3 NEWS Thursday, June 21, 2018 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com AA water rates to increase Single-family units could pay more for water due to Council decision By RACHEL CUNNINGHAM Summer Daily News Editor On Monday, City Council decided to postpone proposed changes to zoning codes regard- ing University of Michigan Greek life until July 16. The proposal, if approved, would require new or expand- ing fraternities and sororities to maintain affiliation with the University in order to obtain a city permit. The ordinance would also set a maximum occupancy level for the Greek life houses. Ann Arbor resident Josh Winegas discouraged the coun- cil from approving the ordi- nance, saying it seemed unfair to Greek life homeowners. “I must urge you to vote no on this current proposal,” Winegas said. “You have heard numer- ous opinions suggesting why this proposal is unfair to the homeowners. I completely con- cur with these opinions and as a fraternity homeowner, I can attest that if we were prohibited from operating as a fraternity or sorority, we’d be forced to sell our house.” City Council also voted 7-4 to change water, sewer and storm- water rates throughout the city to better reflect usage. Stantec Consulting Services was hired to conduct a cost-of-service study for this proposal. The con- troversial proposal is intended to better reflect water usage throughout the city, specifically in single-family homes, while others say it unfairly increases rates for single-family users. Non-residential units would pay a flat rate for their water usage. Effective July 1, stormwater rates would also increase by 14 percent. The proposal is reve- nue-neutral for the city. Councilmember Zachary Ackerman, D-Ward 3, stated that a resident is not solely pay- ing for water, but paying for the infrastructure required to transport that water to the resi- dence. “I think I reject the prem- ise that a gallon of water is a gallon of water because you’re not necessarily paying for the water,” Ackerman said. “You are through your customer charges and piece of your per gallon rate but what you’re really paying for is the infrastructure to pay for that water. A gallon of milk is a gallon of milk but if a house- hold wants to buy 500 gallons of milk, you’re going to need a larger refrigerator and you have to pay for that larger refrig- erator. Similarly, if a household wants to use more water, they have to pay for that larger pipe and the bigger system to getting it there.” Craig Hupy, Ann Arbor pub- lic service area administra- tor, addressed misconceptions about the proposal by explain- ing that the city’s goal is not to seek new growth of the system. “Our policy is that develop- ment pays for development,” Hupy said. “We do not look for new growth and extension to come out of the ‘right’ dollars. This is to maintain the existing system and to pay for the exist- ing delivery of services.” Mayor Christopher Taylor supported the proposal, saying water usage varies by user and class and must be billed accord- ingly. “The different classes we serve have different costs of service, and this makes sense because it costs us more to pro- vide service to neighborhoods because they are less dense than it costs us to serve other users downtown because they are more dense,” Taylor said. The council voted 11-0 to allow vertical expansion for Espresso Royale on South Uni- versity Avenue and 10-1 regard- ing modifying parking tickets to $35 for an expired parking meter. City Council also voted 11-0 for a new question on the Nov. 6 ballot regarding a “Center of the City” urban park and civic center. This comes after a petition with over 5,000 signatures was filed following a previous rejection by the council to put it on the ballot. Schlissel responds to free speech lawsuit By GRACE KAY Summer Managing News Editor The University of Michigan claims free speech and the cam- pus atmosphere have been mis- characterized in their official response to the free speech law- suit. “Perhaps because Speech First itself has no connection with the University, however, the picture it paints of the University and its policies is a false caricature,” the statement reads. University President Mark Schlissel explains the U-M has been mischaracterized inas- much as not only has the Univer- sity’s vibrant atmosphere been entirely overlooked and misrep- resented, but the role of the Bias Response Team has also been completely misunderstood by the plaintiff. “Free speech is obviously incredibly important to the Uni- versity,” Schlissel said. “Actually, we can’t be a research univer- sity without putting a high value on free speech. You can’t learn unless people are free to express their opinions whether or not other people find them harmful, insulting, annoying, disagree- able — it’s critically important — so our policies don’t impede free speech.” In response to the lawsuit, the University has streamlined the definitions of “bullying” and “harassment” in the Statement of Student Rights and Responsi- bilities. Initially, the Statement included multiple definitions, with dictionary definitions alongside Michigan law defini- tions. However, on Monday the University eliminated the dic- tionary definitions. “The goal is to remove poten- tial ambiguity,” Schlissel said. “We’re changing the way we describe things, but we’re not changing the function of these groups.” Schlissel went on to explain that despite criticism from Speech First the University has several outlets for conservative students, referencing groups such as Young Americans for Freedom and College Repub- licans as well as the various conservative speakers like Ben Shapiro who have hosted events on campus over the past few years. In the official statement the University defends the campus atmosphere. “The university’s implementa- tion of its policies has been com- pletely faithful to this overriding commitment,” the statement reads. “And, in fact, the actu- al intellectual life on campus includes student groups, student publications, and outside speak- ers who are comfortable advo- cating and debating strongly held and sometimes controver- sial views across the full ideo- logical spectrum.” According to Schlissel, con- servative students at the Uni- versity feel uncomfortable with organizations like the Bias Response Team due to mounting societal tensions. “In general, and not just on college campuses but all across society we are becoming an increasingly politically fractured society,” Schlissel said. “People don’t feel comfortable talking to people they disagree with.” The Bias Tesponse Team is a way Schlissel believes the University can create a healthy learning environment. “We are responsible for mak- ing sure that students can express themselves freely regardless of the ideas they are express- ing but also we are responsible for establishing and maintain- ing an environment where all of our students feel as if they have equal ability to participate an environment that is inclusive and free of discrimination and I really very strongly believe that those things are not inconsis- tent with each other,” Schlissel said regarding finding a balance between protecting students and preserving free speech. Contrary to the way the Bias Response Team is represented in both Speech First’s and the Department of Justice’s state- ments, according to Schlissel, the Bias Response Team cannot investigate or punish students. Schlissel said a student cannot be punished for an act of bias in and of itself. The Bias Response Team acts solely as a support system to give advice to students, and only in extreme cases such as violence or vandalism the team reports the incidents to the Division of Public Safety and Security. Read more at MichiganDaily.com U-M president calls lawsuit a “mischaraterization” of campus policies Read more at MichiganDaily.com DARBY STIPE / DAILY