and Ethnicity requirement and 
emergency scholarships.

Currently, 
Black 
students 

make up just 4.4 percent of the 
University’s 
undergraduate 

population –– a statistic for 
which the University received 
an “F” grade in a report on 
racial 
equity 
published 
by 

the University of Southern 
California. 
In 
October, 

the 
Bentley 
Historical 

Library fulfilled one of BSU’s 
original demands by digitizing 
over 66,000 records from the 
Department of Afroamerican 
and African Studies, making 
them available to the public. 
Many students have criticized 
the 
University’s 
race 
and 

ethnicity requirement, which 
still does not apply to some 
schools like the College of 
Engineering, for watered down 
subject matter.

The display on the posting 

walls 
also 
included 
many 

historical events and dates 

of importance for the Black 
community at the University. 
Education 
senior 
Camyrea 

Barnes, secretary of BSU, said 
history is an important aspect 
of the event.

“I hope this event brings 

back remembrance and a sense 
of appreciation for the different 
protests and demonstrations 
that Black students have done 
on this campus to create a more 
equitable 
and 
comfortable 

(campus) for not just Black 
students but other students of 
color,” Barnes said.

McKinney also mentioned 

that the timing of this event 
is appropriate for reflection 
with the initiatives to promote 
student 
diversity, 
equity, 

and 
inclusion 
having 
been 

established for over two years 
now.

“It’s 
a 
great 
transition 
 

year for the University, going 
into year three of the DEI 
and Trotter building on State 
Street, we thought this was 
a perfect time to have some 
reflection to see where we 
should be going,” McKinney 

said.

McKinney 
added 
in 
her 

experience, the past five years 
have brought some positive 
changes in interactions with 
University. 

“In five years the University 

has 
become 
much 
more 

open 
to 
voices 
of 
Black 

students,” 
McKinney 
said. 

“I myself have gotten plenty 
of 
opportunities 
to 
sit 
 

down with the administration 
and voice what’s going on and 
be directly involved with the 
changes that are happening.”

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
News
Tuesday, November 20, 2018 — 3

Candidates 
running 
for 

representative 
positions 
in 

LSA 
Student 
Government 

gathered Monday night for 
a candidates’ forum to pitch 
their platforms in preparation 
for the elections on Nov. 26 
and 27. Prospective members 
discussed topics such as dining 
hall 
options, 
accessibility, 

diversity and student health.

LSA SG President Nathan 

Wilson, an LSA senior, said 
the forum gave candidates 
the opportunity to develop 
a platform early on in the 
election process that would 
guide their work should they 
be elected. Wilson noted how 
urging prospective members 
to set goals for the coming 
semester exposes them to the 
ideas and objectives of their 
fellow members, allowing for 
increased collaboration.

“(The candidates’ forum) 

really encourages the people 

running to think about what 
they’re going to be doing for 
the next year,” Wilson said. 
“If they end up winning, then 
they have this platform that 
they can look back on and 
really use that as a litmus test 
for what they should be doing 
and what they promised that 
they would do.”

During the forum, each of 

the 25 candidates spent three 
minutes presenting their plan 
for the coming semester before 
opening up to the audience for 
questions. LSA SG Appointed 
Representative 
Kaitlyn 

Colyer, an LSA freshman, said 
she hoped to tackle issues 
regarding financial aid and 
scholarships after receiving 
misinformation about the Go 
Blue Guarantee during her 
senior year of high school. 
Instituted in January 2018, 
the Go Blue Guarantee covers 
the full cost of tuition for 
Michigan 
residents 
with 

family incomes under $65,000 
a year.

“This year my theme is 

equity –– making sure all 
students have access to the 
resources on this campus,” 
Colyer said. “I was told by an 
admissions 
counselor 
that 

I would be guaranteed the 
Go Blue Guarantee and so I 
accepted my admissions offer 
as soon as I got the offer. 
Unfortunately, I am currently 
over $28,000 in debt. However, 
I know 30 students who are 
in the same boat and we are 
willing to make a change.”

Wilson said making the 

financial 
aid 
office 
more 

transparent, an issue touched 
upon by various candidates, is 
a major project LSA SG hopes 
to address because it would 
help alleviate the financial 
strain 
placed 
upon 
many 

students at the University.

“It’s part of the job of 

student government to hold 
the 
University 
accountable 

and make sure that those 
things 
actually 
happen,” 

Wilson said. “Having people 
that are aware of those issues 
heavily involved in student 

government, 
that’s 
really 

heartening for me.”

Candidates also frequently 

mentioned 
the 
difficult 

transition from high school to 
college in terms of academic 
rigor. 
LSA 
SG 
Elected 

Representative 
Jordan 

Schuler, an LSA sophomore, 
proposed opening a “general 
learning center” that would 
provide basic information to 
students 
about 
test-taking 

strategies 
and 
anxiety 

management. 
Schuler, 
who 

served as the vice chair of the 
Academic Affairs Committee 
for the past year, said the 
center would help bridge the 
gap between high school and 
University coursework.

“This is definitely a long-

term project and something 
that might not be done by 
the time that I graduate, but 
I know that it could benefit 
so many students,” Schuler 
said. “I think that it’s really 
important to put in all the 
effort I can that while I’m 
here.”

LSA student government candidates 
present platforms on campus issues 

Candidates discuss dining hall options, student accessibility and DEI plans

LIAT WEINSTEIN

Daily Staff Reporter

would have further committed the 
city to its climate action policies.

“I think it will be following 

through with their stance,” Basile 
said. “Right now, people assume that 
because Ann Arbor is progressive in 
so many other ways that we assume 
their sustainability goals and their 
climate action programs, but they 
actually haven’t done much in terms 
of implementing their goals.”

The 
resolution 
has 
been 

controversial because of how the 
money was acquired. In November 
2017, Ann Arbor residents voted to in 
favor of a millage that allocated funds 
towards mental health facilities and 
public safety, though Council has 
reconsidered millage funds to go 
toward things like affordable housing 
and climate action which were 
not initially included in the ballot 
proposal passed by voters.

Carman said she understands the 

controversy but feels climate action is 
already underfunded in the city.

“On the one hand, I recognize 

that it’s complicated,” Carman said. 
“The source of the controversy is 
not that money is being taken away 
from mental health. It’s that there’s 
people who believe there should be 
additional funding for mental health. 
My feeling is that it’s not being taken 
away from mental health. It’s adding 
money that can go to something else.”

Ann 
Arbor 
Resident 
Ryan 

Hughes, who was defeated by City 
Councilmember Jeff Hayner, D-Ward 
1 during the 2018 election, questioned 
how the city will fund climate action, 
affordable housing and pedestrian 
safety without the revenues to do so.

“If millage money isn’t how we 

think these things should be funded, 
then well how do you intend to (fund 
these)?” Hughes said.

City 
Councilmember 
Anne 

Bannister, D-Ward 1, and City 
Councilmember Jack Eaton, D-Ward 
4, sponsored a resolution to fund a 
pilot program for net zero energy 
affordable 
housing 
and 
electric 

vehicle chargers. The resolution 
failed 6-5.

Eaton said climate action should 

not be addressed by creating new 
government entities.

“I really believe that we have as 

our core value the desire to address 
climate change and that it should not 
be accomplished through setting up a 
new bureaucracy and pouring money 
into a new department,” Eaton said.

Ackerman said the resolution does 

not create new bureaucracy in the 
city, but rather shares the city’s values 
with city employees.

“This isn’t establishing another 

bureaucracy because it’s as simple as 
making sure every single department 
at this city hall share our values and 
live those values at their 9-5 every 
single day,” Ackerman said.

Basile believes Bannister and 

Eaton want to address climate 
action in specific ways rather than 
holistically.

“The responses from Eaton and 

Bannister (seem like) ‘We like the 
plan but we don’t like where the 
funding is coming from,” Basile said. 
“Now, they’re saying ‘We like the plan 
but we’re gonna decide what parts to 
fund instead of taking it as a whole 
way to address these promises that 
we made.’”

Smith said the time to take action is 

critical due to the time period humans 
have to address climate change before 
damage is irreversible.

“I 
understand 
where 

Councilmember Eaton is coming 
from by saying it’s not critical,” Smith 
said. “I look at the United Nations’ 
International 
Climate 
Change 

Organization paper that came out 
that we have 12 years to turn this 
around. That seems pretty damn 
critical to me.”

Ann 
Arbor 
Resident 
Brian 

Chambers 
supported 
both 

amendments 
to 
the 
budget, 

specifically due to natural disasters 
throughout the nation that could 
cause migration north.

“We’ve 
got 
a 
good 
climate 

generally,” Chambers said. “Now it’s 
like ‘everyone knows’ and they’re 
gonna move here. Our challenge to 
sustainability as it ties to affordable 
housing is that they’re tied together.”

Council also voted to purchase four 

automated side loading refuse trucks 
and postponed a vote to authorize a 
lower town area mobility study and 
appropriate street funding.

Councilmember Kathy Griswold, 

D-Ward 
2, 
quoted 
a 
previous 

Michigan Daily article regarding 
a blind student’s experience using 
the crosswalk at the intersection 
of E. Madison and State Street. 
Commenting on the mobility study, 
Griswold critiqued the Council for 
what she says is inadequate use of 
data and public guidelines.

“We don’t use the data we have,” 

Griswold said. “We don’t follow 
federal and state guidelines and it 
troubles me that we would do yet 
another plan when we do not have 
crosswalk design guidelines and we 
do not have safe crosswalks.”

COUNCIL
From Page 1

this case TV, maybe particular 
series, 
maybe 
particular 

representations, 
etc., 
so 

that writing becomes a way 
of discovering and joining 

conversations in meaningful 
ways, not just some practice of 
spitting out what they think a 
professor wants to hear.”

LSA sophomore Bhoomika 

Gupta said in her course, 
focusing 
on 
photography 

and writing, the differences 
between 
it 
and 
previous 

courses allow for an increased 
interest in the field.

“I 
think 
it 
provides 
a 

different lens to writing,” 
Gupta said. “Everyone in high 
school and middle school, we 
write the same, but with this, 
you get to see writing in a 
different way and you also get 
to explore an art form a lot of 
people haven’t worked with in 
high school.”

DANCE 100: Introduction 

to Dance (87 percent)

With 15 different sections 

this 
past 
semester, 
the 

Introduction to Dance course 
provides 
lessons 
on 
the 

technical and creative aspects 
of a variety of genres in dance. 
Though many sections were 
available last semester, each 
term offers a new variety of 
genres, decided on by current 
Graduate Student Instructors 

in 
the 
department, 

according to Katie Gunning, 
administrative 
assistant 
in 

the Department of Dance.

“The Intro to Dance classes 

change each semester and 
are based off of our graduate 
students and what they want 
to 
offer,” 
Gunning 
said. 

“We always have intro-level 
modern and ballet classes 
available, but all the time 
we’re getting new intro-level 
classes and it’s because of 
the graduate student cohort 
that we have and what they 
are interested in and want to 
bring to the department.”

LSA freshman Alex Beaty 

said the unique style of her 
Introduction to Dance class 
gives her a break from her 
academic schedule.

“I think it’s interesting 

because a lot of people in 
the class don’t have a dance 
background 
and 
it’s 
an 

experience getting to be in 
a dance class where it’s not 
super serious and not super 
rigorous in any way,” Beaty 
said. “You’re all just doing it 
for fun and it’s like a break 
from normal classes.”

ARTDES 125: Studio: 2D 

(82 percent)

This course allows for an 

elementary 
understanding 

of 
art 
and 
design 
for 

artists working in 2-D. The 
course also focuses on the 
study of visual perception 
with 
an 
understanding 

of the processes of visual 
communication.

SPANISH 101: Elementary 

Spanish (82 percent)

This 
elementary 
course 

offers an introduction to the 
Spanish language. In using 
listening, speaking, reading 
and writing, students gather 
a basic understanding of the 
Spanish language and culture.

EARTH 113: Planets and 

Moons (82 percent)

This course focuses on the 

geology of the solar system as 
well as exploring the advances 
in space exploration over the 
past decade. The course also 
looks at the development of 
thoughts and attitudes on the 
geology of our solar system.

BIOLOGY 
101: 
Energy, 

Food, & the Environment 
(81 percent)

This course focuses on 

the issue of energy, food 
and the environment and its 
implications on the well-being 
of the Earth. The course takes 
a biological and sociopolitical 
view to study current and 
historical issues regarding the 
state of our energy and food 
systems.

PSYCH 111: Introduction 

to Psychology (80 percent)

This course offers a basic 

understanding 
and 
theory 

of human behavior as an 
introduction to the field of 
psychology. Students in the 
course study different mental 
processes as well as history 
and theory in the field.

COMPLIT 100: Global X 

(80 percent)

This course focuses on the 

world impact of zombies in 
literature, 
graphic 
novels, 

movies and video games and 
how they can be applied to 
political theory and debates 
in public policies. Students 
focus on the implications of 
race, disease, power and more 
in this comparative literature 
course.

EECS 
183: 
Elementary 

Programming Concepts (79 
percent)

This course focuses on 

the basics of programming 
language. Students focus on 
various concepts such as flow 
of control, data structures 
and various algorithms as 
an introduction to computer 

science and programming.

ASTRO 127: Naked Eye 

Astronomy (79 percent)

This course focuses on 

the basics of the study of 
astronomy. Students analyze 
the sun, the moon. Stars, 
meteors 
and 
more 
while 

focusing 
on 
how 
these 

can be observed and their 
implication on the Earth.

ASTRO 107: The Dark Side 

of the Universe (79 percent)

This astronomy class offers 

a basis for aspects of the 
universe that cannot be seen. 
Studies include that of black 
holes, dark matter and dark 
energy. The course focuses 
on how these are studied and 
measured from Earth.

SOC 
102: 
Intro 
to 

Sociology: Special Topics 
(78 percent)

This course allows for an 

elementary study of sociology 
through 
various 
subjects 

that 
encompass 
real-world 

issues in the field. Students 
study various topics such as 
wealth and poverty as well 
as urban inequality and the 
implications of these issues.

SPACE 
101: 
Rocket 

Science (78 percent)

This course allows students 

to study the science of space 
and its exploration. These 
studies include a history of 
the exploration of space as 
well as the math and theory 
of how these processes were 
made possible.

-------
Introductory classes on the 

other end of the spectrum, 
wherein students expresses 
courses did not significantly 
increase their interest in the 
subject, 
mostly 
comprise 

general STEM classes. These 
courses include Physics 136, 
Math 115, Chem 125 or General 
Chemistry and Introduction 
to Research, or ALA 104. 

COURSES
From Page 1

included the Women’s Glee Club, 
which emphasized its 128 years of 
history and tradition as a female 
community 
at 
the 
University. 

Female Gayo, a female Korean pop 
group closed the show, celebrating 
Korean culture while challenging 
ideas of femininity and female 
empowerment around the world.

Other 
performances 
featured 

individuals, such as Maleny Crespo, 
whose spoken-word performance 
and dance was an expression of 
their queer identity as a person of 
color. Other spoken-word pieces 
related gender identity to religion 
and emphasized the importance 
of recognizing vulnerability in 
masculinity.

Engineering junior Malika Taka 

said she appreciated the show 
because she felt it was different 
from what she is usually exposed 
to. In particular, she said she liked 

a spoken-word performance that 
discussed the tension between 
masculinity and queerness.

“I really liked the performance 

where (the performer) was non-
binary and talked about how 
even though (they appear) very 
masculine, but it’s not exactly what it 
looks like all the time,” Taka said. “I 
thought that one left an impression.” 

For 
Coterillo, 
she 
said 
her 

involvement in the show was 
meaningful because of the diverse 
audience.

“It felt very exhilarating … 

Getting to talk about the many 
 

facets of gender to people of 
different ages, of different parts of 
 

Michigan, I saw different family 
members … It was an absolute 
pleasure to be a part of this event,” 
Coterillo said.

The 
event 
was 
funded 
by 

Community Action Social Change 
program, Arts at Michigan, LSA 
Residential College, LSA Global 
Scholars 
Program 
and 
Central 

Student Government.

SHIFT
From Page 1

BBUM
From Page 1

A lot of people 
in the class don’t 

have a dance 
background

I hope this event 

brings a sense 
of appreciation 
for the different 

protests...that Black 
students have done

THE MICHIGAN DAILY’S

GradeGuide

compare and explore course 
distributions across colleges at
gradeguide.com

