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board of regents rescinded an 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 

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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