Abdul El-Sayed, Democratic
runner-up
in
the
Michigan
gubernatorial
primary
last
month, announced Monday the
launch of his new political action
committee, Southpaw Michigan.
Southpaw
Michigan
PAC
aims to continue the progressive
movement ignited by El-Sayed’s
campaign
for
governor
and
seeks to promote progressive
candidates in local Michigan
races. On its website, Southpaw
pledges support to six main
issues:
ethical
campaign
financing, universal health care,
environmental justice, full civil
rights and liberties, criminal
justice reform, and equity in
education. Southpaw Executive
Director Aarica Marsh, a 2016
graduate
of
the
University
of Michigan, said Southpaw
intends to spread the enthusiasm
produced
during
El-Sayed’s
gubernatorial run to down-ballot
races across the state.
“I think Abdul just wanted to
make sure we did something with
the momentum and volunteer
base we built on the campaign,”
Marsh said. “We had thousands
of people making calls, texting,
knocking doors … We want to
make sure we’re electing local
progressives, just because politics
really starts at the local level.”
The
United
States
detains more citizens in
prison than in any other
country in the world, as
well as more people under
correctional control than
any
given
moment
in
American history.
At
the
University
of
Michigan, a team of five
professors — Heather Ann
Thompson, Matt Lassiter,
Ruby Tapia, Ashley Lucas
and Amanda Alexander —
are working together to
combat mass incarceration
within academia.
Thompson,
a
Pulitzer
Prize
winner
and
professor of History and
Afroamerican and African
Studies, recently proposed
the creation of an center
devoted
to
researching
the carceral state. Besides
centralizing the academic
study of prisons across
units
and
schools,
the
professors
also
aim
to
make the research benefit
individuals serving time,
and potentially help them
obtain
an
associate’s
degree from the University.
“This center will be a
focal point for the study
of
the
carceral
study,”
Thompson said. “There are
people interested in this
subject in LSA, in the law
school, in social work, and
even in the medical school.
Michigan has an usually
rich environment in terms
of the scholars that are
working on this question.”
The
University
isn’t
the
first
institution
to
attempt such a project — a
number of elite colleges
run successful initiatives
disseminating educational
opportunities
to
incarcerated
individuals,
including
Bard
College,
University of California,
Los Angeles, and Harvard
University.
Bard,
for
example, has granted over
50,000 credits and almost
450 degrees since its pilot
programs in 2001.
Thompson
said
the
degree-granting
program
would
help
bring
the
University to the level of
those
other
institutions
and beyond. She hopes
to engage not only the
campus
community,
but
the
greater
Washtenaw
County area and even the
state of Michigan.
“Michigan is adjacent to
a number of cities — Flint,
Jackson
and
of
course
Detroit — that are hyper-
incarcerated,”
Thompson
said. “So, we feel as if there
An
increasing
percentage
of
University
of
Michigan
students are concerned about
climate change, according to
preliminary data from the 2017-
2018
Sustainability
Cultural
Indicators Program survey.
The SCIP survey has been sent
out to thousands of students, staff
and faculty annually since 2012,
though no data was collected
between 2015 to 2017.
The latest data suggests the
percentage of students who are
“extremely sure” climate change
is occurring rose to about 75
percent this past year, up almost
10 percent from 2015. The
percentage of students who think
climate change is very important
to them personally and those
who think it is caused mostly by
human activity also saw roughly
10-point increases from the last
SCIP survey.
The
figures
also
show
University students are more
likely to believe in climate change
than
other
students
across
the country. Yale University
conducted
a
similar
annual
michigandaily.com
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Thursday, September 27, 2018
ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-SEVEN YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM
El-Sayed to
launch new
PAC to spur
Dem action
Report gives ‘U’ a failing grade
in representation of Black students
Representation
Equity
Gender
Equity
Completion
Equity
Black Student-to-
Black Faculty Ratio
Proportion of Black
students at U-M: 4.4%
Proportion of Black 18-
24 year olds in MI: 17%
Gender makeup of
Black students:
58.8% women
41.2% men
Black graduation
rate: 78.4%
Overall graduation
rate: 90.5%
Black students: 1213
Black faculty: 184
GOVERNMENT
Southpaw Michigan will support six
central progressive campaign issues
JULIA FORD
Daily Staff Reporter
Study comparing public universities scores Michigan fifth lowest state in the country
In a report on racial equity
at public universities released
Tuesday
by
the
University
of Southern California, the
University of Michigan received
an F grade in representation of
Black students on campus.
While 17 percent of 18 to
24-year-olds in the state of
Michigan
are
Black,
Black
students constitute only 4.4
percent
of
the
University’s
undergraduate
student
population.
The
Black
graduation rate — for which the
University received a C grade —
is also 12.1 percent lower than
the overall completion rate.
ANDREW HIYAMA &
RIYAH BASHA
Daily News Editor &
Managing News Editor
See CONCERNED, Page 3A
Climate
has more
students
concerned
RESEARCH
Early data shows higher
rates of climate awareness
among University students
MAYA GOLDMAN
Daily News Editor
CARCERAL STUDIES CENTER
Interdisciplinary research
Resources and education for
incarcerated people
Enhanced connection between
incarcerated people and University
community
DESIGN BY JACK SILBERMAN
University faculty propose creation of
center to educate incarcerated people
Professors spearhead new unit to centralize research on prisons, grant degrees
SAM SMALL
Daily Staff Reporter
b-side
This week’s b-side examines
the artistry of hair and the
multifaceted ways people
can use it to express their
identity and heritage.
» Page 1B
See INCARCERATED, Page 3A
See FAILING, Page 2A
When
locals
approach
Ann Arbor YMCA, they may
see a swarm of what looks
like bats flying in the fall sky.
However, these are chimney
swifts,
a
protected
bird
species under the federal
Migratory Bird Treaty Act
that live in the old chimney
at 415 W. Washington St.
The
two-story
brick
industrial building, located
in
Ann
Arbor’s
historic
district, was created for the
Michigan Milling Company
in 1907 before becoming the
operations center for the
city’s Parks and Recreation
Department.
The
city
vacated the property in 2007
and currently uses it for
limited storage.
Since
City
Council
began publicly considering
demolition
of
the
deteriorating
building,
the
Washtenaw
Audubon
Society has been raising
awareness around the area
about the habitual migratory
spot for the birds, urging
See BIRD, Page 3A
Concern
grows for
migratory
bird nests
CITY
Washtenaw Audubon
Society fights to protect
home of chimney swifts
RACHEL CUNNINGHAM
Daily Staff Reporter
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podcast, The
Daily Weekly
INDEX
Vol. CXXVII, No. 144
©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
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