The
Graduate
Employee
Organization published a petition
last
month
requesting
more
information about a recently
approved University of Michigan
fee
for
most
international
students. The additional expense
was created to bolster support
services
for
international
students at the University.
The
petition,
which
was
published on Change.org three
weeks ago, has amassed more
than 380 signatures as of press
time.
GEO decided to create the
petition to stand up for all
University students who will face
additional obstacles in their path
to degree completion because of
the fee, said Rackham student
Allan Martell, co-chair of GEO’s
International Students’ Caucus.
The fee doesn’t actually apply
to all graduate students — for
example, Ph.D. students currently
have the fee waived. But GEO
decided to create the petition
to stand up for all University
students who will face additional
obstacles in their path to degree
completion because of the fee, said
Rackham student Allan Martell,
co-chair of GEO’s International
Students’ Caucus.
“I
know
many
other
international students who are
masters and (undergraduates),”
Martell said. “They, for the most
part, are not covered under GEO —
there is only a handful of students
who are. Even if most members
of our association wouldn’t be
affected, we are acting out of
solidarity and recognition that
this is going to affect people other
than ourselves and people who
are making a lot of sacrifices so
that they can find their studies
here at Michigan.”
In the petition, GEO argued the
fee contradicts the goals of the
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
plan on campus. GEO wrote the
fee not only creates additional
financial burden but adds to the
issues
international
students
already
face
with
national
immigration policies and political
discourse.
michigandaily.com
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Wednesday, September 4, 2019
ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-EIGHT YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM
The
Central
Student
Government discussed several
upcoming
executive
projects
including game day hydration
stations as well as plans to address
the change in University policy
regarding coverage for sexually
transmitted diseases during its
first assembly of the school year
Tuesday night.
At
the
beginning
of
the
meeting, Isabelle Blanchard, CSG
vice president and LSA senior,
discussed the success of the first
game day this previous Saturday
with the creation of several
hydration
stations.
Hydration
stations located across campus
provided water and food to
ensure student safety. MDining,
Center for Campus Involvement
and Fraternity and Sorority Life
donated hot dogs and water for
the stations. Blanchard said CSG
hopes to make these stations
more sustainable this year by
including compostable cups at
water refill stations rather than
distributing disposable plastic
water bottles.
“This year we are trying
to make them a little more
sustainable,” Blanchard said. “we
tried doing compostable cups
instead of plastic water bottles,
and that is a model we are trying
to figure out how to do at other
stations.”
Both
Ben
Gerstein,
CSG
president and Public Policy junior,
and Blanchard addressed the
recent changes to the University
Health
Service
insurance,
specifically with regard to the
elimination
of
coverage
for
sexually transmitted infection
screening.
They
expressed
concern regarding the issue and
the student response.
“The
change
did
happen
in July, but there is a lot more
traction on it now, and so we have
been preparing for this already,
starting by making a survey to
gain feedback on this,” Blanchard
said.
Approximately
280
faculty
parking spaces were converted
to patient-only parking near the
University of Michigan hospital
in mid-August. The changes force
many hospital staff members to
park in off-site locations or find
other methods of transportation.
The
parking
designation
transfer is necessary for an
improved
patient
experience,
according to a statement from
Beata
Mostafavi,
Michigan
Medicine senior communications
representative.
“As
Michigan
Medicine
continues to grow, parking around
the main medical campus has
become an increasing challenge
for both patients and employees,”
Mostafavi
said.
“The
recent
parking changes provided 280
more spaces for our patients to
make it easier to obtain care at the
hospital.”
But according to Robin Carter,
executive director of the House
Officers Association at Michigan
Medicine, the actions go against
the HOA’s agreement with the
University of Michigan Health
System,
which
requires
the
hospital to provide designated
parking spots to on-call employees.
GOT A NEWS TIP?
Call 734-418-4115 or e-mail
news@michigandaily.com and let us know.
INDEX
Vol. CXXVIII, No. 124
©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
michigandaily.com
For more stories and coverage, visit
City calls out
U-M for lack
of help with
housing issue
As ‘U’ looks to improve facilities,
Council questions A2 affordability
Standing
in
Theatre
Nova
on Saturday night, Ann Arbor
Community High School teacher
Quinn Strassel welcomed dozens
of audience members to a staged
reading of the musical he spent
the summer crafting. His subject:
U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy
DeVos, whom he dubs “the most
controversial woman in the world”
in the opening number.
Strassel
wrote
and
directed
“Betsy
DeVos!
The
Musical!”
over the summer. DeVos — a
prominent Republican donor and
an advocate of charter schools — is
heavily caricatured in the play and
portrayed as a die-hard antagonist of
public schools.
Strassel said he uses humor to
tackle complicated topics, adding
that he hopes the show demonstrates
the importance of public education
as well as critically talking about
proposals DeVos has put forward.
“I hope it starts a new conversation
about public schools,” Strassel said.
“I think sometimes humor can help
tackle complex and difficult issues
in public schools. I think public
school policy is complicated, and
people of every political persuasion,
have difficulty making sense of it
— and DeVos advocated for guns in
schools.”
A2 teacher
pens play
criticizing
Sec. DeVos
GOVERNMENT
Satirical musical
advocates for public
education, mocks
Education Secretary
LEAH GRAHAM
Daily News Editor
First CSG meeting discusses new
projects, STI testing policy, SOFC
Officers to send out survey regarding UHS insurance policy update
Parking
changes
result in
conflict
ADMINISTRATION
ATTICUS RAASCH
Daily Staff Reporter
Follow The Daily
on Instagram,
@michigandaily
University
representatives
faced
criticism
from
city
councilmembers Monday night
for what elected officials called its
lack of involvement in combating
Ann Arbor’s affordable housing
shortage.
The City Council meeting
began with a presentation of
infrastructure
improvement
plans by University Campus
Planner Susan Gott and Director
of Community Relations Michael
Rein. The University’s newest
plans are centered on enhancing
campus life with an emphasis on
sustainability. A large portion
of the presentation focused on
renovating University housing,
including Mary Markley Hall
and the Northwood IV & V
apartments.
At the conclusion of the
presentation,
Jeff
Hayner,
D-Ward 1, asked if the University
would consider aiding the crisis
by building affordable housing in
Ann Arbor.
“Is there any appetite for
the
University
considering
building additional housing for
staff, students and faculty to
take pressure off the housing
market in the city?” Hayner
said. “Because we know we
have an affordability crisis, and
a lot of that is demand — just
basic demand for housing — and
the open market isn’t able to
supply it in a quality way that the
University can.”
Rein said while the University
creates initiatives to bring the
Ann Arbor community and
University together, the school
does not want to compete against
the marketplace and, except for
student housing, building living
spaces are “just not the mission
of the University.”
This
comment
sparked
pushback from several members
urging that affordable housing
should also be a University issue.
CLAIRE MEINGAST/Daily
The University of Michigan Central Student Government holds their first meeting of the school year at the Michigan League Tuesday evening.
Read more at
MichiganDaily.com
GEO demands more info on
new international student fee
Graduate students union publishes petition seeking answers on additional expense
See PARKING, Page 3A
JULIA FANZERES
Daily Staff Reporter
Recent shifts in ‘U’
hospital’s new parking
policy anger unions,
medical employees
ALEX HARRING
Daily Staff Reporter
See GEO, Page 2A
REMY FARKAS
Daily News Editor
See CSG, Page 3A
ROSEANNE CHAO/Daily
Summer love stories
statement
THE MICHIGAN DAILY | SEPTEMBER 4, 2019
See DEVOS, Page 3A