petition to point out a hole in
the CSG Election Code which
allowed the creation of such
an organization. To make his
point, he founded LINPAC,
which stands for Likeminded
Individuals
Networking
to
Passionately
Advocate
on
Campus. He said under the
current code, the organization
could essentially operate like
the PACs that fund state and
federal elections.
“The decision to create it
was literally a joke,” Lin said in
an interview Sunday. “I figured
it would be a good way to stay
involved this term.”
He said the loophole was
brought to his attention at
the end of the last election
cycle, and he figured forming
a PAC of his own was the best
method to inform the current
CSG administration that the
loophole needed to be closed.
In the petition, Lin stated
there
are
currently
no
restrictions in the election code
that prohibit the formation of
an advocacy group to fundraise
and produce advertisements
for candidates of its choice.
The
current
election
code
limits spending and donations
for
individual
candidates,
legislative
campaigns,
presidential tickets and parties,
but he said LINPAC wouldn’t
violate any of those provisions.
He asked CSG for an opinion
on whether his analysis was
correct, which was ultimately
denied.
Lin
said
his
petition
was influenced by Stephen
Colbert’s Colbert Super PAC.
“I don’t intend on actually
going through on any of it,” Lin
said. “I just wanted to point
out that there’s a hole someone
should look into fixing.”
However, Lin said he can
see reason to keep the loophole
open.
“Obviously this is something
that we allow in our federal
elections,” he said. “If it’s
something we allow at that
level … maybe it should be
constitution-protected at our
level as well.”
The
CSG
Elections
Commission
had
36
hours
to
address
Lin’s
petition.
Saturday,
CSG
Election
Director Benjamin Reese, a law
student, denied Lin’s request.
In an e-mail, Reese said the
counsel is already working
on addressing the hole in the
election code Lin’s petition
acknowledges.
Reese said the petition raises
questions
about
how
First
Amendment rights would apply
to a campus election.
“This is getting into Citizens
United territory, and whether
money is speech and whether
that decision applies to the
campus context,” Reese said.
“It’s going to require the
commission to do a great deal
of research to make sure that
our opinion is very carefully
phrased.”
Citizens United v. Federal
Election Commission is a 2010
U.S. Supreme Court decision
that ruled the First Amendment
prevents the government from
curbing political spending by a
nonprofit corporation.
Reese said it would be better
if the commission issued an
opinion under its own authority
instead of simply responding to
Lin’s.
“We
are
currently
also
considering the political action
committee question on our
own,” Reese said. “Because that
is ongoing, we are not going to
respond to petitions on that
question right now because the
advisory petition we ultimately
issue will be more thorough
and well-researched.”
The
midterm
elections,
slated to take place Nov. 18 and
19, will fill vacancies among
representatives
and
select
several specific positions on
CSG, including a member of the
Department of Public Safety
Oversight Committee.
backgrounds.
Biswas
was
a
Kathak
performer — which is a north-
Indian classical style of dance.
Biswas, who danced with two
other girls, was part of the only
Kathak group in the show. She
has been dancing since she was
seven years old and has been
practicing the style of dance
since she was 10.
Biswas said coming to the
University and finding a group
like Sahana has helped her
continue keeping in touch with
the art form and connecting
with others who are passionate
about it.
The
dance
her
group
performed is a Hindu prayer
about the two reincarnations
of Lord Vishnu, a Hindu deity.
“It’s important because so
much of our dance is focused
around Hinduism and there’s
a lot of duality in Hinduism
in the form of reincarnations
of gods, which is what our
dance is going to be showing,”
she said. “Just in general, I
think it’s just a really good
theme because there’s so many
different ways to explore it.”
Biswas has been part of
every Sahana show since her
freshman year but, like Rao,
she said her final fall show was
a bittersweet experience.
“I’m trying not to think too
much about it,” she said. “When
the
board
members
were
giving us a pep talk I realized
I was getting emotional about
it already, because it’s been so
amazing just performing at
every single show.”
Farmington residents Kiki
Bayen and Carolyn Chow, who
attended
the
performance,
said they found the Sahana
performance both educational
and eye opening.
“It’s been a while since I’ve
heard
that
much
classical
music in such a short amount
of time,” Bayen said. “It’s
really nice to be able to fully
appreciate it as we’re older
now and put it all of it into
perspective.”
2-News
2A — Monday, November 9, 2015
News
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
THREE THINGS YOU
SHOULD KNOW TODAY
The Michigan football
team moved into a tie
for second place in the
Big Ten East. If Michigan
and Ohio State win out until
their game on Nov. 28, they
will play for the division
title at Michigan Stadium.
2
CAMPUS EVENTS & NOTES
Stress relief
session
WHAT: Interactive
speaker Richard Paul will
discuss how to manage
pressure at school and
demonstrate techniques.
WHO: Center for Campus
Involvement
WHEN: Today from 7
p.m. to 9 p.m.
WHERE: Angell Hall,
G127
Spirituality,
health lecture
WHAT: Dr. Adam
Mrdjenovich will talk
about the connection
between health
and religion.
WHO: Maize Pages
WHEN: Today from
4 p.m. to 5 p.m.
WHERE: Palmer
Commons
Technology
history lecture
WHAT: Indiana
University professor will
talk about the history
of the computer.
WHO: School of
Natural Resources
and Environment
WHEN: Today from
4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
WHERE: North
Quad, 2435
A suspect was arrested
for
an
assasination
attempt on Maldives
President Abdulla Yameen,
Reuters
reported.
An
explosion where the first
lady and two aides were
injured was deemed an
assasination attempt.
1
Technology
registration
WHAT: UMPD Officer
Butzky will be available
to register laptops and
phones. Bagels will be
provided.
WHO: Dean of Students
Office
WHEN: Today from 3
p.m. to 5 p.m.
WHERE: The Lobby of
Zaragon West
A
group
of
Black
University
of
Missouri
football
players are refusing
to play until university
president
Tim
Wolfe
resigns,
ESPN
reported.
They are protesting his
slow response to a series of
hateful events on campus.
3
KRISTINA PERKINS/Daily
David Mitchell, award-winning and bestselling English author,
reads from his latest novel, Slade House, at the First United
Methodist Church on Saturday. The event was co-sponsored
by Literati Bookstore and the Helen Zell Writers’ Program.
Diversity
panel
WHAT: A panel of past
and present University
leaders wil dicuss
advancing diversity and
its history on campus. A
reception will follow.
WHO: Diversity,
Equity and Inclusion
WHEN: Today from
4 to 5:30 p.m.
WHERE: Michigan
League, Ballroom
TUESDAY:
Campus Voices
THURSDAY:
Twitter Talk
FRIDAY:
Photos of the Week
WEDNESDAY:
In Other Ivory Towers
MONDAY:
This Week in History
33 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (NOV. 9 1982)
Black enrollment drops at ‘U’
THE LITE R ATI
The University’s enroll-
ment figures reported that
Black enrollment dropped
to 4.7 percent, the lowest
percentage since 1976. Uni-
versity’s
various
schools
and colleges had varying
degrees of success in halting
the decline in Black enroll-
ment.
Significant drops were
seen in the School of Educa-
tion, LSA, School of Public
Health and School of Social
Work. However, minority
enrollment did increase by
40 students in the School of
Business.
The University set a goal
in 1970 to reach a 10-per-
cent Black enrollment rate
by 1973, but had not met
this goal 12 years later. Dean
Haefner, then the assistant
dean of the Public Health
School, said reductions in
federal aid could have con-
tributed to the decline in
minority
student
enroll-
ment.
Then-LSA
Associate
Dean Eric Rabkin said the
University’s
increasing
tuition could make it more
difficult to reverse trends in
Black enrollment.
Though
Black
enroll-
ment decreased, both Asian
and Hispanic enrollment
increased, according to the
registrar
figures.
Enroll-
ment of Native American
students declined.
According to the Office
of the Registrar, the Univer-
sity’s current Black student
enrollment is 4.82 percent,
slightly higher than it was
in 1982.
15 Years Ago Today
(Nov. 9, 2000)
Students on campus pre-
pared
for
White
Ribbon
Week, part of a campaign to
promote an end to violence
against women. The cam-
paign began in Montreal,
Canada, after the 1989 massa-
cre of 14 women by a gunman.
- KATIE PENROD
420 Maynard St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1327
www.michigandaily.com
The Michigan Daily (ISSN 0745-967) is published Monday through Friday during the fall and winter terms by
students at the University of Michigan. One copy is available free of charge to all readers. Additional copies may
be picked up at the Daily’s office for $2. Subscriptions for fall term, starting in September, via U.S. mail are $110.
Winter term (January through April) is $115, yearlong (September through April) is $195. University affiliates
are subject to a reduced subscription rate. On-campus subscriptions for fall term are $35. Subscriptions must
be prepaid. The Michigan Daily is a member of The Associated Press and The Associated Collegiate Press.
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Vietnam War
veteran panel
WHAT: Vietnam War
veterans will speak about
their experiences and how
they felt returning home.
WHO: Veteran and
Military Services
WHEN: Today from 2 to
4 p.m.
WHERE: Michigan
League
Job, internship
search help
WHAT: The library and
Career Center will share
resources for finding
jobs and internships for
the summer and after
graduation.
WHO: The Career Center
WHEN: Today from 5 p.m.
to 6 p.m.
WHERE: Shapiro
Undergraduate Library
Orchestra
concert
WHAT: The University’s
symphony and
philharmonia will perform.
WHO: School of Music,
Theatre and Dance
WHEN: Today at 7:30 p.m.
WHERE: Hill Auditorium
Please report any
error in the Daily
to corrections@
michigandaily.com.
‘Mrs. Doubtfire’ writer talks film career
Randi Mayem
Singer discusses
movie starring
Robin Williams
By JACKIE CHARNIGA
Daily Staff Reporter
Randi Mayem Singer, best
known for writing the screenplay
for the 1993 comedy “Mrs. Doubt-
fire,” starring Robin Williams and
Sally Field, spoke to screenwrit-
ing students at the Modern Lan-
guages Building on Friday about
her experiences as a screenwriter.
Singer, now a writer and pro-
ducer, said she first decided she
wanted to write at age 13, but
was unaware of opportunities
in screenwriting. Singer studied
political science at the University
of California, Berkeley, with the
intention of becoming a journalist.
She eventually took a job as a
radio reporter for KMEL in San
Francisco before moving to Los
Angeles-based radio station, KFI.
It was there Singer took a class
at a UCLA Extension for screen-
writing. She later quit the station
to write full time.
“It was scary, but you know,
when you’re young I just knew
that’s what I wanted to do,” she
said.
Singer said her start with
“Mrs. Doubtfire” gained her
notoriety, especially in the cross-
dressing comedy genre.
“I like to joke if a man puts on
a dress, I get a call,” Singer said.
James Burnstein, director of
the Screenwriting Program in
the Department of Screen Arts &
Cultures, said he considers “Mrs.
Doubtfire” the best family film
ever made.
“I’ve learned over the years
that ‘Mrs. Doubtfire’ is one of the
very few movies that everyone has
seen,” Burnstein said.
Burnstein said the film is incred-
ibly honest about the meaning of
divorce. He noted the final scene
in which the Robin Williams char-
acter drives off with the children.
In a voice-over, he talks about how
there are all kinds of families.
“It was just really clear to me
what the movie was about,” Singer
said. “It was about learning to co-
parent. Go back and watch the end-
ing in the context of where Robin
Williams does not get back with
Sally Fields. Now watch it in the
context of the Supreme Court deci-
sion on gay rights and that movie is
virtually prophetic at that moment
in its discussion of all kinds of fami-
lies.”
Singer said when she was hired
to write the screenplay, Robin Wil-
liams was already envisioned play-
ing the eponymous lead role.
Singer said it was rare that the
actor initially attached to a script
actually played the role, either
because the studio didn’t end up
having an interest in casting him
or her, or the actor is committed to
another project.
“This is the first movie I ever
got made,” Singer said. “The guy
that was attached looked at the
script and said yeah he would do
it. I just thought that happened all
the time.”
Singer said having Williams
on board with the project greatly
impacted the writing process.
“He has a cadence to how he ...
improvises, but in the dramatic
scenes he doesn’t improvise at
all,” she said.
Singer said she left the proj-
ect when the studio wanted the
parents to get back together — an
ending she said would have been
an irresponsible message for chil-
dren of divorce. She eventually
returned to the project when the
studio reversed course.
“We amicably parted ways,”
Singer said. “I came back when I
was not quite as idealistic.”
Singer finished the talk with a
message of advice for the next gen-
eration of screenwriter hopefuls.
“Good material finds a place,”
Singer said. “Have a voice, read,
read, read great screenplays. Have
a sense of where the beats fall.”
PAC
From Page 1A
SAHANA
From Page 1A