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The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
News
Friday, November 11, 2016 — 3A
does not know much about the
board, who they are or what they
do.
“I think there might be
eight members on the board,”
Cohen said. “I’m pretty sure
it’s a committee of influential
alumni who make decisions with
Schlissel.”
The board’s lack of visibility
may stem from the president’s
more visible position in times of
crisis. Schlissel is often the first
to respond to student concerns,
holds monthly fireside chats
with
30
students,
addresses
the students via email about
pressing University matters and
most recently spoke at a protest
and vigil Wednesday night in
response
to
President-elect
Donald Trump’s victory.
The board meets only once
a month to discuss and vote on
University
matters.
Students
can attend meetings by sitting
in the audience, but the section
is physically separated from the
board by a media table.
Though some regents host
office hours and work with
Central Student Government on
student outreach, the governing
body does not require them to do
so.
Created in 1837, the board
consists of eight regents in total,
two of whom are elected to
an eight-year term every two
years. The University president
serves as ex officio on the board,
meaning he is a part of the body
without being a regent. Regents
serve without compensation.
When the board votes on
important decisions at meetings,
the president often sends out a
mass email to the University.
One example is the recent
appointment of Kelli Trosvig, the
University’s first vice president
for information technology and
chief information officer. In an
October email to the University,
Schlissel explained that the board
approved this new appointment
and described Trosvig’s role.
LSA junior Alex Contis, a CSG
representative, said the president
and various vice presidents’ roles
are often overemphasized and
dilute the significance of the
board.
“When students think of the
University, they think of the
president and vice president as
executing a lot of the decisions
just because those are the most
public figures,” Contis said. “I
honestly don’t think that many
students at this school can name
who’s on the Board of Regents.”
CSG President David Schafer
and
Vice
President
Micah
Griggs, LSA seniors, proposed
placing a non-voting student on
the University’s board to open
communication
and
provide
increased transparency between
students and the administration
during their campaign last winter.
The position, however, has not
yet been created, and is of dubious
legality — though all Michigan
citizens can technically run,
that would exclude out-of-state
students, thereby not providing
equal opportunity for all students,
according to attorney and current
regent Mike Behm (D). However,
the board reinstated a bylaw to
allow for more student input in
decision-making during its Sept.
14 meeting. The bylaw makes the
vice president for student life a
liason between students and the
Board.
Schafer said the low level of
student interest in the board is due
to students’ busy lives combined
with the fact that the board is a
primarily governing force and not
always active on campus.
“I think there’s a lot going
on campus,” Schafer said. “I
think students are specifically
immersed
in
their
student
organizations and their academics
and their day-to-day lives, and the
Board of Regents is not always on
campus, and I think that’s one of
the reasons why it might be hard
for students to really get to know
them.”
Contis noted that CSG’s efforts
to create a new student seat on the
board will continue.
“(The board’s) desire to further
the student body impact in the
regents’ decision and spreading
the word is something (CSG)
wants to do.”
Carl Meyers, who ran for a
position on the board this election
cycle but was defeated by Weiser
and Regent Denise Ilitch (D–
Bingham Farms), advocated for
creating a student advisory board.
“I am going to have a student
advisory board advising me on
challenges and issues facing
the University from the student
perspective,” Meyers said. “I will
hold office hours once a month in
the student Union where students
can come and talk.”
Ilitch, won her second term
Tuesady, also campaigned in part
on the need for student input on
University initiatives like the
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
plan.
“We
definitely
need
our
students
involved
actively
and we should work in strong
collaboration with them,” Ilitch
said. “The more that we can learn
about these issues the more we
can be reactive to it and navigate
a healthy conversation around
these topics.”
Even if students’ role in
the board’s decision-making
process were expanded, it is,
however, not clear students
would be interested in getting
involved.
Of
the
students
interviewed by the Daily, many
did not express an interest in
creating a relationship with the
board.
LSA
sophomore
Hailey
Kruger said she is very active
in
encouraging
political
participation
among
her
classmates, but said she neither
knew about the board nor was
she concerned about her lack of
knowledge.
Business junior Kevin Gay
did not express concern either.
“I feel like I only hear about
the regents when something
bad happens,” Gay said. “I am
not really concerned about
them.”
REGENTS
From Page 1A
sexual activity in the workplace,
and another told her not to wear
makeup to avoid the impression
that she “was trying to sleep
with everybody there.”
“It’s very strange the way
military men tend to treat
you,” Szostkowski said. “They
both want you to be like one of
the guys, so they can discuss
whatever they want to around
you but at the same time reserve
the right to hit on you whenever
they choose.”
According to the Statistic
Brain Research Institute, women
tend to be underrepresented
in the military, with only 14.6
percent filling active duty roles.
Because of the relatively low
numbers of enrolled women,
Spaulding asked panelists what
advice they would give to any
female students in the audience
considering joining the military.
Rackham
student
Allison
Tyler, a panelist who served in
the U.S. Navy, said they would
have to prove themselves to
their superiors and peers.
“Be
prepared
to
prove
yourself, more than the men
will have to … People will tell
you that you can’t, people will
tell you that you’re not good
enough, people will tell you that
you should have done it faster
because you should have proven
yourself more,” she said. “The
fact that you’re doing it is proof
enough. Just be prepared for
it and don’t quit. Don’t give in
to the people who tell you that
because you’re a woman, you
cannot do it.”
LSA junior Andie Bulbin,
said she attended the panel
because she wanted to further
her understanding of veteran’s
experiences.
MILITARY
From Page 1A
response opportunities.
Harte also noted conversations
and
sentiments
surrounding
the election results fit well in
conjunction
with
this
year’s
conference theme of identity,
wellness and work.
“The outcome of our election
has a lot of impact for people
across many identities,” she said.
“We know that there are people
who are happy about the election
and people who are not happy
about the election. Identity is a
part of that. We want to be able
to address that, how people are
feeling, how they are processing,
give space for that and to be in
community with each other.”
Erin Byrnes, lead of Democratic
Engagement and Community-
Based
Work-Study
at
the
Ginsberg Center, led the dialogue.
In her opening remarks, Byrnes
said she wanted to create a space
for people to start a conversation
in a supportive environment.
“No matter where you fall
on the political spectrum, even
if you don’t really see yourself
as a political person, these are
some challenging times, again,
regardless of your identity and
how you see yourself,” she said.
“I think there is much to be
discussed right now, there are a
lot of feelings and a lot of thoughts
that we’re holding.”
Attendees broke into seven
groups of about seven people
each to discuss prompts that were
placed on the tables.
Questions included: “Are there
identities you hold that have been
impacted this election cycle?”
and “What are some productive
strategies (approaches, phrases,
questions) that can be used in
challenging conversations?”
Groups discussed and wrote
down their opinions on the
potential impact of President-
elect Donald Trump, as well as
concerns and ideas that can be
implemented moving forward.
Staff
members
from
one
group emphasized community
engagement
in
their
notes,
writing, “(We) need to talk
together and understand although
we cannot all get what we want,
we can try to accommodate.”
Members of this same group,
who
requested
to
remain
anoymous,
said
they
felt
it
was
necessary
to
normalize
supportive places, as well as find
ways to stay physically safe and
secure.
Neeraja
Aravamudan,
the
assistant director for engaged
learning at the Ginsberg Center,
said it is important for people to
have a voice and feel comfortable
expressing opinions especially
with people in their lives who
have different beliefs.
“Personally, I see a lot of
people struggling with a lot of
emotion, struggling with how to
talk to folks who differ so much
from them in terms of what they
believe and how to reach those
who we might — whether it’s
family or friends we might care
about — feel we’re fundamentally
different from, either in values or
in ideology or actions, and how
to continue to have a relationship
while challenging someone.”
She added she felt the election
exposed
many
underlying
nationwide issues.
“I don’t think people feel
comfortable returning to normal,
how to move forward, how to
figure out the strategies that
allow us to feel like we have
agency to change the future and
to have an impact and to continue
to process the emotion in order to
move toward action,” she said. “I
think that’s the big piece.”
GINSBERG
From Page 1A
referred to white supremacy as
a system designed to prioritize
and benefit one group over
another, and said racism was
engraved in the roots of the
country.
“Racism is not just about
interpersonal
discussions,
it
is about policies,” Islam said.
“Racism
is
something
that
morphs and evolves over time.”
Islam listed several ways
for students to combat recent
incidents on campus, such as
anti-Black,
anti-Muslim
and
anti-LGBTQ posters found on
campus,
including
listening
to and showing compassion
for minority students. MSA
President Farhan Ali, an LSA
junior, said this was the main
reason they invited Islam to
speak.
“We want to try to build
relationships
with
other
minority groups on campus,”
Farhan said. “We want to try to
educate members in MSA about
racism. They share the same
struggles we do.”
LSA sophomore Hiba Asad, an
MSA member who attended the
event, said she felt empowered
by Islam’s talk.
“I feel like a lot of times
we’re always told to stand up
for different subcommunities
within the overarching Muslim
community,
and
even
non-
Muslims,
groups
that
are
marginalized in America,” Asad
said. “I feel like it’s always nice
to have tangible ways to go
about that.”
Throughout the talk, Islam
stressed
the
importance
of education and making a
sustained
effort
to
affect
change for the betterment of
race relations on campuses and
in communities.
With education, she noted,
comes a compulsion to liberate
and
de-stigmatize
other
minority groups.
Islam’s
talk
was
coincidentally scheduled just
days
after
President-elect
Donald Trump won the general
election. Several students in
attendance
mentioned
how
they felt a renewed sense of
fear on campus following the
results — during his campaign,
Trump made several negative
comments regarding Muslim
Americans that have sparked
concern among members of the
campus community.
“It’s a hard time to be a
minority and a person who is
actively standing up for them,”
Asad said.
Islam concluded her speech
by telling the crowd to “have
heart” in the face of uncertain
times ahead.
“Just because society might
marginalize these individuals
doesn’t mean that we need to,”
she said.
RACISM
From Page 1A
never released a developed plan
or position on student debt.
Trump’s interviews and position
statements during the campaign
had few comments pertaining to
student debt other than stating it
is a problem.
Student debt in particular is
currently a major concern for
college students. More than 40
percent of Americans who have
borrowed from the government’s
main student loan program either
aren’t making payments or are
behind, according to a quarterly
report from the Department of
Education. These loans total
more than $200 billion spread
out among 22 million Americans,
and those numbers are on the
rise. That number does not
encapsulate private loan debt.
LSA
sophomore
Jessica
Ankley is worried about both the
current levels of student debt and
the prospect of an exponential
growth in tuition costs.
“As someone who is trying to
avoid more debt, it’s sad,” Ankley
said. “I feel like it digs us deeper
into this hole of student debt
and being trapped within the
fact that education is already so
expensive.”
Engineering
sophomore
Morgan Meade wrote in an
e-mail interview that one of the
defining factors in whom she
voted for in this election was
which party would support her
in pursuing her education.
“Trumps platform on reducing
student debt is incredibly vague
as he claims that he will work
with congress to make sure that
universities make a “good faith
effort” to reduce college costs
and student debt in exchange for
tax breaks,” Meade wrote in an
email interview. “This platform
seems dismissive of the subject
since most colleges are not the
holders of student debt … As a
young voter, I definitely wish that
I could have heard more about
education from both parties.”
Meade wrote that Trump’s
lack of a plan is worrisome for
future generations, given his
influence as president.
“This shows a lack of regard for
the country after his presidency
since college-age students will be
entering the workforce after his
first term but he hasn’t considered
the federal assistance that many
students need to complete their
education,” Meade wrote. “If
the next generation of college
students are trapped paying off
their debts for many years after
graduation as students are now,
the income of these students that
should be spent stimulating the
market will end up back in the
hands of banks.”
The Republican Party platform
as a whole, which consists of
more than 60 pages, has slightly
more on the topic, dedicating
two sections to college costs
and general higher education.
The platform suggests that the
federal government abstain from
involvement with student loans
and instead shift the loans to the
private sector.
“In order to encourage new
modes
of
higher
education
delivery to enter the market,
accreditation should be decoupled
from federal financing, and states
should be empowered to allow a
wide array of accreditation and
credentialing bodies to operate,”
the document reads.
Cynthia Wilbanks, University
vice president for government
relations,
said
regardless
of
what legislative action is taken
in regards to student debt, the
University
will
continue
its
work in assisting students with
financial aid and offering up their
own experience throughout the
legislative process.
“There are high-level goals in
terms of helping students afford
a college education,” Wilbanks
said. “They certainly are the right
goals. The legislative process
works in largely mysterious ways.
Nonetheless, it does take time
for ideas to get developed into
legislative bills … but we will have
time to look at the specifics, have
a chance to react and provide our
own experience as to what we
have been able to do.”
TRUMP
From Page 1A
“Trump’s platform
on reducing
student debt is
incredibly vague.”
“Be prepared to
prove yourself,
more than the
men will have to.”
“I honestly don’t think
that many students at this
school can name who’s on
the Board of Regents.”
ALEXIS RANKIN/Daily
U.S. Navy Veteran Leon Howard, a Program Manager in the Office of
Multi-Ethnic Student Affairs, speaks at a screening of the documentary
Veterans of Color as a part of Veterans Week in Haven Hall Thursday.
VETE R ANS OF COLOR