Citing modern and historical 

human rights crises, Sheri Fink, 
a Pulitzer Prize-winning author 
and University alum, challenged 
an audience of over 100 students 
and 
community 
members 

gathered Monday evening in the 
University of Michigan Museum 
of Art to consider how they would 
aid the most vulnerable members 
of society in an emergency.

Fink spent the majority of 

her lecture delineating how 
government 
agencies 
and 

response teams handled various 
emergencies, ranging from the 
Balkan Wars to Hurricane Irma, 
and subsequent effects on the 
critically injured and sick.

She 
noted 
emergencies 

function as a sort of test for 
the level of human rights in a 

society. The way individuals and 
organizations 
work 
together 

under extreme pressure, she 
argued, has the potential to have 
a major effect on the outcome of 
the crisis at hand.

“How much power do we 

have when our infrastructure 
is not what it should be? When 
we’re in situations that we can’t 
control that have problems,” she 
said. “Even in these situations 
of 
extreme 
emergency, 
that 

individual decisions and the way 
organizations are setup to run, 
all of that can have a really big 
impact, a life and death impact.”

Fink, who won a Pulitzer 

Prize in 2010 for her reporting 
on doctors’ decisions during 
Hurricane Katrina and in 2015 for 
her work during the 2014 Ebola 
crisis, described the immense 
rationing 
of 
medical 
and 

comfort supplies that occurred 
inside the volunteer tents. She 

questioned the rationale used in 
the division of the supplies, and 
said Americans usually received 
a much higher level of care.

“Who gets access to the 

higher standard of care?” she 
asked. “Can you really set up 
an advanced treatment unit on 
Liberian soil for Americans when 
the Liberians are losing their 
lives?”

She stated hospitals have 

a difficult time procuring the 
highest 
attainable 
standard 

of health care during times of 
relative tranquility, so these 
disparities become especially 
pronounced in emergency due 
to the scarcity of medicine and 
intense need for health care.

Fink concluded by asking 

students to consider what they 
would do if faced with such a 
situation — once again noting the 
importance of thinking critically 
and responding rapidly in an 

emergency where hundreds of 
lives are at stake.

“That 
ability 
to 
retain 

flexibility, to think clearly 
about what your goals are, 
whether 
it’s 
maintaining 

health care or promoting 
human rights or the best 
possible medical ethics, in 
situations of great stress and 
emergency — that these are 
possible,” she said.

LSA 
sophomore 
Jordan 

Brady said she attended the 
event as an addendum to 
her political science class, as 
well as its relevance to recent 
natural disasters and what she 
wants to study.

“Just discussing how we 

go about choosing who lives 
through these situations, and 
it really stuck out to me how 
hospitals and big organizations 
don’t really have a great plan 
until the last minute hits 
and then they’re panicking 
trying to help people and save 
people,” she said.

STATS250
puzzle by sudokusyndication.com

2 — Tuesday, October 24, 2017
News
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Pulitzer Prize-winning author and
alum discusses human rights crises

Sheri Fink talks reporting on treatment decisions during Hurricane Katrina

KAELA THEUT
Daily Staff Reporter

Tweets
Follow @michigandaily

Mackenzie Fransisco
@mackenzie__fran
my roommate will graduate with 
a BA in English without finishing 
a single book she’s been assigned 
for class

anything is possible, kids

Rebecca Marie
@RebsMarieFortes

s/o to the Ann Arbor bus driver 
who saw me chasing after the bus 
from a block away and waited, the 
world needs more people like you.

Michigan Students
@UMichStudents

The chem building is the 
most train station building on 
campus, I think.

skelleeton
@sizzlingfajita

rip to the cute selfie i was gonna 
take of my outfit the october rain 
soaked me to the bones

 

CAMPUS EVENTS & NOTES

Maize, Blue and 
Lavender: Revisiting 
U-M’s LGBTQ Past

WHAT: Prof. Tim Retzloff, a 
U-M alum, will examine the 
history of LGBTQ students and 
faculty at the University.

WHO: LSA Bicentennial Theme 
Semester

WHEN: 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

WHERE: Angell Hall, Room 
3222

Politics of Water Panel

WHAT: The weaponsization of 
water will be examined through 
controveries like the Dakota Acces 
Pipeline and the Israeli diversion 
of water.

WHO: Middle East and Arab 
Network

WHEN: 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

WHERE: Michigan League, 
Room D (3rd Floor)

Intersex Bodies in 
Tosefta Bikkurim

WHAT: The work of Tosefta 
Bikkurim will be analyzed to see 
if it offers a new perspective on 
gender, or still confines us to a 
gender binary.

WHO: Judaic Studies

WHEN: 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

WHERE: 202 S. Thayer St.

Strings Showcase

WHAT: This monthly 
performance will feature 
outstanding Music, Theatre 
& Dance students who were 
selected by faculty to perform.
WHO: School of Music, Theatre 
& Dance
WHEN: 3 p.m.
WHERE: Britton Recital Hall

Schokoladenstunde

WHAT: The Language Resource 
Center will host students for 
German games and chocolate 
eating.

WHO: Germanic Languages & 
Literatures

WHEN: 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.

WHERE: North Quad, Language 
Resource Center

‘All the Difference’ Film 
Screening

WHAT: This film, which was 
filmed over five years, follows the 
life of two young Black men who 
overcame the odds of their high-
risk Chicago upbringing.

WHO: Department of Psychology

WHEN: 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

WHERE: East Hall, Room 4448

Sleep Deprivation: 
Habits, Solutions, and 
Strategies

WHAT: This online teach-out 
is an opportunity to learn about 
sleep and the dangers of not 
getting enough of it.

WHO: Office of Academic 
Innovation

WHEN: Noon to 5 p.m.

WHERE: Coursera.org

420 Maynard St.

Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1327

www.michigandaily.com

ARTS SECTION

arts@michigandaily.com

SPORTS SECTION

sports@michigandaily.com

ADVERTISING

dailydisplay@gmail.com

NEWS TIPS

news@michigandaily.com

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

tothedaily@michigandaily.com

EDITORIAL PAGE

opinion@michigandaily.com

NATHAN GUPTA

Business Manager

734-418-4115 ext. 1241

nathankg@michigandaily.com

EMMA KINERY

Editor in Chief

734-418-4115 ext. 1251

kineryem@michigandaily.com

PHOTOGRAPHY SECTION

photo@michigandaily.com

NEWSROOM

734-418-4115 opt. 3 

CORRECTIONS

corrections@michigandaily.com

The Michigan Daily (ISSN 0745-967) is published Monday through Friday during the fall and winter terms by students at the 
University OF Michigan. One copy is available free of charge to all readers. Additional copies may be picked up at the Daily’s office 
for $2. Subscriptions for September-April are $250 and year long subscriptions are $275. University affiliates are subject to a 
reduced subscription rate. On-campus subscriptions for fall term are $35. Subscriptions must be prepaid. 

REBECCA LERNER 
Managing Editor rebler@michigandaily.com

ALEXA ST.JOHN 
Managing News Editor alexastj@michigandaily.com

Senior News Editors: Riyah Basha, Tim Cohn, Lydia Murray, 
Nisa Khan, Sophie Sherry
Assistant News Editors: Jordyn Baker, Colin Beresford, Rhea 
Cheeti, Maya Goldman, Matt Harmon, Andrew Hiyama, Jen 
Meer, Ishi Mori, Carly Ryan, Kaela Theut

ANNA POLUMBO-LEVY and REBECCA TARNOPOL 
Editorial Page Editors 
 opinioneditors@michigandaily.com

Senior Opinion Editors: Anu Roy-Chaudhury, Ashley Zhang, 
Max Lubell, Madeline Nowicki, Stephanie Trierweiler

BETELHEM ASHAME and KEVIN SANTO 
Managing Sports Editors sportseditors@michigandaily.com

ANAY KATYAL and NATALIE ZAK 
Managing Arts Editors 
 arts@michigandaily.com

Senior Arts Editors: Dayton Hare, Nabeel Chollanpat, 
Madeline Gaudin, Carly Snider 
Arts Beat Editors: Danielle Yacobson, Danny Hensel, Erika 
Shevchek, Matt Gallatin, Naresh Iyengar

AMELIA CACCHIONE and EMMA RICHTER 
Managing Photo Editors photo@michigandaily.com

MICHELLE PHILLIPS and AVA WEINER
Managing Design Editors 
design@michigandaily.com

LARA MOEHLMAN 
Statement Editor statement@michigandaily.com 
 

Deputy Statement Editor: Brian Kuang, Yoshiko Iwai

ELIZABETH DOKAS and TAYLOR GRANDINETTI 
Managing Copy Editors copydesk@michigandaily.com

Senior Copy Editors: Marisa Frey, Ibrahim Rasheed

DYLAN LAWTON and BOB LESSER
Managing Online Editor lesserrc@michigandaily.com
Senior Web Developers: Erik Forkin, Jordan Wolff

ABE LOFY
Managing Video Editor video@michigandaily.com
Senior Video Editors: Gilly Yerrington, Matt Nolan, Aarthi 
Janakiraman, Emily Wolfe 

JASON ROWLAND and ASHLEY TJHUNG 
Michigan in Color Editors michiganincolor@michigandaily.com

Senior Michigan in Color Editors: Christian Paneda, Adam 
Brodnax, Halibut Olaniyan, Tanya Madhani, Sivanthy Vasanthan

ELLIE HOMANT
Managing Social Media Editor

Editorial Staff

Business Staff

EMILY RICHNER
Sales Manager

JUEUI HONG
Special Projects Manager

CAROLINE GOLD
Media Consulting Manager

CAYLIN WATERS
Brand Manager

CLAIRE BUTZ
Business Development Manager

JULIA SELSKY
Local Accounts Manager

SANJANA PANDIT 
Production Manager

Senior Photo Editors: Zoey Holmstrom, Evan Aaron, Alexis Rankin, 
Zach Moore
Assistant Photo Editors: Claire Meingast, Katelyn Mulcahy, Aaron 

Baker, Sam Mousigian, Kevin Zheng

Senior Sports Editors: Laney Byler, Mike Persak, Orion Sang, 
Max Marcovich, Ethan Wolfe, Chris Crowder 
Assistant Sports Editors: Rob Hefter, Avi Sholkoff, Matthew 
Kennedy, Paige Voeffray, Mark Calcagno, Jacob Shames

Senior Social Media Editors: Kayla Waterman and Anna Haritos

Managing Anxiety

WHAT: A class on managing 
depression and anxiety will be 
offered to all U-M students.

WHO: Depression Center

WHEN: 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.

WHERE: Chrylser Center, Room 265 
and Mason Hall, Room 3314

PRASHANTH PANICKER/Daily

LSA freshman Sydney Falle and LSA sophomore Michael Reis compete at 
the Badger Ballroom Dancesport Classic ballroom competition at the Uni-
versity of Wisconsin-Madison Saturday.

T WO TO TANGO

First lady Melania Trump 

and Secretary of Education 
Betsy Devos visited Orchard 
Lake Middle School in West 
Bloomfield Township, Mich., to 
kick off the “Week of Inclusion,” 
a part of National Bullying 
Prevention Month.

The first lady urged the 

students she spoke with to make 
new friends through sitting 
with people they didn’t know 
and promoting an inclusive 
environment.

“I encourage you to find a 

new friend and eat lunch with 
the new friend — you know a 
friend — ask them what they 
like, what their problems are — 
so nobody becomes sad,” said 
the first lady, according to CBS 
Detroit.

In a statement released by 

the White House, the visit was 
part of the first lady’s anti-

bullying initiative, “No One Eats 
Alone.”

“As part of my ongoing 

commitment to the overall 
well-being of children, I am 
looking forward to today’s 
visit,” the first lady said. “By our 
own example, we must teach 
children to be good stewards of 
the world they will inherit. We 
need to remember that they are 
always watching and listening. 
It is our responsibility to take 
the lead in teaching children 
the values of empathy and 
communication that are at the 
core of kindness, mindfulness, 
integrity and leadership.”

The first lady’s anti-bullying 

initiative has not been very 
popular in light of her husband’s 
use of Twitter to often belittle 
others. 

- COLIN BERESFORD

ON THE DAILY: FLOTUS AND 
DEVOS VISIT LOCAL SCHOOL

Read more at 
MichiganDaily.com

