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Tuesday, September 27, 2016 — 3
though he, along with Provost
Martha Pollack, Harper and Rob
Sellers, vice provost for equity,
inclusion and academic affairs,
released a statement condemning
the posters this morning.
School
of
Social
Work
graduate
student
Lawrielle
West, an organizer of the protest,
said the demonstration was in
response to what she said was
an inadequate response from the
administration.
“When I saw that apology
from...administration, I wasn’t
comforted,” she said. “I want to
be acknowledged as a real person
who pays money to this school...
we’re not going to get anything
done until we disturb the peace.”
LSA junior Lakyrra McGee,
another organizer, called for an
address from Schlissel and also
criticized his focus on a long-term
diversity, equity and inclusion
strategic plan as a solution to
campus
climate
issues.
The
plan, which Schlissel began the
process for last year and is set
to be released October 6, uses
the year 2025 as a benchmark to
evaluate potential success. Many
students, however, urged for
more immediate options.
“It’s possible to do both,”
Magee said, referring to the
University addressing current
events and the 5-year DEI plan.
“But they’re not doing it. We
want Schlissel to address us…
about 2017, not 2025,” she said.
University spokesman Rick
Fitzgerald said Schlissel did not
attend the event because he is
out of town.
Protesters chanted “Why wait
for 2025, will I even be alive?”
on the Diag and also held signs
reading “We Want More than
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion”
West
and
other
speakers
during the event also questioned
the importance of free speech
when that speech is threatening
to entire student demographics.
“They’re protecting freedom
of speech, but what about my
safety?” West asked.
In their statement Monday,
the administration condemned
the posters and said they did not
consider them protected free
speech, but did not state whether
the University would act to
take them down. Fitzgerald
said Monday afternoon that the
University would take down
posters on campus buildings,
but would not remove posters
in posting kisoks, such as the
Mason Hall posting wall.
Many of the flyers distributed
featured
an
Alt-Right
logo,
though it remains unclear if the
group has an affiliate branch on
campus.
Kinesiology
senior
D’kari
Wilson, who also spoke during
the
rally,
said
the
posters
demonstrated a need to change
campus climate.
“You don’t understand my
frustration or my pain,” Wilson
said. “Go educate someone that
looks like you. If you don’t do
something, it’s going to manifest
itself … and it manifested itself
today in the postings.”
Other recent racially charged
incidents
came
up
during
the protest, including racist
graffiti discovered at Eastern
Michigan University last week,
a demonstration by Michigan
football players on Sunday and
a number of instances of police
brutality sparking controversy
around the nation.
Magee
highlighted
the
emotional toll of current events
on Black students, many of whom
voiced the need to take time off
from their academic schedules.
“We want faculty and staff
to address us too, but not
necessarily
by
facilitating
discussions,” she said. “They
need to realize students need
time and they need space to deal
with things.”
LSA sophomore Timberlee
Whiteus
agreed,
and
called
out
non-Black
students
for
common insensitive actions and
microaggressions.
“I get distracted when y’all are
handing out bullshit on the Diag
about my race, and I’m tired,” she
said. “You want to be Black until
it’s time to be Black.”
History Prof. Martha Jones,
who attended the protest, said
she believes this incident not
only affects the Black campus
community, but also the overall
student body.
“It seems to me the white
students have an interest, more
so than any of us perhaps,
today in thinking critically and
responding to people who are
attempting to provoke them and
to define their identities and to
position them as against African
American students for example,”
Jones said.
Jones said it is crucial for
instances such as these to be
looked at from the perspective of
allowing freedom of speech and
expression, but with additional
consideration to the value of
safety for all members of the
University community.
“In my view, it is an attempt
to attack the very fabric of what
higher education might be, could
be, should be, and the residential
experience,” Jones said. “These
are the tactics of people who
are not only looking to attack
groups of students within our
community but are looking to,
in fact, undercut and destroy our
community.”
After the event, administrators
such as Martin spoke briefly with
student organizers. Martin did
not speak at length to organizers
assembled after the event, but
voiced agreement with student
motivations.
“Yes,
I
would
support
this protest,” he said to the
organizers.
PROTEST
From Page 1
you have to do then is loudly
make known your abhorrence
of this.”
Kisoks refer to areas where
posters can be hung, such as
the posting wall in Mason
Hall.
Pollack also said she worries
about younger students who
have only been on campus for
a few weeks.
“I
would
always
be
concerned, but I’m particularly
concerned because it is the
start of the new academic
year, we have young students
here, very young, away from
home for the first time,” she
said.
Silke-Maria
Weineck,
chair of the Department of
Comparative Literature and
SACUA
member,
suggested
creating
SACUA-sponsored
posters to potentially cover
the
inappropriate
posters
as a solution that would not
infringe on free speech.
Members
of
SACUA
also discussed releasing a
statement in response to these
remarks; but, not all members
were in agreement about what
type of statement should be
released.
Tom
Schneider,
director
of the Faculty Senate Office,
said he was uncertain about
releasing the statement or
creating posters, especially
depending
on
whether
or
not University faculty were
emailed ahead of time.
“I’m hesitant to do that for
every posting of an unsavory
character,” Schneider said.
Pollack tied the incident
to the upcoming release of
the
Diversity,
Equity
and
Inclusion strategic plan on
Oct.
6,
a
University-wide
effort a year in the making
which
aims
to
increase
campus diversity and climate.
In addition to discussing
campus
climate,
Pollack
also touched on a number
of
strategies
to
maintain
sustainability efforts already
present on campus, which
included expanding on the
current School of Natural
Resources and Environment.
“I think by and large this
is going to be a way of the
University putting its stake
in the ground and saying yes,
we can be a leader in this field
and we can be a leader in a way
that many other universities
can’t be, precisely because of
our breadth,” Pollack said.
Shortly after Pollack left the
meeting, the group went into
executive session, which press
is barred from attending.
SACUA
From Page 1
in spite of their backgrounds and
previous experiences.
“(First-generation
students)
have
taken
significant
risks
coming here, coming to a new
place that they are not familiar
with — a middle-class, upper-
middle-class college,” Lang said.
“They feel comfortable crossing
boundaries and getting to know
people who grew up in very
different circumstances.”
Cu said attending the dinner
helped her realize other first-
generation
students
also
experienced the problems she
has been experiencing, such
as feeling like she had no one
to talk to. She added that the
first-generation students should
believe in their strength.
“I just want to say ‘just be
proud of yourself,’ ” Cu said. “I
am the first one in my family to
go to college and I’m so proud of
myself for that. Everyone’s really
strong, and it’s good to have a
group of people to support you.”
DINNER
From Page 1
four sites would have similar
features, such as new traffic
lights, buses and the need
to
acquire
property
from
DTE, but the Fuller station
would require a taller parking
structure
than
the
three
other proposed Depot Street
locations.
After
the
presentation,
Gorski
opened
the
floor
to
questions
along
with
Eli
Cooper,
Ann
Arbor
transportation
manager.
Members of the public asked
about several aspects of the
project, including the timeline
for it and when the station
would open.
Cooper stressed that there
is currently no way to properly
estimate
an
opening
date
due to a number of unknown
variables, such as the timeline
for submitting and receiving
authorization from the federal
government for funding.
Many
members
of
the
public present also expressed
concern that the expected
cost of each proposed site
has not been considering in
the narrowing down process.
Cooper and Gorski said cost is
not a concern at this current
stage of planning.
“The cost for developing the
project element is irrelevant
for the phase we are in now,”
Cooper said.
Cooper
and
Gorski,
as
well as officials from the
Federal Railroad Association,
who were not available for
comment, also addressed the
public’s concern over potential
repurposing of park land and
the Gandy Dancer restaurant
on Depot Street.
Two of the four possible
station designs are both at the
location of the current Amtrak
station on Depot Street. One
of the design options is for an
elevated station. The other is
for a ground level station north
of the tracks.
Several
members
of
the
public also spoke during the
meeting to share what site they
found most desireable. Eric
Lipson, Ann Arbor citizen and
former member of the Planning
Commission, spoke in favor
of one of the Depot Street
locations, detailing how he
believes Ann Arbor has grown
out of the original location on
Depot Street in Gandy Dancer.
Other arguments were made
in favor of the Fuller location
because of its potential to
support a link to commuter
rail.
Several
attendees
also
commented on the planning
process itself. William Allen
Simpson, a former Ann Arbor
citizen, told officials he was
happy the city and Federal Rail
Association would be doing a
comprehensive environmental
report before moving forward.
“All the things that people
are saying — this site is better
for this or that — that’s what
the environmental analysis is
all about,” Simpson said.
STATION
From Page 1
in terms of students from different
schools, colleges and different eth-
nic groups.”
Along with black outfits, par-
ticipants in the photo wore white
nametags with the phrase “#Ross-
4Change” on them. Jerry Won, a
Business graduate student and pres-
ident of SGA, said he believes the
hashtag is more than just a Twitter
convention.
“Our hashtag ‘#Ross4Change’
embodies that spirit of ‘We’re doing
this to make a positive change,’ ”
Won said. “That can be interpreted
in a number of different ways but
ultimately, we want people to feel
safe. We want there not to be trag-
edies like this going forward.”
Many Business administrators
and faculty also attended the event
alongside students. Business School
Dean Scott DeRue, who was in
attendance, said he wanted to sup-
port both the movement and the
students behind it.
“At Ross, we aspire to develop
leaders who make a positive dif-
ference in the world,” DeRue said.
“To me, it’s leaders that bring
people together despite forces that
may try and draw us apart — that
is part of making that positive dif-
ference. I wanted to be here and
support our students in being lead-
ers who make a positive difference
and bring people together around
issues that are critically important
to our society.”
Wooten echoed DeRue’s senti-
ments, adding that the faculty also
wanted to demonstrate their sup-
port.
“This was largely a student-run,
student-planned event and they
brought it to our attention and as
leaders of this school, we wanted to
show our support for their event,”
Wooten said.
Business junior Justin Chan, a
demonstration participant, said he
saw the event as a display of unity
in times of struggle.
“It kind of showed how the Ross
community can come together
at times when very controversial
issues such as race and ethnicity
are dividing the country especially
in an election year,” Chan said. “I
think it kind of showed how diverse
Michigan is, as well as Ross.”
In the coming months, BBSA
plans to host several events where
diverse groups can engage in con-
structive dialogue about recent
events and how the community
can support one another.
“We want to make it very wel-
coming, non-confrontational, just
to help teach people about some of
the issues at hand,” said Smith.
ROSS
From Page 2
making noise, one of them threw
a cymbal on the ground and I
picked it up. I came outside and
they followed me,” Murray said.
Strobl said he was disappointed
that some students felt the need
protest in such a disruptive
manner.
“Students have the right to
listen to freedom of speech as
projected on the screen,” Strobl
said. “I respect a student’s right
to protest, but disrupting other
people’s right to listen to the
views of our two presidential
candidates is not OK.”
LSA
senior
Casey
VanderWeide,
a
member
of
the College Republicans, said
a presidential debate in this
election cycle could finally allow
voters to see the candidates in a
new and more raw light.
“I
think
especially
with
these two candidates who are
so
polarizing,
these
debates
will actually show people some
substance,” VanderWeide said.
“We haven’t really been seeing
that a lot and with the news
coverage it’s just been back and
forth with bad characteristics.”
Citing
a
poll
that
was
conducted among the audience
before the debate, Strobl said
most students at the debate watch
party originally believed Trump
would win, but by the end of the
debate it seemed as if Clinton had
the slight advantage.
Engineering
junior
Alex
Knecht said he expected Trump
to perform better, but believed
Clinton had won by the end.
“Trump was definitely more
aggressive, but I think Clinton
ended up winning the debate,”
Knecht said. “Trump was kind
of just echoing what Hillary was
saying and I don’t think (Trump)
enforced his points well enough.”
The College Democrats and
Students for Hillary also hosted a
watch party at Weill Hall, which
ran out of chairs to seat students,
many of whom stood in the back
or sat on the floor. Throughout
the debate, students in the room
cheered at various statements by
Clinton and booed at statements
from Trump.
College
Democrats
Chair
Collin Kelly, an LSA junior, said
he hoped the watch party would
increase
enthusiasm
for
the
Clinton campaign and encourage
the student vote.
“We just wanted to make sure
that students learn that this is the
best place to get together to learn
— as we all obviously saw — why
Hillary Clinton is the best choice
to lead our country as the next
president,” he said. “We wanted
to make sure that students were
energized and could be mobilized
to get out to vote in such strong
numbers, because as we all know
when students vote, Democrats
win.”
On
campus,
the
first
Michigan Daily election survey
last week showed that an
overwhelming majority of a
sample of students supported
Clinton.
Prior to the start of the
debate, students shared what
they believed were the most
important
issues,
citing
immigration, higher education
reform, health care and race
relations.
Engineering
freshman
Kelsey Toporski said she hoped
the candidates would discuss
immigration
policy
because
she comes from a town near
the Southern border of the
United States and has seen the
effects of policy on the lives of
immigrants firsthand.
“We come from a small town
and there is a lot of Mexican
families,” she said. “And I know
that if something happens then
their families could be torn
apart, and I don’t want any of
that to happen to my friends.”
Following
the
debate,
students at the watch party
overwhelmingly
felt
that
Clinton had won the debate.
However, students had mixed
reactions about the implications
of it on the election as a whole.
LSA junior Brendan Schroder
said he is afraid Trump may
succeed in winning the White
House if he continues to receive
support after the debate.
“My heart rate over the
whole debate because of Donald
Trump was over 100 beats per
minute,” he said. “I was that
stressed out. I just couldn’t
take it … This election could be
heading in a direction where
Trump could be the president.”
DEBATE
From Page 2
AVA RANDA/Daily
Robert Gorski, AECOM project manager for the Amtrack station relocation,
talks at Ann Arbor Public Station Meeting Monday in the Ann Arbor District
Library.
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