An online petition for the 

University of Michigan to include 
student pronouns on class rosters 
and disclose them to professors 
has continued to gain traction 
over recent weeks and may see 
action shortly.

Organizers plan to approach 

administrators such as 
University Provost Martha 
Pollack and Kedra Ishop, 
associate vice president for 
Enrollment Management, 
once the petition reaches 500 
signatures. As of Wednesday 
evening, it had 432.

“Trans students at the 

University of Michigan often 
find themselves facing threats 
to their mental and physical 
safety,” the petition reads. 
“Currently, students must reach 
out to their professors and 
GSIs on their own or risk being 
misgendered in the classroom. 
This can be a mentally and 
emotionally draining experience 
for individuals who constantly 
have to inform or correct their 
professors of their identity.”

It cites Harvard as an 

example of one of the other 

universities across the country 
implementing similar policies.

“This is an extremely 

important issue on campus,” 
Kinesiology junior Katherine 
Baur wrote in the comments 
of the petition. “Allowing 
professors/GSIs to know the 
pronoun preferences of students 
will not only make students feel 
more comfortable on campus, but 
will also hopefully augment their 
ability to learn.”

LSA senior Joseph Beattie 

commented that a policy like this 
would help foster an inclusive 
environment at the University.

“Students should feel safe, 

comfortable and included as 

members of this campus, and the 
University should do all within 
its power to ensure that students 
do feel this way,” Beattie wrote.

As well, Public Health student 

Adam Eickmeyer noted in the 
comments that implementing 
such a policy would also be 
beneficial for instructors.

“As a GSI, this would 

be a great addition for both 
instructors and students,” 
Eickmeyer wrote. “We need to 
support our trans* and gender 
nonconforming/nonbinary 
students on campus, and this is 
an easy way to do so.”

-EMMA KINERY

2A — Thursday, March 31, 2016
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

GRANT HARDY/Daily

Ann Arbor resident Craig Wise balances a passerby’s bike on 
his chin at the Diag Wednesday. 

BIKE BAL ANCE
CAMPUS EVENTS & NOTES

3
THINGS 
YOU 
SHOULD 
KNOW

In CNN’s Republican town 
hall 
on 
Tuesday 
night, 

the 
remaining 
Republican 

candidates Donald Trump, 

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R–Texas) and 
Ohio Governor John Kasich backed 
off to varying degrees from a pledge 
made earlier in the campaign 
season to support the eventual GOP 
nominee, CNN reported.

3

Daily Arts writers celebrate 
April Fool’s Day a day early, 
envisioning the start and 
structure of a student fight 

club at the University of Michigan, 
along with a defense of Nickelback’s 
‘Dark Horse’ album and an artist 
profile. 

>> SEE B-SIDE on 1B

2

The FBI announced Monday 
that they unlocked an iPhone 
5c belonging to one of the 
perpetrators 
of 
the 
San 

Bernardino terrorist attack, despite 
Apple’s refusal to assist them, the 
LA Time reported. Apple now wants 
the FBI to reveal how they unlocked 
the phone so the tech giant can 
develop increased security. 

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WHEN YOUR BRACKET IS DONEZO. puzzle by sudokusyndication.com

Psychology 
research fair

WHAT: Connect with 
faculty and graduate 
sudents to learn 
more about research 
opportunities.

WHO: Department of 
Psychology

WHEN: 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. 

WHERE: East Hall, First 
Floor Atrium

Building your 
personal brand

WHAT: Workshop aimed 
to help empower women 
by informing them how to 
best market themselves.

WHO: Center for 
Entrepreneurship

WHEN: 5 p.m. to 6:30 
p.m. 

WHERE: Lurie Robert H 
Engineering Center

CAPS stress 
seminar

WHAT: Join a panel of 
experts to hear about 
preventive measures 
to avoid academic and 
emotional stress. 

WHO: Comprehensive 
Studies Program and LSA

WHEN: 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. 

WHERE: Angell Hall, 
room 1139 

Greek film 
lecture 

WHAT: Harvard Prof. 
Vassiliki Rapti will 
dicuss female roles in 
the historically male 
dominated Greek cinema. 

WHO: Modern Greek 
Program

WHEN: 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

WHERE: Michigan 
League, Hussey Room

International 
security talk

WHAT: Retired Albanian 
military colonel Dritan 
Demiraj will discuss security 
issues, terrorism and the 
conflict in Iraq and Syria.

WHO: International 
Institute

WHEN: 4 p.m. to 5 p.m.

WHERE: School of Social 
Work Building, room 1636

Jazz showcase 

WHAT: Members of the 
University jazz faculty will 
perform as soloists with the 
Jazz Ensemble. Drummer 
Kenrick Scott will also 
perform as a special guest.

WHO: School of Music, 
Theatre & Dance

WHEN: 8 p.m.

WHERE: The Ark, 316 
South Main Street

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only resource and that I think is 
ridiculous.”

One 
DPSS 
officer 
arrived 

at the scene around 6:45 p.m 
Wednesday, 
but 
informed 

students that there was not much 
that could be done because it was 
after hours. In response, a group 
of about ten students began to 
wash the chalk messages off 
the Diag with water and towels 
themselves, pouring buckets of 
water to erase the statements 
and wiping down other concrete 
with rags.

“It’s 
irresponsible 
of 
the 

administration 
that 
we 
are 

actually out here with buckets 
of water and napkins to clean 
off 
these 
hateful 
messages 

and the administration isn’t 
taking care of it,” Al-Sheemary 
said. “And not only is the 
administration not taking care 
of it, they are putting us through 
a really difficult process. That 
perpetuates these really racist 
and hateful stereotypes that 
turn into violence and turn into 
students of color feeling unsafe 

on campus.”

LSA junior Tahany Alsabahi, 

one 
of 
the 
students 
who 

contacted 
DPSS, 
echoed 

Al-Sheemary’s sentiments.

“There needs to be another 

resource for students, and I 
think, 
also, 
the 
University 

has to speak out against these 
things,” Alsabahi said. “because 
oftentimes when this happens 
for other groups, they’re very 
quick to release statements and 
say that they don’t condone 
anti-Semitism or any other type 
of stuff like that, but it gets 
really iffy and it becomes really 
difficult to get them to speak out 
against Islamophobia.”

University 
spokesperson 

Rick Fitzgerald affirmed the 
University’s stance on inclusivity 
on 
campus 
in 
a 
statement 

Wednesday night.

“Earlier today someone used 

chalk to write a #stopislam 
message on the main square in 
the heart of our campus known 
as the Diag,” the statement 
read. “Attacks directed toward 
any member or group within 
the 
University 
of 
Michigan 

community, based on a belief or 
characteristic, are inconsistent 

with our values of respect, 
civility and equality. We all 
understand that where speech 
is free it will sometimes wound. 
But our message is this: We are 
fully committed to fostering an 
environment that is welcoming 
and 
inclusive 
of 
everyone. 

Tonight we are reminded there 
is much work yet to be done.”

Al-Sheemary 
said 
she 

was not surprised by either 
the various writings for and 
against Republican presidential 
candidate Donald Trump, or 
statements 
targeting 
Muslim 

students.

“It’s 
nothing 
new,” 

Al-Sheemary said. “Maybe it 
has just been heightened with 
the election, but this is just 
something that happened before 
9/11, spiked with 9/11 and it’s not 
anything new and it affects a lot 
of students of color.”

Alsabahi also noted that she 

thought statements like those 
on the Diag had connotations 
beyond political.

“When 
speech 
can 
incite 

violence and aggression and 
hatred towards another group, 
that’s when it becomes hate 
speech,” she said.

reality of bipolar disorder and 
treatment, which he said he 
found surprising.

“I had no idea that there is 

a segment of the population 
where they still prescribed, 
as Patty Duke had put it, may 
she rest in peace, that you pull 
yourself up by your bootstraps. 
You can do this,” Moore said. 
“You just got to get out there 
and get with it (mentally). And 
it’s not that simple.”

The film emphasized the 

biological 
components 
of 

the disorder and the swings 
between mania and depression. 
One 
of 
the 
panelists 
was 

activist 
and 
award-winning 

writer Melody Moezzi, whose 
manic episode was portrayed in 
the film.

Moezzi 
said 
Wednesday 

she felt like some of her 
feelings were misrepresented 
in the documentary as being 

delusional, 
and 
that 
the 

narration of the documentary 
spoke for her at times. In 
particular, she said, despite the 
unusual nature of her actions, 
the spirit of them was not given 
proper credit.

“Though my delusion was 

accurately portrayed as being 
that I could change the world 
through hula-hooping and I 
could bring out world peace 
through hula-hooping, which is 
mildly delusional, I get it,” she 
said. “But I do believe that one 
person can change the world.”

She also discussed how the 

stigma of mental illness can 
be a greater difficulty than the 
bipolarism itself, saying she 
now she recognizes the signs 
and she can take measures to 
prevent outbursts.

She noted that if she had a 

cure for bipolar disorder, in 
the form of a drug, she would 
not know if she would take it, 
saying she appreciated that her 
mind works differently than 
others’.

The 
film 
discussed 

several 
treatment 
options 

for 
individuals 
to 
have 
a 

more 
comfortable 
lifestyle, 

emphasizing 
talk 
therapy, 

connecting with the family, 
exercise, dieting and getting 
regular sleep.

The 
film 
also 
discussed 

more 
unusual 
methods 
of 

approaching mental such as 
electric shock therapy, which 
despite its negative history due 
to its severity, was portrayed 
as beneficial to bipolar and 
depressed 
patients 
in 
the 

film. Ketamine, an anesthetic, 
was 
also 
featured 
— 
the 

film 
highlighted 
research 

that showed how soldiers in 
Vietnam 
thought 
the 
drug 

lightened their mood.

Another 
panelist, 
Ellen 

Forney, 
a 
cartoonist 
and 

award-winning 
writer, 
said 

artists with bipolar disorder 
sometimes allow the condition 
to become part of the creative 
process.

Forney mentioned yoga being 

a large part of her routine, and 
emphasized how connectivity 
and therapy is as important 
to those with bipolar disorder 
as well as individual action. 
Moezzi 
agreed, 
and 
said 

her Muslim faith helped her 
manage her condition.

McInnis 
said 
he 
wanted 

University students to take 
away tips to maintain a healthy 
lifestyle from the film.

“What 
I 
want 
Michigan 

students to gain from this 
is to have an awareness of 
their moods, and awareness 
that their moods can cycle 
up and down, and there are 
pathological states that can 
emerge from mood,” McInnis 
said. “I also want them to hear 
the message of healthy sleep 
patterns, 
healthy 
exercise 

patterns, 
healthy 
dietary 

patterns and the connectivity 
that is important in healthy 
living. Living health implies 
being health and vice versa.”

The 
documentary 
will 

premiere on PBS on April 13.

PANEL
From Page 1A

CHALK
From Page 1A

Market 
Material. 
Though 

many individuals and groups 
won multiple awards, Men’s 
and Women’s Club Ultimate 
Frisbee raked in the most with 
three: Female Athlete of the 
Year, Male Athlete of the Year 
and Club Sport of the Year.

LSA 
senior 
Braden 

Engstrom, presenter for the 
Club Sports Award, said the 
event was a great opportunity 
for club teams to celebrate 
their 
progress 
over 
the 

semester.

“It’s really great that we 

get to showcase club sports 
with the rest of the Michigan 
community,” he said.

Some 
candidates 
were 

anonymously submitted and 
surprised by their invitations 
to 
attend. 
Dental 
senior 

Hunter Beaubien said she 
attended alone because she 
did not know who nominated 
her.

Other organizations and 

individuals were more heavily 
represented 
at 
the 
event. 

Sophomore of the Year Award 
recipient Darian Razdar and 
Fraternity or Sorority of the 
Year Award recipient Lambda 
Theta Alpha were greeted 
by noticeably huge applause 
as they went up on stage, 
showcasing crowd support.

The last award given out 

was the World Leaders Awar, 
to Rama Mwenesi, a graduate 
student in the College of 
Engineering and School of 
Public 
Health. 
Mwenesi 

co-founded Kiamani MVMT, 
a social enterprise that aims 
to empower Kenyan women 
and children orphaned by 
HIV/AIDS. 
He 
also 
won 

the Graduate Student of the 
Year Award for his work as 
a Health Care Management 
Engineering Consultant in the 
hospital. For Mwenesi, this 
year marked his third World 
Leaders Award.

“To do it once, you’re really 

humbled. To do it twice, you’re 
inspired to really believe in 
yourself and your team and 
those around you and the idea 
to actually affect and impact 
change,” Mwenesi said. “But 
to win it a third time is … 

there’s just no words for it.”

Mwenesi said he hoped 

students will learn from his 
example and employ sincerity, 
commitment and passion to 
affect change.

E. Royster Harper, vice 

president for student life, said 
Mwenesi’s enthusiasm was 
exactly the kind she was eager 
to see.

“It’s just really affirming 

others 
acknowledging 
the 

work 
(the 
students) 
are 

doing,” 
Harper 
said. 
“To 

me, it’s one of the reasons 
why the University is really 
such a special place. And the 
contributions that students 
make here, they take it and go 
out and change the world. I 
really like that.”

Business senior Jennifer 

Liu said she appreciated how 
the ceremony gave recognition 
to small and quiet groups that 
contribute greatly to society.

“Group 
are 
represented 

from North Campus, South 
Campus, 
Central 
Campus, 

and 
it’s 
really 
bringing 

the 
entire 
community 

together to celebrate student 
accomplishments,” she said.

AWARDS
From Page 1A

News 

