and suggestions regarding the res-
olution.

LSA sophomore Nicole Kha-

mis, a member of SAFE, said she 
believes a University ethics review 
committee should already exist.

“After we divested from South 

Africa, when that happened, if you 
look in the University records, 
what they wanted to do was to 
create a committee to look at 
our investments,” Khamis said. 
“Unfortunately, that hasn’t been 
the case, and that doesn’t exist.”

The resolution cites United 

Nations 
Security 
Resolution 

242 and various University poli-
cies, including the University’s 
divestments from South African 
apartheid in 1978 and tobacco 
companies in 2000, as the reason-
ing for creating the committee.

If the committee is formed and 

decides the University should 
divest from the companies, the 
four corporations would be given 
a year’s warning to change the 
policies deemed unethical. The 
University 
would 
discontinue 

investing in the companies if 
these changes were not imple-
mented.

Apart from SAFE, members of 

the University’s Divest to Invest 
group gathered on the Diag ear-
lier this month to call for the Uni-
versity’s divestment from fossil 
fuels.

However, according to Univer-

sity spokesman Rick Fitzgerald, 
the threshold for passing a divest-
ment policy is purposefully diffi-
cult to reach.

“The bar is set intentionally 

high ... to somewhat insulate 
the investment office from the 
political winds that could change 
from one direction to the other,” 
Fitzgerald said in an interview 
last year. “So the bar for consider-
ing divesting is set intentionally 
very high and requires this broad 
pervasive sentiment throughout 
University community to even be 
considered.”

Prior to the reading of the 

resolution, various booths pro-
vided information on the history 
of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict 
and information about the SAFE 
movement.

Khamis said the symposium 

sought to raise awareness and 
understanding about the conflict, 
as well as encourage students to 
instigate change.

“It’s about what you can do 

right now,” Khamis said.

LSA senior Daniel Hurwitz-

Goodman, a member of Jewish 
Voice for Peace, attended the 
event in support of SAFE and the 
divestment movement.

“I think that the idea of hav-

ing education and feedback at the 
forefront is an important aspect 
of getting something like this 
actually passed rather than just 
talked about,” Hurwitz-Good-
man said.

While he’s also spent time 

addressing 
four-year 
schools, 

these initiatives have caught the 
attention of educational institu-
tions around Michigan, many of 
whom are wondering what this 
new emphasis will mean for their 
future.

Give and take?

In public appearances over his 

tenure, the governor has stressed 
that his focus is on bringing more 
career readiness to the states’ 
higher education offerings, not 
taking something away.

Speaking at his annual educa-

tion summit last March, Snyder 
said he wants higher education to 
adopt a broader approach in pre-
paring students for the workforce.

“(Michigan education) is too 

often focused on a diploma or a 
degree, and not saying, ‘Are you 
career ready?’” he said at the time.

In a public appearance in 

Macomb late last year, Snyder said 
the idea individuals need a college 
degree has been reinforced too 
much, and he wants to swing the 
balance back, The Macomb Daily 
reported.

“The part we messed up is that 

we didn’t say with equal fervor and 
equal passion (to teens) that you 
should also look at skilled trades 
and you should look at career tech-
ed … the whole country messed up 
on this issue and we were a part of 
messing up on this issue.”

Many higher education poli-

cymakers and university officials 
across the state say they are opti-
mistic about that idea of an addi-
tion, not a replacement, especially 
in regards to how those programs 
are funded in the state budget.

In Snyder’s fiscal year 2016 

budget recommendation this Feb-
ruary, he doubled the amount of 
money allocated to skilled trades 
programs — from $10 million to 
$20 million. However, appropria-
tions for universities and colleges 
also received an increase of 2 per-
cent, in line with previous increas-
es over the past few years.

Cynthia Wilbanks, the Univer-

sity’s vice president for govern-
ment relations, said in an interview 
before the budget’s release that 
she did not believe universities 
would have to make concessions 
as a result of increased attention to 
trades programs.

“I am very reluctant to iden-

tify the governor’s focus as being 

singly focused, and an either or 
proposition where winners and 
losers are identified as coming 
out of that kind of a discussion,” 
Wilbanks said. “I prefer to think 
about the governor’s comments as 
not an either-or opportunity, and 
I think that’s really important. 
What I think people will try to 
do on occasion is divide and con-
quer: if we just put more resourc-
es into this area of education, 
that means someone else is going 
to lose out. And I do not believe 
that is the intention of the gover-
nor and other policy makers.”

State Rep. Amanda Price (R–

Holland), chair of the House 
Education Committee, said she 
sees skilled trades programs as 
a way to better match student 
needs.

“Some people are going to 

feel that their skills are served 
better by four-year universi-
ties, and they want to go in that 
direction,” she said. “A lot of 
kids … they know they’re going 
to work with their hands, or 
know they’re going to work in 
the skilled trades and then that’s 
a better fit for them. So I think 
it’s finding what is the best fit for 
that individual, as opposed to a 
zero-sum game.”

State Rep. Jeff Irwin (D–

Ann Arbor), who serves on the 
Appropriations subcommittee on 
Higher Education, said while he 
did not think that the increased 
attention 
towards 
alternative 

higher education routes would 
have an impact on university 
funding, it’s hard to ever be sure.

“I don’t personally see a direct 

conflict between that and uni-
versity funding,” he said. “Of 
course there’s always a conflict 
between any funding line and 
another. I would see that more 
as a conflict than say, our cor-
rections expenses.”

Speaking before the budget 

recommendation release, Dale 
Tahtinen, vice president of gov-
ernment relations at Michigan 
Technological University, said 
he thinks the impact on a uni-
versity’s budget would depend 
on the focus of that university’s 
programs.

“Hopefully 
(the 
financial 

impact) will be minimal, but 
it may have an impact, prob-
ably on some more than others 
depending on what they offer,” 
Tahtinen said.

MAT2

The governor’s push for 

career education has manifest-

ed in several distinct ways.

During his State of the State 

address, Snyder highlighted one 
of his earliest initiatives — the 
Michigan 
Advanced 
Techni-

cal Training Program. MAT2 
launched in 2013, after the gover-
nor observed a similar program 
during a 2012 visit to Germany.

Ryan Hundt, a senior program 

manager for the Michigan Eco-
nomic Development Corpora-
tion’s Talent Enhancement unit, 
runs MAT2, which combines 
both job training and in-class-
room learning. He said when it 
comes to Michigan, the program 
is the first of its kind.

“There have been apprentice-

ship programs around the state 
and around the country for quite 
some time,” he said. “The MAT2 
program was modeled on the 
German dual education system, 
and the German dual education 
system kind of blends compo-
nents of a traditional classroom 
setting with employer on-the-job 
training.”

What makes the MAT2 pro-

gram unique, he said, is that it is 
employer-driven, based on con-
necting students with potential 
future employers, rather than 
only teaching job skills.

MAT2 currently is involved 

in three community colleges on 
four college campuses: Macomb 
Community College at their south 
campus in Warren, Oakland Com-
munity College on the Auburn 
Hills and Orchard Ridge cam-
puses, and Henry Ford College in 
Dearborn.

More than 90 students are cur-

rently enrolled.

In 2013, MAT2 had partnered 

with Oakland Community Col-
lege and Henry Ford Community 

College and only offered a mecha-
tronics program, with just 31 stu-
dents enrolled. In 2014, with the 
governor’s support, the programs 
expanded to include Macomb 
Community College, adding a 
technical product design program, 
an information technology pro-
gram and enrolling more than an 
additional 60 students.

This year, MAT2 plans to 

expand to both include a new 
technician program, and move 
outside of the Southeast Michigan.

“We’re planning on partnering 

with Lansing Community College, 
Kalamazoo Valley Community 
College, Delta College in Saginaw, 
North Central Community Col-
lege in Petoskey and Baker College 
in Cadillac,” Hundt said. “We’re 
hoping that MAT2 is not just an 
educational and training model for 
Michigan, but we’re hoping that it 
can be replicated throughout the 
U.S. at some point as well.”

Hundt said he saw several ben-

efits to the governor’s focus on the 
skilled trades, including increased 
awareness of them as options.

“It also makes programs like 

MAT2 seem like a viable educa-
tional aid career option,” Hundt 
said. “Especially for students that 
may not necessarily know what 
they’d like to do after high school, 
or they may be interested in a par-
ticular field but they don’t neces-
sarily want to go off to a four-year 
college or a university.”

Participant Rebekka Neumann 

said she fell in this category, and 
was encouraged by her teachers 
and robotics team coaches to join 
the MAT2 program after gradua-
tion.

Read more online at 
michigandaily.com
ing which he met with leaders of 
startup companies born out of 
University research and a hand-
ful of local non-profits.

Schlissel stressed the Uni-

versity’s deep connection to the 
state, highlighting its commit-
ment to meeting 100 percent 
of demonstrated financial need 
for all in-state students. He said 
that commitment has made the 
University more affordable than 
it was five years ago for in-state 
students that demonstrate finan-
cial need.

This was a point Coleman 

made in a February 2013 speech 
to the House Appropriations Sub-
committee on Higher Education. 
Snyder’s budget proposal that 
year also provided for modest 
funding increases for public state 

universities; Coleman said this 
allowed for continuing improve-
ment of the University’s financial 
aid programs.

“Only one (University) bud-

get item is sacrosanct and that 
is financial aid; here we are add-
ing dollars,” she said. “This year 
alone, we invested $137 million 
for financial aid. We are very, 
very deliberate when targeting 
savings on campus — the kind of 
precision you might experience in 
an advanced course in nano-engi-
neering or microsurgery.”

Schlissel also cited the Uni-

versity’s collaborations with the 
state’s automotive, technology, 
urban planning and insurance 
industries. For example, he noted 
the University is currently work-
ing with government and educa-
tion officials to build a 32-acre 
mobility transformation center 
to develop automated, driverless 
vehicles.

will graduate from the University 
in December — a semester late due 
to a brief stint working as a depu-
ty field director for Rep. Debbie 
Dingell’s campaign during the sec-
ond half of 2014.

After leading a volunteer group 

during Taylor’s campaign for 
mayor last year, Ackerman said 
his experience working on vari-
ous campaigns has taught him the 
importance of dedication to one’s 
constituents.

“You learn how to really engage 

in the community and you learn 
how to really be active and present, 
and you learn that combination of 
thoughtfulness, open-mindedness, 
and a data-driven, progressive 
approach to governance,” he said.

When deciding whether to run, 

Ackerman considered what he 
could offer to the community. He 
said he aspires to be a leader, but 
one that promotes civic engage-
ment rather than a personal agen-
da.

“As a civic leader, I want to 

make 
municipal 
government 

more accessible and understand-
able to constituents,” Ackerman 

said. “We need to invest primar-
ily in our infrastructure and basic 
services. We can’t do those things 
well enough. As a community 
leader, I want to make Ann Arbor 
more accessible and attractive to 
residents. To achieve that qual-
ity of life, we need to invest in our 
people.”

Ackerman said the type of peo-

ple the city caters to and attracts 
is important, and subsequently 
he hopes his more youthful per-
spective will provide insights into 
how the city can best attract and 
keep young professionals. He also 
emphasized that he is interested in 
collaboration and respecting dif-
fering ideas — values he said reflect 
the spirit of Ann Arbor.

Vying for the seat held by 

incumbent Councilmember Ste-
phen Kunselman (D–Ward 3), 
Ackerman said he aspires to bring 
open-mindedness to City Council.

“I find (Kunselman) to be not 

necessarily the most collaborative 
person, and I think a lot of people 
who work in city politics, includ-
ing city staff, and a lot of residents 
would agree with that. I don’t 
think he comes to the table with 
a sense of open-mindedness that 
I believe is necessary to help make 
Ann Arbor fully functional.”

Kunselman did not wish to 

comment on these remarks at this 
time, but said he is planning to run 
a full, competitive campaign for 
re-election in the coming months.

Ackerman said one issue he 

has noticed that requires more 
attention is homelessness and the 
resources available to create more 
permanent solutions, including 
shelters and affordable housing.

“We have to make sure Ann 

Arbor is accessible to anyone who 
wants to call Ann Arbor home,” he 
said.

In addition to considering new 

locations for possible affordable 
housing units, Ackerman said 
the Delonis Center — a shelter 
that offers temporary housing 
for those who need it — could 
be restructured to better serve 
Washtenaw County residents. The 
shelter is currently funded in part 
by the state, which means it has to 
accept any Michigan resident.

“(The 
Delonis 
Center) 
has 

become the homeless shelter for 
the greater southeast area,” Ack-
erman said. “We need to take a 
look at how we fund the Delonis 
Center in a way that allows us to 
focus on Washtenaw County and 
Ann Arbor residents so that we 
can provide not only a temporary 

shelter for people but also any 
social support they need while on 
their way to permanent housing 
and a place in Ann Arbor’s work-
force.”

Ackerman said encouraging an 

increase in affordable housing — 
an issue he said he will approach 
with a unique perspective — is 
necessary in Ann Arbor.

Amid lengthy debate, City 

Council has been working to 
update zoning protocols, an issue 
Taylor emphasized during the 
mayoral race and one Ackerman 
agreed still requires attention. 
The construction of high-rise 
apartment buildings has attract-
ed extensive debate in recent 
years.

Considering both student needs 

and residential needs, Ackerman 
said he is prepared to come to the 
table with fresh ideas and a unique 
outlook in the conversation about 
housing and downtown develop-
ment.

“I think there were some over-

sights in the zoning process that 
began in 2007,” Ackerman said. 
“Zoning can be done better to 
make sure Ann Arbor stays the 
historic and attractive skyline we 
want — like considering a buf-
fer zone between residents and 

downtown, staggering heights, 
things like that.”

Ackerman also suggested find-

ing innovative approaches to 
affordable housing, such as pro-
moting accessory units, or small 
dwellings attached to single-fam-
ily homes that are often rented at 
more affordable rates.

“This is just supplemental, but 

it’s creative and communal,” he 
said. “There are a lot of issues at 
play when you talk about afford-
ability and the student body. “

As an employee of the Univer-

sity’s Information and Technology 
Services, Ackerman said he hopes 
his knowledge and perspective 
will help bring Ann Arbor as a city 
into the 21st century.

“In terms of road repair, there 

are a lot more proactive measures 
that we can take.” he said. “In 
terms of problem reporting, places 
like Jackson are experimenting 
with civic applications for your 
phones.”

Ackerman said there is a notice-

able divide among members of 
Council, preventing the body from 
taking more progressive initia-
tives.

“I would say that AA politics 

is more factionalized than it has 
been,” Ackerman said.”There are 

those that want to take a forward 
looking lens to municipal govern-
ment and there are those who 
want to look at the short term and 
what will serve their benefit in the 
immediate.”

Students have struggled to 

secure a seat on Council for years. 
The Mixed Use party focused on 
adopting a more relaxed zoning 
code, and ran several several Uni-
versity students for Council in the 
2013 election. In 2014, LSA fresh-
man Sam McMullen ran for a seat 
on council as well. These attempts 
proved unsuccessful.

This year, University alum Will 

Leaf, a former co-chair of the 
Mixed Use party, will run also for 
a seat on council.

According to a Daily analysis 

last month, 14.72 percent of Ward 
3 consists of students who are 
registered voters. Of the 7,000 
students registered to vote, only 
1,900 voted in the 2014 Ann Arbor 
election.

Ackerman, however, said he 

won’t be relying too heavily on 
student support at the polls, but 
rather hopes to reach out to com-
munity members in his ward, run-
ning a grassroots campaign and 
going door-to-door.

3-News

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
News
Wednesday, February 25, 2015 — 3A

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second method, which is used in 
GradeCraft, is known as a “game-
ful classroom.” Theorized to foster 
a better learning environment in 
the classroom, the model attempts 
to encourage students to take risks.

“I would actually claim that all 

of school is a game right now — 
it’s just a terrible game,” Fishman 
said. “My job is to figure out what 
makes it such a terrible game and 
what I can do to make it into a bet-
ter game.”

Fishman said his inspiration for 

“gameful learning” can be found in 
very successful video games.

“They have been designed very 

well to get people very engaged and 
want to try very difficult things,” 
he said. “They’re set up to encour-

age you to take risks and even if 
that means you’re going to fail, the 
cost of failure isn’t so critical — if 
your character dies, you’ll get a new 
character.”

Fishman said students’ fear 

of failure is what inspired him to 
create an online learning system 
where students can determine 
their goals and grades for their 
own classes.

“High school used to be prepa-

ration for college and now it’s 
preparation for applying to col-
lege,” Fishman said. “The result is 
you’ll end up in college and you’re 
so used to be doing exactly what 
you’re supposed to do that you’re 
not sure how to take a risk. But 
failure is super important.”

With these ideas in mind, Fish-

man created GradeCraft. The plat-
form currently serves over 1,400 
students in 15 classes at the Uni-

versity and two at the University 
of Michigan—Dearborn in disci-
plines ranging from kinesiology to 
linguistics.

The site allows students to view 

their assignments, course prog-
ress, grade predictor, badges and 
teaching teams.

Students are able to choose 

which assignments they want 
to do and see how the preferred 
assignments 
will 
affect 
their 

grade.

Fishman said the key to the 

platform is the grade predictor. 
The predictor allows students 
to view their cumulative points 
within a class and alter the assign-
ments they elect based on the 
feedback they receive from their 
instructor.

“Everything is optional — even 

attendance,” Fishman said. “It 
also allows students to have free-

dom to fail. If you don’t do well on 
an assignment, you can try some-
thing else.”

Fishman said he believes the 

greatest problem with students 
using the site is their early anxi-
ety after assessing the amount of 
work required for a GradeCraft 
course. However, he said Gra-
deCraft allows instructors to look 
for “cues” that may hint at a future 
poor performance by the student.

“I have a different interface 

that lets me see how students are 
doing,” Fishman said. “It lets me 
analyze at what point students 
begin to fall into trouble.”

Fishman said interest in Gra-

deCraft is growing among educa-
tors from all over the world.

“We get half-a-dozen requests 

per week from people who want 
to use it,” he said. “We’re not 
ready for the outside world to use 

it yet.”

In an e-mail interview, Infor-

mation junior Monica Chen said 
GradeCraft is unlike any other 
online learning platform because 
it fuses the concepts of competi-
tion and cooperation together. 
Because the system is so complex, 
the success of the program is left 
largely to the professor.

“The badge system might not 

be tweaked or implemented at all, 
the scale of points might be too 
low to inspire dedicated work, 
there might not be a theme or 
leveler scheme as encourage-
ment, and depth of information 
as a whole might be inadequate, 
among other things,” Chen said.

Rackham student Ryan Wawr-

zaszek, a former student of Fish-
man’s as an undergraduate, said 
in an e-mail interview that the 
benefits of GradeCraft lie in the 

flexibility students have in choos-
ing what work to do outside of the 
classroom.

“In Professor Fishman’s class, 

every assignment was optional, so 
you were able to pick and choose 
which assignments seemed more 
interesting to you,” Wawrzaszek 
said. “GradeCraft made it easy to 
plan out the semester by clearly 
showing due dates, assignment 
specifications, grading rubrics 
and point values right at the 
beginning of the semester.”

Wawrzaszek added that the 

grade predictor helped him man-
age his assignments.

“It was nice to have a clear but 

flexible list of assignments right 
from the start and to also have an 
option to do an extra assignment 
or two if I didn’t do as well as I 
had hoped on one of the projects I 
picked out at the start,” he wrote. 

GRADES
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