T
he
University
of
Michigan
Board
of
Regents, a group of
eight state-elected members who
have general supervision of the
University and its endowment,
has two seats up for election this
Tuesday. Incumbent candidates
Regent Andrea Fischer Newman
(R) and Regent Andrew Richner
(R) face stiff competition from
Democratic candidates Jordan
Acker (D) and Paul Brown (D).
In the past, The Michigan Daily
Editorial Board and students
on campus have often called for
transparency from the Board of
Regents, and we are excited to
see that Acker and Brown both
pledge ethics and transparency
if they are elected. Along with
their concrete plans to increase
college affordability and the
fresh perspectives they can bring
to the board, The Michigan Daily
Editorial
Board
confidently
endorses Jordan Acker and Paul
Brown for the open positions on
the Board of Regents.
Acker stands out as the only
candidate to have graduated from
the University in the 21st century,
yet he still brings significant
experience to the job. With the
increasing
unaffordability
of
a University education being a
major issue for the regents, we
believe that Acker understands
the realities of how students
manage to pay for an education
in 2018 and will bring a necessary
perspective to the board. He has
channeled this perspective into
advocating specifically for a debt-
free education for all students,
representing the experience of
many of his classmates, who
he said graduated with a debt
burden unseen in previous
generations.
As a former White House
staffer and adviser to the
Secretary of Homeland Security,
Janet Napolitano, Acker is well-
versed on making decisions
that impact the lives of millions.
We are excited to see much of
the ingenuity he brings to his
platform, including a desire
to broaden the reach of the
University through extension
schools throughout the state.
He also is a strong advocate
for
increased
transparency,
co-authoring a 10-point plan
with
fellow
Democratic
candidate Paul Brown calling
for board meetings to be more
accessible to the public, rejecting
campaign donations from those
with
business
relationships
with the University and other
transparency reforms.
In addition to his work
on the 10-point plan, Paul
Brown also possesses an array
of
experience
that
makes
him a superb and qualified
candidate. As the only union
member running, we believe
Brown maintains a unique and
important perspective that could
be used as a regent. Brown is a
proud member of the Lecturers’
Employee Organization, a group
that has been influencing great
change within our University.
Brown has also served as a
collaborator for various public,
private, not-for-profit, for-profit,
start-up and public boards.
Through his positions, he has
not only gained experience,
but demonstrated his ability to
actually provide results. Brown
has a deep understanding of
private-public
financing,
and under President Obama
and the U.S. Department
of Treasury, he helped
implement the $1.5 billion
State
Small
Business
Credit Initiative, which has
helped create more than
240,000 jobs with no cost to
taxpayers.
We
are
eager
to
witness
Brown
impart
similar
creativity
and
diligence in the position
of regent. Brown’s focus is
on making the University
more affordable, but still an
economic powerhouse. He
is aware of its profitable and
influential reach, and plans to
increase accessibility through
decreasing tuition rates and
broadening its economic and
social impact throughout the
state. Brown hopes to implement
a bill similar to Texas, where any
student graduating in the top 10
percent of their class is assured
automatic admission to the
public universities in their state.
In addition, he wants to expand
the
University’s
Summer
Bridge Scholars Program in
order to increase and maintain
socioeconomic diversity within
the University. Finally, he is an
advocate for educational policy
change in the state, showing
his desire to use the position
as a mechanism for greater
change. For these reasons and
his pledge for transparency,
we endorse Paul Brown for the
position of regent.
Fischer Newman is one of
two incumbent regents, and
she has served on the board
for more than 20 years — first
elected in 1994, and re-elected
in 2002 and 2010. Fischer
Newman’s experience does
not fall short in the public
sector, as she has served as
the Special Counsel to the
Assistant Secretary of Defense
for Acquisition and Logistics
under President Ronald Reagan
as well as being appointed to
the Department of Education’s
National Advisory Committee
on Institutional Quality and
Integrity, among other high-
profile
positions.
However,
Fischer Newman’s experience
here
does
not
necessarily
imply
future
success
as
a
University
regent,
especially in an educational
climate
where
students
demand affordability and
transparency.
Opinion
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Friday, November 2, 2018
— 5A
Our generation has often been criticized for being vocal about issues yet failing to show up when
our voices can affect real change — at the polls. There is some truth to the matter, with 18.1 percent of
college students voting in the 2014 midterm election and University of Michigan students turning out at
an even lower rate. However, if we do exercise our civil liberty, young people have the power in numbers
to determine the election. As election day quickly approaches, The Michigan Daily Editorial Board
encourages students to carefully consider the candidates and issues on the ballot and go out and vote on
Nov. 6
Here are some things to keep in mind as you head to the polls:
* Polls are open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Nov. 6.
* There will be buses departing from Ingalls Mall and the Duderstadt Center lawn to take you to your
polling location.
* Lyft will also be providing free or discounted rides to the polls.
* Bring your ID! Mcards are acceptable forms of ID. If you forget your ID or do not have an acceptable
photo ID, you can still vote by signing an affidavit.
* If you are in line before the polls close, you have the right to cast a ballot.
* You can bring information — including The Michigan Daily’s endorsements — into the voting booth
with you.
For more information about voting, check out https://www.vote.org.
What to know for Election Day
W
ith term limits keeping
Gov. Rick Snyder from
running for a third
term, the people of Michigan have
a chance to choose a new direction
for the state’s top office. Candidates
Gretchen
Whitmer
and
Bill
Schuette provide starkly different
visions for the future of the state.
Whitmer, a former prosecutor and
state Senate minority leader has
committed to “fix the damn roads,”
while Schuette, the current state
Attorney General, has channeled
President Donald Trump with his
“It’s time to win again” slogan.
The Michigan Daily Editorial
Board strongly endorses Gretchen
Whitmer for governor of Michigan.
Whitmer has proven her dedication
to the state of Michigan through
her years of public service in local
government. During the debate
over whether to expand Medicaid
under the Affordable Care Act
in Michigan, Whitmer worked
across party lines to advocate
for increased health insurance
coverage for thousands of Michigan
residents. That sense of drive and
prioritization of Michigan unity
is what brought us, as an editorial
board, to conclude that she is the
best candidate to create change in
our diverse state.
As students, the issue of college
affordability is at the forefront
of our minds when considering
candidates.
While
Schuette’s
plans
for
college
affordability
have remained vague, Whitmer
has proposed to implement the
Michigan Opportunity Scholarship,
a program that would allow
Michigan students to have two
years of higher education schooling
completely debt free.
Additionally, as young voters,
Michigan’s public schools remain in
our minds. Schuette and Whitmer
strongly disagree, with Schuette
supporting charter schools and
the privatization of education,
much like Secretary of Education
Betsy DeVos. Whitmer has come
out in strong opposition of the
privatization of education. Whitmer
plans to improve the consistency of
school funding and create more
accountability for public schools.
We agree with Whitmer that this
plan is a better option to improve
education quality, accessibility and
equality in Michigan.
Whitmer’s also supports an
increase of the state minimum
wage to $15 an hour, showing her
dedication to the working class of
Michigan and her prioritization of
the standard of living of everyone
in Michigan. In stark contrast,
Schuette’s economic policy focuses
mainly on cutting taxes and vetoing
tax increases.
The most important issues
in this upcoming election are the
ones that affect the everyday lives
of all the Michiganders who have
been neglected under the current
administration: road infrastructure
and water availability. Whitmer
has committed to a comprehensive
and specific plan to improve road
conditions
through
registration
fees or gas tax increases. Schuette,
on the other hand, has not included
any specificity or detail in his
plan and doesn’t mention where
the money for any infrastructure
improvements will come from,
though he has firmly stated that
he will work to improve road
conditions.
Whitmer has also highlighted
the importance of clean drinking
water for all Michiganders, making
special mention of the topic in her
infrastructure plan. Schuette’s plan
includes few implementable policies
and is sparse on details, especially
concerning
from
a
candidate
currently part of the administration
that enabled the Flint water crisis.
We
are
also
concerned
about
Schuette’s
response
to
an endorsement by singer Ted
Nugent, who has made sexist and
anti-Semitic
comments
in
the
past.
Instead
of
distancing
himself from
Nugent,
Schuette
campaigned
with
him
and
welcomed
his
endorsement.
Schuette’s ties to Nugent are
worrying
when
considering
Michigan’s need for politicians who
are able to appeal to many audiences
and build communities.
Whitmer,
however,
is
a
uniter. She’s worked tirelessly to
expand access to Medicaid for
Michiganders, and has focused
her campaign on issues affecting
every resident: water, roads and
schools. Given her dedication to
the Michigan community and
impressively comprehensive policy
platform, The Michigan Daily
Editorial board believes Gretchen
Whitmer is best suited to lead
Michigan into the future.
I
n
the
upcoming
midterm
elections, The Michigan Daily
is endorsing Debbie Stabenow
for U.S. Senate and Debbie Dingell
for U.S. House of Representatives.
The Debbie duo has been working
tirelessly to take care of all their
citizens, from families, to students,
to immigrants, to workers. The two
have also worked to protect the
Michigan economy and what it has
been founded on: the Great Lakes.
Debbie Stabenow has been
a
Democratic
senator
since
2001, graduated from Michigan
State University and was the
first Michigan woman senator
elected. Debbie Stabenow is a
lifelong Michigan native, and her
top priorities are creating jobs in
Michigan by growing a diverse
economy, banning oil and gas
drilling in the Great Lakes, and
taking care of agricultural and rural
communities.
Stabenow
supports
the
Development, Relief, and Education
for Alien Minors Act, the Keep
Families
Together
Act,
and
comprehensive immigration reform
to make sure the federal immigration
system supports families, workers,
businesses
and
farmers.
She
considers health care a human
right and has been campaigning to
increase children’s health care
insurance, such as her Quality
Care for Moms and Babies
Act to improve maternity
and infant care. She strongly
believes full time jobs should
provide living wages and
is working to promote job
opportunities in skilled trades
and technical careers. As a native
Michigander, she recognizes how
important the Great Lakes are to
our economy and way of life. She
is committed to creating clean
energy jobs and reducing our
fossil fuel use. She has frequently
voted for stricter restrictions on
guns and is pro-choice. Stabenow
has consistently worked to make
the voting process, as well as the
government, as transparent
as possible.
Debbie
Dingell, a Democratic representative
for Michigan’s 12th congressional
district in the U.S. House, studied
at Georgetown University, and was
first elected in 2014. She has many
similar policy priorities to Stabenow.
Her top priorities include
ensuring every
American
has
health
insurance through her protection
of the Affordable Care Act, working
to reduce the cost of medicines,
strengthening
the
economy
by
supporting
manufacturing,
protecting the environment and
improving workers’ pensions.
Dingell is a strong advocate for
immigration reform, announcing
in a joint statement with Michigan
Reps. John Conyers Jr., Dan Kildee
and Brenda Lawrence, that we
are “a Nation of immigrants,”
and will support the DREAM
Act. An environmentalist and
activist, she relates economic
advancement to the importance
of all families having access to
clean air and water as well as
affordable housing, and — listen
up college students — affordable
higher education. She also believes
in raising the minimum wage,
another bonus. She is a huge
supporter of renewable energy and
is an opponent of Trump’s decision
to repeal the Clean Power Plan and
withdraw from the Paris Accords.
Like Stabenow, Dingell places great
emphasis on the importance of the
Great Lakes in our economy and has
detailed plans to protect these great
Michigan assets. She is pro-choice
and is endorsed by Emily’s List, an
organization dedicated to helping
pro-choice candidates run for office.
She is an advocate for government
transparency as well and constantly
works toward making elections free,
fair and non-discriminatory.
Stabenow and Dingell have
been taking care of Michiganders
and Americans for the past few
years, providing health care, jobs
and a stable economy to all their
constituents. Now it is our turn. We
must take care of our fellow students
and Michiganders and vote to keep
Debbie Stabenow and Debbie Dingell
in office. Students hold a powerful
role in the upcoming election. We
have the power to stand up for what
is right and turn this nation around,
but only if we vote responsibly. Vote
for the two Debbies in the midterms.
ENDORSEMENTS
Vote Whitmer for Governer
PHOTOS BY ALEXIS RANKIN AND KATELYN MULCAHY / DAILY
KATELYN MULCAHY /DAILY
ANNIE KLUS / DAILY
Read more at MichiganDaily.com
FROM THE DAILY
Vote Dingell, Stabenow
FROM THE DAILY
Vote Acker, Brown for Regents
FROM THE DAILY
BETSY STUBBS / DAILY