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February 14, 2017 - Image 3

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The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
News
Tuesday, February 14, 2017 — 3

Matthew Lige wrote in the press
release email.

The
second
incident

occurred the following day,
when a student reported being
verbally assaulted and then
pushed down a hill. While the
victim and witness statements
were
deemed
credible,
the

investigation is no longer active

due to lack of information
regarding the assailant.

“The
area
where
the

assault
occurred
did
not

have independent video of

the
incident,”
Lige

wrote. “No suspects could be
identified as the victim was
unable to describe the assailant
beyond a vague clothing and
physical description. At this
time,
this
investigation
is

inactive.”

The third incident involved

a woman who reported being
assaulted
by
a
man
who

scratched her face with a safety
pin while she was walking on
Liberty Street. The incident
was heavily investigated by
both AAPD detectives and
FBI agents, who concluded the
report was false and the crime
did not occur.

Investigators
found

numerous inconsistencies in
the victim’s statement and there
was no surveillance footage of
the crime to support the report.
In response, detectives have
submitted a warrant request for
criminal charges against the
Ann Arbor resident who made
the false report.

“This
incident
originally

reported was a misdemeanor
assault,”
Lige
wrote.
“A

criminal penalty for a false
police report would also be a
misdemeanor.”

DPSS
From Page 1

faculty governance.

Lehman stressed the importance

of a communicative relationship
between the provost and the faculty
governance committees.

“The biggest complaints that

have come forward historically …
is too much decision making before
consultation with the faculty,”
Lehman said. “It’s come out as an
issue, and you’re still going to find
people complaining about this.”

SACUA member Silke-Maria

Weineck, a professor of German
and comparative literature, posed

concerns about how the next
provost will lead the University
through the current contentious
political climate.

“It seems to me that we may

be faced with a somewhat very
hostile federal administration in
the future,” Weineck said. “I would
like to see a provost who has various
game plans to (protect) our various
vulnerabilities … Somebody who
has had some serious experience
interfacing
with
government

would be useful, and possibly
someone who knows the mind of
conservatives.”

The conversation then turned

to whether SACUA would prefer
a candidate who already works for
the University or someone from

outside the community. SACUA
Secretary David Potter, a professor
of history and classical studies,
highlighted the merits of both
backgrounds, but said he ultimately
felt an outside perspective could be
good for the University.

“We’ve had two very successful

internal
candidates
recently,

following an extremely successful
external candidate … but the
perspective an outsider can bring
(is) that we don’t necessarily need
to do everything the same way all
the time,” Potter said. “And I think,
after a number of years of very good
internal people, having an external
candidate might be nice.”

Weineck disagreed with Potter,

saying the new provost must have

a knowledge of the University’s
culture.

“With all of the new deans

and with (Schlissel) still being
a bit (new), I don’t think it’s
strictly a question of inside or
outside,” Weineck said. “I think
we do need somebody who has an
understanding of the identity of the
University.”

The search committee has

already had its first meeting
and elicited the help of a search
firm. The committee will accept
applications and nominations until
the end of the month, at which point
it will begin confidential interviews
of select applicants. A new provost
is expected to be appointed before
next year’s fall semester.

SACUA
From Page 1

always be heard and will always
be heard,” Pamukcu said. “It was
important when America was
founded, and is just as important
today, especially because the
ways that we now communicate
are continually changing. The
law has to keep changing on how
it interprets speech, and in what
capacity — does it extend to social
media, what I say to people when
I’m working? It’s an amendment
that will continue to be important
and
its
interpretation
will

continue to evolve.”

The
SPG
also
created

policies
directed
specifically

against
“Discrimination
and

Harassment.”
This
in-depth

policy stance includes definitions
of the terms and the appropriate
responses to and procedures
to follow in these instances, in
addition to the Regents’ Bylaw
14.06 and the Nondiscrimination
Policy Notice already created to
target these issues.

The
policy
clearly
states

the
University
is
committed

to
maintaining
an
academic

and work environment free of
discrimination and harassment.

“The
University
has
a

compelling interest in assuring an
environment in which learning
and productive work thrives,” the
policy reads. “At the same time,
the University has an equally
compelling interest in protecting
freedom of speech and academic
freedom and in preserving the
widest possible dialogue within
its instructional and research
settings.”

Pamukcu believes there is

a
distinction
between
hate

speech and free speech, and the
University has the discretion to
decide what classifies as hate
speech and when the University
has cause to intervene, especially
given
the
current
divisive

political climate.

“Hate speech is one of those

things
that
is
recognizable,

you can use common sense,”
Pamukcu said. “You can see by
the way they act, the language
they use, the context they say it
in — those are all important parts
about deciding whether someone
is exercising their own right to
free speech or they’re using their
speech to target an individual or
cause harm to an individual in the
way that hate speech does.”

For Philosophy Prof. Daniel

Jacobson, however, freedom of

speech stands as a prerequisite to
knowledge, and as such, people
should be able to defend their
views against all arguments,
whether or not some would
consider it to be “hate speech.”

“There isn’t even a clear

meaning to the phrase ‘hate
speech,’ which is one good reason
not to use the phrase, let alone
to use it to propose restrictions
on speech,” Jacobson wrote in
an email interview. “But the law
is clear: Hate speech (including
false, immoral, even harmful
speech) is protected by the
Constitution. That is a good thing,
because if hate speech could be
suppressed,
then,
inevitably,

unpopular moral and political
opinions would be labeled as hate
speech.”

The aforementioned guarantee

of free speech and the importance
of diverse opinions was the
University’s rationale in allowing
The Michigan Review to utilize
University space to host two
contentious figures. Early in the
primaries of the 2016 presidential
campaign, Milo Yiannopoulos
debated against Julie Bindel in
the Michigan League in February
2016.

Both
figures
are
banned

from multiple universities in
the United Kingdom because
of their controversial views —
Yiannopoulos for his opinion that
feminists invent fake problems
specifically regarding rape and
sexual assault, and Bindel for
her opinions of modern feminists
and the transgender community.
Most recently, Yiannopoulos was
slated to speak at the University
of California-Berkeley, but after
violent protests from the student
body, the university cancelled the
event.

Many
students
expressed

discontent
with
the
hosting

of this event, but University
spokesman Rick Fitzgerald wrote
to the Daily in an email at the time
of the event that the University
allowed for participation by the
two aforementioned participants.
The University is committed to
allowing freedom of speech and
opinions for all students and
outside guests, referencing the
SPG.

LSA junior Andrew Krieger,

president of the University’s
chapter of Young Americans
for
Liberty,
a
non-partisan

libertarian group on campus,
believes the University’s role
in
maintaining
free
speech

and censoring hate speech is
important, but his peers could
work on being open to others’

ideologies.

“So we believe that free speech

allows for you to challenge your
ideas and to change the ideas
of others,” Krieger said. “As far
the University censoring those
ideologies, I think that makes
racism worse in that it solidifies
their convictions and doesn’t
allow for them to hear the other
side.”

For LSA junior Emily Kaufman,

who identifies as a transwoman,
Yiannopoulos coming to campus
was a point of contention, as in
her opinion, he represents hate
speech rather than exercising his
right to free speech.

“I went to the event, and it

was the most uncomfortable I’ve
probably ever been in my life,”
Kaufman said. “It was a lot of
white men from out of town. The
kind of people that look like they’d
beat up a trans girl like me … The
misrepresentation of feminism
and having all these people from
out of town, it wasn’t University
of Michigan students having a
productive debate, which could
have been useful.”

Krieger said Young Americans

for Liberty does not shy away
from bringing in controversial
speakers such as Yiannopoulos
because it is incredibly beneficial
to have open dialogues and listen
to the viewpoints of those with
different political ideologies than
one’s own.

“Obviously,
we
don’t
like

defamation, flat-out lies, threats
— none of that is acceptable under
the Constitution,” Krieger said.
“Unfortunately, the only way
you’re going to convince people
with racial ideologies is to have
discussions with them, and that
is an issue people don’t like to
hear and people don’t really want
to try. For a lot of libertarians,
free speech is the only way to
convince people otherwise … I
don’t like Milo, but it’s sad that
people aren’t able to come to a
campus for a fear of their lives.”

Jack
Bernard,
associate

general counsel at the University,
and Sarah Daniels, associate
dean of students, spoke about
the
University’s
role
as
a

public institution and the First
Amendment during a Central
Student Government meeting in
December.

Though Bernard and Daniels

did not specify any incidents,
their presentation alluded to the
anti-Islam and politically charged
messages that have been chalked
on the Diag, including statements
such
as
“Stop
Islam”
and

“Trump 2016.” The University

did not remove the chalk, and
students predominately Muslim,
eventually
washed
off
the

writing.

One student who helped wash

off the chalk messages, Rackham
student Banen Al-Sheemary, said
at the time she was frustrated
with the University’s lack of
action in response to the chalk
drawings beyond an email from
University
President
Mark

Schlissel promoting unity.

“It’s
irresponsible
of
the

administration
that
we
are

actually out here with buckets
of water and napkins to clean
off these hateful messages and
the administration isn’t taking
care of it,” Al-Sheemary said at
the time. “And not only is the
administration not taking care
of it, they are putting us through
a really difficult process. That
perpetuates these really racist
and hateful stereotypes that
turn into violence and turn into
students of color feeling unsafe
on campus.”

Bernard explained the chalk

writings on the Diag could not be
interfered with by the University
if they were not threats of
violence or other versions of
unprotected speech, and Daniels
added the University cannot
stop people from speaking. Both
Bernard and Daniels agreed the
best ways to counteract speech
was more speech.

Art & Design senior Keysha

Wall, member of the University
chapter of BAMN — the Coalition
to Defend Affirmative Action,
Integration
and
Immigrant

Rights and Fight for Equality
By
Any
Means
Necessary—

took issue with the University’s
representatives
during
the

CSG
meeting,
stating
the

chalk drawing incidents were
representative of a threat toward
Muslim students.

“You cannot debate fascism,”

Wall said. “You cannot have a
discussion with fascism. You have
to shut that down.”

However,
the
University

was prompted to respond and
announce its intention to restrict
the type of speech on alt-right,
white supremacist posters found
around
campus
on
multiple

occasions
during
the
weeks

leading up to the contentious
2016 presidential election. The
posters were primarily anti-
Black and anti-Islam, earlier
posters advised white women
not
to
become
romantically

involved with Black men. After
many student protests following
the discovery of these posters,
Schlissel
and
the
University

released a statement pertaining
to the racially charged poster.

“Messages of racial, ethnic or

religious
discrimination
have

no place at the University of
Michigan,” the statement read.
“While we continue to defend
any individual’s right to free
speech on our campus, these
types of attacks directed toward
any individual or group, based
on a belief or characteristic,
are
inconsistent
with
the

university’s values of respect,
civility and equality. We also
have a responsibility to create a
learning environment that is free
of harassment.”

The University also stated they

could not remove the posters
promoting
white
supremacy

because they were posted in
public posting spaces.

“Consistent with our policy

for posting, whenever they are on
buildings, we can remove them,”
said former University Provost
Martha
Pollack
during
the

Senate Advisory Committee on
Undergraduate Affairs meeting.
“If they are on kiosks, they are
protected by free speech, as they
should be. Not only do we have
a constitutional obligation to
allow all speech no matter how
heinous, but if you’re going to
stand by the First Amendment,
you’re going to stand by the First
Amendment. But what you have
to do then is loudly make known
your abhorrence of this.”

Jacobson thinks the University

intervening on free speech is an
illegal act because the University
is a public institution.

“It is fine to have certain spaces

where people are ‘safe’ from
hearing opinions that offend
them,” Jacobson said. “But the
idea that the University as a
whole should be a safe space —
that it should compel people not
to express offensive opinions — is

as misguided as it is impossible
… And it is impossible because
everything offends somebody.”

Following the many protests

and University responses after
the 2016 election, LSA sophomore
Amanda
Delekta
created
a

petition, #NotMyCampus, where
she stated she felt she faced
bigotry for holding conservative
views, and that the University
administration did not foster
conversations
that
were

respectful of all ideologies.

“I
penned
#NotMyCampus

after being frustrated at the
University
of
Michigan’s

seemingly biased response to the
2016 election results,” Delekta
wrote in an email interview. “The
University is a school and its
purpose is to educate, but instead
of fostering an open dialog (sic)
professors and administrators
highlighted only one viewpoint
which validated that ideology
over that of others which I found
to create a divisive campus
climate and create a stigma
among students of us vs. them.”

Jacobson noted the disparity

between the progressive and
conservative
ideologies
of

faculty, favoring the former, is
problematic because it makes
students with unpopular political
opinions
comfortable
with

expressing themselves.

“Many
fields,
especially

in the humanities and social
sciences,
have
become
so

politicized that scholars cannot
succeed unless they hew to a
leftist party line,” Jacobson
wrote. “Students are subjected
to
political
indoctrination

even in courses that are not
about politics. But perhaps the
most disappointing aspect of
the situation is that, despite
its unquenchable thirst for
‘diversity,’ the University does
not really value intellectual and
political diversity.”

However, Delekta wrote she

believes freedom of speech
granted to students covers all
types of speech, but requires a
great responsibility.

“With this freedom comes

great responsibility to use it for
good, to be critical, but to also
be
compassionate,”
Delekta

wrote. “I believe hate speech
is speech with ill intent — with
no productive purpose beyond
causing another harm. That
being said, regardless of how
insidious and horrible speech
may be it is protected by the
Constitution. I in no means
think hate speech is right, or
legitimate but it is legal.”

FREE SPEECH
From Page 1

Students are

subjected
to political

indoctrination
even in courses
that are not about

politics

The area where

the assault

occurred did not
have independent

video of the

incident

University to increase the number
of counselors that CAPS had to get
to a better ratio of counselors to
students, and originally we were
at one to 1300, which is below
where we should be,” Sarkar said.
“The ideal golden ratio is one to
1000, and because of the advocacy
work that happened over the last
year, the University is actually
hiring more counselors for CAPS
now and they will be at one to
1200, which is not the golden
ratio, but it’s progress and there’s
a lot of work to be done and we’re
excited to do that.”

Sarkar said she is also excited to

strive for a new policy regarding
the maximum number of exams
a student can take in one day.
Currently, students can take a
total of four exams in one day, but
can advocate for three. She hopes
to get the maximum lowered
to three, allowing students to
advocate for two, which is a policy
she believes will strongly impact
the mental health and well-being
of students.

Jawad is deeply involved with

CSG’s efforts to connect with
the city of Ann Arbor, especially
in regards to affordable housing
and student concerns with the
increasing high prices. Recently,
CSG made efforts to convince
the city to move to nonpartisan
elections in order to encourage
more University student turnout.

According
to
LSA
junior

Cassie Fields, who is running for
communications director, eMerge
hopes base its campaign on
responding and elevating student
voices, especially the voices that
have not been involved with CSG
before.

“We are really trying to look

at students who are overlooked
or who may have been left out of
a lot of dialogues, so we’re trying
to say, ‘we need to look at all
walks of life,’ ” she said. “Every
single person in this school has
interests, how can we best make
campus work for them? So we are
really trying to target advocating
for student voice so that students
have their own voice on campus.
We want them to have their own
opportunities. There’s so many
kids who don’t even know how to
get involved, or they don’t know
how to find a club or don’t know
what to do, so we want to be a

resource
for them to really

find their place at Michigan.”

Sarkar said the new party’s title

derives from this very mission
statement.

“We seek to rise up, or to

encourage people to rise up, and
emerge from where they are
and get involved in issues that
they care about,” Sarkar said. “I
think the political climate over
the last year or so has shown
us how important it is to speak
out if you believe in something,
because if you don’t speak out,
your opinion will be silenced.”

eMerge has split its platform

into
initiatives,
short-term

goals and advocacy, or long-
term goals.

With
its
initiatives,
the

new party hopes to attain
more practical goals such as
additional study spaces, Wi-Fi
on the Diag and mentorship
programs for nontraditional,
multilingual
and
first-

generation students.

Advocacy is set for long-

term ideas, such as providing
study-abroad
scholarships

and
encouraging
tMichigan

Medicine,
formerly
the

University of Michigan Health
System to accept Medicaid.

The team was excited to get

to work, especially in order to
prioritize their voters during
the CSG election season. Party
co-chair Erin Johnson, Business
junior, said the party hopes to
connect with the student body
in the upcoming months.

“Sometimes with campaigns,

students feel like a platform
is being pushed on them, but
we want people to be able to
find an initiative and mobilize
themselves and be able to
work on things that they’re
passionate about and then feel
comfortable coming to us and
talking about things that they
want us to help them with,”
Johnson said.

Campaign manager Arathi

Sabada, a Business sophomore,
was planning to reach out to
student groups in order to be
representative of the student
body.

“So we’re definitely going

to be reaching out to a lot of
groups, getting their ideas,
getting
their
input
and

incorporating those into our
platform just to make sure
we’re representing the student
body as well as possible,” she
said.

CAMPAIGN
From Page 1

interesting to also think about this
provost participating in pedagogy
research.”

Rao also raised the importance of

a student perspective in the search
for a provost, as did LSA senior
David Schafer, president of Central
Student Government.

“I was very uplifted to hear (the

committee’s) commitment to ensure
that students’ voices are heard, and
that student concerns are weighed
as part of this search process for
the next provost,” Schafer said.
“I encourage any and all students

as best they can with the provost
search
advisory
committee
to

ensure their voices are heard.”

Schafer thanked Schlissel for the

inclusion of Public Health student
Abbas Alawieh in the committee
and asked Alawieh how he see his
role.

“I bring to the table, as a

committee member, all of the
experiences I have had as an
undergraduate
student,
as
a

graduate student and on the Student
Budget
Advisory
Committee,”

Alawieh said. “I was a resident
advisor. All of these things which
are part of the Michigan experience
are things I will be thinking about
when I’m thinking about making
recommendations.”

TOWN HALL
From Page 1

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