The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
News
Friday, February 10, 2017 — 3

response that’s coming from 
the MARK, deans and news 
stations, but especially UM 
faculty. All of this concern!! 
That is complete crap, and let 
me tell you I am getting sick 
and tired of it.”

The email goes on to say: “All 

of this over an email?? Yet, I give 
my FACTUAL ACCOUNTS of 
two white men threatening my 
life and trying to take my car 
wearing UM hats. FACTUAL 
events, that can be seen on 2 
cameras that were in the back 
of a parking long (sic) and yet 
NO RESPONSE !!!! All of this 
solidarity, were all American 
stuff is complete BULL SHIT.”

The email also goes into 

detail 
about 
the 
alleged 

incident, where the writer 
claims on Jan. 3 at 8:15 p.m., 
she walked out from a gym 
and was “met by two pickup 
trucks,” both with white male 
drivers.

The writer described the 

white men in detail and later 
wrote what she claims the 
men said, including: “‘You’re 
not leaving tonight you whore, 
you can’t fucking park here 
you N****R.’ As I tried to ask 
him why he was so upset, he 
begin (sic) to continue the 
racial slurs shouting, ‘N****R… 
You fucking N****R can’t you 
fucking 
read?’ 
‘YOU 
ARE 

NOT 
FUCKING 
LEAVING 

TONIGHT!!!’”

The email is simply signed 

“The White Jane Doe (maybe 
the name change will help). 
#SecondofMany”

The writer acknowledged she 

called the police following the 
incident. Crime logsreleased 
by the Division of Public Safety 
and Security, however, contain 
no such report on that date, 
nor does the Ann Arbor Police 
Department crime map report 
an incident. The email did not 
detail whether the incident 
occurred 
on 
University 

property or even in Ann Arbor. 
University 
spokesman 
Rick 

Fitzgerald 
said 
DPSS 
first 

recieved an email tip on Jan. 
5, but neither DPSS nor AAPD 
recieved such a report on the 
day 
the 
incident 
allegedly 

occured. 

“DPSS 
made 
every 

reasonable effort to contact the 
sender with no succcess,” he 
said. “They could find nothing 
in our own community. Ann 
Arbor 
(police) 
could 
find 

nothing either.” 

Fitzgerald noted the only 

affiliation with the University 
detailed in the email included 
the “UM hats” worn by the 
sender’s attackers.

“People could be all around 

the world in Michigan hats,” 
he said. 

This email references the 

incidents earlier in the week, 
where three racist and anti-
Semitic emails were sent to 
the 
computer 
science 
and 

electrical engineering email 
lists.

Students 
protested 
early 

Wednesday morning outside 

University 
President 
Mark 

Schlissel’s house, demanding 
action from administration. 
Later, students and faculty 
responded to Tuesday’s emails, 
calling them inexcusable. It has 
been confirmed these emails 
were “spoofed” and were not 
sent by either of the named 
senders, a University professor 
and graduate student.

The University confirmed 

it was collaborating with the 
FBI to determine the original 
sender of the spoofed emails.

Students responded to the 

email sent to the graduate 
student email list on Facebook. 
One user, Rebecca Ruby Anuru, 
a 
Public 
Health 
graduate 

student, responded in support 
of the Jane Doe email.

“Sooo 
whatever 
Black 

woman sent this email to 
UMich on mad listservs under 
the name Jane Doe (The White 
Jane Doe in the text of the 
email too, savage!), made the 
email address say ‘educated 
black student’, and shared her 
story of how UMich don’t give 
a flaming flying fuck about her 
and her safety....Thank you, sis. 
You matter.”

Fitzgerald 
took 
care 
to 

uncouple 
the 
two 
email 

incidents, 
but 
could 
not 

speculate as to the series of 
anonymous senders. 

“That’s the main question, 

and I don’t have answers” he 
said. “But one is an indivdiual 
forgery of someone on our 
campus, (and) the other is 
someone refusing to identify 
themselves (to DPSS).” 

EMAILS
From Page 1

supporters.

One 
such 
speaker 
was 

Carlos 
Delgado, 
of 
the 

International 
Youth 
and 

Students for Social Equality, 
who said he was fighting for 
the rights of immigrants.

“We fight to uphold the 

principle 
of 
open 
borders 

and the rights of workers to 
live and work in whatever 
country they choose will full 
citizenship rights,” Delgado 
said. 
“We 
stand 
opposed 

to 
the 
right-wing 
attacks 

on 
immigration 
and 
the 

reactionary 
measures 
that 

are being intensified by the 
Trump 
administration 
and 

pursued by both Republicans 
and Democrats for several 
decades.”

Other speakers discussed 

how the ban was affecting 
other groups of minorities 
and cited many historical 
events they felt embodied 
some of the sentiments behind 

the immigration ban. The 
organizer referred to above 
spoke of her experiences as 
a Jewish woman and drew 
parallels between the current 
feelings toward Muslims and 
the 
feelings 
toward 
Jews 

during the World War II.

“I think a big issue with our 

community is that we need 
our voices to be heard,” the 
anonymous organizer said. “If 
you don’t speak out, your voice 
won’t be heard.”

These speeches were met 

with 
vocal 
approval 
from 

the 
crowd 
of 
more 
than 

100 
supporters 
dressed 

in 
a 
multitude 
of 
coats, 

hats, gloves and scarves to 
show their support despite 
frigid 
temperatures. 
The 

participants 
were 
sporting 

signs and banners featuring 
inspiring messages such as 
“Immigrants 
Are 
Welcome 

Here” and “No Ban, No Wall.”

Two 
attendees 
of 
the 

rally, 
LSA 
sophomore 
Ali 

Rosenblatt and Public Policy 
senior Meredith Joseph, were 
also creating a video designed 

to showcase their support for 
refugees and others affected 
by the immigration ban.

“Turning 
away 
refugees 

is detrimental, and we don’t 
want to see that happening 
again,” Rosenblatt said.

“We’re here for you, we 

stand with you,” Joseph said 
when asked what she would 
say 
to 
students 
suffering 

from the ban. “It’s all about 
standing in solidarity and 
making this community as 
welcoming as possible for 
everyone”

The University of Michigan, 

in light of the recent email 
incident 
and 
the 
current 

protest, sent a representative 
to speak on the behalf of 
University 
President 
Mark 

Schlissel. Carol Fierke, dean 
of Rackham Graduate School 
and vice provost for Academic 
Affairs and Graduate Studies, 
discussed 
the 
University’s 

supportive stance on student 
inclusion and equality.

“Our 
overwhelming 

message 
is; 
you 
are 
all 

welcome.”

BAN
From Page 1

Michigan.

“I am deeply disappointed 

that 
Senate 
Republicans 

confirmed Betsy DeVos to lead 
the Department of Education,” 
Stabenow wrote in a press 
release. “I’ve heard from an 
overwhelming 
number 
of 

Michigan families who have 
shared their strong concerns 
about 
her 
long 
record 
of 

pushing policies that have 
seriously undermined public 
education in Michigan and 
failed our children.”

Rep. Dan Kildee (D–Mich.) 

agreed 
with 
Stabenow, 

citing DeVos’ charter school 
experiment in Michigan as 
proving her plan unfit on a 
broader 
scale. 
Additionally, 

Kildee expressed doubt that 
DeVos was confirmed based on 
merit.

“Her failed experiment in 

Michigan pushing unregulated 
and 
unaccountable 
charter 

schools has led to terrible 
results for our children, who 
will bear the greatest burden 
of today’s vote,” wrote Kildee 
in a press release. “It’s also 
no coincidence that Betsy and 
the DeVos family have donated 
hundreds 
of 
thousands 

of dollars to many of the 
Republican Senators who just 
voted to give her this job.”

Republicans defend DeVos 

as being a true conservative 
who will change the status quo, 
which they see as having failed. 

Michigan Attorney General Bill 
Schuette expressed support 
for her school of choice plans 
following her confirmation.

“For 28 years, Betsy DeVos 

has made it her mission to 
ensure 
children 
receive 
a 

quality education, and now she 
will be able to do that on a much 

larger scale,” Schuette wrote 
in a press release. “Secretary 
DeVos will be an excellent 
Secretary of Education, fixing 
our schools and at the same 
time providing children and 
families choices to find the 
school that fits their needs.”

Engineering 
freshman 

Lincoln 
Merrill, 
publicity 

chair of the University of 
Michigan’s chapter of College 
Republicans, 
agreed 
with 

Schuette, 
saying 
DeVos’ 

opposition to the Common 
Core and support for school 
of choice will hopefully keep 
American students from being 
outperformed internationally.

“We are living in a time when 

the status quo is being rejected 
left and right, and the matter 
of education is no different,” 
Merrill 
said. 
“America’s 

schools are failing the nation, 
and the country needs a new 
direction with fresh leadership 
in order to improve it.”

LSA junior Collin Kelly, 

president of the University’s 
chapter of College Democrats 
agreed 
that 
DeVos’s 

confirmation 
must 
be 

contextualized, but said he 
worries given the financial 
aid situation of many students, 
DeVos could bring negative 
consequences to many.

“Higher education is more 

important yet more expensive 
than 
ever. 
Thousands 
of 

students here — including me 
— rely on federal support to 
come here,” Kelly said. “We 
need an education secretary 
who will find ways to increase 
funding of our schools and 
universities, not take it away. 
We don’t think Betsy DeVos is 
someone who will put students 
first, above special interests 
and partisanship.”

Merrill 
pushed 
back 

against 
claims 
that 
DeVos 

will noticeably affect higher 
education 
immediately, 

considering 
that 
school 
of 

choice policies are targeted 
toward primary and secondary 
education.

“We don’t know yet how she 

will handle the rising student 
debt crisis that has been a real 
issue over the past eight years,” 
Merrill said. “One thing that 
may happen is regulations 
for 
universities 
will 
likely 

be 
scaled 
back, 
allowing 

universities to save costs by 
hiring fewer faculty and staff.”

DEVOS
From Page 1

Higher education 
is more important 
yet more expensive 

than ever

“It’s a loving and inclusive 

environment,” she said. “You 
wouldn’t think a protest to be 
like that, but it’s comforting 
that there’s a lot of people here, 
and that there are so many 
different people coming out to 
support this cause. Everybody 
has a different background, 
everybody is from a different 
place, but we are all American.”

Students4Justice 
is 
a 

relatively new student group 
that aims to expose inequities 
on campus. The organizers 
encouraged 
attendees 
to 

bring homework, water, food, 
prayer rugs and posters to 
demonstrate their resolve.

In 
addition 
to 
acting 

in response to the recent 
bias 
incidents 
on 
campus, 

Students4Justice also asked for 
their voices to be heard by the 
administration. A driving force 
behind the event was that the 
organizers felt a lack of action 
from the administration.

Public 
Health 
student 

Vikrant Garg, a core member 
of Students4Justice, said he 
wants the administration to 

take a stand and do something.

“We 
need 
(University 

President Mark) Schlissel to 
actually be present,” Garg 
said. “We need him to make 
actionable change if he wants 
us to feel welcome on this 
campus.”

LSA senior David Schafer, 

president of Central Student 
Government, said he found 
the solidarity of the students 
to be important in facilitating 
change.

“I just think this event is 

powerful 
and 
important,” 

Schafer said. “It’s my hope 
that real and lasting tangible 

change comes from this. I 
know those are buzzwords 
and buzz-phrases, but it’s the 
only way anything has ever 
been done at this school. It 
stems from the bottom up; it’s 
students who are tired of being 
tired and having their voices 
heard, ensuring a more just 
and equitable community is 
made possible.”

The protest drew a diverse 

group of students as the sit-in 
carried on through the night. 
The students in attendance 
were there for various reasons, 
including 
political 
and 

religious ones.

LSA 
freshman 
Tiana 

Brandon said she marched 
because she felt her identity 
was threatened by the current 
atmosphere on campus.

“It’s 
always 
important 

to fight for what is right,” 
Brandon 
said. 
“In 
this 

particular situation it applies 
to me. As a woman of color, I 
have to fight for my life, and 
I don’t think people realize 
the seriousness of the matter. 
If I can’t feel safe on campus, 
how am I — a minority student 
— 
being 
welcomed 
here? 

Schlissel’s approach to this is 
not okay.”

SIT-IN
From Page 1

It’s my hope that 
real and lasting 
tangible change 
comes from this 

“I am also a minority, so I 

wanted to come see what the 
perspective was and wanted to 
see what their perspective was 
from a male student athlete 
because I was a student athlete 
as well,” Penebaker said. “I 
wanted to see where (Jackson, 
Edwards 
and 
King) 
were 

coming from in their time and 
how things have changed.”

LSA 
senior 
Braylon 

Edwards, who returned to 
the University this semester 
to finish his degree, followed 
Ways. Edwards touched on the 
influence of the media and the 
disparity between the ways 
white athletes are praised as 
opposed to Black athletes.

“They do the same thing 

with 
Russell 
Wilson 
and 

Aaron 
Rodgers,” 
Edwards 

said. “They say Aaron Rodgers 
is mentally insane. They say 
the way he is able to predict 
lineman 
coming 
in, 
steps 

outside, gets around and when 
he throws passes, his laser 
sharp 
accuracy, 
pin-point, 

mental 
toughness. 
When 

(Russell 
Wilson) 
does 
the 

same thing, his athletic ability 
allows him … to get the ball 
down there.”

Edwards continued talking 

about the experiences of Black 
student athletes with their 
academics, including the skills 
Black male athletes lack when 
they come to the University 
and how expectations put on 
their athletics can detract 

from their academics.

“Many Black athletes come 

to campus with poor academic 
preparation,” Edwards said. 
“(Jabrill Peppers) is no longer 
the student athlete, he’s the 
athlete … the pressure that 
comes with that, no one sees.”

Business junior Nate Fisher 

said the viewpoints of the 
athletes at the event were 
ones he hasn’t been exposed to 
before.

“I definitely was able to see 

the viewpoints that a lot of the 
Black athletes are bringing up, 
recognizing how in our society 
they are usually perceived in 
a certain way,” Fischer said. 
“It was really cool for me, as 
a white person, to take in this 
point of view to really have a 
more holistic view of different 
perspectives of different types 
of athletes.”

Feb. 9 marked the 25th 

anniversary of when the Fab 
Five first started together. The 
Fab Five have been regarded 
as a cultural phenomenon, 
reaching the 1992 and 1993 
NCAA 
Division 
I 
Men’s 

Basketball 
Championship 

games.

Ray Jackson, the keynote 

speaker and a member of the 
Fab Five, highlighted his time 
as an athlete and what he has 
learned since then. Jackson 
emphasized 
his 
experience 

when he started his first game 
against Notre Dame on this 
day 25 years ago with the other 
members of the Fab Five.

“From that day forward, I 

never thought about school on 
the same level as I did prior to 

that,” Jackson said. “Before 
that day, I was making it to 
class all the time.”

Jackson introduced another 

member of the Fab Five, 
Jimmy King, to shed light 
on his experiences as well, 
including 
the 
pressure 
on 

athletes and being exploited 
as a member of the Fab Five.

“You don’t want to let your 

community down,” King said. 
“You have all this weight on 
your shoulders … that pressure 
can break you.”

King also spoke about being 

exploited, 
including 
when 

Nike came to the Fab Five 
with five duffel bags full of 
gear, telling them they could 
have whatever they wanted. 
King and the other members 
of the Fab Five realized what 
was going on.

“We’re 
basically 
unpaid 

consultants,” 
King 
said. 

“Whatever we pick is what 
they’re going to sell and make 
money on. (Nike) would rather 
talk about anything else but 
that. As soon as (the coach) 
mentioned compensation, they 
pushed away from the table, 
got up and left and didn’t say 
a word.”

Jackson finished the night 

describing the Black male 
athlete and solutions to the 
issues posed throughout the 
night.

“If we don’t educate our 

kids and our children coming 
up, we will continue to have 
athletes go broke, commit 
suicide, beat their girlfriends,” 
Jackson said. “That stems 
from lack of education.”

ATHLETES
From Page 1

