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Monday, November 27, 2017 — 3A
speakers around the world.
After Spanish, it’s the most
spoken romance language and
it has more speakers than all the
others, French, Italian, Catalan,
Romanian, all of them, except
Spanish,
combined.
So
that’s
how big it is. It’s huge and yet …
(Portuguese has) struggled to get (a
program) because people don’t see
the relevance of it. Even though the
numbers are there, there’s nothing
politically happening in Portugal or
Brazil to spark interest.”
When the Parliament of Catalonia
called for a referendum Sept. 6, the
Spanish government met them with
strong legal action, according to
the Human Rights Watch, an NGO
that compiles reports on human
rights abuses worldwide. A few days
later, the Spanish Constitutional
Court deemed the referendum
unconstitutional and illegal.
The
referendum
took
place
regardless. A 2005 amendment to
Spain’s Penal Code decriminalized
voting
in
an
unconstitutional
referendum and as citizens and
proponents
of
the
succession
from Spain turned out to vote the
day of the referendum, The New
York Times reported Spanish and
Catalonian police used excessive
force
against
demonstrators.
Catalonia’s
health
department
estimated 893 people reported
injuries after clashes with police.
Szpiech,
who
is
currently
teaching a Catalan class, said
reports from the likes of the Times
and the Human Rights Watch
fail to mention the severity of the
separatist movement that called
for the referendum, claiming the
movement does not strictly consist
of peaceful protests and a desire for
democratic voting practices.
“Everyone (in the department)
is concerned,” Szpiech said. “This
movement is very extreme, the
Catalan independence movement.
It’s not a centrist movement. It’s
a pretty far-left movement, some
people consider right because it’s
kind of so conservative against the
state, but it’s definitely something
where most people are not in the
zone of saying they’re willing to give
up or cause injury or cause strife,
cause war because who knows what
this could bring? … Spanish society
is, one way or another, suffering.
Whether it splits or doesn’t split,
there’s no good outcome to this, I
don’t think.”
Coll-Ramirez said when she
started to teach the first Catalan
400-level class, she started to see
a mobilization of this separatist
movement and she said she
wanted her students to know
the background of the region
and the current politics so they
understand the reports shared in
the media and online.
Currently,
Coll-Ramirez’s
Catalan class is divided into three
units: social information, history
and culture. After the third exam,
she brings current events such as
the referendum into conversation
in order to contextualize political
Catalanism so the conversations
aren’t just opinions but rather
full, informed debates.
“Usually we pull a lot of
articles,”
Coll-Ramirez
said.
“Students read some articles
and then I use the class time to
talk about different positions
from the Catalan position, from
the Spanish position and then
I actually want students to talk
about … their opinions but I think
that … it is important that this
(discussion) happens as the end of
the semester because the students
have had the whole semester to
learn why some people may feel a
certain way and why some people
may demand certain things.”
Szpiech said he brings the
referendum into his class to stress
that what is taught in the classroom
does not live solely in the classroom
and these events are constantly
evolving, so it’s important to stay
informed.
“I’ve been trying to start class
every day with the news, if there
is some,” Szpiech said. “I put it on
the screen and say ‘Hey, look what’s
going on.’ This is a really big deal.
If you’re a Spanish major, if you’re
from a Spanish-speaking country,
if you’re Catalan or interested in
Catalonia, this is a big deal … It’s
been good to just give us something
to talk about and then to remind
them too like ‘Okay, what are we
studying?’”
Derechin
said
she
believes
mentioning
global
issues
and
promoting dialogue is important
for a well-rounded education, but
more discussions should take place
in one-on-one discussions with the
professor so individual views on
the issue can be fine-tuned.
“I think (the referendum) should
be presented in class, which it was,
and if there’s a big issue in the
world like this, have the professor
say ‘I’m willing to talk to you about
it if you want to’ and just go to office
hours,” Derechin said. “I think the
way (Coll-Ramirez) handled it is
the right way to do it.”
As seen with Szpiech, many
Spanish professors are teaching
Catalan
classes
and
pitching
courses to appeal to students.
While
a
dichotomy
between
Catalan and Spanish instructors
in regards to the referendum
may be drawn, Szpiech said the
department
is
united
against
extremist movements and in both
Spanish and Catalan politics.
“The conversations I’ve had
have all been sort of in agreement
about
frustration,
that
there
seems to be a very bold group
of people who are leading this
(independence movement) and it’s
not at all clear that it’s going about
it in a very representative way,”
Szpiech said. “Certainly that’s not
to say (unification) for or against
independence but … nobody’s
happy with the way the politicians
are sort of imposing themselves
on both sides. Everyone seems
very heavy-handed so politically,
I think I’ve been in agreement
with all my colleagues that this
is a very ugly thing for both
sides.”
LANGUAGE
From Page 1A
passed earlier.
“If I was in the fourth or
third year of the program, I
would have probably dropped
out,” Sural said.
He also noted concern over
how
the
bill
would
affect
current
and
prospective
graduate students, specifically
with
international
students
due to visa laws and work
restrictions. He said he has
a friend from India who only
applied to American schools.
“She now thinks that if this
bill becomes (a) law, it would
become financially impossible
for her to come or to continue
her Ph.D. here in the U.S.,”
Sural said.
American students also share
anxiety over the proposed law.
University alum Jonté Jones has
put his Ph.D. pursuit on hold,
partially due to the reform.
“It’s not just grad students
it affects, it affects people who
are lower income,” Jones said.
“It affects people who are even
middle income and can’t afford
a lot of things. It only seems to
benefit the super wealthy ... it
just seems like an all around bad
idea.”
University alum Alex Fox
fears she will not be able to
consider graduate school at all
if the bill passes. She said she
already has student debt from
earning
her
undergraduate
degree, and said she did not earn
enough income doing laboratory
work for the University and
hosting at a restaurant to have
the opportunity to further her
education. She now works at
the restaurant full time while
finding a new job related to her
field of study.
“I still have been considering
my Ph.D., and if this passes,
there’s no way I’m gonna do a
Ph.D.,” Fox said. “It’s definitely
not going to happen. There’s no
way I would be able to afford
it...it’s a bummer to know that
that is something I would not be
able to consider at all.”
In an interview for a previous
article by The Daily, Public
Policy
professor
Stephanie
Leiser noted the bill would
increase
the
national
debt
and
would
burden
future
generations.
“The biggest downside of
(the bill) is that it’s going to
increase the deficit,” Leiser
said. “They’re either going to
increase debt or cut programs.
Increased debt is nothing more
than future taxes on our kids
or grandkids, etc. Or cutting
programs is obviously going to
impact people who benefit from
those programs right now.”
Advocates for the proposal
argue the decreased costs to
businesses will promote job
growth, but some students are
not convinced.
Rackham
student
Carrie
Johnson, Ph.D. candidate in
chemical biology, said the tax
plan has implications far beyond
the graduate level.
“It’s not good for big pharm to
have less grad students, because
that
means
less
patients,”
Johnson said.
TAX PLAN
From Page 1A
According to Barbara Peitsch,
the M2GATE’s senior lead
program
adviser,
some
primary
ME/NA
issues
which teams may address
include youth unemployment,
women’s
rights,
environmental problems and
recycling.
The initiative will consist
of three sessions each lasting
eight
weeks
and
include
approximately 200 students.
The sessions will begin in
January,
April
and
May,
respectively.
During the sessions, teams
of six will each address their
social issue in the ME/NA
region. They will create a
three to five minute video
to pitch their ideas. At the
end, teams’ proposals will
be entered in a competition.
The winning ME/NA-based
team members will have the
opportunity to travel to Ann
Arbor to meet their University-
based counterparts, meet with
professors and pitch their
proposal to an expert panel.
The initiative is described as
a “virtual exchange” program,
highlighting
its
intent
to
connect young people across
cultures using technology.
According
to
the
WDI
website, the program will use
“technology to empower young
people from different cultures
to participate in a kind of
global classroom, where they
regularly
exchange
ideas,
work on projects together, and
develop relationships built on
mutual respect.’”
The program will utilize
online
learning
modules,
tutorials and assignments, as
well online communication
and
collaboration
with
teammates,
mentors,
instructors
and
program
managers.
Amy Gillett, vice president
of
Education
Initiative
at
WDI,
highlighted
the
necessary transition to virtual
partnerships
taking
place
across the world.
“Increasingly
in
today’s
business environment, people
are working virtually,” Gillett
said.
“They
usually
don’t
have the luxury to meet in
person to work on something
together, so being able to
collaborate virtually is a very
neat skill and more and more
in demand in the workplace.”
Pietsch
explained
M2GATE’s
cross-cultural
nature is integral to the
program,
as
it
aims
to
enhance friendly, productive
and
efficient
collaboration
among students from other
countries.
“I think it’s very important
in this day and age and going
forward to learn how to work
on
multicultural
change,”
Pietsch said. “This is going
to give students on both sides
the
opportunity
to
work
on a concrete project while
taking
into
consideration
perspectives that they haven’t
had to consider before.”
Applications
for
the
program close Dec. 1, and
several students have already
submitted their applications
—
including
Engineering
senior Akihiro Ota.
“I
hope
to
form
relationships
with
like-
minded people to contribute
to social uplift,” Ota said.
“I also hope to broaden my
world view (sic) and gain an
understanding of how social
issues
in
other
countries
compare to those in the U.S.
I hope, by working with those
from other countries, to find
strategies that can be similarly
be used in the U.S. to improve
the world around me.”
Gillett is confident M2GATE
will be valuable in various
ways to its participants.
“I
think
the
Michigan
students
will
gain
tremendously
from
participating in this project,
from the skill, relationship,
and
resume
building,”
Gillett
said.
“We
think
that friendships and new
businesses will form, but at
the very least, people will
gain greater cultural insight
and experience collaborating
virtually.”
PROGRAM
From Page 1A
places,” Wallander said. “You
can really decide what matters
most to you and support that.”
The University will offer
$150,000 in matching fund for
certain demographics, such as
students and first-time donors.
According
to
the
Giving
Blueday website, more than
2,000 new donors contribute
to Giving Blueday annually.
Last year, more than 4,000
programs and funds benefitted.
U-M
Supermileage
is
a
student
engineering
team
which builds high tech, highly
fuel efficient cars to compete
in the Shell Eco-marathon, a
national challenge in which
students compete to build the
most energy efficient vehicle.
The money they raised through
Giving Blueday last year went
toward
covering
the
costs
associated with the materials
and designs for their car.
Engineering junior Hannah
Ferriby,
PR
lead
for
U-M
Supermileage, said since the
Shell Eco-Marathon recently
relocated
from
Detroit
to
Sonoma,
Calif.,
the
team’s
travel expenses have increased.
“This year we are mainly
focusing our efforts within our
organization since we are less-
known than other engineering
design teams,” Ferriby said.
“We
are
encouraging
our
members to tell their friends
and family about the different
opportunities
for
them
to
donate to our organization and
we are promoting our giving
link over our social media
platforms.”
In
celebration
of
the
University’s
Bicentennial,
social media challenges offered
throughout the day will award
additional funds to winners.
“We want to make sure
students can be a part of the
day,” Wallander said. “There’s
a lot of social media challenges
to inspire everyone who loves
the University to get involved,
so students can participate in
those as well.”
Students who visit the Diag or
Pierpont Commons on Tuesday
will have the opportunity to
recommend programs to be
randomly selected to win $50.
Five suggestions will be chosen
from each location and the
Student
Philanthropy
team
will make the donation in the
student’s name.
“When we talk to them, we
say, ‘What are the areas that
you think really need more
donations or more support?’”
Wallander said. “It just gives
them the opportunity to be
asked that question, since that’s
something that’s being asked
of everyone who is going to
participate in Giving Blueday.”
Dance
Marathon
at
the
University of Michigan has
been part of Giving Blueday for
the past three years. They will
host events throughout the day,
including selling coffee in the
morning in the Chem Building
and a fundraiser at Pizza
House.
Recruitment and Outreach
Chair
Raza
Khan
said
the
money
DMUM
raises
goes
to
support
pediatric
rehabilitation therapies at C.S.
Mott Children’s Hospital.
“These
therapies
help
provide children of all abilities
with experiences that they may
not necessarily have a chance to
enjoy on their own,” Khan said.
“This means that every dollar
we raise goes toward helping a
child climb a tree for the first
time, ride a horse, go bowling,
or even take a karate class. It is
an incredibly meaningful cause
that makes a huge impact on
both the students in DMUM
and the families we seek to
help.”
Contributions
made
on
Tuesday will go to Victors for
Michigan, a fundraising effort
launched in 2013 with the goal
of raising $4 billion for the
University. The campaign has
surpassed its initial goal, and
has made $4.33 billion as of
October.
However,
research
conducted
in
May
by
the
Indiana University Lilly Family
School of Philanthropy found
that proposed changes to tax
policy proposed by Congress
and the Trump administration
could reduce charitable giving
by an estimated $4.9 billion to
$13.1 billion annually.
Wallander is still optimistic.
The
Student
Philanthropy
Team held information sessions
prior to Giving Blueday to teach
student organizations the “best
practice” for raising money.
“We know that a lot of
student
organizations
are
passionate about raising funds
for important causes at the
University,”
she
said.
“We
want them to maximize their
fundraising results for the day
so that they can push forward
their missions and have the
impact that they really want to
have in the upcoming year.”
GIVING BLUE
From Page 1A
The Wolverines maintained
possession for over 10 minutes
in the first quarter, as the
defense shut down Barrett,
running back J.K. Dobbins and
the rest of the Buckeyes. They
held the Buckeyes to three
consecutive
three-and-outs,
sacked Barrett three times
and even forced Ohio State to
negative total yards.
In
the
second
quarter,
though, the Buckeyes amped
up their play for 124 yards and
two touchdowns. Barrett ran in
the first for 21 yards and tossed
the second touchdown 25 yards
to tight end Marcus Bough.
While Ohio State’s offense
was finally clicking, Michigan’s
barely saw the field — playing
for less than six minutes
in that quarter and losing
the
opportunity
to
keep
momentum going.
“After we were up 14-zip,
we really didn’t touch the
field
most
of
the
second
quarter,” Hill said. “When
you’re hot, you’re hot. You get
your momentum going, and
everybody’s in rhythm. That’s
when you score points, but
when you keep the offense off
the field so long, it’s kind of
hard to keep that up because
you’re just sitting there.”
Michigan’s offense scored
again
soon
after
halftime,
when junior Karan Higdon
punched a two-yard run into
the end zone, but after that,
more
Michigan
mistakes
followed, and the game quickly
fell in Ohio State’s favor.
Nordin’s extra point was
blocked, Dobbins ran in a
touchdown and then Ohio State
hit a field goal.
The Wolverines had one
last-ditch effort, but O’Korn
misread coverage and saw one
of his final throws at Michigan
Stadium land in the arms of a
Buckeye.
One more touchdown from
Ohio State’s Mike Weber sealed
the deal, but the game was
already over.
“It’s the most bitter pill
that I’ve had to swallow,
personally,”
said
redshirt
junior defensive end Chase
Winovich. “Coming here, four
years, and not beating these
guys once. It’s tough.”
The errors amounted, and
the Wolverines couldn’t hold
on to their 14-point lead.
O’Korn
mentioned
afterward that the game didn’t
have to be close. It was never
expected to be, either.
Ohio State was expected to
run all over Michigan, but for
one-and-a-half quarters, it was
just the opposite.
But games don’t come down
to just one-and-a-half quarters.
“We had to compete the
whole four quarters,” Hill said.
“But we just came up short.”
OHIO STATE
From Page 1A
It’s not just
grad students
it affects, it
affects people
who are lower
income
There’s a
lot of social
media
challenges
to inspire
everyone
who loves the
University
to get
involved, so
students can
participate in
those as well.