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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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