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Tuesday, November 22, 2016 — 3
for Hillary, said while Clinton’s
loss was upsetting, she has hope
for the future.
“Having a woman running for
the highest office shows girls that
they do have the ability to run for
office,” she said. “I heard a quote
that the first female president was
watching Hillary run, so in our
lifetimes there will be a female
president and I’m really confident
about that.”
Gallagher noted it wasn’t just
securing the nomination that
made this election so unique for
women. On the Republican side,
Carly Fiorina made it further
in the nomination process than
any other previous Republican
woman. In addition, many notable
women joined Clinton on the
campaign trail.
“Clinton also just surrounded
herself
with
strong
women,”
she said. “We saw actresses,
business leaders, all of these
women speaking out about issues
they have faced and how they
have overcome them and we saw
Clinton echoing that same story.”
However,
amid
those
advancements, students have also
voiced their concern for the future
of women’s rights in the coming
years.
Business
sophomore
Mira
Sanghvi,
director
of
special
projects of the University’s chapter
of nonprofit organization Lean In,
said Trump’s election made her
more than just sad for Clinton’s
loss, but scared as someone
who identifies as a woman of
color, given the president-elect’s
derogatory
statements
about
women and minority groups.
During the campaign, Trump
has made numerous comments
about limiting access to heath
care
by
defunding
Planned
Parenthood, something his Vice
President-elect Mike Pence has
worked to defund during his
time as governor of Indiana.
Additionally, Trump’s push for
stricter immigration laws amid his
comments condemning Muslim,
Black and Latino residents has
been a cause for concern.
“I don’t really understand what
America stands for anymore,”
she said. “I understand the
Conservative
viewpoint,
but
this time around I really didn’t
understand why someone would
be prompted to vote for him just
because he has said so many
horrible things about so many
different types of people. How
could we go from possibly electing
the first female president to
someone who has no experience?
I hate to say this but I have a lot
of resentment because I don’t
understand why this country put
him in power.”
Michael
Heaney,
assistant
professor of political science and
organizational
studies
at
the
University of Michigan, said he
believes one of the many factors
that contributed to Clinton’s loss
could have been her treatment by
the media as a woman.
“It’s complicated because of the
way she lost,” he said. “One of the
things that we would have to say
was that misogyny was a major
component of her loss. That in
and of itself is very discouraging.
Trump made a lot of negative
comments and Trump supporters
made very misogynistic comments
towards her. That wasn’t the
only reason she lost but it was a
significant factor.”
Business and LSA senior Ujwala
Murthy, co-founder and director
or marketing and public relations
of Lean In, said she thought this
campaign was not only filled with
misogynistic comments, but also
saw a portrayal of Clinton in a
negative light, in ways Trump was
not.
“I think there was a lot of
baggage that Clinton carried but
her flaws came under stricter
scrutiny compared to Trump,”
she said. “Fox News focused a
lot on her wrinkles and health
which wasn’t a focus of any of the
male candidates. Women are now
running for public office and as a
society we need to overcome that.”
Gallagher also said she believes
this election showed the diversity
among women as a voting bloc in
what candidates they supported.
“I think this election cycle
in particular really brought the
realization that women don’t
make up a voting bloc,” she said.
“I think oftentimes strategists
and campaigns think of women
as one bloc of voters that will vote
together. Thinking that all women
would vote for Clinton because
of the statements Trump made
against women, that was really a
pitfall of the campaign in general.”
In terms of females in the U.S.
government, this cycle did see
some women elected to Congress.
However, a consistent rise in
the proportion of women in
Congress, women didn’t progress
in terms of seat allocation for
the 115th Congress. In addition,
the
Republican
Congressional
leadership for 2017 will only
feature one woman — down from
three women who held positions
in the previous session.
Heaney said globally the United
States ranks relatively low in terms
of women serving in executive
positions.
“That is for a whole variety
of reasons,” he said. “Women
are discouraged from entering
political careers to begin with
and that has to do with all of the
reasons as to why women don’t
advance as far as men do in a
variety of professions. There are
family considerations and also
being more discouraged by the
negative politics than men are.
And also the way they are likely
to be treated when they run for
office.”
For Murthy, the lack of female
representation
in
government
and the rhetoric she saw from the
GOP side during the campaign
season has left her worried about
what this means for the future of
women’s rights.
“Considering the agendas of
a lot of what Trump and Senate
Republicans might have in mind,
Clinton’s
loss
really
pushed
women’s progress back,” she said.
“Personally, I think that women
will have to fight harder for things
such as equal pay. There’s the pro-
choice pro-life debate obviously,
and for some reason Roe v. Wade is
still on the table as something that
can be overturned.”
Echoing
those
concerns,
Sanghvi hopes Clinton’s loss will
inspire women to keep working
for the issues they are passionate
about.
“I don’t think Clinton’s loss will
discourage women,” she said. “I
think it will do the exact opposite. I
think women will understand that
although this this was a setback, I
think it will ignite this passion that
will drive women to work harder
because we essentially have a
president that has propagated
sexual assault and I think that will
ignite a lot of women to stand up
for their rights.”
CLINTON
From Page 1
A group of University of
Michigan
faculty
members
have developed a monitored
Canvas site called Teamworks,
which will allow students who
do not feel safe on campus to
connect with one another
to walk home and around
campus.
Teamworks will be open
to students by permission
only
and
interested
individuals must email Anne
Berg, assistant director of
undergraduate
studies
and
the primary faculty member
on the projectm to gain access.
The site comes in response
to a number of incidents that
have happened on campus
following
the
election
of
Donald Trump two weeks ago.
Just days after the election,
a female student was told to
remove her hijab or she would
be lit on fire, and another
female student was pushed
down a hill and yelled at for
being in America. In addition,
a male student woke up to
a swastika painted on his
apartment door last weekend,
and a woman’s face was cut by
an unknown man last Tuesday
while
walking
on
Liberty
Street.
Other groups on campus
have
initiated
similar
programs
in
the
past,
including SafeRide, a free
service
that
transports
students, faculty and staff
within a one-mile radius of
campus.
Additionally,
five
Ross
School
of
Business
students
developed
the
now-internationally
recognized Companion app
last
year.
S.A.F.E.
WALK,
a
campus
accompaniment
service coordinated by the
Department of Public Safety
and Security, also provides
walking
partners
free
of
charge
to
all
University
members.
In the aftermath of the four
incidents, other organizations
have also been holding self-
defense
programs
more
frequently. Beyond the Diag, a
program provided to students
living off-campus, held a self-
defense workshop just after
the election. The University
International
Center
will
hold a self-defense session
Saturday
at
the
Trotter
Multicultural Center.
Several revisions to campus drug
policy released by the University
Updates include demarcation of locations where e-cigarette use is prohibited
KEVIN BIGLIN
Daily Staff Reporter
Beijing Institute for Collaborative
Innovation aims to establish a
Global Collaboratory in Water
Technology. Lutgarde Raskin, a
University professor for civil and
environmental engineering, will
lead the collaboration for clean
water technology. which he wrote
is integral in providing resources
to people across the globe.
“The Collaboratory’s goal is
to identify technology gaps in
water treatment and monitor and
develop solutions to provide clean
and safe water to the world’s
urban environments,” he wrote.
Funding for the University’s
partnership
of
$25
million
will be provided by the Beijing
Institute, an organization of 14
Chinese universities. The project
anticipates
three
locations:
Beijing,
Shenzhen
and
Ann
Arbor, with the funding equally
distributed between sites. The
full research agreement for the
three institutions is scheduled to
be signed in 2017.
The second project, a research
agreement with Frontt Capital
Management, a Shenzhen-based
investment firm, aims to make
advancements in autonomous
and connected vehicles as well
as in robotic technologies.
The $27 million collaboration
with the firm will establish
a
joint
research
center
for
intelligent
vehicles
at
the
University
and
a
robotics
laboratory on North Campus.
There will also be support for
University researchers to design
a testing facility in Shenzhen,
which will resemble the unique
transportation system in urban-
suburban China.
Huei
Peng,
director
of
the
University’s
Mobility
Transformation
Center
and
professor
of
mechanical
engineering, will be leading the
third project: the University
of
Michigan-Sokon
Research
Center, a $2.5 million research
agreement
between
the
University and the Chongqing
Sokon Industry Group.
This agreement aims to spur
pilot research on connected
and
automated
vehicles
in
collaboration with faculty and
students from the University and
the Chongqing Sokon Industry
Group.
The Chongqing Sokon Industry
Group, a public company based in
southwest China, works with the
construction and distribution of
auto parts and will be building
an
independent
tech
center
in Michigan, along with the
University reserach center.
“The automotive industry has
existed for more than a century,
so it is a very important element
of our daily lives,” Peng said.
“It’s important that we develop
technologies
together
with
companies that have the final
users in mind. In other words,
safety, energy consumption and
mobility needs are always very
important. We don’t want to
develop future vehicles without
considering what people need.”
Peng said the establishment
of Sokon’s branch office tech
center in Michigan will also
provide University students with
new research opportunities and
future jobs in the industry.
“We, as University professors,
try to find opportunities to
work with both federal funding
agencies and company sponsors
to
get
resources
that
are
necessary to educate students
and conduct research,” he said.
The partnership will push
for
new
technologies,
Peng
said,
including
electric
and
automotive vehicles. He added
that the University has been
closely working with automotive
engineering since the beginning
of the auto industry.
Regarding the incorporation
of these new technologies in
learning
opportunities
for
University students, Peng said
he thinks resources should be
available to students, and that
they should be a part of the
research process.
“It is very important that
students not only understand
the theory behind many of
the phenomena, but it’s also
important to have hands-on
experience,” he said.
Hu wrote that all of these
partnerships
complement
existing
research
at
the
University and let it be engaged
worldwide.
“Safe
and
sustainable
transportation, safe and clean
water are societal challenges
across
the
globe,”
he
said.
“Having
such
partnerships
allows
our
researchers
to
conduct research that will have
global impact.”
PARTNERSHIP
From Page 1
will be affected by it?” Ubong
said.
Those who were remembered
Monday night included Jazz
Alford,
30,
who
was
shot
and killed in a hotel room in
Birmingham, Ala. in September
by a man who was also charged
with
shooting
and
robbing
another transgender woman.
Also remembered and named
during the vigil was Kayden
Clarke, 24, a transgender male
from Mesa, Ariz. with Asperger’s
who was killed by police officers
following a domestic dispute.
Mari Brighe, Spectrum Center
graduate
communications
coordinator and a contributor
for The Advocate, the country’s
oldest
and
largest
LGBTQ
publication, spoke as well. She
discussed
her
experiences
as a trans issues writer for
The Advocate and her goal to
preserve the memories of those
who have suffered or lost their
lives because of their identity.
“During my time at The
Advocate, it’s been a solemn duty
of mine to ensure that those lives
that have been so tragically taken
by the forces of hate do not slip
from this world in anonymity,”
she said.
Brighe also detailed statistics
about
violence
committed
against transgender people and
allies, including 26 murders in
the United States and 295 across
the world so far this year.
“All too often the vitriol
spewed by transphobic bigots
focuses on dehumanizing us,”
she said. “These are human lives,
not just tragic statistics.”
According
to
the
Human
Rights Campaign, at least 21
transgender people have died
in 2016, most of them people
of color. Brighe expressed fear
that this number will grow,
which she said has already been
happening
during
President
Barack Obama’s terms.
“Under
President
Obama,
who has done more for our
community than any president
in history, we’ve seen rates of
transgender violence grow year
after year,” she said. “What can
we expect with four years of
President Trump? … How many
more names are we going to have
to read a year from now?”
Brighe said those against the
transgender community have
tried to demonize transgender
people to pass laws that impact
the community. She cited specific
legislation that was passed this
March in North Carolina, stating
that people have to use the
public bathroom aligning with
their biological sex regardless of
gender identity.
“When we’re nameless and
faceless, it’s much easier to turn
us into scary bathroom peeping
monsters instead of just nice
folks who occasionally need to
pee someplace other than our
homes,” she said.
The
North
Carolina
law
has faced heavy criticism and
resulted in many high-profile
canceled concerts and relocated
sporting events. A similar law was
proposed by Michigan state Sen.
Tom Casperson (R–Escanaba)
in June after discovering a
proposed recommendation that
public schools allow transgender
students to use the bathrooms
with which they identify. The law
would similarly restrict students
to the restrooms corresponding
to the sex listed on their birth
certificate.
After
Brighe
spoke,
the
audience took to the Cube for a
vigil while holding candles and
strips of paper with the names
of victims of anti-transgender
violence on them, taking turns
reading them aloud.
Spectrum
Center
Director
Will
Sherry
said
he
hopes
students
reflect
on
their
experience at the event and
consider their positions in the
community,
especially
when
it comes to their safety and
privilege.
“(Tonight was about) having a
time to think about what safety
means in their own lives, the
ways in which they might feel
unsafe, as well as the privileges
that they might have and connect
with someone else who can be
a source of support when they
need it,” he said.
Social Work student Jazz
McGinnis, who attended the
event, said he felt an obligation
to come as a member of the
transgender community.
“As a trans person, it’s very
important for me to show up for
my community and mourn the
folks that we lost the past year,”
he said.
McGinnis
said
he
also
felt that the University has
made efforts to accommodate
transgender students. According
to the Campus Pride Index, the
University was named one of the
most LGBTQ-friendly schools in
the country. However, McGinnis
said he still does not feel
comfortable with his identity on
campus.
“The
University
has
prioritized trans students and
policies like gender inclusive
bathrooms and made sure that
folks can identify their correct
pronouns … But I also think it’s
still a struggle being here,” he
said.
REMEMBRANCE
From Page 1
big problem.”
DPSS
spokeswoman
Diane
Brown wrote in a text message
interview Tuesday evening that
she had nothing to add regarding
Whyatt’s account, and added she
would look further into the issue
of why a crime alert was not
released.
Following
Whyatt’s
testimony, Councilmember Sumi
Kailasapathy (D–Ward 1), fighting
tears, said she has received an
unprecedented surge in calls
and emails from constituents
concerned
about
the
recent
incidences of hate crimes she
called for empathy for the victims.
“I myself was a refugee. When
I was 15 years old, my house was
completely burned down in Sri
Lanka during the 1983 riots. I
myself was an illegal immigrant in
India as a refugee,” Kailasapathy
said. “Because of other people’s
kindness, it’s how I survived and I
will make sure I do the same thing
for people in this community.”
Mayor
Christopher
Taylor
echoed Kailasapathy by saying all
Ann Arbor residents deserve to
feel safe.
“There’s been really shameful
acts of intimidation and violence,”
Taylor said. “And it’s important
that we all stand with the victims
of intimidation and aggression,
and that people do indeed have
an unshakable right to live free
from harassment and that right
is regrettably under present and
increasing threat.”
In an email from University
President Mark Schlissel that was
shared by Wyatt with the Daily,
Schlissel expressed sympathy for
her and promised the University
community
would
remain
watchful in the face of such
incidents.
“While you were clearly the
direct victim of this awful act,
I considerthis also an attack on
our entire community,” Schlissel
wrote.
“We
will
continue
to increase our vigilance in
protecting all members of the Un
iversity of Michigan community
and denouncing hate, bigotry, and
in this case, violence.”
CITY COUNCIL
From Page 1
community has already reached
out to me requesting some kind of
input regarding the search.”
In
addition
to
discussing
Pollack’s replacement, Schlissel
also discussed the University’s
response to the election of Donald
Trump,
which
has
spurred
multiple campus protests and
vigils.
“I think it’s important for a
leader of a great university not
to become a partisan politician,
but it is important that I really
feel responsible for speaking up
for our communal values as an
institution and diversity, equity
and inclusion are essential,”
Schlissel said.
Schlissel also discussed the
number of assaults that have
occurred since the election in
Ann Arbor and on the University
campus.
“We all have identities and
I think for many people those
identities feel under threat,
and unfortunately sometimes
that threat is strongly verbal
and we even have a number of
these threats being physical —
of assaults, actually, based, we
think, on race and ethnicity,” he
said.
He
also
noted
he
has
co-signed a letter along with
other leadership, in support of
students benefitting from the
Deferred Action for Childhood
Arrivals executive order. The
program, first established via an
executive order under President
Barack Obama, promising not to
take legal action against childen
who
illegally
entered
the
country before they turned 16,
and gives them the opportunity
to receive a Social Security
number.
“To our country’s leaders we
say that DACA should be upheld,
continued and expanded,” the
letter reads. “We are prepared
to meet with you to present
our case. This is both a moral
imperative
and
a
national
necessity. America needs talent
— and these students, who have
been raised and educated in
the United States, are already a
part of our national community.
They
represent
what’s
best
about America, and as scholars
and leaders they are essential to
our future.”
Moving forward, Schlissel
stated that the University will
use legal action, if necessary, to
protect DACA students.
The Senate Assembly also
discussed recent developments
with the tri-campus task force.
Discussions
surrounding
the
task force have been ongoing
since
the
Senate
Advisory
Committee
on
University
Affairs first meeting, during
which
representatives
from
UM-Flint
and
UM-Dearborn
were invited to speak on cross-
campus miscommunication and
issues.
SENATE
From Page 1
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