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Thursday, February 23, 2017 — 3
of information. If government-
financed state universities adopt
speech codes preventing free
speech, organizations like the
American Civil Liberties Union
argue such regulations violate the
First Amendment and constitute
government censorship.
University
spokesman
Rick
Fitzgerald
said
though
the
University cannot remove fliers or
chalkings on the basis of content,
it did remove the fliers from places
where postings are not allowed. He
further explained how, as a place
of higher education, the University
seeks to combat hateful speech
through education.
“The general philosophy is
that the First Amendment right
is interpreted broadly, by us and
by the courts, to mean all kinds
of speech, including writings or
posters or chalkings,” he said. “We
believe that the best approach to
combat speech that is hateful, or
that we think is inappropriate or
that we disagree with, is the use of
more speech and education. The
educational component is a really
important part of our mission and
our responsibility, to help educate
the young people and others
who are part of our University
community, and that’s a role we
take very seriously.”
Fitzgerald
noted
if
speech
contains threats or promises of
harm, the University and law
enforcement can get involved. He
also pointed to the University’s bias
response team as a unique feature
that not all schools have to combat
bias incidents.
“If I threaten to do something,
physical harm to you, that’s a
threat and is dealt with differently
than speech,” Fitzgerald said.
“Having a bias response team is not
something that all campuses have,
our own Division of Public Safety
and Security and our own police
force that is sensitive to and trains
specifically for college campuses is
not something that every campus
has.”
In response to the racist poster
incidents, student organization
Students4Justice drafted a petition
to Schlissel in September with a
list of demands. These demands
included requests for Schlissel to
declare solidarity with students of
color, schedule more office hours
and time for students to voice their
concerns to the president directly,
and to display a Black Lives Matter
flag — as means of addressing the
humanity of Black students.
The petition was re-drafted
in February after racist and
anti-Semitic emails were sent
out to University engineering
and computer science students,
and a prayer rug in the Shapiro
reflection
room
was
defiled.
Though the University released
official
statementscondemning
the
incidents,
Wall
believes
administrators need to take more
aggressive action in punishing the
perpetrators.
“When those racist and anti-
Semitic emails went out, and
students, outraged and scared,
marched to President Schlissel’s
front door, he asked what he should
do, what the University should do,
what we wanted him to do, about
the situation,” Wall said. “But the
fact of the matter is that his concern
was a long time coming, because
this was not a new situation. Each
time the University has done
nothing to protect its students from
violence, racism and bigotry. They
do two things: They are letting us
know we don’t matter, and they
are making it clear to racists and
fascists and bigots that they won’t
face any repercussions for harming
students.”
Walls explained that one of the
ways students can protect their
rights, and the rights of vulnerable
people on campus, is to protest
— even if the University opposes
their methods. She affirmed how
powerful students can be when
they come together.
“Student strikes and protests
are incredibly powerful,” she said.
“I often think that we lose sight
of the sheer amount of power we
as the student body have when
influencing what goes on here on
campus, and also in the rest of
the nation. Right now, we need
to continue fighting for our most
vulnerable
peoples,
especially
undocumented
students.
We
must also set the example for
the University and the rest of the
nation, and we cannot wait to only
do so if the University gives us the
OK to protest.”
Other
social
groups
have
attempted to harness the power
of student activism. In an October
meeting in the Michigan Union,
Students4Justice leader Vikrant
Garg, a Public Health student,
said the administration needs to
acknowledge the large amount
of emotional and physical labor
student activists put into their
work. He also explained how,
through
student
activism,
Students4Justice attained a space
in the Union to organize and reflect
after meeting with Schlissel.
“We
looked
at
the
administration to be people who
are receptive to student activism
and student influences, and open
to change,” Garg said. “There is a
lot of unpaid emotional, physical
and academic labor from students
of color and other marginalized
students on this campus — so
this space that was created, was
created in response to student
activism on this campus and that
has yet to be acknowledged by the
administration.”
To show their disappointment
in the administration’s response
to recent bias incidents, members
of Students4Justice have called
for more protests as well — the
most recent being the Campus
Day Silent Protest on Feb. 17.
This event was coupled with
the release of a document titled,
“Letter to President Schlissel
#SchlisselWYA,” which voiced
the group’s dissatisfaction with
Schlissel for not answering its
demands or voicing solidarity with
its cause.
The group expressed frustration
that Schlissel responded to a
petition
from
supporters
of
President Donald Trump last fall
who stated they did not feel safe on
campus, but has not yet responded
to their demands for a more
inclusive campus.
“When our demands were
first presented to you over dinner,
the demands were glossed over
and forgotten,” the letter reads.
“Interestingly enough, according to
your post-election interview with
NPR in Fall of 2016, you reached
out to the students who supported
President Donald Trump after
a
simple
Google
document,
#NotMyCampus, was sent out. It
is very frustrating as an activist to
not be acknowledged despite the
time we dedicate to change on this
campus for marginalized groups,
whereas it takes a single Google
document for primarily white
students with oppressive opinions
to grasp your attention.”
The
letter
also
criticized
Schlissel’s lack of understanding
regarding his role of power in the
University, and accused him of
relying completely on his Diversity,
Equality, and Inclusion plan —
released last October — to avoid
discussions of race.
“You need to understand your
own identities and the power you
have in creating a culture that is
not oppressive for marginalized
students,”
the
letter
reads.
“Instead, you lean on the Diversity,
Equity, and Inclusion Plan to prove
your commitment to diversity.”
The DEI plan was put into
place with the goal of achieving
a diverse and inclusive campus
over the next five years, through
initiatives including the increase
of staff diversity, retention of
under-privileged students and the
assurance of equal compensation
for all races, genders and identities.
The overall plan comprises 49 unit
plans created by all school, colleges
and departments at the University.
Two student panels consisting of
25 undergraduate and graduate
students
each
convene
every
month to discuss new strategies
and ideas with DEI leaders.
Fitzgerald noted the plan was
conceived as a sort of “ground-up
initiative,” and students are still
encouraged to voice their ideas and
opinions to improve its quality.
“The plan was intended from
the very beginning to be one that is
updated and evolved; it was never
thought:‘Here’s the five year plan,
follow that and we will see you
in five years,’ ” he said. “Updates
and adjustments along the way
are expected, and student input is
critically important to that effort.”
In an interview earlier this
month, Chief Diversity Officer Rob
Sellers, vice provost for equity and
inclusion, explained that though
the plan can’t prevent individual
hateful incidents on campus, it will,
over a period of time, create a more
inclusive environment.
“We have a whole lot of
incidents that are sparks, and these
sparks are being thrown on a floor
that is full of gasoline, and so these
fires are raging,” he said. “(We)
cannot prevent the sparks. What
the DEI is trying to do is create an
environment where those sparks
do not lead to explosions and fires.
The fact of the matter is it’s going to
take a while before we see all of the
changes.”
Wall believes though the plan
appears cohesive and proactive
on the surface, it does not address
how the University responds to
bias incidents — one of the core
concerns of groups such as BAMN
and Students4Justice.
“I think one of the main problems
with the DEI plan is that it mainly
outlines more ways in which the
University will ‘look into’ racist
and biased/bigoted events,” Wall
said. “Many of the points highlight
looking at numbers, doing surveys
or opening more lines for people to
report bigoted events. These things
seem proactive on the surface, but
the fact is the problem has never
been the need for more accurate
numbers, or the University not
knowing about the issues that
have been plaguing the campus;
the problem has always been how
the University responds to these
incidents.”
Wall explained the importance
of ensuring students of color,
LGBTQ students and immigrant
students feel safe and a part of a
diverse, inclusionary campus.
“We cannot be indecisive or
weak in our actions now, and
it is absolutely the onus of the
University to prove that these are
values that it upholds,” she said.
ACTION
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pleased to encourage an open
environment. The discussions
emphasized
finding
ways
to challenge the racism and
xenophobia present on campus,
and how the RC could support
marginalized students.
Wells reflected on the current
presidential
administration,
saying
its
goals
stand
in
stark contrast to those of the
University of Michigan.
“I think, like the nation as
a whole, the campus is very
divided,” Wells said. “I think in
some ways this current president
is
antithetical
to
everything
that many of us conceive us as
important in a university — open,
promoting certain kinds of social
and economic reform — and many
of us feel that this current admin is
really opposite of what many of us
believe is important.”
He also commented on the
rising tensions that are present as
a result of the election.
“There is this sort of tension
that exists on campus,” Wells
said. “There are people who, if
they’re Trump supporters, they
feel marginalized by the sort of
progressive ethos on campus,
but on the other hand, we have
students of color or of different
sexual preference. We don’t want
to equate the fact that you voted
for Trump or you feel unwelcome
on campus with the legacy of
racism and sexism on campus.”
Katie Slajus, a freshman in
the
Residential
College,
also
expressed her opinion on problems
the community faces.
“Racism
and
general
discrimination (are issues),” Slajus
said. “I don’t really think the
diversity, equity and inclusion is
actually working.”
The forum began with casual
invitation for audience members
to write down on posters their
thoughts
about
topics
like
racism on campus, self-care and
supporting marginalized students
in the RC. After the posters,
everyone was invited to select an
issue to discuss further in small
groups. After the small group
meetings, everyone reconvened
for a larger discussion.
Camilla
Lizundia,
also
a
freshman
Residential
College
student, hoped the forum would
foster more relationships in the
future.
“I hope to gain more insight
to how we, as a community, can
better improve the relationships
between other people in the RC,
and how that can correlate to
the rest of the campus as well,”
Lizundia said.
FORUM
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chapter of College Republicans,
wrote in an email interview he
was upset by the lack of action
taken by the University.
According
to
Zalamea,
Amanda
Delekta,
political
director for College Republicans,
reached
out
to
University
President
Mark
Schlissel
when the first accusation was
proven false and was told the
action taken by the AAPD was
sufficient.
“These
false
accusations
were once used as a rallying
cry against conservatives and
against
President
Trump,”
Zalamea wrote. “The University
has a duty to its students to keep
them safe. And given all the
fear these accusations caused, I
believe the University must do
its best in notifying all students
about the true deceptive nature
of these allegations.”
Zalamea
believes
people
involved with falsely reporting
the
crimes
should
receive
consequences.
“There should be real legal
consequences for anyone who
files
a
false
police
report,
especially since these serious
allegations incited so much fear
in the community,” Zalamea
wrote.
On social media, critiques of
the false reports spiraled into
personal attacks on the alleged
victims.
Many marginalized students
subsequently fear future hate
crimes will be immediately
discredited, and hold heightened
concerns
about
polarization
on campus. LSA sophomore
Alyiah Al-Bonijim, one of the
organizers of Halfway Hijabi:
Hijabi Monologues, was upset
by the false reports as well. She
believes, however, the type of
mentality expressed by critics
will perpetuate the idea that
all reported hate crimes are
fabricated.
“Putting too much attention
on these two false reports, out
of the many reported following
and preceding the election,
works to push forward this idea
that hate crimes as a whole are
fake,” Al-Bonijim wrote in an
email interview. “Truthfully,
reluctance has come from fear
of not being believed later on in
the future if something like this
does occur.”
Fatima
Haidar,
another
Hijabi Monologues organizer,
expressed concern regarding
the release of the updates from
the AAPD.
“Sometimes
the
kind
of
decisions that the police make
in terms of saying that this is
false information is going to
lead to a confirmation bias on
either side,” she said. “So it may
lead to people who had already
perceived these minorities as
weak or sensitive to continue
with that idea and say yeah they
are liars too. It’s not helping the
situation.”
Haidar
and
Al-Bonijim
acknowledged the significant
community response to the
initial reports as well as the
response from the Division of
Public Safety and Security, but
had some concerns regarding
their impact. The determination
that the reports were fabricated
upset Al-Bonijim, particularly
because
of
the
powerful
response she and the Muslim
community received from the
campus community.
“I was upset that so many
amazing
people
worked
so
hard to provide support for the
Muslim community and could
only imagine how they feel about
using their valuable time to
support us,” Al-Bonijim wrote.
However, she went on to say
that despite the large response,
the ties formed could always be
strengthened.
“Yes,
support
has
been
large, but it can be larger,”
Al-Bonijm wrote. “It can also
be more intersectional and less
temporary.
Support
always
comes in masses when a huge
incident occurs, but I want to
push for this to last past the
boundaries of a trend.”
Haidar suggested that DPSS
pursue a more preventative
approach
to
hate
crimes,
particularly in the face of these
false reports.
“It’s really the lack of action or
emphasis on certain things that
might lead to a progression of
problems that could be avoided,”
Haidar said. “I think they should
be doing everything they can
to prevent hate crimes not just
respond to them.”
University Counseling and
Psychological
Services
has
responded to tension on campus
by recognizing the increased
need for a safe place where
students can receive support.
CAPS has added a page to its
website, “Navigating a Complex
World: Current Events That
Impact Students,” to outline
its commitment to providing
culturally competent services.
Sheryl Kelly, coordinator of
CAPS’s
Inclusive
Excellence
Initiatives, described some of the
resources CAPS offers students
who have concerns about the
campus climate, including walk-
in times, appointments and
after-hours services. Students
are also able to request to speak
to someone from a particular
social demographic if that makes
them feel more comfortable.
Kelly also noted there has been
an increase in students who
come in to talk about concerns
regarding the campus climate.
“A lot of students are being
impacted by current events, so
when they come in, I ask how
they are doing in the current
campus climate,” Kelly said.
“We have many students that
come in who specifically identify
that as a problem.”
HATE CRIMES
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automatically going to reduce or
impact the quality of care.”
Meade provided examples of
problems and possible solutions,
such as the issues of low literacy
with the implementation of video
health instructions, executive
dysfunction with concrete and
practical support and disabled
children with appointments and
clinics. These are, Meade said,
only a few of the changes we
can make to reduce health-care
disparities for the disabled.
The
Patient
Protection
and
Affordable
Care
Act,
most
commonly
known
as
the Affordable Care Act or
Obamacare,
was
passed
by
Congress in 2010. The act tried
to reduce health disparities for
the disabled by gathering more
data on the issue and increasing
health-care-provider
training.
However, the current House
and Senate have already voted to
approve new budget resolutions
that will make it easier for the
Trump administration to repeal
the ACA in the future.
Meade said she is shocked
many health-care providers still
do not work toward improving
general
comfort
for
their
disabled patients.
“One
of
the
things
that
continues to shock me is (the
lack of) access to a wheelchair-
accessible
scale,”
she
said.
“These are some of the basic
factors that we need to think
… how we make this as easy as
possible.”
In addition to scales, Meade
said
people
must
actively
improve current environments
to assist disabled individuals in
any way they can.
“We can consciously create
environments,” she said. “Just as
we create environments that are
inviting based on age or gender,
we can do the same (here). We
can think about not only the
accessibility of doors, the height
of the table, the way we interact.
We can think about the signage,
the themes of use. We can think
about the pictures that are up
there.”
In her research, Meade said
she doesn’t want to merely
conduct research, write a paper
and be done with the topic. She
aims to use her data to improve
knowledge
and
measurable
action to lessen health-care
disparities for the disabled.
“Thinking about creating or
adapting clinical services based
on research evidence, making
sure if you’re collecting data, it’s
for a reason and how is this going
to change our practice,” she said.
Meade
concluded
by
emphasizing knowing how to
care for and support disabled
individuals
is
something
everyone should undertake.
“Most people are touched
some
way
by
disabilities,”
she said. “They have siblings,
they have parents … so being
aware of what’s involved, being
knowledgeable about the factors
… and just addressing them and
being respectful. Not assuming
that we know everything makes
a difference.”
Public Health student Suzie
Genyk, president of IHSO, said
the group invited Meade to IHSO
to speak because of her inclusion
of many medical disciplines in
her research.
“The group of members we
have with IHSO, it’s students
from all the different health
schools,” she said. “We try to
have different events to bring
in different perspectives that
they wouldn’t necessarily get in
the classroom, and also to have
conversations
with
students
outside of their normal cohort.”
Pharmacy
student
Chris
German said Meade’s statements
shed a light on health-care
controversies and ways we can
improve life for people with
disabilities.
“She … pointed out things
that the health-care system
could do better in order to make
sure we recognize people with
disabilities as individuals and
to make sure that they get the
kind of care people without
disabilities even get,” he said.
RESEARCH
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“The idea with the healthy
relationships dialogues is that
the majority of sexual assaults
that happen on campus happen
to
individuals
from
non-
dominant groups, and their
stories usually don’t really get
shared or spoken about,” he
said.
Following this resolution,
a resolution to help fund the
SAPAC Survivor Care Fund
also
passed.
This
fund
is
designed to help students who
are victims of sexual assault
by providing them with hotel
rooms, new door locks in the
case that the victim still lives
with the perpetrator, and other
necessities such as food and
clothing.
LSA SG has sponsored the
Survivor Care Fund in the past.
Wednesday night, the body
approved the continuation of
allocating funds and a donation
of $1,000.
Rep. Allison Berry, an LSA
sophomore,
explained
the
importance of the resolutions
toward
SAPAC,
specifically
when
providing
necessities
for those students who have
experienced sexual assault or
other forms of harassment.
“I think that the meeting
today really added a human
component that we kind of
missed
when
we’re
sitting
in this room just voting on
a number,” she said. “Every
penny has been spent from
this fund every semester since
they’ve had it, so there’s always
a need, and if it’s there it will
be spent.”
Representatives
also
discussed a resolution to turn
the current Transfer Student
Initiatives Task Force into
a full committee to improve
resources, and allow for a
smoother
integration
for
transfer
students
into
the
University of Michigan.
LSA senior Reid Klootwyk
said the task force currently
works
on
a
per-semester
basis and because it is not a
continuous project, is unable
to
fully
provide
resources
necessary for transfer students.
“The
transfer
student
resolution
would
create
a
fully formed committee in
LSA Student Government that
will continue to last and make
change for transfer students,”
he said. “We’ve found that the
projects that we’re working
on, the momentum that we
currently
have,
needs
to
continue on beyond a semester.”
This specific resolution falls
under the category of new
business, and was tabled to be
voted on next week.
LSA SG
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