Regents to appoint a committee to
investigate “the ethical and moral
implications” of investing in such
companies. SAFE’s activism on
divestment — a movement in
its 13th iteration on campus —
ramped up in the last month,
with groups like Latinx umbrella
organization La Casa supporting
SAFE in full force last week. The
resolution failed last year with a
vote of 34 to 13.
University
of
Michigan-
Dearborn’s student government
passed its version of the resolution
in March.
CSG convened the assembly
on the Diag with the intention
of gathering perspectives and
spurring
discussion
on
the
body’s ongoing campus climate
initiatives. The meeting changed
course when LSA senior Hafsa
Tout, CSG representative and
co-author
of
the
resolution,
submitted the resolution with
SAFE this past Sunday. SAFE
said during the meeting Tuesday
they were unaware assembly
would not meet the week of
Thanksgiving, and had to rush
the resolution as a result.
Gathering
on
the
Diag
approximately 30 minutes before
the meeting, SAFE members and
allies encircled CSG’s tent on the
Diag with Palestinian flags and
signs with messages like, “Divest
is anti-racist” and “CSG listen to
marginalized voices.”
— undisclosed by the CSG
body — announcing CSG does
not support the #UMDivest
movement
and
resolution.
The member allegedly then
held
a
conversation
with
another student regarding the
movement in which he asserted
CSG’s opposition to divestment.
This email and conversation
would
fall
under
the
classification and improper use
of CSG clerical services and the
power in the Compiled Code, as
well as the inappropriate use
of CSG resources and power,
as CSG had not voted upon the
issue of divestment at the time
of the alleged email statement
nor conversation.
The situation is reminiscent
of a past controversy with
then-LSA
sophomore
Jesse Arm, a former CSG
representative.
CSG members could not
confirm at the time of this
publication
whether
the
resolution was based off of a
public Facebook status posted
by LSA senior Gabe Colman
that originally claimed LSA
senior Joe Goldberg — who
is also on the Hillel board
and has historically spoken
against divestment — was
convincing a representative
to vote against divestment.
The post has since been
edited to remove Goldberg’s
name, however, Facebook edit
history and screenshots of the
original post obtained by The
Daily show Colman’s original
text. A CSG member stated
the identity of the member
in question is not being
disclosed “to preserve the
integrity of the investigation
and presume innocence of the
individual(s) in question.”
CSG Business Rep. Lauren
Ward,
a
Business
junior,
commented on the post stating:
“CSG
prides
ourselves
on
bringing in the best Michigan
has to offer. Rest assured, we
are
investigating
into
this
situation as this type of rhetoric
is absolutely deplorable and not
representative of CSG’s beliefs
or values.”
The
Daily
could
not
confirm Ward’s investigation
is the same as the ethics
committee’s investigation.
“These two individuals are
entitled to their opinions,
but what is shocking are
the words he used,” the
post read. “He said there
are ‘not enough white men’
and ‘Jewish people’ (on the
assembly),
which
alludes
to the idea that there are
too many black and brown
people.
He
said
because
there are more people of
color on the assembly, the
Divestment resolution would
pass. He then told the woman
something about checking
her Facebook friends to make
sure she was truly on his
side-- in my opinion, a very
threatening thing to say.”
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
News
Wednesday, November 8, 2017— 3A
who wants to come and
speak, and try to find a way
that they can speak in a time
and a place and a manner
where we can assure the
safety of the community.
And, if we can get to that
point, then anybody would
be able to come and speak,”
Schlissel said. “If we can’t
get to that point, where
we can assure the non-
disruptive nature and the
safety of our community,
then the person won’t get to
speak. So that’s the balance.
And we’re not there yet. We
don’t know what’s going on
yet, other than the fact that
we’re content neutral when
it comes to speakers.”
Spencer has also spoken
and requested to speak
at several other college
campuses.
After
the
University of Florida was
threatened with a lawsuit
after
initially
denying
Spencer’s request following
the white supremacist rally
that left one woman dead,
the
university
allowed
him
to
come,
spending
$600,000 on security for
the event. Michigan State
University, after denying
a request from Spencer at
about the same time, was
hit with a lawsuit from
Spencer and was recently
ordered by a judge to enter
mediation with him.
In the email he sent,
Weiser wrote, “The courts
are
not
our
friends,”
appearing to reference the
recent court order.
In an email to The Daily,
Regent
Andrea
Fischer
Newman (R), who is also
the senior vice president
for government affairs for
Delta Air Lines, agreed
with Weiser, saying she
“would be happy to defend
a lawsuit.”
“I hope Richard Spencer
is not allowed to speak on
Campus,” she wrote. “I have
expressed my sentiments
to the President. I do not
think it’s a good idea for
Richard Spencer to speak
on campus.”
WEISER
From Page 1A
DIVEST
From Page 1A
“We
never
developed
that real close relationship
because everyone was always
constantly rotating in and out
of the whole unit, which was
difficult, especially when you
got home and you wanted to
talk about what had happened,
but
there
wasn’t
anybody
to talk to,” Throneberry said.
“Your parents, your family, your
friends, they’d hear the story one
time and that was it. They didn’t
want to hear it again.”
Lawrence
Dolph,
another
panelist, said he felt World War
II veterans bonded through a
common victory and national
support, while their service and
return from Vietnam felt more
isolating and defeating.
“We never experienced what
the World War II guys described
in various terms — I think a term
they would never use today is
‘bromance,’ but they seem to be
very close to one another,” Dolph
said. “We had to sort of manage
it just because of the sheer
carnage.”
The panelists also noted that
while World War II veterans
were
welcomed
home
to
celebrations and praise, Vietnam
veterans returned to a charged
political
environment,
often
attracting criticism for events
outside of their control.
“I think that’s one of the
things that’s most damaging for
some of these people’s psyches,”
Throneberry said. “That you
did everything you were told
to do, you did it the best you
could, saved as many people as
you could possibly save, and you
were still just a piece of garbage
to some people when you got
home.”
Though receiving backlash
for their service was upsetting,
Dolph said many veterans also
felt conflicted and confused
regarding the politics of the war.
“Many of us were indifferent
about the war,” Dolph said.
“Many of us frankly opposed it.”
Panelist Skip Davis said since
people were discouraged from
speaking out about their war
experiences,
many
veterans
repressed their feelings and
memories.
“When I got back home,
I didn’t come home to any
parades, no pat on the back. …
Several days later I applied to
go work for the Detroit Edison,
and I learned from that day
to
compartmentalize,”
Davis
said. “I had my work, I had my
family, I had my working out and
conditioning, and never once did
I unlock everything that was in
my braincase.”
Though most veterans came
back and were able to start
new jobs, get married and
lead relatively normal lives,
the panelists said they were
encouraged to repress their
highly
impactful
wartime
memories from Vietnam.
“The old vets of World War I
and World War II believed that
if you didn’t talk about it, you’d
forget it,” Dolph said. “They’d
actually tell you that: ‘If you don’t
talk about it, we’ll forget it.’ Well,
sometimes you can’t forget it. So,
I think it’s good to talk about it.”
After 30 years of near silence,
the panelists said veterans have
begun to share their stories and
publicly support each other.
While limiting conversation of
Vietnam War experiences may
have created the illusion that
most people have forgotten,
many veterans are now healing
through more open discourse.
“I still kept everything locked
down in my head up until a
few years ago one day when
everything crept up,” Davis said.
“It was time for me to go seek
help. I actually got help at the
(Veterans Affairs) Hospital, and
pretty much am aligned with a
support group of Vietnam vets.”
Throneberry
said
modern
technology
has
made
reconnecting
with
fellow
veterans increasingly possible.
“The
camaraderie
part
actually
came
later,”
Throneberry said. “As much as I
hate social media, this is where
it came from, because you were
finally able to connect with
these people 40, 50 years later.”
VETERANS
From Page 1A
and it raises the question of
why it’s so important to achieve
a racially diverse community.”
Steele also noted the issues
of prejudice and stereotypes
were not just restricted to race,
but to gender as well, noting
the example of Sandra Day
O’Connor, the first woman on
the U.S. Supreme Court bench.
Steele
welcomed
uncomfortable feelings as signs
of breaking the boundaries of
a
homogeneous
educational
community.
“We have to recognize that
the sense of discomfort isn’t
something that’s temporary,”
he said. “It’s a feature of trying
to bring together a diverse
community. … When you have
a very diverse population with
people coming from a lot of
different histories, you realize
that the way we used to educate
students might not transfer to
this new population.”
Steele’s most salient piece
of
advice
centered
around
building relationships between
social groups.
“At the heart of it all is trust,”
he said. “It’s very hard to trust
across lines. If I’m overstating, I
might say that I think it’s much
more important for institutions
to focus on building that trust
than to focus entirely on bias.
There needs to be an ongoing
effort to build trust within our
community.”
KEYNOTE
From Page 1A
INVESTIGATES
From Page 1A
Spencer is a
disgusting and
dangerous
man. This
has been
expressed
by many
members of
the University
community
that says something,” Hoffert said.
“I would love to have the students’
voice count.”
Hoffert recalled being humbled
by running for office and learning
about the everyday issues that
affect Ward 2 residents. He said he
realized that to be able to be a good
councilmember, he had to be able
to represent the concerns of every
resident in the ward.
“For the first time I’ve ever run
for office, nobody knew who I was;
I think if you look at it that way it’s
rather respectable,” Hoffert said.
“We’ll see what happens in three
years, if I feel like coming back to
the table.”
LSA
junior
Jacob
Caruso
volunteered
on
the
Hoffert
campaign, knocking on doors and
calling voters leading up to election
night and then running back and
forth between polling places to
hear results. He got involved after
his roommate, who also worked
on the campaign, persuaded him
to, but what really drew Caruso to
the campaign was Hoffert’s desire
to officially classify Ann Arbor as a
sanctuary city.
“There’s some ups and downs,”
Caruso. “It was a good experience
overall.”
Ward 4 — WINNER JACK
EATON
Incumbent Jack Eaton, D-Ward
4, was victorious in Ward 4 earning
2371 votes, 70.2 percent of the 3376
total ballots cast. Independent
candidate Diane Giannola earned
26.73 percent of the ward with 873
votes. This will be Eaton’s third
consecutive term in City Council.
Eaton told The Daily he is ready
to get back to the City Council
chambers. He plans to focus on
pedestrian
safety,
affordability
and the Gelman plume in the next
three years, as well as openness and
transparency initiatives.
While he’s excited at the outcome
of the election, he isn’t shocked.
“I’m pretty pleased,” Eaton
said. “I’m not surprised that I won
because my opponent didn’t run
a very vigorous campaign but I’m
pretty pleased with the margin
of victory. I’m looking forward
to getting back to work. … It’s a
privilege to represent the 4th Ward
and I’m really quite grateful for the
support they’ve given me.”
Giannola could not be reached
for comment.
Ward 5 — WINNER CHIP
SMITH
Incumbent
Chip
Smith
emerged as the winner in Ward
5’s contentious City Council race,
defeating Jerusalem Garden owner
Ali Ramlawi by a small margin.
Smith won with 3008 votes to
Ramlawi’s 2826. This will be Smith’s
second term on City Council.
When the results were first
reported, Smith spoke in front of
a crowd of people at a watch party
he co-hosted downtown with the
Hoffert campaign. He thanked his
family and constituents for their
support, expressing how proud
he was of his campaign team.
In an interview with The Daily
afterward, he said he was exhausted
but excited to keep working.
“Nobody’s going to outwork my
team,” Smith said. “We’ve worked
really hard right down to the end. …
We knocked 6,000 doors, we made
4,000 phone calls, we talked to a
lot of people and I think that my
policies reflect that and I’m glad I
had the confidence of the voters of
the 5th Ward to keep doing that, but
that doesn’t mean I’m going to stop
doing that.”
On the other side of town at his
own watch party, Ramlawi said he
was disappointed with the results
but proud of the close election. He
was still counting it as a victory and
said he doesn’t feel ready to give up
just yet.
“When you get that close it’s
heartbreaking; you feel like, ‘Wow,’
” Ramlawi said. “And then after
a while, you look at (all these
people) that voted for me. I’m an
independent who put a campaign
together in under three months and
nearly knocked off an incumbent
supported by everyone in the
Democratic party, including the
mayor knocking on doors for him —
you’ve got to look at it as a victory.
You’ve got to keep your head high
and no regrets. We don’t regret
a thing; I’m glad we did this. We
might be back next year.”
Ward 5 contains Ann Arbor’s Old
West Side, as well as parts of Liberty
Street. The Gelman dioxane plume
affects groundwater in the area, but
development is the biggest issue for
the residents of the ward.
Smith said he’s going to focus
on development and affordability
in the next three years; both issues
were key parts of his platform.
When asked about his ideal vision
for Ann Arbor in the next three
years, Smith said he hopes the city
will become a leader in bicycle and
pedestrian safety, a role-model
worldwide for what we’re doing
to curb climate change and a place
people of all income levels can
afford to live.
“It’s a lot of work to do. I’m up
for the work, I’m excited to do the
work, I’m honored that I’m being
sent back to do it,” Smith said.
The New Council
Though three incumbents won,
there will be a new face at the City
Council meeting this Thursday
as Anne Banister (D) became the
new representative of Ward 1
after defeating incumbent Jason
Frenzel in the Democratic primary
in August. Banister is opposed to
the Library Lot deal and is worried
about the proposed high-rise.
This means the supermajority
of eight councilmembers needed
to pass controversial items like the
Library Lot deal has disappeared
from City Council, putting Mayor
Chris Taylor (D) and his allies in
a tight spot if they want to push
through with big plans like the new
Amtrak station and new housing
developments.
Taylor said he hopes to work
effectively with the new council
to solve pressing issues facing Ann
Arbor such as affordable housing
and rising costs for services.
“I think that the issues that
face us continue to face us,” Taylor
said. “Those pressures are going to
continue and so I expect that we’ll
continue to have a conversation
about how we make sure that
Ann Arbor is sustainable and
affordable.”
Councilmember Julie Grand,
D-Ward 3, is also excited to
be working with her familiar
colleagues again. She worked on
Smith’s campaign and is especially
happy he’ll be back on City Council
with her.
“I’m thrilled about it,” Grand
said. “I took most of the day off
today to make phone calls for Chip
and I hung door hangers in the
rain on Sunday. It’s really just that
part of what I love about serving on
council is that I have these really
thoughtful, excellent, committed
colleagues.”
In addition to the three contested
City Council races, ballots also
included a millage to increase
funding for mental health and
public safety in Washtenaw County.
The millage passed overwhelmingly,
much to the surprise of Conan
Smith, the Washtenaw County
commissioner for District 9 and a
lecturer at the Ford School of Public
Policy.
At Smith and Hoffert’s watch
party, Smith thanked voters for
passing this millage, which will
provide Washtenaw County with
$15 million to improve public safety
and mental health. After steady cuts
from the mental health budget from
the state of Michigan, Washtenaw
County wanted to take matters
into their own hands. According to
Smith, the majority of the population
in the Washtenaw County jail face
mental health challenges and he
expects this increase in funding
to greatly improve the services
available to them.
COUNCIL
From Page 1A
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