His responsibilities grew: Batista 
prepared 
curriculum 
for 
the 

training of 40 members, oversaw 
mentorship programs, relations 
with 
alumni 
and 
corporate 

sponsors, and helped run the club.

Batista has plans to improve 

student life both in the Business 
School and throughout campus, 
especially in regard to the DEI 
plan, the University’s long-term 
initiative to improve recognition 
of underrepresented groups on 
campus. He currently works with 
on the advisory board with E. 
Royster Harper, vice president for 
student life, to revise and improve 

the plan.

Batista said he believed the 

current plan is vague, and hopes 
to add structure to the plan to 
make it more effective. He plans to 
focus both on a campus-wide level 
and a Business School level. As a 
result of his active campaigning 
for CSG, Batista has already 
garnered a lot of support from 
student organizations as well as 
the undergraduate and graduate 
student populations at Ross.

At the beginning of the year, 

CSG released a demographic, 
showing 
how 
many 
of 
its 

representatives in the student 
assembly were mostly white, 
upper-class men. CSG President 
David Schafer, an LSA senior, said 
he planned to work on this during 

his administration. 

“Diversity 
is 
critical 
to 

ensuring that as a governing 
body, we are representative 
of every student on campus,” 
Schafer said in a press release. 
“We look forward to analyzing 
the results of the report and 
conceptualizing ways in which 
we can better represent our 
various constituencies.” 

For its undergraduates, the 

Business 
School’s 
in-coming 

class of 2016 pre-admit freshmen 
has a 7-percent minority student 
population — with 4 percent 
being international students, 
according to the Ross website.

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
News
Monday, March 20, 2017 — 3A

emotions behind undergoing 
sex-reassignment surgery.

The Ensler show echoed 

themes 
from 
the 
original 

interviews, 
which 
also 

viewed the female experience 
through a global lens with the 
performance of monologues 
such as “My Vagina Was My 
Village” and “One Billion will 
Rise for Justice.”

In “My Vagina was My 

Village,” performed by LSA 
senior 
Jessica 
Parent—a 

videographer for the Daily—a 
young Bosnian girl recalls 
being raped by soldiers during 
the war in Yugoslavia and how 
it left her feeling homeless in 
her own body.

“My vagina singing all girl 

songs, all goat bell ringing 
songs, all wild autumn field 
songs, vagina songs, vagina 
home songs,” Parent recited. 
“Not since they took turns for 
seven days smelling like feces 
and smoked meat, they left 
their dirty sperm inside me. I 
became a river of poison and 
pus and all the crops died, and 
the fish.”

Law 
student 
Rachel 

Menashe said she believes this 
monologue was hard-hitting, 
especially regarding current 
events.

“I thought the one about the 

Bosnian refugees was pretty 
intense and pretty poignant, 
especially with what’s going 
on currently,” she said.

LSA 
junior 
Ella 
Webb, 

Students 
for 
Choice 

co-president, 
noted 
the 

importance of The Vagina 
Monologues 
in 
bringing 

often hidden and stigmatized 
topics to the forefront of 
conversation, and how the 
topics tie into the goals of her 

organization.

“Students for Choice is the 

leading pro-choice group on 
campus, we do a lot of work 
around reproductive justice, 
which 
encompasses 
things 

like 
reproductive 
access, 

advocating for comprehensive 
sexual education, trying to 
reduce abortion stigma, things 
along those lines,” Webb said. 
“The 
Vagina 
Monologues 

really 
contributes 
to 
that 

goal by contributing to a lot 
of 
the 
conversations 
that 

are still kind of hidden and 
stigmatized. Of course college 
campuses and the world in 
general have become more 
progressive over time, but 
a lot of the time topics that 
are broached in The Vagina 
Monologues are conversations 
that still aren’t happening 
and it really highlights a lot 
of issues that are still really 
important.”

LSA junior Rachel Beglin, 

who performed an original 
piece regarding the current 
state of sex education, noted 
the power in being a part of 
such a strong, diverse group of 
women.

“I did the show last year 

and I absolutely loved it,” 
she said. “It is so powerful to 
be surrounded by powerful, 
unique 
women 
who 
have 

faced 
their 
share 
of 
cis-

heteropatriarchy, 
whether 

that’s 
from 
uncomfortable 

wiring in bras or sexual 
assault. We create a really 
strong, open community and 
relate and support each other. 
It’s awesome how close the 
cast gets.”

Beglin added that coming 

from a conservative state left 
her unprepared for her first 
sexual encounter, and that 
women need to know that it’s 
not their fault they were left 
misinformed 
and 
confused 

about 
their 
own 
anatomy 

growing up.

“I’m from a conservative 

state, and it’s truly frightening 
how underprepared I was for 
any sexual encounters,” she 
said. “It put me and my body in 
serious danger, and I wanted to 
talk about it. I wanted people 
to know that it’s OK that 
they’re not experts on their 
bodies and that it’s not their 
fault. I even had a professor 
who watched the show come 
up to me after and say that 
her sex ed was really similar 
to my experience. I think it’s 
important that before someone 
hears the entirety of a show 
about vaginas, they realize 
that young people aren’t even 
taught about their vaginas. I 
know some adults who don’t 
fully know what the vagina is.”

Law student Christine Crow 

said she thought The Vagina 
Monologues 
succeeded 
in 

giving trans-women a voice, 
as they are often left out of 
dialogue discussing feminine 
experiences.

In 
2004, 
The 
Vagina 

Monologues was performed by 
a cast of 18 trans-women, and a 
new monologue, “My Vagina” 
was included to represent the 
violence and hatred that they 
often face.

“I 
really 
loved 
the 

transgender woman’s speech, 
and in general all of the ones 
that they wrote themselves 
were absolutely mind blowing 
— but hers in particular was 
really amazing,” Crow said. 
“Trans-women are women.”

All proceeds from event 

ticket sales will to SafeHouse 
Center and V-Day, one a non-
profit organization, the other 
a global movement and both 
dedicated to ending violence 
against women. As of Saturday 
night, before final tickets 
sales were counted, more than 
$2,500 had been raised.

MONOLOGUES
From Page 1A

SOPHOMORE
From Page 2A

the blueprint President Trump 
released today is an egregious 
affront to the values I believe 
set this nation apart in the 
world,” she said.

She said the GLRI has been a 

longtime bipartisan priority.

“Those of us who live in the 

Great Lakes region know that 
these waters are more than a 
way of life — they are vital for 
clean drinking water, jobs and 
our economy,” she said. “This 
shortsighted attempt to zero 
out funding for the GLRI is 
unacceptable, and I will work 
diligently with my colleagues 
— Democrats and Republicans 
— to fight this effort and 
other irresponsible cuts that 
jeopardize our state and the 
people I represent.”

United 
States 
Senator 

Gary Peters (D–Mich.), who 

is a ranking nember of the 
Federal 
Spending 
Oversight 

Subcommittee, 
released 

a 
statement 
noting 
the 

importance of the drinking 
water provided by the Great 
Lakes.

“President Trump’s proposed 

budget makes drastic cuts that 
will hit Michigan families and 
businesses in both urban and 
rural areas especially hard, 
including cuts to transportation 
services education, job training, 
and programs that are essential 

for protecting the economic 
and environmental health of 
the Great Lakes, which provide 
drinking water to 40 million 
people and support Michigan’s 
multi-billion-dollar 
shipping, 

fishing 
and 
agricultural 

industries,” he stated.

Public 
Policy 
junior 

Rowan Conybeare, chair of 
the 
University’s 
chapter 
of 

College Democrats, noted the 
importance of freshwater and 
said she felt is wrong to inhibit 
programs looking to protect the 
resource.

“The Great Lakes are a water 

source for about 30 million 
people,” she said. “They may 
be 
Michigan’s 
number-one 

resource. I believe any cut 
in funding to programs that 
work to protect our water, 
like the EPA and the Great 
Lakes Initiative, is dangerous 
to 
Michigan’s 
citizens 
and 

wildlife.”

Engineering 
freshman 

Lincoln Merrill, publicity chair 
of 
the 
University’s 
chapter 

of College Republicans, said 
though he understands the 
concern, he does not believe 
such cuts will actually be 
enacted in the formal budget 
proposal, because there are 
many people on both sides of 
the aisle who do not agree with 
it.

“I don’t think it’s going 

to happen,” he said. “Even 
though the president proposes 
a budget, Congress is who 
actually passes it and they’re 
never, ever going to pass it. 
First of all, the Democrats don’t 
want it. Second, there’s a really 
interesting fact at play here. 
Whether you find something 
in the budget valuable or not 
depends on where you live. So 
Republicans from the Great 
Lakes states are saying: ‘Hold 
on. No, you’re not going to do 
this.’ ”

Merrill 
specifically 
cited 

Scott Walker, the governor of 
Wisconsin, as an example of 
a conservative politician who 
openly opposed the cuts. He 
said he believes Trump will not 
include such drastic measures 
in future proposals once he 
realizes what will and will not 

GREAT LAKES
From Page 1A

pass Congress.

Immediately 
after 
the 

proposal’s 
release, 
Peters, 

Sen. 
Debbie 
Stabenow 
(D–

Mich.), and Sen. Rob Portman 
(R–Ohio) 
introduced 
the 

Great Lakes Fishery Research 
Authorization Act.

This bipartisan legislation 

aims 
to 
enhance 
funding, 

research 
and 
fishery 

management in the region. 
It grants the United States 
Geological 
Survey 
authority 

to support fishing, a $7 billion 
sport and commercial industry, 
in the region.

Portman, a co-chair of the 

Senate Great Lakes Task Force, 
said the Great Lakes are an 
“invaluable” resource to Ohio’s 
environment and economy.

“By authorizing the USGS’s 

Great Lakes Science Center 
for the first time, we are 
prioritizing the research on 
fish populations and invasive 
species used by the Great 
Lakes states as well as Canada 
to support the health and 
growth of our $7 billion fishing 
industry. This bill will ensure 
we have the resources to help 
protect the Great Lakes for 
generations to come.”

Michigan the edge — nailing 
one from deep with 6:41 left to 
play and jumpstarting an 8-2 
run that gave Michigan a six-
point lead.

With 56 seconds remaining, 

Louisville 
went 
into 

desperation mode and it nearly 
paid off, as the Cardinals forced 
a turnover with their full court 
press before hitting a layup to 

cut the Wolverines’ lead to two.

And yet, despite going 2-for-

12 in the game to that point, 
Walton 
converted 
when 
it 

mattered most —hitting a layup 
on the other end before Wilson 
put the game to bed from the 
charity stripe.

In 
the 
end, 
Michigan 

managed to outlast Louisville.

“We’re gonna do everything 

we can to win this whole thing,” 
Beilein said. “I’m no spring 
chicken in this thing. You get 
bad calls, you get injuries. … you 
get to the Sweet 16 and you’re 

only four games away from 
winning the whole thing. 

“… I don’t know who’s next, 

but I know we’re going to go 
into this thing not content with 
what we’ve done.”

For a long time, it looked like 

the story would end in Indy, 
like the Wolverines’ luck had 
run out and like John Beilein’s 
March history with Pitino was 
just too much to overcome.

But Wagner said the hell with 

luck, and the hell with history.

SWEET 16
From Page 1A

give communities that we work 
with the tools to recognize a 
potentially harmful situation 
and step in and take action.”

Public Policy senior Emma 

Zorfass, BICE co-coordinator, 
noted that while freshmen 
receive 
information 
and 

training within their initial 
few months at the University of 
Michigan, those conversations 
dwindle as they move forward 
in 
their 
college 
careers. 

Zorfass said this consistency 
is something SAPAC works 
to address, and BICE helps 
reach students through other 
communities they’re involved 
in.

“We’re really working on 

how to reach organizations 
and reach students later on 
in 
their 
careers,” 
Zorfass 

said. “For example, U of M 
has 
leading 
programs 
for 

incoming freshman — they 
have Haven even before they 
step on campus, they have 
Relationship Remix in the first 
couple weeks of freshman year 
and they have Change it Up 
within the first couple months. 
But beyond that, there’s no 
uniform 
programming 
for 

upperclassmen. So one way 
to 
reach 
upperclassmen 
is 

through the communities that 
they’re involved in.”

In 
December, 
Central 

Student Government instituted 
a 
new 
policy 
mandating 

all 
student 
groups 
seeking 

funding upward of $1,000 to 
send two authorized signers 
to training held in conjunction 
with Wolverine Wellness. As 
of February, CSG statistics 
showed 216 students from more 
than 100 organizations had 
attended a session. 

“We start with an overview 

of what sexual misconduct 
looks 
like, 
and 
what 
it 

encompasses 
because 
it 
is 

an umbrella term that does 
encompass 
various 
forms 

of 
sexual 
assault, 
stalking, 

intimate partner violence and 
sexual harassment,” Kennedy 
said. “We talk about data from 
the 
campus-climate 
survey 

to make the numbers that we 
always hear about in the media 
more real. Then we move into 
some 
tangible 
bystander-

intervention tools and different 
strategies and methods for 
noticing 
and 
interpreting 

pretty harmful situations.”

Though 
the 
workshops 

are attended by up to 20 
representatives from different 
student 
organizations, 

Kennedy said BICE attempts 
to keep its scenarios general 
and practical enough to be 
applicable to everyone.

“We try to make (mock 

scenarios) 
as 
specific 
as 

possible to the communities 
we work with, and try talking 
about scenarios that maybe 
happened at their last house 
party, or something they see in 
their meetings,” Kennedy said. 
“We try to keep the scenarios 
pretty general, but we hope 

that they can feel very real and 
be situations that students can 
actually find themselves in.”

Zorfass 
also 
emphasized 

because this is only a pilot 
program, student feedback is 
very important to the group.

“One 
of 
the 
committees 

within 
the 
Bystander 

intervention and Community 
Engagement program has been 
tasked with going through 
data 
(from 
feedback 
forms 

and 
surveys) 
and 
making 

their 
own 
evaluations 
and 

recommendations 
going 

forward,” Zorfass said.

LSA sophomore Ellen Paquet 

hasn’t partaken it the program 
yet, but praised it all the same. 
She said it’s very important 
to 
reach 
upperclassmen 
as 

well as freshmen, as training 
of this nature needs constant 
reinforcement 
to 
make 
an 

impact.

“I think there’s definitely 

validity 
in 
this 
program- 

though everyone has to attend 
freshman year, there are still 
some people who don’t and 
it’s unfortunately the sort of 
training that does wear off, 
especially because you’re going 
through 
so 
many 
changes 

freshman year and you’re being 
thrown into this completely 
different culture.” Paquet said. 
“It’s easy to forget the skills that 
you’ve gained from these types 
of workshops and interventions. 
I like that they’re finding new 
ways to ensure that people get 
adequate training in order to 
make the school safer and more 
welcoming overall.”

PROGRAM
From Page 1A

“I believe any 

cut in funding to 
programs that 
work to protect 

our water, like the 
EPA and the Great 
Lakes Initiative, is 

dangerous” 

Read more at 
MichiganDaily.com

