of the Golden Apple Award,
naming him Professor of the
Year. The whole lecture hall
erupted in cheers, and Cho
looked on, smiling from the
front of the room. After the
award was explained, Cho
delivered an impromptu thank
you speech.
“When I was a little kid, I
thought my dream would be
to be a professional wrestler,”
Cho started, causing the class
to erupt with laughter. “I
realized that wasn’t going to
happen with this body, and so
this is more or less a dream
come true.”
This was the 27th annual
Golden Apple Award, which
is the only award at the
University that is comprised
soley of student nominations.
Economics Prof. Jim Adams,
who
received
the
Golden
Apple Award in 1998, made
a speech in front of the class
congratulating Cho on this
honor.
“There
are
about
4,100
members of the instructional
faculty at Michigan,” Adams
began. “In the entire history
of this award, only 26 people
have won it. If you do the
math, 26 divided by 4,100, you
get something under 1 percent.
More like one-half of one
percent of the faculty at the
University of Michigan have
won this award. I would say
that’s in the A+ category.”
Adams went on to discuss
the importance of this award,
noting that the fact that it is
chosen only by students makes
it
a
particularly
priceless
recognition for someone who
values his students as much as
Cho.
However,
it
isn’t
only
students who say they love
working with Cho — his GSIs,
when asked, say they find him
to be a great teacher. Rackham
student Ivy Tran, who started
working with Cho this year,
said he has been one of her
favorite teachers to work
with.
“In terms of the energy
he brings to the classroom,
(Cho) is really great,” Tran
said. “He always has jokes
and finds a way to make
economics really interesting,
even for a graduate student.
It’s a way different experience
than I ever had taking these
courses. He really cares to
make sure the students have
the resources with me, and
I feel like even though it’s
a 300-person lecture, each
student still feels like they
have a personal connection
with Dr. Cho.”
During
the
class,
the
students had multiple things
they
chanted
throughout
the surprise announcement,
which students said were
things Cho and his students
often do as a way of bringing
the
class
together.
Cho
said “Yuh!” The students
responded by repeating the
call in unison, laughing as
they celebrated this award
with their professor.
On April 3, Cho will accept
his award and deliver a “last
lecture.” LSA senior Rachel
Liang, a who was a part of the
award
selection
committee,
described
the
last
lecture,
which is a tradition that all
of the winners of the Golden
Apple Award participate in
as a reminder that professors
should always teach as though
it was their last day teaching.
“The theme of the lecture is
basically to convey the idea of
teaching every day as if it was
your last, and giving your best
every day to students,” Liang
said. “The winner every year
embodies that idea and that
spirit that we want to spread
throughout the University, and
that’s why we do what we do.”
At the end of the surprise,
Cho gave one final speech to
show his gratitude.
“I’m pretty much speechless
right now,” Cho said. “You
know when in this situation,
I have a call that we all
understand.”
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
News
Friday, March 10, 2017 — 3
According to the plaintiffs, both
of whom are Asian-American, the
reason they weren’t considered
for
advancement
was
racially
motivated.
“Even
with
the
requisite
raise
for
promotion
effective
Fall
2012,
Plaintiff’s
salary
remained at the university’s scale
minimum, far below average for
his rank, and well below that of
faculty with comparable or less
accomplishments,”
the
lawsuit
reads.
The lawsuit asserts Kurashige’s
continued pursuit of discrimination
claims against the University led to
his 2013 termination as Director
of the Asian and Pacific Islander
American Studies Program, and his
later blacklisting by his colleagues,
which
effectively
forced
him
to resign from his position as
professor in 2014.
Additionally,
the
University
attempted to terminate Lawsin’s
employment in 2015, while she was
on leave to care for a baby with
Down syndrome, and has barred
her from teaching her previously
scheduled classes for the winter
2017 semester, which the lawsuit
claims was a result of her reporting
discrimination against herself and
other faculty and students.
In addition to their own personal
accounts of discrimination, the
plaintiffs’
complaints
contain
demographic information about
the University for the purpose of
illustrating a culture of racial bias
and censorship.
“The composition of UM faculty
also contradicts the institution’s
rhetorical commitment to diversity
and equity,” the complaint reads.
“Of the 3,096 tenured and tenure-
track faculty at UM, 74 percent are
white, 15.8 percent are Asian (a
large portion being international
scholars), 4.3 percent are Black,
4.1 percent are Hispanic, 0.4
percent are Native American, and
0.1 percent are Native Hawaiian/
Pacific Islander. At the rank of full
professor, 80 percent are white and
73 percent are male.”
University
spokesman
Rick
Fitzgerald said the University
would be contesting the charges,
but provided no further details.
“We will vigorously defend the
university against this lawsuit,”
Fitzgerald wrote in an email to
the Daily. “In fact, the university
already has filed a motion to
dismiss much of the complaint.”
LAWSUIT
From Page 1
AWARD
From Page 1
have been fighting this issue
for years,” Rabhi said. “House
Republicans and Democrats
are starting to work together
on
legislation
around
the
Freedom of Information Act
expansion.”
LSA junior Enrique Zalamea,
president of the University of
Michigan’s chapter of College
Republicans,
echoed
this
sentiment in an email interview
and said he fundamentally
believes
in
holding
the
government
accountable
through FOIA, agreeing that
more transparency is needed
in Michigan’s state government
in order for these values to be
protected.
“I believe that government
officials, as public servants
to
the
people,
must
be
obliged to a higher standard
of
transparency,”
Zalamea
said.
“The
people
cannot
hold
their
publicly
elected
officials accountable if crucial
information
regarding
their
performance
and
activities
remain
private
—
with
more
transparency
in
our
government, we the people
have more influence in making
sure the people we elect lead
this state efficiently.”
Rabhi said part of the push for
this recent activity regarding
FOIA has come from Michigan
voters who want to hold the
state government accountable
for its actions, particularly in
light of the Flint Water Crisis.
“This is a very important
issue
that
really
resonates
with
voters
in
Michigan,”
Rabhi said. “People believe
that government should be
open, they believe it should be
transparent and this is one of
those issues where we need
to jump in and make sure that
happens.”
The state House passed a
similar
package
to
expand
FOIA to government officials
with bipartisan support last
session, but the measure died in
the state Senate when Majority
Leader Arlan Meekhof (R–West
Olive) refused to bring the
package to a vote, the Detroit
Free Press reported.
In a response to comment,
Meekhof’s office said his reason
for not supporting the earlier
legislation was out of concern
that
sensitive
constituent
information could be exposed
through FOIA.
“The Majority Leader is
opposed to legislation that
would
make
constituent
correspondence available under
FOIA,” a representative from
the office of Meekhof wrote.
“Constituents
often
contact
legislative
offices
seeking
assistance
with
the
state
and may supply personal or
financial information in seeking
to resolve issues and the Senator
does not think such information
should be available for review
by the public or media.”
Rabhi disputed Meekhof’s
claim
and
said
sensitive
constituent information would
continue to be protected from
FOIA as a part of any legislation
passed in the House.
“Certain
sensitive
constituent information like
medical information, financial
information,
social
security
numbers would be redacted
if an email or communication
were released,” Rabhi said.
“That privacy concern I believe
is dealt with.”
The other bill, SB 0069, would
work to expand restrict FOIA
further by exempting company
secrets and bids from FOIA
requests in order to promote
competitiveness. It passed both
the state Senate and House with
unanimous bipartisan support.
Rabhi said he voted for the
bill because he agreed with the
idea of limiting FOIA requests
to ensure the bidding process
for state contracts is fair.
“When a company is bidding
for
providing
services
to
the state, there was concern
that a competitor company
could FOIA that bid and then
undercut that bid,” Rabhi said.
“In a sealed bid environment,
every company submits their
bid not knowing what the other
company has done.”
Zalamea
said
he
fully
supports the passage of the
bill and agrees with the idea
of protecting businesses from
certain aspects of FOIA to
promote competition.
“The
government
can
and
has
directly
impeded
companies’
competitiveness
when they release sensitive
trade secrets,” Zalamea said.
“Such information should only
be released after the trades
have been made.”
Conversely,
Public
Policy
junior Rowan Conybeare, chair
of the University’s chapter of
the College Democrates, said in
an email interview her position
is to support FOIA expansions,
believing limitations of the act
are a threat to democracy.
“Transparency
and
accountability in government
are essential to our democracy,”
Conybeare wrote. “Legislative
attempts to limit the scope of the
FOIA are impediments to civic
life and citizen participation.”
FOIA
From Page 1
get moved through that are
ostensibly
non-controversial,”
Potter said. “That same week,
the same procedure was used to
honor the St. Louis Cardinals for
winning the World Series. Then
it was used to pass the Animal
Enterprise
Terrorism
Act.
There were only six members
of Congress in the room. The
rest were on the National Mall
breaking ground on a new
memorial honoring Dr. Martin
Luther King Jr.”
Information master’s student
Jay Choi said he appreciated
being
exposed
to
an
issue
he wouldn’t otherwise have
been
aware
of
as
a
non-
communications student.
“I actually didn’t give it too
much thought before I came
here, but I was really surprised
at the content of the actual
lecture and some of the issues
that journalists are facing,”
he said. “It’s not every day
that students from different
departments get exposed to
such events and trends in other
industries so this really helps
expand
those
horizons
for
students, in my opinion.”
At the end of the talk, Potter
warned repression was an issue
that applied to more than just
environmentalists, saying the
power of the state was especially
dangerous
under
President
Donald Trump’s administration.
“Now of course I lied in my
BuzzFeed listicle presentation
here, that there’s not just 10
steps to how all this happens,”
he said. “The most important
point
is
that
there’s
this
unspoken final step to repeat the
entire thing over again against
different political groups. Right
now, the main target has been
environmentalist groups. But
even if you don’t care about the
environment, this still affects
everyone in this room.”
LSA sophomore Lena Dreves
said
she
thought
Potter’s
remarks
were
something
everyone needed to hear.
“I thought he really put it
together really well, and that
needs to be known by people on
campus, and, if possible, people
need to read his book because
it’s really well-written,” Dreves
said. “I really liked how he said
the way that they’re constructing
this
certain
dynamic
with
environmentalists, they can do
with any social group. I thought
that was a very important piece
of information.”
POTTER
From Page 1
“I’m pretty much
speechless right
now. You know
when in this
situation, I have
a call that we all
understand”
“The composition
of UM faculty
also contradicts
the institution’s
rhetorical
commitment to
diversity”
KATELYN MULCAHY/Daily
Economics professor Edward Cho receives the Golden Apple Award during his lecture in Lorch Hall on Thursday.
by students and by their activism.”
In the University’s 35-page
response to all of S4J’s initial
demands, released in February,
the University said cross-cultural
spaces already exist on campus,
an example being The Connector
that bridges the Michigan Union
and West Quad Residence Hall.
The report said the current plan
for a new Trotter Multicultural
Center closer to Central Campus
addresses S4J’s original demand.
Another future idea outlined in
the response would create a social
justice institute, which would
include areas for student activists
to work.
However,
University
spokesman Rick Fitzgerald said
the document is just a starting
point for discussion, not a final
decision.
Many students and faculty
are comparing this request to the
Baker-Mandela Center for Anti-
Racist Education, a social activism
space for students that was active
in the ’80s and ’90s. The BMC
was founded in 1988 by students
Premilla
Nadasen,
Barbara
Ransby, Tracye Matthews and
members of the United Coalition
Against Racism.
The
circumstances
surrounding the BMC’s closing
are unclear. However, according
to Fitzgerald, there was never an
official decision to remove the
BMC from campus. He said the
center slowly faded away after the
founding students started to move
away or focus on other issues. The
University could not give specifics
on when the BMC dismantled
and the Daily last reported on its
existence in September 1994. A
Daily article from November 1995
reported on students’ calls for its
reinstatement.
Nadasen said the incidents
leading up to the founding of
UCAR in 1987 and subsequently
the creation of the BMC, involved
racist
flyers
around
campus,
similar to the flyer incidentslast
semester. She said the purpose
of the BMC was to not only help
student activist find resources
but to bring racial issues into the
classroom.
“One of the goals of the BMC
was to create an alternative
curriculum, one that made the
theories that we were learning in
our classes relevant to everyday
people and to our lives so we
sought to link intellectualism and
activism,” she said. “We wanted
to have a space that was available
for students of color and we were
available to all students on the
campus who were interested in
anti-racist education.”
In 2013, Rackham student
Garrett Felber cofounded the
United
Coalition
for
Racial
Justice, which took inspiration
from Nadasen’s UCAR. After
researching the UCAR and talking
with former UCAR members
about the BMC, Felber began
researching the original center as
part of a racial justice proposal. In
an email interview, Felber said the
BMC had ingrained diversity into
the center’s functions.
“BMC by-laws specified that the
board must be a majority women
and people of color,” Felber wrote.
“For example, in 1993, it was 74
percent female, 61 percent Black, 9
percent Latina, 9 percent LGBTQ.”
Felber said getting funds for
the BMC was a similar process to
S4J’s proposal for the new center:
primarily by the University.
“Funding was provided by
outside
philanthropic
grants
such as the social justice group,
Funding Exchange, as well as
small donations from community
members,
fundraising
events,
and donations from UM offices,”
Felber wrote. “Almost 90% of
funding came from grants, most
of which were provided by the
University.”
In response to S4J’s new
proposal, Felber wrote the plan
reflects the long traditions Garg
mentioned of students creating
change on campus. He wrote
students are the main purveyors
for racial justice and program
innovation at the University.
“Nothing meaningful for racial
justice on campus comes from
top-down
leadership
models,”
Felber wrote. “It is only through
organized, thoughtful study and
agitation by students and the
community that administrators
are pressed to come up with a
program.”
Research
fellow
Austin
McCoy, who studies and teaches
about
racial
justice,
believes
the
University’s
Diversity,
Equity and Inclusion plan needs
student-run resources like S4J’s
activism center in order to make a
difference in campus climate and
change the University’s outlook on
social activism.
“If the administrations are
trying to implement any sort of
campus-wide Diversity, Equity
and Inclusion plan, a lot of times
they’re going to need to be able
to draw on resources from
undergrads and grad students
who are on the ground,” McCoy
said. “These students are actually
a resource who are trying to …
implement DEI policy so I think
such a (S4J) resource center could
directly assist this institution.”
Instead of seeing the need for
another student activism center
as repeating past efforts with no
change in between, Nadasen said
the new center builds off the BMC
and provides another stepping
stone in the fight for diversity and
racial justice.
“There are cycles of student
organizing and student activism
and I think those cycles are
important and they do lead to
incremental change,” she said.
“I think the universities of today
and the University of Michigan
looks very different today than
it did 60 years ago and part of
the reason for that is because
of the ways in which student
activism has made demands on
the University and the ways in
which they have tried to hold the
University accountable.”
CENTER
From Page 1