M-Write
—
a
program
promoting
conceptual
learning
through
writing
housed inside the Digital
Innovation Greenhouse in the
Office of Digital Education
— continues to grow as it
introduces
writing
and
a
peer
review
program
to
introductory-level
STEM-
oriented and social science
courses, though this is the
third semester of its use.
M-Write will be utilized
in
three
courses
during
the winter 2017 semester:
Economics
101,
Material
Science
Engineering
250
and Biology 174. Economics
is the largest class that will
use M-Write, with over 300
students.
A computer program called
M-Write
II
anonymously
distributes prompted writings
to three other members of the
course for peer review. The
program then returns the
student commentary to the
original student, who revises
their work accordingly.
Anne Gere, professor of
education and English and
Director of the Sweetland
Center for Writing, initiated
the project and said the goal
is to promote deeper learning
through the inclusion of a
writing component.
Around 300 gathered in the
Lydia
Mendelssohn
Theater
Thursday night to see the 2016
National Book Award-winning
novelist Colson Whitehead read
passages shining light on the
horrors of slavery from his book
“The Underground Railroad.”
Throughout
his
speech,
Whitehead explained the novel’s
conception; he first thought of
writing about slavery in the year
2000, but he didn’t begin writing
it until three years ago, when he
felt he had matured.
“I knew if I had started then,
I would have fucked it up,”
Whitehead said. “So I was like, ‘I
will wait and write more books
and perhaps become a better
writer … and hopefully I will be
more mature and able to tackle
it.’ ”
Whitehead said he is fortunate
to be able to use his novel and
platform to illustrate the torture
and abuse his ancestors and
others suffered under slavery in
America.
“When I was working on the
book, I had to start grappling
with the horrors of slavery,”
Whitehead said. “I don’t know
where my family came from
… I don’t know who they were
or where they died, but part of
writing this book right, writing it
good, was honoring them.”
Whitehead
also
offered
commentary
on
America’s
current racial climate, stating
the election of Donald Trump
as president is proof white
supremacy is still prominent in
the country.
Whitehead said he believes
certain passages of the book,
such as when free Blacks are
stopped and frisked, have greater
meaning now.
“When the election happened,
I did start reading different
sections
from
the
book,”
Whitehead said. “The book sort of
does read differently now that we
have this sort of re-entrenchment
of white supremacy.”
LSA sophomore Colin Page
said he attended the event
both because he has read “The
Underground
Railroad”
and
because one of his professors
recommended students attend.
Page said his interest piqued
when Whitehead talked about
his approach to writing about the
theme of oppression, specifically
the parallels he drew between
race relations during slavery and
today.
“I specifically enjoyed when
he talked about how he mingled
historical aspects of the book
with realism in order to comment
on society and the oppression he
sees that was prevalent 200 years
ago, and is still unfortunately very
prevalent today,” Page said. “He
used the mixture of the two to
show the duality between the two
ages and how we’re still wrestling
with a lot of the same issues that
we were.”
LSA freshman Scott Bays
echoed
Page’s
sentiment,
saying his major takeaway from
Whitehead’s lecture was his use
of the past in his novel to draw
parallels to and comment on
oppression in today’s society.
“I
thought
it
was
really
interesting how he could use
fiction and genre to expand the
scope of what he was saying,”
Bays said.
The beginning of a new
semester is traditionally a time
of recruitment and increased
student involvement in different
organizations on campus. At
Winterfest, the University of
Michigan
chapters
of
both
College Republicans and College
Democrats had tables to promote
mobilization and their respective
agendas for 2017.
With President-elect Trump’s
inauguration
only
a
week
away, the two political groups
are focused on how the new
administration will affect their
future efforts to promote various
ideologies, as well as increasing
student political efficacy, which
would lead to wider involvement
and student knowledge about
current political events.
While the University College
Republicans
are
“thrilled”
about
President-elect
Donald
Trump’s victory, according to
LSA junior Enrique Zalamea,
president of the organization,
they plan to focus largely on local
Michigan state politics during
the winter semester. They have
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Friday, January 13, 2017
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INDEX
Vol. CXXVII, No. 8
©2016 The Michigan Daily
N E WS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
O PI N I O N . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
A R T S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
S U D O K U . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
CL A S S I F I E DS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
S P O R T S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
M-Write tool
expanded to
intro, STEM
curriculum
Students, activists protest expected
Planned Parenthood defunding
See STEM, Page 3
60,000 people were served by Planned
Parenthood of Michigan (PPMI) last year.
WHAT IS PLANNED PARENTHOOD?
- safety-net provider
- steps in where providers stop accepting Medicaid patients
- Medicaid reimburses services PP provides
WHO IS MOST AFFECTED?
- low income households
- rural areas
>25%
Less than a quarter of MIchigan’s counties
have no OB/GYN doctor. PPMI is often the
only place patients can access health care.
WHO USES IT?
WHO HAS ACCESS?
DEFUNDING PLANNED PARENTHOOD:
REPERCUSSIONS AND STATISTICS
DESIGN BY KATIE BEUKEMA
Planned Parenthood funding is currently in the process of being repealed, sparking concerns both locally and nationwide.
ACADEMICS
Expansion of program to include bio,
material science and economics classes
EMILY MIILLER
Daily Staff Reporter
Congressional Republican initiative spurs discontent from campus community
On
Jan.
5,
Speaker
of
the
House
Paul
Ryan
(R)
announced a budget bill that
would begin to repeal President
Barack Obama’s health care law
and would include language
that
would
strip
Planned
Parenthood of more than half
of a billion dollars in annual
federal funding.
“Planned
Parenthood
legislation would be in our
reconciliation bill,” Ryan said at
a press conference.
Republican
lawmakers
have tried for years to strip
the
reproductive
health
organization
of
its
federal
funding, particularly since it
faced an investigation by the
House Committee on Oversight
and Government Reform in
2015 dealing with the purported
illegal sale of fetal tissue.
Although the investigation
found no evidence of illegal
acts,
it
placed
Planned
Parenthood and its Democratic
allies on the defense. Ruth
Lednicer, Planned Parenthood
of Michigan director of media
and communications, said in
an interview the protestors are
active even at the traditionally
liberal Ann Arbor locations.
CARLY RYAN
Daily Staff Reporter
See GOP, Page 3
Dems, GOP
strive for
inclusive
‘U’ policies
CAMPUS LIFE
Campus political groups
reflect on their goals
for the upcoming year
HEATHER COLLEY
Daily Staff Reporter
KEVIN ZHENG/Daily
Novelist Colson Whitehead kicks off the University of Michigan Bicentennial Theme Semester with a reading of his
book “The Ungerground Raildroad” at the League on Thursday.
Colson Whitehead discusses parallel
between current events and slavery
The award winning author also read passages from famous novel to 300 gathered
CALEB CHADWELL
Daily Staff Reporter
A mindful approach
Michigan quarterback
Wilton Speight uses the
lessons he learned from his
high school coach to help
him to bounce back from
mistakes.
» Page 8
michigandaily.com
For more stories and coverage, visit
See DEFUNDING, Page 3
It’s
possible
Michiganders
could soon see the reduction or
even elimination of the state’s 4.25
percent income tax, as discussions
on different proposals in both
the state House and Senate are
underway.
House Bill 4001, which would
reduce the 4.25 percent tax to 3.9
percent in 2018 and then reduce
the tax by another 0.1 percent
each year over a span of 40 years
until the income tax is eliminated,
was introduced by state Rep.
Lee Chatfield (R–Levering) on
Thursday.
Additionally, state Sen. Jack
Brandenburg
(R–Harrison
Township) is also expected to
soon introduce his own income
tax
elimination
plan
in
the
Michigan
Senate
that
would
eliminate the income tax over
five years, the Detroit News
reported. Brandenburg declined
an interview with The Michigan
Daily.
Edward Cho, University of
Michigan economics professor,
presented some of the general
advantages and disadvantages that
See TAX, Page 3
Legislature
considers
income tax
elimination
GOVERNMENT
Bills have potential to
decrease tax over years,
sparking mixed reactions
CALEB CHADWELL
Daily Staff Reporter