genuine 
passion 
allowed 

him to establish meaningful 
connections with those he 
encountered.

“He really cares about the 

people he works with,” Stout 
said. “He really wants to treat 
every 
donor 
with 
respect 

and integrity, but also holds 
the highest values of the 
University in check. He has an 
incredible memory for details. 
You can be in an event with 500 
people and he can walk over to 
somebody and remember what 
their children are up to and 
where they went to school … 
and it’s really amazing.”

In the future, May hopes 

the University continues to 
encourage students to pursue 
higher education and remain 

a leader in various disciplines.

“I 
hope 
the 
University 

of Michigan will always be 
a leader — that’s first and 
foremost — always be an 
academic leader, an athletic 
leader, a cultural and arts 
leader,” May said. “I hope we 
have people that come up with 
new innovations in science 
and technology. I hope we 
play a major role in helping 
to solve diseases or at least 
help patients manage chronic 
illness better. I hope we keep 
teaching students the joy of 
learning. Higher education is 
not just about a job, it should 
be about what you learn to add 
to the quality of your life.”

As for himself, May admitted 

while he wasn’t entirely ready 
to retire, he hopes to continue 
to help the University in 
different 
ways 
and 
looks 

forward to having more time 
for leisurely activities.

“I love what I do, truthfully 

I’m not really entirely ready 
to retire, but I’ve decided I’m 
going to retire because you 
can’t have it both ways,” May 
said. “I want more time for 
myself. I want more time to 
do fun things. I want to travel 
… but I hope I’ll always keep 
my hands in some kind of 
fundraising and helping the 
University as a volunteer or 
through consulting work.”

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
News
Thursday, April 5, 2018 — 3A

SWING INTO SPRING

CARTER FOX/Daily

The MSwing club dances at their last Swing event of the semester at the League Wednesday night. 

bargaining 
sessions 
with 

the University, lecturers say 
though progress has been made 
on some issues, the negotiations 
are “still a long way from what 
is required.”

“This is not enough given 

that salary is the number one 
issue,” Robinson said.

LEO 
represents 
nearly 

1,700 non-tenure track faculty 
members at U-M Ann Arbor, 
Flint and Dearborn campuses. 
Bargaining began last semester, 

as its current contract, which 
has a no strike clause, expires 
April 20.

The minimum starting salary 

for a lecturer in is $34,500 in 
Ann Arbor, $28,300 in Dearborn 
and $27,300 in Flint. LEO has 
asked that the minimum be 
raised to $60,000 in Ann Arbor 
and $56,000 in Dearborn and 
Flint. The University responded 
with an offer of $40,000 in Ann 
Arbor, $31,300 in Dearborn and 
$30,300 in Flint with gradual 
increases.

Following 
general 

membership meetings on all 
three campuses this week, a 

final meeting is planned for 
Sunday to review bargaining 
process up to that point. The 
Union 
Council, 
an 
eight-

member body comprised of 
elected leadership and campus 
chairs, 
will 
then 
decide 

whether or not to call a strike.

Robinson said there are three 

possibilities at this point.

“One outcome is that they 

bring in an offer in the next 
couple of days that we can say 
is just,” Robinson said. In that 
case, the union bargaining team 
would bring the proposal before 
members for a ratification vote 
and the walkout would be 

canceled.

If 
no 
such 
development 

is made, Robinson said, the 
“strike is inevitable.” However, 
a third option is available.

“If they don’t come to table 

with an adequate deal but it 
shows enough progress that 
we can call off the strike in 
good faith, then we will,” 
Robinson 
said. 
“We 
would 

call of the strike and continue 
bargaining.”

University 
spokesman 

Rick Fitzgerald said in an 
email administration remains 
“hopeful” a compromise will 
be reached before the union’s 

contract expires.

“A work stoppage or strike 

by LEO members has its biggest 
negative impact on students at 
a critical time near the end of 
the academic year,” Fitzgerald 
wrote. “The University believes 
strongly that the collective 
bargaining process is effective 
and there is no need for LEO to 
call for a strike.”

Under 
state 
law, 
teacher 

strikes and strikes by public 
employeesare illegal.

Robinson 
called 
the 

prohibition “unjust.”

“From time to time states 

pass unjust laws and this is one 

of them,” he said. “Sometimes 
we have a duty to violate unjust 
laws. We’re not going to stand 
for unjust laws that stop us 
from getting a just contract.”

Teachers recently instigated 

a statewide strike in West 
Virginia, where such action is 
also against the law.

Robinson also said he laid 

the blame for the strike on the 
University.

“If we do go out on Monday 

and Tuesday, I put that on 
them,” he said. “They need to 
come to the table and make 
right what has been wrong for 
so long.”

LEO
From Page 1A

access to a draft selection 
of 
kombucha, 
a 
fermented 

tea 
filled 
with 
probiotics. 

According to Handlesman, the 
kombucha will be available 
by the glass or customers 
can bring and fill their own 
containers.

Better 
Health 
Market 

and Café employs an on-site 
nutritionist and culinary staff, 
and 
will 
host 
community 

events and seminars focused 
on health and wellness.

“We’re close to customers 

and plugged into the local 
community, and we support 
a lot of local vendors where a 
lot of bigger chains don’t have 
the desire or drive to do that,” 
Handlesman said. “We try to 
provide education in our store 
and better everyone’s health by 
educating and offering superior 
products at a superior price.”

LSA junior Ainsley Belisle 

started going to Better Health 
four years ago after she had 
developed an allergy to gluten.

“For me, they’re really good 

about having lots of different 
options for allergies,” Belisle 
said. “They’re very nice; I 
remember we were at the store 
asking if they had something, 
and they were like ‘No, but 
we’ll order it.’”

When it comes to running an 

organic food store, competition 
is 
always 
a 
challenge. 

According 
to 
Handlesman, 

new 
competitors 
entering 

and exiting the market keeps 
owners on their toes.

“With Amazon buying Whole 

Foods, it’s becoming more of a 
mature business,” Handlesman 
said. “It’s a challenge that way, 
but we’ve been able to grow 
through it by taking good care 
of our customers and making 
sure they get a different value 
than they can get from anyone 
else.”

Better Health Market and 

Café offers a wide selection 
of organic produce. The store 
provides sugar-free, gluten-
free and dairy-free products, 
in addition to a wide range of 
vegetarian and vegan options.

LSA junior Jonathan George 

regularly grows fruits and 
vegetables in his spare time 
and enjoys having access to 
the freshest produce he can 
find. George believes students 
should try to buy fresh produce 
if they’re able.

“Well first, it’s healthier 

and it’s just more interesting,” 
George said. “People don’t 
realize just the variety of fruits 
and vegetables available to us 
at these stores. And it tastes 
better too.”

HEALTH
From Page 1A

We’re close to 
customers and 
plugged into the 
local community

May’s office is 
already $330 
million past its 
$4 billion goal.

neighborhoods the University 
of Michigan Student Advisory 
Council identified as lacking 
proper lighting in a 2017 report.

Councilmember Julie Grand, 

D-Ward 3, corroborated these 
findings and explains crime 
seems to concentrate around 
student neighborhoods.

“Lights 
certainly 
make 

people feel safer whether or 
not they’re actually related 
to crime,” Grand said. “I keep 
tabs on my ward where crime 
is highest and the student areas 
are definitely one of those. 
Through the Student Advisory 
Council and others, we are 
trying to work to increase 
street lighting.”

Former SAC Chair Jeremy 

Glick, an LSA senior, said he 
sees the concentration of crime 
in 
student 
neighborhoods 

not only as the result of poor 
lighting, but also a lack of 
education 
among 
students 

regarding safety.

“There definitely seems to 

be an uptick in crime in the 
Packard area,” Glick said. “This 
is a non-data based personal 
opinion, but there seem to 
be greater chances of attacks 
and assault. Students are a 
more vulnerable population. 
Adequate lighting helps with 
crime in any area, but greater 
things to focus on with home 
invasion would be to be educate 
students 
regarding 
proper 

practices.”

In response to the lack of 

lighting, a group of University 
students have created a petition 
to brighten the city’s streets. 
Titled “Bright Students Need 
Bright Lights,” the petition has 
gained 203 signatures thus far, 
and been posted in multiple 
University 
class 
Facebook 

groups.

The petition argues, “From 

a security point of view, light 
correlates with safety.”

One of the petition writers, 

LSA 
sophomore 
Jenna 

Jacobson, 
said 
insufficient 

street lighting affects Ann 
Arbor crime and a student’s 
day-to-day life.

“We are passionate about the 

lack of lighting in Ann Arbor, 
and are convinced that if there 
were better street lighting, 
there would be less crimes in 
Ann Arbor,” Jacobson wrote 
in an intervie with The Daily. 
“When going to study at night, 
students have to worry about 
how they are walking home 
and if they have friends to 
walk home with because of 
the poor lighting. I even have 
found myself walking home 
earlier than I wanted to from 
the library because of the 
poor lighting on campus. This 
has definitely impacted my 
studies.”

Poor lighting in Ann Arbor 

is not solely a student concern. 
Monday, the Ann Arbor City 
Council heard several residents 
express 
their 
concerns 

regarding pedestrian safety and 
street lights. Resident Kathy 
Griswold specifically argued 
for the safety of children at 
crosswalks.

“Will 
the 
2019 
budget 

include dollars for adequate 
illumination 
at 
all 
of 
our 

crosswalks given that we have 
new low-cost options with solar 
and LED?” Griswold asked.

Similarly, 
resident 
Eric 

Lipson 
expressed 
his 

frustration with the lack of 
lighting.

“No bureaucratic inertia is 

an excuse for losing a human 
life due to lack of public safety,” 
Lipson said.

According to Glick, the issue 

of street lighting seems to 
be a problem both off and on 
campus. 

“University grounds are not 

exempt from this problem,” 
Glick said. “For example on 
North Campus, when I have 
taken night classes on North 
Campus, I have noticed areas 
of darkness where the trees 
obscure the light.”

Though 
many 
citizens 

consider 
poor 
lighting 
to 

be the city’s responsibility, 
 

Grand said a partnership with 
the University could fix this 
problem.

“We continue to put more 

money into street lights in 
our budget and trying to find 
long-term sources of funding,” 
Grand said. “I would ideally 
love to see the University be 
a partner in how we fund our 
street lights, particularly the 
street lights that are in areas 
where students live. I don’t 
think it falls solely on the city. 
I would love to see this be a 
partnership between the city 
and the University, and I think 
students 
are 
an 
important 

voice in helping that process go 
forward.”

Jacobson 
and 
Glick 

both countered though the 
University could take a more 
active 
role 
in 
this 
issue, 

ultimately the problems falls 
heavily on the city.

“Legally, the lighting is the 

responsibility of the city and 
is a part of city maintenance,” 
Glick 
said. 
“Ethically, 
the 

governing 
bodies 
of 
the 

University take an integral role 
in the community.”

Looking forward, Glick says 

that he believes street lighting 
will continue to be an issue 
the SAC will seek to highlight, 
though it’s no longer a primary 
focus. Similarly, Grand says 
street lights will continue to be 
a priority for City Council.

The 
city 
has 
been 

continuously 
attempting 

to keep up with the safety 
concerns. In January 2017, 
the council voted to approve 
a$143,296 contract with OHM 
Advisers 
to 
take 
inventory 

of 
the 
city’s 
streetlights 

and determine the price for 
future repairs. Similarly, the 
city voted in 2015 to spend 
$200,000 on new streetlights 
for 
neighborhoods 
such 
as 

Hill Street, Oxford Road and 
Geddes Road.

Most recently, in a March 

12 budget meeting, Financial 
Services discussed increasing 
expenditures for street lighting, 
almost doubling the budget 
from $295,000 to $595,000. 
With this new budget, City 
Council could install about 30 
new streetlights a year.

OFF-CAMPUS
From Page 1A

VP
From Page 2A

management and policy professor 
and director of the Institute of 
Healthcare Policy and Innovation, 
illustrated his firsthand experience 
with patients and how they have 
benefitted from the increased 
access to care. He described 
patients who have gone five to 10 
years without care and are finally 
getting their chronic conditions 
treated. 
Despite 
its 
benefits, 

Ayanian also noted the rising prices 
of prescription drugs and how the 

ACA has not affected much change 
to slow the underlying cost growth.

“We have to come up with some 

better mechanism, particularly 
for paying for new breakthrough 
drugs that may benefit a small part 
of the population, but really can 
draw out control for public and 
private insurers,” Ayanian said.

In 
Nebraska, 
Cohn 
said, 

people receiving subsidies have 
little choice for coverage, and 
those above the subsidy line face 
prohibitive costs that force them 
into alternative health insurance 
options. 
These 
alternative 

options include Christian sharing 

ministries, which offer short-time 
care aimed to help between jobs. 
These loopholes are affordable 
but inefficient, and avoid federal 
insurance regulations the ACA was 
created to implement.

Wilensky 
explained 
citizens 

slightly above the poverty line 
get more subsidies than citizens 
with employer insurance, which 
she believes is unfair and leads to 
further instability.

“What can we do to try to 

stabilize these markets that will 
not be inherently unfair to the 
people right above them, or right 
beside them?” Wilensky asked.

Ayanian differentiated between 

health care and health insurance, 
explaining the ACA was aimed 
to reform health insurance, not 
health care. However, he stressed 
the importance of integrating 
health care and social services, 
arguing the U.S. is spending too 
much on health care services and 
not enough on social services to 
actually implement an increased 
access to health care.

“We’re not getting the value 

for the dollars we spend on health 
care,” Ayanian said.

Lantz asked the group what the 

one policy problem surrounding 

the ACA would they fix.

Ayanian 
again 
highlighted 

expanding 
Medicaid 
in 
the 

18 states that have not yet 
implemented the ACA, as it 
would help millions of people 
with chronic illnesses. Cohn 
and Wilensky focused on the 
inequities brought about by the 
subsidy distribution, and how 
it is arguably a root cause of the 
instability brought about by the 
ACA. Cohn specifically suggested 
making the subsidies bigger and 
more generous, while Wilensky 
suggested focusing on horizontal 
and vertical equity. 

At a Ford panel on the same 

topic last Februrary, students said 
they appreciated frank disucssion. 
LSA freshman Kieran Byrne said 
he wanted to cut through media 
portrayals 
of 
the 
healthcare 

debate. 

“I think it’s important that 

people have a good idea of 
what’s going on in terms of the 
legislation that’s going to happen 
and what laws are already doing 
for us,” he said. “I think a lot of 
news and information is very 
sensationalized and it’s important 
to hear from the people who 
actually have an impact.”

ACA
From Page 1A

