The 
Senate 
Advisory 

Committee on University Affairs 
met with University of Michigan 
President Mark Schlissel and 
the Provost and Executive Vice 
President for Academic Affairs 
Search 
Advisory 
Committee 

Monday afternoon to discuss the 
selection of the new provost. 

Schlissel began the meeting 

by seeking input from SACUA on 
what the search committee should 
look for in a new provost. Schlissel 
welcomed SACUA’s advice not 
only on what qualifications the 
candidates should have, but also 
the issues to which they should be 
paying extra attention, particularly 
as a body that frequently interacts 
with the provost.

“I thought it would be valuable 

to have input from SACUA about 
what we should be paying closest 
attention to as we search for a 
new 
provost,” 
Schlissel 
said. 

“You’re amongst the group that 
interacts with the provost quite a 
bit … so your advice is particularly 
welcome.”

SACUA member John Lehman, 

a professor of biology, began the 
conversation by reading a list of 
questions he and the Academic 
Affairs 
Advisory 
Committee 

created. The committee hopes 
the questions will be used in the 
interviews of the candidates for 
provost. Its questions covered a 
broad range of topics, including 
what the candidate believes to be 
the purpose of the University and 

his or her vision for research and 
innovation at the University.

Lehman also stressed the 

importance of the future provost’s 
engagement with undergraduate 
education, 
considering 
the 

provost is currently the only 
individual with a responsibility 
for 
undergraduate 
education 

on campus. Lehman suggested 
asking whether the provost would 
like to expand that responsibility 
and if he or she would consider 

active 
involvement 
with 

students by teaching occasional 
undergraduate courses.

Schlissel 
responded 

enthusiastically to the AAAC’s list, 
saying the search committee has 
already spent time thinking about 
the provost’s relationship with 
undergraduate education.

“We were just talking about the 

issue of undergraduate education 
today,” Schlissel said. “All schools 
and colleges have structures that 

look after their undergraduate 
programs and deans respond 
on the school level. But the 
provost is really the integrator 
of undergraduate commitments 
across the campus.”

Other 
SACUA 
members 

posed 
their 
own 
questions 

regarding topics such as how 
the next provost will further the 
University’s Diversity, Equity and 
Inclusion plan and interact with 

With 
the 
current 

administration nearing its end, the 
first campaign for the University 
of Michigan’s Central Student 
Government launched Monday 
night. The group celebrated its 
new beginning in the Ross School 
of Business with its 15 member 
team.

The party, eMerge, is headed 

by LSA junior Anushka Sarkar, 
the former Chief Programming 
Officer, 
who 
is 
running 
for 

President, 
and 
Public 
Policy 

junior Nadine Jawad, the current 
CSG Senior Policy Advisor, who 
is running for Vice President. 
Currently, the party is unopposed.

Last 
year, 
Sarkar 
worked 

with the Mental Health Leaders 
Network, where she helped push to 
increase the number of counselors 
in Counseling and Psychological 
Services. The party’s goals are 
based in pushing for sustainable 
changes that can impact a greater 
movement.

“We 
really 
pushed 
the 

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Tuesday, February 14, 2017

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INDEX
Vol. CXXVII, No. 29
©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

See CAMPAIGN, Page 3

New party
announces 
run in CSG 
elections

STUDENT GOVERNMENT

LSA juniors lead eMerge 
campaign, aim to bring 
attention to student voices

NISA KHAN & 

JORDYN BAKER
Daily News Editor &
Daily Staff Reporter

MATT VAILLIENCOURT/Daily

University President Mark Schlissel joined the SACUA meeting to discuss the search for a new provost at the Fleming 
Building on Monday. 

Adminstration and SACUA discuss 
selection of next University provost 

President Mark Schlissel visits the committee, asking for suggestions, recommendations

MAYA GOLDMAN

Daily Staff Reporter

michigandaily.com

For more stories and coverage, visit

See SACUA, Page 3

Updates regarding three hate 

crimes that occurred at the end of 
last year have been released by the 
Ann Arbor Police Department. 
Following the conclusion of a 
joint investigation with the FBI, 
AAPD and the Division of Public 
Safety and Security, two of the 
three crimes were deemed as 
being falsely reported and the 
other investigation is currently 
inactive because of lack of 
information.

The 
first 
incident, 
which 

took place on Nov. 11, involved 
a student who reported being 
approached by a man who 
demanded she remove her hijab 
or he would set her on fire. It 
was later determined, citing 
several discrepancies between 
eyewitness 
testimonies 
and 

surveillance 
tapes 
from 
the 

scene, the alleged crime did 
not occur. According to a press 
release from the AAPD, the 
student will not be prosecuted 
for the false report.

“Washtenaw 
County 

Prosecutor’s office declined to 
authorize criminal charges,” Lt. 

See DPSS, Page 3

DPSS gives 
update on 
alleged Fall
hate crimes

CRIME

‘U’ police, AAPD and FBI 
determine two of three 
hate crimes did not occur

ALEXIS RANKIN
Daily Staff Reporter

The Provost and Executive 

Vice President for Academic 
Affairs 
Search 
Advisory 

Committee held a town hall 
meeting Monday evening, seeking 
public input on the search process 
for the position, which oversees 
academic and budgetary affairs 
for the University of Michigan.

The position of interim provost 

is currently held by Public Policy 
Prof. Paul Courant, who assumed 
the position on Feb. 1st after 
former Provost Martha Pollack 
left the University on Jan. 31 to 
serve role as president of Cornell 
University starting April 17.

University 
President 
Mark 

Schlissel, 
who 
chairs 
the 

committee, said he hopes to fill 
the position by the beginning of 
the next academic year.

Aside 
from 
Schlissel, 
the 

committee 
consists 
of 
10 

professors and deans from several 
of the University’s 19 schools, as 
well as one student representative.

The 
town 
hall 
had 
an 

attendance of about 30 people, 
most of whom were faculty and 
staff, as well as the committee 
members themselves. The group 
articulated ideas about what 
qualities the next provost should 
have and the issues with which he 
or she should be most concerned.

Several attendees mentioned 

the importance of the provost’s 
understanding 
of 
research, 

including 
Vice 
President 
for 

Research Jack Hu, a committee 
member 
and 
professor 
of 

mechanical 
engineering, 
who 

said it was important to him that 
the future provost was someone 
who had done research and 
understood the complexities of 
the research enterprise.

LSA senior Aditi Rao raised 

the question of innovations in 
education, citing Caitlin Holman’s 
recent TedxUofM presentation 
about improvements that could be 
made in education.

“I know a few of you have 

mentioned the importance of 
research and that the provost 
has participated in research,” 
Rao said. “I think it would be 

Public input,
feedback on
provost heard 
at town hall 

Students, professors explore role of
free speech in classroom, on campus

See TOWN HALL, Page 3

DESIGN BY: MICHELLE PHILLIPS

ADMINISTRATION

Students interested in selection of leader, 
faculty also vocalize specific requests

ALON SAMUEL
Daily Staff Reporter

University as a public institution has strict policies regarding First Amendment

In the last year there have been 

several instances of hate speech 
and 
targeted 
verbal 
attacks 

against different minority groups 
on the University of Michigan 
campus. 
However, 
the 
line 

between hate speech and free 
speech remains blurred for the 
University to interpret in each 
individual case, as the balance 
between maintaining free speech 
and a safe environment for 

students continually remains a 
precarious one.

As a public institution, the 

University must strictly adhere 
to the First Amendment and the 
freedom of speech it guarantees. 
The 
University 
codified 
its 

commitment 
to 
free 
speech 

and a safe campus in its UM 
Standard Practice Guide, as of 
the many policies in the SPG, one 
is dedicated solely to 601.01, the 
“Freedom of Speech and Artistic 
Expression.”

The Civil Liberties Board of 

the University’s Senate Assembly 

proposed a set of guidelines to be 
adopted by the University.

Prefacing the policies is the 

goal that, by representing and 
allowing for the entire spectrum 
of opinions within the University 
community, the staff can create 
an 
open 
forum 
for 
diverse 

opinions. The guidelines of 601.01 
are committed to the exchange of 
opinions to encourage learning.

“Expression of diverse points of 

view is of the highest importance, 
not only for those who espouse a 
cause or position and then defend 
it, but also for those who hear and 

pass judgment on that defense,” 
the policy reads. “The belief that 
an opinion is pernicious, false, or 
in any other way detestable cannot 
be grounds for its suppression.”

Law student Erin Pamukcu, 

president 
of 
the 
University’s 

chapter 
of 
the 
American 

Constitution 
Society, 
believes 

the First Amendment and free 
speech are foundations not only 
in the study of law, but the U.S. 
democratic system.

“It’s 
the 
Amendment 
that 

ensures the will of the people can 

CAITLIN REEDY
Daily Staff Reporter

See FREE SPEECH, Page 3