REMY FARKAS
Daily Staff Reporter
Lydia Polgreen, editor-in-chief of
news blog HuffPost, discussed her
relationship with journalism and
the way in which her past affects
her vision of present-day America
in her lecture entitled “Who gets to
define American Values,” given as
part of the University of Michigan’s
Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King
Jr. Symposium.
The Wallace House program,
as well as the Knight-Wallace
Fellowship and Livingston Awards,
sponsored
Tuesday’s
event.
Polgreen won the Livingston Award
for Journalistic Achievement in
2009 for her international reporting
in a piece called “The Spoils,” a story
about natural resource exploitation
in Africa.
Before coming to HuffPost,
Polgreen was the editorial director
for NYT Global at The New York
Times, as well as the West Africa
and Johannesburg Bureau Chief.
Polgreen officially became editor-
in-chief of the Huffington Post,
which serves 200 million viewers
per month, in December 2016,
succeeding
founder
Arianna
Huffington.
On the heels of Martin Luther
King Jr. Day, Polgreen drew on the
reminders of King’s message in
On Tuesday, Steven Salaita,
an American author, scholar
and activist, spoke about his
latest book, “Inter/Nationalism:
Decolonizing
Native
America
and Palestine,” and the lingering
effects of colonization on modern
countries. The event was hosted
by the University of Michigan’s
Center for Middle Eastern and
North African Studies at the
International Institute in Weiser
Hall.
Salaita has been at the center of
campus controversy in years past,
after anti-Israeli tweets landed
him in trouble as a professor
at the University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign. The UIUC
board of regents rescinded an
offer of tenure to Salaita in 2014
— his critics accused him of
inappropriate online expressions,
but others said he was being
punished for political views.
Salaita appeared on campus at
the University shortly after his
firing in 2014 to muted contention
from pro-Israeli groups. This year,
however, after the #UMDivest
resolution passed in its fifth
attempt before Central Student
Government in November, some
Jewish students decried Salaita’s
speech.
Before the event, about a dozen
Jewish community on campus
stood outside Weiser Hall and
passed out flyers featuring a tweet
from Salaita that the students saw
as anti-Semitic. The flyer, which
was signed “Concerned Jewish
Students,” accused Salaita of
purporting discrimination against
Jewish students on campus.
“Shame
on
the
Michigan
Center for Middle East and North
African Studies for inviting this
so-called
academic
to
speak
on our purportedly inclusive
campus,” the letter read.
Salaita began his speech by
explaining the parallels his book
draws between the colonization
of Native Americans in the United
States and the Israel-Palestine
conflict. He said he believes a
true peace agreement cannot
be
reached
while
illegal
settlementscontinue to be built on
Palestinian land.
“We ought to look at Israel-
At
Tuesday’s
City
Council
meeting, council members decided
to amend plans for ground-level
solar
energy
installations
in
residential zones in order to comply
with public concern regarding the
safety of children and the aesthetic
integrity of Ann Arbor.
In a public comment, Ann
Arbor resident Irma Majer voiced
her concern for the safety of local
children and explained the dangers
of ground-level solar structures in
easily accessible areas.
“By allowing unsecured, low to
the ground solar accessories, we
create opportunities for serious
injuries to the public, particularly
curious and exploring children,”
Majer said.
Majer, alongside several other
residents, went on to explain that
while they support solar energy,
they are also highly concerned for
the safety of the community. Majer
explained solar panels can reach
extreme temperatures, causing
GOT A NEWS TIP?
Call 734-418-4115 or e-mail
news@michigandaily.com and let us know.
INDEX
Vol. CXXVII, No. 57
©2018 The Michigan Daily
N E WS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
O PI N I O N . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
A R T S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
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 SOLAR, Page 3A
City voices
concerned
over solar
panel plans
ANN ARBOR
City Council approves
changes to energy plans
due for safety, aesthetic
HALEY MCLAUGHLIN/Daily
Steven Salaita, an American author, scholar and activist, speaks about his latest book and the lingering effects of
colonization on modern countries at Weiser Tuesday.
Pro-Palestinian author, former prof.
Salaita denounces Israel in lecture
In a speech on decolonization, Salaita talks anti-Zionism and latest book
ABBY MURO
Daily Staff Reporter
michigandaily.com
For more stories and coverage, visit
See AUTHOR, Page 3A
On Tuesday evening, the
University
of
Michigan’s
Central Student Government
met in the Michigan Union.
During the public comment
period
of
the
meeting,
concerned
students
spoke
about
the
visit
of
Steven
Salaita, a pro-Palestine author
and
activist,
who
visited
the University earlier in the
afternoon.
Public Policy senior Samuel
Lawrence
addressed
the
meeting
following
Salaita’s
lecture. Lawrence recounted
his
own
experience
with
finding a swastika in the
Modern Languages Building
earlier this semester, which
he reported to the Division
of Public Safety and Security.
Lawrence
expressed
his
disappointment
with
CSG’s
response.
“After
an
article
was
published in The Michigan
See SALAITA, Page 3A
CSG listens
to concerns
on ‘U’ anti-
Semitism
STUDENT GOVERNMENT
Concern after Salaita talk
from pro-Israel groups &
new dialogue resolution
SHANNON ORS
Daily Staff Reporter
Monday
afternoon,
University
of
Michigan
President
Mark
Schlissel
was
awarded
Rainbow
PUSH’s Let Freedom Ring
Award
for
his
efforts
to
make college more affordable
—
specifically
through
efforts such as the Go Blue
Guarantee and the Diversity,
Equity and Inclusion plan.
While the program makes
tuition more affordable for
in-state
residents
coming
from annual family incomes
of $65,000 or less, there are
still
additional
expenses
at the University that may
remain out of reach for those
with a lower socioeconomic
status,
including
private
tutoring¬¬ — a resource that
can
considerably
improve
an
individual’s
academic
performance.
According
to
a
study
by
Research
in
Middle
Education from 2011, groups
of students who were tutored
in Language Arts and Math
outperformed students who
did not receive such help
from tutoring programs. With
one in 10 University students
belonging to the top one
percent of incomes, according
to a report by the Equality of
Opportunity Project, many
University students have the
option of spending money at
companies, such as Campus
Tutors, that work to improve
their academic understanding.
However, those who cannot
Tutoring can
be hurdle for
low-income
‘U’ students
HuffPost Editor-in-Chief talks
challenges of American identity
See TUTORING, Page 3A
BRIAN KOSASIH/Daily
Lydia Polgreen, editor-in-chief of news blog HuffPost, discusses her relationship with journalism in her lecture entitled, “Who gets to define American Values,” given
as part of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Symposium at Rackham Tuesday.
ADMINISTRATION
Access to private tutors allayed by ‘U,’
but some say resources underpublicized
Lydia Polgreen discusses the impact of her Black identity & sexuality on journalism
GRACE KAY
Daily Staff Reporter
See IDENTITY, Page 3A
michigandaily.com
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Wednesday, January 17, 2018
ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-SEVEN YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM
statement
THE MICHIGAN DAILY | JANUARY 17, 2018
AMARA SHAIKH
Daily Staff Reporter