The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
News
Monday, January 13, 2016 — 3A

University rewards 
encourage healthy 
behavior in 
employees

According to a University press 

release, MHealthy announced 
the start of its annual rewards 
program, which aims to motivate 
faculty and staff members to 
better their health. From weight 
management and exercise classes 
to mental and emotional well-being 
classes, it provides participants 
with resources to reach this goal. 

After completing a health 

questionnaire, employees will 
receive $50 as well as a health 
report outlining helpful resources 
and information to encourage 
healthy behaviors in recipients.

The 2016 program introduced 

several new initiatives, including 
Learn to Live Tobacco Free 
Program and MHealthy personal 
training. 

Detroit auto show 
introduces drunk 
driving simulation

Ford’s Driving Skills for Life 

team introduced impaired driving 
simulations at the North American 
International Auto Show, reported 
MLive. Participants attempted to 
walk in a straight line and shoot 
basketballs in an arcade-style hoop.

The goal was to provide 

attendees with the opportunity 
to experience impaired driving 
without taking the road and putting 
themselves and others in danger. 

The drunk driving simulation 

consisted of suits made from braces 
strapped on attendees’ knees, 
elbows and neck, and weights 
wrapped around their wrists and 
ankles, according to MLive. 

Earmuffs and special goggles 

impaired hearing and vision. When 
simulating drug use, the goggles 
flash LED lights and a vibrating 
glove is added to the suit.

Driving Skills for Life visits 

different high schools and driving 
courses to discourage students 
from impaired driving and to train 
them in defensive driving as well. 

Report shows 
decrease in state 
revenue

A report released by the House 

Fiscal Agency suggests net 
revenues in the state of Michigan 
will be $354.1 million less than 
projected in May for the 2015-
2016 fiscal year, the Detroit Free 
Press reported. For the 2016-2017 
fiscal year, combined revenues 
are expected to be down by 
$226.9 million.

The report offered one 

explanation for this downward 
trend: $112 million in business 
tax credits — originally meant to 
be cashed in during 2015 — will 
remain in Michigan companies 
until later this year. 

Although combined revenues 

are less than estimated, the 
general fund and School Aid 
Fund revenues were higher than 
expected. The report says the 
increase in the fund was also 
caused in part by higher-than-
expected income tax growth.

The report, along with two 

others, will be considered 
by state officials before the 
development of Gov. Rick 
Snyder’s (R) sixth budget.

University offers 
Anger Management 
Series

The Faculty and Staff Assistance 

Program (FASAP) will provide 
a four-week series dedicated to 
developing anger-management 
techniques, according to a 
University press release.

The class aims to help staff 

and faculty manage stress 
and cope with anger more 
effectively as well as to gain a 
better understanding of anger 
responses. The series begins 
Jan. 13 and ends Feb. 3 from 
11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. in 
the Administrative Services 
Building.

 
 
—CAMY METWALLY

NEWS BRIEFS

film depicted a series of imag-
es that represented Locke’s 
stance on culture and race-
based attacks among citizens.

During the event, Locke 

said he made the film to show 
Black culture from different 
perspectives, specifically by 
connecting Black culture with 
trade relationships in China.

“This project takes a stance 

on the culture at large, but spe-
cifically Black culture,” Locke 
said. “It shows relationships in 
China on a global scale, such 
as trading oil, trading weap-
ons and what that means for 
people.”

The event also featured a 

panel discussion with three 
University faculty members: 
Education Prof. Robert Sellers, 
vice provost for equity, inclu-
sion and academic affairs, Law 
Prof. Amanda Alexander and 
Architecture Lecturer Craig 
Wilkins.

“I thought the panel was 

very engaging and I learned 
a lot,” Ngongi said. “I really 
didn’t know about the commu-
nity and the planning process 
for diversity.”

Sellers told the crowd that 

diversity was important in all 
fields, noting thinking about 
different 
perspectives 
can 

bring new ideas to the table.

“Sometimes, 
we 
assume 

the point of view that we are 
looking at is somehow truth 
or objective or the only way to 
look at it,” he said. “When one 
thinks about building perspec-
tives, we need to reinforce the 
notion to have as many differ-
ent points of view in play to 
help us develop the very best 
ideas.”

He also pointed to different 

majors as a source of different 

perspectives that can affect 
opinions and approaches to 
issues of diversity.

“If you don’t take into con-

sideration the different and 
unique experiences of individ-
uals, then you run the risk of 
designing a really nice beauti-
ful building that can do much 
more harm than good in terms 
of its usage,” Sellers said.

Sellers additionally cited 

the diversity strategic plan-
ning process currently under-
way on campus, in which 
University 
President 
Mark 

Schlissel 
called 
upon 
the 

University’s colleges to cre-
ate plans to address diversity 
within their respective units. 
He said this planning process 
gives the opportunity for each 
school to improve inclusion.

“The nature of this Uni-

versity is such that, in any 
particular unit, some of the 
units will actually have the 
types of relationships in place, 
and there are others who 
haven’t,” Sellers said. “The 
planning process provides the 
opportunity to make those 
constituents 
develop 
those 

relationships and have input 
on how this University should 
work with diversity.”

Alexander, 
who 
works 

with the Inside-Out Prison 
Exchange Program, touched 
on how the University is relat-
ed to Detroit.

“We’re 45 minutes from the 

Blackest city in the US,” Alex-
ander said. “The question is 
how do we create access for 
Detroiters— make them not 
just feel included but wel-
comed, valued and cherished.”

She said many faculty mem-

bers don’t bring up diversity 
in their classrooms over con-
cern of being criticized for 
not addressing the topic with 
nuance.

“A lot of our colleagues are 

afraid,” Alexander said. “They 
are afraid to address ques-
tions of race or diversity in the 
classroom for fear that they 
will end up on a blog some-
where.”

Wilkins, 
a 
professional 

architect and urban design-
er who is the director of the 
Detroit Community Design 
Center, said architects should 
learn to collaborate and relate 
diversity with their designs 
because many individuals are 
not concerned with aesthetics.

“You have to talk to differ-

ent audiences and get specific 
in ways in which those tangi-
ble things mean something to 
you,” Wilkins said.

In an interview after the 

event, 
Rackham 
student 

Elinge Ngongi said the panel 
provided her with a unique 
view on her own Puerto Rican 
and Black heritage.

Urban Planning Prof. June 

Manning Thomas, who mod-
erated the event, said the 
aim was to create a space to 
address diversity and inclu-
sion.

“What we wanted to do is 

enter into a consultation about 
what the issues are of particu-
lar interest to Taubman Col-
lege faculty and students and 
the whole idea of diversity, 
equity, inclusion, as well as the 
legacy of Taubman,” Thomas 
said.

Rackham student Scott Fox, 

who is studying urban plan-
ning and helped organize the 
event, said he thought the con-
versation was both helpful and 
thought-provoking.

“It was a good experience 

to have faculty from various 
perspectives talk about the 
specific planning process and 
breaking down how we can 
make these conversations hap-
pen,” Fox said. 

PANEL
From Page 1A

plan by next fall.

“At the end of the day, we will 

have down about 100 crowd-
sourcing sessions,” Simpson 
said. “This is starting bottom 
up.”

Many attendees at the event, 

however, were skeptical of the 
multifaceted design. Rackham 
student Oleta Johnson said 
when she approached her advi-
sors in the College of Pharmacy, 
they had no idea they were sup-
posed to be collecting the data.

“I see a lot of movement but 

no actual planning,” she said. 
“There’s a lot of emphasis on 
we’re going to talk to the stu-
dents and then do whatever. I 
also still don’t know how a lot of 
the faculty feel about this.”

Attendees also discussed a 

variety of diversity issues on 
campus, including hiring prac-
tices, gender inclusive bath-
rooms, mandating dialogues on 
race for incoming freshmen and 
expanding the Detroit Connec-
tor’s services.

Social Work student Mary 

Naoum said she thought the 
Connector was central to stu-
dent work toward advancing 
diversity.

The Connector was tem-

porarily discontinued in June 
2015, but has since beenrevived 
and is seeking grant funds for 
its continuation.

“Recently, in an effort with 

the School of Social Work to 
expand course opportunities 
in Detroit, I sent out a survey 
to my classmates and the feed-
back I got back about challenges 
to doing courses despite their 
interests was a lack of trans-
portation,” she said. “So it’s not 
just me, it’s not just students 
who live in Detroit, it’s students 
University-wide who want to 
do this work in Detroit, but are 
limited by transportation.”

A portion of the conversa-

tion also discussed questions 
raised in a Michigan in Color-
piece published Tuesday in 
The Michigan Daily. The piece 
criticized funding mechanisms 
for the the diversity initiative, 
charging that there are cur-
rently no funds allocated spe-
cifically to it.

In response to the piece and 

other related concerns raised 
at the event, Rob Sellers, vice 
provost for equity, inclusion 
and academic affairs, cited Uni-
versity resources that he said 
have already been allotted to 
diversity programs. He noted 
in particular the Trotter Multi-
cultural Center’s relocation and 
the Wolverine and HAIL schol-
arship programs.

He said ultimately, a defini-

tive budget for diversity-related 
initiatives could not and should 
not be determined yet.

“We don’t want to assign a 

dollar amount until the (diver-
sity) plan is in place,” he said. 
“We want the plan to drive the 
dollar amount, and to have a 
number doesn’t make sense for 
us without knowing what the 
actual plan is.”

Additional town halls are 

scheduled for this Wednes-
day and in coming weeks. The 
DEIT also announced during 
Tuesday’s event that they plan 
to organize more opportunities 
for students and faculty mem-
bers to contribute to the plan.

TOWN HALL
From Page 1A

climate talks, which are the most 
substantial climate agreement 
since the 1992 Kyoto Protocol.

Obama also said foreign pol-

icy must focus on stopping the 
spread of global terrorist groups, 
while not wasting American 
resources.

“Priority number one is pro-

tecting the American people 
and going after terrorist net-
works,” he said. “We also can’t 
try to take over and rebuild 
every country that falls into cri-
sis. That’s not leadership; that’s 
a recipe for quagmire, spilling 
American blood and treasure 
that ultimately weakens us. It’s 
the lesson of Vietnam, of Iraq 
— 

and we should have learned it by 
now.”

Domestically, the president 

announced a plan to travel across 
the country to raise support for 
policies that will increase coop-
eration within Congress.

“But, my fellow Americans, 

this cannot be my task 
 — 
or any 

President’s 
— 
alone,” he said. 

“There are a whole lot of folks 
in this chamber who would like 
to see more cooperation, a more 
elevated debate in Washington, 
but feel trapped by the demands 
of getting elected,” he said. “And 
over the course of this year, I 
intend to travel the country to 
push for reforms that do.”

Obama ended the address 

with a call to end partisan and 
other identity-based divisions 
within the country in order to 
uphold the American brand 
of democracy, but said he was 
hopeful about the future.

“That’s the country we love,” 

he said. “Clear-eyed. Big-heart-
ed. Optimistic that unarmed 
truth and unconditional love 
will have the final word. That’s 
what makes me so hopeful about 
our future. Because of you. I 
believe in you. That’s why I 
stand here confident that the 
State of our Union is strong.”

Looking at the upcoming 

legislative year, Pasek said he 
doesn’t think there is much 
Obama can do until after the 
election in November.

“He’s already doing a lot via 

executive orders and things of 
that sort,” he said. “But I don’t 
see much movement in Congress 
to pass things that are Obama-
like, at least before the election. 
After the election it’s possible 
that outgoing members of Con-
gress and Obama will be able to 
get some stuff done during the 
lame duck session.”

In reaction to the address, 

School of Information senior 
Madeline Jursek, chair of the 
University’s chapter of College 
Republicans, said while she dis-
agreed with the president’s for-
eign policy stances, there were 
several domestic policies that 
resonated with her.

“While I don’t agree with 

everything that Obama said 
tonight, as a millennial Repub-
lican, there were some policies 
that I agreed with, “ she said. 
“The idea of dedicating more 

resources to cancer research 
definitely resonated with me. 
One of the major policies that I 
did not agree with the president 
on is foreign policy and nation-
al security. I personally feel 
that we need to take a stronger 
stance against ISIS in order to 
protect our nation from future 
terrorist attacks.”

Public Policy senior Max 

Lerner, chair of the University’s 
chapter of College Democrats, 
said he appreciated the presi-
dent’s emphasis on civic engage-
ment.

“As young people, when we 

see legislators or governors or 
presidents doing things that 
we disagree with, a lot of it 
is because we don’t civically 
engage the way we should, we 
don’t vote at high enough rates, 
we don’t make our voices heard 
loud enough, and I think that’s 
part of what the president was 
calling for tonight,” Lerner 
said. “And what’s going to be so 
important heading into the 2016 
presidential election.”

UNION
From Page 1A

marily concerned with deter-
mining whether the case fell 
under federal jurisdiction. She 
said his questioning and inves-
tigations served to evaluate 
this issue.

Sanzotta said Powers cited 

several legal reasons to sup-
port the motion being subject 
to federal jurisdiction in court, 
namely the USDA’s role in the 
deer cull as a federal agency.

She added that she was con-

cerned civil rights were being 
violated by the cull due to the 
court’s method of dismissing 
the case, and that public safety 
concerns remained.

“I’m sick about it in the very 

center of my being because I 
think it’s a horrible bloodbath 
that is unnecessary,” Sanzotta 
said. “I’m afraid for my own 
family; we use the parks all the 
time.”

CULL
From Page 2A

Williams illustrated the 

accomplishments made last 
semester, which included get-
ting an international student 
advisor on staff at the Newn-
an Center, and conducting 
research on international stu-
dents’ transition into student 
housing as well as their feel-
ings about social inclusion.

She also discussed her com-

mission’s goal for the semester 
to expand resources to nontra-
ditional students.

“We’d like to hire a nontra-

ditionals advisor to Newnan, 
similar to what the transfers 
have done,” she said. “Or at 
least designate a current advi-
sor to nontraditional student 
needs, establish a transfer 
student scholarship, at least 
in LSA, we are also planning 
an international student job 
fair that’s to take place in fall 
of 2016.”

Plans moving forward
CSG representatives also 

outlined the progress of initia-
tives from last semester and 
discussed election dates for 
the upcoming semester.

Public Policy junior Thom-

as Hislop, a CSG represen-
tative, spoke about plans to 
launch the Prescription Drug 
Misuse Campaign, a project 
proposed last semester to 
draw student awareness to the 
dangers of drug use on cam-
pus. 

The launch is expected to 

occur between March 6 and 
12.

“The idea so far is to have a 

video with student advocates, 
and students for recovery have 
been great with working with 
us, pledge boards, we’re going 
to have expert panelists, we 
are also going to have a media 
campaign,” Hislop said. 

CSG
From Page 2A

GREG GOSS/Daily

Law Prof. Amanda Alexander speaks about the importance of urban planning during the Agents of Change exhibition at the Duderstadt Gallery on Tuesday. 

