Similarly, 
a 
report 
by 
the College of Engineering 
showed that across bachelor’s, 
master’s 
and 
doctoral 
programs at the University, 
women comprised less than 30 
percent of degree recipients in 
the 2016-2017 school year.
However, 
the 
professors’ 
study also shows that even 
though the applicant pool for 
IA positions averaged about 
16.5 percent female, women 
tended to score about nine 
percent higher than men. As a 
result, women filled 56 percent 
of the IA spots. 
According to James Juett, an 
author of the study and EECS 
lecturer, the professors did not 
take gender into account when 
hiring IAs for EECS courses. 
Juett said the department’s 
focus 
on 
alternative 
methods of evaluation, like 
interviews and video teaching 
demonstrations, was one factor 
that led to a more gender-
balanced class of IAs.
“We found that the staff 
that we hired were much more 
balanced in terms of gender 
than if we had hired based on 
GPA or previous grades the 
student earned in the course,” 
Juett said. “If you hire based 
on those metrics, then you 
end up with a gender balance 
on your staff which is pretty 
much exactly the same as the 
balance in the overall student 
population. 
So 
through 
a 
process that is not just based on 
numbers on paper but is based 
on people actually coming 
in for in-person interviews, 
submitting 
teaching 
demonstrations, et cetera, this 
leads to a more gender diverse 
staff.”
Amir Kamil, chief author of 
the study and EECS lecturer, 
said 
seeing 
diversity 
and 
representation in his classes 

as an undergraduate at the 
University 
of 
California, 
Berkeley made him feel more 
confident 
about 
pursuing 
computer science. He said 
although the University of 
Michigan professors involved 
in the hiring process did not 
intentionally create a cohort 
that was diverse in terms of 
race and gender, they naturally 
achieved a gender balance that 
may be beneficial for students 
who are wary of entering the 
field.
In the past few years, the 
University 
has 
taken 
steps 
to recruit more women to 
computer science in an effort 
to diversify the population 
of CS majors. In 2016, a team 
of doctoral students founded 
CS 
KickStart 
to 
introduce 
incoming 
freshman 
women 
to 
basic 
principles 
of 
CS. 
Beginning in fall 2018, the 
CS Department also ran a 
one-credit course, EECS 198: 
Discover 
Computer 
Science, 
aimed at freshman women 
with no formal experience 
in programming. Even with 
these programs, women remain 
a minority in almost all CS 
classes.
Nonetheless, 
Engineering 
senior 
Amy 
Baer, 
an 
instructional aide for EECS 
183, said she rarely experiences 
sexism or issues with professors 
or students in her classes at 
the University. Instead, Baer 
said there is a general sense of 
fear and intimidation that goes 
along with majoring in a field 
that is male-dominated.
“The intimidation factor of 
women moving on is a huge 
part of it, when women are so 
aware that they’re among the 
minority and are thinking, ‘Oh, 
I’m abnormal, I’m not supposed 
to be here,’ makes them not 
want to continue,” Baer said. 
“It’s a circular reasoning type of 
thing, where there are not a lot 
of women in computer science 
so some of the women joining 

computer science see that, and 
then not join computer science. 
I 
think 
that’s 
the 
biggest 
problem, it’s intimidation and 
not seeing that there are other 
women.”
Similarly, 
Engineering 
sophomore Bella Gribov noted 
how imposter syndrome, or 
the feeling that you have not 
fully 
earned 
your 
success, 
is 
common 
among 
women 
in CS and is something she 
occasionally struggles with as a 
woman and a CS major. Gribov 
said the professors and IAs in 
lower level CS classes discuss 

imposter syndrome in some of 
their first lectures to reassure 
students that they can succeed.
“I think that a lot of the time, 

I would think I wasn’t good 
enough because I’m a girl and I 
didn’t see a lot of girls around 
me, and not because of things 
other people said or did,” 
Gribov said. “... A lot of girls 
do drop out of the major just 
because they feel like, ‘There 
aren’t a lot of girls around me, 
this isn’t for me,’ when that’s 
not true.”
Juett 
acknowledged 
that 
his study did not explicitly 
address why women performed 
better 
in 
the 
application 
process. However, Juett said 
it is possible there was some 
degree of self-selection among 
applicants, meaning only the 
most qualified women in CS 
sent in applications for IA 
positions.
“We know that women tend 
to experience some barriers 
in computer science because 
of 
the 
culture 
that 
men 
don’t,” Juett said. “Studies 
have found that that can lead 
to 
lower 
confidence. 
One 
possible explanation is that 
the women who applied were 
those that were exceptionally 
qualified. 
That’s 
both 
encouraging, because we do 
have several qualified women 
candidates, 
and 
it’s 
also 
discouraging because if that’s 
the explanation, then it means 
that there are people who 
aren’t applying who should be 
applying.”
Baer, who has some say in 
the application process due to 
her position as an IA, said the 
study revealed how women 
are equally qualified to occupy 
IA positions even though they 
remain a minority in CS classes 
at the University.
“We 
can 
hire 
an 
equal 
amount of men and women 
and hire the best people still,” 
Baer said. “I think there’s this 
misconception that if you’re 
hiring more women, it means 
that 
you’re 
hiring 
worse 
candidates. I think the study 
shows that this is not true.”

The first activity, a budgeting 
simulation, had attendees disperse 
limited resources to various living 
categories such as housing and 
health care. The second activity, 
an 
online 
simulation 
called 
SPENT, prompted attendees to 
make day-by-day financial choices 
for a full month. Each day, a new 
scenario was presented, forcing 
participants to make difficult 
choices.
According 
to 
Vargas, 
the 
simulations 
allowed 
students 
to invest in their choices and 
experience the consequences or 
rewards of their actions while 
keeping their societal privilege in 
mind.
“The 
first 
simulation 
was 
straightforward, 
there 
wasn’t 
really any consequences that 

came with it, people were very 
idealistic,” Vargas said. “I think 
that happens when people are 
not really aware or in tune with 
those experiences so they don’t 
know the consequences that 
happen. The second simulation 
gave us more of that experience 
where we’re now facing the 
consequences 
and 
limitations 
that come with our actions and 
identities.”
LSA sophomore Camilla Cantu, 
a Chi Upsilon Sigma member, 
helped facilitate the discussion 
and said the simulations fostered 
self-realization through difficult 
decisions.
“I think it’s really hard to brush 
off our own privileges,” Cantu 
said. “But I think when people 
are forced into that mindset and 
forced into a perspective that 
shows them their daily privileges 
and lack of privileges from other 

people, they think, ‘Wow, this is 
actually kind of a struggle.’ I think 
the simulations and the game 
is kind of necessary for people 
to gain the perspective for the 
privileges they may or may not 
have.”
Engineering freshman Yanella 
Lopez said the event exposed her 
to different ways of thinking 
about her life and privilege.
“It was an interesting take 
on our daily lives and how 
we perceive certain events 
and situations we’re placed 
in,” Lopez said. “There’s a lot 
of things that, one, we don’t 
really think about, and two, 
we don’t really have a lot of 
control over, like what race 
or class we are born in, the 
amount of money we have and 
things of that nature. I really 
enjoyed talking about that and 
hearing other perspectives.”

Vargas 
said 
he 
hopes 
to 
continue 
similar 
conversations 
by 
hearing 
perspectives 
on 
privilege 
from other groups who come 
from a different social and 
economic background.
“I think in this room, we 
shared a lot of identities that 
are historically marginalized, 
disenfranchised,” 
Vargas 
said. “It was a very interesting 
space, because I am a student 
at the University, I am first 
gen, I can realize a lot of 
these privileges and I think 
it 
was 
a 
very 
important 
space to have where we can 
have these straightforward 
conversations 
about 
what 
are 
these 
privileges 
that 
come 
with 
socioeconomic 
status and intersectionality 
with gender and other social 
identities.”

One of the group’s constraints is 
they need Apple laptops in order for 
it to become an iOS app, which none 
of the group members currently 
have. In addition, they expressed 
they do not have the resources to 
spread awareness for the app if it 
does end up being developed, which 
is why they came to CSG.
“We know that one of our 
limitations is just our platform, 
and this is why we’re here to come 
present in front of CSG,” Toure said. 
“We know that CSG has the access 
to possibly send out emails to future 
freshmen that could be coming in, 
and we feel that this is the most 
effective way of getting this app 
across.”
CSG Treasurer Niccolo Beltramo, 
an LSA senior, questioned how the 
group plans on ensuring first-year 
students do not take advantage of 
the app and engage in inappropriate 
dialogue and activity. 
“My number one concern when 
thinking about a large-scale social 
networking app is what messaging 
is going to look like,” Beltramo said. 
“I was wondering if you had thought 
about what form content moderation 
might take on the platform if there is 
harassment or what have you?” 
In order to prevent this type of 
behavior from occurring, the group 
explained they could filter out 
certain vulgar words. In addition, 
they said they could develop a strike 
system, in which users’ accounts 
would be disabled after a certain 
number of reports by other users.
Later 
in 
the 
meeting, 
the 

assembly voted to adopt the Ethics 
Committee’s report on an ethics 
investigation involving Greene. The 
report found no evidence of unethical 
behavior on Green’s part. At the CSG 
meeting on Feb.12, Engineering 
junior Zeke Majeske, chair of the 
Executive Nominations Committee, 
brought up his concerns on the 
ethics behind Greene’s process for 
approving the position of chief of 
staff. Majeske pursued an ethics 
investigation against Greene. 
Concerns 
surrounded 
the 
executive 
branch’s 
varying 
interpretations of the word “may,” 
specifically in regard to the 
nominations process. 
After deliberation, the Ethics 
Committee ruled that at the time 
of the event, Greene proposed an 
interpretation of the word “may,” 
and, CSG Speaker Austin Glass, a 
Rackham student, did not object 
because he believed that doing 
so would, “irreparably damage 
the 
relationship 
between 
the 
Executives and the Assembly, 
given the partisan tensions and 
volatility present in CSG right 
after the election.” The committee 
also ruled that at the moment, the 
executive interpretation of the 
word “shall” meaning “may” was 
in the best interest of the situation 
at hand. 

Furthermore, 
Majeske 

brought up that Greene’s initial 
interpretation of the word should 
have set precedent for later the 
interpretations in the case of 
the approval of chief of staff. 

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
News
Wednesday, March 27, 2019 — 3A

ANIMALS
From Page 1A

PRIVILEGE
From Page 1A

“I think that a lot of 
the time, I would think 
I wasn’t good enough 
because I’m a girl and 
I didn’t see a lot of girls 
around me, and not 
because of things other 
people said or did... 
A lot of girls do drop 
out of the major just 
because they feel like, 
‘There aren’t a lot of girls 
around me, this isn’t for 
me,’ when that’s 
not true.”

EECS
From Page 1A

CSG
From Page 1A

AWARDS
From Page 1A

The 
Nominations 
Committee, 
which 
determined 
the 
award 
winners, is comprised of 
nine members of campus 
life professional staff and 
undergraduate 
students. 
Some 
representatives 
included 
individuals 
from 
MLEAD, Graduate Student 
Employees 
for 
Fraternity 
& Sorority Life, Housing, 
Recreational 
Sports 
and 
the 
Center 
for 
Campus 
Involvement.
LSA 
sophomore 
Evie 
Winter, 
Nominations 
Committee 
member 
for 
MDSLA and chief of staff of 
Central Student Government, 
said this ceremony aims to 
recognize individuals and 
groups on campus who are 
not typically acknowledged.
“I think that a lot of groups 
that are nominated and win 
tonight are student groups 
who make really meaningful 
impacts on campus but often 
don’t get the recognition for 
it,” Winter said.
Winter said groups like 
CSG are often more talked 
about campus, as opposed 
to other organizations on 
campus that also have impact 
on campus issues.
“For 
example, 
student 
government gets a lot of clout, 
but you know we’re really 
visible and some of these 
other 
organizations 
don’t 

necessarily have the same 
kind of name recognition 
on campus,” Winter said. “I 
think by recognizing a lot 
of these organizations and 
individuals it reinforces the 
idea that, you know, everyone 
has a place on this campus 
and a lot of people are doing 
good work even though it’s 
not often recognized the way 
it should be.”
University President Mark 
Schlissel 
and 
E. 
Royster 
Harper, 
vice 
president 
for student life, attended 
the 
event. 
Harper 
said 
the 
ceremony 
represents 
members of the University 
community supporting each 
other.
“Being 
a 
part 
of 
a 
strong 
community 
means 
celebrating and recognizing 
the 
accomplishments 
of 
others,” Harper said.
Harper said the awards are 
not about winning, but about 
recognizing the outstanding 
students 
working 
toward 
social 
change 
in 
the 
community.
“It’s an award ceremony, 
but really that’s not what 
this is all about. It’s about 
hard work, the prospect of 
creating positive change in 
the world.”
Harper 
acknowledged 
some 
individuals 
in 
the 
audience such as Meaghan 
Wheat, the recipient of the 
Social Change Award who 
worked with the Women’s 
Studies 
Department 
to 
create a new minor focused 

on social class and inequality 
that will be offered in the fall 
of 2019.
Public 
Health 
senior 
Amani Echols was awarded 
Senior of the Year. Echols 
is in the top 5 percent of 
her class in the School of 
Public Health, and program 
coordinator of Dial-a-Doula 
program, 
which 
connects 
women giving birth in the 
hospital to Doula services. In 
addition, she co-created and 
co-chaired the Health Equity 
High School Summit, which 
brings about 100 students to 
the Public Health School to 
teach about public health, 
and is on the Ginsberg Center 
Student Advisory Board for 
service and learning.
Echols said she usually 
doesn’t speak publicly about 
her work, and she appreciates 
receiving the recognition.
“The 
award 
means 
recognition for the work 
that I’m doing,” Echols said. 
“Because as people have 
mentioned, I don’t like to 
speak about what I’m doing. 
It’s not something I think 
about, it’s just I’m doing it 
because I’m passionate about 
it, it’s something that I want 
to do. So it’s nice that I have 
friends that are willing to 
nominate me and notice all 
the hours that I’m putting 
into 
my 
extracurriculars 
outside of school.”
The First Year Student of 
the Year Award was awarded 
to Aya Fattah, Sophomore of 
the Year Award went to Brett 

Zaslavsky, Junior of the Year 
Award was given to Olivia 
Livernois 
and 
Graduate 
Student of the Year was 
Kevin Lieberman.
Many 
organizations 
were 
acknowledged 
for 
international 
work. 
The 
student 
organization 
Blueprints for Pangea was 
awarded the Global Impact 
Award for their work to 
alleviate 
global 
health 
disparities by distributing 
unused 
medical 
supplies 
from U.S. hospitals to people 
in need overseas.
The 
LGBTQ 
Survivor 
Peer Led Support Group 
was given the Social Justice 
Award and The Dot Org won 
the Innovation or Research 
Award for their commitment 
to 
raising 
awareness 
of 
menstruation-based 
health 
disparities 
and 
providing 
people experiencing poverty 
with 
menstrual 
hygiene 
products.
Winter 
emphasized 
the 
award ceremony’s intention 
of honoring the work of 
those on campus who are 
underrecognized. 
“We 
just 
recognize 
there are a lot of student 
groups and individuals on 
campus who might not be 
recognized in other ways, so 
we just wanna take a night 
to really recognize their 
accomplishments and thank 
them for everything they’ve 
done for campus.”

“This is a description of 
multiple incidents of clear and 
unadulterated negligence that 
must be punished,” Budkie 
wrote. “The staff involved in 
these incidents should never be 
allowed to work with animals 
again.”
LSA 
freshman 
Josh 
Goettner works with mice 
in a lab at the North Campus 
Research 
Complex 
through 
the Undergraduate Research 
Opportunity 
Program. 
Goettner 
condemned 
the 
animal life negligence in these 
labs, but said he maintains 
his support of animal testing 
for its potential benefits in 
improving human care.
“I didn’t really know all 
this was going on in other 
labs,” Goettner said. “After 
finding out about the incident, 
I think that accidents that 
kill animals on such large 
scales should not be allowed 
to happen. However, I fully 
support animal testing just 
because I value human lives 
so much more. If all goes well, 
my research project will help 
tens of thousands of people 
with type 2 diabetes, and to me 
that’s worth some mice.”
LSA 
freshman 
Sydney 
Musser also works in a UROP 
lab in the Department of 
Human Genetics and said she 
had to go through extensive 
training consisting of online 
courses, 
in-person 
training 
classes and a tour of the mouse 
room in order to be authorized 
to work with the mice in her 
lab.
“This was a long process 
that I had to go through and 
I believe Michigan does a 
good job of making sure those 
wanting to work with mice 
or other animals in research 
are qualified,” Musser said. 
“I also learned about how 
much the animal husbandry 
monitors the animals and how 
communication between the 
animal husbandry and the lab is 
extremely important. Because 
of this, I can understand how 
mistakes 
could 
happen 
if 
there is a miscommunication 
between the animal husbandry 
and the laboratory staff. It 
is unfortunate that mistakes 
led to the deaths of so many 
animals.”
In an email to The Daily, 
University 
spokesman 
Rick 
Fitzgerald 
wrote 
the 
University took all necessary 
steps to self-report and correct 
these isolated incidents, and 
corrective action plans were 
put 
into 
place 
to 
prevent 
any similar incidents from 
occurring in the future.
“The University has many 
strong policies and controls in 
place to monitor all projects 
involving the use of animals,” 
Fitzgerald wrote. 

Fitzgerald 
wrote 
the 
University 
will 
continue 
to refine their practices to 
maintain their commitment to 
achieve and exceed national 
and professional standards in 
animal care and use.
“The University of Michigan 
recognizes that working with 
animals to advance human and 
animal health is a privilege that 
requires constant diligence and 
a commitment to the highest 
standards of animal welfare in 
all aspects of our research and 
teaching,” Fitzgerald wrote. 
“We deeply regret the loss of 
these animals, most of which 
were zebrafish.”
 
On The Daily: UM Dentistry 
School to provide free dental 
care to children aged 4-18
On March 30, the University 
of 
Michigan 
School 
of 
Dentistry will provide free 
dental care to children aged 4 
to 18. The annual event, Give 
Kids a Smile Day, seeks to help 
communities that may have 
trouble accessing dental care, 
such as those in low-income 
communities, those without 
health insurance and those 
with accessibility issues. The 
event will take place at the 
University’s Dentistry School 
on North University Avenue 
and aims to serve 80 families. 
Dental student Mary Claire 
Kiernan said the event is 
part of the American Dental 
Association Foundation’s “Give 
Kids a Smile” initiative. Forty 
people attended the event last 
year and just over 60 children 
are currently registered for 
this year’s event. 
Kiernan said dental decay is 
widespread among children, 
worsened 
by 
obstacles 
to 
dental care access. 
“Today, 
dental 
decay 
is 
the most common childhood 
disease in the US,” Kiernan 
wrote in an email interview 
with The Daily. “To further 
complicate 
this, 
there 
are 
many barriers to access to oral 
health care. Give Kids a Smile 
Day serves to provide our 
community with the services 
they need as well as offer 
education 
and 
preventative 
care 
in 
order 
to 
promote 
lifelong oral health.”
According to the Michigan 
State 
Oral 
Health 
Plan, 
Michigan has a percentage of 
children with excellent or very 
good health higher than the 
national average (76 percent 
compared 
to 
71 
percent). 
Still, 
the 
National 
Survey 
of Children’s Health said 12 
percent of young children and 
11 percent of adolescents did 
not go to the dentist’s office for 
a preventative visit during the 
past year. Additionally, Count 
Your Smiles, a basic screening 
survey, said that 55.9 percent 
of 
Michigan 
third 
graders 
experienced tooth decay in 
2010.

Read more at 
MichiganDaily.com