In light of racist comments
written on Black students’
doors this past weekend in
West Quad, many students
are unhappy with University
President
Mark
Schlissel’s
apparent silence.
Though Schlissel tweeted
a response Sunday evening to
the writings — where students
found “N-----” written on
their dorm door name tags
— Schlissel has since not
spoken outwardly about the
racism and any action the
University would plan to take
with regard to these types
of incidents. Aside from the
Division of Public Safety and
Security investigation into
the incident, there have not
been any other administrative
responses.
LSA senior Isaiah Land,
president of the University
of Michigan branch of the
National Association for the
Advancement
of
Colored
People,
acknowledged
the
conflicts that Schlissel may be
facing with regard to making
a statement, but stressed the
fact the Black community
deserves the same amount of
support and attention as any
other group on campus.
“I’m
just
really
disappointed,” Land said. “I
know that he’s handling a lot
The positive impact of the
Blavin Scholars Program is
unquestionable to donors Paul
and Amy Blavin. Stepping
back from the support it
provides for 37 students who
have experienced foster care
in their life, they see a broader
goal.
“It’s the American dream
personified,” Paul Blavin said.
When
the
Blavins
introduced
the
program,
they said they were met
with uncertainty. Still, since
2009, the Blavin Scholars
Program has strived to create
a stress-free community in
which students can have a
“normal college experience.”
In addition to financial aid of
up to $5,000, Blavin scholars
receive
campus
coaches,
educational
programming
and options for year-round
housing,
including
during
holidays and breaks.
BSP
Director
Miriam
Connolly said the program
intentionally
grants
their
scholars’ requests to remain
invisible. She stressed how
important the prospect of
anonymity is.
“This
is
what
we
call
an
invisible
population,”
Connolly said. “Some want to
remain invisible because they
just want a normal college life.
I feel like it’s really critical for
the student to feel like this is
their program.”
Housed
within
the
Dean
of
Students
Office
and
in
partnership
with
the Department of Health
and Human Services, the
program has admitted 54
students
and
currently
supports 37 students, with
eight graduating next spring.
The
program
also
boasts
a 95 percent retention and
graduation rate.
After reading Dave Pelzer’s
novel “A Child Called ‘It,’”
Blavin said he was inspired
to begin the program with his
wife. In the novel, Pelzer tells
the story of an abused child
who goes into foster care only
to face even more challenges
later in life.
According to the Foster
Care Alumni of America, only
3 to 10 percent of individuals
who have spent time in foster
care graduate from college,
and
more
than
425,000
children in the United States
are in foster care. The Blavins
and Connolly aim to change
the narrative of those who
experience foster care.
“There aren’t very many
of these programs around
the country,” Paul Blavin
said.
“Through
trial
and
error, we’ve figured out that
On Tuesday’s Central Student
Government
meeting,
CSG
President
Anushka
Sarkar,
an LSA senior, spoke on the
weekend’s racist incidents in
West Quad Residence Hall, in
which three Black students found
derogatory remarks on their
dormitory door decorations. She
confirmed CSG’s responsibility
in representing those affected by
such incidents, and expressed her
disappointment in the weekend’s
events.
“To be honest with you, I don’t
know what to say about it. It’s
incredibly hurtful and frustrating
for the students who experience
that
and
to
the
campus
community as a whole when we
see this sort of thing happen and
you don’t feel like you can do
anything about it,” she said. “We
are very passionate about finding
a way to rework the bias response
incidents
program
that
the
University has … this weekend is
proof that if you don’t step up and
work on these issues there will be
no improvement in the way that
we take on the response process.”
michigandaily.com
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Wednesday, September 20, 2017
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INDEX
Vol. CXXVII, No. 93
©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 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
After racist
writing, no
action from
‘U’ leaders
Colin Powell speaks on state of
race relations in the United States
See RESPONSE, Page 3A
HALEY MCLAUGHLIN/Daily
Former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell dicusses his own past and his opinions on the future of national security at Hill Auditorium on Tuesday.
STUDENT LIFE
Following racially charged incident,
students want response from Schlissel
AMARA SHAIKH
Daily Staff Reporter
Also touches upon the importance of tech to a full audience in Hill Auditorium
U.S.
General
and
former
Secretary
of
State
Colin
Powell
was
greeted
with
a
standing ovation at a packed
Hill Auditorium on Tuesday
afternoon. The event, organized
by the University of Michigan
College of Engineering, was part
of the James R. Mellor Lecture in
conjunction with the Goff Smith
Prize.
The event was formatted as
a discussion between Powell
and Alec Gallimore, dean of the
College of Engineering, who read
questions composed from a few
of the hundreds of questions that
audience members had submitted
in
advance.
The
questions
covered topics such as technology
and politics and offered advice for
future generations.
LSA freshman Eve Winter was
interested in what Powell had to
say about politics.
“Colin Powell is really well
known, and I’m really interested
in politics so I decided to come,”
she said. “It’s also a really good
way for me to continue to explore
the field. This is the second event
that I’ve gone to, and it’s really
nice to see students come and get
involved and I think that more
students should take advantage
AMARA SHAIKH
Daily Staff Reporter
Behind the Lie
See CSG, Page 3A
CSG body
addresses
West Quad
racism, Lyft
STUDENT GOVERNMENT
The assembly also
announced new ride
program for night safety
JORDYN BAKER
Daily Staff Reporter
DESIGN BY OLIVIA STILLMAN
Blavin Scholars Program provides
support for students in foster care
Campus coaches, housing and educational programming help ease financial stress
KEVIN BIGLIN
Daily Staff Reporter
Behind the Lie:
“It’s not alcoholism
until you graduate”
A look at addiction recovery
services at the University.
» B-SECTION
michigandaily.com
For more stories and coverage, visit
See PROGRAM, Page 3A
See POWELL, Page 2A
In
Montgomery
Research
Group, students are important
contributors to many diverse
research projects led by John
Montgomery, the University of
Michigan Margaret and Herman
Sokol Professor in Medicinal
or Synthetic Chemistry. Some
of these students include LSA
juniors Sara Alektiar and Jake
Wilson, along with Rackham
student Jessica Stachowski.
Alektiar said one of her
favorite things about studying
chemistry,
which
directly
relates to her research, is that
the concepts are logical and
applicable.
“It’s nice to be working on
something where you can see the
point of it, you can see the direct
application of it to something
that is relatable to everyone,” she
said.
Alektiar explained the lab
focuses on the science behind
life, which contributes to a
number of biological concepts.
She said the lab also does work
in
organometallic
chemistry,
the study of compounds that
See CHEMISTRY, Page 3A
Lab works
to advance
chemistry
research
RESEARCH
The Montgomery
Research Group is led by
Synthetic Chem professor
JENNIFER MEER
Daily Staff Reporter