In response to recent racist 

events on campus such as 
the racist graffiti in West 
Quad Residence Hall and the 
“Make America White Again” 
posters found near Stockwell 
Residence Hall last week, the 
Senate Advisory Committee 
on University Affairs and 
University 
of 
Michigan 

President 
Mark 
Schlissel 

met Monday to discuss how 
administration and faculty 
can respond to discrimination 
on 
campus 
afternoon. 

Schlissel also updated SACUA 
on the progress of the official 
request to rename the C.C. 
Little Science Building.

Prior 
to 
Schlissel’s 

appearance at the meeting, 
David Potter, a Greek and 
Latin professor in LSA and 
Student Relations Advisory 
Committee chair, summarized 
a meeting with SACUA Chair 
Robert Ortega, the Student 
Relations Advisory Council 
and 
members 
of 
Central 

Student Government on the 
current campus climate.

In this meeting, the CSG 

representatives 
suggested 

ways to systematically combat 
racist 
incidents, 
including 

statements 
addressing 

the lack of penalties for 
threatening conduct based on 
racial bias, a training program 
for all incoming students on 
living in a racially diverse 

community and a statement 
reminding 
faculty 
of 
the 

impact of student biases.

In his opening remarks, 

Schlissel 
mentioned 
the 

difficulty 
of 
releasing 

statements 
in 
response 

to 
acts 
of 
discrimination 

on campus. He said he is 
often criticized whether he 
releases a statement every 
time discrimination occurs 
publicly or if he can’t manage 

to get a statement out quickly 
enough for the student body.

Kinesiology 
professor 

Stefan 
Szymanski 
said 

Schlissel’s 
statements 

represent the administration’s 
stance on these issues and 
events as well as the faculty’s. 
He said even if some students 
believe the statements are too 
constant and lack urgency, 
Schlissel should continue to 
respond.

“Even at the risk of (the 

statements) becoming banal, 
what’s 
the 
alternative?” 

Szymanski 
said. 
“These 

are terrible times to live 
in. … Certainly I think you 
need to carry on (with the 
statements).”

Schlissel and many SACUA 

members 
reaffirmed 
the 

difficulty 
of 
responding 

to 
crises. 
Dave 
Wright, 

University 
of 
Michigan 

students 
marched 
Monday 

to demand the school take 
more steps to respect Native 
Americans and acknowledge 
its tenuous history in the first 
year of Ann Arbor’s official 
recognition 
of 
Indigenous 

Peoples Day.

Earlier this year, Central 

Student Government passed 
a 
resolution 
encouraging 

the University to recognize 
Columbus Day as Indigenous 
Peoples 
Day. 
CSG 

representative Ayah Issa, an 
LSA junior, said the University 
has 
agreed 
to 
include 

Indigenous Peoples Day in 
the next round of University-
printed calendars and planners

Johnny MInode’e, a Native 

student in the Law school, said 
the progress isn’t enough.

At the March of Indignation 

Monday, MInode’e strove to 
raise 
awareness 
on 
unjust 

history between the University 
and indigenous people.

“We wanted to shed light 

on how the University was 

michigandaily.com
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Tuesday, October 10, 2017

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INDEX
Vol. CXXVII, No. 7
©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

See CELEBRATE, Page 3

Community
rallies for
Indigenous 
Peoples Day

CAMPUS LIFE

Students lobby ‘U’ to 
acknowledge contentious 
past with Native people 

MOLLY NORRIS
Daily Staff Reporter

CLAIRE MEINGAST/Daily

President Mark Schlissel at a Sentae Assembly meeting in the Fleming Building.

Schlissel updates SACUA, faculty on 
progress of C.C. Little renaming request

Body also worked to establish ways administration can respond to racist incidents

MATT HARMON
Daily Staff Reporter

michigandaily.com

For more stories and coverage, visit

See SACUA, Page 3

University 
of 
Michigan 

alum Christopher Armstrong, 
the first openly gay Central 
Student 
Government 

president, 
gave 
a 
keynote 

speech on coming out as a part 
of a panel organized by the 
Spectrum Center on Monday 
night as part of Coming Out 
Week.

Armstrong told his own 

coming-out story, including 
what he experienced with his 
own family and then what he 
experienced when he came to 
the University.

“What if I told you I was 

gay? And (Armstrong’s mom) 
says, ‘Are you?’ I said yes 
and I broke down crying,” 
Armstrong said. “And I tell 
that because coming out can 
be really, really complicated. 
It’s not a perfect story for 
everybody and I hated telling 
that story for the longest time, 
and I still do, honestly. I came 
to the University and I was 
ready to be gay in every way. 
It was my gay agenda to be 
coming out to (everyone) that I 

See PANEL, Page 3

Previous 
CSG pres. 
recounts 
coming out

STUDENT GOVERNMENT

First publicly gay CSG
president leads panel 
on intersectionality

COLIN BERESFORD

Daily Staff Reporter

Five 
startups 
focused 

on 
autonomous 
vehicle 

technology will be partnering 
with 
Mcity 
to 
accelerate 

their progress in the race for 
driverless cars. TechLab, an 
initiative from the University 
of 
Michigan 
College 
of 

Engineering’s 
Center 
for 

Entrepreneurship, 
allows 

students to register for an 
independent 
study 
course 

and work with one of the 
“companies in residence.”

The 
Center’s 
executive 

director, Jonathan Fay, laid 
out the criteria for picking the 
five companies.

“We tried to get a cross 

section of different companies 
from across the autonomous 
ecosystem,” Fay said. “So we 
didn’t want all the companies 
doing similar type of work. 
Tome for example, we thought 
it was really important to have 
a company that was actually 
close to home so a Detroit, 

Southeast Michigan company. 
In addition, we wanted to 
pick companies where we 
could identify a project that 
matched the interest of our 
students.”

TechLab offers students 

an alternative to traditional 
co-op programs or internships 
because it is an independent 
study class students receive 
credit for. Fay said though 
different, TechLab is no less 
enterprising.

“We’ve 
seen 
students 

get 
paid 
internships 
over 

the summer and students 
likely getting hired by these 
companies,” he added.

Mcity 
and 
TechLab 

function as a partnership, 
where Mcity allows TechLab 
companies to use its facilities 
like the state-of-the-art test 
track.

Mcity is one of the few 

places in the world where 
companies like Ford, General 
Motors and small startups 
can 
test 
autonomous 
car 

technology. The University 

Vehicle tech
startups to
collaborate
with Mcity 

Ross talk promotes mindfulness 
in the workplace and classroom

See MCITY, Page 3

MATT VAILLIENCOURT/Daily

Yoga instructor Kara Baruzzini speaks about positive psychology and mental health at the Head Talks in Robertson Auditorium Monday.

RESEARCH

Five startups aim to accelerate their 
progress with driveless car advances

AARON DALAL
Daily Staff Reporter

Panel of “joy soldiers” demonstrate yoga, meditation and positive psychology

Center for Yoga instructor 

Kara Baruzzini sat cross-legged 
and barefoot in the middle of 
the stage calling the attendees 
of Head Talks — part of the 
University of Michigan’s first 
ever mental health week — to 
breathe, an introduction that 
set the tone for the evening’s 
event. Students attended this 
Ted Talk-style panel at the 
Ross School of Business, aiming 

to explore a variety of ways in 
which 
mindfulness, 
mental 

health and positive psychology 
manifest 
in 
the 
workplace, 

classroom and everyday life.

The 
seven-person 
panel, 

made up of “joy soldiers,” was 
designed to be an outlet for 
professors, University students, 
Ann Arbor community members 
and business leaders to convene 
and have a conversation mental 
health.

Business senior Sarah Wood, 

who coordinated the event, 
explained the meaning of “joy 

soldiers” as a term she uses to 
name her life’s purpose.

“You’re 
not 
a 
therapist,” 

Wood said. “You are trying to 
alleviate pain and bring joy to 
the people around you. To be 
a good ‘joy soldier’ you need to 
take care of yourself and I think 
that taking care of yourself first 
allows you to help others.”

Each speaker drew attention 

to a different way in which 
mindfulness affects their life.

“You never know when that 

moment of grace is going to 
come and so this Head Talks 

idea came from the thought 
that you never know what’s 
going to click with someone,” 
Wood said. “I know all these 
amazing ‘joy soldiers’ could 
come together and make an 
impact.”

Bryan 
Bennett, 
a 
yoga 

instructor at Center for Yoga, 
followed Baruzzini and focused 
his talk on being present for the 
journey of life.

“What separates a mediocre 

and amazing person is the effort 
one puts into getting to where 

ANNA HARITOS
Daily Staff Reporter

See HEALTH, Page 3

