At 
the 
University 
of 

Michigan 
Alumni 
Center 

Thursday evening, about 80 
students, alumni and members 
of the Ann Arbor community 
attended the first event of this 
year’s LatinX Heritage Month 
celebrations.

Sponsored 
by 
prominent 

Latino campus organizations 
and alumni, the event featured 
speakers 
who 
outlined 

inclusivity goals and stressed 
the importance of breaking 
down 
institutionalized 

borders for their on-campus 

community.

The 
Office 
of 
Academic 

Multicultural Initiatives, along 
with the Office of Multi-Ethnic 
Student Affairs, the Spectrum 
Center 
and 
the 
Alumni 

Association are collaborating 
for the second time to bring a 
month of activities, including 
keynote 
speakers, 
film 

screenings, poetry readings 
and other events that celebrate 
Latino heritage, to campus.

This 
year’s 
theme 
for 

LatinX Heritage Month is 
“Sin Fronteras,” Spanish for 
“Without Borders.” Medical 
student 
Mayra 
Gómez, 

a 
member 
of 
the 
LatinX 

Heritage Month committee, 
said artificial borders that 

When you walk through some 

University of Michigan Health 
system facilities, you might meet 
Anna and Denver, who arrived 
at UMHS this July. They work 
full days and make rounds at 
the hospital, visiting different 
medical centers and meeting new 
people.

However, the two are neither 

doctors nor patients — they’re 
new hospital dogs intended to 
provide therapeutic services and 
improve the wellbeing of patients 
and staff throughout UMHS.

Denver, 
a 
16-month-old 

Labrador-golden retriever mix, 
and Anna, an 18-month-old 
golden retriever, are trained 
service animals cared for by Joel 
Maier, Mott-certified child life 
specialist and Rev. Lindsay Bona, 
manager of the UMHS Spiritual 
Care Department.

The dogs were purchased 

to 
supplement 
the 
existing 

canine 
program 
at 
UMHS, 

through which other dogs and 
volunteers from Therapaws of 
Michigan have visited patients 
on a requested basis since 
1987. However, because those 
resources are somewhat limited 
due to a high demand, UMHS 
has been working to expand their 
canine comfort services over the 
last year.

The dogs were purchased for 

$30,000 each with a donation 
from the Laurence Polatsch 
Memorial Fund. Both Anna 

and 
Denver 
also 
received 

funding from a “puppy shower” 
fundraising campaign that was 
held when they first arrived 
to raise money for their daily 
maintenance needs, such as 
veterinary services and food.

The dogs received extensive 

training prior to starting work 
at UMHS, including more than 
a year at the Canine Assistants 
program 
and 
a 
weeklong 

orientation 
earlier 
in 
the 

summer with their caretakers. 
At training, the dogs were 
exposed to different types of 
social environments — including 
hospitals, grocery stores and 
parks — and learned basic day-
to-day behaviors. Maier said the 
goal was to teach them how to 
interact with various patients and 
behave in public transportation 
settings.

According to the pet therapy 

organization PAWS for People, 

service animals and pet therapy 
have a number of physical 
and mental health benefits for 
patients, such as lowering blood 
pressure, diminishing physical 
pain, 
decreasing 
feelings 
of 

alienation and reducing anxiety. 
They can also motivate children 
and allow them to focus more 
effectively.

For similar reasons, other local 

volunteers 
and 
organizations 

At the second feedback forum 

for LSA’s Diversity, Equity and 
Inclusion plan Thursday night, 
which focused on how the plan 
relates to graduate students, 
some 
audience 
members 

expressed concerns about lack of 
input students had on the plan.

The 
DEI 
plan 
outlines 

prospective 
goals 
for 
LSA 

programs over a five-year period, 
including the implementation of 
a variety of programs including 
a diversity component of criteria 
for faculty raises, more funds 
for application fee waivers and 
improvements in recruitment 
processes for graduate students. 
It is part of a larger campus-wide 
effort launched by University 
of Michigan President Mark 
Schlissel last year.

The forums, which are slated 

to address concerns from a 
number of different groups in 
LSA, aim to allow student input 
in the revision process.

The 
majority 
of 
the 

audience 
members 
Thursday 

night, however, were faculty 
members. Among the students 

michigandaily.com
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Friday, September 23, 2016

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Call 734-418-4115 or e-mail 
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INDEX
Vol. CXXV, No. 140
©2016 The Michigan Daily

NEWS......................... 2A

OPINION.....................4A

C L A S S I F I E D S . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 A

SUDOKU..................... 2A

A R T S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 A

FOOTBALL SATURDAY..1B

See LATINX, Page 3A

SINDUJA KILARU/Daily

Chelsea Clinton, daughter of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, speaks at the Michigan State University Union in East Lansing Thursday. 

Chelsea Clinton, daughter of 

Democratic presidential nominee 
Hillary 
Clinton 
and 
former 

President Bill Clinton, visited 
East Lansing Thursday night 
to advocate for her mother’s 

campaign.

Michigan 
State 
University’s 

chapter of College Democrats 
hosted Clinton in the university’s 
student union, with 200 people 
were in attendance. After speaking 
for 15 minutes at the public event, 
Clinton 
took 
questions 
from 

several attendees.

MSU junior Dan Eggerding, 

president 
of 
MSU 
College 

Democrats, said Michigan State 
was honored to host Clinton. He 
noted the important role such 
events play in mobilizing voters, 
especially at this stage in the 
campaign.

“As a student at MSU, I think 

it’s important that campaigns 
send representatives from their 

respective campaigns to get out 
the vote — especially now since 
the October registration deadline 
is approaching,” Eggerding said. 
“A huge surrogate, such as the 
daughter of the former president 
and hopeful next president, is a 
really amazing and awesome thing 
that MSU was humbled to host.”

See PLAN, Page 2A

PAUL AHNN/Daily

Joel Maier, Mott-certified child life specialist and Rev. Lindsay Bona, manager of the UMHS Spiritual Care Depart-
ment with therapy dogs Denver and Anna speak with a reporter at C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital Thursday. 

True Blue

Shane Morris came to 
Michigan as a prodigy 

expected to lead the program 

to glory. Instead, he has 
found something bigger.

» Page 4B

michigandaily.com

For more stories and coverage, visit

See DOGS, Page 3A

See CLINTON, Page 3A

Dr. 
Denis 
Mukwege, 
a 

world-renowned gynecologist 
and three-time Nobel Peace 
Prize 
nominee 
from 
the 

Democratic Republic of the 
Congo, spoke Thursday at the 
School of Nursing about his 
work helping women recover 
from violent forms of rape in 
his war-torn home country.

Mukwege, who established 

the 
Panzi 
Hospital 
and 

Foundations 
in 
1999, 

participated 
in 
a 
Q&A 

session with filmmaker Mike 
Ramsdell, who screened his 
recent film about the 20-year 
civil war in the Congo, titled 
“When 
Elephants 
Fight.” 

The hospital and foundation 
work to provide a full range 
of health services to women in 
the Congo.

Nursing Prof. Janis Miller, 

organizer of the event, said she 
is involved with a University 
of Michigan organization that 
is working in partnership with 
Mukwege’s 
Panzi 
Hospital 

in 
Bukavu. 
She 
told 
the 

roughly 
200-person 
crowd 

See SURGEON, Page 3A

LatinX event
commences
month-long 
celebrations

In East Lansing, Chelsea Clinton 
stresses importance of student vote

CAMPUS LIFE

Speakers discuss goals of inclusivity 
and community-building on campus

NEIL SCHWARTZ
Daily Staff Reporter

 MATT HARMON

For the Daily 

Voter mobilization, higher education and Trump prominent topics at event

CAITLIN REEDY
Daily Staff Reporter

Graduate 
students 
critical of 
DEI plan

ADMIN

Second discussion of 
diversity initiative draws 
concers about input

EMILY MIILLER
Daily Staff Reporter

University of Michigan Health System 
therapy dogs bring joy, health benefits

Program aims to improve mental, physical state of patients and staff

ALEXA ST. JOHN
Daily Staff Reporter

Surgeon 
talks work 
amid Congo 
civil war

HOSPITAL

Dr. Mukwege discusses 
experience aiding victims 
of sexual violence 

TIM COHN

Daily Staff Reporter