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Ann Arbor, Michigan
Wednesday, February 25, 2015

CELEBRATING OUR ONE-HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FIFTH YEAR OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM

Trip comes after 

Snyder recommends 
2 percent increase 
for higher education

By GENEVIEVE HUMMER

Daily Staff Reporter

University 
President 
Mark 

Schlissel spent Tuesday afternoon 
in Lansing meeting with mem-
bers of the state Senate and House 
Appropriations Subcommittees on 
Higher Education.

Schlissel and several other state 

university leaders, including the 
chancellors of the University’s 
Flint and Dearborn campuses, 
addressed Gov. Rick Snyder’s 
higher education budget recom-
mendation during the meeting, 
with a focus on his proposed 
funding to higher education.

Schlissel voiced appreciation 

for Snyder’s proposed 2 percent 
increase in higher education 
funding and the state’s contin-

ued interest in the University’s 
work.

In the first budget of Snyder’s 

term, colleges and universities 
saw a 15 percent cut to higher 
education funding. Though Sny-
der has increased funding levels 
incrementally each year, the cuts 
came during a time when high-
er education funding already 
faced a declining trend. Univer-
sity President Emerita Mary Sue 
Coleman frequently made simi-
lar trips to Lansing to emphasize 
the importance of state funding.

Schlissel noted that Michigan 

residents support higher educa-
tion as “a pathway to prosper-
ity,” a belief he observed while 
traveling around the state last 
summer before beginning his 
term as University president.

During Tuesday’s meeting, 

he said he was impressed by the 
state’s beauty, history and focus 
on the future. He added that 
residents’ pride in state univer-
sities and colleges was apparent 
over the course of the trip, dur-

See FUNDS, Page 3A

Revival of #UMDivest 

initiative calls for 
examination of ‘U’ 

investments 

By EMILY MIILLER

Daily Staff Writer

Students Allied for Freedom 

and Equality — the University 
chapter of the activist group Stu-

dents for Justice in Palestine — 
read a new divestment resolution 
Tuesday during the Divestment 
and Sanctions Symposium. Orga-
nizers intend to bring before the 
Central Student Government.

The resolution calls for CSG 

to support the creation of a com-
mittee through the University’s 
Board of Regents to examine the 
ethics of the University’s invest-
ments, specifically in companies 
that allegedly facilitate the viola-
tions of Palestinian human rights. 

The resolution calls on the regents 
to divest University endowment 
holdings from Caterpillar Inc., 
The Boeing Company, G4S and 
the United Technologies Corpo-
ration.

SAFE advocated for a similar 

divestment resolution last March 
that failed to pass in CSG. The 
vote brought hundreds of individ-
uals both supporting and oppos-
ing the divestment resolution to 
the Michigan Union during the 
CSG vote.

LSA senior Sami Shalabi, a 

member of SAFE, said the group is 
trying to approach the resolution 
differently this year.

“We’re 
mainly 
steering 

towards focusing on the compa-
nies that are socially irrespon-
sible,” Shalabi said. “We’re trying 
to take the emotion out of it and 
present facts.”

Following the reading, there 

was an opportunity for those in 
attendance to provide their input 

WILLIAM LYNCH/Daily

LSA sophomores Nicole Khamis and Danielle Rabie debate with LSA freshman Jordan Katz at the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) symposium about 
#UMDivest at North Quad on Tuesday. 

See DIVEST, Page 3A

University prof. 

establishes system 
to increase student 

risk-taking

By CARLY NOAH

Daily Staff Reporter

When Education Prof. Barry 

Fishman walks into one of his 
classes, he uses a program called 
GradeCraft in which students 
begin with a grade of 0 percent and 
have the ability to build up their 
grade as high as they desire.

This is a far cry from typical 

first-day-of-class speeches, Fish-
man, who is also a professor in the 
School of Information, explained. 
Most professors tend to tell their 
students that they begin class with 
an A+ and the grade is theirs to 
lose.

“It’s 
incredibly 
problematic 

because once someone says that, 
all you can do is lose points,” Fish-
man said. “So say you do a fabulous 
job on your first paper and get a 99 
percent. While that’s great, you 
don’t have 100 percent anymore 
and you never will again.”

GradeCraft, an online learning 

platform created at the University 
and designed to complement sites 
such as CTools and Canvas, pres-
ents a potential solution to this 
problem by making grades some-
thing to win.

According to Fishman, there 

are two types of learning environ-
ments that involve gaming and the 
classroom: what he calls “gami-
fication” and having a “gameful 
classroom.”

Gamification is taking an exist-

ing system and giving it game-like 
features to force people into doing 
specific tasks. Fishman does not 
support this method of teaching, 
and compared it to the advertising 
incentive methods used by airline 
companies.

“Maybe you don’t love Delta Air 

Lines but you’ve got a lot of fre-
quent flyer miles so you’re going 
to fly Delta,” Fishman explained. 
“They’ve got you because you’re 
kind of trapped in their points sys-
tem.”

He called this method ineffec-

tive because it does not allow for 
people to take the course of action 
they actually desire.

In contrast to gamification, the 

See GRADES, Page 3A

Governor’s plan 
includes renewed 

emphasis on 

community c ollege

By EMMA KINERY

Daily Staff Reporter

Following statewide elections 

in which higher education was 
a point of debate, this article is 
the second in a series examining 
the changing landscape of higher 

education funding in Michigan, 
and what those changes mean for 
four-year universities.

When 
Gov. 
Rick 
Snyder 

delivered his State of the State 
address in January, he discussed 
career technical training pro-
grams, associate’s degrees, dual 
enrollment and other higher 
education pathways.

“One of our goals is to be 

number one in skilled trade 
training,” Snyder announced in 
the address.

However, while he made a 

point to emphasize these pro-

grams in the address, the gov-
ernor did not mention any of the 
state’s four-year colleges and 
universities.

Snyder’s focus on options 

beyond 
four-year 
universi-

ties isn’t new. Over his tenure, 
among other initiatives, the 
governor has introduced a new 
apprenticeship program in the 
state. As part of the GOP agen-
da, this legislative session has 
featured bills to increase dual 
enrollment opportunities for 
high school students.

See HIGHER ED, Page 3A

Ackerman to face 
incumbent member 
in August’s Ward 3 
Democratic primary

By EMMA KERR

Daily News Editor

In a city where the City Council 

wards split Ann Arbor’s student 
population five ways, LSA senior 
Zachary Ackerman declared his 
candidacy Tuesday for a seat on 
the Ann Arbor City Council.

Ackerman, a Democrat and 

Ann Arbor native, will run in 
Ward 3 for a seat currently held 
by Councilmember Stephen Kun-
selman (D–Ward 3).

In an interview with The Michi-

gan Daily, Ackerman said by age 15 
he had already found a passion for 
local government and was inspired 
by his experience shadowing Ann 
Arbor Mayor Christopher Taylor 
(D), then a city councilmember.

Ackerman said his interest in 

civic engagement played a key 
role in moving him toward run-
ning for city council.

Now 21 years old, Ackerman 

See COUNCIL, Page 3A

A look at how, why and where 
‘U’ students get their local grub

The Statement

» INSIDE

In Lansing, 
Schlissel 
lobbies for 
state funds

GOVERNMENT

SAFE launches campaign 
to encourage divestment

ACADEMICS
Platform aims 
to shift basis 
for class grades

ANN ARBOR

Sndyer promotes career 
and technical education

LSA senior 
announces 
run for seat 
on Council

INDEX
Vol. CXXIV, No. 74
©2015 The Michigan Daily
michigandaily.com

NEWS......................... 2A

OPINION.....................4A

SPORTS ......................7A

SUDOKU..................... 3A

CL ASSIFIEDS...............6A

THE STATEMENT..........1B

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