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Thursday, April 9, 2015

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Nearly 100 

students, faculty 
members gather to 
reflect on tragedy

By SAMIHA MATIN

Daily Staff Reporter

Nearly 100 University students 

and faculty members gathered 
Wednesday night on the Diag to 

honor the 148 lives lost in the al-
Shabaab militant group attack on 
Garissa College in Kenya.

At the candlelight vigil, which 

was hosted by the African Students 
Association, attendees held candles 
for 148 seconds of silence — repre-
senting each life lost — before they 
stood on the steps of the Hatcher 
Graduate Library to recite poems 
and speeches. Though the students 
believed the number to be 148, 
conflicting news reports listed the 
number of deaths as either 147 and 

148.

The victims of the attack in 

Kenya were mostly students. This 
was not the first time al-Shabaab 
attacked Kenya. In 2013, the mili-
tant group killed 69 people in Nai-
robi’s Westgate Mall. The attacks 
increased after Kenyan military 
troops were sent to Somalia, al-Sha-
baab’s base, four years ago to fight 
against the group.

At the vigil, many students 

voiced their concerns about the 
lack of media coverage of the 

attack. In a speech, LSA senior 
Olubisi Ajetunmobi, president of 
the African Students Association, 
attempted to personify the students 
whose lives were lost, reflecting 
on the trending Twitter hashtag 
#148isnotjustanumber.

“The students were brothers, sis-

ters, friends and loved ones whose 
lives were cut short by this murder-
ous act,” Ajetunmobi said. “While 
the world stands by and ignores 
what is happening, we need to 

University reverses 
decision to not play 

controversial 
film at UMix

By EMMA KINERY

Daily Staff Reporter

After a letter circulated by 

concerned students caused the 
University to cancel a showing 
of the film “American Sniper,” 
the Center for Campus Involve-
ment will still show the film at 
its regularly scheduled UMix 
event Friday night, according 
to a statement by E. Royster 
Harper, vice president for stu-
dent life.

Earlier today, CCI announced 

the organization would show 
the film at a separate time, and 
the film “Paddington” would 
replace the film’s slot at UMix. 
However, according to Harper, 
the movie will be shown at the 
originally scheduled location at 
UMix, along with the alterna-

tive “Paddington” movie. “Pad-
dington” will be screened at 
another location on campus.

“It was a mistake to cancel the 

showing of the movie “Ameri-
can Sniper” on campus as part 
of a social event for students,” 
she said. “The initial decision to 
cancel the movie was not con-
sistent with the high value the 
University of Michigan places 
on freedom of expression and 
our respect for the right of stu-
dents to make their own choices 
in such matters.”

“We 
recognize, 
however, 

that some students are uncom-
fortable with the content of the 
movie, and appreciate that con-
cern,” she added.

The decision follows the cre-

ation of a student-generated 
petition Wednesday that called 
for the University to reverse 
its previous move to cancel the 
showing.

Before 
Harper’s 
state-

ment, CCI announced plans 
to reschedule the showing of 
“American Sniper” at the Uni-

Administrators 

talk changes to LSA 
R&E requirement, 

diversity issues

By ANASTASSIOS 
ADAMOPOULOS

Daily Staff Reporter

A Residential College mini-

course focused on the “Black 
Lives Matter” protests concluded 
Wednesday with a panel featur-
ing University President Mark 
Schlissel and Angela Dillard, LSA 
associate dean of Undergraduate 
Education.

Black Lives Matter is a nation-

wide 
movement 
started 
in 

response to multiple deaths of 
unarmed Black men in encoun-
ters with police officers over 
the past several months, notably 
involving the cases of Michael 
Brown in Ferguson, Mo., and Eric 
Garner in New York. The mini-
course was intended to foster dis-
cussion both about the incidents 
and the protests, as well as talk 
about broader issues of inequity 

in the United States. It was open 
to faculty and community mem-
bers as well as students.

The course has hosted several 

other guest speakers, including 
Shaka Senghor, an author and 
motivational speaker, and Detroit 
activist Ron Scott. Wednesday’s 
seminar provided an occasion 
for attendees to ask questions 
and express their opinions about 
issues regarding diversity on 
campus, particularly LSA’s Race 
and Ethnicity requirement. Sev-
eral students drafted several pro-
posals to change the requirement 
last year, and the LSA Curricu-
lum Committee is currently look-
ing into plans to review it.

Dillard’s presentation focused 

mainly on the history of the 
requirement, as well as how a 
series of events last year, such as 
the #BBUM movement, provoked 
initial discussion about reconsid-
ering it.

The #BBUM Twitter cam-

paign launched in November 
2013 by members of the Black 
Student Union and was intended 
to express the experiences of 
Black students at the University. 

At final fireside 
chat, University 
executives talk 
future initiatives

By GENEVIEVE HUMMER

Daily Staff Reporter

Sexual assault on campus 

dominated 
the 
conversation 

Wednesday at University Presi-
dent Mark Schlissel’s final fire-
side chat of the year.

During the chat, which allows 

randomly selected students the 
opportunity to ask any ques-

tions of their choosing, Schlissel 
said the University will likely 
unveil modifications to the 
University’s sexual misconduct 
policy in the fall. He said these 
changes could potentially focus 
on ensuring students are well-
represented throughout the dis-
ciplinary process and that they 
stay on top of their school work 
during the process.

“One thing, in particular, 

we’re concerned about is there 
are issues of representation dur-
ing the process, and after the 
process, as well, helping students 
to get caught up … to provide the 
interface for the academic side of 

the house to the greatest extent 
possible allows you to continue 
the setting of a very difficult 
period of time,” he said.

E. Royster Harper, vice presi-

dent of student life, also attend-
ed the chat. Harper outlined 
several steps the University was 
taking to improve the Univer-
sity’s existing policies.

She listed increased outreach 

to student groups, adding staff 
to the Sexual Assault Prevention 
and Awareness Center and ana-
lyzing results from the student 
survey on sexual misconduct that 
was distributed this semester.

Student creates 
application to 
show ratings on 
LSA course guide

By COLLEEN HARRISON

Daily Staff Reporter

Rather than flipping back 

and forth between RateMy-
Professors.com and the LSA 
Course Guide, LSA senior 
Mitchell Gildenberg created 
a Google Chrome plug-in that 
displays the site’s teacher rat-
ings on the course guide.

The application is called 

“University of Michigan Cour-
seguide+,” and students can 
download it from the Chrome 
Web Store. Once students 
download the plug-in, they 
will see the professors’ rat-
ings listed under their names 
upon opening the LSA Course 
Guide. 
Rating 
categories 

include overall rating, average 
grade, helpfulness, clarity and 
easiness.

Gildenberg 
said 
when 

scheduling last year, he noticed 

See VIGIL, Page 3A
See SNIPER, Page 2A

See EXTENSION, Page 3A
See SCHLISSEL, Page 3A
See RC, Page 3A

DELANEY RYAN/Daily

LSA junior Rabia Kadwani joins a candlelight vigil on the Diag Wednesday night to honor the 148 killed in the terrorist attack on Garrisa College in Kenya.

DELANEY RYAN/Daily

University President Mark Schlissel discusses sexual assualt on campus, among other issues, at his final fireside chat 
of the year at the Union Wednesday. 

INDEX
Vol. CXXIV, No. 99
©2015 The Michigan Daily
michigandaily.com

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

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

SPORTS...................... 5A

SUDOKU..................... 2A

CL ASSIFIEDS............... 5A

B - S I D E . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 B

NEW ON MICHIGANDAILY.COM
Student launches petition to allow movie showing
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WEATHER 
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CAMPUS LIFE

ADMINISTRATION
ACADEMICS

‘American 
Sniper’ will 
play after 
complaints

RC class hosts 
‘U’ president, 
associate dean

Vigil honors 148 student 
lives lost in Kenya attack

Extension 
built for 
Rate My 
Professors

Schlissel: ‘U’ to improve 
sexual assault procedures

