“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.”

LSA 
freshman 
Timothy 

Mayer said he was drawn 
to the event for its unique 
attempt to promote unity 
through music. He said while 
he enjoyed the performance 
overall, he thought there was 
an apparent lack of discussion 
on peace and inclusion.

“I don’t think it did as much 

as it could have,” Mayer said.

LSA sophomore Kevin Wolf 

said he enjoyed the concert, 
but 
also 
echoed 
Mayer’s 

thoughts concerning the lack 
of discussion of unity and 
inclusion. 

“I thought it was great. 

I thought there was a lot of 
positive energy,” Wolf said. 
“I’m a big Matisyahu fan.”

But in particular on the 

topic of inclusion and peace, 
Wolf said he noted a lack of 
attention.

“I wish it came through a 

little more,” Wolf said. “He 
was a little quiet, so to speak, 

during the show. He didn’t 
really say hi to the audience.”

He did note, however, that 

a subtle message of unity was 
depicted in a collaborative 
song between Azzam and 
Matisyahu.

LSA junior Seif Saqallah 

expressed a similar sentiment, 
saying the performance could 
have been stronger had the 
two performed more numbers 
together.

For 
LSA 
sophomore 

Natasha 
Desai, 
a 
MUSIC 

Matters 
member, 
the 

performance 
was 
overall 

impressive.

“Honestly one of the best 

shows ever,” she said. “He 
was so into his music. He was 
so into everything he was 
doing.”

Matisyahu 
declined 

comment 
immediately 

following the event.

In March, he said the 

concert would not take a 
specific political stance on 
any issue, but would instead 
focus on fostering acceptance, 
peace and love.

“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.

communication.

“There was less and less 

communication 
and 
open 

dialogue,” SACUA member John 
Lehman, a professor of biology, 
said. “We want to make sure 
faculty has a very good dialogue 
with (the Athletic Department).”

Manuel said he wants to make 

every effort to connect with 
faculty and the campus.

“If I see something in the Daily 

or in the Record that I’d like to 
attend, I will,” Manuel said. “Part 
of it is my own interests in doing 
what I can to get out into the 
community and be visible to talk 
to faculty and students about what 
they’re doing.”

Manuel also said he believes 

faculty 
and 
athletics 
should 

support one another, as well as 
students.

“One thing you’ll find out about 

me is I’m not there because there’s 
PR, I’m there because I think we 
all need to find a way to support 
what each other are doing,” 
Manuel said.

At a SACUA meeting in 

November 
2014, 
University 

President 
Mark 
Schlissel 

discussed 
the 
challenges 
of 

admiting and working with 
student athletes to the point of 
graduation, saying, “We admit 
students who aren’t as qualified, 
and it’s probably the kids that we 
admit that can’t honestly, even 
with lots of help, do the amount 
of work and the quality of work 
it takes to make progression 

from year to year,” he said. 
“These past two years have 
gotten better, but before that, the 
graduation rates were terrible, 
with football somewhere in the 
50s and 60s when our total six-
year rate at the University is 
somewhere near 90 percent, so 
that’s a challenge.”

SACUA 
and 
Manuel 

additionally heavily discussed 
the difficulties student athletes 
face in balancing their respective 
sport and schoolwork. Manuel 
said 
he 
believes 
schoolwork 

should be the primary focus 
for athletes, listing five things 
from student athletes: academic 
success, athletic success, growing 
as a young adult, following the 
rules and having fun.

He 
also 
touched 
on 
the 

recent controversy surrounding 

concussions and student athletes. 
A recent University study on 
concussions found male football 
players are at a 75-percent risk 
for concussion, and 78 percent of 
concussions occur during games, 
as opposed to practices.

“By fun, it doesn’t mean easy,” 

he said. “It means fun doing all of 
that and being a student, athlete 
and person, and growing and 
learning in this environment,” 
Manuel said.

On 
campus, 
University 

practices 
regarding 
handling 

concussions during football games 
draw criticism, after the 2014 
game against Minnesota in which 
then-Kinesiology 
sophomore 

quarterback Shane Morris was 
sent back in to play after hitting 
his head, an injury that was 
confirmed as a concussion after 
the game.

“I’m 
not 
involved 
in 
the 

decision-making as it relates 
to when somebody is able to 
participate after the concussion, 
and I’m aware enough to know of 
the extent of the research that’s 
reported publicly,” Manuel said. “I 
do not consider myself, nor will I 
ever consider myself, an expert at 
it. I will rely heavily on the medical 
staff to make the determination 
about students’ ability to continue 
playing in a game or when they 
come back.”

Business Prof. Dave Wright 

said the impact of athletics on the 
University’s brand is extremely 
high — and as such, the Athletic 
Department 
holds 
significant 

power 
in 
determining 
the 

perception of the University.

“All of us collectively work 

really hard for the brand and the 
reputation of this University, and 

we are really blessed and honored 
to work for a school that really 
is the leaders and best at both 
athletics and academics,” Wright 
said. “That’s a rare breed. I can 
screw up in the classroom, botch 
a piece of research or whatever 
and we get a little attention in my 
area but not much. Nothing can 
change the brand quicker than 
some of the high-profile athletes 
and coaches.”

After 
the 
discussion 
with 

Manuel, SACUA discussed the 
Office of Institutional Equity 
appeals policy and drafted a 
resolution for Faculty Senate. 
Weineck said the current OIE 
appeals policy allows faculty 
to appeal sanctions but not to 
appeal investigation findings of 
the OIE investigations. Since the 
new sexual misconduct policy, 
announced in March to go into 
effect in July, allows students file 
grievances with both sanctions 
and findings, SACUA members 
said the same procedure should 
apply to faculty.

“Currently, people can grieve 

the sanctions but not appeal the 
findings, which we think is a bit of 
a mismatch,” Weineck said.

The resolution states the desire 

for faculty to have a parallel 
or similar grievance policy to 
students. The Faculty Senate will 
vote on the resolution at the next 
meeting on April 18.

SACUA 
also 
elected 

Engineering Prof. Bill Schultz, 
current vice chair, to Chair of 
SACUA for the next academic 
year. Schulz ran against Lehman 
and won in a 5-3 vote. In addition, 
Wright was appointed to be the 
next vice chair. 

3-News

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
News
Tuesday, April 5, 2016 — 3

Detroit, Flint 
to receive $55 
million in federal 
aid 

Detroit and Flint will receive 

$55 million from the federal 
governement for the demolition 
of blighted buildings from the 
U.S. Department of Treasury, 
the Detroit Free Press reported.

The funds are a part of 

a $74.5 million package of 
“Hardest Hit” funds given to 
the state to help stabilize the 
housing market. 

From the funds, $41.9 million 

will go to Detroit and $13.9 
million will go to Flint, both 
for demolition purposes. The 
remaining $18.6 million will be 
allocated to help homeowners 
who are struggling with their 
mortgages. 

Michigan initially received 

$498 million from the Hardest 
Hit Fund when the program 
was first introduced in 2010 
following housing price declines 
and high unemployment. The 
most recent funding brings the 
state’s total federal dollars to 
$572.5 million. 

Gov. Rick Snyder said in a 

press release Monday the funds 
are important in aiding the 
residents of cities suffering 
from deteriorating buildings. 

“These funds have been 

critical in helping people 
stay in their homes,” he said. 
“And avoid foreclosure while 
helping Detroit, Flint and 
other cities across our state 
eliminate blight and revitalize 
neighborhoods.” 

Business professor 
recieves Golden 
Apple Award

Accounting Assistant Prof. 

Ryan Ball received the the Ross 
School of Business’ first Golden 
Apple Award, the University 
Record reports.

The Golden Apple Award 

is the only student selected 
teaching award on campus 
and is given out by Students 
Honoring Outstanding 
University Teaching. 

The award is given to 

undergraduate and graduate 
faculty who actively seek to 
encourage student engagement 
in the classroom. Students 
are able to nominate a faculty 
member of their choice. The 
nominees are later voted on by 
SHOUT. 

The award was inspired by 

Rabbi Eliezer ben Hurkanos 
who mentored students 
during his time here on how to 
organize their lives.

As this year’s winner, Ball 

will deliver the “Last Lecture.” 
The event encourages faculty 
to deliver a lecture as if it were 
their last in an effort to engage 
and inspire students.

Concealed gun 
permit applications 
see increase

Several counties across 

Michigan have reported 
increases in the number of 
applications for concealed 
gun licences, with significant 
increased in Macomb, Wayne 
and Oakland counties, the 
Detroit Free Press reports.

From March 1 to March 24, 

the number of concealed pistol 
licences increased by more than 
10,000 residents. In total, the 
state has 528,320 residents who 
are licensed to carry concealed 
weapons. 

The increasing trend began 

in December following a change 
in state law, which reduces the 
time it takes to receive a permit 
and removed three-member 
county boards which approved 
or denied the permits. 

County officials, gun shop 

owners and concealed pistol 
license instructors say the 
uncertainty during presidential 
election years also increase 
applications as people fear 
impending changes in policy

 — LYDIA MURRAY 

NEWS BRIEFS

2-News

HALEY MCLAUGHLIN/Daily

Athletic Director Warde Manuel discusses the importance of communication between faculty and the Athletic 
Department at the SACUA meeting in the Fleming Administration building Monday. 

SACUA
From Page 1

permits and are often targeted 
by 
government-sponsored 

repressive 
action 
and 

xenophobic stigma, making it 
difficult for those like Hassan 
to find work and assimilate.

“When I was given the 

privilege to go the United 
States, I just felt happy. I 
felt so excited,” Hassan said. 
“Because where I was living, 
life was quite hard.”

In the 2015 fiscal year, 

69,933 refugees out of a pool of 
more than 400,000 applicants 
were accepted for resettlement 
in the United States by the 
Department of State, with 
Burma, 
Iraq 
and 
Somalia 

the three largest countries 
of 
origin. 
Once 
approved, 

refugees are matched with 
one 
of 
nine 
national-level 

resettlement agencies, which 
then 
further 
divide 
the 

refugees among local affiliates 
like the JFS of Washtenaw. 
Beyond that, it’s up to the 
families, with some help from 
the local affiliates depending 
on local processes.

Having 
just 
arrived 
to 

Michigan 
in 
early 
March, 

Hassan said he and his family 
are 
still 
settling 
into 
to 

their new surroundings. He 

described many things — the 
colder 
climate, 
unfamiliar 

foods 
and 
reliable 
indoor 

plumbing 
— 
as 
unique 

challenges to adjust to, and 
said he is still reluctant to let 
his children play outside until 
he is more familiar with the 
neighborhood.

At JFS, when refugees arrive 

in the Ann Arbor area, they 
work with a case manager on a 
daily basis for the next 90 days. 
The overall goal, according 
to Nathaniel Smith, a JFS 
resettlement case manager, is 
to have them be self-sufficient 
by the end of that period.

“We 
address 
a 
lot 
of 

different areas of the refugees’ 
life, getting them set up with 
all the things that they need 
to start functioning on their 
own here,” Smith said. “For 
the most part, they are close 
to 
being 
financially 
self-

sufficient after 90 days.”

Originally founded in 1978 

to help resettle Jews fleeing 
the Soviet Union, JFS has 
worked with refugees fleeing 
numerous conflicts since then, 
including 
Kosovars 
fleeing 

the Balkan Wars in the 1990s, 
Somalis, Burmans, Afghans 
and Syrians.

JFS 
Executive 
Director 

Anya Abramazon said each new 
wave of refugees poses unique 
challenges. The most recent 

wave, she said, has largely been 
individuals fleeing conflict in 
the Middle East and elsewhere 
like Hassan, including large 
numbers of Iraqis who worked 
for the U.S. military.

“Few of (our earlier cases) 

came from an active combat 
situation where they were 
facing death and loss, so the 
level of trauma that we’re 
seeing is very high,” she said. 
“It takes time for people to 
figure out how to get out of 
that survival mode and just 
start living their life.”

Assistance 
during 
the 

90-day 
period 
currently 

includes help with registering 
for 
proper 
identification, 

school 
enrollment, 
initial 

medical 
screenings 
and 

employment services. Follow-
up English language training 
and career services are also 
available for up to five years 
after arrival.

With this wave, and in 

recent years in particular, 
Abramazon and Smith pointed 
to several newer challenges.

In 
particular, 
Ambrazon 

noted that the recent wave has 
required 
different 
services 

because many of the refugees 
JFS is currently working with 
are young children, who have 
seperate individual needs.

“Kids 
need 
support,” 

she said. “They need time 

to 
understand 
the 
new 

environment, and for them it’s 
not as much of a challenge as it 
is for their parents, but it’s still 
a challenge.”

Smith also said currently, 

high housing costs also present 
a 
challenge 
in 
resettling 

refugees in the Ann Arbor 
area.

“Some of the challenges 

that JFS faces when working 
in 
Washtenaw 
County 
are 

perhaps the same challenges 
that 
other 
residents 
of 

Washtenaw County face,” he 
said, adding that JFS has a 
partnership 
with 
McKinley 

Housing to help find affordable 
apartments. 
“Rentals 
can 

be somewhat expensive in 
this area and there’s often 
limited availability, especially 
when we get larger families 
arriving.”

However, both also noted 

that for many refugees, and for 
their agency, the community 
support 
they’ve 
found 
in 

Washtenaw has been key to 
successful resettlement. JFS 
relies in part on donations of 
money, food and furniture 
from 
local 
residents 
and 

Christian, Jewish and Islamic 
faith-based 
groups. 
They 

also have interns from the 
University of Michigan and 
Eastern Michigan University. 
Many of JFS’s broader services 

— such as a food bank and 
counseling — are now available 
to the whole community, not 
just refugees.

“They come here because 

of acceptance, because it’s a 
very welcoming community,” 
Abramazon said. “Nobody is 
puzzled here when they hear 
an accent.”

Speaking in the JFS offices 

in Ann Arbor, where Hassan 
has daily appointments, he 
said he is optimistic for his 
family’s 
future. 
Currently, 

his children are attending 
local schools. Hassan said he 
plans to find work and pursue 
higher education to further his 
career, and eventually become 
an entrepreneur.

“The first priority that I 

would like to give my family 
is (the opportunity) to go to 
school and learn,” Hassan 
said. “I want to become a great 
businessman … someone who is 
self-confident and can employ 
people.”

REFUGEES
From Page 1

MATISYAHU
From Page 1

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