Mohamed 
Soumah, 
a 
University of Michigan custodian, 
is currently seeking refuge in 
the Ann Arbor Friends Meeting 
House to avoid deportation — he 
requires frequent dialysis due to 
a genetic kidney disease, and says 
he will die if deported.
Soumah has lived in the U.S. for 
15 years after immigrating from 
Guinea, and has been employed 
with no past criminal history. He 
was married to a U.S. citizen with 
whom he has two children, who 
are also both citizens. Following 
their divorce, which invalidated 
the 
protection 
granted 
by 

marrying 
a 
citizen, 
Soumah 
has applied and been approved 
annually for U.S. work visas.
In an interview with MLive, 
Soumah said Guinea lacks the 
necessary equipment and training 
to provide him with dialysis three 
times per week.
“If I get deported, I will die,” he 
told MLive. “My mom died from 
the same disease seven years ago.”
The condition Soumah has 
cannot be treated with medication 
and his only options are a kidney 
transplant or frequent dialysis, a 
retired University physician also 
told MLive.

For 
Public 
Policy 
senior 
Lauren 
Schandevel, 
creating 
a minorfocused on the study of 
socioeconomic class was a project 
that spanned her undergraduate 
career — it’s now finally coming 
to fruition. The proposed minor 
of class and inequality studies 
recently passed a faculty vote in 
the Women’s Studies Department 
and is awaiting approval from the 
LSA Curriculum Committee.
Schandevel 
first 
had 
the 
idea for an area of study on 
class during a discussion with 
Sociology Lecturer Dwight Lang 
three years ago. Since then, she 
has teamed up with students and 
faculty to draft the proposal. If 
the minor is approved, it would be 
the first study of social class at a 
university in the U.S., according to 
Schandevel.
“We did a lot of research when 
we were drafting the proposal 

Over 
111,700 
were 
in 
attendance 
this 
Saturday 
to watch the University of 
Michigan 
football 
team 
steamroll Penn State. Ben van 
der Pluijm, professor of Geology, 
is interested in a different kind of 
waves made at the Big House this 
year, though: he’s leading a new 
initiative called the Michigan 
Shake Project, recording and 
analyzing the seismic activity 
that results from crowd response 
at Michigan football games.

michigandaily.com
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Monday, November 5, 2018

ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-EIGHT YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM

‘U’ employee 
seeks refuge, 
fears death 
if deported

Survivors share stories at 33rd 
annual SAPAC Speak Out event

ANNIE KLUS/Daily
SAPAC hosts the 33rd annual Survivor Share and Speak Out event at the Michigan League Sunday evening.

CITY

Custodian from Guinea hiding in church 
to avoid deportation by ICE authorities

REMY FARKAS
Daily Staff Reporter

Participants note prevalence of on campus abuse, take stage to reclaim narratives

Fairy lights and supportive signs 

decorated the room as more than 
150 survivors and allies gathered 
at the 33rd annual Sexual Assault 
and Prevention Awareness Center 
Survivor Speak-out in the Michigan 

League Ballroom Sunday evening.
SAPAC 
provides 
free 
and 
confidential support to survivors 
of sexual assault and allies. SAPAC 
also holds trainings on bystander 

intervention, ally training and 
more.
RACHEL CUNNINGHAM
Daily Staff Reporter

Prof. talks 
Big House 
geological
movement

RESEARCH

Geologist van der Pluijm 
takes lead on Michigan 
Shake to collect new data 

MELANIE TAYLOR
For the Daily 

Summer 
Public Policy senior Lauren Schandevel 
has a discussion with LSA professor 
Dwight Lang that sparks her interest in 
the idea. She dicusses the idea with 
LSA senior Meaghan Wheat.

Sophomore year 
They send cold emails and meeting 

then-Women's Studies chair Rosario 
Ceballo second semester. 

First semester, junior year
A task force forms.

End of first semester 
Task force finishes.

Senior year (October) 
The proposal passes the faculty 
vote, with help from Abby Stewart.

LSA decision. The Women's Studies 
admin is working with Angela Dillard to 
create a presentation for the LSA 
Curriculum Committee.

2016 
2016/17 

2017 
2017 

2018 
2018

VIVIAN HARBER/Daily

Proposed minor on class and inequality 
awaits LSA vote after dept. approval

Seniors Lauren Schandevel and Meaghan Wheat look to see proposal through

ALEX HARRING 
Daily Staff Reporter

Researchers at the University 
of Michigan are involved in a new 
national collaborative effort aimed 
at understanding the problem of 
harmful algae blooms. While U-M 
researchers will focus on the algae 
blooms in Lake Erie, their research 
will apply to the other Great Lakes 
and freshwater sources around the 
world.
David Sherman, a Hans W. 
Vahlteich professor of medicinal 
chemistry, and Gregory Dick, an 
associate professor in the Earth 
and 
Environmental 
Sciences 

‘U’ research 
aids national 
initiative on 
algae blooms

RESEARCH

National collaborative 
project aims to broaden 
research on Great Lakes

CLAIRE HAO
Daily Staff Reporter

GOT A NEWS TIP?
Call 734-418-4115 or e-mail 
news@michigandaily.com and let us know.

INDEX
Vol. CXXVIII, No. 24
©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 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 B
michigandaily.com

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See SOCIAL CLASS, Page 2A

