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Vol. CXXVII, No. 92
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STUDENT GOVERNMENT

Central 
Student 

Government 
released 
its 

2018 
internal 
demographic 

report Monday, with 52 of 68 
representatives responding to 
the survey. The report showed 
increased representation of 
minority students from last 
year.

CSG 
representative 
Efe 

Edevbie, a Kinesiology junior, 
said the survey aims to depict 
students representation within 
the student government. 

According to the report, 

61.54 percent of CSG is between 
the ages of 20 and 21. Over 38 
percent of CSG members are 
seniors, while 20.6 percent of 
total University of Michigan 
students are seniors.

In terms of sex, CSG was 

52 percent female and 48 
percent 
male, 
while 
the 

undergraduate student body is 
about 49 percent female and 51 
percent male. No respondents 
identified as transgender. Last 

year’s survey reported CSG 
was 58.1 percent male, 40.7 
percent female and 1.2 percent 
genderqueer.

The report also states 57.69 

percent of CSG representatives 
identify as white, 11.54 percent 
Black, 19.23 percent Asian, 5.77 
percent Middle Eastern and 
North African, 3.85 percent 
Latino, and 1.92 percent mixed 
race. No respondents identified 
as Native American. In last 
year’s report, 69.8 percent of 
CSG representatives identified 
as white, 7 percent Black, 9.3 
percent Asian, 8.1 percent 
mixed race and 0 percent 
Latino. MENAstudents were 
classified as “Other,” which 
constituted 4.7 percent. 

The 
general 
increase 

in 
diversity 
of 
elected 

representatives, Edevbie said, 
started with running more 
diverse candidates.

“Our candidates for last 

year were very diverse and 
really touched on a lot of 
parts on campus, both on a 
racial aspect and just overall 

CSG statistic 
report shows 
more diverse 
’18 assembly

Washtenaw County youth walk out 
of class in support of gun control

COURTESY OF ELIZABETH LAWRENCE/Daily

Washtenaw International High School sophomore Elizabeth Blackwell delivers her spoken-word poem at a student-organized gun control rally in Ypsilanti Wednes-
day. 

Internal demographics disply greater 
representation of gender, racial minorities

RACHEL CUNNINGHAM

Daily News Reporter

Between 400 and 600 attended the student-organized awareness rally in Ypsilanti

Amid cheers and shouts, 

Washtenaw International High 
School sophomore Elizabeth 
Blackwell 
delivered 
her 

spoken-word poem at a student-
organized gun control rally 
in Ypsilanti Wednesday. Her 
piece was written a day after 
the Parkland, Fla. shooting, 
titled “An Open Letter to my 
Congressman.”

“So don’t you dare exchange 

our learning for your lobbyists, 
our 
safety 
for 
your 
semi-

automatics, our dreams for 
donations,” 
Blackwell 
said. 

“Because pissed off teenagers 
that are so alive, and so in love 
in with living, will not let you 
to reduce us to thoughts and 
prayers –– to another statistic. 
Because we will be the tsunami 
that carries you out of office for 
good.” 

The rally was organized by 

Washtenaw Youth Initiative, 
an 
organization 
consisting 

primarily 
of 
high 
school 

students 
that 
formed 
in 

reaction to the Feb. 14 shooting 
at Marjory Stoneman Douglas 
High which left 17 dead. The 
Initiative’s platform consists of 
five main points: banning guns 
in schools, raising the legal 
age of purchase to 21, implicit 
bias training and psychological 
certification of police officers 
carrying guns, requiring a gun 
safety class before purchase 
and banning the sale of assault 
weapons.

Pioneer High School senior 

and Student Council President 

Emma Roth was one of the 
main organizers of the event 
and collaborated with students 
from other high schools such 
as Skyline, Lincoln and South 
Lyon. The students organized 
through social media to garner 
more support. Roth estimated 
the final turnout to be between 
400 and 600 people.

And 
they’re 
not 
alone. 

Wednesday, 
students 

nationwide walked out of their 
classrooms 
to 
pressure 
the 

government to enact stricter 

ELIZABETH LAWRENCE

Daily News Reporter

At the start of last year, 

the 
Kessler 
Presidential 

Scholars Program launched 
its two-year pilot expansion 
initiative 
with 
the 
hope 

of serving its recipients in 
a 
more 
holistic 
manner. 

The 
program 
is 
targeted 

toward individuals who have 
financial need, are among 
the first in their families to 
attend college, demonstrate 
leadership aptitude and have 
an 
interest 
in 
community 

service. The pilot is now 
halfway completed, and aims 
to continue developing its 
resources for students.

The expansion emphasized 

five main areas: intentional 
cohort 
recruitment, 

substantial financial support, 
unique 
programming 
and 

resources, 
community-

building 
through 
alumni 

outreach 
and 
systematic 

evaluation.

Program 
Director 
Gail 

Gibson 
explained 
the 

expansion 
was 
established 

to better meet the mission of 
ensuring students’ ability to 
thrive socially, academically 
and emotionally on campus.

“We’re 
really 
thinking 

through how we can extend 
our reach and help students 
thrive 
while 
they’re 
at 

Michigan, as well as when 
they leave here and go on to 
whatever comes next and 

what that looks like with 
scholarship support but also 
with wrap-around resources 
to fill in other kinds of gaps,” 
Gibson said.

Gibson further explained 

how of the many changes the 
program hopes to develop; 
the prioritization of first-
generation 
students 
— 

through 
intentional 
cohort 

recruitment — is one of the 
most important factors.

“One of the first changes, 

was 
to 
prioritize 
first-

generation students, which 
we define as students whose 
parents attended some college 
but who don’t have a four-
year 
bachelor’s 
degree,” 

Gibson 
said. 
“That 
focus 

on 
first-generation 
student 

distinguishes 
the 
program 

among scholarship programs 
at Michigan.”

Gibson 
also 
said 
the 

program 
was 
taking 

actionable steps to meet the 

goal by carefully selecting 
applicants based on their need 
and 
leadership 
inclination. 

According 
to 
the 
Kessler 

Presidential 
Scholars 
2017 

Annual Report, all scholars 
in the 2017 cohort were first-
generation. 

“We 
are 
doing 
really 

intentional 
recruitment 

of 
who 
comes 
into 
the 

scholarship program, which 
means 
going 
back 
after 

students are admitted to read 
The University of Michigan 

chapter of College Republicans 
hosted a panel titled “Women in 
Politics” Wednesday evening in 
the Michigan League to showcase 
strong conservative female leaders 
in the Republican Party. 

Four panelists spoke at the event: 

Linda Lee Tarver, president of the 
Republican 
Women 
Federation 

of 
Michigan; 
Andrea 
Fischer 

Newman, a University regent and 
former Delta Airlines lobbyist; 
Congressional 
candidate 
Lena 

Epstein; and campaign strategy 
consultant Dawn Dodge. 

Tarver monitored the event and 

began by stating only 1 percent 
of Americans fully participate in 
politics, which she attributes to 
the respectable level of the self-
confidence needed.

“While we have a lot of political 

activists in this room, only 1 percent 
participate in politics,” Tarver said. 
“It takes quite a bit of (intestinal 
feeling) and girth in order to get 
out and put your name out there 
and your face out there and voice 
what you truly believe in. It is not 
to be disrespected. It is not to be put 

Women in 
politics talk 
leadership, 
diversity

GOVERNMENT

College Republicans host 
event, discuss conservative 
views on representation

Kessler Scholar Program

new students 
enter the program 
each year 

35

of 2017 incoming
students were first 
generation

100%
1. Intentional cohort 
 recruitment
2. Substantial financial
 support
3. Unique programming 
 and resources
4. Community-building 
 through alumni outreach
5. Systematic evaluation 
 and research 

Expansion

172

Supports

students across 
all 4 years 

ALEXA DI LUCA/Daily

Kessler Presidential Scholars Program 
launches two-year expansion initiative

Program aims to provide support and resources to students leaders with financial need 

AMARA SHAIKH
Daily News Reporter

RACHEL CUNNINGHAM

Daily News Reporter

See KESSLER, Page 3

See PANEL, Page 2

See WALKOUT, Page 3
See CSG, Page 3

See NASSAR, Page 3

Wednesday 
evening, 
the 

Michigan State Senate approved 
bipartisan legislation to provide 
more resources and support 
to survivors of sexual assault 
and harassment with a vote 
of 28-7. The bills will now 
go to the Michigan House of 
Representatives.

Led by the victims of Larry 

Nassar, disgraced former U.S.A. 
Gymnastics 
and 
Michigan 

State 
University 
doctor, 
the 

legislation came in a package of 
bills that works to change how 
universities and state institutions 
respond 
to 
sexual 
assault 

reports. Under the legislation, 
penalties for possessing child 
pornography are increased to 
four years. The individuals 
legally required to report sexual 
abuse complaints also increased 
to 
include 
coaches, 
athletic 

trainers, 
physical 
therapists 

with a penalty of $1,000 for not 
reporting. In addition, the law 
clarifies 
government 
entities, 

universities and colleges do not 
have immunity from cases of 
sexual assault. 

MI Senate 
passes bills 
spurred by 
Nassar trial

GOVERNMENT

Package of bills passes 
in state Senate, increases 
statute of limitations 

JORDYN BAKER
Daily News Reporter