longest streak of private-sector 
job creation in history,” he said. 
“More than 14 million new jobs; 
the strongest two years of job 
growth since the ’90s; an unem-
ployment rate cut in half. Our 
auto industry just had its best 
year ever.”

The White House recently 

announced plans for Obama to 
visit Detroit for the North Ameri-
can International Auto Show. 
Obama also visited a Ford Motor 
manufacturing plant prior to his 
2015 State of the Union address 
last year.

In a press release after the 

speech, U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell 
(D–Dearborn) emphasized the 
importance of Obama’s mention 
of Detroit’s auto industry.

“We also must continue to 

innovate, which is why it was 
so important that the President 
highlighted the comeback of the 
auto industry,” she said. “As we 
saw at the North American Inter-
national Auto Show, Michigan is 
still in the driver’s seat when it 
comes to producing and design-
ing next-generation vehicles and 
I cannot wait to see the President 
there next week,”

Speaking to his actions on 

healthcare reform, Obama said 
the Affordable Care Act, passed 
in 2012, centers on ensuring cov-
erage for Americans when they 
need it most. In particular, he 
highlighted what he called the 
act’s main successes: job creation 
and slowing a rise in health care 
costs.

“It’s about filling the gaps 

in employer-based care so that 
when we lose a job, or go back 
to school, or start that new busi-
ness, we’ll still have coverage,” 
he said. “Nearly eighteen mil-
lion have gained coverage so far. 
Health care inflation has slowed. 
And our businesses have created 
jobs every single month since it 

became law.”

In an interview after the 

speech, Public Health Prof. Peter 
Jacobson said the most signifi-
cant achievements of the Afford-
able Care Act were the decrease 
in the number of uninsured peo-
ple and health care costs, as well 
as encouraging healthy behavior 
to keep people out of the hospital.

“The act if not directly, then 

implicitly, encourages healthcare 
providers to think outside the 
walls of the hospital to keep com-
munities healthy, and in the long 
run that is the most significant 
aspect,” he said.

He added that due to a gen-

eral public misunderstanding of 
what the Affordable Care Act has 
achieved, the president’s last task 
involving health care should be to 
educate about that through plat-
forms like the State of the Union.

“He and his administration 

can do a better job of explaining 
all of the benefits that the act has 
brought while recognizing its 
shortcomings,” Jacobson.

Along with discussing the 

Affordable Care Act, Obama also 
announced a national effort to 
combat cancer, which was met by 
applause from both sides of the 
aisle.

“Last year, Vice President 

Biden said that with a new moon-
shot, America can cure cancer,” 
he said. “Tonight, I’m announc-
ing a new national effort to get 
it done. And because he’s gone to 
the mat for all of us, on so many 
issues over the past forty years, 
I’m putting Joe in charge of Mis-
sion Control.”

Turning to the issue of nation-

al security, Obama noted the 
success of various international 
agreements such as the Iran 
nuclear deal — which aims to pre-
vent the country from acquiring a 
nuclear weapon — and the Paris 

Students raise 
concerns about 

Schlissel’s push for 

strategic plan

By RIYAH BASHA

Daily Staff Reporter

Approximately 
50 
Uni-

versity community members 
attended the first of three 
diversity forums slated to be 
held this semester as a part 
of University President Mark 

Schlissel’s diversity initiative 
Tuesday night.

Hosted by the Office of 

Diversity, Equity and Inclu-
sion, the forum featured a 
presentation 
on 
Schlissel’s 

strategic plan, followed by a 
question and answer session 
during which audience mem-
bers offered ideas for and cri-
tiques of the plan’s structure 
and focuses.

Rather than charging an 

executive team with dictat-
ing a course of action, Jackie 
Simpson, director of the Trot-
ter Multicultural Center and 

a member of the University’s 
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion 
team, noted during the event 
that the initiative calls for stra-
tegic plans from 49 distinct 
campus units.

Each unit was appointed a 

planning leader, and should 
have conducted research on 
the state of internal diversity 
last semester according to the 
plan’s public timeline. This 
information, in addition to 
various town halls and focus 
group data, will be rolled into 
one University-wide strategic 

michigandaily.com
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Wednesday, January 13, 2016

ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FIVE YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM

INDEX
Vol. CXXV, No. 51
©2016 The Michigan Daily
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MEN’S BASKETBALL
Michigan pulls 
off huge upset 
of No. 3 Terps

Panel examines 
importance of 

urban planning in 

issues of race 

By ISOBEL FUTTER

Daily Staff Reporter

The Duderstadt Center Gal-

lery, decked with hanging sta-
tistics and artwork, housed a 
conversation Tuesday evening 
that sought to link urban plan-
ning and diversity.

Hosted by the Taubman Col-

lege of Architecture and Urban 
Planning, the event was one of 
several planned for the Agents 
of Change exhibition, a series 
presented by students across 
colleges housed on North Cam-
pus.

Tuesday’s 
event 
featured 

a film made by Rackham stu-
dent Christopher Locke, who 
is studying architecture, called 
“Streaming 
Blackness.” 
The 

See BASKETBALL, Page 8A

ACADEMICS

ANDREW COHEN/Daily

Rackham student Mary Jones and LSA junior Julia Kaye exchange notecards as part of an activity to crowdsource 
ideas regarding the University’s new diversity initiative at a town hall meeting at Angell Hall on Tuesday. 

See PANEL, Page 3A

MARINA ROSS/Daily

LSA senior Mark Lawson attends a viewing party for the State of the Union held by the College Democrats at the Gerald R. 
Ford School on Tuesday. 

POTUS highlights 
economic successes, 

looks to nation’s 

future

By LYDIA MURRAY

Daily Staff Reporter

President Barack Obama high-

lighted the economy, healthcare 
and national security, focus-

ing not only on 2016 but also the 
future of the country for years 
to come, in his final State of the 
Union address Tuesday night.

In an interview after the 

speech, Communications Prof. 
Josh Pasek said the president’s 
focus during the speech was 
shaped by the fact that it was his 
last in office.

“The president is going to 

attempt to define his legacy in 
a way that he thinks will help 
shape the understanding of what 

policies he’s put in place through-
out his tenure in office,” Pasek 
said. “And in his view this will 
help encourage the future of the 
presidency to be one that main-
tains or upholds those policies.”

During his speech, Obama first 

addressed the economy, calling 
the United State’s economy the 
strongest in the world. He accred-
ited the country’s success to both 
job creation and the recovery of 
the auto industry.

“We’re in the middle of the 

In State of the Union, 
Obama reflects on term

A look at the availability of HIV 
testing in Ann Arbor

» INSIDE
the statement

Irvin scores 22 as 
Wolverines stun 
Maryland without 

Caris LeVert

By JACOB GASE

Daily Sports Editor

Before the Michigan men’s 

basketball team’s Tuesday night 
showdown with No. 3 Maryland, 
the students filling the Maize 
Rage stood, cheered and waved 
their thousands of blue LED glow 
sticks. But it’s hard to believe they 
were expecting too much from 
the game itself.

After all, the Wolverines were 

without senior guard Caris LeVert 
for the third straight game, and 
they were facing a lineup loaded 
with stars like preseason Big Ten 
Player of the Year Melo Trimble, 
versatile wing Jake Layman and 
highly touted freshman center 
Diamond Stone.

But two hours later, after a 

huge night from junior forward 
Zak Irvin, a first-half 3-point bar-
rage and a second-half reawak-

ening, the same students were 
waving the glow sticks in the 
air again after their Wolverines 
upset the Terrapins in a 70-67 
thriller.

“It just feels good to get this 

win today, against a really good 
team with a lot of weapons,” said 
Michigan coach John Beilein. 
“Everybody 
contributed, 
and 

I’m really happy for this team 
and our students. I really want 
(the students) to have this great 
experience of going to see a good 
basketball team, and for a lot of 
reasons, we haven’t been as good 
the last two years.”

The Wolverines (3-1 Big Ten, 

13-4 overall) jumped out to an 
early lead thanks to eight first-
half 3-pointers, but the Terrapins 
— led by Stone and his 22 points 
and 11 rebounds — used their size 
advantage to quickly get back into 
the game, tying it at 54 with 7:33 
remaining.

Though Michigan’s offense 

nearly collapsed in the second 
half with two scoring droughts of 
over three minutes each, it came 
back to life at the right time.

Junior forward Mark Donnal 

See TOWN HALL, Page 3A

SOURCE: CNN/ORC

SOURCE: GALLUP

INFOGRAPHIC: MARIAH GARDZIOLA

SOURCE: PEW RESEARCH

See UNION, Page 3A

HI: 35

LO: 29

University holds first town 
hall on diversity, inclusion

Forum aims 
to connect 
diversity, 
academic 
initiatives

