with The Daily, discussed actions
the University has taken to address
the incident. LSA sophomore
Corrina Lee suggested a workshop
for government representatives
to better understand race and
racism, especially with regards to
racism on campus.
“It’s being treated as an OSCR
(Office
of
Student
Conflict
Resolution)
violation
of
the
Student
Code
of
Conduct,”
Schlissel said. “I think the way it
will resolve is with some type of
restorative justice but that really
depends upon the people who
brought forward the complaint
and then the willingness of
the students themselves who
committed (this) really pretty
terrible
and
offensive
Snap,
whether they’re in a place where
they can learn from this and be
remediated.”
With regard to racist incidents
happening on campus in the past
year, Schlissel wants to focus on
having established structures for
investigation and punishment.
“My job is to make sure that
we have structures established
and the right set of rules to make
sure when bad events do happen,
we can investigate them, attempt
to figure out who’s responsible
and then, once we’ve done that,
find the appropriate punishment,
be it restorative justice or on the
other extreme, sanctions against
the people who are responsible,”
Schlissel said.
The LSA Student Government
has also recently discussed taking
action within LSA SG and on
campus to tackle bias incidents in
general, including the blackface
incident.
And yet, student employees
at Victors café have been left
feeling their voices are not being
heard after having been left
out of the loop with regard to
the investigation and Fokken’s
employment status. Employees
say Victors management has
done little to address the incident
and has not updated student
employees about whether or not
Fokken is still an employee. An
anonymous
Victors
employee
said they believed Fokken was
still
employed,
though
the
circumstances are unclear.
“We don’t know the status
of her employment,” the source
said. “However, all of us here
believe it sounds like she’s still
hired. The dining workers said
they can’t give an update on
her employment, but one of my
coworkers went down and told
them we don’t feel comfortable
with her working here.”
The source also said Fokken
sent an apology email to all
Victors staff through a work
portal, but said it came across as
insincere.
“She
issued
an
apology,”
the source said. “However, it
didn’t quite look sincere and it
made quite a few of us mad. It
seemed like someone told her to
apologize and basically wrote it
for her.”
Victors
manager
Gerry
Heiden declined to comment on
Fokken and the incident.
“It
honestly
feels
like
they’re brushing it off still,”
the anonymous source said.
“The process is slow in general,
but it feels like there’s no
consequences.
We
feel
like
there were no consequences
and she got away fairly easily,
however, we don’t know the final
outcome.”
Although
he
could
not
comment on specific details of
the case without permission from
Fokken, University spokesman
Rick Fitzgerald said in an email
interview BRT has been working
to address the incident and
extend assistance to students
affected by the Snapchat.
“In
this
instance,
the
Bias Response Team offered
support services to individuals
impacted by the Snapchat post
and to the specific individuals
who reported the post as a
bias
incident,”
Fitzgerald
wrote.
“Housing
Diversity
and
Inclusion
staff
reached
out to impacted residents at
Mosher Jordan Residence Hall.
In addition Michigan Dining
professional staff have been in
communication with impacted
student employees in Michigan
Dinning (sic).”
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
News
Friday, March 30, 2018 — 3
BIAS
From Page 1
CARTER FOX /Daily
Brandon Marshall, wide receiver for the New York Giants, discusses his experience with Borderline Personality Disorder at the Mental Health
Roundtable in Rackham Thursday evening.
ME NTAL HE ALTH ROUNDTABLE
for a building dedicated to the
sciences.
Alexander Winchell, a regent
and geology professor in the late
1800s, was found to have published
racist academic papers, maintaining
white people are physiologically
pre-dispositioned to be the superior
race.
In
the
document
from
University President Mark Schlissel
supporting Winchell’s name to
be removed from West Quad,
the Committee found his novel
“Preadamites: Or a Demonstration
of the Existence of Men Before
Adam” to be incredibly dangerous
and
utilized
today
by
white
supremacist groups.
“(Preadamites)
was
unambiguously racist and ‘out of
step with the University’s own
aspirations in those times as
well,’” Schlissel’s response read.
“According
to
the
committee,
portions of this book continue
to be used today to support
White
supremacist
views,
thereby amplifying the negative
contemporary effect of the Winchell
naming, especially on ‘the actual
building of communities’ that we
should aspire to in our residential
housing.”
Last
Monday,
Schlissel
announced he agreed with the
committee’s findings and asked the
board to remove the names from the
building and hall.
During his opening statements,
Schlissel urged the board to vote
yes on his proposals to rename the
buildings. However, he echoed
his sentiments from his interview
with The Daily last Monday, saying
further building name changes
should not be expected anytime
soon after these two.
“Under our review principles,
those who wish to change formally
designated names of spaces or
buildings carry a heavy burden to
justify the removal of a name and
that this should be a rare event,”
Schlissel said. “I believe that the
burden has been met in these two
instances.”
Schlissel then invited Terrence
McDonald,
the
chair
of
the
President’s Advisory Committee
on University History, to present
the
committee’s
findings
and
express
his
support
for
the
renaming. McDonald, a history
professor and the director of the
Bentley Historical Library, said
the committee operates on the
understanding that the decision to
name a building is a conscious one
and removing said name does not
eliminate the history from existing.
“We believe, first and foremost,
that we are all wedded to the
University’s past with all that is
uplifting and troubling within it and
we must understand and remember
it but we believe equally, second, that
historical memory and historical
commemoration are not the same
thing,” McDonald said. “Changing
the name of a space does not change
or erase our history. It revises a
previous decision to commemorate
something in that history.”
Prior to the vote, Public Policy
junior
Kevin
Sweitzer,
who
submitted the proposal to rename
Winchell House, spoke during
public comments on agenda-related
topics. He said this process of
submitting the request was worth
it to see another, more respectable
individual be honored with the
space in the future.
“At my time at the University,
I have grown a lot as a person and
when I learned that we still honor
Alexander Winchell, who is an
objectively wrong person in science
and philosophy, I was astounded
and it caused me to bring forward
the petition,” Sweitzer said. “This
University has taught me a lot and I
firmly believe the right decision will
be made today to vote to rename
the space in West Quad and honor
someone who is worthy of our
support moving forward.”
LSA senior Joshua Hasler, one
of the members of the group who
proposed the C.C. Little building
name change, also spoke and said
Little’s work with eugenics supports
causes such as the “alt-right” and
the white supremacist Richard
Spencer, whose ideology calls for
a “white ethno-state.” Hasler said
this cannot be an ideology the
University supports.
“Little was no tepid supporter of
American eugenics,” Hasler said.
“He believed it was an essential
part of human progress. It is
especially important to rename the
C.C. Little Science building now
given the renewed prominence of
xenophobic and eugenic policies
and ideas in American political
discourse … The University of
Michigan must demonstrate that
it does not celebrate the ideals of
White supremacy and eugenics
by commemorating the legacy of
this movement and its campus
geography.”
Regent
Andrea
Fischer
Newman, R, echoed Schlissel’s
and McDonald’s comments from
earlier, reiterating the difficulty
that should come with changing a
building’s name but acknowledging
the University should always work
to right their wrongs.
“Changing
historical
names
should be difficult,” Newman said.
“Doing the right thing, though,
shouldn’t be difficult.”
Newman
also
addressed
a
concern about University culture
before
voting,
mentioning
the
University
population’s
current
usage of C.C. Little’s name to
identify the Central Campus Transit
Center. She said she believed it was
important to “change the student
vernacular” in regard to the bus
stop as a part of the vote.
After hearing the opinion of
public
comment
speakers
and
Newman’s comments, the Board
of Regents voted unanimously
to remove the names from the
C.C. Little Science Building and
Winchell House.
Not even an hour after the
vote, the sign outside the former
C.C. Little Science Building read,
“1100 North University Building,”
a temporary name outlined in
Schlissel’s proposal. There is no
word on when or how new names
for the building and hall will be
selected but the conversations and
suggestions are sure to follow in the
coming weeks.
LEO Bargaining Efforts
Before the regents meeting
began,
LEO
organizers
and
supporters filled the Union to
show their support for the contract
bargaining efforts of University
lecturers.
LEO started conversations with
the administration for increased
salaries and benefits in October of
last year. Currently, the salary for a
full-time lecturer at the University
is $34,500 in Ann Arbor, $28,300
in Dearborn and $27,300 in Flint.
The administration had initially
responded to LEO’s demands with
a $1,000 increase to the starting
salary in 2019, a $750 increase
in 2020, a $500 increase in 2021
and a 1.5 percent annual raise for
Ann Arbor alone. LEO lecturers,
however, were unsatisfied with
the numbers, and referred to the
proposal as “insulting.”
Prior to the meeting, Philip
A. Christman, a lecturer in the
University’s English Department,
explained
the
administration’s
reluctance to meet the group’s
requests was frustrating because
they could meet LEO’s needs
without causing much financial
burden on the University.
“I think the word insulting is
most appropriate,” Christman said.
“It’s not like we haven’t given them
a ton of information. We hired a
guy to audit the University’s books
to show not only that we’re getting
a very, very small percentage of the
revenue that we generate for the
University but that the University
could easily meet our demands
without really breaking a sweat.”
Christman also addressed some
students’ concern about an increase
in lecturer salaries impacting the
amount of tuition. However, LEO’s
auditing efforts of University funds
shows students would not have to
pay more if their demands were
met.
“Students will ask me, with good
reason, ‘Can the University meet
your demands without raising
tuition on us?’” Christman said. “I
personally don’t want a raise if it
means another tuition hike, there’s
been enough, but that’s not what is
at stake, and we’ve shown that to
the University.”
As LEO lecturers come near their
contract expiration date on April
20, they have authorized a potential
vote for a strike if the administration
does not adequately respond to their
demands. Alex Elkins, LEO lecturer
and organizer, remarked that of the
54 percent of LEO membership who
responded to an online survey about
the decision to strike if needs were
not met, 78 percent of individuals
voted yes.
“Our membership are clearly
engaged
in
the
process
and
discontent with the current paces
and progress of negotiations and
are hoping to move forward with
walkouts should negotiations not
make any progress,” Elkins said.
However, while a strike is a
possibility, Christman admitted
he, along with other lecturers, did
not want the situation to result in
walkouts.
“(The
administration’s)
last
counteroffer on salary was just
insulting,” Christman said. “I think
the most important development is
that, and it’s a development none of
us are too happy about, but we have
been authorized by our membership
to call a strike if the University
doesn’t move significantly. We don’t
want to do that but the way is pretty
clear for us to do that if we have to.”
During the public comments
portion of the meeting, LEO
lecturers and supporters had an
opportunity to express their wishes
for increased wages to the board.
After Víctor Rodríguez-Pereira, a
lecturer in the Romance Languages
and
Literatures
Department,
outlined his three jobs as a full-
time lecturer, barista and tutor, he
expressed his frustration with his
current salary from the University.
“When someone greets me with
an enthusiastic ‘Go Blue’ I can
relate, I do go blue,” Rodríguez-
Pereira said. “I go blue when I
look at my paystubs, and I go blue
when I think about my first two
years here when I had to eat all of
my meals on the floor because I
couldn’t even afford a couch. I go
blue when I think of last summer,
when I lived under the impending
fear of eviction because I couldn’t
keep up with my rent, and before
anyone forgets, again, I work three
jobs.”
couple felt frustrated by the limited
treatment options available for their
daughter, further inspiring them to
aid the fight against cancer.
Their gift will focus on cultivating
elite scientists and elevating the
University’s science and medical
platform in six areas: cancer research
and technology, collaboration in the
cancer field, cutting-edge scientists,
scientific freedom, new researchers
and scholarship support.
“I call Michigan ‘Collaboration
U’ because so many different units
work together to solve problems,”
Rogel said in a statement in the
release. “We have the advantage of
97 graduate departments rated in
the top 10 in the country. Putting
all this brain power and excitement
together is going to help us find a
cure for cancer. It will make people’s
lives better, and that’s the most
important thing.”
Members of the Comprehensive
Cancer Center span 53 departments
and nine colleges of the University.
The center was ranked 12th in
the nation by US News and World
Report and is consistently in the
top 10 in research funding from the
National Cancer Institute, according
to the press release.
“The University of Michigan
takes
great
pride
in
our
commitment
to
research
and
education
focused
on
solving
humanity’s greatest challenges,”
University
President
Mark
Schlissel said in the press release.
“I deeply appreciate Richard and
Susan Rogel’s unwavering devotion
to this commitment. There has
never been greater potential for
fundamental discovery to lead
to
dramatic
improvements
in
the treatment of cancer. Their
wonderful gift will further elevate
the life-changing impact of our
cancer center while advancing the
amazing work of our faculty and
students and inspiring new hope
for millions of patients around the
globe.”
DONATION
From Page 1
Read more at
MichiganDaily.com
of white students. Though the
proportion of students from
underrepresented backgrounds
has reportedly lagged in these
programs, there has been a
noted 15 percent increase in
students
of
color
studying
abroad, with the University
ranking sixth in the largest
population of students who
study abroad.
Many
of
the
panelists
expressed
how
much
they
cherished
their
experiences
abroad, while still speaking
frankly about the challenges
they faced.
LSA
sophomore
Amira
Mandwee said studying abroad
was an opportunity for her to
discover the world and learn
about new cultures. Growing
up, her family didn’t possess
the means for travel, so she
jumped at the opportunity to
travel through the University
and
satisfy
her
childhood
yearning to explore.
“I’ve wanted to study abroad
since I was young since family
vacations weren’t a thing,”
Mandwee said. “I grew up first-
generation and being around
many other first-generations,
so I wanted to amplify those
experiences.”
Marcus Hall, a graduate
student in the Ford School of
Public Policy and the School
of
Information,
echoed
Mandwee’s sentiments, saying
while
he
didn’t
have
the
financial resources to travel,
he
was
constantly
around
different cultures, which only
drove his desire to go abroad.
“Coming
from
a
lower-
income background and first-
generation, I never thought
that going abroad was feasible,
but because I was always
surrounded by people who
came from many international
backgrounds, I always found
myself in international spaces,”
Hall said.
Though
many
of
the
panelists conveyed their initial
excitement of studying abroad,
and
how
their
experience
overall was incredibly positive
and
life-changing,
Business
senior Akshay Chhajed revealed
how specific racist instances
made him feel uncomfortable
while he was volunteering with
refugees in Greece.
“People
would
stare
dumbfounded, that I could
speak Greek (as someone of
South Asian descent),” Chhajed
said.
LSA
sophomore
Brandon
Bond
also
shared
similar
experiences
of
receiving
odd looks abroad but said
the culture he visited was
welcoming and interested in
his culture as well.
“In Barcelona, being Black
was more noticeable,” Bond
said. “I got weird stares. But in
Mexico, people were intrigued
by students of color, and were
interested in who we were.”
According to LSA sophomore
Nyla Hart, the panelists’ stories
resonated with her and served
to both ease anxiety about her
upcoming study abroad trip
and brought her attention to
issues she may encounter.
“As a person of color going
to study abroad, this was very
relevant and I wanted to hear
their experiences and know
what to prepare for,” Hart said.
“Peru has people of color, but
it’s a very conservative country.
I am worried about having
to articulate that I am Black
and American, but it will be a
teaching moment.”
LSA
sophomore
Jamaica
Jordan said the panel eased
some of her worries about
racism abroad.
“I was worried after hearing
their experiences with racism,
but after they talked about
their experiences some more,
I was back to feeling fine,”
Jordan said.
The talk ended with words
of encouragement for audience
members to find their own
study
abroad
programs
and
experiences.
Students
like
Social
Work
student
Lauren emphasized that even
though it may be difficult
in the beginning, it will be
worthwhile at the end.
REGENTS
From Page 1
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ABROAD
From Page 1
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