In late February, Kaplan
Test
Prep
released
their
annual law school admissions
officers survey, an analysis
that
attempts
to
measure
student interest in attending
law school. After years of
decline,
Kaplan
reported
an increase of over 4,000
applicants. The cause, they
reported, was the chaotic
state of the political climate.
In a survey of 121 different
law
schools,
encompassing
some of the top 50 in the
nation as ranked by U.S. News
and World Report, about 87
percent of those surveyed
reported the current U.S.
political climate was a critical
factor in their decision to
attend law school.
Anthony
Coloca,
Kaplan’s director of pre-law
programs,
was
confident
their
findings
were
more
than
circumstantial.
In
a
second survey of law school
students, 45 percent agreed
politics were a significant
component of their decision.
Furthermore, 57 percent said
they planned to use their
degree to advocate for public
policy
concerns
they
felt
strongly about.
Decorated
with
signature
Taiwanese
yellow
lanterns,
the East Hall atriums were
transformed
for
the
annual
Taste of Taiwan event Saturday.
Co-hosted by the Taiwanese
American Student Association,
Taiwanese Student Association
and Michigan Taiwanese Student
Associations, the event featured
a variety of Taiwanese food and
street games from the streets
of Taiwan’s famous Keelung
Miaokou Night Market.
Elton Lin, an Engineering
freshman who helped organize
the event, said the event aimed
to celebrate Taiwanese culture
as well as to bring different
Taiwanese student organizations
together.
“For us, I think it’s important
because this not only represents a
big part of our culture, we also had
the opportunity to work together
with other organizations,” Lin
said. “Even though we are all
related to Taiwanese culture, we
are still different organizations
on campus. It is good for us to
work together to show people our
culture.”
The events were divided into
three sections: food, games and
performance. The food selection
included braised pork rice, stir-
fried cabbage, three cup chicken,
fried rice vermicelli, salt pepper
chicken, winter melon grass jelly
tea and shaved ice.
LSA senior Jason Wong said
the food was a great starting
point to introduce people to a
different culture, accompanying
performances and art forms. He
said food can be an additional
incentive for more people to come
to cultural events on campus.
“I
have
seen
a
lot
of
performances this year already,”
Wong said. “They are all really
good,
but
having
delicious
and authentic food like this is
definitely a good incentive to get
more people.”
LSA junior Jeremy Yun also
thought the food was a huge part
of what made the event successful.
“The food is really good,” Yun
said. “I have never tried a lot of
these foods before, and it is really
interesting to see a lot of the
Taiwanese culture being soaked
into all these food stands.”
Alongside the food stands were
activity areas where participants
participated
in
traditional
activities often seen at Taiwanese
night markets such as ring toss,
can knockdown, chopstick skills
and bottle balancing.
LSA freshman David Sigler
tried many of the games and food
at the event and was happy with
his experience.
“There is a lot of food and they
are all pretty good, the games are
really interesting,” Sigler said. “It’s
also got a nice turnout and people
seem to be having a good time.”
Besides foods and games,
there was also a performance in
the East Hall Auditorium. The
performance started with a group
of dancers from K-Motion, an all-
female Korean pop dance group.
On Friday, the Ford School
of Public Policy hosted keynote
speaker
Rohit
Chopra,
a
commissioner
on
the
Federal
Trade Commission, to discuss
the vulnerability consumers face
when seeking a loan, as part of the
Consumer Protection in an Age of
Uncertainty conference. Chopra
was one speaker among a number
of other panelists, including the
previous day’s keynote speaker
Richard Cordray, former founding
director of the Consumer Financial
Protection Bureau.
Chopra was an assistant director
at the CFPB, where he served as
the organization’s first student loan
ombudsman — helping to establish
federal guidelines that dictate
policy and management of student
loans
and
for-profit
colleges.
He was confirmed as an FTC
commissioner with unanimous
support from the Senate in April
2018.
The talk was structured as a
conversation between Chopra and
Public Policy Dean Michael Barr,
who facilitated the discussion.
michigandaily.com
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Monday, March 25, 2019
ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-EIGHT YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM
Students,
faculty reflect
on political
climate, law
First Arab fraternity on campus
hosts show revealing pledge class
ACADEMICS
National Kaplan survey indicates current
politics influence interest in law school
SAMANTHA SMALL
Daily Staff Reporter
Omega Beta Eta to create a sense of community, provide mentors with common experiences
Friday night, the founding
line of Omega Beta Eta, the
University of Michigan’s first
Arab
fraternity,
revealed
their
pledge
class
with
a
performance
on
the
Diag.
Each of the 16 recruits, clad
in black robes with red-and-
black
keffiyehs
partially
covering their faces, introduced
themselves
to
a
cheering
crowd comprised of students
and other organizations in the
Multicultural Greek Council.
The event started at 8:34 pm,
which had a significance within
the fraternity.
OBH founder Jad Elharake,
an LSA alum who works at the
University of Michigan Medical
School in the Office for Health
Equity and Inclusion, noted
OBH was established to create a
sense of community among Arab
men that did not previously exist
at the University.
“A part of me always wished
that I had an older Arab male
mentor — one that not only
understood my background, but
lived it,” Elharake wrote in an
email interview with The Daily.
“A mentor that would guide me
in navigating a place that wasn’t
built for me.”
Banquet
raises funds
for Syrian
refugees
CAMPUS LIFE
Epsilon Alpha Sigma,
host of the event, also
recieved chapter charter
Annual Taste of Taiwan event features
cuisine, street games and performances
Gathering brings together various Taiwanese groups on campus, celebrates culture
JIALIN ZHANG
Daily Staff Reporter
Later, Gators
Michigan earns its fifth trip to
the Sweet Sixteen in the last
seven years with 64-49 victory
over Florida on Saturday.
» Page 2B
On Saturday, Epsilon Alpha
Sigma, the University of Michigan’s
first Arab sorority, and the Multi-
Ethnic Student Association held a
banquet to raise money for Syrian
refugees
through
Friends
of
Kayany, a non-profit that supports
education for Syrian children living
in Informal Tented Settlements in
Lebanon. EAS was also granted a
charter at the event, elevating them
from a colony to a chapter of the
national Arab sorority.
The event, titled “Remembering
the Refugees,” took place at the
Ross School of Business Blau
Colloquium and featured spoken
word
artist
Omar
Offendum,
Friends
of
Kayany
treasurer
Bandar Shawwaf and EAS founder
Rula Othman. About 140 students
and community members were
in attendance at the annual event.
The event has been running since
2012.
The sorority surpassed their
fundraising goal of $8,000 to raise
a total of $9,400 for Friends of
Kayany throughout the semester.
Ford hosts
conference
on finance
practices
GOVERNMENT
Rohit Chopra presents
ideas on dictating policy
for federal student loans
ARJUN THAKKAR
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. 93
©2019 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 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
S P O R T S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 B
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CARTER FOX/Daily
Korean pop dance group “K-Motion” performs at the Taste of Taiwan even in East Hall Saturday evening,
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ZAYNA SYED
Daily Staff Reporter
Read more at
MichiganDaily.com
MAX KUANG/Daily
The founding line of Omega Beta Eta, the Univerisyt of Michigan’s first Arab fraternity, gather on the Diag to reveal their pledge class with a performance Friday evening,
LIAT WEINSTEIN
Daily Staff Reporter
See FRATERNITY, Page 3