“This is the University’s
way of making sure everyone
on our campus has a chance
to participate in the survey,”
Broekhuizen said. “The results
of the census survey offer
individual
schools,
colleges
and other units on campus
findings unique to those units.”
Broekhuizen also said both
surveys released are about
the campus climate related to
diversity, equity and inclusion;
however, some questions may
differ.
The
questions
were
written by the Office of DEI,
campus community and survey
research experts as well as
other
community
advisory
committees, according to the
press release.
The DEI Office put forth a
five-year strategy last year.
According to the DEI’s online
plan, its strategy to expand
University
diversity
and
inclusivity is three-pronged.
The first strategy is to “Create
an Inclusive and Equitable
Campus Climate,” second is to
“Recruit, Retain and Develop a
Diverse Community” and the
third and final is to “Support
Innovative
and
Inclusive
Scholarship
and
Teaching.”
The press release on the DEI
survey states its goal is to
gather data and statistics as it
relates to the campus climate
on
diversity,
equity
and
inclusion.
In an interview with The
Daily,
University
President
Mark Schlissel discussed the
progress of the DEI plan and
his feelings on current campus
climate. He articulated his
excitement regarding a few
of the upcoming initiatives
in relation to diversity and
inclusion, such as Wolverine
Pathways, which works with
secondary-school
students
in
Detroit,
Ypsilanti
and
Southfield,
and
provides
a
path to University admission
and a scholarship — as well as
the Go Blue Guarantee, which
allows any in-state students
whose households earn below
$65,000 to have their tuition
completely
covered
by
the
University.
“I think the initiative is off
to a good start,” said University
President Mark Schlissel in the
interview. “But there’s a huge
amount of work to be done and
there are some things that are
immediate and short term, and
there are other things that we
start now and we are going to
have to be continued for a long
time.”
Schlissel
referenced
postdoctoral faculty members
in his interview, one of the
targets of the DEI survey. He
mentioned the effectiveness
of
the
LSA
postdoctorate
program,
potential
faculty
members who have completed
their Ph.D.s but are not yet ready
for an independent position,
and its diversity plan. The
LSA postdoctorate fellowship
sets aside postdoctoral slots
for those who study diversity
and for those who create a
more diverse and equitable
community.
In
an
April
2017
press
release,
the
University
announced the creation of the
LSA Collegiate Postdoctoral
Fellowship Program. As part
of the DEI’s five-year strategic
plan, the LCPFP looks to
promote faculty and research
diversity
throughout
the
institution.
“We
have
made
a
commitment
to
ensure
a
scholarly
environment
that
will meet the needs of our
diverse community,” said LSA
Dean Andrew D. Martin in
the press release. “Through
LCPFP, we hope to recruit
outstanding individuals that
will view LSA as an academic
home and who will positively
impact the very culture and
structure of our university,
college and individual units.”
The
survey
targets
the
greater postdoctorate program
as well as consists of nearly
1,500 current postdoctorates
distributed
among
the
21
separate
schools,
colleges,
institutes and 155 departments,
according to Matt Nelson, the
director of communications of
Rackham Graduate School.
“We
at
Rackham,
who
support
postdoc
fellows
and oversee the quality of
postdoctoral training across
the university, wholly embrace
a commitment to enhancing
diversity,” Nelson said.
Chief
diversity
officer
Robert Sellers, and vice provost
for equity and inclusion, will
oversee this survey and has
overseen similar DEI surveys
in the past.
The survey will stay open
until Dec. 8 and the results will
be released by spring 2018.
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
News
Monday, November 6, 2017— 3A
The organization is involved
in
various
philanthropies
and
events,
but
for
IASA
co-president Bavica Gummadi,
an LSA senior, IASA’s impact
culminates at this cultural
show.
“I think the biggest message
that I want everyone to take
away from our show is the
passion
that
our
dancers
bring and the passion that our
membership brings,” Gummadi
said. “It’s almost unreal that
every single member has the
level of passion, energy and
enthusiasm
that
they
do,
and that’s what keeps our
organization running at 150
percent.”
Each year, the show’s title in
based on a word from Sanskrit,
an ancient Indian language
from
which
many
modern
Indian languages are derived.
This year’s word, “Sarani” is
the Sanskrit word for “path.”
Johri
believes
this
word
perfectly reflects the goal of
the show.
“It’s kind of symbolic of our
path that we’re taking through
India, as we tour through the
different
places,
highlight
the
different
subcultures
and
watch
these
amazing
performances,” he said.
Standing under beams of
orange,
white
and
green,
colors of the Indian flag, a total
of 240 dancers took the stage
to perform ten dances, each
highlighting a different aspect
of Indian subculture. Five of
these dances, performed by the
groups South Indian, Village,
Bhangra, Raas and Bollywood,
were cultural dances, aimed
at
embodying
the
more
traditional customs of various
Indian cities.
The
other
five
groups,
Fusion, Evolution, Filmi, all-
male Fusion and all-female
Fusion,
were
fusion
dance
performances,
aimed
at
combining the music and dance
styles of Indian and American
culture. Musical performances
were
dispersed
throughout,
one of which coming from
South Asian a capella group
Maize Mirchi.
Co-president
Kshema
Chirra, an LSA senior, noted
the importance for the dancers
and the audience of tying in
elements of American music.
“We really try to mix the
American and Indian music
to
captivate
our
audience,
because
obviously,
our
audience isn’t just the South
Asian community; it’s a lot
more than that,” Chirra said.
“So, I think the ultimate goal
of
whatever
performance
we
put
on
today
at
Hill
Auditorium is just to capture
the unique cultural mix that
our organization embodies of
being Indian American.”
In
the
moments
before
the performances began, the
audience felt the energy from
behind the stage curtains amid
cheers of excitement could be
heard from among the dancers.
The first dance, performed by
Filmi, immediately conveyed
the
weight
that
cultural
mixing would have on the
show, with traditional sounds
of Indian music being fused
with distinctly hip-hop beats.
Later,
a
dance
by
All-
female
Fusion
highlighted
the intersectionality of being
an Indian American woman,
and
provided
a
distinctly
feminist
performance
where the soundtrack fused
Beyoncé’s “Run the World”
and customary Indian music.
The crowd cheered as loudly to
popular Indian songs as they
did to dances that involved
fidget spinners and the now-
famous “Backpack Kid” dance.
The
choreographed
moves
were
the
kind
of
accomplishment
that
could
only come from 10 months
of preparation. For audience
members who had seen IASA’s
cultural
show
before,
this
year’s performance was among
the most impressive they’ve
seen.
Engineering
senior
Christopher Scott particularly
enjoyed the cultural dance of
Bhangra.
“A lot of color, a lot of
movements,” Scott said. “This
is the second time I’ve been
to this, and it’s gotten even
better.”
Halfway
through
the
performances,
members
of
IASA’s
community
service
core came out to discuss their
partnership with the Vidya
Project. This initiative aims
to bring online tutoring and
mentorship
to
children
in
India and urge them to become
“change-makers”:
socially
impactful global citizens.
Between
dance
performances, audiences were
also given a taste of what it’s
like to be a member of IASA.
Parody videos in which IASA
board members re-created a
favorite scene from the TV
show “The Office” or lip-
synced in a car in the style
of James Corden’s “Carpool
Karaoke” demonstrated the
bonds
created
within
the
organization.
Beyond the choreography,
clothing
and
musical
sequences,
organizers
said
audiences
left
Hill
Auditorium
with
the
understanding
of
IASA’s
ability
to
bring
students
together. As Gummadi said
of lessons learned during her
time with IASA, “If you want
to go fast, go alone. But if you
want to go far, go together.”
PERFORMANCE
From Page 1A
SURVEY
From Page 1A
FOOTBALL
From Page 1A
PETITION
From Page 1A
program
has
divided
city
residents from its inception
three years ago. Supporters,
including
University
of
Michigan
biologists,
assert
it is the most effective way
in
dealing
with
vehicle
collisions, risk of Lyme and
chronic wasting diseases, and
ecological damage stemming
from
deer
overpopulation.
Opponents
criticize
the
program as violent and accuse
City Council of not being
transparent
in
its
public
dealings.
According to a 2016 survey,
54
percent
of
residents
approved
of
using
lethal
methods. Every City Council
member
shares
this
view,
each of whom voted against
a
budget
amendment
that
would have defunded the deer
management program earlier
this year. Forty-five percent
of residents were opposed. In
addition, according to the same
survey, 61 percent of residents
supported nonlethal methods
such
as
contraception,
trapping
and
sterilization,
regardless of their views on
employing lethal methods.
Last year, the city expanded
nonlethal
methods
to
accommodate residents who
were opposed to the cull. The
city also commissioned the
Michigan
State
University
Office for Survey Research
to conduct a new survey this
year and aims to reach a 75
percent satisfaction rate from
residents.
However,
the
city
not
only increased the projected
number of deer it will cull
this year, but also decreased
funding
for
nonlethal
operations.
Moreover,
City
Council
eliminated
a
rule
in
which
sharpshooters
cannot shoot within 450 feet
of an occupied building or
residence without the owner’s
permission, heightening fears
that bystanders may be injured
or killed.
City councilmember Jason
Frenzel, D-Ward 1, explained
Council did away with the
rule, mandated by the state
of Michigan, because only
“hunters”
fall
under
its
purview, not “sharpshooters.”
He said however strict safety
rules must be put in place
before any shooting starts.
“We must put into effect
safety protocols that make
sure that we’re not shooting
towards
people,”
Frenzel
said.
“In
my
mind,
any
specific distance is in some
ways arbitrary. Therefore the
decision on what that distance
is is more about the other
precautions that take effect.”
Frenzel also said funding
for
the
lethal
program
increased
comparatively
because Council pulled money
from future operational funds
to reduce the net amount spent
on the multi-year cull and
said the body has not given
up on exploring non-lethal
alternatives.
“Evidence
shows
that
moving the reproduction base
to a lower amount as soon as
possible will also reduce our
funding obligations into the
future,” Frenzel said.
Ann Arbor resident Valerie
Carey wrote in the comment
section of the petition page
she felt uncomfortable with
sharpshooters walking around
in her neighborhood.
“I was walking my dog
last winter in a park & got
disoriented on a trail toward
late afternoon and ended up
being in the park’s wooded
area
later
than
intended
coming perilously close to
the time when the shooting
was to begin in that park,”
Carey wrote. “It was not my
intention to be there that late,
but it happened and I was
very worried for the safety of
myself & my (leashed) dog.”
However,
White
Buffalo
Inc., the contractor the city
hired for culling operations,
maintains
the
nonprofit’s
sharpshooters have operated
in other areas without the 450-
foot rule without incident over
the past two decades.
LSA senior Aaron Brodkey,
co-president of the Michigan
Animal
Respect
Society,
shared the petition on multiple
social media pages, including
pages for the class of 2018, ‘19
and ‘20. He said he has worked
with FAAWN since a member
of the organization contacted
him after a protest in January
to bring awareness to the issue.
Brodkey
said
the
issue
directly
affects
students
because
of
the
location
where some of these culling
operations are happening.
“The University of Michigan
owns a lot of the city’s parks,
for instance the Arb and
North Campus and these are
places that a lot of students
go and so they should know
that (there are) most likely
(to) be sharpshooters on these
parts of campus killing deer,”
Brodkey said. “It’s important
for public safety reasons that
students are aware of this.”
“If
(students
are)
not
okay
with
having
hired
sharpshooters
on
these
premises, they should sign the
petition and tell the City that
they would much rather value
the City looking towards non-
lethal options,” he added.
However,
Jim
Kosteva,
community relations director
for the University, told The
Daily in a previous article
involving
a
separate
anti-
cull petition that University
property
has
suffered
environmentally
and
financially
unsustainable
damage through deer grazing.
“The Nichols Arboretum,
which
is
expected
to
be
a
showcase
and
living
laboratory of diverse species,
has been unable to establish
many seedlings due to the
overgrazing
of
the
deer
herd,” Kosteva wrote. “The
University has also incurred
a significant loss of landscape
materials,
particularly
on
North Campus, that have been
consumed or damaged by deer.
Replacing that material has
required a costly diversion of
funds that otherwise could
support more mission centered
activities.”
CEREN DAG/Daily
An earthenware sphinx from 1890-98 AD is part of the Excavating Archaeology exhibit at the Kelsey Museum
of Archaeology from October 18th to May 27th.
SE E HISTORY
eight of those attempts for 56
yards, and added a touchdown
pass on a throwback screen to
sophomore tight end Sean McKeon
on Michigan’s opening drive.
As for the Golden Gophers,
well, their offensive success
ended after their second series.
Minnesota
answered
the
Wolverines’ first touchdown
by using 10 plays to go 75 yards
— nine of which yielded 59
rushing yards. Rodney Smith
provided
the
exclamation
point, rushing 10 yards into the
end zone to cap it all off.
From there, though, the
wheels fell off — or at least
Michigan forced them to.
Minnesota
mustered
36
second-half yards, finishing the
night with just 164 total while
adding a field goal in the final
two minutes. Redshirt junior
defensive end Chase Winovich
and sophomore VIPER Khaleke
Hudson’s
combined
third-
quarter effort highlighted the
dominant defensive showing.
On
2nd-and-10
from
Michigan’s 42-yard line, Hudson
got to Minnesota quarterback
Demry Croft for a strip sack.
Winovich pounced on the loose
ball, and Higdon notched his
second touchdown of the night
on the ensuing possession.
Evans
added
his
second
only a drive later, and the
Wolverines had put the game
well out of reach before the
fourth quarter even started.
“A couple times, I’m blocking
my guy (for) a couple seconds,
waiting
for
the
whistle,”
McKeon said. “All of a sudden
the crowd starts roaring. I look
up, and Chris or Karan is gone.”
So it went for the duo, and
so Michigan went. Higdon
and Evans got the blocks they
needed, then they took care of
the rest.
We must put
into effect
safety protocols
that make
sure that we’re
not shooting
towards people.
In my mind, any
specific distance
in some ways
arbitrary.
All of a sudden,
the crowd starts
roaring. I look
up, and Chris or
Karan is gone.