The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
News
Wednesday, January 17, 2018 — 3A
today’s society. She emphasized
her multicultural background and
the influence of her time in Africa
on her views regarding the current
political climate of the United
States. With an Ethiopian mother
and white Minnesotan father,
Polgreen said that she thinks a lot
about American identity in the age
of Trump.
“But let’s be real — this isn’t
a normal president, this isn’t
a normal admin, this isn’t a
normal
time,”
Polgreen
said.
“We have what appears to be
an
ethnonationalist-influenced
regime in the White House … we’re
seeing the rollback of protections
of queer people like me, we’re
witnessing a newly permissive
attitude toward hate-speech and
hate-crimes that has led to increase
in attacks on Jews, Muslims and
all kinds of marginalized peoples.
We’re also seeing an increase in
intolerance in some corners of the
country.” Polgreen stated that
President Trump attempts to set
the definition of American identity
through
language
and
policy.
Whether it’s his Twitter language
or his policies on immigration and
health care, the current presidency
concerns Polgreen as both a
journalist and person.
“For me, as the daughter of an
African immigrant, as a person
of color, as a queer person, as
an American, I am watching
these conversations unfold with
particular alarm,” Polgreen said.
Polgreen referenced her time
as
a
foreign
correspondent,
discussing the lack of free press
and the presence of government-
controlled press or self-censored
journalism in other countries. She
told the audience she spent time
reading and analyzing the political
coverage of the last year, and
wondered if the press did enough
to recognize the views of Trump
supporters. She realized the press
wrote about those people rather
than for them.
“As a journalist I believe that
reporting has the power to change
the world,” Polgreen said. “If the
media ecosystem like so many
other institutions has seen this
extraordinary drift between the
haves and the have-nots journalism
has become a highly elite profession
that often feels extremely distant
from the experiences of the people
we write about.”
Polgreen
expressed
concern
regarding the inequality in the
United States, referencing Trump’s
new budget that cuts the Pell Grant
fund, a grant that provides students
money for college tuition and does
not need to be repaid. Polgreen
herself was the recipient of a Pell
Grant, and credits this program
with much of her success.
“Inequality feels baked into our
society in a way that can’t easily be
undone and climate change, her
certain doing, has made it all feel
super apocalyptic,” she said.
Polgreen
hopes
she,
as
a
journalist
and
leader
in
the
industry, can be there for those who
feel that the political and economic
power range is fundamentally
unfair. She said she doesn’t feel like
the press is currently representing
those voices. In an effort to expand
the extent of voices represented,
HuffPost went on a seven-week-
long, 25-city bus tour, hitting
smaller, central U.S. cities such as
Fort Wayne, Ind. and Livingston,
Mo.
Polgreen expected to interview
about 500 people, but HuffPost
ended up hearing the voices of close
to 2,000, asking each person what it
means to be an American. She said
that almost no one talked about
Trump and instead focused on the
pressing local issues personally
affecting
them.
Polgreen
recognized the complexity of the
struggles communities faced and
how they come together to solve
problems.
“The experience of traveling
this country left me optimistic,”
Polgreen said. “But not optimistic
in the classic American sense, all
of those conversations affirmed
my implacable and old-fashioned
beliefs that solidarity is possible.”
This discussion of solidarity
encompasses the unity of people
in defense of their beliefs. Polgreen
categorizes solidarity as a great
strength in times of hardship.
LSA freshman Aniela Crayton
discussed what she took away from
Polgreen’s speech.
“Even if you meet someone who
has a completely conflicting idea
than you, it’s important to listen
to what they have to say and that
sharing of ideas and conflicting
opinions allow progress to happen
in American,” Crayton said.
If the United States had an
official religion, Polgreen joked that
it would be amnesia. She discussed
how Americans like to forget
the past and focus on the future,
neglecting how past historical
events affect current ones. LSA
freshman Taylor Mitchell said she
sees this phenomenon of amnesia
in reference to U.S. history.
“I think from this speech my big
takeaway was just to acknowledge
that the United States of America
is a country that thrives from its
diversity, and it’s important to
acknowledge the history of this
country,” Mitchell said. “We don’t
like to go back to the hateful history
of this country but it’s important to
acknowledge that in order to strive
for a more progressive future.”
afford a tutor from a company
such as Campus Tutors may
feel stranded by the University
for not better publicizing the
financially-accessible resources
on campus.
One of these individuals is
LSA sophomore Abbigayl Burtis.
Burtis admitted while she felt a
private tutor could have helped
her overall performance in
certain courses, cost played a
role in her decision not to go
through with it.
“I lacked the time to meet
with a tutor, and it costs
money,” Burtis said. “I feel like
in both calculus and statistics,
I could have benefited at least
a bit from a tutor. Not as much
in calculus, since I was better
at that subject, but going over
the material with someone
who knew it well would have
improved my performance in
statistics.”
Burtis
also
acknowledged
while the University does have
tutoring
resources,
students
might not always know that
they are available.
“(The University) probably
(is) good about offering it,
but they are not so good at
advertising
it
continuously,”
she said. “I think I remember
them talking about it at the
beginning
of
the
semester.
However, that was not when I
would have benefited so I did
not pay attention. I think it
would be useful if they talked
about those opportunities more
throughout the semester.”
Business sophomore Lucas
Reynolds is both a University
student and private tutor for
Campus Tutors. Campus Tutors
seeks to offer a comprehensive
review
of
lecture
material
for courses such as calculus,
statistics,
chemistry
and
economics. During the reviews,
students are able to go over
concepts with a tutor and
receive
additional
practice
problems and exams. However,
the company charges around
about $60 per session.
Reynolds discussed his role
as a tutor at Campus Tutors.
Despite his work with Campus
Tutors,
Reynolds
does
not
serve as a representative for the
company.
“My job really is to lead the
kind of lecture style review
and answer any questions they
have, and design the packets,”
Reynolds said.
Reynolds also admitted even
though he believes that private
tutoring
does
offer
added
benefits for students’ academic
performance,
he
finds
the
University to have sufficient
resources, and has even made
use of them himself.
“I think the obvious answer is
yes, private tutoring does offer
an advantage,” Reynolds said.
“But I think the University’s
resources like the Math Lab and
the Science Learning Center for
statistics are really great. There
are free tutoring resources that
I know I utilized a lot even
when I took those classes.”
The SLC, which Reynolds
referenced, is a free resource
on campus that offers tutoring
and study groups for students
enrolled
in
natural
science
courses within LSA. Located
in the Chemistry Building, the
SLC has about 60 tutors on
staff every semester, and serves
around 3,000 students through
its
Peer-Led
Study
Group
Program. The SLC is currently
in its fourth year of its drop-in
tutoring program, and recently
developed
a
mentorship
program
to
help
students
pursuing STEM degrees at the
University.
SLC Director Joe Salvatore
said he saw the tutoring offered
through the SLC to be stronger
than that of a private company.
Salvatore also echoed Christine
Modey,
faculty
director
of
the Peer Writing Consultant
Program,
and
said
tutors
provided through University
resources like the Sweetland
Center for Writing or the SLC
are very well trained.
“I would say that I believe
that
the
tutoring
provided
by the SLC stands up to the
quality tutoring that you’d find
privately or in many of those
companies,” Salvatore said. “In
fact, I’d go as far as to say I think
that quality of our tutoring is
better than what you’d find in
the private sector. Part of that
is because we provide extensive
training for our tutors.”
In addition to the quality
of the tutors, the SLC ensures
they are up to date with
the
most
recent
research
regarding learning, and they
are establishing a welcoming
environment for all that come
to receive academic aid through
their dedication to the DEI
plan.
“We send our staff to national
conferences to learn about what
other universities and other
outstanding tutoring programs
are doing so that we can
bring those ideas back here,”
Salvatore said. “We are also
very committed to DEI, so we
do a really good job in training
our tutors on those issues.
We make sure that whoever
comes in to get tutoring in our
center is made to feel welcome
and supported and that the
knowledge that they have is
valued and the belief that they
can learn anything.”
Salvatore also commented
on the accessibility of tutoring
through the SLC. He said there
were usually tutors ready to
help students out.
“I would say that our services
are very accessible,” he said.
“Students can drop by and get
tutoring. Often times I’ll go into
the help room and there are just
tutors waiting there ready for
people to help.”
Another
free
tutoring
resource
offered
at
the
University is the Sweetland
Center
for
Writing,
which
seeks to help undergraduate
and graduate students with
improving their writing skills.
The Center currently has 50
tutors on staff and five locations
across both Central and North
Campus and an online presence.
The
Center’s
Peer
Writing
Consultant
Program,
which
pairs students with trained
tutors, has held about 3,600
appointments this past year.
Modey
said
the
benefits
of
utilizing
the
service,
instead of those of a private
tutoring company, included a
strong promotion of student
empowerment and well-trained
tutors.
“The things that we offer
are students who have been
well trained pedagogically in
a way that is effective and that
embodies
certain
principles
among which are: empowering
students to be in charge of their
own writing, helping them to
develop skills that will serve
them well in future academic
writing
and
future
writing
work,” Modey said.
Modey also pointed out since
the
peer
consultants
were
typically University students,
they are more familiar with
the way courses on campus
are taught — something that
may not be true of private
companies.
“I think that our consultants
are really well prepared because
they’re U-M writers, they’re not
somebody standing outside the
University saying, ‘This is what
it should look like,’” Modey
said. “They’re people who are
in the trenches with students,
and I think that peer-to-peer
connection can be particularly
powerful.”
However,
Burtis
further
elaborated on the advantages
of being able to afford private
help. She said while being able
to afford a tutor is beneficial,
it can also create disparities
between various income levels
and academic achievement.
“I think that private tutoring
is a great resource if you can
afford it,” Burtis said. “While
the advantage may just be slight
for some, it can be large for
others, so I do think that it does
give an advantage to those who
have the expendable money
to afford it over those who do
not. I think that differences
in personal and family income
make a lot of difference when
it comes to education, and
being able to afford additional
tutoring is a prime example of
how that happens.”
injuries such as electrical shocks, as
well as thermal burns.
“On an 82-degree day, a solar
panel can reach as high as 150 to 168
degrees and cause serious burns in
about one second,” Majer said.
While many residents argued
for the safety of the public, others
also expressed concern regarding
the aesthetic nature of the solar
structures themselves, saying these
accessories would compromise the
natural charm and beauty of Ann
Arbor.
City Council responded to the
public’s concern by amending
the
ordinance
to
prohibit
solar structures in front yards.
Councilmember
Jane
Lumm,
I-Ward 2, said she agreed with the
public in their concern regarding
the solar structures.
“I have received a lot of input
from residents overwhelmingly
in opposition,” Lumm said. “It is
important to indicate that in every
instance residents have said that
they are supporters of solar and
alternate energy sources. Their
objection is with allowing the solar
panels in front yards.”
Councilmember
Zachary
Ackerman, D-Ward 3, agreed with
public commenters, moving for an
amendment to the ordinance.
“I would rather council move in
a different direction,” Ackerman
said. “I fundamentally have
questions about solar structures in
front yards.”
Amid
discussions
regarding
solar energy solutions in Ann Arbor,
council members also moved to add
two new full-time employees to
positions within the Sustainability
and Innovation Office of the
Systems Planning Unit of the Public
Services Area. While the movement
to add two new employees passed,
several council members discussed
the negative impact this decision
could have on the budget. Lumm
expressed her concern the impact
adding more employees could have
on the budget process.
“I do not believe we should be
making budget decisions outside
of the budget process,” Lumm said.
“We are making two positions
permanent that were temporary,
which is a long-term financial
commitment.”
Lumm went on to state that
recent
employment
decisions
have added a heavy burden to the
general fund.
“Assuming this tonight passes
we will have added over 20 new city
staff in the last two years, which is
adding over $1 million of recurring
annual costs to the general fund,”
Lumm said.
Palestine not as a conflict, not as
an impasse, not as an argument,
but we should look at it as settler
colonization,” Salaita said. “Peace,
actual peace, peace that allows both
parties to live in dignity can never
be accomplished under a regime of
continued settler colonization.”
He also argued colonization in
the United States has not ended,
but instead has persisted in today’s
interactions between the United
States government and Native
Americans.
“The idea is that what happened
to those native nations was tragic,
or horrendous, but it exists in the
past and we must come to terms
with the realities of those horrors
last century or two centuries
ago,” Salaita said. “Well, native
communities, native nations, are
still around, are still alive, and they
are still practicing various forms of
decolonization.”
In comparing the two regions,
Salaita argued the issues in Israel
and Palestine today are similar to
the occupation of Native American
land in the United States. He
discussed
Zionist
leader
and
author Ze’ev Jabotinsky’s essay
“Iron Wall,” in which Jabotinsky
asserted the existence of Israel is
only possible if Palestine does not
exist.
“The
Zionist
movement
purports to replace one population
with another population and if you
don’t have the chest for that sort of
work then you don’t understand
the ideology correctly,” Salaita
said. “And what happened in the
United States is justified simply by
the fact that a superior civilization
replaced an inferior one.”
In an email interview, LSA
senior Kyla Klein, who attended
the
lecture,
wrote
Salaita’s
definition of Zionism simplified
the ideology and represented the
entire belief system as one specific
branch, which she did not see as
fair to the pro-Israel argument.
“He used Ze’ev Jabotinsky
to
describe
Zionism,
which
is actually only one strain of
Zionism, Revisionist Zionism,”
Klein
wrote.
“This
Zionism
is also the most hard-line and
conservative.
This
was
his
perspective for his argument
against Zionism. Regardless if
one supports Zionism or not,
Zionism is extremely complex and
multifaceted.”
Salaita concluded his talk by
defining his thoughts about what
Zionism is and then explaining
what it means to him to work
against it in the United States
today. To work against Zionism,
Salaita offered, is to work against
injustice everywhere.
“To me, Zionism is a belief,
whether it’s through a liberal or
a conservative paradigm, that
a Jewish majority state ought
to exist at the expense of those
who can lay claim to that land
historically,” Salaita said. “Anti-
Zionism is something that ought
to
transcend
Palestine.
Anti-
Zionism, when it’s done correctly
is concerned with the equality and
the well-being and the dignity of
all human beings, including the
Jewish people.”
LSA senior Andrea, who wishes
to remain anonymous due to safety
concerns, agreed with Salaita’s
points and said she could identify
with him.
“As a Palestinian student, I’ve
heard about Steven Salaita and I
can relate to some of the struggles
he’s been through, also as a
Palestinian activist,” Andrea said.
Klein wrote she found Salaita’s
depiction of Jewish people in the
book to be anti-Semitic, and his
answer to her question about some
of his wording disappointing. In
his book, Salaita describes Jewish
American students with the phrase
‘McMansions and shopping malls.’
“I will stand by the line insofar
as the fact that I am pointing to
the distinct class dynamic that
is in play vis-a-vis Palestinians,”
Salaita said in response to Klein’s
question.“This is a description of
college students that gets proffered
all the time.”
“This language implies that
Jews are rich and spoiled, a clear
connection to past descriptions,”
Klein
wrote.
“Sadly,
instead
of answering my question, he
focused on an easy target, which
was criticizing Taglit-Birthright.”
Though
back-and-forth
remained contained to a few
questions and answers during
Salaita’s session, two students also
spoke against Salaita’s appearance
on campus later Tuesday evening
at the CSG meeting.
Daily and CSG reps to my
knowledge were briefed on the
incident, I awaited a response
from you all,” Lawrence said.
“All I heard, all the Jewish
community
heard,
was
silence.”
Salaita’s lecture was part of
the 2018 Reverend Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr. Symposium
hosted by the Center for
Middle Eastern and North
African
Studies.
Lawrence
and other Jewish students
passed out flyers to audience
members prior to the lecture
detailing Salita’s 2014 tweets
that caused the University
of Illinois to deny his faculty
appointmentbecause of their
concerns of his anti-Semitic
tendencies. The flyers also
included a definition of anti-
Semitism
and
expressed
their concern with Salaita’s
endorsement
of
anti-
Semitism.
At
the
lecture,
Salaita acknowledged tweets
he sent in the midst of the
2014 Israeli-Gazan conflict at
the lecture and explained the
University of Illinois decision
was based on a malicious
interpretation of the tweet.
Lawrence urged the body
to
reflect
and
consider
action with anti-Semitism on
campus.
“Anti-Semitism
takes
many forms,” Lawrence said.
“It sometimes looks like a
swastika. Other times it looks
like someone using politically
correct language to discredit
my legitimacy as part of the
Jewish people. The inclusive
community we are trying to
build at this university will be
a complete failure if Jews are
left out.”
Following
Lawrence’s
speech, CSG Representative
Benjamin
Gerstein,
an
LSA freshman, echoed the
concerns of Lawrence while
speaking to CSG. Gerstein
quoted statements made by
Salaita at his lecture and
shared his concerns about the
content.
“Salaita
was
given
a
platform
by
faculty
and
repeated the age-old anti-
Semitic statement that world’s
problems are to be blamed on
the Jewish people,” Gerstein
said. “Further, Salaita has
described as Jewish lives as
McMansions
and
shopping
malls. Today, he refused to
walk back these comments
from his writing, a clear
connection to the anti-Semitic
rhetoric
used
during
and
before the Holocaust.”
Towards the end of the
meeting
LSA
sophomores
Haya Akbik and Isabel Baer
presented
their
resolution
to have CSG sponsor a visit
from Cherie Brown, a social
justice dialogue facilitator and
coalition builder. The purpose
of Brown’s visit would be to
help CSG learn how to better
engage in dialogue regarding
anti-Semitism
on
campus.
Students
involved
in
CSG
would be given priority to
the event, but Akbik and Baer
did suggest the possibility of
allowing
students
involved
in outside organizations to
attend.
“There
is
a
lot
of
misconception
about
what
anti-Semitism looks like in
the 21st century,” Baer said.
“It worries me when I see
swastikas
drawn
around
campus at places such as the
skate park, the rock, the MLB
and no one talks about it. As a
Jewish person on this campus,
anti-Semitism directly affects
me; however, it is confusing
and complicated and I think
this is an amazing opportunity
for us as student leaders to
learn about an issue that is
not only relevant globally and
nationally, but also right here
at the University of Michigan.”
The resolution is still being
reviewed by CSG and has not
been voted on yet.
The
meeting
concluded
with a vote on a resolution
originally
put
forth
last
semester
regarding
CSG
producing
a
statement
in
support
of
the
Lecturer’s
Employee Organization. The
resolution passed.
TUTORING
From Page 1A
AUTHOR
From Page 1A
Read more at MichiganDaily.com
SALAITA
From Page 1A
SOLAR
From Page 1A
IDENTITY
From Page 1A
Read more at MichiganDaily.com