A
federal
district
court
dismissed a lawsuit filed by an
former University of Michigan
student
who
violated
the
University’s
Student
Sexual
Misconduct
Policy.
A
final
opinion dated Jan. 5 declared the
plaintiff’s claim of a due process
violation was inaccurate.
According to court records,
U.S.
District
Judge
David
Lawson upheld the reasoning
behind the appeals board’s
decision to expel the plaintiff
because it did not violate his
underlying due process.
The incident in question
occurred at a fraternity house
in January 2016 when the
victim was a freshman at the
University. According to the
version of events presented in
the case of the former male
student, indentified as John Doe
in the claim, the woman was
served a shot of vodka in the his
room upstairs after they met
earlier. After the shot, the pair
went back downstairs, danced
and eventually started kissing
before they went back his room.
The two then allegedly had sex.
The
male
and
female
students’ lawsuits differ in
their description of the event.
Though the male’s suit said the
woman had no problem dancing
or talking, her lawsuit described
a witness who said she later
The University of Michigan’s
plans to renovate the Michigan
Union, which include creating
easier access to the building
for
patrons
with
physical
disabilities, have so far received
overall positive feedback from
students.
The 98-year-old Union — a
haven of student offices, dining
areas and large rooms for
meetings, traditionally regarded
as a centerpoint of campus —
will be under construction as
part of a large infrastructural
renovation in the spring of 2018.
An $85.2 million budget will
go toward improving student
study and lounge space in the
building, as well as historical
restoration.
The plan was approved by
the Board of Regents on July
21, 2016 at its monthly meeting,
a vote which approved the
building’s
most
extensive
renovations since its opening.
The budget for the project
comes from the $65 University
Unions and Recreational Sports
Facility Improvement Fee that
all full time students started
paying in 2014.
Susan Pile, senior director of
University Unions and Auxiliary
Services, said as of now there is
no intention of increasing this
fee due to additional funding
from the University.
“That fee is set by the Board
of Regents,” Pile said. “There is
also funding coming from some
other University sources such
as Parking and Transportation
and others to help shoulder the
cost of the renovations but all
that funding, all those funding
sources are set at this point.”
LSA freshman Cindy Chu
said she does not have a problem
with the fee as it stands but
expressed concern for lower-
income students having to pay
the fee.
“Relatively, $65 isn’t much
so right now; I don’t see too
much of an issue but if you’re
one of those students struggling
to make ends meet, then of
course it’s more difficult to
them,” Chu said. “I feel like
some people should be exempt
from (the fee) if they’re under
financial strain.”
The largest issue with the
Union right now, according to
Pile, is the lack of comprehensive
compliance with the Americans
with Disabilities Act of 1990,
which mandates that buildings
not discriminate against people
with disabilities and provide
equal opportunities for access
and travel through the building.
Issues such as ramp access and
elevators that reach all levels of
the building are scheduled to be
improved in the renovations.
Currently, the main levels
and the mezzanine levels of
the Union are not connected by
one main passenger elevator,
making
travel
between
floors difficult for those with
About 50 students gathered
Tuesday night inside the Ford
School of Public Policy, where
they ate pizza and chatted as a
part of the “Pizza and President
Obama’s Farewell Address” watch
party organized by the University
of Michigan’s chapter of College
Democrats.
Though students in attendance
said they were disappointed by
the outcome of the 2016 election,
many pointed to the importance
of continuing to band together
as a party. Public Policy junior
Rowan Conybeare, explained the
importance of continuing to fight
for progressive ideals, even though
the election results did not occur
as she had hoped.
“(I)
worked
on
Hillary’s
campaign so we obviously thought
tonight would be a little bit more
exciting,” Conybeare said prior
to the speech. “But I think (in
Obama’s speech tonight) that
he will create this picture again
of hope for the future, and just
that even though we didn’t get
the presidential outcome that we
want, we can still fight and we can
michigandaily.com
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Wednesday, January 11, 2017
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INDEX
Vol. CXXVII, No. 6
©2016 The Michigan Daily
N E WS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
O PI N I O N . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
CL A S S I F I E DS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
S U D O K U . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
A R T S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
S P O R T S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
See ASSAULT, Page 3A
ALEXIS RANKIN/Daily
BAMN member Keysha Wall addresses the Central Student Government at a meeting in the Union on Tuesday.
A resolution asking President
Barack
Obama
to
support
undocumented
students
—
brought to the table by BAMN,
the national coalition to Defend
Affirmative Action, Integration
and
Immigrant
Rights
and
Fight for Equality By Any
Means Necessary — passed at
Central Student Government’s
first meeting of the semester.
The body voted 26-4 with 7
abstaining.
Last December, CSG passed
a similar resolution — authored
by
CSG
President
David
Schafer, CSG Vice President
Micah Griggs and Chief of
Staff Noah Betman, all LSA
seniors. The resolution was a
joint-statement by members of
CSG expressing solidarity for
undocumented
students
and
need for a continuation of the
Deferred Action for Childhood
Arrival program, which allows
undocumented immigrants to
“apply for temporary deferrals
of deportations and (for) work
permits.”
Currently, according to a
New York Times article cited by
Shafer in his resolution, about
741,000 individuals protected
See WATCH PARTY, Page 3A
ALEXIS RANKIN/Daily
Students walk through the Union on Tuesday.
michigandaily.com
For more stories and coverage, visit
See UNION, Page 3A
See CSG, Page 3A
Companies in Ann Arbor
looking to increase foot traffic
and sales can now advertise in
nearby locations, serving the
local small business community
and college students looking for
discounts.
Spade, a mobile application
launched in early December,
aims
to
help
local
small
businesses advertise for one
another.
Spade serves as the middleman
between businesses looking to
advertise and locations looking to
profit, according to Kinesiology
sophomore Jake Fleshner, the
company’s co-founder and chief
marketing officer.
Fleshner’s older brother came
up with the idea three years
ago and developed it for about
a year before handing it off to
Fleshner, who saw the app as an
opportunity to create a network
of businesses.
“We thought ‘Why is no one
doing this yet?’ ” Fleshner said.
“Why aren’t businesses helping
each other, cross-remoting and
helping the local small business
See BUSINESS, Page 3A
Federal court
dismisses case
filed by student
after alleged
sexual assault
CSG passes resolution to call on White
House to aid DAPA, express solidarity
CRIME
U.S. district judge declares the claim of a
due process violation inaccurate
At first meeting of the semester, BAMN expresses concern for undocumented students
RHEA CHEETI & HEATHER
COLLEY
Daily Staff Reporters
50 students
gather, view
last speech
by POTUS
GOVERNMENT
College Democrats,
others admiring screened
remarks in Ford School
KAELA THEUT
Daily Staff Reporter
$85 million renovations for Michigan
Union supported, despite tuition fee
Increased accomodation of patrons with physical diabilities head construction plans
MATT HARMON
Daily Staff Reporter
Start-up
offers local
business’
networks
BUSINESS
Student-created app
aims to connect, improve
community advertising
JENNIFER MEER
Daily Staff Reporter
KAELA THEUT
Daily Staff Reporter
statement
THE MICHIGAN DAILY | JANUARY 11TH, 2016