The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Thursday, January 5, 2017 — 3
News

The Three Oaks-based Mid 

America Cowgirls Rodeo Drill 
Team, an equestrian drill team 
featuring a variety of horse 
breeds, will send a group of 
44 women and 18 horses to 
Washington D.C.

Upon being selected, Debbie 

Dunphy, team coordinator and 
captain, said in an interview 
with the Harbor County News 
she was shocked and knew 
they had to kick it into high 
gear.

“I really couldn’t believe it,” 

Dunphy said. “There’s so much 
to do but they don’t give us a 
lot of time.”

On the other hand, this 

will be the Michigan Multi-
Jurisdictional Mounted Police 
Drill Team & Color Guard’s 
third 
inaugural 
parade, 

having performed in both of 
Barack Obama’s inauguration 
celebrations in 2008 and 2012. 
The organization is famous 
for choreographing intricate 
drills with horses.

Adena Collens, a senior 

at Berkley High School in 
Berkley, Mich., is a member 
of 
her 
school’s 
orchestra 

program. Every four years, 
the 
orchestra 
travels 
to 

Washington D.C. to perform in 
the WorldStrides Inauguration 
Heritage Festival and attend 
the presidential inauguration. 

But this year, Collens said she 
opted to stay behind.

“Personally, 
I’m 
not 

politically aligned with Mr. 
Trump but at the same time, 
my dad is going to chaperone 
on the trip and we both were 
concerned for our safeties,” 
she said.

Collens cited the violence 

that has been promoted at 
Trump’s rallies as one of the 
reasons she would fear for 
her safety if she went on the 
trip. She also said race is an 
important factor behind to 
why some of her friends will 
not be heading to Washington 
D.C. with the orchestra.

“I’m white, so I wouldn’t 

personally be targeted for my 
race,” Collens said. “I have 
friends who aren’t, and that’s 
the reason why they cannot go. 
It makes me a little upset that 
we’re still going on this trip 
even though it wouldn’t be safe 
for my friends of color to be in 
the crowd for hours.”

As for the rest of the 

inauguration 
celebration, 

many 
musicians 
in 
recent 

months 
have 
outwardly 

rejected 
Trump’s 
inquiries 

about performing. Acts such 
as Elton John, Kiss, Celine 
Dion and others have publicly 
declined offers.

When asked why the Mid 

America 
Cowgirls 
Rodeo 

Drill Team accepted the job, 
Dunphy said her team put 
politics aside and decided to 
represent the organization as 
citizens of this country.

“We’re doing this because 

we’re Americans,” she said. 
“We look at this as an honor.”

In response to musicians 

refusing to play, Collens said 
she is supportive of people 
who stand by their morals but 
will not judge acts that choose 
to perform.

“People 
should 
believe 

in what they believe in and 
support 
the 
people 
that 

support their own beliefs, but 
I do also know that there are 
some 
circumstances 
where 

corporate pressures and the 
pressures of being a freelance 
musician, it’s difficult to say 
no to a gig,” Collens said.

TRUMP
From Page 1A

service, but Kuusisto’s main 
concern still remains. Because 
he was denied a cab and an 
alternative route to get to 
the campus from the airport, 
Kuusisto says his civil rights 
under the Americans with 
Disabilities 
Act 
have 
been 

violated.

“The law is very specific,” 

Kuusisto said. “If you have an 
allergy, you’re not obligated to 
take somebody with a Seeing 
Eye dog, but you are obligated 
to get them a ride.”

The story went viral on social 

media after Kuusisto wrote a 
blog post about it on Dec. 3, the 
day before he traveled to Ann 
Arbor. In the post, he wrote 
about his experience with the 
owner of the taxi company 
and posted the driver’s phone 
number on his Facebook page. 
In response, many reporters 
contacted the owner of the taxi 
service.

“I was subjected to absolute 

harassment by the man who 
picked up the phone, who said 
he didn’t have to transport 
my guide dog,” Kuusisto said. 
“When I told him it was the 
law, believe it or not, he said, 
‘Trump’s victory changes all 
that.’ He was nasty, brutish 
and shouting at me.”

This 
incident 
holds 

relevance 
following 
the 

recent presidential election of 
Donald Trump. The president-
elect’s 
campaign 
has 
not 

touched 
heavily 
on 
public 

concerns 
about 
disability 

accommodations.

During 
the 
election 

season, Trump was criticized 
for 
seemingly 
mocking 
a 

reporter with a congenital 
joint condition, imitating the 
limited movement in his arms.

“I merely mimicked what I 

thought would be a flustered 

reporter trying to get out of 
a statement he made long 
ago,” Trump later said in a 
statement, 
adding 
that 
he 

had “tremendous respect for 
people 
who 
are 
physically 

challenged.”

Ari Ne’eman, president of 

the Autistic Self Advocacy 
Network, said in an article 
on Disability Scoop disability 
issues have generally remained 
a 
bipartisan 
issue 
in 
the 

past, with advocates working 
together 
to 
keep 
special 

education and other programs 
in place.

“One of the challenges here 

is that the (Trump) campaign 
was not very specific about 
disability policy plans, and 
those areas that they were 
specific about concern us,” 
Ne’eman said.

Reactions 
on 
Yelp 
and 

Facebook supported Kuusisto 
following the incident. As of 
Wednesday, the Ann Arbor 
Metro Airport Shuttle has one 
star on Yelp.

“NEVER 
USE 
THESE 

BIGOTS! 
This 
company 

denied service to a nationally 
respected professor because he 
is disabled and has a guide dog,” 
one user from New York wrote 
on the page. “The operator 
spouted some nonsense about 
how being a Trump supporter 
allows him to discriminate 
against disabled people.”

Kuusisto said overall there 

was outrage toward the events 
he wrote about.

“People 
responded 
with 

absolute 
disgust,” 
Kuusisto 

said. “There were plenty of 
other people to call for a ride. 
The head of the University 
Library, Charles Watkinson, 
came and picked me up. And 
then when I had to go home, 
they arranged a car service.”

Kuusisto said he would have 

looked the other way had the 
driver told him he didn’t take 
dogs and hung up. Instead, he 
said it was more unsettling 
than that, because the driver 
told him he “did not care” 
about his rights and would not 
give him an alternative means 
to campus.

“This got out of control,” 

Kuusisto said. “He was rude 
to me and discriminatory. This 
is not normal by any means. It 
was just an unusual incident.”

The 
owner 
of 
the 
taxi 

service, who asked to remain 
anonymous for this article, 
said he regrets the incident and 
is sympathetic toward those 
with disabilities, stating he 
has served blind people in the 
past. The only difference, he 
said, is that this was his first 

encounter of serving a blind 
person with a guide dog.

“I have respect for everyone,” 

the owner said. “But I do have 
allergies. Honest to goodness I 

was worried about having the 
dog. I have to take care of my 
car; it’s how I run my business. 
This was a big lesson for me, 
though, and in the future, I’m 
going to keep taking care of 
everyone.”

Since the story went viral, 

the owner said he has been 
receiving 
messages 
from 

reporters and people online 
calling him “deplorable,” an 
insult made towards Trump 
supporteres following a Sept. 
9 speech by Hillary Clinton 
wherein 
the 
Democratic 

candidate referred to “half” of 
Trump’s supporters as such. 
The owner said this, along 
with the reviews on Yelp, does 
not accurately reflect what 
happened.

“This is a sensitive issue to 

me,” the owner said. “This was 
the first time in my life I’ve 
been in this situation. I totally 
regret the incident. I made 
a mistake, but I’m not a bad 
person and this had nothing 
to do with politics. If given 
the chance, I would do it over 
again.”

Kuusisto said in his blog 

post the owner said he didn’t 
want dogs because they are 
“dirty.” The owner denied this, 
though, and said the reason 
for his apprehension was due 
to his allergies. The owner 
said though he didn’t offer an 
alternative means for Kuusisto 
to get to campus, he tried 
following up to offer him a ride 
in a voicemail.

“He changed some of the 

words,” the owner said. “I did 
offer him a ride after he called, 
and left him a voicemail.

Jack 
Bernard, 
chair 
of 

the University Council for 
Disability 
Concerns, 
said 

though 
discrimination 
of 

any kind is unacceptable, the 
amount of support Kuusisto 
received at the University event 
he attended was uplifting.

“Of course, it was unsettling 

for Professor Kuusisto and it 
is never good for anyone to 
intentionally 
discriminate 

against someone because she 
or he has a disability,” Bernard 
said. “The response to this 
incident 
was 
an 
abundant 

outpouring 
of 
support 
for 

Professor Kuusisto. Individuals 
in the community offered him 
airport-to-hotel ride service, 
others sent notes, still others 
discussed the matter on social 
media.”

Since the incident, the taxi 

service has altered its website, 
with a heading on its website 
stating: “We’re prompt 100% 
committed professionals and 
are proud to serve and respect 
our veteran clients and clients 
with disabilities.” Regardless 
of the gesture, Kuusisto said, 
he has filed a formal complaint 
with the U.S. Department 
of Justice and the Michigan 
Department of Civil Rights.

Despite 
the 
situation, 

Kuusisto 
remarked 
on 

the 
positive 
response 
and 

welcome he received from the 
University community during 
his visit.

“I 
certainly 
didn’t 
feel 

unsupported,” Kuusisto said.

Bernard added, though, the 

University is taking no specific 
action other than removing 
the taxi company from the list 
of services. He said the best 
ways to resolve situations like 
this is to be more welcoming 
and equitable to those with 
disabilities.

“What we saw here was 

diversity, equity and inclusion 
operating as it should — where 
individuals in the community 
work as individuals and as 
part of groups to respond 
to make the campus a more 
inviting place,” Bernard said. 

TAXI
From Page 1A

but a new experiential course 
now 
directly 
pairs 
students 

with companies during winter 
semester to complete a project. 
With this change, students will 
spend more time on the Ann 
Arbor campus in order to gain 
a more in-depth experience in 

the business school. The shift in 
scheduling also accommodates 
the 
scheduling 
of 
corporate 

recruiting.

Other 
changes 
to 
the 

curriculum 
include 
a 
larger 

focus on the data and analytics 
of key trends within the supply 
chain management industry, in 
addition to focuses on leadership 
development 
and 
general 

business 
education. 
Students 

within MSCM will also take an 
action-based learning course, the 
Supply Chain Consulting Studio, 
to gain real-world experience in 
a corporate environment.

The new MSCM now includes 

a corporate advisory council — 
a group comprised of industry 
leaders to serve as advisers, 
mentors and partners to MSCM 

faculty and students.

Massachusetts 
Institute 
of 

Technology currently has the 
top-ranked 
MSCM 
program, 

according to U.S. News and 
World Report. Similar to the 
University’s 
program, 
MIT’s 

MSCM is a 10-month program 
entirely 
on 
MIT’s 
campus. 

Different from the University’s 
program, 
though, 
MIT’s 

program incorporates a month 
abroad for real-world experience 
rather than something like the 
Business School’s action-based 
learning course.

Bill Hall, a Libertarian on the 

State Board of Education who is 
the head of sustainability at Fiat-
Chrysler Automobiles, said in 
the press release he was excited 
to provide career guidance and 

connections to the program’s 
students.

“The 
restructured 
Ross 

MSCM Program, fueled by its 
progressive curriculum, high-
impact, action-based learning 
module and close collaboration 
with 
the 
corporate 
sector, 

is destined to accelerate its 
production of elite supply chain 
innovators,” he said.

ROSS
From Page 1A

set at, CNN reported.

Minimum wage in 18 other 

states also rose on Jan. 1, 2017, 
according to the Wall Street 
Journal. 

Students employed through 

the University of Michigan 
generally make above the state 
minimum wage. Many jobs 
such as University dining hall 
positions, pay students hourly 
starting wages of $9.40 to 
$13.40.

LSA freshman Kelly Wester 

predicted the increase would 
benefit 
students 
already 

saddled with fees. 

“Most of my things went 

towards things I needed for 
school, so any increase in 
wages 
would’ve 
definitely 

helped me out,” she said. “It 
may seem small but I think 
the cumulative impact of a 
minimum wage increase can 
make a huge difference in the 
life of a worker.” 

According to the Student 

Employment Office database, 
there were 3,151 University and 
non-University job openings 
for students as of Wednesday 
evening. Furthermore, as of 
November 2016, Ann Arbor 
has a 3 percent unemployment 
rate, below Michigan’s 4.9 
percent rate. The wage curve 
theory suggests that because 
of this surplus of jobs and low 
unemployment, wages in Ann 
Arbor tend to be higher.

Many 
non-University 

employers in Ann Arbor like 
Starbucks Coffee also offer 
pay above the minimum wage. 
Eric Kurtz, a supervisor at the 

Starbucks in the Ross School 
of 
Business, 
said 
student 

workers at the chain would 
most likely not be affected by 
the minimum wage increase.

“(The 
minimum 
wage 

increase) is not going to be 
that big of an impact, because 
a lot of our students get hired 
in at around the $9.50- to 
$10-an-hour rate anyways,” 
Kurtz said. “When you have to 
talk to the public as much and 
be as skilled as you do at some 

of these jobs, you come in at a 
little bit higher rate.”

Engineering 
sophomore 

Jason 
Wozniak 
works 
as 

an entrance monitor at the 
Michigan Union, and agreed 
with 
Kurtz’s 
assessment. 

Wozniak 
did 
not 
foresee 

any 
incremental 
increase 

impacting 
his 
long-term 

income, as he does not expect 
to work many minimum wage 
jobs in the future. 

“I’m no expert in economics, 

but I don’t see this affecting 
me in the immediate future 
since I already make above 
$8.90/hour,” he said.

WAGE
From Page 1A

10

9

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

Year

Wage (USD)

Minimum Wage Increase in the 
State of Michigan (2000-2017)

Source: United States Department of Labor

People responded 

with absolute 
disgust. There 
were plenty of 
other people to 
call for a ride

One of the 

challenges here is 
that the (Trump) 

campaign was 
not very specific 
about disability 

policy plans

I totally regret 
the incident. I 
made a mistake, 
but I’m not a bad 
person and this 
had nothing to do 

with politics

It makes me a 
little upset that 
we’re still going 
on this trip even 
though it wouldn’t 

be safe for my 
friends of color

(The minimum 
wage increase) 
is not going to 
be that big of an 

impact

