michigandaily.com
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Wednesday, March 18, 2015

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

Improving the climate of the 
Business School

Residential College 
students consider 
#BlackLivesMatter 

movement

By CARLY NOAH

Daily Staff Reporter

Though demonstrators call-

ing for an end to police brutality 
covered the Diag in December 
and marched to Ann Arbor City 
Hall in January, the #Black-
LivesMatter movement is now 
taking center stage as part of a 
new class in the Residential Col-
lege.

In response to the deaths of 

two unarmed Black men in Fer-
guson, Mo. and Staten Island, 
New York at the hands of police 
officers, the Residential College 
has developed a seminar-style 
mini-course titled “Black Lives 
Matter.” The course is designed 
to give students a space to share 
their concerns and frustrations 
over recent incidents of police 
violence.

Charlie Bright, acting direc-

tor of the Residential College, 
said the program originated 
during a meeting of faculty in 
the Residential College’s Social 
Theory and Practice major. Sev-
eral of the faculty noted the sig-
nificant amount of emotion their 
students expressed incidents 
related to police brutality .

Following a grand jury’s 

decision not to press charges 
against 
the 
Ferguson 
offi-

cer who shot and killed an 
unarmed Black man, students 
held a vigil on the Diag and 
later organized a “die-in” in 
front of the Crisler Center after 
Winter Commencement.

“There was a realization 

among us that an interdisci-
plinary program like ours had 
resources and perspectives to 
bring to bear on the issues raised, 
and the learning community of 
the RC had the framework to 
foster a thoughtful conversa-
tion about the concerns students 
shared,” Bright said.

LSA freshman Darian Raz-

dar, a student in the class, said 

Former fraternity 

members must 
vacate chapter 
house by May 3 

By EMMA KERR

Daily News Editor

The University’s chapter of 

Sigma Alpha Mu was suspended 
and permanently closed by the 
fraternity’s international board 
of directors following its partici-
pation in a January ski trip that 
resulted in property damages val-
ued at more than $250,000.

In an e-mail to The Michigan 

Daily, SAM Executive Director 
Leland Manders wrote that resi-
dents currently living in the SAM 
house on Oxford Road will be 
forced to move out by May 3. He 
said he could not discuss future 
plans for the house.

Current 
University 
chap-

ter members will be placed on 
alumni status as a result of the 
board’s vote. According to Man-
ders, alumni status means that 
the members cannot affiliate 

with another chapter, do not have 
the rights associated with under-
graduate membership and are 
ineligible for SAM scholarships.

A press release sent to The 

Michigan Daily from the fraterni-
ty’s national headquarters stated 
that the actions of the University 
chapter violated SAM’s values 
and standards of conduct.

According to the national 

office’s 
press 
release, 
senior 

members of the University’s SAM 
chapter refused to cooperate in 
the national office’s investigation 
of the incident, particularly by 
refusing to name the members 
involved in the ski trip and van-
dalism and the lack of action from 
bystanders in attempting to halt 
the vandalism.

“It is regrettable that these 

vandals, as well as the officers of 
the chapter decided that avoiding 
personal accountability and/or 
university sanctions took prior-
ity over the welfare of the entire 
chapter; their lack of cooperation 
led to the university’s withdrawal 
of recognition of the entire chap-
ter for a four-year period,” the 
release read. “Sigma Alpha Mu 

Arab Heritage Month 

event embraces 
unique identities

By SAMIHA MATIN

Daily Staff Reporter

In honor of the University’s 

second annual Arab Heritage 
Month, about 70 students gath-
ered in Rackham Amphitheater 

Tuesday evening for a keynote 
address by Sa’ed Atshan, a post-
doctoral fellow at Brown Uni-
versity, about coming out as a 
gay Palestinian.

Atshan has served as a lectur-

er for peace and justice studies 
at several universities includ-
ing Harvard, Brown and Tufts. 
Besides his work advocating for 
Palestinian rights, Atshan is also 
an active member of Al-Qaws, 
an organization that promotes 

LGBTQ rights in Palestinian 
society.

Sponsored by the Trotter 

Multicultural Center, Arab Her-
itage Month provides a platform 
for students to embrace their 
Arab identities.

This year’s theme, “Arabiyon 

Ana: I am Arab,” was chosen to 
explore multiple aspects of Arab 
identities and their impacts and 
influences in the world.

Daily reporters 
ride along with 

Ann Arbor officers

By DAILY STAFF

Daily staff reporters filled the 

passenger seats of Ann Arbor 
Police Department and Universi-
ty of Michigan Police Department 
cars throughout the day Tuesday 
to get a taste of officers’ experi-
ences on one of the most notori-

ously rowdy holidays of the the 
year — St. Patrick’s Day.

Each reporter was assigned to 

an officer with whom they would 
spend the next few hours.

7:00 a.m.
St. Patrick’s day shifts began 

early. With bars such as the Blue 
Leprechaun, Ashley’s and Conor 
O’Neills opening as early as 7 a.m., 
AAPD Lt. Renee Bush met fellow 
officers at 6 a.m. by the Cube to 
divide and conquer over bagels.

For the alcohol prevention 

team, St. Patrick’s Day began 

when the Ann Arbor police, along 
with volunteers from the Univer-
sity programs Beyond the Diag 
and Expect Respect, met to hand 
out cream cheese and bagels along 
with fliers that provided tips on 
how to “Stay in the Blue.”

The group divided the bagels, 

split up and headed to their 
respective 
locations, 
focusing 

on popular bars. At 7 a.m. people 
were already lined up to take part 
in this day of drinking and merri-
ment; there was a line of about 20 
people in front of the Blue Lep-

rechaun, and an estimated 60 in 
front of both Ashley’s and Conor 
O’Neills.

While the intent of giving out 

breakfast to the public was to help 
keep people who planned to drink 
in safe health, the gesture sug-
gested the public and the police 
work together on major holidays 
to ensure safety for all celebrat-
ing.

After handing out the bagels, 

groups reconvened in the Michi-
gan Union to discuss how every-

Allegations of drug 
use call recipient’s 
story into question, 

organizer says

By ANASTASSIOS 
ADAMOPOULOS

Daily Staff Reporter

The online funding campaign 

for an Ann Arbor homeless cou-
ple hit a significant bump Tues-
day.

Kinesiology 
freshman 

Michael 
Funkhouser, 
who 

launched the campaign ear-
lier this month, said several 
people purporting to be family 
and friends of Mat and Danielle 
Chavez are now calling the cou-
ple’s story into question.

Funkhouser posted an update 

on the fundraiser’s home page 
Tuesday explaining the allega-
tions, and providing new options 
for the money’s destination. The 
campaign has raised $7,347 so 
far.

Tuesday evening, Funkhouser 

announced the money would be 
given to a local non-profit for the 
purpose of helping the couple 

AMANDA ALLEN AND LUNA ARCHEY/Daily

LEFT: Ann Arbor residents Anthony Ellis and Trinity Gahm prepare food for a cook-out at Downtown Home and Garden for St. Patrick’s Day on Tuesday. TOP 
RIGHT: Adrian residents Jeff Hewitt and Connie Zilka share an afternoon drink at Hop Cat. BOTTOM RIGHT: A green colored drink from Big Time Burrito Cantina.

BRIAN BECKWITH/Daily

Dr. Sa’ed Atshan, posdoctoral fellow in international studies at Brown University, speaks about being a gay Palestin-
ian during the “Coming Out as Gay, Coming Out as Palestinian” event hosted by Arab Heritage Month at Rackham 
Amphitheatre on Tuesday.

See FUNDRAISER, Page 3A
See STIGMA, Page 3A

See SAM, Page 3A

See CLASS, Page 3A

See PADDY’S, Page 3A

ST. PADDY’S DAY FESTIVITIES

the statement

» INSIDE

INDEX
Vol. CXXIV, No. 83
©2015 The Michigan Daily
michigandaily.com

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

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

ARTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5A

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

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

T H E S TAT E M E N T. . . . . . . .1 B

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WEATHER 
TOMORROW

HI: 46

LO: 27

ACADEMICS

Int’l board 
disbands 
SAM after 
vandalism

GREEK LIFE

AAPD officers patrol city 
amid St. Paddy’s festivities

Class examines 
protests against 
police brutality

Professor addresses stigma 
faced by gay Palestinians

Fundraiser 
for homeless 
couple stalls

ANN ARBOR

