3-News

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
News
Tuesday, February 9, 2016 — 3

Detroit Public 
Schools invests 
$300,000 for 
building repairs

Detroit Public Schools has 

budgeted money from other 
departments to repair some of 
the building issues in many of its 
schools.

This decision follows a series 

of sick-out protests staged by 
teachers speaking out against 
the conditions of their schools. 
Teachers called in sick in such 
large numbers that classes had 
to be cancelled on multiple 
occasions. 

The newly allocated money 

will go toward existing work 
orders for building repair 
in the system, and property 
maintenance and safety 
violations uncovered by recent 
inspections done by the city.

The inspections done as 

part of a district-wide review 
during the end of Janurary 
revealed multiple code 
violations including instances 
of rodents, mold and damaged 
roofs.

The inspections were called 

for by Mayor Mike Duggan after 
he visited four schools and saw 
their conditions. 

The public school buildings 

in Detroit have deteriorated 
as a result of the growth of 
the school district’s debt to a 
projected $515 million, leaving 
the district unable to pay for 
repairs.

Dearborn Heights 
man accused of 
planning ISIS 
attack on church

Khalil Abu-Rayyan was 

accused of threatening police 
and a large Detroit church with 
ISIS attacks.

Abu-Rayyan appeared before 

a court on Monday on the 
charge of possessing a firearm 
while taking illegal drugs. 

Though he was not charged 

on any accounts of terrorism, 
Abu-Rayyam faces up to 10 
years in prison. 

The FBI alleges that Abu-

Rayyan purchased a gun in 
October while regularing 
smoking marijuana. The FBI 
says that he reported that he 
did not take any illegal guns on 
an Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms 
form at the time of the firearm 
purchase.

The FBI had been monitoring 

Abu-Rayyan since May and 
stated in an affidavit that he 
was a supporter of the terrorist 
group ISIS and has called for 
violent attacks against a Detroit 
church with 6,000 members and 
against the police. 

The FBI states that Abu-

Rayyan has been openly 
supporting and promoting ISIS 
since as early as November 2014.

-LYDIA MURRAY

NEWS BRIEFS

benefits as charity, but rather a 
way to maximize the company’s 
overall growth.

He cited that Jeffrey Immelt, 

CEO of General Electric, as an 
example of this attitude, saying 
that one of Immelt’s core values is 
treating his workers fairly, a virtue 
that lends itself to the recent 
growth of his company.

“Businesses are understanding 

that there is indeed something to 
be gained from what my mother 
taught me, which is ‘It’s nice to be 
important, but it’s important to be 
nice,’ ” Perez said.

Perez also said empowering 

workers is an essential part of how 
competitive a business is, whether 
that is done through labor unions 
or other avenues.

Additionally, 
he 
suggested 

companies provide for workers is 
by implementing paid maternity 
leave for women and increasing 
diversity in the workforce.

“Diversity is key to our global 

competitiveness,” Perez said.

Perez also touched on wages, 

saying that during his tenure in 
the White House Cabinet, Perez 
said he has met many people who 
work full-time jobs and yet cannot 

provide for themselves and their 
family. Perez emphasized that 
there is still a long way to go until 
the United States reaches full 
economic prosperity.

“If you work a full-time job in 

America, you shouldn’t have to 
live in poverty, you shouldn’t have 
to rely on food stamps to feed your 
family,” Perez said. “We can do far 
better.”

Public Policy senior Julie Sarne 

who attended the event said 
hought Perez’s message about 
businesses providing for their 
workers was especially important.

“I’m really interested in labor 

issues and how we can encourage 
businesses to grow and also help 
U.S. workers at the same time,” 
Sarne said.

During his lecture, Perez also 

spoke about statewide issues with 
economic prosperity, including 
the Flint water crisis and the 
resurgance 
of 
Detroit’s 
auto 

industry. Perez said the water 
crisis in Flint was avoidable, and 
occurred because the community 
was neglected by the government.

“In this most prosperous nation 

on the planet, zip codes should 
never ever determine destiny,” 
Perez said. “We can’t succeed in 
Flint if people can’t even drink the 
water.”

On a more positive note, Perez 

said Ford, Chrysler and General 
Motors havebounced back from 
dire economic situations and are 
experiencing profitability success 
comparable to World War II. 

“What I love about Michigan is 

it’s a state of folks who understand 
the importance of resilience,” 
Perez said. “Every challenge 
here is met with a remarkable 
determination and resolve.” 

After the event, Public Policy 

senior Tommy Hoyt said he 
enjoyed the chance to hear a 
cabinet-ranking member of the 
federal government speak.

“Perez is clearly a principle-

driven man who is leading with 
a clear ideology of how he wants 
labor to be done in this country,” 
Hoyt said. “While he didn’t 
dwell on too many specifics and 
was often a cheerleader for the 
(Obama) administration, it was 
an overall worthwhile experience 
and I’m glad I heard him speak.”

Throughout his entire lecture, 

Perez spoke passionately about 
how the United States as a whole 
succeeds only when everyone has 
the opportunity to succeed.

“The rising tide should indeed 

lift all boats and not just the 
yachts,” Perez said. “Everyone 
who works hard in America ought 
to get the chance to get ahead.”

LABOR
From Page 1

school.

Engineering 
Prof. 
Robert 

Ziff, a SACUA member, said a 
potential initiative would need 
incentives and budgeting from 
the University.

“There 
have 
been 
some 

institutional 
problems 
with 

colleges because of overhead,” 
Ziff said. “They don’t want to 
share the overhead, they want to 
keep it. I think this is something 
that has to be broken down.”

Ecology and Evolutionary 

Biology Prof. John Lehman, 
a SACUA member, said he 
agreed with Ziff, adding that he 
thought the idea was beneficial 
to the University.

“I think it’s great because 

we’ve got to improve the public’s 

perception 
of 
the 
academy 

and you’ve got to get them to 
understand that education here 
is not a private good,” Lehman 
said.

As 
well 
as 
increased 

collaboration, 
Schlissel 
also 

spoke 
on 
diversity, 
saying 

though the University has been 
addressing low numbers, it also 
needs to focus more on minority 
students’ experiences.

“It has to be pushed by me 

and it has to be enuciated as an 
institutional value,” Schlissel said.

Schlissel noted he has been 

meeting with student identity 
groups 
over 
the 
semester 

and felt that their sentiments 
toward diversity on campus 
have been relatively consistent.

“They 
don’t 
experience 

the campus in the same way 
that the other students do,” 
Schlissel said. “That’s one of 

my responsibilities: to figure 
out ways to work on our climate 
and to take advantage of the 
diversity that we’re going to 
build, to develop a climate 
where 
we 
can 
talk 
about 

difficult things.”

SACUA also discussed an 

upcoming faculty governance 
conference, 
SACUA 

nominations and the language 
for electing SACUA members. 
In particular, they addressed 
the terms of SACUA members 
if they decide to take a leave of 
absence.

The committee decided to 

draft two alternate policies 
for 
the 
latter 
and 
have 

them reviewed by the Rules 
Committee. The policies on 
term-return will be voted on 
at the next Senate Assembly 
meeting on Feb. 22.

SACUA
From Page 1

HALEY MCLAUGHLIN/Daily

University President Mark Schlissel discusses his desire to establish long term communication between colleges in 
the Fleming Building on Monday.

“Because I have all too often 
encountered 
other 
people 

trying to tell me who you are 
or what they need to be.”

McKinney also emphasized 

the negative impacts of self 
doubt.

“We ask ourselves, ‘Who 

am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, 
talented, fabulous?’ ” she said. 
“Ask them, who are you not to 
be? You are a child of God, and 
your playing small does not 
serve the world.”

Fox delivered the event’s 

keynote 
address, 
focusing 

on the process of success. 
According to Fox, there are 
three major steps a person 
needs to take to be successful: 
dream, declare and succeed.

Fox said during his remarks 

that people must believe in 
themselves and speak with 
confidence in order to be 
successful while they pursue 
their aspirations.

“We can’t use small words 

for big dreams,” Fox said. “It 
doesn’t work.”

In an interview with The 

Michigan Daily, Fox said his 
keynote 
connected 
to 
the 

University’s Dr. Martin Luther 
King Jr. symposium’s theme 
of “Who Will Be Next?” by 
asking audience members who 
they wanted to be, and how 
they could achieve a nobler 
purpose and positively impact 
the world.

“When we say, ‘Who’s next?’ 

you’re next in the event, you’re 
deciding this is what you want 
to do with your life,” he said.

Fox 
added 
that 
being 

successful 
begins 
with 
a 

personal choice.

“Who will be the next 

champion? Who will be the 
next victim?” he asked. “It’s all 
dependent on what you decide 
for yourself.”

Jessica 
Thompson, 
the 

program manager at Trotter 
Multicultural Center, helped 
organize the event. She said 
Trotter wanted to provide 
a platform for each speaker 
to share stories about their 
personal experiences.

“I’m always so saddened by 

the reality that so many of our 
faculty and staff don’t get that, 
and I was hoping this would be 
a start,” she said.

Thompson 
added 
that 

Trotter’s lecture connects to 
this year’s symposium theme 
by telling audience members 
they can be the next to lead to 
create positive change in their 
communities.

“By declaring, dreaming, 

committing and succeeding 
you are saying ‘I’m going to be 
next — as a matter of fact, I am 
right now,’ ” she said. “Let’s 
not wait for next, let’s do it 
right now.”

LSA 
freshman 
Alora 

Fleenary, who attended the 
event, 
said 
she 
liked 
the 

“declaring” aspect of Fox’s 
action plan the most.

“Decide what you want and 

make it a reality,” she said. 
“Use the words of affirmation 
and speak it into being.”

After the event, LSA junior 

Sirak Kurban said he had 
learned how important it is to 
be an individual.

“We’re all ourselves and we 

all have a purpose in this life,” 
he said. “With our purpose and 
with our passion we’re really 
able to make a difference in 

TROTTER
From Page 1

been donating bottled water 
and funds to support the 
citizens of Flint, including 
several groups on campus.

The Black Student Union 

started a water drive in January 
through a GoFundMe page. 
LSA senior Christopher James, 
BSU 
mass 
communication 

chair, said BSU is working 
directly 
with 
organizations 

they know and people within 
Flint to ensure the money they 
raise goes to the right places.

“We’re working with places 

directly within Flint, instead 
of trying to go online,” he 
said. “We are going to the 
city, talking to people, making 
phone calls to make sure 
everything is legit before we 
set foot and give money to any 
organization.”

James said he was upset 

that 
people 
would 
try 
to 

take advantage of the plight 
of Flint’s citizens, but not 
surprised.

“Obviously, I’m upset about 

it, but I can’t expect anything 
less,” he said. “Bad things 
happen every day, and it is what 
it is. You just have to pray that 
the good outweighs the bad.”

FLINT
From Page 1

WANT EVEN MORE NEWS?

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER

@MICHIGANDAILY

