3
NEWS
Thursday, May 23, 2019
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
At a press conference
Thursday afternoon on the
University
of
Michigan-
Dearborn campus, a speaker
from the One University
Campaign — a coalition of
faculty and students from the
University’s three campuses
advocating equitable fund-
ing and resource allocation
across the entire University
system — said the group has
had sit-down meetings with
six out of the eight Univer-
sity regents, at which those
regents expressed support
for the coalition’s platform.
The press conference came
two hours ahead of a Board
of Regents meeting, where a
slate of 1U members would
speak during the public com-
ment portion.
Abdul El-Sayed, Univer-
sity alum and former guber-
natorial candidate, said at
the press conference the
University should adopt 1U’s
demands to better align with
its goals of equitability and
expanding academic oppor-
tunity.
“I’m here today because I
love the University of Michi-
gan, and because I recognize
the University of Michigan
is not just one campus,” El-
Sayed said. “This was always
intended to be a University
that provided an ‘uncommon
education for the common
individual.’ It had, baked in
its core, a mission of equity,
a mission of access to educa-
tional opportunities.”
El-Sayed said the Univer-
sity “leverages” its resources
toward Ann Arbor students
by spending approximately
$54,000 per Ann Arbor
student each year, but only
$18,000 and $15,000 at Flint
and Dearborn, respectively.
He also said this is a gov-
ernmental issue because the
state allocates about half
as much to Flint and Dear-
born per student than in
Ann Arbor. El-Sayed said he
is proud to lend his voice to
1U’s push for a more equita-
ble University.
This conference comes
one day after 12 state law-
makers — including state
Sen. Jeff Irwin and state
Reps. Yousef Rabhi and
Rebekah Warren, all Demo-
crats representing the Ann
Arbor area — signed an
op-ed in the Detroit Free
Press
supporting
“equi-
table” funding across the
three campuses. The writ-
ers referenced many statis-
tics that lay the foundation
for 1U’s platform, which
is fundamentally against
unequal
funding
alloca-
tions from the state for the
three campuses and a “silo
system” used by University
administration for distrib-
uting resources.
Austin
Ogle,
a
U-M
Flint student and 1U steer-
ing
committee
member,
said his campus has many
infrastructure issues, like
broken handicap buttons.
He also said medical and
legal services available in
Ann Arbor are not avail-
able in Flint and Dearborn.
1U: six regents
have ‘shown
support’ for
new platform
The University of Michigan
Board of Regents convened
in Dearborn, Mich. Thursday
afternoon for the third meeting
of the calendar year. University
President Mark Schlissel began
the meeting with his address to
the regents.
Schlissel said a new train-
ing to prevent sexual and
gender-based misconduct for
all faculty and staff across the
three campuses and Michigan
Medicine is being rolled out
next week.
“Preventing all forms of sex-
ual and gender-based miscon-
duct remains a top priority for
the University of Michigan,”
Schlissel said. “I thank the
regents for their leadership
on this important issue and
the many faculty and staff on
all three of our campuses and
Michigan Medicine who are
contributing to our compre-
hensive efforts to reduce and
address misconduct for all
members of our community.”
Schlissel
also
welcomed
new
Dearborn
Chancellor
Domenico Grasso. Regent Ron
Weiser congratulated Grasso,
noting how well attended his
inauguration was.
“As someone who is deeply
entwined with the Dearborn
campus, I wanted to express
my excitement for the campus’s
future, but also like to congrat-
ulate Dom and thank him for
his efforts he put forth so far,”
Weiser said. “We look forward
to your continued leadership.
This is really an exciting time
for the Dearborn campus, and
I think it’s ready to make that
next giant leap forward.”
Schlissel also shared that
Rebecca Cunningham, associ-
ate vice president for research,
will be named interim vice
president after Vice President
Jack Hu leaves to become pro-
vost at the University of Geor-
gia. As it was his last meeting
with the board, Schlissel said
Hu’s initiatives have increased
the University’s standing in the
field and expanded its engage-
ment with society.
Hu said he was grateful for
the opportunity to have served
the University. Though it was
never his “sandbox dream”
to become vice president of
research, he said the people he
has met over his 34 years at the
University have enhanced his
research.
“This
is
a
bittersweet
moment,” Hu said. “I may be
leaving Michigan, but Michi-
gan will never leave me. Go
Blue.”
Schlissel also gave a brief
overview of the Michigan Road
Scholars program, which takes
faculty and staff members
around the state each year. He
said this is an example of the
faculty’s commitment to public
engagement.
Schlissel then praised the
University’s sports teams —
eight of which have earned
special NCAA recognition —
for their academic and com-
petitive successes. In the same
vein, he shared the news of
Head Basketball Coach John
Beilein’s decision to accept a
position with the Cleveland
Cavaliers and thanked him for
his service to the University.
“Coach Beilein is the win-
ningest coach in program his-
tory, and he represented the U
of M with impeccable honor
and integrity,” Schlissel said. “I
will forever cherish watching
him from across the court.”
After a faculty presenta-
tion about presidential power
from
Mitchel
Sollenberger,
Dearborn professor of political
science and associate provost,
over 200 faculty from across
the three campuses and Michi-
gan Medicine were presented
for promotion. University Pro-
vost Martin Philbert said fac-
ulty play an essential role in the
University’s service to society.
“One of the Universi-
ty’s great strengths is the
breadth and depth of our fac-
ulty,” Philibert said. “Each
year, the review of promo-
tion and tenure casebooks
reaffirms our appreciation
for the outstanding work
of the faculty. It reveals the
many ways they carry out
our mission of contributing
to the state, the nation and
the world through research,
teaching and service.”
U-M Dearborn Student
Government
President
Sarah Nasser said she is
committed
to
inclusion
and
access.
Specifically,
she said she is interested in
parking reform, expanding
student services and budget
equality.
‘U’ officials reflect on Vice President of Research teunure, funding
equity during Regents meeting in Dearborn Thursday afternoon
Abdul El-Sayed, students outline goals
at One University press conference
COURTESY OF ALEX HARRING
U-M Dearborn Lecturer Deb Roundtree speaks about her experience, and the experience of other lecturers across the three University cam-
puses, at the Regents meeting in Dearborn Thursday afternoon.
Read more at michigandaily.com
Regents bid farewell to Hu,
approve construction plans
ALEX HARRING
Summer Managing News Editor
Read more at michigandaily.com
ALEX HARRING
Summer Managing News Editor