allow students and faculty hear
each candidate’s position on
various issues and participate in
an open Q&A discussion.
The meeting began with
each of the five candidates
outlining
their
platforms.
Incumbent
Regents
Andrea
Fischer
Newman
(R)
and
Andrew Richner (R) spoke
with
challengers
Jordan
Acker (D), Paul Brown (D) and
Kevin Graves (Green Party) to
outline each of their respective
platforms. There are two open
seats on the board.
The candidates responded
to
questions
regarding
the
nature of academic freedom
at the University. Newman
said academic freedom is a
cornerstone of the University
and
should
be
treated
accordingly.
“It’s easy to say that the
entire
current
board
and
new
board
members
are
all
strong
supporters
of
academic
freedom.
I
think
it’s the linchpin of any great
institution and it’s certainly
made this institution great,”
Newman said. “I think that
academic freedom is the basis
of our institution and without
it, getting any sort of structure
of scriptures on something
would be inappropriate unless
it was something harmful being
taught.”
Another
question
referenced
the
problem
of
high and increasing tuition at
the University. Acker said the
problem
is
worsening
and
must be acted upon. Last June,
the regents voted to increase
in-state tuition by 2.9
percent and out-of-state
tuition by 3.9 percent.
“We can never be losing
middle class kids in the
state of Michigan to out-
of-state schools,” Acker
said. “That is the bread and
butter of this institution. I
think the facts speak for
themselves. We haven’t
gotten any closer.”
When asked about how
the board will handle
fostering a diverse student
body, Brown said the Board
of Regents must act to
increase student diversity
instead of assuming it will
increase on its own. The
diversity rates for the
2018
freshman
class
have increased marginally
since 2017.
“We have to achieve
(greater
diversity)
and
the numbers continue to
go down,” Brown said.
“Whether
that
means
hiring people who are
from a community to
live in the community,
to recruit and prepare
students
to
apply
to
the
University, whether it means
putting resources in place for
when those students arrive to
give them a safe place where
they can succeed. We have
to put our money where our
mouth is. There’s no easy
solution to a hard problem, but
there are solutions.”
When
discussing
the
relationship between the three
University campuses — Ann
Arbor, Dearborn and Flint —
Richner said the campuses
have to do a better job working
collectively.
“One thing we have to be
careful about is sharing state
appropriations because the state
considers the three campuses
as independent units,” Richner
said. “We’re running the risk
if we start sharing resources
that that’s going to impact our
state appropriations negatively
for this campus in particular,
but there are opportunities to
work collectively. We need to
do more cooperatively.”
The discussion soon shifted
into the recent reprimanding of
Cheney-Lippold for denying a
letter of recommendation for a
student wishing to study abroad
in Israel. The University froze
Cheney-Lippold’s
sabbatical
eligibility and credits for two
years as well as removed his
eligibility for a salary increase
for the 2018-2019 school year in
response to his actions. Board
members spoke of their opinion
on the actions of the University
and were met with further
questions and concerns from
the audience.
COLLEGE GAME DAY
Early
Tuesday
morning,
the Ann Arbor City Council
discussed one of its least
contentious
issues:
the
domestication of ducks.
City Councilmember Chuck
Warpehoski,
D-Ward
5,
sponsored an ordinance which
considers ducks with respect
to the city of Ann Arbor’s
current
policy
regarding
animals.
The
ordinance,
awaiting its final approval on
Nov. 8, would accept ducks as
animals that can be kept in
coops and properties in the
city, in addition to the existing
policy that allows chickens.
The current proposal allows
citizens to apply for a permit
for ownership of either up to
two or up to six birds, referring
solely to chickens for the time
being.
Foggy air and laser lights
went
practically
unnoticed
at the Office of Lesbian, Gay,
Bisexual,
and
Transgender
Affairs ‘Conceptions of Drag”
show held last night at the
Michigan League.
What
captured
a
crowd
of 175 were the ‘stars’ who
strutted their stuff through the
glamorous ambiance.
“Betner”, otherwise known
as Art and Design junior Ben
Fife, who was dressed in a long
black dress, dog collar and red
lipstick, got the crowd roaring.
Fife seduced the audience as
he lip-synced the sexy 40s-style
song, “It’s Silk.” Working his
way through the crowd, Fife
flirted with several women and
even invited one up on the stage
for a dance.
Fife said he had been looking
forward to the event all year.
“I think it’s really important
to have a setting where the
gender
can
be
playdough.
There’s a lot of pressure at the
University to assimilate one
way or the other. It’s important
to mock the gender assimilation
concept at large,” he said.
Haruna Madodo, a Music
junior
student,
organized
the event. “We’re basically
breaking
stereotypes
about
what gender is. That’s why we
called it ‘Conceptions of Drag’.
We usually expect drag queens
to be men dressed as women.
That’s society’s ‘norm’.”
The
gender
specificities
of the clothing were more
up
for
scrutinization
than
the
participants’
sexualities
Madodo said.
Art and design Jenny Boyer
drew many laughs with her
lip-synch rendition of “Father
Hard-On.”
Dressed as a Catholic priest,
Boyer slowly approached the
stage with her head bowed
down as eerie church bells
and organ music played in the
background.
Boyer raised her right hand
to the sky as two church-goers
approached and tried to seduce
her. Finally giving in, Boyer let
the two girls rip off her sacred
attire as funky club music
replaced the organs.
“I think that I did this
because there is a lot of
emphasis on gender roles” said
Boyer. “I think that gender is
pointless. We should all fuse
together as one gender. When
we look at each other, we
shouldn’t think of males and
females, but of humanity,” she
said.
Participants in the event
were
more
concerned
that
the
show
deflect
society’s
perception of gender roles than
make a statement about sexual
orientation.
Rackham
second-year
student Gary Brouhard dressed
in women’s clothing, but not in
the glamorous-queen image he
said society has fabricated. He
was dressed a school girl, clad
in knee highs and a plaid skirt.
Brouhard is not a member of
LGBT, but feels that clothing is
unfairly associated with gender
roles.
“I think that it shows that
gender roles are things we put
on, like clothings.”
Brouhard hopes that the
show encourages other students
at the University, regardless of
sexual preference, or just these
who want to be different, to just
“come out.”
2A — Wednesday, October 17, 2018
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
News
HANNAH SIEGEL/Daily
ESPN analyst Desmond Howard speaks to the crowd during the ESPN College Gameday in front of Rackham Auditorium Saturday morning.
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ON THE DAILY: ANN ARBOR’S BACKYARD DUCKS
STAND TO RECEIVE LEGAL STATUS
THIS WEEK IN HISTORY: LGBT PAGEANT EXPLORES GENDER NORMS
“We’re basically breaking stereotypes
about what gender. Thats why we
called it ‘Conceptions of Drag.’ We
usually expect drag queens to be men
dressed as women.
Thats society’s norm.”
Read more online at
michigandaily.com