U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee 
introduces two pieces 

of legislation to 

provide aid to Flint

By LYDIA MURRAY

Daily Staff Reporter

U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee (D–Flint) 

has introduced two bills aimed 
toward helping the community 
of Flint and preventing similar 
health effects in the future.

The Flint water crisis began 

in April 2014 when the city 
switched from Detroit city water 
to Flint River water. The water 
from the Flint River had a much 
higher corrosive quality than the 
Detroit water which allowed lead 
from the pipes to contaminate 
the water. Following the switch, 
citizens began reporting adverse 
health effects, but the city didn’t 

switch back to Detroit water until 
October 2015.

State Sen. Jim Ananich (D–

Flint) said he thought it is pri-
marily the responsibility of the 
state to help the citizens of Flint, 
but any additional aid is appreci-
ated. The state legislature recent-
ly approved a nearly $28 million 
dollar request from Gov. Rick 
Snyder (R) to fund efforts in Flint.

“This is a state failure and the 

state needs to fix it, that is pretty 
widely acknowledged,” Ananich 
said. “But the support from the 
federal government and all across 
the country is really nice to see.”

Kildee’s “Families of Flint Act” 

is a comprehensive bill aimed at 
providing long-term funding for 
infrastructure improvements and 
developmental care for affected 
children.

In an interview Sunday, Kildee 

said fixing the damaged pipes in 
Flint is the first major component 
of the bill.

“One part is to pay for sig-

nificant improvements to Flint’s 
water system, so the damage that 
was done by the highly corrosive 
water will be a temporary prob-
lem, and Flint will have a water 
system it can count on for years,” 
he said.

Sharon 
Swindell, 
assistant 

professor of pediatrics at the 
University, said lead poisoning 
in children is one of the most 
salient health concerns from 
the crisis because it can lead to 
developmental issues.

“There is no safe level of lead 

in a person’s body,” Swindell 
said. “Children, who have a lot of 
brain growth and development 
in the first six years, are vulner-
able to cognitive and develop-
mental effects.”

Kildee said the more long-

term focus of the bill involves 
ensuring 
affected 
children 

receive the necessary support to 
overcome any issues in the years 
to come.

“A big part of what the bill 

would pay for is the educational, 
nutritional, behavioral needs of 
people who have been affected 
by lead poisoning, especially 
children,” Kildee said.

As part of the bill, the state 

would be required to match 
every dollar of federal funding 
with state funds. This year, the 
state has approximately $575 
million in lapse funds — leftover 
money at the end of the fiscal 
year. Snyder is currently draft-
ing a recommendation for how to 
appropriate these funds.

Kildee said due to the state’s 

budget surplus this year, he 
believes the matching mecha-
nism is feasible for the state.

“The state actually has the 

money right now,” he said. “This 
year they had a budget surplus. 
I think that is a perfectly good 
source of money for them. The 
state has no excuse for what they 
did to Flint and for not helping 
Flint because they have money.”

Students highlight 

perceived lack 
of institutional 
transparency

By TANYA MADHANI

Daily Staff Reporter

Students discussed non-inclu-

sive behaviors in the classroom 
and the University’s perceived 
lack of transparency in relation 
to issues of mental health at a 
forum on Friday.

During the discussion, facili-

tators and attendees suggested 
initiating a required training 
process for faculty and GSIs to 
combat the stigmatization of 
mental health issues and to cre-
ate more inclusive classroom 
environments for students with 
mental illnesses.

The LSA Undergraduate Edu-

cation Campus Climate Commit-
tee held the forum to address of 
mental health stigmas on cam-
pus and how those issues mani-
fest themselves in a classroom 

setting, according to facilitators 
Shamaila Ashraf and Toni Wang, 
both LSA juniors. The discus-
sion focused on possible changes 
that could go beyond the Univer-
sity’s established resources for 
students with mental illnesses 
like College And Psychological 
Services and Wolverine Support 
Network.

The Campus Climate Com-

mittee was formed in 2013, and 
this is the second of several such 
planned forums. Wang said the 
poor treatment of students suf-
fering from mental health issues 
in 
educational 
environments 

was the focus of the earlier dis-
cussion and continued to be sig-
nificant in this subsequent form 
because of its direct impact on 
daily life.

“There are definitely some 

professors or GSIs who may 
make it a more intimidating 
environment for people to reach 
out, but I think that even those 
who are more understanding of 
those issues aren’t being reached 
out to,” Wang said. “This is 
because students aren’t being 
told it is OK if you are struggling 

through mental health issues 
and we want you to be mentally 
well to thrive here and feel like 
you belong.”

She added that she believes 

the University lacks visibility 
when discussing mental health, 
which prevents students from 
utilizing resources the campus 
offers, also, contributing to the 
stigma professors and students 
associate with mental illness.

“There’s no transparency in 

terms of the resources and if 
people will listen to those stu-
dents,” she said. “I think that’s 
a huge issue, that openness, 
because there’s no conversation. 
People don’t talk about it even 
though there’s so many strug-
gling with it, because they feel 
like they would be shamed.”

Ashraf said these forums are 

key to sparking action in a school 
as large as LSA, which has many 
departments 
acting 
indepen-

dently.

“It has to be taken into account 

when you’re looking at how to 
gauge what is a problem,” she 
said. “In the psychology depart-
Read more at MichiganDaily.com

2A — Monday, February 8, 2016
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
News

2-News

THREE THINGS YOU 
SHOULD KNOW TODAY

The Michigan men’s 
basketball 
team 

suffered its second 

straight home loss Saturday 
against Michigan State.

>> SEE SPORTSMONDAY ON 1B
2

CAMPUS EVENTS & NOTES

Faculty bell 
tower recital

WHAT: A carillon on the 
bell tower’s bells will be 
performed by Tiffany Ng 
and Kathleen Beck.
WHO: School of Music, 
Theatre & Dance
WHEN: 12 p.m.
WHERE: Burton 
Memorial Tower, 10th 
floor

Talk on public 
health in 
Mexico City

WHAT: Anthropology 
Prof. Elizabeth Rogers will 
give a lecture that ties in 
soda, public health, NAFTA 
and love in Mexico City.
 WHO: Science, 
Technology & Society
WHEN: 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Lecture on 
European 
refugee crisis

WHAT: Author Maurizio 
Albahari will give a 
lecture on refugees on the 
Mediterranean coast. 
WHO: Center for 
European Studies
WHEN: 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
WHERE: School of Social 
Work Building, room 1636

After a magnitude-6.4 
earthquake in Taiwan, 
rescuers are scrambling 

to find survivors. At least 
334 people have been killed, 
BBC reported. The quake 
struck as many prepared 
to celebrate the Lunar New 
Year.

1

Clarinet class

WHAT: Corrado Guiffredi, 
a renowned musician who 
has performed with the 
Orchestra della Svizzera 
Italiana and premiered in 
the Penderecki’s Concerto 
for Clarinet and Orchestra, 
will host a guest master 
class.
WHO: School of Music, 
Theatre & Dance 
WHEN: 4:45 p.m.
WHERE: Earl V. Moore 
Building

According to the 
BBC, 
Tunisia 
has 

completed the first 
phase 
of 
its 
125-

mile 
barrier 
along 

its 
border 
with 

Libya. Made of sand banks 
and water trenches, the 
barrier is designed to deter 
terrorism. It comes after 
38 people were killed by 
a Libya-trained gunman. 

3

 
 
 
 LUNA ANNA ARCHEY/Daily

LSA senior Tony Bae performs with Element 1 at the LiNK Benefit 

Show at East Hall on Saturday. The annual show brings awareness 

and raises funds to support North Korean refugees hiding in China.

Lecture 
on ancient 
Athens 

WHAT: Jessica Lamont 
from Johns Hopkins 
University and The 
Walters Art Museum 
will deliver a lecture. 
 WHO: History of Art 
WHEN: 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
WHERE: Kelsey 
Museum of Archaeology, 
Lecture Hall

Startup panel

WHAT: A panel of female 
investors will share how 
they invest, as well as 
their careers and financial 
ventures. 
WHO: Women Who 
Launch
WHEN: 5 p.m. to 6:30 
p.m. 
WHERE: Innovatrium, 
615 East University Ave. 
Avenue

Elevator pitch 
workshop 

WHAT: The English 
Language Institute 
will conduct a winter 
workshop series for 
creating and presenting 
your elevator pitch in a 
concise and effective way. 
WHO: English 
Language Institute 
WHEN: 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
WHERE: Mason 

Violin recital

WHAT: Haerim Lee will 
perform a violin program, 
including “Fritz Kriesler,” 
as well as violin sonatas.
WHO: School of Music, 
Theatre & Dance 
WHEN: 8 p.m.
WHERE: Walgreen 
Drama Center, Stamps 
Auditorium
Please report any 
error in the Daily 
to corrections@
michigandaily.com.

TUESDAY:

Campus Voices

THURSDAY:
Twitter Talk

FRIDAY:

Photos of the Week

WEDNESDAY:

In Other Ivory Towers

MONDAY:
On the Daily

A national activist group 

called Ultraviolet sponsored 
a plane banner protesting 
Governor Rick Snyder’s (R) 
potential involvement in 
the Flint water crisis.

The banner read “SNY-

DER POISONED KIDS IN 
FLINT” and flew over the 
Crisler Center during the 
rivalry 
basketball 
game 

against Michigan State Uni-
versity.

“It is time that all Michi-

gan residents – Spartans 
and Wolverines alike – 
stand up and demand that 
Governor 
Snyder 
resign 

immediately,” 
Shaunna 

Thomas, 
co-founder 
of 

UltraViolet, said in a press 
release.

Ultraviolet intended for 

the banner to draw atten-
tion to their petition for 
Governor Snyder’s resig-
nation 
for 
mishandling 

Flint’s toxic water. Ultra-
violet is an online advo-
cacy group that advocates 
against sexism. The group 
has over 700,000 members, 
and almost 32,000 of those 
members have signed the 
petition for the Governor’s 
resignation.

After Flint’s emergency 

manager decided to change 
the city’s water supply 
to the Flint river in 2014, 
residents 
began 
voicing 

concerns over the discol-
oration and off taste of the 
water. 
Despite 
multiple 

reports proving there to 
be lead in the city’s water, 

Snyder only called a state 
of emergency in December 
2015, 18 months after the 
initial switch.

Thomas said Snyder was 

aware of the lead in Flint’s 
water for at least a year but 
neglected to take action, 
alleging that the governor 
sent bottled water to state 
employees last year, which 
they have used as evidence 
for his knowledge of the 
lead in Flint’s water.

The petition also empha-

sizes the poor and Black 
community of Flint the 
water crisis affected, as 
well 
as 
the 
permanent 

health damages to children 
and pregnant women.

— EMILY MIILLER

420 Maynard St.

Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1327

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ROSE FILIPP
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SHOHAM GEVA

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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.

See CLIMATE, Page 3A

FREEDOM IN EXPRESSION

 
 
 
 ALLISON FARRAND/Daily

LSA junior Shamaila Ashraf leads a forum on campus climate at Couzens Hall on Friday. The event was held as part of the LSA Undergrad-

uate Education Campus Climate Committee’s efforts to gauge and improve the inclusivity of the campus’s climate for all students.

GOVERNMENT
Proposed bills would increase 
federal funding for water crisis

Mental health in the classroom 
emphasis of campus discussion

Plane banner targets Snyder

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