More
than
60
students
gathered
in
the
Michigan
League for the second-ever
Coming Out Speak Out, an
open-mic event for the LGBTQ+
community.
The event was hosted by
Stonewall
Democrats,
the
LGBTQ+
issue
committee
of College Democrats at the
University of Michigan. The
first Coming Out Speak Out was
hosted in 2017.
To begin, LSA senior Colleen
Grogan and LSA freshman Neil
Jain,
Stonewall
Democrats
co-chairs,
introduced
the
event, explaining it was a space
for members of the LGBTQ+
community to voice their story
and stand in solidarity with
those who have had different
coming-out
stories.
Grogan
and Jain emphasized there is
no generic coming-out story
and expressed coming out is a
lifelong process.
Many speakers spoke about
experiencing
confusion
and
guilt as they came to understand
their
identities.
Several
discussed doubts they faced
in feeling they had to conform
to expectations of gender and
sexuality in a heteronormative
society.
Others
spoke
of
believing they were straight
because they did not fit common
LGBTQ+ stereotypes.
In
sharing
their
coming
out
experiences,
some
described
positive
reactions
and expressed gratitude for
supportive
communities.
Others
recalled
negative
aspects, saying they were not
yet
comfortable
discussing
their sexuality with certain
family members and friends.
Some
voiced
they
received
skepticism, disbelief and denial
from family and friends. Several
expressed
suffering
mental
health issues such as depression
and
experiencing
suicidal
thoughts. Others shared they
faced verbal and physical abuse
from family and experienced
threats of being put in the foster
system and homelessness.
A few speakers highlighted
the importance of recognizing
the intersection of sexuality
and race, explaining individuals
belonging to LGBTQ+ and POC
communities experience higher
rates of mental illness and
violence.
Despite the triple wash process
all produce goes through before
serving, which includes a food-
safe rinse to kill bacteria and other
harmful pathogens in addition to
two more rinses with water, some
students have still reported finding
bugs in MDining salads at multiple
dining hall locations this year.
MDining serves about 25,000
meals a day and nearly 4 million
every year, according to Keith
Soster,
director
of
student
engagement, sustainability, training
and development for University of
Michigan Dining. He said with such
a large volume of service, incidents
like these do happen on occasion.
“I don’t know that we could
totally ever eliminate this kind of
situation,” Soster said. “But we do
everything we can to prevent it.
When they do happen, we want to
know so we can understand how an
object made it on a plate, and work
to limit future exposures.”
Nursing
sophomore
Maddie
Jones described two incidents
last year in which she discovered
undesirable items in her salad at
both Mary Markley and Mosher-
Jordan Dining halls.
“The first time when I found the
bug it was in Markley, and I made
my salad and it was all good, and I
started eating it and then I noticed
something in there that didn’t look
right,” Jones said. “So, I took it out,
and my roommate at the time was
like, ‘That’s definitely a bug,’ and I
was like, ‘That’s definitely a bug.’ So
I just took it out and threw it away.”
Jones did not submit any
complaint to MDining for the
first incident. Later that year, she
experienced a similar incident at
Mosher-Jordan, where she found a
piece of metal in her salad.
“But then I found another thing
in my salad at MoJo,” Jones said.
“I was eating my salad, and I was
chewing on my beet and something
crunched on my teeth and I was
like, ‘What is that?’ so I spit it out
and it was a chunk of metal so I was
like, ‘That’s not right.’”
Publishers Weekly named Literati
Bookstore its 2019 Bookstore of the
Year on March 28.
Literati
was
announced
in
February as one of five finalists
for
the
award,
which
honors
independent bookstores nominated
by those in the book industry. The
award will be presented to owners
Hilary and Michael Gustafson at
BookExpo on May 30 in New York
City.
Literati recently celebrated its six-
year anniversary of being in business
— it opened on March 31, 2013. Since
then, the independent bookstore has
made a name for itself with its public
typewriter, cafe and the number of
literary events it hosts.
Literati
co-owner
Hilary
Gustafson said the nomination and
award came as a surprise to the
relatively new business owners.
“We’ve only been a business
for six years, and typically the
Publishers Weekly Bookstore of
the Year is given to bookstores that
have been in the business a long
time, although some of the other
bookstores nominated were also
new,” Hilary Gustafson said.
michigandaily.com
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Friday, April 5, 2019
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INDEX
Vol. CXXVIII, No. 98
©2019 The Michigan Daily
N E WS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
O PI N I O N . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
CL A SSIFIEDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
S U D O K U . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
A R T S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
S P O R T S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
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For more stories and coverage, visit
CAMPUS LIFE
Maize & Blue
Cupboard to
offer produce
on daily basis
Organization services will include
toiletries, cookware and unused food
As the term of the Eighth Assembly
comes to a close, The Daily sat down
with the former Central Student
Government president, vice president
and communications director to
discuss their experience in CSG over
the 2018-19 school year.
This school year’s executive team
led CSG to pursue many different
initiatives, pieces of legislation and
events across campus.
MVision’s platform included more
meetings on North Campus and
monthly town hall meetings, making
the Sexual Assault Prevention and
Awareness Center more accessible,
and increasing minority identity
representation on campus and more.
The
administration
worked
to improve student health and
wellness through adjustments to
the MDining policies by listing all
of the ingredients in foods, as well
as placing EpiPens in each dining
hall and training employees on how
to properly use them. The team also
introduced CSG’s inaugural Mental
Health Awareness Week in March
which included a town hall, a Diag
day and the implementation of health
and wellness vending machines.
Outgoing
CSG execs
reflect on
experience
STUDENT GOVERNMENT
President, Vice President &
Communications Director
discuss accomplishments
PARNIA MAZHAR
Daily Staff Reporter
Students discover insects in food
served at several University dining halls
MDining faces complaints following findings of bugs in meals despite ‘triple wash’ policy
Bookstore
of the year
is awarded
to Literati
BUSINESS
Publisher’s Weekly to
bestow honor on Ann
Arbor literary business
ANGELINA LITTLE
Daily Staff Reporter
See INSECTS, Page 3
See SPEAKOUT, Page 3
See CUPBOARD, Page 3
Follow The Daily
on Instagram,
@michigandaily
Maize & Blue Cupboard
announced
Tuesday
that
they will be expanding their
operation
and
relocating
to a permanent space on
Central Campus. Following
this week’s soft opening, an
official unveiling of the new
location at Betsy Barbour
Residence Hall will occur
this upcoming fall.
Maize & Blue Cupboard,
an initiative of the Office
of the Vice President for
Student Life, began as a
student-run
organization.
The
organization
initially
hosted monthly distribution
days, offering produce and
groceries to students in need
and worked from the Trotter
Multicultural Center. After
Trotter began undergoing
construction, relocating to a
building right next to Betsy
Barbour, students working
at Maize & Blue Cupboard
moved to the basement of the
Michigan League.
The
expansion
of
the
organization and its adoption
through
the
Office
of
Student Life will allow for
the cupboard to distribute
daily instead of monthly,
Monday through Friday from
3 p.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturday
from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. In
addition to grocery items
and produce, the new Maize
& Blue Cupboard will also
offer
cookware,
toiletries
and
support
services
for
students. According to the
organization’s Maize Pages
website, their food options
for students are sourced
from local food bank Food
Gatherers and the Campus
Farm, and unused food is
then donated to Community
Action
Network
of
Washtenaw County.
Alex Bryan is the manager
of the U-M Sustainable Food
Program and a staff member
at Maize & Blue Cupboard.
DANIELLE PASEKOFF
Daily Staff Reporter
ANGELINA BREDE
Daily Staff Reporter
MICHELLE FAN /Daily
LGBTQ+ individuals share stories
of coming out at open-mic event
College Democrats committee hosts speak out encouraging solidarity, empowerment
ZACHARY GOLDSMITH/Daily
Co-Chair of the Stonewall Democrats, Colleen Grogan, opens up a safe space at the Coming Out Speak Out in the Michigan League Thursday evening.
CLAIRE HAO
Daily Staff Reporter
See LITERATI, Page 3
See CSG, Page 3