The Michigan Daily sat down for an interview with University President Mark Schlissel to address several current issues on campus, including a potential visit from Richard Spencer, Central Student Government’s vote for #UMDivest and more. The Michigan Daily: Starting with Richard Spencer — in the Regent’s Meeting called last week, safety seemed like a big topic of discussion, that’s your top priority that you’re stating in your negotiations and that was a major concern for students. So, in the negotiation process, how are you defining safety? Obviously there are many components, physical, mental and emotional, but how do you work through that? University President Mark Schlissel: I think the most unambiguous one is the physical safety of our community, and not just our students but the people that will come here, or may come here, to protest for or against and the safety of the speaker, the physical safety of the speaker and then of Ann Arbor. You know, the town and the University are intimately linked and we want to be sure as we move forward, if we do move forward, that we’re taking everyone’s physical safety On Tuesday evening, a crowd of about 100 students, faculty and community members joined together in the Diag for the #StopSpencer Speak Out with one common message: Richard Spencer is not welcome at the University of Michigan. The Speak Out was one of the 11 #StopSpencer Week of Action events taking place to protest the University’s decision to cooperate with Spencer — an American white supremacist — and his team’s request to speak on campus. The event was organized by a coalition of student groups including Stop Spencer at the University of Michigan, Students4Justice and more. The goal of the Speak Out was to offer individuals who feel they have been ignored by the administration a platform to voice their concerns. Many speakers and audience members at the event expressed their frustration with the University’s willingness to put the safety and comfort of minority students at risk in order to work with Spencer’s request. One of these individuals was LSA junior Alex Chow, who explained by choosing not to deny Spencer’s request, the University was leaving students of color to fend for themselves. “The University and its administration has made it clear that they’re not going to protect us so we have to protect ourselves,” Chow said. “The burden is now put on people of color, LGBT people, Muslim people and Jewish people. All of us have to protect ourselves because they refuse to say ‘no.’” Chow also felt the issue involving Spencer was not one of free speech, but instead one involving hate speech. “They’re claiming that they can’t say no to him because there is a risk of litigation, but they’ve said no to speakers in the past,” Chow said. “They have a world-renowned law school, but I don’t think that’s what the main issue is. The issue is that someone wants to come here and tell us that we shouldn’t exist, and that we should be killed, and that our lives aren’t important.” Calls for continued action against Spencer were heard at the Speak Out, whether it be student laborers refusing to work for the Spencer event or students continuing to show up at events in protest. The Central Student Government meeting Tuesday night revisited the recent passing of #UMDivest and the prospect of white supremacist Richard Spencer speaking on the University of Michigan’s campus. Post #UMDivest debate The meeting began with a guest presentation from history professor Victor Lieberman, who had not been allowed to speak at the divestment resolution vote after objections arose from CSG representatives. These objections stemmed from a concern that Lieberman, who has taught on the Arab-Israeli conflict, would cause a power imbalance during the vote by expressing his anti-divestment views. While speaking to the assembly, Lieberman took a historical approach to examining the Arab- Israeli conflict, citing examples of human rights violations by other countries, which he believes to be greater than the alleged violations by Israel. “Because there’s a growing American political lobby against michigandaily.com Ann Arbor, Michigan Wednesday, November 29, 2017 ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-SEVEN YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM GOT A NEWS TIP? Call 734-418-4115 or e-mail news@michigandaily.com and let us know. INDEX Vol. CXXVII, No. 38 ©2017 The Michigan Daily N E WS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 O PI N I O N . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 A R T S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 S U D O K U . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 CL A S S I F I E DS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 S P O R T S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 See SCHLISSEL, Page 2A AYUSH THAKAR/DAILY Students on the Diag gather to protest the University’s consideration of hosting Richard Spencer Tuesday. ADMINISTRATION Handmade posters littered the floor of the Lecturers’ Employee Organization office on East Liberty Street while a half-open laptop played music on Monday night. On the whiteboard, someone had written several guiding slogans in blue Expo marker; “Hail Not Heil” and “#SchlisselWYA” provided go-to options should inspiration otherwise fail. Stop Spencer at the University of Michigan, a coalition of student organizations protesting the University’s decision to proceed with negotiations with Richard Spencer, began their Week of Action with a sign- making party. It was a calm start to what has been a week packed with teach-ins, student walkouts and rallies, all aiming to dissuade the University from giving Spencer, a white supremacist and Nazi sympathizer, a platform to speak. Nearly a dozen left-leaning groups on campus have banded together to organize in opposition to Spencer’s request, from radfun and the University’s chapter of College Democrats to the Lecturers’ Employee Organization. Lauren Schandevel, See CSG, Page 3A See SIT IN, Page 3A STUDENT GOVERNMENT SARAH KUNKEL/Daily LSA Professor Amanda Armstrong presents at the #StopSpencer Week of Action Teach In in Rackham Tuesday. michigandaily.com For more stories and coverage, visit See #STOPSPENCER, Page 3A LSA Dean Andrew Martin and Elizabeth Birr Moje, dean of the School of Education, announced in separate emails that LSA and Education classes would not be canceled in response to ongoing student protests this week as part of the #StopSpencer campaign. The “#StopSpencer Week of Action” is holding events on campus to protest the University of Michigan’s decision to consider allowing white supremacist Richard Spencer’s request to speak on campus. Students4Justice and other student organizations called upon faculty and administration in an open letter to waive classes on Thursday for the student strike against Spencer, in which students plan to strike all classes Thursday. There are also plans for a walk-out Wednesday morning morning, at which time students are gathering to protest in the Diag. See STRIKE, Page 3A GOVERNMENT CSG talks resolution, prospect of Spencer BAMN also calls on the assembly to condemn white nationalist’s visit HAYLEY MCLAUGHLIN For the Daily Sit in, teach-out attempt to educate students on controversial speaker Law student explains University could face legal ramifications if Spencer is denied Deans urge professors not to strike Thursday Email announces LSA, Education classes will not be cancelled for protest KATHERINA SOURINE Daily Staff Reporter Schlissel talks Board of Regents, #UMDivest Campus organizers unite to block Richard Spencer speaking request Emphasizes top priority, physical safety of community, Ann Arbor in interview Left-leaning student organizations form #StopSpencer, launch ‘Week of Action’ ELIZABETH LAWRENCE & LEAH GRAHAM Daily Staff Reporter & For The Daily ANDREW HIYAMA & KAELA THEUT Daily Staff Reporters AMARA SHAIKH & REMI MURREY Daily Staff Reporters statement THE MICHIGAN DAILY | NOVEMBER 29, 2017