The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
News
Friday, November 17, 2017 — 3
DANYEL THARAKAN/Daily
Olivia Golden, former U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary for Children and
Families presents on issues of poverty at the Ford School Thursday.
POLICY PRESE NTATION
with original content from a
variety of fields.
“We hope that anyone we’re
choosing is doing things that are
more pushing the barrier than
things that are more typical, so
we try to find speakers that are
doing
pushing-edge
things,”
Lathia said.
Due
to
the
diversity
of
speeches, Katz believes the
conference will inspire new
dialogues
among
University
community members.
“All
the
speakers
are
affiliated with the University
whether it’s professor, alumni,
student,” Katz said. “It’s cool
to get people from the U of M
community together sharing
ideas. I think people are all so
interested and keep coming
back because the conversation
it starts with other students in
the community.”
Though the obvious draw
to
the
conference
is
the
speakers, the attendees team
creates audience-participation
activities to break up the four-
hour-long event. Desai, who
helps create these components,
said a substantial part of the
conference
experience
is
interacting with other audience
members.
“Everyone
that
goes
to
the
conference
is
always
passionate,” Desai said. “You
have the option to livestream
it, so the people that do decide
to go are obviously really
passionate about Ted talks and
learning something new.”
According to Lathia, curious
and ambitious people often
attend the annual conference,
and the resulting conversations
are refreshing.
“People get excited about
things and I think that makes
such cool conversation because
you’re not talking to people
about their school or their
major, what’s on their daily
mind,” Lathia said. “You’re
talking to them about their
big ideas and what they want
to change and what they’re
inspired by and what they
actually want to do with their
life.”
TEDX
From Page 1A
film showings, an Indian dance
performance and piano and vocal
compositions.
Engineering
freshman
Maryam
Younus
combined
multiple spoken word poems
on preserving cultural identity
and the impact colonialism and
Western countries have on foreign
identities for her performance. She
said her piece aimed to encourage
pride in individual cultures.
“No one should feel ashamed
of who they are and what their
names mean or any of the labels
that are associated with that,”
Younus said. “They shouldn’t feel
afraid of other people not wanting
to or not making the effort of
saying their name properly … (and)
empowering people to do this,
empowering people to embrace
who they are and own that.”
Reda said the event aimed to
promote intercultural dialogue
through mediums like art and
performance instead of vocal
speech.
“We’re
trying
to
promote
a … space on campus where
any and every talent can really
come together in one room and
showcase whatever they want
about a certain topic and through
this,” Reda said. “We’re trying to
set the precedent that dialogue
does not only have to be through
speech.”
LSA junior Tariq Mekkaoui said
Shift not only promoted dialogue
on immigration and artistic
expression but also encouraged
positivity among the performers
and the audience.
“This was the first event that
I’ve been to at the University of
Michigan that really emphasized
a
sense
of
happiness
and
sometimes
that’s
forgotten,
especially
in
marginalized
communities and marginalized
identities,”
Mekkaoui
said.
“It’s nice just to see a sense of
culture and identity around this
central theme of happiness and
acceptance and it was just nice
to see all these different orgs
coming together for that central
theme
and
understand
that
diversity can produce happiness
in ways that I didn’t understand
before.”
Younus said while events
like Shift showcase the amount
of cultural diversity at the
University, she often encounters
situations where she is the only
student in a class wearing a
headscarf. She said seeing this
lack of representation in the
classroom can be daunting but
events like Shift bring cultures
together
in
a
positive
and
collaborative manner.
“It gets a little discouraging
sometimes so when you get
a large group of people like
this together where you’re all
embracing each other’s culture
and learning more about each
other, it’s refreshing and nice,”
Younus said.
SHOW
From Page 1A
consulting, Rei from technology
marketing and myself coming from
market research/digital media.”
Adobe Analytics is a multi-
leveled competition requiring a
range of skills and knowledge.
The first round consisted of a two-
hour training session to learn the
program and two weeks to master
the program, the hardest part in
this complex competition.
“As far as preparation for our
submission, a good amount of time
was spent simply learning how to
use the tool and which variables
and fields we needed to conduct
our
analysis,”
Kirshensteyn
said. “Then, it was a lot of trial
and error to find the insights we
ultimately presented. We came up
with loose hypotheses and areas
of analysis interest and began
putting together tables and charts
we thought might be interesting,
which led us to looking at the data
slightly differently and creating
new analyses we thought might be
useful.”
Teams analyzed MGM’s data
in the Adobe Analytics program
and presented their findings and
suggestions. Only 15 to 20 teams
got past this initial screening and
went on to the semi-final round.
The semi-final judging panel
consisted
of
expert
analytics
consultants, who watched each of
the teams give a web-conference
presentation, which up to six teams
passed through to the final rounds
in Lehi, Utah.
The finals in Utah contained
mainly
the
same
aspects
as
the semi-finals, only at higher
stakes. Teams had the chance to
change their slides to add more
information
and
analysis
and
present it all in 15 minutes with
an additional five minutes for
questions from the judges, who
were Adobe representatives and
other experts in the industry.
After the judges were done,
“Adjusted R Squared” was named
the first-prize winner of the
competition. Liao expressed her
excitement at the announcement.
“We randomly came together
as a team and I really enjoyed
getting to know them in a personal
level through this competition,”
Liao said. “Both of them are very
good at interpreting the big data
in a structural way and drawing
insights from their professional
areas, which really inspired me a
lot. I just can’t thank them enough
for the tremendous support along
the way.”
Khattar said she appreciated
learning about data analytics.
“I definitely want people to
know that we — both our team
and other Rossers — can deal
with data,” Khattar said. “It’s a
common phrase right now to say
that data is the new oil. I want
to continue learning more about
data analysis and how I can marry
it with my skills in business to
become an indispensable part of
an organization. Tactically, I’m
currently learning R and SQL to
help out with some of the ‘harder’
data science skills to round out
some of the more visualization
work that we did with Adobe.”
CHALLENGE
From Page 1A
the vote I wasn’t sure how it was
going to go, and in fact I wasn’t
feeling good about it,” Tout said.
“I definitely was not expecting it
to pass, so I was surprised.”
LSA senior Haleemah Aqel,
a member of SAFE, expressed
similar
sentiments
in
the
surprise she has felt since the
passage of the resolution.
“I just can’t believe it,” she
said. “Three years later this
resolution passed and I honestly
wouldn’t have expected it to
pass by the time I graduated.”
Aqel, a Palestinian student
who has visited Palestine five
times, described the difficult
experience she faced in 2015
when, during a visit to the
nation, she underwent a two-
week lockdown. This incident,
which she compared to those
experiences faced by many
other Palestinians on campus
while visiting Palestine, she
explained, follows suit in the
alleged human rights violations
committed by companies to be
investigated as outlined in the
resolution.
Students who opposed the
resolution, however, left the
meeting upset with the results.
One student stated, “I think it’s
a really sad day for freedom of
thought on this campus,” as she
exited the auditorium.
LSA
senior
Gaby
Roth,
a
member
of
University
of
Michigan
Hillel,
an
organization
providing
programming
for
Jewish
students on campus, and in
opposition to the resolution,
explained her reaction in an
email interview with The Daily.
“I am happy that members
of SAFE, Palestinian students
and allies were given a platform
for their concerns to be heard.
However, I am deeply upset
that
the
address
of
these
concerns meant that Jewish
students’
sentiments
about
feeling
marginalized
were
pushed aside. It is so upsetting
to me that last night, people
were pitted against each other
and that the vote was framed as
a win or a loss,” she wrote.
Roth
also
described
her
disappointment in CSG’s vote
against approving Prof. Victor
Lieberman, who teaches a class
on the Arab-Israeli conflict,
to be included in the lineup of
speakers for CSG’s Tuesday
meeting.
University of Michigan Hillel
circulated an announcement
following the resolution vote,
also condemning the decision
regarding Lieberman. While
praising students who spoke
out against divestment and who
expressed their commitment
to and relationship with Israel,
announcement
describes
the resolution as “one-sided
and hurtful” and encourages
administrators to condemn the
resolution.
“We trust that the Board of
Regents will speak out against
this one-sided resolution, as
they have in (the) past, and
remind the campus community
that they have already rejected
this resolution when it passed
at
University
of
Michigan-
Dearborn
last
winter,”
the
announcement reads. “We also
hope that the University will
expand its partnerships with
Israel, develop new avenues for
students to study in Israel, and
encourage faculty to deepen
their research ties with Israeli
institutions.”
Several
students
took
to
social media to express their
reactions on the resolution’s
passing.
Postdoctoral
fellow
Austin McCoy, in a public
Facebook
post,
gave
his
congratulations to supporters
and authors of the resolution.
“This is big,” the post reads.
“It’s taken them years of doing
the hard work of organizing
(and defeats), protests, and
coalition
building
to
get
this
resolution
passed.
A
great example of long-term
organizing featuring a diversity
of tactics.”
On
Twitter,
under
the
hashtag #UMDivest, an array
of opinions could be found by
those who either supported or
opposed the resolution.
Other
divestment
and
Students for Justice in Palestine
groups at universities across
the country, such as at Ohio
State University and University
of
Wisconsin-Madison,
acknowledged the resolution’s
passing via social media.
SAFE sent out a press release
Wednesday morning describing
the work of #UMDivest in
allowing
Palestinian
voices
to be heard on campus and
affirming the organization’s
dedication
to
continue
to
work for equality, safety, and
freedom of Palestinians.
“The struggle is not over.
Efforts
to
dialogue
and
build relationships with our
classmates
must,
and
will,
continue,” the press release
reads. “SAFE continues to work
to uproot seeds of division,
and affirm the humanity of all
groups on campus. Injustice
anywhere is a threat to justice
everywhere. SAFE will never
stop fighting for what is right.”
The
SAFE
member
interviewed
by
The
Daily
described
the
group’s
next
steps, specifically highlighting
the importance of conversation
with
those
of
opposing
viewpoints to help create a
campus of inclusion for all
students.
“We recognize that right
now there are people that
aren’t necessarily happy that
this resolution did pass and we
really identify with that feeling
and we understand how it
feels,” they said. “Reaching out
to all of the people that have
been invested in this resolution,
whether pro or against, and
ensuring
that
people
feel
comfortable,
ensuring
that
people understand that their
identities are still welcome on
this campus and creating more
of a conversation around that
dialogue.”
Roth, while in agreement of
the importance of dialogue and
conversation,
explained
her
concern about the future effects
of the anti-Semitic nature she
and other students feel to be
present within the resolution.
“I worry that because CSG
leaders were unable to see
the subtle yet crucial forms
of antisemitism lying in this
resolution and the broader BDS
movement it represents, people
will feel emboldened to let
these types of subtle antisemitic
comments run rampant,” she
wrote. “We have so much work
to do to address hate in all
forms, and I hope we can work
toward doing this in a way that
does not cast any group aside.”
Aqel described her ideas for
moving
forward,
suggesting
a
potential
mirroring
of
other universities that have
passed resolutions similar to
Tuesday’s.
“A good idea is to see what
other universities similar to the
University of Michigan, what
their groups that have passed
resolutions in this nature, what
they did following the passing
of their resolution,” she said.
University
administration
has spoken on the resolution
following
its
announced
result. According to University
spokesman Rick Fitzgerald, the
University’s investments are
undertaken so as to “generate
the greatest possible income”
to assist the University in
its overall missions and to
adhere to the desires of donors.
Because
of
this,
Fitzgerald
explained,
the
University’s
investment portfolio must be
“diversified across a full range
of legally recognized entities.”
“The
University’s
longstanding policy is to shield
the endowment from political
pressures and to base our
investment
decisions
solely
on financial factors such as
risk and return,” his statement
reads. “This approach has been
underscored
consistently
by
university leaders, including
the Board of Regents, most
recently in December 2015. We
do not anticipate a change in
this approach or the creation of
a committee.”
In an interview with The
Daily, E. Royster Harper, vice
president
for
student
life,
also explained this concept,
stating the decisions behind
the University’s investments
are
primarily
made
on
finance rather than any social
movements.
When asked about concern for
potential bias incidents against
certain
groups
on
campus
following
the
resolution’s
passing, Harper described the
effort the administration has
been making to ensure support
is given to communities who
may feel targeted.
“We have Jewish students
that are worried about their
safety; we have Muslim and
Arab students that are worried
about their safety,” she said.
“So we have a pretty active
Department of Public Safety
right now trying to be attuned
to and mindful of this, and this
conversation in the context of a
national conversation.”
Still, Tout explained, the
initial reactions of students
who worked in support of the
resolution have continued to
change — especially for those
students
whose
relatives
attended the University and
worked for this same cause.
“In all of the work that we
do around the resolution, we
sort of forget that as much as it
means to us it means infinitely
more to Palestinian students,”
Tout said. “It’s amazing that it’s
generations of their families …
who came and worked on the
same resolution and the fact
that it passed this year is just
way more shocking to them,
and
amazing
and
restores
their faith in Central Student
Government and the student
body even more than it does for
us.”
RESPONSE
From Page 1A
We hope that
anyone we’re
choosing is
doing things
that are more
pushing the
barrier than
things that
are more
typical
on the report Thursday night,
dozens of residents expressed
their frustration and lack of
faith in the effort put into the
review. Since June, residents
and
City
Councilmembers
have been dissatisfied with the
quality and amount of outreach
to marginalized communities
in Hillard Heintze’s community
survey of perceptions of police
practices.
Resident
Shirley
Beckley
pointed out the more-than-
20-year careers Debra Kirby
and Kenneth Bouche –– the
Hillard
Heintze
executives
who managed the review ––
had with the Chicago Police
Department and the Illinois
State Police.
“You all are ex-cops. We ask
that they don’t have ex-cops,
so they pay attention to the
community. So I don’t expect
you to give us, the community,
any kind of credence,” Beckley
said. “And I hope our City
Council has some kind of heart
about them, and not use all your
brain power, but some of your
heart, to know that we need this
citizens’ oversight committee.”
AAPD Chief Jim Baird
criticized the idea of a civilian
oversight board when it was
proposed in 2016, saying it
should not be done without
a third-party audit. Bouche
said civilian oversight boards
generally became tools for
residents to air grievances
in
ways
he
said
were
unproductive.
“Civilian
oversight
does
not solve community relations
issues and it does not bring
to resolution critical issues
within the police department.
It takes issues that are one, two,
three, sometimes five years old,
puts them in front of civilian
review, and they’re generally
old enough to where the police
department really doesn’t even
have that much accountability
for them anymore,” he said. “It
becomes a mechanism for
people who are sometimes
disenchanted
with
police
departments to become more
disenchanted, because all
they see is the problem.”
Councilmember
Jack
Eaton, D-Ward 4, pointed
out that if investigations into
complaints are conducted
internally by the AAPD,
as they are now, civilians
have less incentive to come
forward with complaints and
less reason to believe those
complaints will be handled
fairly.
“If
someone
wants
a
place to go other than the
police department to lodge
a complaint, and they want
somebody to respond and
say, ‘This is what we found to
be true,’ it’s more particular
than you’re talking about,”
he said.
AAPD
From Page 1A
Read more at
MichiganDaily.com