46F 46F 46F PIF c It ic4igan 4, atIV 4 a i +, dd ,_ k . ; _ ... Ann Arbor, Michigan Thursday, October 30, 2014 michigandailycom CAMPUS IDENTITY working to improve minorily enrollment L SA freshman Darian Razder and LSA sophomore Anna Kreiner carry a mattress across the Diag Wednesday to raise awareness about sexual assault on college campuses as part of the Carry That Weight campaign in solidarity with Columbia University junior Emma Sulcowicz. Students call for changes tsexual assault policies After Proposal 2, administration explores options to reach diversity goals By SHOHAM GEVA Daily StaffReporter Minority enrollment at the University has shifted dramati- cally in the past decade, fol- lowing two court cases over the University's race-conscious admission policies and a suc- cessful statewide referendum that banned the consideration of race in a public higher education admissions decisions. This summer, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the con- stitutionality of The Michigan Civil Rights Initiative, more com- monly referred to as Proposal 2. The 2006 popular referendum banned the consideration of race, among other factors, in college admissions - rendering the final word on affirmative action in the state of Michigan. The Supreme Court decision does not necessarily signal any- thing new for the University. Since the ban was passed in 2006i, the institution has admitted stu- dents without an affirmative action policy in place. At least since the 1970s, and as recently as last year's BBUM protests led by the Black Student Union, activ- ists and student protesters have set a goal of having Blacks con- stitute 10 percent of the student population, a threshold that has never been reached. But now that the last glim- mer of hope for a restoration of affirmative action has faded, it commits the University to a dif- ficult situation - a time in which minority representation is at one of the lowest points and renewed protests are demanding it climb up to a goal higher than ever before. New strategies There are three steps to the See ENROLLMENT, Page 3A D( on t im a emands posted the administration to improve the University's approach to sexual the Diag request assault on campus. The protest falls on the national proved training "Carry ThatWeight"dayofaction, which aimed to raise awareness of nd awareness sexual assault and abusive rela- tionships by asking participants By EMMA KERR to carry a standard dorm room Daily StaffReporter mattress with them throughout the day. 'ly Wednesday morning, a The demands were plastered seven demands covered the in cut-and-paste style and sur- 'M' on the Diag, calling on rounded by spray painted trigger warnings and calls to expel rapists - protesting the University's per- ceived complacency in handling sexualmisconduct on campus and advocating for studentvoices to be heard. Beginning with a demand for further training and awareness, the list calls for a mandatory pro- gram that would educate new stu- dents on the meaning of consent, the specifics of the University's sexual misconduct policies and information on gender-neutral language. Currently, the University provides resources for students through the Office of Student Conflict Resolution and the Sexu- al Assault Prevention and Aware- ness Center. Existing programs like Relationship Remix, a work- shop aimed toward educating first year students on relationships and sex, work to educate students about sexual assault and how to prevent it. See PROTEST, Page 3A Ear list of, block ELECTION 2014 In Senate race, Land struggles * with narrative Despite fundraising advantage, prospects grim for GOP candidate By SHOHAM GEVA Daily StaffReporter As the Nov. 4 election approaches, Republican U.S. Sen- ate candidate Terri Lynn Land has become more difficult to define. She's bringing in significant amounts of money - her cam- paign raised a total of $11 mil- lion in contributions as of the last quarter, more than her Demo- cratic challenger - and she's not short on airtime, running mul- tiple ads in the lead-up to elec- tions. This week, she concluded an expansive bus tour of the state, covering 3,181 miles over the course of three months. That strong showing in resources, however, is juxta- posed with some less-than-favor- able numbers. By the most recent polls, Land trails her Democratic opponent, U.S. Rep. Gary Peters, by an average of 11.4 points. And she's only garnered one major media endorsement, from Crain's Detroit Business. At the start of campaign sea- son, Land's chances of succeed- ing longtime U.S. Senator Carl Levin looked favorable -- a for- mer Secretary of State who ran two successful statewide cam- paigns for the position in 2002 and 2006, beating her opposi- tion by more than 10 percentage points each time. In the Senate race, early pols had her doing well. The seat, the first open in Michigan in 20 years, was highlighted by Repub- licans in their effort to flip con- trol of the U.S. Senate in their favor. "Terri's got a great record," said GOP consultant Stu Sandler, president of Decider Strategies. "If you look at her record as Sec- retary of State, she ran a state- wide office for eight years and did so with extraordinary success, and it's one of the reasons, if you look today that Crain's endorsed her, it's one of the reasons why." But from the start, her cam- paign has been unable to escape See SENATE, Page 3A ALLION FRRAwND/D"aily Ron Weiser, Republican candiate for the University's Board of Regents, discusses policy proposals in his officey Regent candidate stresses strong political experience ANN ARBOR Taylor's work to DDApart of plans for development Mayoral candidate aims to maintain downtown growth By JACK TURMAN Daily StaffReporter City Councilmember Chris Taylor (D-Ward 3), the Democrat- ic mayoral candidate, discussed taking a balanced approach to city issues if elected. However, Taylor has repeatedly highlight- ed the importance of downtown Ann Arbor in both the first post- primary debate Oct. 7 and in an interview with the Daily Oct. 16. Taylor said the downtown area needs to be a vibrant place where people can work and live com- fortably, while still maintaining a focus on other issues. "It also has to have a character and finding that balance is going to be what we are trying to do here," Taylor said. For downtown Ann Arbor to pre- serve this character, Taylor plans on working closely with the Down- town Development Authority. "I think the DDA has done great work for the downtown (area) and See DEVELOPMENT, Page 3A R( lea Bi Th large does in the of th Univ )n Weiser tauts Slovakian artifacts, pictures with former U.S. presidents dership locally and senators and other memo- rabilia from his past. Weiser is one of the Republi- can candidates running for the y ALLANA AKHTAR Board of Regents, alongside Dr. Daily StaffReporter Rob Steele. The two, in addition to Democratic candidates Mike tough Ron Weiser has a Behm and Katherine White, office on Main Street, he will vie for two contested seats his work on a small table on Election Day. The seats are e corner of the room. Most those of current regents White ie office is adorned with and Julia Darlow (D). Darlow is ersity wrestling medals, not seeking re-election. Originally raised in St. Joseph, Mich., Weiser moved to Ann Arbor in 1962 to study accounting at the University. After graduating with hon- ors, he did postgraduate work at the Law School and the Busi- ness School. Shortly after graduating, Weiser founded McKinley Associates, a real-estate ven- ture that eventually grew to be valued at $4.6 billion. In 2001, former President See REGENT, Page 3A WEATHER HI: 44 TOMORROW LO: 29 GOT A NEWS TIP? NEW ON MICHIGANDAILY.COM Call 734-418-4115 or e-mail 'Who We Are' Initiative news@michigandaily.com and let us know. MICHIGANDAILY.COM/BLOGS INDEX Vol. CXXIV, No. 20 02014The Michigan Daily xsichigandsilycom N EW S .............. ..........2A S P O RTS ...... .......... .....6 A SUDOKU.....,............ 2A CLASSIFIEDS.........6...6A OPINIO N .....................4A B-SID E ..................1B A