The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
News
Wednesday, September 4, 2019 — 3A
“We
have
a
collective
bargaining agreement,” Carter
said. “We have specific language
where the employer is supposed to
provide parking for residents that
are designated for being on-call.
There is obviously no designated
parking.”
As a result of these changes,
the Michigan Nurses Association
and
University
of
Michigan
Professional Nurse Council filed
unfair labor practice charges with
the state of Michigan in August,
according to Carter.
Carter said the changes force
hospital staff to pay significantly
more money for their parking
spots.
“People who have been parking
for, for example, $100 a year for
maybe decades are now being
charged maybe $700 or $800 a year
for the same parking spot,” Carter
said. “We agree that there needs
to be parking for patients. We’re
not arguing that, but we believe
administrators who do not have
any involvement with patient care
do not need to be parking close to
the building. It’s been an ongoing
problem for a very long time, and
now we’re in a crisis situation.”
According to UMPNC chair
Katie Oppenheim, parking at
the hospital has been an ongoing
challenge.
“Parking has been an issue at the
hospital for decades,” Oppenheim
said. “While the health system
has grown — multiplied many
times over in the previous years
— the parking has not increased.
For example, when they built the
children’s hospital, they did not put
parking underneath the building.”
Oppenheim
said
parking
difficulties
add
an
increased
amount of stress to hospital
staff, particularly nurses, before
the start of their shifts, and can
ultimately decrease quality of care.
“You want people who aren’t
stressed and are relaxed when they
come into work for their shift,”
Oppenheim said. “Our first goal,
and everyone’s first goal, should
be the patients, and providing
what we believe is something
mandatory, mainly, access to the
workplace. ”
Jayne
Hubscher,
Nursing
senior
and
president
of
the
Student Nurses’ Association, said
she and other nursing students
often walk or find other modes of
transportation to the hospital as a
result of the parking challenges.
Hubscher said a lack of reliable
parking is a major concern when
clinical trials occur early in the
morning or late at night.
“Our clinicals, a lot of times, will
start at 6 or 6:30 a.m. so if you live
far from the hospital you have to
wake up even earlier, like 4:30 or 5
(a.m.) to have time to get ready and
walk to the hospital,” Hubscher
said. “Sometimes we have late
clinicals, too, that end around 11
p.m. I had one last semester and
then walking home was always an
issue as well.”
Mostafavi said many other
forms
of
transportation
are
available and will continue to be
implemented with the creation of
a new parking deck next year and
960 new employee parking spots.
Carter said she hopes to have
clear dialogue in the future with
Michigan Medicine to help remedy
the issues.
“I would say that the Michigan
Medicine leadership needs to
understand that since I’ve been
here, we’ve gone from having 900
residents and fellows to nearly
1,300, and we have not built any
adjacent parking structures to
the hospital,” Carter said. “That
being said, how do you realign the
parking structures we have for
those clinicians that need to be
at the bedside? We would love to
have a dialogue and do some real
problem solving.”
PARKING
From Page 1A
Additionally, the petition said
University administrators have
attributed the fee to sustaining and
enhancing services to support the
success of international students
and compliance and reporting
requirements,
though
they
question the University’s ability to
do this without a detailed plan for
the use of the money.
The $500 per semester fee was
approved by the Board of Regents
on June 20 and took effect in the
fall semester. The fee applies to
students on F-1 and J-1 visas, which
are for international students
studying in the United States,
and was created to fund support
services for students attending the
University on these specific visas.
A 2018 report from the University’s
International Center listed 6,628
students on the F-1 visa and 115
students or the J-1 visa. International
students accounted for 14.9 percent
of the student body in 2018.
The fee, which is similar to
others that support programs like
the University Health Service and
Student Legal Services, aligns the
University with other institutions
like Michigan State University that
have a fee or tuition differential for
international students, University
spokesman Rick Fitzgerald wrote
in an email to The Daily.
According
to
Fitzgerald,
because the fee will support
services related to creating a
welcoming campus environment
and supporting academic success,
it does not contradict the goals of
DEI initiatives on campus.
“(T)he University places a high
priority on providing supportive
services and infrastructure that
promote a sense of welcome
and integration into the campus
community and that promote
academic
success,”
Fitzgerald
wrote. “This fee will help the
University
to
maintain
and
enhance
its
commitment
to
international
student
services,
programming
and
compliance,
and we see no conflict with the
University’s commitment to DEI.”
Additionally,
the
University
has hosted, and will continue
to host, immigration advising,
cultural exchange activities and
workshops
and
panels
about
topics such as navigating the U.S.
job market, Fitzgerald wrote. He
noted these experiences often
come out of conversations between
University staff members and the
international students themselves.
He explained deciding on specific
details of the implementation of the
revenue created by the fee, though
the University has and continues
to
welcome
community
input.
Fitzgerald encouraged those with
questions or input to consult the
Frequently Asked Questions page or
contact the University by emailing
internationalstudentfees@umich.edu.
“It will take some time to
determine the ways in which the
funding generated by the fee will
be utilized,” Fitzgerald wrote.
“Many in our community have
communicated directly with the
Provost’s
Office
and
through
the
International
Center
the
need for additional services and
programming, and we want to
be thoughtful and listen to these
groups as we make allocation
decisions.”
According to the Department
of Homeland Security, students on
F-1 visas come to the United States
to enroll in a full-time program of
study a certified school. Students on
this visa have a designated official
at their school who is responsible
for helping them through the
“international student lifecycle,” a
pathway for international students
to study in the U.S. and maintain
their visa.
While F-1 visa holders can be
a student at any point in their
academic career, J-1 visa holders
must enroll in a full-time post-
secondary program at an academic
institution. The J-1 College and
University Student Program allows
participants to have career-related
training as an intern in their home
country.
Additionally,
students
on the J-1 visa have a cultural
component of their program to
engage them with the U.S. culture
and share their home culture with
their host families.
With
Chinese
students
accounting for approximately half
of the University’s international
student population, Jiaheng He,
LSA junior and co-president of the
Chinese Students and Scholars
Association, said his organization
felt a need to speak out against
the fee. The Chinese Students
and
Scholars
Association
has
joined GEO in requesting more
information about the fee and what
the money will go toward.
“What we really hope for the
school to do is to give us more
information and tell us what
they’re going to use the money for,”
He said.
He said he hopes the money will
be put directly into improving the
lives of international students on
campus, such as through offering
more scholarships or additional
opportunities. He is concerned this
will create a dangerous precedent,
as the fee could increase or another
group could be singled out similarly
in the future.
Martell said GEO is requesting
a town hall with University
Provost Martin Philbert to gain
more insight in relation to the fee,
though the organization’s previous
communications with the Provost’s
office have gone unheard. GEO
members attended a meeting with
LSA leadership, though they left
that meeting with more questions
than answers, he said.
“We really have no information
that makes a compelling case for
the necessity of the fee,” Martell
said. “We see no reason for it. We
just think that it will be better to
get rid of it all together, but we also
acknowledge that we may not have
all the facts.”
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.
“We
have
a
collective
bargaining
agreement,”
Carter
said. “We have specific language
where the employer is supposed to
provide parking for residents that
are designated for being on-call.
There is obviously no designated
parking.”
As a result of these changes,
the Michigan Nurses Association
and
University
of
Michigan
Professional Nurse Council filed
unfair labor practice charges with
the state of Michigan in August,
according to Carter.
Carter said the changes force
hospital staff to pay significantly
more money for their parking
spots.
“People who have been parking
for, for example, $100 a year for
maybe decades are now being
charged maybe $700 or $800 a year
for the same parking spot,” Carter
said. “We agree that there needs
to be parking for patients. We’re
not arguing that, but we believe
administrators who do not have
any involvement with patient care
do not need to be parking close to
the building. It’s been an ongoing
problem for a very long time, and
now we’re in a crisis situation.”
According to UMPNC chair
Katie Oppenheim, parking at
the hospital has been an ongoing
challenge.
“Parking has been an issue at the
hospital for decades,” Oppenheim
said. “While the health system
has grown — multiplied many
times over in the previous years
— the parking has not increased.
For example, when they built the
children’s hospital, they did not put
parking underneath the building.”
Oppenheim
said
parking
difficulties
add
an
increased
amount of stress to hospital staff,
particularly nurses, before the start
of their shifts, and can ultimately
decrease quality of care.
“You want people who aren’t
stressed and are relaxed when they
come into work for their shift,”
Oppenheim said. “Our first goal,
and everyone’s first goal, should be
the patients, and providing what
we believe is something mandatory,
mainly, access to the workplace. ”
Jayne
Hubscher,
Nursing
senior
and
president
of
the
Student Nurses’ Association, said
she and other nursing students
often walk or find other modes of
transportation to the hospital as a
result of the parking challenges.
Hubscher said a lack of reliable
parking is a major concern when
clinical trials occur early in the
morning or late at night.
“Our clinicals, a lot of times, will
start at 6 or 6:30 a.m. so if you live
far from the hospital you have to
wake up even earlier, like 4:30 or 5
(a.m.) to have time to get ready and
walk to the hospital,” Hubscher
said. “Sometimes we have late
clinicals, too, that end around 11
p.m. I had one last semester and
then walking home was always an
issue as well.”
GEO
From Page 1A
Ann Arbor City Council decided
by a one-vote margin against
re-nominating
Councilmember
Zachary Ackerman, D-Ward 3,
to the Planning Commission and
voted unanimously to release
a redacted report on the city’s
investigation
into
a
former
employee’s controversial texts at
their meeting Tuesday night.
When confirming nominations
for the Planning Commission,
Mayor
Christopher
Taylor
re-nominated
Ackerman,
who
has served on the Planning
Commission since December 2016.
Councilmembers
Julie
Grand, D-Ward 3, gave a speech
detailing the time and effort that
Ackerman offered in his time on
the commission. Grand said she
appreciated the intellect Ackerman
brought to his responsibilities and
noted that the authority to appoint
members belonged to the mayor,
not other members of council such
as Councilmember Jack Eaton,
D-Ward 4, who voted to block
Ackerman’s nomination. Eaton
previously challenged Taylor for
the mayor’s office, but lost in the
primary in 2018.
“I won’t be soft and squishy
about it — I’ll call it like I see
it,” Grand said. “In the past we
have all supported one another’s
nominations to serve on boards
and commissions. That has been
our past practice, try to spread it
around in a way that’s equitable,
but ultimately the appointments
to boards and commissions in
almost every case, and certainly
in this one, rests with the mayor.
If Councilmember Eaton wanted
to appoint himself to the Planning
Commission, he should have won
the mayoral race. But he did not,
and now it’s Mayor Taylor’s job to
appoint someone to the Planning
Commission.”
Councilmember
Elizabeth
Nelson, D-Ward 4, pushed back,
saying that it was not about politics
and civility, but about the need to
have someone more experienced
on the commission.
“I think it is time we had
someone on planning who has a
stronger legal background,” Nelson
said. “We can move forward with a
decision, and it’s not about anybody
being mean to anyone. It’s not about
a lack of respect. It’s about making
a different choice, and those are the
reasons why I support someone
else
on
planning,
specifically
Councilmember Eaton.”
Ackerman said his position on the
Planning Commission was not easy.
“The body meets frequently
and deals with subjects that are
the most controversial by their
very nature,” Ackerman said. “I’ve
had a philosophy as a planning
commissioner: My obligation to
council is to get the best proposal
through planning proposal to this
body. It may not be one worthy
of voting ‘yes’ when it comes to
council, but that job is to deliver
to you the best possible version
leaving planning commission so
that you can make a decision.”
The council voted 6-5 against
re-nominating Ackerman to the
planning commission.
City Council also addressed
an investigation conducted by
outside attorney Sheldon Stark
into controversial texts sent by
the city’s human resources and
labor relations director, Robyn
Wilkerson. Wilkerson resigned in
May after public records requests
filed by the Ann Arbor News/
MLive revealed a cache of text
messages she sent to another
city employee criticizing elected
officials and “crazy liberals.”
The messages also mentioned
wanting to blow up City Hall,
wanting to bring a gun to work and
racist comments targeted at other
coworkers and the community.
The
city
attorney’s
office
hired Stark to investigate the
city’s handling of the original
investigation. Sheldon concluded
his inquiry in late August but the
findings were not released publicly.
City Council votes down
Ackerman’s nomination
Councilmember loses spot on Planning Commission
“I think, at this point, the
administration is aware of this, but
I think they need to hear from more
students that this really is an issue
for us.”
Blanchard said CSG will be
sending out a survey in order to
gauge student feedback on the
UHS policy change. She said she
hopes the survey will ensure
the
administration
more
fully
understands students’ reactions to
the change. Within this survey, the
policy changes will be described
and broken down so the complex
insurance
issue
can
be
more
transparent and easily understood.
The
survey
will
also
provide
information about local alternatives
for STI testing.
“In our survey, we do a really
great job explaining what the
changes are,” Blanchard said. “I
think it can get really confusing,
and health care, in general, can
be a really complicated issue; we
explain it, and we are also providing
alternative STI resources in the
area.”
During the meeting Gerstein
reviewed the work the executive
branch had completed over the
summer, including plans to subsidize
Group X passes, which would
allow students to go through the
University financial aid department
to receive passes to participate in
group fitness classes provided by
University Recreational Sports.
Additionally, CSG will begin
preparing for the effects of the
2020
presidential
elections
on
campus life by collaborating with
Intergroup Relations, Multi-Ethnic
Student Affairs and the Trotter
Multicultural Center to ensure
campus climate remains safe and
inclusive.
“We are looking to figure out
how we make sure student leaders
are most respective when it comes
to conversations (regarding the
election) within their organizations
and throughout campus throughout
the next year,” Gerstein said.
Gerstein also hopes to create a
new executive position to oversee
government relations. This position
will focus on ensuring the voices of
University students are heard on
a state and federal governmental
level.
“The reason we are having that
(position) is to try and create and
find new ways to make sure our
student body is heard at the state
level and at the federal level,”
Gerstein said. “It’s important we
make sure our voices are heard,
especially regarding federal issues
that impact the students.”
Other
summer
projects
included creating a tri-fold CSG
flyer to help students better
understand the functions of CSG
and thus know how to utilize the
Assembly more effectively. Their
goal is to reach out to students and
build a stronger connection with
the constituency.
CSG also created reusable grocery
bags for Beyond the Diag, increased
student tutoring resources and
expanded North Campus resources.
With construction beginning on
North Campus, Blanchard said CSG
hopes to make decisions on ways to
improve North Campus health and
wellness services.
Taylor Lansey, CSG treasurer and
LSA junior, discussed this year’s
plan for the Student Organization
Funding Committee on behalf of
the chair, Business senior Crede
Strauser. Lansey said funding will
be distributed via nine application
waves
throughout
the
school
year, the first of which will open
Wednesday, Sept. 4 night at 5 p.m.
and close at the same time next
Wednesday, Sept. 11.
SOFC projections for this fall
include an aggregated request for
$600,000, a 22.6 percent increase
from last fall, as well as a projected
request of $1.1 million for winter
2020.
This year SOFC will be rolling out
“SOFC 101,” a workshop in which
organizations can learn about the
complex 14-page application required
to request funding for specific events
or funds such as hosting cultural
and volunteer events, guest speakers
and transportation and supplies for
events.
CSG
From Page 1A
Read more at
MichiganDaily.com
Read more at
MichiganDaily.com
JULIA FANZERES
Daily Staff Writer
The show focuses on a
fictional,
for-profit
charter
school and some of Strassel’s
former students are part of the
ensemble. Strassel cast Diane
Hill,
his
former
Ypsilanti
High School drama teacher, as
DeVos. Strassal plays DeVos’
husband Dick, the millionaire
son
of
Amway
co-founder
Richard DeVos, as well as
her brother Erik Prince, the
founder
of
Blackwater,
a
private
military
contractor
known in part for its role in
a 2007 shooting of unarmed
civilians in Iraq. Some of the
songs include “Jesus Wants
Me to be Rich” and “The Best
Kind of Teacher is a Teacher
with a Gun.”
Strassel concedes the play
is a bit extreme, writing on his
GoFundMe page the show is
“completely ridiculous.”
“She says things that sound
a little ridiculous … so I played
off of that for sure,” Strassel
said. “But on the other hand,
there are some sympathetic
moments. You know, in a way,
some of my friends didn’t
like the fact that I mentioned
anything positive about her,
but I think the story is better
when you find the nuance in
the character. So yeah, it’s
very silly, and it’s a parody,
but I’m going to try to work in
some complexity.”
Strassel said he tried to see
things from DeVos’s point of
view when he was writing the
musical.
“I think that there are
examples of Betsy trying to
help individual students, and I
tell that in the story,” Strassel
said. “There’s one student
in the story who she pays for
tuition to a private school,
and that’s something that she
has done in public schools —
she pulled them out and sent
them to private school. But
I also point out the flaw in
that. Though she may have
good intentions for that kid,
she is pulling money out of
the public school system and
showing her lack of faith and
in public schools.”
DeVos has been criticized
by public school advocates for
considering arming teachers
and for requesting to cut
billions of dollars from the
Department
of
Education’s
budget.
DeVos
said
she
planned instead to bolster
scholarships to private school
scholarships.
In a statement issued in
March, DeVos defended the
Trump
administration’s
budget request for the 2020
fiscal year, which would have
cut approximately $7 billion in
funding compared with 2019.
“This budget at its core is
about
education
freedom,”
DeVos
said.
“Freedom
for
America’s students to pursue
their
life-long
learning
journeys in the ways and
places that work best for
them, freedom for teachers
to develop their talents and
pursue their passions, and
freedom from the top-down
‘Washington
knows
best’
approach
that
has
proven
ineffective and even harmful
to students.”
Like DeVos, Strassel has his
own budget priorities. He said
he hopes to take “Betsy DeVos!
The Musical!” even further
than the staged reading, and
aims to raise $12,500 to bring
the play to different cities
next summer before the 2020
election.
“In the short run, I’d like to
get some of the songs onto the
internet, and sort of shared
digitally,” Strassel said. “But
my big, long-term goal is a
fully
realized
professional
production next summer. How
that happens, I think it could
be a local thing, but I’m also
open to the idea that could be a
small tour, or maybe even that
the show could be adopted
by
a
professional
theatre
elsewhere, and I’m really open
to that. I’m kind of interested
to see where it takes me.”
DEVOS
From Page 1A
Read more at
MichiganDaily.com