Schauer who fought to res-
cue Michigan's auto industry and
save thousands of good middle
class jobs," wrote Zack Pohl, com-
munications director for Schauer,
in an e-mail.
Schauer also does not have the
benefit of leading in the polls, as
RealClearPolitics has him trailing
Snyder by 4 points.
"For Schauer, (Obama is) prob-
ably goingto spend his time talking
about turnout," Traugott said. "In
a tight race, that's what each candi-
date is interested in."
Though it may seem tenuous
for candidates of the same party
to avoid appearing with the Presi-

dent, recent history shows that it
is actually a common status for
second term executives. Presidents
tend to have low approval ratings
in their second term that result in
midterm losses. For instance, for-
mer President George W. Bush's
approval rating at this time in 2006
sat at 37 percent according to Gal-
lup, and resulted in Democratic
gains in the House and Senate.

DETROIT
From Page 1A
Forty-one percent of respon-
dents indicated they would not
live in Detroit and 37 percent
indicated "maybe."
Source: September 2014
Michigan Daily campus survey.
Response on each question was
optional, thus numbers may not
total 230.
Violence
The most contentious issue
for students: safety.
In2013,Forbes rankedDetroit
as the most dangerous city in the
United States for the fifth year
in a row. That year, the city had
more than 300 homicides among
a population of just more than
700,000. By comparison, Chica-
go - with more than 2.7 million
residents - recorded just more
than 400 homicides the same
year. New York City - with more
than 8.4 million residents - had
just more than 330.
Despite a 7-percent drop in
violent crime in 2013, cuts to
police funding have left some
residents wary. In January,
Detroit Police Chief James Craig
openly encouraged Detroiters to
seek concealed pistol licenses as
a deterrent against criminals.
"I've joked about this with my
friends," said Engineering junior
Eyad Tamimi. "If I were to live
in Detroit, I'd get a concealed
carry license. I'm not particu-
larly in favor of guns, but in some
neighborhoods you have to have
that as a precaution."
Tamimi, an international
student originally from Jordan
who recently transferred to the
University, said his perception of
high poverty and unemployment
rates would discourage him
from ever moving to the city.
Some with ties to the city,
however, have come to accept
the uneasy status quo.
Craig Regester, associate
director of the University's
Semester in Detroit program,
said he has experienced crime
firsthand. In 18 years living in
the city, he has had three inci-
dents of damage to his car and
one bike stolen, though he knows
individuals who have experi-
enced more serious incidents.
"We have a serious problem
with guns in this country, and
Detroit is part of this country,
so yes gun violence is a problem
in Detroit," Regester said. "It is
a problem for Detroit, and it is a
problem for other major cities.
We don't hide from that."
For students unfamiliar with
the city, Regester said the Uni-
versity has "an opportunity, and
frankly a responsibility, to speak
the truth" about what is hap-
pening in Detroit. He said while
crime is a major point of discus-
sion, it should not be a factor that
prohibits students from explor-
ing the city, citing that violence
is a part of life in most major U.S.
cities.
Regester described a con-
versation with a French for-
eign exchange student who,

prior to coming to the United
States, considered the situation1
in Detroit equivalent to that of
Syria, where the United States is
currently conducting airstrikes1
and hundreds of thousands of
people have fled to neighboring1
countries. In the past, RegesterI
said students have similarly lik-
ened the city to Lebanon or Gaza
prior to visiting.
In contrast, other students
- such as those from the West'
Coast or those who did not fol-
low national news in high school
- come to the University with
no prior knowledge of the city,
its history or its current chal-
lenges.
"It really depends on who you
talk to," Regester said. "I think
there's such a range of impres-
sions."
Source: September 2014
Michigan Daily campus survey.
Responses only presented for
students who reported Universi-
ty standing, therefore total num-
ber will be less than 230.
Reputations
Whatever these impressions
may be, the University and the
city are - and have been - inex-
tricably linked.
Before moving to Ann Arbor
in 1837 - the same year Michi-
gan was admitted to the Union
- the University was located
for its first 20 years in Detroit.
While the city and the Univer-
sity parted ways geographically,
Regester said they stood togeth-
er on the world stage for most of
the 20th century as manufactur-
ing boomed and technological
innovations abounded.
"The University is indebted in
many respects," Regester said.
And historically, that indebt-
edness was paid off through
a steady influx of University
graduates to the city each year,
though hard data in this respect
is difficult to find.
Regester said the decline in
Detroit's economy might have
resulted in decreased numbers
of college students entering the
city, but that it is difficult to
speculate. There is one statis-
tic, however, that he was proud
to highlight: one in three - the
number of alumni who have
lived or worked in Detroit after
completingthe SID program.
"People usually want more
of a relationship and a deeper
relationship with Detroit after
they've done our program,
because they've had some of
that experience," Regester said.
"Detroit sells itself as far as I'm
concerned."
One of the program's alumni,
Rashard Haynesworth, who
participated during the spring of
his junior year at the University,
still lives in the city two years
after graduating. He volunteers
with SID weekend programs
several times per year and cur-
rently works at Racquet Up
Detroit, a nonprofit youth devel-
opment program for which he
interned as part of the program.
A lifelong Detroit resident
and community college trans-
fer, Haynesworth said he felt
the need to give back to the city
upon arriving in Ann Arbor his
junior year. Students he talked

with were scared to visit the city,]
he said, in part based on media,
portrayals and in part because of
a lack of personal experiences in
the city.
Even Schlissl, who moved to
the region this summer, admit-
ted that media played a signifi-
cant role in his view of Detroit
prior to arriving in the state.
"The media generates an
impression of the city, and - not
having visited or lived here - of
course the impression is built on
what you read and what people
say," Schlissel said.
As a recruiting director on
campus, Haynesworth found
students had little reason or
motivation to explore the city,
with the exception of a few select
campus outreach programs,
such as the Detroit Partner-
ship - a student-run nonprofit
that organizes "service-learning
opportunities"between the Uni-
versity and city.
Along with concerns for per-
sonal safety, many students
Haynesworth interacted with
considered Detroit a "waste-
land."
"Once you hear it so many
times, you think, 'this is an
issue," Haynesworth said. "If
this is what people think about
the city, it's going to be hard to
attract young college graduates."
Repair
Regardless of how the major-
ity of students interact with the
city, those who make the move
are doing their part to help with
the improvement efforts and
change the perceptions of the
city inAnn Arbor.
Larissa Carr, a long-time
Detroit resident and SID par-
ticipant, said students are rarely
well informed about Detroit's
history, its culture or its people
- something she would like to
see changed. She stressed the
importance that students visit
the city in person and talk to its
residents i order to form their
own impressions, rather than
relying on what they hear from
outside sources.
"We're one of the most diverse
parts of the region," Carr said.
"That's our biggest asset - our
people."
After moving back to the city
and working for a short time at
the nonprofit Mercy Education
Project, which provides educa-
tional resources for low-income
women, Carr was hired to work
for state Rep. Rashida Tlaib
(D-Detroit). Despite being from
Detroit, she referred to SID as
one of the most valuable experi-
ences she had at the University.
She also highlighted the orga-
nizations and movements that
work to improve the city on a
daily basis. In her current posi-
tion, she said she spends time
connecting residents with the
resources they need to improve
their quality of life.
"There are so many differ-
ent organizations with people
on the ground doing grassroots
work to help improve the qual-
ity of life for the people that are
here," she said.
Meanwhile, the University

has continued to take part in the
revitalization efforts.
Since 2005, the Univer-
sity has operated its Detroit
Center, a facility of more than
26,000 square feet on Wood-
ward Avenue that works to pro-
mote engagement between the
city and campus communities.
Mike Morland, communications
director for the center, said stu-
dents who visit and learn about
the city often become more
engaged in the area.
The center works to facilitate
community events and expose
the University community to
different aspects of Detroit.
Such events include musical
performances, guest lectures,
service projects and historical
exhibits. Morland said promot-
ing this type of cultural interac-
tion provides a tangible benefit
to the Ann Arbor community,
reflective of the 200-year his-
tory of such interactions.
About a year ago, the Uni-
versity introduced a new bus
route - the Detroit Center Con-
nector - which aims to provide
students with a free means by
which to explore the city, which
has notoriously bad public tran-
sit systems. After a successful
first year of operation - during
which it provided approximately
6,000 rider trips to the city - the
program is looking to'expand its
scope in the coming year. Mor-
land pointed to this early success
as an indication that students on
campus are, in fact, interested in
being involved in the city.
"The students who get here
seem not only very interested in
visiting the city, but being part of
the change," Morland said.
Yet certain indicators still cast
uncertainty on student relations
with the city. In its first year of
operation, the primary subset of
riders on the Connector was stu-
dents traveling to Detroit to visit
their families. While Rackham
student Carolyn Lusch, trans-
portation coordinator for the
MDCC, said this discrepancy is
"still a way to enrich (students')
education," it brings into ques-
tion the effectiveness of such
programs at promoting cultural
exchange among the rest of the
campus body.
Additionally, the narratives
surrounding the city can instill
students with an inflated sense
of self-importance. Regester
said he has observed this "sav-
ior mentality" among students
and other visitors, and cautions
them to be aware of judgments
they adopt before arriving in the
city.
"It's pretty unlikely that
you're going to save Detroit, but
quite possible that Detroit will
save you," Regester said.
As Schlissel settled into
his new role this summer, he
acknowledged the University's
continued responsibility in facil-
itating interactions between the
campus and city - continuing
the process of educating stu-
dents about the challenges as
well as the opportunities the
city presents. Under his leader-
ship, it does not appear these
efforts will fall away any time
soon.

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