Last Thursday, the Michigan 

Court of Claims ruled that 

residents of Flint may sue the state 

government for damages relating 

to the Flint water crisis. 

The crisis began in April 2014, 

when the Michigan Department of 

Environmental Quality switched 

the city’s water source from Lake 

Huron — which also services 

Detroit — to the Flint River. 

Because the Flint River water 

was more corrosive, lead from 

the popes leached into the water, 

exposing residents to poisioning.

Residents initally filed a 

suit on January 21 against Gov. 

Rick Snyder (R) Michigan’s 

departments of Environmental 

Quality and Health and Human 

Services as well as two former 

Flint emergency managers. In it, 

the residents stated the parties 

knew about the crisis for months 

before taking action.

In the decision written by 

Judge Mark T. Boonstra, the court 

dismissed two constitutional 

challenges brought forth against 

the state. These charges were 

in regards to the definition of a 

“state-created danger” and “fair 

and just treatment.”

However, Boonstra upheld 

two other legal challenges. One 

was in regard to the denial of the 

right to due process clause of the 

U.S. Constitution, and the other 

was about the state’s role in the 

direct cause of personal injury. 

These challenges that were upheld 

empower Flint residents to sue the 

state government.

The court also made 

important jurisdictional 

distinctions regarding the 

Emergency Management Law. 

This law, which empowers 

Michigan’s governor to appoint 

an emergency manager to handle 

the financial recovery of a city, 

was applied by Snyder in Flint 

when he appointed Darnell Earley 

and Jerry Ambrose as emergency 

managers in 2013 and 2015.

Boonstra noted that because 

Earley and Ambrose were 

appointed by the state to oversee 

the management of Flint prior 

to the Flint water crisis, Earley 

was acting as a state official and 

not a municipal authority. This, 

according to Boonstra, made the 

state open to restorative litigation.

Tweets
Follow @michigandaily

Michigan Students

@UMichStudents

Today is hump day, tomorrow 
is Friday, then comes Friday 
part 2, then it’s GAME DAY

Big Ten Network
@BigTenNetwork

The #BTNTailgate truck has 
arrived at the Big House. 
We’ll be LIVE from Ferry Field 
SATURDAY at 10:30 AM ET.

University of Michigan
@UMich

Explore the Arb as it enters 
its second century and find 
one of the richest landscapes 
in the region.

Michigan Swim & Dive
@umichswimdive

It’s November 1. It’s 70 
degrees in Ann Arbor. 
#GoBlue

 

CAMPUS EVENTS & NOTES

Latinos and the 2016 
Election

WHAT: This forum will explore 
the political mobilization of 
the Latino community and 
community engagement in 
the political process and the 
presidential debates.
WHO: Latino/a Studies
WHEN: 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

WHERE: North Quad 2435 

Study Abroad First Step 
session 

WHAT: This presentation will 
inform students on how to begin 
the study abroad process and give 
them the tools and places to use for 
assistance in this process.
WHO: Center for Global and 
Intercultural Studies
WHEN: 5 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

WHERE: Angell Hall G155

Failure: Lab

WHAT: The Failure: Lab 
showcases the unknown failures 
of successful people and explains 
how they responded to these 
failures and became the people 
they are today.
WHO: Michigan Union Ticket 
Office
WHEN: 5:30 p.m. 

WHERE: University of 
Michigan Museum of Art, Apse

Open Swing Dancing

WHAT: Mswing is offering 
free lessons on swing dancing 
as well as giving attendees the 
opportunity to meet new people.
WHO: Maize Pages Student 
Organizations 
WHEN: 8:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.

WHERE: Michigan League, 
Koessler room 

Old Time Piano

WHAT: Jerry Perrine is 
performing music centered 
around classic American piano 
styles of jazz, ragtime and early 
gospel music.
WHO: Gifts of Art
WHEN: 12:10 p.m. to 1 p.m.

WHERE: University 
Hopsitals, Main Lobby, floor 1

Economic Development

WHAT: This lecture will 
focus on the gender wage gap 
and worker mobility based on 
a variety of research projects 
and data points concerining the 
eocnomic differences between 
men and women. 
WHO: Economics Department
WHEN: 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

WHERE: Weill Hall 3240

Medical School 
Preparation

WHAT: This Q&A session is for 
students interested in applying to 
medical school and need tips for 
their applications.
WHO: University Career 
Center
WHEN: 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.

WHERE: University Career 
Center Office, 3200 Students 
Activites Building

The Inner Workings of 
the Supreme Court

WHAT: Evan Caminker will 
be giving a lecture on the least 
transparent branch of the 
federal government.
WHO: Osher Lifelong 
Learning Institute 

WHEN: 10 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.

WHERE: Rave Theater, 4100 
Carpenter Road

2A — Thursday, October 3, 2016
News
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

BRIEF: FLINT RESIDENTS CAN NOW SUE STATE GOVERNMENT

EMMA RICHTER/Daily

Robert Biedrón, LGBTQ activist and mayor of Slupsk, Poland, gives the annaul 
Copernicus lecture at the University of Michigan Musuem of Art Wednesday

FROM SLUPSK WITH LOVE

The Michigan Daily (ISSN 0745-967) is published Monday through Friday during the fall and winter terms by students at the 
University OF Michigan. One copy is available free of charge to all readers. Additional copies may be picked up at the Daily’s office 
for $2. Subscriptions for September-April are $225 and year long subscriptions are $250. University affiliates are subject to a 
reduced subscription rate. On-campus subscriptions for fall term are $35. Subscriptions must be prepaid. The Michigan Daily is a 
member of The Associated Press and The Associated Collegiate Press.

420 Maynard St.

Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1327

www.michigandaily.com

ARTS SECTION

arts@michigandaily.com

SPORTS SECTION

sports@michigandaily.com

ADVERTISING

dailydisplay@gmail.com

NEWS TIPS

news@michigandaily.com

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

tothedaily@michigandaily.com

EDITORIAL PAGE

opinion@michigandaily.com

HUSSEIN HAKIM

Business Manager

734-418-4115 ext. 1241

hjhakim@michigandaily.com

SHOHAM GEVA

Editor in Chief

734-418-4115 ext. 1251

sageva@michigandaily.com

LAURA SCHINAGLE 
Managing Editor schlaura@michigandaily.com

EMMA KERR 
Managing News Editor emkerr@michigandaily.com
Senior News Editors: Allana Akhtar, Jacqueline Charniga, 
Emma Kinery, Camy Metwally, Katie Penrod
Assistant News Editors: Riyah Basha, Kevin Biglin, Caleb 
Chadwell, Tim Cohn, Will Feuer, Nisa Khan, Jennifer Meer, 
Lydia Murray, Caitlin Reedy, Alexa St. John 

CLAIRE BRYAN and REGAN DETWILER 
Editorial Page Editors 
 opinioneditors@michigandaily.com

Senior Opinion Editors: Caitlin Heenan, Ben Keller, Anna 
Polumbo-Levy, Rebecca Tarnopol, Stephanie Trierweiler

MAX BULTMAN and JAKE LOURIM 
Managing Sports Editors sportseditors@michigandaily.com

KATHLEEN DAVIS and ADAM THEISEN 
Managing Arts Editors 
 arts@michigandaily.com

Senior Arts Editors: Caroline Filips, Melina Glusac, Jacob 
Rich, Ben Rosenstock 
Arts Beat Editors: Matthew Barnauskas, Christian Kennedy, 
Rebecca Lerner, Natalie Zak

AMANDA ALLEN and GRANT HARDY 
Managing Photo Editors photo@michigandaily.com

ANJALI ALANGADEN and FRANCESCA KIELB
Managing Design Editors 
design@michigandaily.com

Senior Design Arts Editor: Jacklyn Thomas

KARL WILLIAMS 
Statement Editor statement@michigandaily.com 
 

Deputy Statement Editor: Nabeel Chollampat
Statement Photo Editor: Zoey Holmstrom
Statement Lead Designer: Shane Achenbach
Statement Creative Director: Emilie Farrugia

EMILY CAMPBELL and ALEXIS NOWICKI 
Managing Copy Editors copydesk@michigandaily.com

Senior Copy Editors: Danielle Jackson, Taylor Grandinetti

NIVEDITA KARKI 
Managing Online Editor nivkarki@michigandaily.com

Senior Web Developers: Dylan Lawton, Bob Lesser

LEVIN KIM 
Managing Video Editor video@michigandaily.com

Senior Video Editors: Michael Kessler, Abe Lofy, Emma 
Winowiecki

DEMARIO LONGMIRE and TONI WANG 
Michigan in Color Editors michiganincolor@michigandaily.com

Senior Michigan in Color Editors: Sabrina Bilimoria, Christian 
Paneda, Ashley Tjhung

MICHAEL SCHRAMM 
Special Projects Manager

EMMA SUTHERLAND 
Managing Social Media Editor

PHOTOGRAPHY SECTION

photo@michigandaily.com

NEWSROOM

734-418-4115 opt. 3 

CORRECTIONS

corrections@michigandaily.com

Editorial Staff

Business Staff

ASJA KEPES 
Sales Manager

ANNA HE 
Special Publications and Events Manager

SONIA SHEKAR 
Digital Marketing Manager

EMILY RICHNER 
National Accounts Manager

JULIA SELSKY
Local Accounts Manager

CLAIRE BUTZ 
Production and Layout Manager

Senior Photo Editors: Zoey Holmstrom, Ryan McLoughlin, Zach Moore
Assistant Photo Editors: Claire Abdo, Sinduja Kilaru, Sam 
Mousigian, Marina Ross, David Song

Senior Sports Editors: Betelhem Ashame, Minh Doan, Jacob 
Gase, Kelly Hall, Ted Janes, Kevin Santo
Assistant Sports Editors: Chloe Aubuchon, Laney Byler, Chris 
Crowder, Sylvanna Gross, Mike Persak, Orion Sang

Senior Social Media Editors: Ellie Homant, Carolyn Watson

The 
Books 
Not 
Bombs 

campaign 
boasts 
that 

students from 173 universities 
internationally 
support 
a 

movement 
for 
scholarships 

geared toward Syrian refugees 
including the University of 
Michigan. As of Wednesday, 
883 
University 
students 

signed a petition calling for 
10 
scholarships 
for 
Syrian 

students.

Syria is currently in an 

ongoing civil war which grew 
out of an uprising against the 
regime of President Bashar 
al-Assad in March 2011. Since 
the war began, at least 470,000 
Syrians have died and as many 
as 11 million refugees are 
displaced.

University students involved 

with the scholarship campaign 
presented 
a 
resolution 
to 

Central Student Government 
last Tuesday asking for their 
support. If approved, CSG will 
being work with University 
administrators on next steps in 
creating the scholarships.

LSA junior Haleemah Aqel, 

the head organizer of the 
University chapter of Books Not 
Bombs, wrote in an email CSG 
had originally planned to vote 
on the resolution Tuesday of 
this week but decided to table it 
until their meeting next week, 
on Nov. 7, to allow the campaign 
time to update the resolution.

If the University agrees to 

provide scholarships, it will join 
the Syrian Consortium, a group 
of institutions responding to the 
breakdown of higher education 
within 
Syria 
by 
providing 

scholarships. The consortium 
is facilitated by the Institute 

of 
International 
Education, 

a 
nonprofit 
that 
promotes 

education 
worldwide. 
Other 

universities in the consortium 
include 
the 
University 
of 

Southern 
California 
and 

Michigan 
State 
University, 

which joined last year, according 
to Chris Records, a Books Not 
Bombs campus coordinator.

Aqel 
wrote 
she 
feels 

education is a human right, and 
the Books Not Bombs campaign 
facilitates that right for victims 
of the political turbulence in 
Syria.

“We, with this privilege, 

need to find a way to make 
accessible those opportunities 
for students, and specifically 
Syrians and Syrian refugees, to 
come learn and hopefully after 
all of this ends, give back to 
Syrian civil society or even help 
our society,” she said.

She cited Michigan Gov. Rick 

Snyder’s attempt to suspend 
refugees’ entrance to Michigan 
last year as an example of this 
Islamophobic rhetoric.

As well, she pointed to the 

large number of Syrian refugees 
in 
the 
state 
of 
Michigan, 

specifically in the Ann Arbor 
area, as the reason national 
organizers 
recommended 
a 

campus campaign in addition to 
the petition.

Records said the University 

was a “priority campus” this 
year, meaning the group is 
working 
more 
closely 
with 

student 
organizers 
and 

providing strategic advice, in 
addition to Berkeley University, 
Yale University and Columbia 
University. However, Records 
also said the control of the 
campaign ultimately lies with 
the student organizers, adding 
that 
he 
appreciated 
Aqel’s 

progress.

“She’s doing great grassroots 

work and all the fundamentals 
are in place,” he said. “I’m 
encouraged to see where it 

Books Not Bombs campaign includes 173 universities internationally

Petition calling for ‘U’ scholarships 
for Syrian students gains traction

EMILY MIILLER
Daily Staff Reporter

3.5X SURGE.
puzzle by sudokusyndication.com

See BOOKS, Page 3A

Read more online at 
MichiganDaily.com

