used for the next five years, 
provided by Axon Enterprise, 
Inc. 
City Councilmember Kathy 
Griswold, D-Ward 2, pointed 
to the benefits of equipping the 
city’s police force with more 
state-of-the-art accountability 
technology. 
“I am absolutely thrilled we 
are moving forward with this 
purchase,” Griswold said. “My 
one question is, this is a five-
year contract — will this see 
enough money and does the 
contract stipulate that we are 

going to have fully functioning 
body cams for the full length of 
the five years so that we don’t 
have the problem that we face 
right now?” 
Taylor 
later 
brought 
the council’s focus to the 
expansion of legal access to 
marijuana in the city. Members 
of 
the 
council 
expressed 
considerable 
disagreement 
about 
the 
flexibility 
and 
general size of the limit on the 
number of medical marijuana 
permits in the city.
Councilmember 
Jane 
Lumm, I-Ward 2, said she was 
concerned about not having 
enough time to approve new 
ordinances 
expanding 
the 

amount of permits for medical 
marijuana facilities in the city.
“I think it’s too much to digest 
in too short a time,” Lumm 
said. “The council did not have 
our normal opportunity to ask 
questions; our questions have 
to be submitted by noon on 
Wednesday. We received this 
late, at the end of the day on 
Friday.” 
Councilmember 
Jeff 
Hayner, D-Ward 1, said some 
constituents indicated concern 
about 
the 
large 
amount 
of 
marijuana 
investment 
potentially overwhelming the 
city and crowding out small 
businesses 
offering 
other 
goods. 

“I’m suggesting that we put 
a limit on this and … we can 
always come back and change 
it,” Hayner said.
But 
Councilmember 
Ali 
Ramlawi, D-Ward 5, voiced a 
general 
skepticism 
towards 
creating inflexible types of 
limits on the amount of medical 
marijuana permits offered.
“Maybe 
you 
want 
more 
safety compliance facilities … 
or you need fewer growers or 
more processors … the straight-
across 
three-dozen 
(limit) 
under 
all 
these 
categories 
I think is too inhibitive,” 
Ramlawi said.

VISA
From Page 1

Students said this processing 
lengthened the application process 
and kept them from attending the 
University this semester.
Students 
interviewed 
also 
pointed to the trade war between 
China and the United States as 
a possible factor in influencing 
their delays as students from 
various areas of China. The trade 
war has had a noticeable impact 
on oil prices and imports from 
China, and it has left students 
accepted to U.S. institutions 
unable to begin their studies as 
the world’s two largest economies 
face off.
A 
confusing 
application 
process
John came to his visa interview 
ready to tell his interviewer 
about the program he planned to 
attend in the University’s College 
of Engineering, but he was only 
asked about its geographical 
location and prior leadership 
experience. Three months later, 
after what he felt was an unusually 
short interview, he remains on 
administrative processing — or a 
“check,” as he and other Chinese 
students commonly refer to the 
heightened background check.
“I feel confused,” he said. 
“I heard about administrative 
processing. In China, we call it a 
‘check’ because it’s a process for 
checking your background.”
The delay has also created 
difficulties 
for 
his 
program 
coordinator at the University, 
who he noted has been helpful 
throughout this process. John 
is 
specifically 
interested 
in 
studying in the U.S. because of its 
advanced technology.
John 
said 
he 
and 
other 
students in similar situations 
have attempted to contact the 
State 
Department, 
but 
have 
consistently 
been 
met 
with 
surface-level responses. He said 
he feels frustrated with the lack 
of communication from the U.S. 
government, even if it is for noble 
reasons.
“We send some emails to the 
(State Department) office, but 
we just receive some template,” 
he said. “What I want to know 
is why this processing is really, 
really long ... I can accept it if it’s 
related to national security, but I 
think that I need a reason.”
Additionally, he noted the 
trade war may be a reason for his 
delay. John said the relationship 
between China and America has 
only recently become hostile and 
is hopeful it can be rectified in 
the near future.
“If we consider the long period 
of relationship between China 
and America, I think peace is the 
main part of that,” he said. “The 
tradewar is just a fluctuation — a 
short period. Unfortunately, we 
made it and we are influenced by 
it.”
John is optimistic he will 
have a visa before the Winter 
2020 semester begins. In the 
meantime, he is looking for jobs 
related to his program of study in 
China.
While he said he felt worried 
when he first received the news of 
the delay, John said finding other 
opportunities to fill what would 
have been his first semester of 
graduate school has kept his 
mind focused elsewhere.
“At first, (I felt) anxiety and 
felt nervous, but after a long time, 
you feel calm and prepare for 
other things to fill this period,” 
John said. “For now, we just need 
a strong mind to solve it and to 
deal with it by ourselves.”
Feeling left behind
Sue 
said 
she 
underwent 
intense 
preparation 
before 
applying to the University for 
her master’s degree, even hiring 
a service to help her prepare for 

her visa interview. She turned in 
all materials necessary to apply 
for her visa 120 days in advance 
to ensure there would be no 
issues, she told The Daily. 
During 
her 
application 
interview, Sue said she was asked 
basic 
information 
about 
the 
program she planned to enroll 
at the University. After sharing 
her plan, the interviewer told Sue 
there would be a check on her visa 
application and she would have to 
wait for it to be approved before 
coming to the United States.
“I thought it would be fine,” 
Sue said. “But I didn’t realize 
that there would be something 
about the abnormal delay of the 
delivered check … I can’t get the 
education and program now.”
When Sue learned her visa 
application had been delayed, she 
contacted the Chinese embassy 
by email and the United States 
State Department by telephone. 
Like John, Sue said she received 
template responses back that 
were not relevant to her specific 
case.
Sue 
said 
the 
University 
provided comforting responses 
and acknowledged the issue 
stems from the government and 
not the University. 
“The responses from them 
did not focus on my case, they 
just replied to everyone with the 
same situation, responded with 
the same content,” Sue said. “I 
also contacted the University, but 
I don’t think the International 
Center can do something about 
this.”
Following her delayed visa, 
Sue made the decision to continue 
to pursue her master’s degree 
at a school in China while she 
awaits a decision from the State 
Department.
Sue said she longed to receive 
an education in the culture of 
U.S. classrooms. She planned to 
continue into a Ph.D. program in 
the United States after finishing 
her master’s at the University, but 
her education and career plans 
have now drastically changed. 
“Why I chose to (apply to 
Michigan) is because I disliked 
the environment in China, so 
I hope to change (my learning 
environment),” Sue said. “But if 
I can’t, I may have to stay here, 
although I feel unsatisfied with 
that.”
Sue’s situation also had a 
serious impact on her social 
interactions. 
She 
chose 
to 
delete WeChat, a popular social 
networking 
application 
in 
China, to avoid talking about her 
circumstances. Now, Sue feels 
left behind and unsure of what 
her future holds. She said she 
feels embarrassed by the delay, 
even though it’s out of her hands.
“I chose to lose contact with 
my friends,” Sue said. “I changed 
my 
WeChat 
social 
network 
because I just don’t want to tell 
them my situation. And I don’t 
want to always see some friends 
go abroad or to go to another 
state and go live the life that I 
really wanted to live. So it makes 
me feel very lonely. Now, I don’t 
want to face (my) situation.”
Unable to return
Bob completed his bachelor’s 
degree at a university in China 
and his master’s degree at a 
university in the United States. 
He looked forward to continuing 
his education through a Ph.D. 
program at Michigan, but during 
his visa interview in June — three 
days after he returned to China 
from his master’s program in the 
U.S. — Bob learned his visa was 
delayed.
“I’m very frustrated,” Bob said. 
“I spent so much effort and put 
all my enthusiasm in the Ph.D. 
application. And after several 
months of waiting, I apply for the 
visa, but the United States doesn’t 
allow me to enter this state to 
receive my education. It’s really 

frustrating and disappointing.”
After learning of his delayed 
visa, Bob said he contacted Rep. 
Debbie Dingell, D-Ann Arbor, 
who he said told him she would 
be unable to help because he is 
not an Ann Arbor resident.
Dingell’s 
spokeswoman, 
Maggie Rousseau, wrote in an 
email to The Daily that Dingell 
and her office try to help every 
person 
that 
calls 
needing 
assistance navigating the visa 
application process. 
“In recent years, it has been 
made 
very 
difficult 
by 
the 
Administration’s tightening of 
applications,” Rousseau wrote. 
“Mrs. Dingell has made it clear 
she will go to bat for any students 
having visa problems. She has 
spoken to the University about 
bringing cases to our attention 
that need assistance navigating 
the complicated process.”
Bob 
also 
contacted 
the 
University’s program coordinator 
and the international office at 
Rackham Graduate School. They 
were also unable to help as the 
visa process is handled by the 
Department of State.
When previously applying for 
his visa to earn his master’s in the 
United States about a year and a 
half ago, Bob said his application 
underwent a short administrative 
process and was approved in one 
month. That visa was only valid 
for one year, though. 
“This is part of a problem 
because the program we are going 
to receive is usually longer than 
one year, but the visa is only valid 
for one year,” Bob said. “After 
the visa expires, we cannot go 
out of the United States and can’t 
come back, which means that we 
cannot attend the international 
conference, we cannot go back to 
our country and reunite with our 
families. That limits our access to 
many resources.”
Like John and Sue, Bob 
remains optimistic his visa will 
be approved before the beginning 
of the Winter 2020 semester. He 
said he has been in contact with 
the professor that he would 
be doing research with at the 
University since March.
“The professor and me are 
very excited for the future 
research, and we have been on 
Skype meetings,” Bob said. “But 
because of this visa issue, we 
are all very disappointed and we 
have to wait with it for another 
three months to start our new 
research.”
If the visa situation remains 
the same, Bob said he may decide 
to continue his studies at a 
Chinese university. Because his 
family lives in China, Bob said it 
would be easier to visit them than 
if he was studying in the United 
States.
Bob said he’s received cookie-
cutter responses from the State 
Department similar to those 
John and Sue described. He said 
the State Department sent a 
formal and unhelpful reply that 
explained 
the 
administrative 
process would take 120 days 
about 95 days ago.
“I think this issue is not 
beneficial for anyone — not for 
the United States, not for China, 
not for students, not for the 
University,” Bob said. “I really 
don’t 
understand 
(it). 
There 
are many disadvantages for us, 
as we delay our education and 
research.”
Delay impacts
In 
February, 
the 
State 
Department 
extended 
the 
timeline 
for 
administrative 
processing 
from 
30 
to 
180 
days. The State Department 
spokesperson emphasized the 
department’s focus on security 
while 
also 
acknowledging 
the department respects the 
timelines of applicants in an 
email to The Daily. 
“National security is our top 

priority when adjudicating visa 
applications,” the spokesperson 
wrote. “Every visa decision is 
a national security decision, 
and every prospective traveler 
to the United States undergoes 
extensive security screening. At 
the same time, we’re committed 
to providing the highest quality 
service to legitimate travelers - 
who constitute the overwhelming 
majority of our visa applicants 
- so they can receive swift, 
thorough, and clear decisions 
regarding their visa application.”
There has been a decline in the 
number of visas administered in 
recent years, from over 644,000 
students on the F1 academic 
visa in 2015 to approximately 
362,000 in 2018. In the last 
decade, the number of Chinese 
students studying in the U.S. has 
quadrupled to a high of more 
than 360,000. More than one 
million international students 
are currently studying in the U.S.
According 
to 
Broekhuizen, 
the University has not been 
impacted 
as 
drastically 
as 
other institutions. While the 
University has no control over 
administrative processing, she 
also noted affected students do 
have access to the University’s 
Student Legal Services, though a 
lawyer in the U.S. may not be able 
to help.
She recommended students 
impacted stay in touch with the 
International Center and their 
academic unit.
Chinese 
students 
account 
for approximately half of the 
University’s 
international 
student population. A 2018 report 
from the International Center 
found 
international 
students 
accounted for 14.9 percent of the 
student body that year.
In a tweet posted June 27, 
University 
President 
Mark 
Schlissel shared a letter from the 
president of the Massachusetts 
Institute of Technology titled 
“Letter to the MIT community: 
Immigration is a kind of oxygen.” 
Schlissel wrote in the tweet 
that while he is “concerned 
about 
national 
security, 
our 
international 
students, 
faculty 
and 
staff 
contribute 
immeasurably to the success of 
@umich and we offer them our 
friendship and support.”
Three weeks ago, Harvard 
University’s student newspaper, 
The 
Crimson, 
reported 
an 
incoming 
freshman 
had 
his 
visa revoked after arriving in 
Boston and was then deported. 
Following the initial article, the 
student’s story was featured 
in national news and he was 
permitted to enter the U.S. and 
begin schooling.However, the 
three students interviewed by 
The Daily have not found similar 
resolutions. 
LSA 
junior 
Jiaheng 
He, 
co-president 
of 
the 
Chinese 
Students 
and 
Scholars 
Association, said he was aware 
of multiple students who were 
unable to begin classes this 
semester because of visa delays. 
He, an international student 
himself, said the delays hurt the 
University’s status as a leading 
global institution.
“At Michigan, we are so proud 
of ourselves as the ‘Leaders 
and Best’ because we are able 
to attract so many scholars and 
students from all around the 
world to gather together and 
share their opinions,” he said. 
“But with the visa issue, there’s 
additional difficulty for us to 
get to the schools — not just for 
Chinese students, but for all 
the international students and 
scholars. It’s actually discouraged 
students from all around the 
world from coming to Michigan 
and share their opinions, so it’s 
not helpful for our diversity.”

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
News
Tuesday, September 17, 2019 — 3

CITY COUNCIL
From Page 1

“The report notes that faculty 
should not help students pursue 
educational 
or 
professional 
opportunities 
because 
they 
approve 
of 
that 
student’s 
politics,” Levitsky said. “And 
again, they can’t refuse to 
help because they politically 
disapprove. Finally, the report 
reminds us that it has never been 
the case that academic freedom 
is absolute. This is actually true 
for all freedoms in this country. 
No freedom is absolute.” 
The report explained the 
University has a responsibility 
to maintain academic integrity 
by treating faculty equally when 
it comes to political ideologies 
as well. 
“The 
report 
emphasizes 
that just as a faculty member 
cannot justify treating a student 
badly because of disagreements 
about political views, so too 
the University cannot treat a 
faculty member badly because 
of disagreements about political 
views,” Levitsky said. “Nor may 
the University make decisions 
based on pressure from outside 
the University, something that 
was an issue in the case last 
year.”
Following 
Levitsky’s 
overview, the eight attending 
graduate 
students 
had 
a 
moderated, 
confidential 
discussion 
about 
how 
the 
guidelines would impact them 
both as students and as graduate 
student instructors. Rackham 
assistant 
dean 
Ethriam 
Brammer said the purpose of 
the Rackham’s town hall was to 
hear how the report and policies 
would impact graduate students 
specifically.
Graduate students, Brammer 
said, have a dynamic position 
on campus because they are 
students but often employees 
as well. Because of this, the 
report and proposed policies 
would affect them in multiple 
positions. 
“They have multiple roles, it’s 

multi-faceted,” Brammer said. 
“In the case of writing letters of 
recommendation, for example, 
they’ll both need letters of 
recommendation to continue in 
their career, but they’ll often 
be asked to write letters of 
recommendation. We’re hoping 
that the graduate students are 
clear on what the principles are 
from the Blue Ribbon report, 
how that impacts them on their 
day to day responsibilities, but 
most importantly to see what 
their perspectives are regarding 
the report. 
Following 
the 
discussion, 
Social Work student Lauren 
Fine said though the report was 
a step in the right direction, its 
policy proposals still remained 
unclear, 
particularly 
when 
applied to GSIs. 
“I was glad to see that they did 
have a focus on responsibility 
to the student because that’s 
really important and one of the 
biggest questions that arises 
from this issue,” she said. “But I 
also was interested to see that it 
was pretty vague when it came 
to how to handle writing letters 
of recommendation if you have 
a specific political stance … they 
ended up with a pretty vague set 
of ideas that might help guide a 
GSI in making a decision but 
also might leave some questions 
unanswered.”
Fine is not a GSI and said 
hearing from fellow graduate 
students who were GSIs helped 
her understand why the report 
was so unclear in whether or not 
GSIs would be held to the same 
standard as faculty members, 
especially 
with 
regards 
to 
letters of recommendation. 
“There was the question of 
if GSIs are held to the same 
standards after their contracts 
are over, if a student approaches 
them for a recommendation 
after the fact, what’s their 
responsibility then?” Fine said. 
“I hope that they’re able to 
clarify some of these policies 
so that GSIs can make informed 
decisions about writing letters 
of recommendation.”

BLUE RIBBON
From Page 1

But, it was a marker of his intention 
to engage seriously in the subject 
matter. Dead center, straight up. 
He cared about it deeply.”
Amash cites the Constitution as 
the cornerstone of his philosophy 
as a public servant. He discusses 
how there were several instances 
when he as a conservative, could 
not vote for specific bills that he 
supported ideologically because 
they infringed the Constitution. 
“My 
dedication 
to 
the 
Constitution is what I am best 
known for in Congress,” Amash 
said. “In eight and a half years 
there, I have had to oppose 
countless 
bills 
that 
had 
no 
constitutional basis, or violated 
a constitutional provision. In 
many instances, I supported the 
bill’s policy changes but could 
not support the bill because of 
constitutional issues.”
Amash 
recalled 
when 
House Republicans introduced 
the National Right to Carry 
Reciprocity Act in 2011, which 
would allow nonresidents of a 
state to carry concealed weapons 
in that state. Amash noted that 
while he supports the right to 
carry permit reciprocity, he could 
not support the bill because there 
is no constitutional basis.
“I opposed the bill because it 
was drafted specifically to rely 
on the commerce clause. Private 
individuals 
carrying 
firearms 
isn’t commerce,” Amash said. “So 
this law can not be passed using 
Congress’s authority to regulate 
interstate commerce.”
When the lecture opened to 
a question and answer portion, 
Amash 
detailed 
his 
various 
grievances 
with 
the 
political 
stagnation. 
Earlier 
this 
year, 
Amash left the Republican Party 
and cited growing partisanship 
as his reason for leaving the two-
party system. 
“A lot of my colleagues who got 
frustrated just left, you know?” 
Amash said. “They gave up. They 
were tired. I’m sure you see it in 
the news all the time. They all 
pretend it’s a family consideration 
but they are really sick of the 
president in many cases.
Amash cited his disillusion with 
the lack of legislation being passed 
and how the Republican Party no 
longer represents his ideologies. 
“I went to Congress with the 
idea that we would change things 

incrementally, that I would go 
in there revive the Republican 
Party and turn it into a party that 
cares about liberty and process 
and cares about our constitution,” 
Amash said. “But I found that it’s 
just impossible, and that it can’t be 
changed anymore.”
Amash was the only Republican 
in the House of Representatives 
to call for President Trump’s 
impeachment. He notes how every 
term has predictable obstacles 
with the same solutions that rarely 
provide long term and constructive 
solutions.
“More than it used to be it’s 
political theatre,” Amash said. “It 
operates largely as performance 
art. When I look back on a term 
I kind of know how each term is 
going to go. Like at some point … 
there’s going to be a government 
shutdown. Then, the president 
and the two leaders come to some 
sort of compromise. And at the 
end of the year, very little happens 
legislatively 
except 
another 
omnibus bill is passed, more 
money is spent.”
Amash left the audience with a 
parting message to remind people 
of the fragility of the American 
democratic system. 
“I came here partly to give you a 
grim perspective,” Amash said. “I 
don’t think it’s good for people to 
think it works like you know ‘I’m 
just a bill’. It’s not ‘Schoolhouse 
Rock.’ It doesn’t work that way. We 
need to be frightened, we need to 
be worried about it.”
While 
Amash 
may 
have 
intended to leave his audience 
worried for the future of a 
democratic 
government, 
his 
lecture inspired LSA freshman 
Charles Hilu.
“I think this supplemented 
a love for the Constitution that 
I already have and more food 
for thought in terms of the 
constitutional questions in our 
current political systems,” Hilu 
said. 
Law School student Ameya 
Gehi also said she was surprised 
by how candid Amash in regards 
with all of the behind the scenes 
politics. 
“I think he was really principled 
and I was surprised on how honest 
he was about saying whether 
he 
thought 
something 
was 
constitutional or not,” Gehi said. 
“He wasn’t scared about being 
transparent about what goes on in 
the bill making process.”

AMASH
From Page 1

