After 
three 
decades 
of 

minority 
student 
activism 

and 
ultimately, 
organizing 

for a more centrally located 
multicultural 
center 
and 

more emphasis on students 
of color at the University, 
the University of Michigan 
broke 
ground 
Wednesday 

morning 
at 
the 
William 

Monroe Trotter Multicultural 
Center’s new location on State 
Street. Alumni and students 
representing the Black Action 
Movement, 
#BBUM 
and 

current members of the Black 
Student Union gathered along 
with administrators at the 

construction site with shovels 
in hand at the spot north of the 
Michigan Union and between 
the Kelsey Museum and Betsy 
Barbour Residence.

The 
groundbreaking 

comes 
four 
years 
after 

#BBUM movement demands 
revitalized student requests 
for a more centrally located 
Trotter Center. Recent alum 
Logan Pratt, Trotter Student 
Advisory Committee member 
and 
former 
historian 
and 

academic concerns chair of the 
Black Student Union, recalled 
his time advocating for the 
building.

With United States House 

Republicans 
introducing 
a 

sweeping plan for tax reform 
last Thursday that outlined a set 
of tax cuts for businesses and 
a restructuring of the income 
tax system, students became 
concerned — especially because 
the bill contains a number of 
changes to the current tax code, 
some of which may directly 
impact college affordability.

The bill would eliminate two 

of three existing tax credits for 
students: the Lifetime Learning 
Credit and the Hope Scholarship 
Credit. The Lifetime Learning 
Credit offsets 20 percent of 
the first $10,000 of education 
expenses for individuals making 
$65,000 or less annually. The 
Hope Scholarship Credit offers 
a $2,500 credit for individuals 
making $80,000 or less annually. 
Cutting these two programs is 
estimated to save the government 
$17.3 billion in the next decade.

The American Opportunity 

Tax Credit — the third student 
credit — is expanded in the new 
bill. This offers a $2,500 credit 
every year for four years to people 
who spend $4,000 or more on 
tuition and fees annually. With 
the new bill, the program would 
be available to students for a 
fifth year with a reduced $1,250 
credit. This program cost the 
government nearly $18 billion 
in 2016, making it roughly ten 
times as costly as the other two 

combined.

Advocates of the bill argue 

new federal programs negate the 
need for these credits, which were 
created before any significant 
federal student loan repayment 
plan was available. The Obama-
era 
student 
loan 
repayment 

program would stay in place under 
the proposed plan. This program 
allows students to apply for 
federal loan aid, which is doled out 
depending on income. In general, 
the program caps the amount paid 
by students at 10 percent of their 

discretionary income. Individual 
plans offer loan forgiveness after 
25 years. More than five million 
people are currently paying back 
their loans with this program.

The 
Obama-era 
program, 

however, does not cover loans 
from private lenders, which make 
up 9 percent of all student loans 
for the current school year.

The GOP plan also eliminates 

the tax-exempt status of tuition 
reimbursements up to $5,250 a 
year, meaning that they would be 
taxed as income. Students whose 

education is funded by employers 
will be affected by this change.

In the view of LSA senior Grant 

Strobl—chairman of conservative 
Young Americans for Freedom— 
the economic benefits of an 
education negate the need for 
the tax credits and deductions 
changed in the bill. He said the 
return on investment of a college 
degree is far greater than its cost.

Approximately 17 University 

of 
Michigan 
students, 

representing 
various 
student 

organizations, will be attending 
the first national conference 
hosted by Students Organize 
for Syria this weekend at Loyola 
University Chicago to discuss 
solutions and raise awareness 
for the thousands of people who 
have died and millions who have 
been displaced as a result of 
violent oppression and civil war 
in Syria.

SOS, a national student-led 

movement that aims to spread 
awareness, assist and stand in 
solidarity with the Syrian people, 
focuses on fundraising, human 
rights advocacy and education. It 
has chapters at several colleges 
and 
universities, 
including 

the University of Michigan, 
the 
University 
of 
Southern 

California and the University of 
Florida, among others; most of 
which will be represented at the 
conference.

michigandaily.com
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Thursday, November 9, 2017

ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-SEVEN YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM

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Call 734-418-4115 or e-mail 
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INDEX
Vol. CXXVII, No. 27
©2017 The Michigan Daily

N E WS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

O PI N I O N . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

A R T S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 B

S U D O K U . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

CL A S S I F I E DS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

S P O R T S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Students hail 
beginning of 
construction 
on Trotter 

At DEI summit, questions linger 
on action to improve strategic plan

DANYEL THARAKAN/Daily

E. Royster Harper, Vice President for Student Life, speaks to a group of students at the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Summit at the League Wednesday.

ADMINISTRATION

Groundbreaking fulfills thirty years of 
demands from community for new space 

SAM SMALL

For the Daily

Students and administrators weigh measures on free speech & accountability

One year after the introduction 

of the five-year strategic plan for 
diversity, equity and inclusion, 
students, 
faculty 
and 
staff 

gathered Wednesday evening to 
evaluate the plan’s effectiveness.

Most students in attendance 

at the summit — about 50 total 
— were members of Central 
Student Government or student 
advisory boards related to the 
DEI or the Office of Student Life. 
The evening kicked off with 
an introduction from Central 

Student Government President 
Anushka Sarkar, an LSA senior, 
followed by Robert Sellers, vice 
provost for Equity and Inclusion. 
Both 
speakers 
stressed 
the 

idea of creating a safe campus 
community for all students.

E. 
Royster 
Harper, 
vice 

president 
for 
Student 
Life, 

called on values-based problem 

solving.

“When times are tough and 

you’re up against a wall, that’s 
when you have to live and act 
your values or else they’re 
meaningless,” Harper said.

ABBY MURO, ABBY TASKAS, 
SAYALI AMIN, GRACE KAY

For the Daily

‘U’ groups
will attend
conference 
on refugees

CAMPUS LIFE

Campus organizers look 
to host talks on solutions 
for displaced Syrians 

JENNIFER MEER
Daily Staff Reporter

Cutting the Lifetime Learning Credit and Hope 
Scholarship Credit is estimated to save the government 

$17.3 billion in the next decade.

Eliminates the tax-exempt 
status of tuition reimbursements 

up to $5,250 a year

Lifetime Learning Credit
Hope Scholarship Credit

American Opportunity Tax Credit

 Offsets 
 of the first 

 of education expenses 

for individuals making 
 
 
 
 or less annually

 Offers a 
 credit every year for four years to people who 

 
 spend 
 or more on tuition and fees annually

 Offers a 
 credit for 

individuals making 
 

or less annually

Cost the government nearly 
 in 2016

Available to students for a fifth year with a reduced 
 credit 

DESIGN BY AVA WEINER

Trump tax credits are 10x more costly 
than eliminated education benefits

Proponents argue new programs cancel out credits, students worry about affordability

RILEY LANGEFELD

Daily Staff Reporter

B-Side: Religion & 
the Arts

Daily Arts explores the 
various roles faith takes 
in the realm of art, be it 

through content or creator

» Page 1B

michigandaily.com

For more stories and coverage, visit

Attendees 
of 
the 
Sexual 

Assault 
and 
Prevention 

Awareness Center’s 32nd annual 
Speak Out were greeted by an 
atmosphere full of fairy lights, 
candles and the soft chords of 
Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide” 
this Wednesday night in the 
Michigan Union Ballroom. The 
organizers of the event said they 
created this ambience to make a 
safe space for survivors of sexual 
assault to share their stories.

LSA senior Nora Akcasu, a 

SAPAC volunteer and one of the 
main organizers of the event, 
said making the ballroom feel 
more inviting was something 
new SAPAC focused on this year.

“This year we really tried to 

emphasize making the space 
feel 
more 
comfortable,” 
she 

said. “The ballroom is such a big 
space, and we don’t want people 
to feel more intimidated than 
they already are to go up there 
and share this deeply personal 
story.”

SAPAC 
speakout 
sees record 
attendance 

CAMPUS LIFE

32nd annual event for 
survivors emphasizes 
safety, empowerment

LIZZY LAWRENCE

Daily Staff Reporter

Read more at 
MichiganDaily.com

Read more at 
MichiganDaily.com

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MichiganDaily.com

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