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Monday, April 13, 2015
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SEXUAL ASSAULT POLICY
Online educational
materials updated
following Daily
editorial
By ALYSSA BRANDON
and LARA MOEHLMAN
Daily Staff Reporters
Holly
Ryder-Milkovich,
director of the University’s Sexual
Assault Prevention and Awareness
Center, announced Sunday that
SAPAC updated its website to
reflect changes to language used to
define consent.
The change occurred following
a Michigan Daily report that
revealed discrepancies between
language in the University’s Sexual
Misconduct Policy and language
SAPAC promotes and encourages
students to follow.
The
Student
Sexual
Misconduct Policy says consent
is a “Clear and unambiguous
agreement, expressed in mutually
understandable words or actions,
to engage in a particular activity.
Consent can be withdrawn by
either party at any point.”
SAPAC’s definition is more
stringent, identifying consent as
an explicitly verbal agreement,
not satisfied by silence or body
language.
In
an
editorial
published
Wednesday, the Daily’s Editorial
Board
voiced
concerns
about
the
discrepancy
between
SAPAC’s and the Student Sexual
Misconduct Policy’s definitions of
consent: “While we understand
that
SAPAC’s
definition
of
consent is educational and not a
standard used to hold individuals
accountable to University policy,
the large discrepancy between
the two is troubling; ‘mutually
understandable words or actions’
is too ambiguous,” the Board
wrote. “The current policy sets
a dangerously low threshold for
consent that can be misconstrued
and misunderstood.”
In an op-ed published in the Daily,
Rider-Milkovich said SAPAC staff
have reviewed the organization’s
educational materials on its website
to clarify the distinction between
the University’s policy and the
standard SAPAC strives to promote.
“It is an encouraging sign of
a shift in our campus cultural
CONNOR BADE/Daily
Students parade a giant, handmade float (LEFT) and the Detroit Party Marching Band performs (RIGHT) at FestiFools on Main Street Sunday.
Eighth annual
FestiFools focuses
on nostalgia for
‘Dejà Fool’ theme
By ALAINA WYGANT
Daily Staff Reporter
For the eighth year, Ann
Arborites experienced a case of
Déjà Fool. Sunday afternoon,
University students and locals
alike gathered along Main Street
to watch a parade of puppets as
part of FestiFools, a free public
art spectacle.
This year’s theme was “Déjà
Fool,” a play on the French phrase
Déjà vu, or the feeling of having
already experienced a present
situation. Retro toys, such as Rock
’em Sock ’em Robots, were given
life in the form of giant puppets
held by participants.
Numerous
musical
groups
were
part
of
the
puppet
procession. These included the
Detroit Marching Band, local
funk band The Macpodz and
University ensembles including
Brazilian
percussion
band
Vencedores and GROOVE.
FestiFools
is
organized
annually
by
WonderFool
Productions
—
a
nonprofit
organization which, in addition
to hosting the art parade, hosts
workshops
for
the
general
public and works to teach art in
K-12 schools.
According to the WonderFool
Productions website, FestiFools
was inspired by cartapesta, paper-
mâché art of the Italian Carnevale
di Viareggio.
Prior to the FestiFools parade, a
similar procession of illuminated
puppets and sculptures inhabited
the same space on Main Street
for FoolMoon, which took place
Saturday night.
Among
the
numerous
community
members
who
contribute to FestiFools are
University
students
in
the
Lloyd Hall Scholars Program,
who create puppets through an
LHSP-centric course called Art
in Public Spaces.
Mark
Tucker,
FestiFools
founder and creative director,
is also LHSP’s art director and
teaches the Art in Public Spaces
course. Subsequently, students
in the course helped create this
year’s theme.
LSA
freshman
Michelle
Belgrod, an LHSP student taking
Art in Public Spaces, said she and
her classmates took the somewhat
“nostalgic”
FestiFools
theme
to create pieces that reminded
See FOOLS, Page 3A
See SAPAC, Page 2A
CAMPUS LIFE
No protests
organized after
controversial choice
to show film
By EMILY MIILLER
Daily Staff Reporter
After the University called off
and then reinstated a showing of
the film “American Sniper,” the
screening drew about 100 people,
but no organized protest.
During the last week, the
University has received national
attention for canceling a showing
of the film “American Sniper” at
UMix, the University’s weekly
Friday evening event in the
Michigan Union.
After students circulated a letter
expressing concern about the film,
saying the screening created an
unsafe environment for Muslim
and Middle Eastern and North
African students on campus, the
University temporarily canceled
the showing, with the intention
of showing the film at a later date
followed by a panel discussion.
However,
the
University
reversed course after a counter
petition criticized the University’s
decision,
citing
free
speech
concerns. The University provided
a
simultaneous
screening
of
“Paddington” as an alternative
movie option.
Moviegoers filled most of the
Michigan Union’s Anderson Room
for “American Sniper.” Shortly
before the start of “Paddington,”
the screening room was mostly
empty.
University
spokesman
Rick
Fitzgerald said UMix may not
have been the ideal place to screen
“American Sniper,” but said the
University
needed
to
follow
through with its original decision
to screen the film.
“I think ‘American Sniper’
didn’t quite fit this venue and this
event,” he said. “But, having said
GRANT HARDY/Daily
Cancer survivors take the first lap of MRelay at Palmer Field on Saturday.
3,000 people
attend Relay for
Life fundraiser for
cancer research
By SAMIHA MATIN
Daily Staff Reporter
Games, live performances
and education booths covered
Palmer Field on Saturday for
the University’s annual Relay
for Life event.
MRelay,
the
University’s
chapter for Relay for Life that
annually organizes the event to
raise money for cancer research,
hosted the 24-hour fundraising
event for the 13th year.
LSA senior Dave Mullen-
Muhr,
MRelay
executive
director, said approximately
3,000
people
attended
Saturday’s
event,
including
representatives from dozens of
student organizations, clubs,
fraternities and sororities.
In
total,
Mullen-Muhr
said teams raised more than
$368,000 through fundraising
campaigns and benefit concerts
held
throughout
the
year.
Mullen-Muhr said this total
makes MRelay the “highest
fundraising collegiate Relay for
Life in the world.”
Aside
from
the
games
and
performances,
the
event featured a candlelight
Luminaria Ceremony, which
included an opportunity for
ACTIVISM
Fashion for Freedom
holds mock fashion
show to call attention
to rape culture
By SARAH KHAN
Daily Staff Reporter
Fashion for Freedom — a
student group that seeks to end a
perceived rape culture on college
campuses and reverse potentially
degrading media portrayals of
women, among other goals —
staged a mock fashion show on
the Diag on Friday to protest
advertisements
that
arguably
promote sexual violence and
human trafficking.
LSA junior Savannah Dupin, a
Fashion for Freedom co-founder,
said she felt the event was a fun
way to engage peers in fighting
human trafficking as a part of
Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
“I became involved because I
am passionate about preventing
trafficking in high risk areas and I
See SNIPER, Page 3A
See MRELAY, Page 3A
See FASHION, Page 3A
Definition
of consent
clarified
by SAPAC
Ann Arborites gather to
watch parade of puppets
Screening of
‘Sniper’ draws
100 students
MRelay features stories of
cancer survivors, patients
Sexist ads
protested
in event
INDEX
Vol. CXXIV, No. 101
©2015 The Michigan Daily
michigandaily.com
NEWS......................... 2A
OPINION.....................4A
A R T S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 A
SUDOKU..................... 2A
CL ASSIFIEDS............... 5A
SPORTS MONDAY.........1B
NEW ON MICHIGANDAILY.COM
Threats, racism cited following ‘Sniper’ controversy
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