Two bills that could affect
free speech on campus passed
in the Michigan House of
Representatives’
House
Oversight Committee on Sept.
5. The bills aim to regulate
the extent to which a college
or university can implement
policies relating to the free
speech of students and staff.
The two pieces of legislation
were sponsored by state Rep.
John Reilly, R-Oakland, and
come almost a year after white
nationalist
Richard
Spencer
came to East Lansing to speak
at Michigan State University
and was met with protesters,
where two dozen people were
arrested. The first bill, titled
“The
Campus
Free
Speech
Act,” defines the circumstances
under which a public college
or university is permitted to
limit “expressive conduct” on
campus and details the type
of legal action students or
staff can take when the act is
violated.
The
second
bill,
“The
College Campus Intellectual
and
Expressive
Freedom
Act,” requires each college or
university to create a policy
on free speech in accordance
with
state-wide
standards
while also making the policy
transparent
and
understood
by both students and staff
members.
The
legislation
clarifies what form of protest
is allowed and would make it
easier for controversial figures
and speakers to visit campus
—
including
Spencer
and
conservative commentator Ben
Shapiro, who came to speak at
the University of Michigan in
March.
LSA
senior
Kate
Westa,
former
vice
chair
of
the
University’s
chapter
of
conservative
organization
Young America’s Foundation
and
current
co-president
of
political
organization
WeListen, expressed support
for the bill and argued public
institutions of higher education
should not have power over
the views expressed on their
campuses.
“A
public
university
should not be in the business
of deciding which of their
students get to host speakers
or speak their minds,” Westa
said. “It is the government’s
responsibility to ensure that
our rights are protected, and
if the First Amendment is
being trampled on or amended
by speech codes or unfair
treatment, then it is absolutely
within their purview to stop
that from happening.”
LSA
sophomore
Sam
Burnstein,
a
founding
member of Michigan Political
Consulting
and
elected
representative for LSA Student
Government,
said
he
was
appreciative of the freedom of
speech available on campus.
michigandaily.com
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Thursday, September 19, 2019
ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-EIGHT YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM
In new data published by
the Center for the Study of
Education Policy at Illinois State
University, Michigan ranked
44th nationally in per-resident
support of higher education for
the fiscal year 2019.
On
a
per-dollar
basis,
Michigan spent $195.52 per
resident, while the national
average
stands
at
$280.60.
According to calculations, if
Michigan were to increase its
spending per-resident to the
national
average,
Michigan
would be investing almost $850
million more into its higher
education institutions.
This new data comes as
a dramatic shift from a few
decades ago when Michigan
was above the state average
in per resident spending on
higher education. In 2001, for
example,
Michigan
ranked
20th nationally in per resident
spending on higher education
at $230.56, not adjusting for
inflation.
In March, Gov. Gretchen
Whitmer proposed to reverse
this
trend
by
increasing
funding for Michigan’s higher
education institutions by 3
percent, totalling around $45.6
million, for the fiscal year
2020. Meanwhile, Michigan’s
legislature has pushed for a
different budget that allocates
a 1 percent increase in higher
education spending.
Around campus, opinions
seem to be divided with some
students bringing up Michigan’s
tuition and others mentioning
the impact raising taxes
would have on taxpayers.
On Sept. 4, Michigan Gov.
Gretchen Whitmer announced
a ban that will stop the sale of
flavored e-cigarettes and other
nicotine vaping products. The
ban also prohibits marketing
vaping as “clean,” “safe” or
“healthy.”
In order to speed up the
process of creating the ban,
Whitmer ordered the Michigan
Department
of
Health
and
Human
Services
to
draft
emergency rules banning the
products. This allows state
agencies to create policies that
will act as laws after being
authorized, according to the
Lansing State Journal. The ban
will reportedly be filed in a few
weeks, and then retailers will
have 30 days to comply.
Rule 2 of the ban states
someone found with at least
four of the banned products,
will be assumed to have intent
to sell them, which is prohibited
under the ban.
“A person who possesses
four
or
more
flavored
vapor products, or flavored
alternative nicotine products is
rebuttably presumed to possess
said items with the intent to
sell,” the rule reads.
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INDEX
Vol. CXXVIII, No. 1315
©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 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 B
S P O R T S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
michigandaily.com
For more stories and coverage, visit
‘U’ joins group
of schools to
research low-
carbon future
Announcement comes on eve of
Washtenaw County Climate Strike
Michael Solomon, dean of
Rackham Graduate School,
hosted a talk on rethinking
graduate
education
Wednesday afternoon. About
200 community members,
including graduate faculty
and staff attended the event.
Solomon
began
by
defining
the
traditional
apprenticeship
model
of
graduate education, which
is based on an intellectual
connection
between
faculty
and
students.
While
acknowledging
the
successes
of
this
model,
Solomon identified building
pressures he believes need
to be addressed. Displaying
a number of headlines on the
projector,
Rackham
listed
some of the controversies
facing graduate education,
including
the
tightening
job
market
for
doctorate
degrees,
mental
health
concerns and instances of
sexual harassment.
Solomon
proposed
Rackham could be a leader
in transforming the model of
graduate education in order
to address these issues.
Rackham
hosts grad
education
seminar
ACADEMICS
ANGELINA LITTLE
Daily Staff Reporter
Michigan ranked 44th nationally
in higher education funding
State spent $195.52 per resident compared to national average of $280.60 in 2019
Whitmer
e-cig ban
could lead
to jail time
GOVERNMENT
EMMA STEIN
Daily Staff Reporter
Follow The Daily
on Instagram,
@michigandaily
University
of
Michigan
President
Mark
Schlissel
announced
Wednesday
morning the University will
be joining the University
Climate Change Coalition,
a group of leading research
universities collaborating on
a model to help communities
move toward a low-carbon
future. The decision comes
on the eve of the University-
sponsored Earthfest and two
days before the Washtenaw
County Climate Strike is set
to take place on the Diag.
The
move
follows
a
recommendation
from
the
President’s
Commission
on Carbon Neutrality. In a
University
Record
article
published
Wednesday
morning,
Schlissel
said
climate
change
is
an
issue that must be solved
collaboratively.
“The problem of global
climate change is far too
big for any one institution
to
solve
alone,”
Schlissel
said.
“Collaboration
and
engagement
are
key
to
creating
real
and
lasting
solutions that will benefit our
society.”
The coalition, which is
run
by
the
organization
Second
Nature
and
commonly
referred
to
as
UC3, unites 20 universities
across the continent in an
effort to accelerate climate
change
solutions
through
innovative ideas and action.
The coalition’s primary goal
is
to
foster
collaboration
among prominent academic
institutions
across
the
country
toward
a
more
sustainable future.
In an email to The Daily,
University
spokesman
Rick Fitzgerald wrote the
commission felt joining the
coalition would support the
University’s goal of having
an impact beyond campus.
Fitzgerald explained Schlissel
accepted the commission’s
recommendation and signed
a letter committing to the
suggestions on Aug. 29.
“As you may know, one of
the main reasons President
Schlissel
appointed
the
President’s
Commission
on Carbon Neutrality was
to look for ways in which
the university could have a
broader impact beyond the
border of the Ann Arbor
campus,” Fitzgerald wrote.
DESIGN BY SHERRY CHEN
MI House Oversight Committee
passes campus free speech bill
Legislation aims to regulate how colleges can limit personal expression
See JAIL, Page 3A
MADELINE MCLAUGHLIN
& ALEX HARRING
Daily Staff Reporters
Possession of 4+ vapor
products may result in
six month sentence
ARJUN THAKKAR
Daily Staff Reporter
MICHAEL ZHANG
Daily Staff Reporter
DESIGN BY SHERRY CHEN
See RACKHAM, Page 3A
See CARBON, Page 3A
Dean Michael Solomon
outlined goals for more
partnerships, diversity
See SPEECH, Page 3A
See FUNDING, Page 3A