michigandaily.com Ann Arbor, Michigan Thursday, February 19, 2015 CELEBRATING OUR ONE-HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FIFTH YEAR OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM A look at how the University restores books and other publications » INSIDE the b-side Full strategic plan recommended by committee in Sept. not yet released By GENEVIEVE HUMMER Daily Staff Reporter University President Mark Schlissel hosted 200 students, faculty and staff members Mon- day morning in the Michigan League Ballroom to jump start a campuswide conversation on diversity. Schlissel announced plans for the leadership breakfast in December through an e-mail newsletter delivered to students and faculty. In September, the Office of the Provost released reports from three faculty-led committees that included 13 rec- ommendations for diversifying the campus, including the cre- ation of a strategic diversity plan. Michigan Daily reporters were not invited to Monday’s event. According to a University press release and several facul- ty, administrators and students who attended the event, Schlis- sel announced intentions to pri- oritize the issue during his term, echoing sentiments similar to his September inaugural address. “I am committed to making diversity, equity and an inclusive campus environment a major focus of my presidency,” Schlissel said. “Together, we can embrace the best parts of our past and the brightest minds of the future, and create new levels of pride and excellence for everyone in the University of Michigan commu- nity.” Though Schlissel acknowl- edged the challenges ahead, he expressed optimism for the Uni- versity’s ability to achieve signifi- cant change. Issues of diversity, inclusion and equity have played a promi- ZACH MOORE/Daily The Michigan men’s soccer team (LEFT), the Michigan marching band (TOP RIGHT) and the Michigan baseball team (BOTTOM RIGHT) perform during Mock Rock at Hill Auditorium Wednesday. See DIVERSITY, Page 3A Men’s rowing team earns second straight win at event By LEV FACHER Managing Editor The Michigan men’s rowing team might not get much public- ity around campus, but on the Hill Auditorium stage, it reigns supreme. Wednesday night, the Wolver- ine rowers channeled their inner Walt Disney to repeat as champi- ons of the Student-Athlete Advi- sory Committee’s Mock Rock event, an annual charity com- petition that pits various teams’ wacky performances against one another before hundreds of current and former athletes, stu- dents, fans and alumni. The event was conceived in 1999 in honor of Jeff Reese, a member of the Michigan wres- tling team who passed away while training for an upcom- ing event. This year, SAAC partnered with the Ann Arbor YMCA, contributing proceeds to benefit children’s programs in the Washtenaw County area. The winning act was an impressively orchestrated musi- cal-theater rendition of “The Little Mermaid,” complete with dozens of costumed rowers. Some of the more notable getups included a crab, a large card- board boat named “S.S. Boat,” a jellyfish, a rock, a seahorse and, of course, a mermaid. While appointed judges have decided the winner in the past, See ROCK, Page 3A Exchange signs up almost 341,000 residents during open enrollment By JACKIE MILLER Daily Staff Reporter When open enrollment closed Sunday, almost 341,000 Michigan residents had signed up for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act’s insurance marketplace — a 25 percent increase over last year. Both the general Health Insurance Marketplace and the Healthy Michigan Plan, the state’s Medicaid expansion pro- gram, have experienced some level of success in the last year. With the closure of the enroll- ment period last Sunday, Presi- dent Barack Obama said 11.4 million people signed up for or renewed their coverage during the three month period. Currently, 559,965 benefi- ciaries are covered under the Healthy Michigan Plan, which is designed to cover residents between the ages of 19 and 64 who have an income at or below 133 percent of the federal poverty line. Carrie Rheingans is project manager for the Washtenaw Health Initiative, a countywide drive working to improve access to health care for low-income residents. She said the enrollment rates were surprisingly high. “Overall, this number has real- ly blown out of the water any esti- mates that anybody was making in the state,” Rheingans said. Rheingans added that she is not aware of any major issues that have occurred within this year’s first enrollment period, but noted that Michigan residents seem- ingly learned from the previous period, and are becoming smart- er shoppers. In particular, Rheingans said many are concerned about which health insurance plans their doc- tors will accept, as patients gener- ally want to stick with the doctor that they are currently with. “Many patients who enrolled the first time, last year, who are re-enrolling this year have been See ACA, Page 3A Roey Gilad discusses regional challenges to Israel’s borders By TANYA MADHANI Daily Staff Reporter During his second visit to the University on Wednesday evening, Roey Gilad, consulate general of Israel to the Mid- west, provided an update about current events in the Middle East from the perspective of the Israeli government. The event, titled “Israel: Facing the New Challenges in the Current Middle East,” was sponsored by the University’s chapters of advocacy groups J Street, I-LEAD, WolvPAC and the American Movement for Israel as well as the Universi- ty’s Center for Middle Eastern and North African Studies. LSA junior Inbar Lev, I-LEAD president, said Gilad reached out to the organization about giving a speech. “People are very interested in the relationship with our campus and Israel,” Lev said. “(Gilad) gives a very detailed perspective of it, as well as giving an educated one … and I think that’s really important for people to hear who don’t know anything about the issue, or who do and want to learn more about the whole environ- ment.” In the beginning of his talk, Gilad said he was not going to DELANEY RYAN/Daily Roey Gilad, Consul General of Israel to the Midwest, discusses Israeli security issues at the Michigan League Wednesday. See CONSULATE, Page 3A New program to focus on training local doctors, data collection By RACHEL WADDELL For the Daily University faculty and students will soon play a role saving lives in a country thousands of miles away. The University has helped establish a medical partnership in Ethiopia, called the Center for International Reproduction Health Training. Launched Feb. 6 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the collaboration consists of eight Ethiopian medical schools and a partnership with the Federal Ministry of Health of Ethiopia. The CIRHT looks to equip future medical doctors with life- saving reproductive health care services, according to Senait Fisseha, the center’s executive director and an associate profes- sor of obstetrics and gynecology. See ETHIOPIA, Page 3A INDEX Vol. CXXIV, No. 69 ©2015 The Michigan Daily michigandaily.com NEWS......................... 2A OPINION.....................4A SPORTS ......................7A SUDOKU..................... 2A CL ASSIFIEDS...............6A B - S I D E . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 B NEW ON MICHIGANDAILY.COM University tops Peace Corps list MICHIGANDAILY.COM/BLOGS GOT A NEWS TIP? Call 734-418-4115 or e-mail news@michigandaily.com and let us know. WEATHER TOMORROW HI: 11 LO: 9 Schlissel introduces efforts for diversity ADMINISTRATION Student-athletes unleash wild sides at Mock Rock Michigan sees increased ACA participation HEALTH Israeli consulate general talks Middle East politics ‘U’ launches reproductive health center in Ethipoia RESEARCH