The duality of the First
Amendment as a powerful
political weapon for both
marginalized groups and their
oppressors presented itself as
a reality this past semester.
The
ongoing
negotiation
between the University of
Michigan administration and
white supremacist Richard
Spencer regarding Spencer’s
request
to
speak
at
the
University, as well as planned
University events in response
to the speech, has roused
divided opinions on campus.
While
the
University
has not reached an official
agreement with Spencer on
when and where he will speak,
University
President
Mark
Schlissel sent a statement
on Jan. 5 welcoming the
University community back to
campus and announcing the
administration’s commitment
to
providing
a
forum
to
discuss
the
challenge
of
balancing free speech while
maintaining
an
inclusive
community.
The Office of Diversity,
Equity
and
Inclusion
published
the
scheduled
programming on their website
for the series titled “Speech
and Inclusion: Recognizing
Conflict and Building Tools
for Engagement.” The events
Cities like Detroit and Flint
have two options: Crisis or
creative thinking. U.S. Rep.
Dan Kildee, D-Flint, and John
Gallagher, a business writer for
the Detroit Free Press, hope for
the latter.
Speaking to about 50 people
at the University of Michigan’s
School of Social Work Tuesday
night, Kildee and Gallagher
discussed civic revitalization
efforts in a lecture, titled “How
Place
Matters:
Perspectives
on
the
Future
of
Urban
Development in Detroit and
Flint.” The talk focused on
“shrinking cities,” metro areas
in the Northeast and Midwest
that were once industrial hubs
but now suffer from population
loss and economic decline.
“In the Michigan of the past,
you turn 18, you walk down the
street to the factory and you
have a job for life,” Gallagher
said. “That’s been gone for a long
time. There’s no one solution
like there used to be, where the
automotive industry solves all
our problems. Now you need
better education, better public
transit, better policy.”
Kildee,
a
Flint
native
who
represents
Michigan’s
5th
congressional
district,
recently founded The Future
of America’s Cities and Towns,
an initiative aimed at tackling
issues facing older, industrial
communities. He said it will
call for a national strategy to
address those issues.
“When I first got to Congress,
I thought if I really worked
hard, I would get maybe to be
one of the many voices working
on behalf of cities,” he said. “I
got there and I realized I was
at the front of the line. It really
was not a subject that was being
discussed much. That’s part of
the problem generally.”
Flint used to be known as the
birthplace of General Motors,
and boomed into a company
town where nearly everyone
was in some way connected
to the automotive industry. In
its heyday, Flint was known as
a hub for secure, good paying
jobs.
But after General Motors
moved plants and jobs overseas,
the city’s tax base fell. Many
blame GM for the city’s poverty
— poverty that has opened the
doors to issues like the Flint
water crisis. Kildee said Flint is
now forced to act as though it is
bankrupt.
Nearly three years after lead
contamination was discovered
in
Flint’s
water
supply
in
2014,
the
Environmental
Protection Agency announced
The University of Michigan’s
Central
Student
Government
convened Tuesday evening to
discuss proposals to ensure the
transparency of CSG, as well
as help to fund university-wide
career-building events for students.
The
meeting
concluded
with
the passing of three resolutions,
including the enactment of CSG’s
winter
2018
budget,
training
to
combat
modern-day
anti-
Semitism, and further revision of
the election code.
The assembly hosted a guest
speaker to promote increased
student voter participation and
turnout. Rackham student Alton
Worthington
in
the
Political
Science Department, introduced
members to Turn Up Turnout, a
student group that aims to teach
students at Michigan about the
importance of voting in midterm
and local elections. Worthington,
the secretary of Turn Up Turnout,
presented statistics to members,
including the fact that less than
half of students on campus vote in
local elections.
Worthington encouraged CSG
to partake in a four-phase plan that
michigandaily.com
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Wednesday, January 24, 2018
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INDEX
Vol. CXXVII, No. 61
©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
Students say
planned free
speech event
not enough
Snyder highlights job growth, talks
political unity during State of State
See SPEECH, Page 3A
ALEXIS RANKIN/Daily
Republican Gov. Rick Snyder gives his final State of the State address at the Michigan State Capitol in Lansing Tuesday.
COMMUNITY AFFAIRS
University must give Richard Spencer
date options for speech by end of January
SHANNON ORS
Daily Staff Reporter
Governor reflects on seven years in office in speech to joint legislative session
Gov. Rick Snyder delivered
his eighth and final State of the
State address to a joint session
of the Michigan legislature
Tuesday
night.
Prominent
members of the Michigan state
government, as well as scores of
bureaucrats, law enforcement
officials
and
journalists
attended the address.
The address was broadly
reflective of Snyder’s tenure
as governor as he focused
heavily on economic policy.
He noted the state economy
has grown since he took office
and highlighted job growth
as a particular strength for
the state. He credited tax cuts
enacted during his tenure for
business success statewide.
“We, as a government, don’t
create the jobs,” Snyder said.
“We create the environment for
success.”
Snyder
praised
several
lawmakers
and
government
officials
for
their
work
during the speech, including
Amarjeet
Sohi,
Canadian
Minister of Infrastructure and
Communities, who has worked
extensively with the Michigan
government on planning the
creation of the Gordie Howe
RILEY LANGEFELD
Daily Staff Reporter
See VOTE, Page 3A
CSG talks
increasing
voter turn
out in 2018
STUDENT GOVERNMENT
Executives launch
new campus housing
affordability guide
DANIELLE PASEKOFF
Daily Staff Reporter
BRIAN AUSTIN KOSASIH/Daily
Congressman Dan Kildee speaks about the progress of urban development in Detroit and Flint at the School of Social
Work Tuesday.
Detroit Congressman Dan Kildee talks
urban development in Flint and Detroit
Kildee said using economic models to fix urban areas does not put people first
Mondays, meatless
no more
Inside MDining’s quest for
sustainability, and the end
of Meatless Mondays.
» Page 1B
michigandaily.com
For more stories and coverage, visit
See URBAN, Page 3A
See STATE, Page 2A
University
of
Michigan
humanities
scholars
convened
Tuesday evening to analyze and
discuss the political implications
of professional football players
kneeling
during
the
national
anthem. The High Stakes Culture
lecture series of the Institute
for the Humanities and the
Humanities Collaboratory seeks
to bring new perspectives to
current cultural debates.
Angela Dillard, associate dean
for
undergraduate
education
and professor of Afroamerican
and African studies, hosted the
panel and worked to engage the
audience in a discussion of what
kneeling during a football game
truly means.
This has been a big topic of
conversation on both the national
stage and in the University and
Ann Arbor communities. In 2016,
professional football player Colin
Kaepernick made the decision to
kneel during the national anthem
at a football game to protest the
oppression of people of color and
issues of police brutality in their
communities. At the University,
See KNEELING, Page 3A
Panel talks
kneeling in
athletics as
patriotism
CAMPUS LIFE
The Highstakes Culture
Lecture series brings new
perspectives to debates
REMY FARKAS
Daily Staff Reporter
LEAH GRAHAM
Daily Staff Reporter
CARLY RYAN
Daily News Editor
statement
THE MICHIGAN DAILY | JANUARY 24, 2018