The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
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Wednesday, March 16, 2016 — 3A

that can be published except when 
the articles are either libelous, an 
unwarranted invasion of privacy, 
in violation of federal or state law 
or capable of inciting students so 
as to create a clear and present 
danger. 

Section 5 of the Student Free 

Press and Civics Readiness Act 
establishes 
a 
framework 
for 

schools to customize their student 
publication guidelines under a 
freedom of expression policy. 
The policy can enable school 
authorities to further regulate the 
material that is published. 

“Each school district shall 

adopt a written student freedom 
of expression policy in accordance 
with this act,” the policy says. “The 
policy must include reasonable 
provisions for the time, place, and 
manner of student expression. 

The policy may also include 
limitations on language that is 
profane, harassing, threatening, 
or intimidating.”

Also included in the bill is a 

provision that provides immunity 
from disciplinary action for both 
student journalists and student 
media advisers for writing and 
publishing content that is not 
prohibited by the law, or by the 
school’s freedom of expression 
policy. The bill defines student 
media advisers as individuals 
who 
act 
as 
instructors 
for 

student journalists, or officials 
who supervise the newspaper’s 
publication.

The provision aims to prevent 

articles from being arbitrarily 
regulated 
by 
a 
school, 
or 

establishment of higher learning.

CENSORSHIP
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focused on the student body.

That is, until last summer.
Seto was the police chief of Ann 

Arbor at the time of Rosser’s death, 
and steadfastlydefended the police 
officer in question throughout the 
Washtenaw County prosecutor’s 
short 
investigation. 
He 
also 

oversaw 
the 
introduction 
of 

diversity awareness training and 
body cameras to the city police 
force, while affirming that Reid 
acted in self-defense.

Seto retired from the Ann 

Arbor Police Department the 
July after Rosser’s death, with a 
resume totalling a 25-year-long 
career in law enforcement — a 
career that began in University 
of Michigan Housing. When the 
Division of Public Security and 
Safetyannounced at the beginning 
of the 2015 school year that Seto 
would return out of retirement 
to lead his old department as the 
director 
of 
Housing 
Security, 

University officials applauded his 
decision. Eddie Washington, the 
executive director of DPSS, cited 
Seto’s partnership on student 
safety initiatives in particular at 
the time of his hiring.

“Throughout his service, he 

built a strong record of leadership, 
community 
engagement 
and 

collaboration,” Washington wrote 
in an e-mail interview with the 
Daily.

More than a semester later, 

though, Seto’s position at the 
University remains a point of 
contention for student activists. 
Rackham student Maryam Aziz, 
an Ann Arbor Alliance for Black 
Lives organizer, denounced Seto’s 
hiring last summer, and said on 
March 9 she still stands by her 
critiques of his stances.

“It’s the fact that he’s unwilling 

to acknowledge or affirm people’s 
assertions that he took part in her 
death,” she said. “Even bigger than 
him, it’s the fact that someone who 
is in a position of power in the city 
can invalidate people’s concerns.”

Seto declined comment on cases 

he worked on for the city.

For some students, however, the 

issue goes beyond the specific case 
at hand, and to a potential larger 
disconnect between DPSS and 
students of color.

Rackham student Alina Kazmi, 

SCOR’s 
political 
action 
chair, 

said she recognizes that Seto had 
proper experience for the job, but 
added that she takes issue with the 
lack of student consultation during 
the hiring process.

“This is not the only time 

students have a lot of questions 
around a pretty significant moment 
for the University,” she said. “The 
only reason we could see was that 
there is not any transparency in 
the hiring process. You would 
think they don’t just pull someone 
out of thin air. From what I 
can tell, from the University’s 
perspective, John Seto was a great 
pick because he had a longstanding 
relationship with the University. 
Aura Rosser didn’t, though she was 
a community member.”

Aziz agreed, and questioned 

whether students of color had 
an adequate voice in a matter as 
personal as housing.

“If police are here at a public 

university to make people feel safe, 
how are students, administrators, 
non-law-enforcement people at 
large involved in saying ‘this is how 
you make me feel safe’ in spaces 
here?” she asked.

At a policing forum hosted 

by BSU and SCOR last Saturday, 
however, Seto disputed reports of 
discomfort, maintaining he has 
experienced an easy transition 
back to the Housing Security office.

“I have yet to experience any 

discomfort from students,” he said. 
“I am here to listen and connect 
with members of the community.”

Haviland-Eduah, 
who 

organized 
the 
forum 
and 

introduced the event, wrote in 
an e-mail interview that Seto’s 
comments were indicative of the 
need for more student involvement 
in DPSS processes.

“This lack of awareness only 

underscores the importance that 
now more than ever, we need 
work with administrators across 
the campus to create levels of 
accountability and institutionalize 
student involvement in hiring 
processes that have the potential to 
impact student life tremendously,” 
he wrote.

Nonetheless, for undergraduate 

students 
at 
large 
living 
in 

University Housing, there seems to 
be a different gulf in understanding 
— though many are aware of 
Rosser’s death, Seto’s name is 

unfamiliar to most.

LSA senior Brittany Dowe, a 

resident advisor in Martha Cook 
Residence Hall, is a diversity peer 
educator in her hall. Dowe works 
closely with University Housing 
in 
developing 
workshops 
on 

inclusivity and identity, but had 
no knowledge of Seto’s association 
with the University.

“Going through my training, we 

never heard about him or met him,” 
she said. “We always interacted 
with people a couple units down.”

LSA freshman Mariam Doudi 

lives in South Quad Residence 
Hall, and said she was never 
educated on civil rights issues in 
the city, let alone the connections 
to University life.

“In my time so far, those aren’t 

issues that have been emphasized 
to me as important,” she said. 

Over the past year, DPSS as a 

whole has made several efforts 
to reach out to students as a part 
of 
University 
President 
Mark 

Schlissel’s diversity initiative. In 
addition to events put on by student 
organizers such as the policing 
forum, the division created a 
new position, diversity program 
manager, and Washington is in 
the process of creating a student 
advisory board contributing to all 
offices within DPSS.

Despite 
these 
reforms, 

University 
safety 
officers 

themselves acknowledge students 
of color may still not be able to 
fully trust law enforcement. Bryan 
Baker, DPSS liaison to the Division 
of Student Life, said at the forum 
security officers’ uniforms can 
make students feel uncomfortable.

“From 
personal 
experience, 

I’ve had people that haven’t come 
up to me, or shied away from me 
and that’s OK,” he said. “But we’re 
making an effort to build those 
relationships in residence halls 
especially.”

Though Haviland-Eduah does 

not live in University housing, 
he wrote that Seto’s role at the 
University pushed him to ask more 
questions about students’ input 
with DPSS.

“I think about what could 

happen if I have an interaction 
with the police, and I want to trust 
that I will have a good interaction, 
but that’s not always the case, 
especially as a Black man,” he 
wrote.

Japan, citing the Trans-Pacific 
Partnership. 
The 
TPP 
is 
an 

international 
trade 
agreement 

which 
aims 
to 
reduce 
trade 

obstacles between countries on the 
Pacific Rim and increase economic 
growth passed in February 2016. 
The ambassador also focused his 
talk on the close ties between the 
two countries in the development 
of mutually beneficial security 
policies that address concerns over 
China and North Korea.

“To further boost the economy 

of Japan and the United States, 
international trade is paramount,” 
he 
said. 
“The 
Trans-Pacific 

Partnership, so called TPP, will 
help open up Japanese markets 
to more goods — that will benefit 
the participating economies and 
newly emerging economies in Asia 
and elsewhere. A strong Japanese 
economy is one way that we can 
both benefit.”

Nadachi 
spoke 
about 
his 

experiences 
in 
international 

business, saying American business 
ethics are the best in the world and 
encouraging further cooperation 
between the United States and 
Japan.

Dr. Miyawaki’s remarks centered 

on the long history of cooperation 
between the U.S. military and the 
Japanese self-defense force. 

“America 
has 
many 

commitments all over the world, 
with tensions in the Middle East 
and elsewhere,” Miyawaki said. 
“But I would also argue not to 
forget the importance of the Asian 
Pacific region.”

Dr. 
Miyawaki 
cited 
North 

Korea’s growing nuclear ambitions 
and growing tensions in countries 
around the South China Sea as 
examples of potential conflicts that 
require U.S. attention.

Beyond 
foreign 
policy, 
the 

discussion also pivoted to cultural 
issues. Miyashita spoke about the 
similar agricultural focus of the 
two nations, noting concerns about 
the large aging population of Fukui 
and the relatively small youth 
population in her region, a problem 
that is common throughout Japan.

The theme of cultural similarities 

was also reflected in Minamoto’s 
introduction. In his address, he 
spoke to the importance of bowing 
in Japanese culture. He noted the 
similarity between the American 
handshake and the Japanese bow 
as both being symbolic of mutual 
respect.

Following 
the 
panelists’ 

introductions, the group took 
questions from the audience, which 
mainly focused on economic and 
security 
issues. 
One 
audience 

member asked about relations 
between China and Japan in 
particular. In response, Shimokoji 
said there needs to be increased 
cooperation between Japan and 
China.

“China 
and 
Japan 
must 

cooperate 
together,” 
said 

Shimokoji. “China is not an enemy 
of Japan’s, but rather competitors.”

In 
an 
interview 
after 
the 

event, 
Shimokoji 
emphasized 

that cooperation with China was 
important to counter North Korean 
nuclear ambitions. 

“Even now, China is against 

North Korean nuclear facilities,” 
he said. “So we have to encourage 
China to help curtail the operation 
of these North Korean nuclear 
facilities.”

Shimokoji also noted that he 

thought Japan should strengthen 
ties with Latin America.

“I think that Japan should 

strengthen 
their 
work 
with 

Venezuela, especially in energy 
markets and with other resources,” 
Shimokoji said. “Not only in 
Venezuela however; Brazil and 
Peru are very important countries 
to Japan.”

SETO
From Page 1A

a place of compassion some kind 
of human place from within, 
whether it be about struggle or 
whatever it is, people can relate 
to that, and they can feel we’re all 
sort of connected in some way.”

That experience of a BDS 

protest, he said, is what prompted 
him to focus on unity in the U.S.

“I went back and I performed 

and I performed in front of a bunch 
of BDS boycotters with signs that 
said things like ‘Naziyahu’ and 
they were throwing stuff on stage 
and screaming at me and cursing 
at me and it was pretty intense,” 
he said. “So I have this direct 
involvement 
with 
interacting 

with the BDS and I got to see sort 
of how it resonates in people and 
I felt like the same things were 
happening in the states.”

Rap artist Nadim Azzam will 

be also be a part of the April 
concert, which is sponsored by 
University of Michigan Hillel 
and planned by MUSIC Matters. 
It will be exclusively for faculty, 
students and staff, with attendees 
required to present valid Mcards 
in order to purchase tickets.

Members 
of 
the 
MUSIC 

Matters 
executive 
board 

said 
Hillel 
contacted 
their 

organization in January with the 
opportunity to host Matisyahu’s 
Michigan tour stop. Business 
senior Jibran Ahmed, president 
of MUSIC Matters, said the group 
saw the concert as an opportunity 
to further their mission of uniting 
communities on campus.

“We saw this as an opportunity 

to build community and to 
strengthen community and really, 
that’s what our organization is 
all about,” Ahmed said. “That’s 
why we put on SpringFest, 
that’s why we have the concerts, 
that’s why we have large-scale 
philanthropic efforts, in order 
to build community. This was 
just an incredible opportunity to 
work on.”

According to a press release, 

both Matisyahu and Azzam 
hope through their performance, 
attendees are able to find mutual 
respect for each other and the 
acknowledgement 
of 
human 

similarities will be strengthened.

Business junior Kaitlin Smith, 

MUSIC Matters communications 
chair, said she thinks Matisyahu 
has a reputation for holding 
performances 
in 
front 
of 

distinctively diverse audiences.

“This 
is 
a 
theme 
for 

Matisyahu,” Smith said. “He 
has played at festivals that are 
known for being culturally and 
religiously diverse, so he’s kind of 
taken his message and is applying 
it to this U.S. college tour.”

Matisyahu said this concert 

series is focused on getting 
attendees to reevaluate their 
views on current issues.

“This concert series and these 

shows is really not about politics,” 
he said. “One of the main points 
that I’m trying to come at is it’s 
not about choosing sides, but it’s 
about being honest with yourself 
and trying to learn about all the 
different sides and trying to 

connect to something human.”

Further emphasizing that the 

concert will not take a political 
stance on any issue, he said it 
instead aims to promote peace 
and love through music.

“You can talk about love, you 

can talk about politics, you can 
speak about right and wrong, but 
when it comes to art and to music, 
it bypasses all of it and resonates 
inside of you and makes you feel a 
certain way,” he said.

Azzam echoed Matisyahu’s 

remarks in an interview with 
the Daily last week. Speaking 
specifically to conflicts in Israel 
and Palestine, Azzam said he 
hopes the concert helps attendees 
find connections with people of 
different cultural backgrounds.

“In regards to the sociopolitical 

context of Palestine and Israel, 
things are much more complex 
and intense than a campus 
concert 
series 
can 
address,” 

Azzam said. “But before we can, 
as a society, reconcile differences 
in belief and opinion between 
Palestinians and Israelis, we have 
to first find common ground as 
human beings. And music is one 
powerful way to do that.”

The 
concert’s 
theme 
has 

resonated deeply with some 
students at the University, such 
as LSA senior Daniel Pearlman. 
In an interview, Pearlman said he 
met Matisyahu at a performance 
at The Blind Pig in Ann Arbor 
when he was a freshman, and was 
struck by his inviting demeanor.

He added that he believes the 

symbolism of Jewish-American 
Matisyahu performing alongside 
Arab-American 
Azzam 
will 

have a significant impact on the 
University. 

“Both of their music really 

speaks volumes to me,” Pearlman 
said. “The message of peace 
and coexistence is inspiring 
and especially having a Jewish 
artist and a Palestinian artist 
perform together on campus and 
spreading the message of peace 
and coexistence can really speak 
volumes. I’m really excited for 
this concert.”

Matisyahu 
said 
he 
hopes 

students who attend the concert 
are able to treat it as a learning 
experience.

“I feel that when people come 

to see the show they may have an 
expectation of something, and 
I hope they are able to lose that 
expectation and jump into an 
unknown experience,” he said. 
“I hope they lose themselves 
in it and experience something 
greater than themselves, and I 
know music has the capacity to 
do that.”

Ahmed said he believes the 

rich history of individuals who 
have performed or spoken at Hill 
Auditorium makes it the perfect 
venue for Matisyahu and Azzam’s 
performance.

Many social activists and 

renowned 
musicians 
have 

come to Hill in past years. Most 
recently, Naomi Tutu, daughter 
of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, 
delivered the annual Martin 
Luther King Jr. keynote lecture at 
the auditorium in January.

“There’s 
been 
so 
many 

amazing 
engaging 
speakers 

at Hill Auditorium,” Ahmed 
said. “Martin Luther King Jr. 
spoke at Hill Auditorium. I 
had the privilege to see Nelson 
Mandela’s grandson on the stage. 
Hill is such a historic venue 
that bringing Matisyahu and 
promoting dialogue on that stage 
is the perfect venue.”

LSA junior Matt Fisher, MUSIC 

Matters fundraising chair, said a 
key focus of the event is to inspire 
further discussion about peace 
and unity at the University. Both 
Matisyahu and Azzam will hold 
events to interact with University 
community members the day of 
the concert.

Organizations such as the 

Muslim 
Student 
Association 

and 
the 
Black 
Student 

Union 
have 
recently 
held 

forums and dialogues at the 
University to address topics 
such 
as 
Islamophobia 
and 

intersectionality 
within 
the 

Muslim 
community. 
The 

University is also in the middle 
of 
a 
campus-wide 
diversity 

initiative aimed at addressing 
issues regarding racial climate 
and inclusivity on campus. In 
March 2014 campus also grappled 
with divestment when a group of 
over 100 students, alumni and 
community members held a sit-
in in response to Central Student 
Government postponing a vote 
on whether the University should 
divest. In March 2015 CSG voted 
against divestment.

“It’s all about community 

building and bringing together 
as many different communities 
on campus as possible, creating 
dialogue 
on 
campus 
and 

encouraging students to speak 
with each other in a peaceful 
way,” Fisher said.

Ahmed added that MUSIC 

Matters has reached out to 
various organizations on campus 
and wants students of different 
identities to know they are 
welcome to attend the concert.

“With reaching out to student 

groups, we want to stress that not 
only are all groups welcome, but 
are encouraged to come to the 
show,” Ahmed said. “We really 
think that the dialogue the show 
will create will be very valuable 
to every student on campus.”

Aside from promoting unity 

at the University, Ahmed said 
the concert also serves as an 
extension of MUSIC Matters’ 
overall goal of inspiring the 
community through music.

“The idea on Matisyahu’s 

end on our perspective is to 
show 
how 
powerful 
music 

can be,” Ahmed said. “Music 
creates these dialogues, music 
has the opportunity to build 
these communities, really to 
show music can be used to enact 
positive social change.”

Tickets for the concert can be 

purchased for $5 at the Michigan 
Union Ticket Office with the 
presentation of a valid Mcard. 
Proceeds from the concert will 
go toward MUSIC Matters’ Big 
Thinker Scholarship, the first 
scholarship at the University 
to be completely endowed by 
students.

MATISYAHU
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JAPAN
From Page 1A

students, including many staff, 
and fellow students. We want to do 
everything we can to fully enact our 
community of caring.”

CAPS is located on the 3rd floor 

of the Michigan Union, and is open 
to students from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. 
Monday through Thursday, and 
8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Fridays. The 
urgent/crisis services are available 
24/7 at 734-764-8312 (press 0). The 
website also directs students in 
need of immediate assistance to UM 
Psychiatric Emergency Services’ 
24-hour helpline at 734-936-5900. 
CAPS further stresses that students 
in need of immediate assistance 
should call 911 or visit their local 
emergency room. Student leaders 
have also created the e-mail address 
studentsupport@umich.edu, 
which students can e-mail to access 
information about mental health.

VIRUS
From Page 1A

Read more at 
MichiganDaily.com

