Next semester, a new one-
credit
class
titled
“Fake
News, Lies, and Propaganda:
How
to
Sort
Fact
from
Fiction” will be offered to
undergraduate students by
the University of Michigan
library system. The class will
be aimed at dispelling biases
about the news and teaching
students how to look at media
with a more critical eye.
Though
the
topic
of
fake news has been widely
discussed
in
the
context
of
the
current
political
climate,
Doreen
Bradley,
the
University’s
director
of learning programs and
initiatives—who is one of the
four designers of the course—
said the course has broader
roots.
“I think the whole political
environment kind of raised
the issue even more, but our
sense was that this was a
needed issue even before the
political turmoil of the fall,”
Bradley said. “It will include
things, obviously, related to
politics, but we really want
to focus on things like if you
get something about health
news, how do you know if
you can rely on that health
news? So we really want to
make it a course that applies
to students’ entire lives.”
After years of citizen protests
and government consideration,
Ann Arbor officials are finally
moving forward with the first
phase of a proposal to review
the practices of the Ann Arbor
Police Department.
At its Feb. 21 meeting, City
Council approved a $200,000
contract with Hillard Heintze
LLC, a Chicago-based security
consulting
firm,
to
assess
community
perceptions
of
AAPD and its practices and
make recommendations for the
implementation of a civilian
review board.
Though
the
firm’s
plan
states that it will “provide
recommendations for a model
and
implementation
plan
for Civilian Oversight of the
APD
(sic),”
any
potential
civilian board would likely
not have any oversight power
other
than
non-binding
recommendations — the city
charter charges City Council
and
the
city
administrator
have sole oversight over the
police department. According
to Councilmember Chip Smith
(D–Ward 5), however, part of
Hillard Heintze’s research will
be to assess how an advisory
board could work in tandem
with the council.
“Ultimately
as
a
council
person, I look for a board like
that to give me advice on actions
to take,” he said. “You know if
there are complaints about an
action or an officer, certainly I
want to know what Chief Baird
says about it, but I also want the
independent group to be able to
provide me their interpretation
of what happened and how to
best proceed.”
And even after the firm
makes the recommendations
for
implementation
of
a
civilian advisory board, its
enactment would still have to
be passed by a vote from the
council. Councilmember Julie
Grand (D–Ward 3) expects the
measure to go through.
“I would like to believe
that
I
would
be
very
confident in supporting (the
recommendation) and that my
fellow council members would
be very confident in supporting
the recommendations of this
group,” she said.
Though Jim Baird, the Ann
Arbor police chief, wrote in
a memo to the council last
June
he
would
support
a
civilian review board if it were
recommended by a third-party
audit. He maintained, however,
he did not personally view the
body as necessary.
“Following an audit of the
Ann Arbor Police Department
is the logical time to evaluate
whether
a
Civilian
Police
The future of a controversial
high-rise plan on a contested piece
of land in Ann Arbor is coming to
an apex as the City Council has
announced a special work session
on March 16 to discuss the issue in
more detail.
The real estate, located between
Liberty and Williams streets on 5th
Avenue, is currently a surface and
underground parking lot called the
Library Lane Parking Structure.
Last year, City Council selected
Chicago developer Core Spaces as
a finalist to redevelop the property
as a $10 million, 17-story high-rise.
The building would include 357
apartments and 131 hotel rooms, in
addition to office and retail space as
well as an outdoor plaza.
However, such an ambitious
project provoked ire and scrutiny
from citizen groups who felt
constructing
another
high-rise
downtown was unnecessary.
Last year, the Ann Arbor
Committee for the Community
Commons delivered a petition to
put the future of the Library Lot to
the November election ballot, but it
fell short of signatures. Alan
michigandaily.com
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Monday, March 6, 2017
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Call 734-418-4115 or e-mail
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INDEX
Vol. CXXVII, No. 38
©2017 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 . . . . . . . B S E C T I O N
‘U’ library
to offer fake
news mini-
course in fall
Ann Arbor Hebrew Day School
recipient of hoax bomb threat
See MINI-COURSE, Page 3A
DESIGN BY: MICHELLE PHILLIPS
ACADEMICS
Course to be taught in response to political
climate, will critically navigate media facts
MAYA GOLDMAN
Daily Staff Reporter
Jewish Community Center evacuated after report of backpack bomb on Monday
Last Monday morning, Ann
Arbor’s
Jewish
Community
Center
was
evacuated
after
the Hebrew Day School of Ann
Arbor, located within the center,
received a call claiming a bomb
was hidden inside a backpack in
the school.
The school administration and
Ann Arbor police determined
there was no bomb after a
thorough search of the school
and community center, and the
200 students were allowed back
into the building two hours after
the bomb threat was made.
Over 20 Jewish schools in 11
states received similar threats
on the same morning. Ann Arbor
police Lt. Matthew Lige told
ClickOn Detroit the police and
school officials are collaborating
with the FBI to determine the
source of the call.
Despite the phone calls that
morning, there have been no
attacks on any of the schools.
According to CNN, calls of the
same nature have been received
by 68 Jewish Community Centers
across the nation since January.
A
bullet
was
shot
through
the window of a classroom
in an Indiana synagogue last
Sunday night, and three Jewish
MAYA GOLDMAN
Daily Staff Reporter
See LOT, Page 3A
Plans for
Library Lot
spurs local
criticisms
ANN ARBOR
Ann Arbor City Council
to convene on March 16
in special work session
ISHI MORI
Daily Staff Reporter
JOSHUA HAN/Daily
Mayor Christopher Taylor speaks at a City Council meeting on February 21.
City government approves funds for
review of AAPD practices, perception
$200,000 contract with Chicago-based security firm to inform civilian review board
ANDREW HIYAMA
Daily Staff Reporter
michigandaily.com
For more stories and coverage, visit
See CITY, Page 3A
See THREAT, Page 3A
On
Friday
March
3,
Nadia Bazzy began her new
position as interim director
of the University of Michigan
Sexual
Assault
Prevention
and Awareness Center. Bazzy,
previously assistant director
of the Office of Student Conflict
Resolution, will oversee SAPAC
through the end of the year as
organization leaders continue
the search for a permanent
director this spring.
Bazzy replaced former SAPAC
director Holly Rider-Milkovich,
who announced Jan. 13 she was
stepping down from her position
to begin a new role as the senior
director of prevention for EverFi,
an
educational
technology
innovator that works to empower
students and adult learners.
E.
Royster
Harper,
vice
president
for
student
life,
commended Bazzy in an email
for her range of experience
in the field of sexual assault.
Bazzy
worked
to
update
the University’s new sexual
misconduct
policy,
and
advocated for survivors of
See SAPAC, Page 3A
Interim
director
for SAPAC
appointed
ADMINISTRATION
Nadia Bazzy, former
assistant director of
OSCR, began Mar. 3
KAELA THEUT
Daily Staff Reporter
We meet again
The Michigan men’s
basketball team will meet old
foe Illinois to open the Big
Ten Tournament. But much
has changed since the teams
last squared off.
» Page 2B
Threatening Phone Calls
sent to JCC’s on Feb. 27th
bomb threats sent to
there have been
incidents
of crime
locations nationwide
in January and February
@
Jewish day schools and
community centers
31
100 81
27