News
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Tuesday, September 12, 2017 — 3
MATT VAILLIENCOURT/Daily
Members of University ROTC groups stand around the American flag in remembrance of the 9/11 terrorist
attacks 17 years ago on the Diag Monday.
IN MEMORIAM
‘Don’t worry, I’ve been through that, it’s
going to be fine;’ it was a sense of relief, so
it was really, really nice for me,” he said.
LSA sophomore Allie Batka is studying
chemistry and is also a member of the
organization;
she
echoed
Befeler’s
comment, saying she likes having role
models who can relate to her experiences.
“For me, it was also important to have
role models who are also queer and in
STEM — the upperclassmen, the board
leaders and also the graduate students in
the program,” she said. “For me, I found
out about oSTEM before freshman year
actually, because I had asked around about
LGBTQ+ orgs on campus and somebody
mentioned oSTEM and it sounded perfect
for me, because I’m studying chemistry
and I’m queer.”
Batka said she has made a lot of friends
in the organization. She said she has also
tried to bring friends from outside the
group to oSTEM meetings.
In terms of collaboration, the group
coordinates several events with other
student organizations, such as Out for
Business, Outlaws and Out in Public,
as well as with other identity-based
engineering organizations, such as Society
of Hispanic Professional Engineers and
the National Society of Black Engineers.
In addition to the annual Pride Outside
event, which took place last week,
oSTEM and many other LGBTQ groups
participate in the Autumn Pride and
Winter Pride events — mixers for anyone
who identifies as queer, including staff,
faculty and alumni. Additionally, there are
networking dinners in the fall and winter
terms, at which representatives from big
companies like Google and Microsoft —
most of whom identify as LGBTQ — come
to the University to meet with students
and discuss internships, their jobs, and
the environment at their companies.
Outlaws
Second year law student Joel Richert
is the co-chair of Outlaws, the LGBTQ
affinity group in the Law School. The
group
engages
in
mentorship
and
outreach with incoming law students and
those on campus; it also partners with
firms to give law students a sense of what
it is like to be openly LGBTQ in the field of
law and similar professions.
“LGBTQ+ — while there is more
visibility than there was 10 years ago or
20 years ago — it’s still sort of a diversity
position to be gay and to be out in law,”
Richert said.
The group hosts a weekly pro bono
clinic in Ann Arbor, as well as a Know
Your Rights project for transgender
outreach, name-change clinics, as well
as general legal services and advice for
queer, nongender binary individuals.
According to Richert, the group’s email
list has about 180 people; Richert noted
not all of them are LGBTQ-identifying.
Richert said the administration at
the Law School works with Outlaws to
do recruiting for the Law School, and
provides the organization a lot of support.
He said recently two of the organization’s
administrators from the Admissions
Office and Office of Student Life at the
Law School left to take other positions.
Currently, the organization is working
with the administration to select someone
to take over those positions; Richert
said the administration has been great
about including Outlaws members in the
interview process.
“The administration works with a lot
with affinity groups to make sure the
campus is diverse and that we’re having
visibility in the Law School,” he said.
Richert said the organization does
not do much work with the wider
University administration, as the Law
School is somewhat secluded, though
it does collaborate with other LGBTQ
organizations like oSTEM and Graduates
Out in Science, Technology, Engineering
and Mathematics.
“One of the things we want to work
on this year is becoming more integrated
with the larger University community,”
he said.
He said it would be nice to have a little
more contact with the other graduate-
level programs on campus; however, he
noted the Law School is such an intense
experience that it makes sense to have a
more confined group.
Richert
said
the
organization
maintains positive relations with the
student body in that many of its events are
offered to all students.
“I think both the student body and
the Law School and the faculty have
been really great, and they definitely
see Outlaws and LGBTQ+ diversity at
the Law School as central to the mission
of the administration and the school’s
mission,” he said.
Out for Business
Out for Business serves as the LGBTQ
student association at the Ross School of
Business. Rackham student Sean Pavlik,
who is pursuing an MBA at the Business
School and an MS degree at the School for
Environment and Sustainability, is on the
leadership board of the organization.
The organization operates at the
graduate and undergraduate level to
foster
understanding,
professional
development and advocacy of LGBTQ
issues for the business community,
according to Pavlik.
Pavlik
said
the
organization’s
membership consists of more than 100
LGBTQ-identifying people as well as
allies who do not fall under the LGBTQ
category but are still supportive of the
community.
“Some of the items are specifically
geared toward our LGBTQ+ members
such as professional development and
recruiting efforts, considering it’s a
professional degree program, but a large
component of what we do is engaging that
larger community — understanding that
the LGBTQ+ population at any school, but
of course at Ross, as well, is a relatively
small percentage,” he said. “We view our
mission as not just supporting dialogue
and community for that smaller group but
for the larger Ross community as well.”
Pavlik said the group also has DEI
staff at the Business School with whom
they work to put together ally training as
part of National Coming Out Week; they
organize an event where they focus on
coming out stories, at which students tell
of the time they identified themselves as
LGBTQ to their families or friends.
Pavlik said the group has a positive
relationship with the administration at
the Business School, and seeks to engage
the DEI chair at the Business School in
the coming year to educate the larger
Business School community on its work.
Pavlik said he couldn’t recall a negative
incident of negativity that the group
had to address within the University
community; he said he is proud of Out
for Business for standing with groups on
campus that may be targeted, as a result
of diversity issues.
Pavlik said he thinks the organization
provides an important network.
“I found that being involved in clubs
such as Out for Business has been a really
great way to develop those connections,
both for friendship and community, as
well as professionally, and understanding
some
of
those
opportunities
and
learning from each (other’s) professional
experiences, thinking about being a
graduate
professional-level
program,
that’s definitely part of the club,” he said.
Pavlik said one aspect of the group,
being affiliated with the Business School
is that it participates in a national LGBTQ
conference, called Reaching Out MBA.
“That’s
a
great
professional
opportunity for members of the LGBTQ+
MBA community to come together and
network with companies and understand
more what it’s like to be an out professional
in the business world,” he said.
Noting the LGBTQ community may
be considered a minority group in the
business world, Pavlik said visibility is
extremely important. He said the number
of open LGBTQ CEOs is very small.
Pavlik said the group strives for visibility,
seeing as most individuals in the Business
School do not identify as LGBT; he added
it is important for allies of the LGBT
community to understand the complexity
of navigating the business environment
for LGBT-identifying people.
In 2014, Apple CEO Tim Cook became
the first openly gay CEO at Fortune
500 company. In a 2016 list of the most
powerful LGBT executives in the world
from Business Insider, Gigi Chao — vice
chairman of Cheuk Nang Holdings, a
property management company in Hong
Kong — topped the list. Also on the list was
Stacey Friedman, general counsel at JP
Morgan Chase; in 2016, she won a case to
overturn a ban on gay adoption. Jonathan
Mildenhall — the chief marketing officer
at Airbnb — made the list as well.
In the past five years, Pavlik said Out
for Business has seen a lot of growth in
membership and activity, especially as a
result of increased engagement in the BBA
community; Pavlik said undergraduate
students at the Business School have
reached out to bring the group to the
undergrad level.
“(We’re) just seeing a lot of growth in
visibility and support in the past several
years at Ross,” he said. “I’m definitely
proud to be a Ross student and proud of
the support that our group receives and
the role our group plays on campus.”
ORGS
From Page 1
do not yet exist.
One of the main causes
of
these
transformations,
LaGrandeur
explained,
involves humans’ inability to
work as quickly or as cheaply
as robots. A sort of repeat of the
events of the Gilded Age, those
with low wage jobs are at the
highest risk.
“In
terms
of
sheer
productivity, humans can’t keep
up with computers and robots,
and even when they can, all
things being equal, machines
and digital implements are
often more convenient and
cheaper,” he said.
Although long-term issues
do arise, LaGrandeur stated
the short-term concerns facing
the
human
workforce
will
require the most attention.
Potential solutions featured in
“Surviving the Machine Age”
include a better education on
jobs robots cannot complete,
shortening
the
workweek
to 30 hours, having a basic
income guarantee, instituting
micro-fees to compensate for
micro-incomes, implementing
a
tax
for
businesses
that
make
use
of
robots
and
developing technology for the
economically disadvantaged.
Casey Pierce, an assistant
professor in the School of
Information,
commentated
on the event and explained
her thoughts of the issue
specifically
in
terms
of
health
care.
She
described
the possibility of replacing
in-office eye exams with those
taken on a smartphone, and the
effects these exams might have
on patients.
“I asked my optometrist last
week his thoughts on this, kind
of knowing what his response
was going to be, and he told me
it was the most ridiculous thing
that I could ever think about
doing when I really just needed
to get a new prescription for a
new box of contacts,” she said.
She
also
discussed
her
own work in regard to new
technological
advancements,
and questioned those that could
replace tasks she has such as
grading papers.
“What does my occupation
as a professor mean when I’m
delegating some of my work to
technology?” she asked.
Yu-Ming Chen, a master’s
student
in
the
College
of
Engineering, attended the talk
as part of Michigan Robotics to
learn more about the issue from
a public policy aspect.
“Everybody’s not sure about
what the future is going to be,”
he said. “I’m surprised that
there’s some technology that
can implant knowledge into
your brain and you can learn it
very quickly.”
ROBOTS
From Page 1
to use Confederate flags in his
performances, as the first performer
to play at their new arena.
“So the Red Wings will open their
new arena in Detroit next month
with Kid Rock, a known lover of the
Confederate Flag, a hate symbol; now
the Wings wonder why and object to
white supremacists using the Wings
logo?” Riddle said.
A second issue involves Ritchie’s
anticipated
run
for
US
Senate,
which he has has been talking about
since early July, when he launched
a website devoted to his candidacy.
Although the site sells merchandise
emblazoned with campaign slogans
and “Kid Rock ‘18 For US Senate,”
Ritchie has not yet formally declared
his candidacy.
Scandal broke earlier this month
after non-partisan watchdog group
Common Cause filed a complaint with
the Federal Election Commission,
claiming that Kid Rock had broken
the law by acting as a Senate candidate
without registering as one.
Ritchie took to Facebook to respond
to these criticisms.
“Pretty funny how scared I have
them all and their only agenda is to
try and label people / me racist who
do not agree or cower to them!!”
Ritchie wrote. “No one had a word
to say when we sold out the 6 shows
at LCA back in January! My track
record in Detroit and Michigan
speaks for itself, and I would dare
anyone talking trash to put theirs up
against mine. I am also a homeowner
and taxpayer in the city of Detroit,
so suck on that too. I am the bonified
(sic) KING OF DETROIT LOVE and it
makes me smile down deep that you
haters know that! Your jealousy is
merely a reflection of disgust for your
own failures and lack of positive ideas
for our city.”
There was no explicit mention of
his Senate run or its surrounding
controversy in the statement, though
people did not shy away from it in the
comments section.
“I’m not in Michigan so I can’t
vote for you, but I stand with you &
support you 100%! #KidRock4Senate
You are a true, blue American, you
love this country, you love your
city, you love your state and you are
FOR the people! Keep doin’ you,
boo!
#KidRockNation,”
one
fan
commented.
Ritchie, whose Little Caesars Arena
shows begin Tuesday night, decided
to end his post on a positive note.
“There is so much to be thankful
for and so many positive things going
on in and around our city / state that
we need not let these handful of jerks
sway that in any way,” he wrote. “I
know I should probably not even have
posted anything about these bottom
feeders but I will always stand up
for myself, my family, my friends, my
fans, my city, my state, my country
and the good in human nature!”
He then finished off the statement
with an emphatic post-script, in
referencing to allegations that Kid
Rock was offending Black Americans
and Black culture with his support of
the Confederate flag.
“P.P.P.P.P.S.
I
LOVE
BLACK
PEOPLE!!”
KID ROCK
From Page 1
texting and checking things,”
Peng said. “The beauty of robots is
that they are very consistent; they
don’t get distracted and won’t
have road rage.”
Lives aren’t the only thing
saved with more autonomous
vehicles on the road; the economic
and social benefits of these
vehicles have potential to make
a significant difference in the
nation’s economy. In 2014, the
U.S. spent about $871 billion a
year in economic loss and due
to automobile accidents, with
$277 billion being allocated for
economic costs and $594 billion
attributed to the “loss of life and
the pain and decreased quality of
life because of injuries.”
LSA senior Enrique Zalamea,
president
of
the
University’s
chapter of College Republicans,
said the SELF DRIVE Act could
positively benefit the country.
“The U.S. spends so much
money on car crashes in terms of
the property damage of highways,
insurance and health care as well;
the total social costs is around
$800 billion,” Zalamea said. “Self-
driving cars would be incredibly
beneficial to the economy, because
of their cost-saving benefits to the
government who spends so much
money.”
Public Policy junior Lauren
Schandevel,
communications
director of the University’s chapter
of College Democrats, who is also
a columnist for the Daily, also
said she endorses the benefits of
autonomous vehicles.
“I’m happy to see a bipartisan
commitment
to
monitor
and
improve advanced technology,”
Schandevel wrote. “If all goes well,
this technology will hopefully
make the city safer.”
Dingell said the legislation also
seeks to make transportation more
accessible for the elderly and the
disabled, two groups of people
whose needs are sometimes unmet
due to unavailability or high costs
of adequate transportation.
A driverless shuttle service will
be a feature of North Campus.
Automated pizza delivery cars have
also found their way into the Mcity
Test Facility, and 1,500 vehicles
have
been
deployed
through
connected infrastructure in Ann
Arbor with the hope of studying
the
impact
these
connected
technologies have on congestion
and pedestrian safety.
Zalamea
mentioned
how
he thinks University students
could directly benefit from more
autonomous vehicles being on the
road.
“I think this would be a big
benefit for students, especially with
making shuttles more efficient,”
Zalamea said. “As a freshman, I
remember always waiting for the
Bursley-Baits bus at night, and I
think autonomous shuttles could
make this more efficient.”
SELF DRIVING
From Page 2
voted
against
the
resolution,
emphasized
the
importance
of sending a broad message to
include all ethnic communities.
“Discrimination takes many
forms,
so
(the
resolution)
shouldn’t be narrow,” Atzmon
said.
A counterpoint came from Dave
Wright, SACUA senate assembly
member and associate professor
of accounting, saying that the
statement should be left as was
presented Monday evening.
“I actually like this one better
the way it stands,” Wright said.
“I think it’s tighter, more direct
to the event that happened on
August 31st.”
University
President
Mark
Schlissel,
who
attended
the
meeting,
discussed
how
to
motivate students to see each
other as one community rather
than
their
specific
identities
when these events occur. He
also asked SACUA members for
advice on how to best reach out
to the student body in response to
similar incidents.
“It feels like I only reach out to
(students) when there is a crisis,”
Schlissel
said.
“I’m
thinking
about ways to truly purposefully
promote conversation about these
issues in the absence of an inciting
event so that we can promote a
shared sense of responsibility for
how to react when something bad
does happen. I haven’t done an
adequate job at this.”
Schlissel also discussed the
University’s policy on sexual
misconduct
and
its
plan
to
keep the current policy with no
changes.
“There is no reason to alter
our policy because we think it
is a stable policy,” Schlissel said.
“We’d like to keep things in place
for a few years, two to three years,
and gain experience with it and
criticism of it and then modify it
based on this experience.”
Schlissel highlighted a part
of this policy, which offers a
mechanism for those accused
of sexual misconduct to appeal.
According to Schlissel, this step
requires all evidence on file of a
sexual misconduct incident be
sent to a retired federal judge.
Schlissel also emphasized the
importance of a fair and balanced
disciplinary process. He assured
that the University’s Title IX
officers have the utmost training
on
the
University’s
policies
surrounding sexual misconduct
to ensure due process of these
incidents.
“The ultimate solution will
not come from us around the
table … it has to come from the
next
generation
of
students
themselves,” Schlissel said. “It
has to be a social enforcement
of a set of standards and mutual
respect in how people treat each
other … I think that has the best
chance of really turning (sexual
misconduct) around.”
In the final portion of the
meeting,
SACUA
members
unanimously voted to reinstate
the Tri-Campus Task Force — a
faculty board of representatives
from all three University campuses
with an aim of improving faculty
governance structures at the Flint
and Dearborn campuses — for
another academic year.
Mechanical
engineering
professor William Schultz, SACUA
senate assembly immediate past
chair, raised concerns about the
task force not meeting regularly.
He further proposed the motion
to reinstate the Tri-Campus Task
Force for another year.
“My concern is that the Tri-
Campus Task Force did not meet
regularly, so I am asking for it to
be reconstituted with only faculty
assembly members so that it can
meet at least briefly before or after
assembly meetings,” Schultz said.
According to Robert Ortega,
SACUA senate assembly chair
and associate professor of social
work,
two
faculty
assembly
representatives from each of the
three campuses will form a task
force of six members and will be
required to meet either before or
after every assembly.
SACUA
From Page 1