Before LSA senior Ashley
Soto entered the University
of Michigan, she knew she
wanted to join a culturally-
based sorority on campus.
Soto, who is now president of
the University’s Alpha chapter
of Delta Tau Lambda Sorority,
Inc., had an opportunity to
visit the University through the
sorority’s high school outreach
program. After her first year,
she decided to join the sorority.
“I
didn’t
want
to
join
a
Panhel
(Panhellenic)
organization, just because I
didn’t feel comfortable as a
black Latina doing that,” Soto
said. “That’s kind of the reality
of things for some students
of color. But, once I found out
that there was a way of joining
multicultural
Greek
life,
I
knew that I had seen a lot of
people in my community be a
part of it, and I wanted to be a
part of that community.”
Engineering senior Spencer
Chen had a similar experience
to Soto, saying though he
did not intend to join Greek
life before coming to the
University, he was able to find a
community in the Iota chapter
of
Asian-American
interest
fraternity Pi Alpha Phi, which
helped him open up to his
identity.
“I originally joined because I
first met a few of the brothers,
and they were very warm and
welcoming,” Chen said. “And
before I came to college … I
wasn’t very accepting of my
culture. They helped guide me
to not only accept myself, but
embrace it.”
The National Pan-Hellenic
Council and the Multicultural
Greek
Council
oversee
culturally
based
fraternal
organizations
(CBFOs).
NPHC, also known as the
“Divine Nine,” is made up of
historically African-American
sororities
and
fraternities
founded during the early 1900s,
when Black students were not
permitted to join historically
white fraternal organizations.
MGC was founded in 2002
with the mission of embracing
multiculturalism and providing
a space for communities of
color in Greek life.
“We were founded based on
the idea of inclusivity,” Chen
said.
Thousands of University of
Michigan students and local
community members filled Hill
Auditorium to hear American
rapper, actor, philanthropist and
activist Common speak at the
Handleman Lecture on Thursday
night.
Answering
questions
posed by Scott DeRue, dean of
the Ross School of Business,
Common discussed how he aims
to use his platform as a force for
positive change.
Hosted by the Business School
and sponsored by the Joseph
and Sally Handleman Charitable
Foundation, the annual event
invites a prominent figure to
campus each year to speak on
relevant business topics. As part
of their curricular activities, all
first- and second-year Business
students were required to attend.
Common opened the event by
sharing how he found his voice
through rap at the age of 12.
Seeing the love and joy his work
brought, Common said he knew
he wanted to become a rapper
when he realized his work had
impact.
“When I found my voice, I
started to figure out what I stood
for and who I am,” Common
said. “My voice really became
something that I knew was mine
when I found out it had purpose,”
When asked about formative
moments
in
his
childhood,
Common said learning the story
of Emmett Till, a Black 14-year-
old who was lynched after being
accused of whistling at a white
woman in 1955, has been the
strongest influence in shaping
who he is today.
“Me seeing that as a little kid
and knowing that he was just like
me, from Chicago, it made me feel
like I had to live for something
greater,” Common said. “It made
me realize, someone died just
because he whistled at someone,
so what am I going to do with this
michigandaily.com
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Friday, September 27, 2019
ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-EIGHT YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM
Former
Massachusetts
Gov. Deval Patrick spoke in
a
conversation-style
event
about climate change and
the role of business and
politics
in
environmental
sustainability.
The
event
was the first installment of
the Environmental Law &
Policy Program’s 2019-2020
Lecture Series.
Patrick, who served as
governor of Massachusetts
from 2007 to 2015, first
discussed
the
importance
of encouraging innovation
in businesses through the
government,
public
policy
and impact investing.
“The kind of innovation
that is happening in the clean
and
alternative
energy
I
think is just wildly exciting,”
Patrick said. “How do you
enable the folks who are
doing this? We need to help
catalyze the private sector
with this kind of research.
… We need to elevate that,
which is a thing that people
in senior public positions
can do by showing up to
events, understanding what’s
happening and encouraging.”
According
to
Patrick,
one of the key faults in
governing and politics is the
idea that there can only be
a single solution for issues
like climate change, when in
reality these problems often
have multiple angles and
solutions.
University of Michigan Provost
Martin Philbert announced a
campus-wide extended reality
initiative — an umbrella term for
augmented, mixed and virtual
reality technology commonly
referred to as XR — last week.
XR
Initiative
Director
and
University alum, Jeremy Nelson,
said the technology will enhance
learning both on campus and
online.
“These
are
advanced
technologies
that
allow
you
to
experience
different
environments,
different
perspectives in a way that may
be challenging to do if you’re
not able to travel somewhere
or to see inside of an atom,”
Nelson said. “It opens up lots of
opportunities for expanding the
learning experience for students
and learners around the world.”
Nelson works in the Center
for Academic Innovation, which
is spearheading the three-year
initiative. A new fund will
support projects related to XR on
campus.
GOT A NEWS TIP?
Call 734-418-4115 or e-mail
news@michigandaily.com and let us know.
INDEX
Vol. CXXVIII, No. 142
©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
Cultural fraternal
organizations talk
challenges, support
in ‘U’ community
Students express concern over lack
of recognition, publicity for events
Influential
singer-
songwriter Bob Dylan will be
blowin’ in the wind all the way
to Ann Arbor on Nov. 6 to play
a concert at Hill Auditorium.
Bob Dylan and his band are
being brought to Ann Arbor
by an organization called Live
Nation, a live-entertainment
company
that
produces
concerts.
Samantha
Musil,
manager for Student Services
and Major Events at the Center
for
Campus
Involvement,
assisted Live Nation with the
venue setup.
“We rent the space to Live
Nation,” Musil said. “We also
provide
event
coordination
for on-campus requirements...
For example, hiring security,
ambulance
services
and
stage labor in order to set up
the stage and bring up their
equipment.”
Many Bob Dylan fans on
campus are excited for his
arrival, as some have been
growing up listening to his
music since childhood.
Bob Dylan
to perform
at Hill in
November
CULTURE
Former Massachusetts governor
Deval Patrick talks climate change
Politician discusses regional greenhouse gas reduction, sustainability
Provost’s
XR effort
integrates
learning
INNOVATION
Follow The Daily
on Instagram,
@michigandaily
ASHA LEWIS/Daily
Deval Patrick, former Governor of Massachusetts, speaks about his state’s embrace of pro-environmental policy during the Great Recession as part of the Michigan Law
Environmental Law & Policy Program Lecture Series in Jeffries Hall Thursday afternoon.
CLAIRE HAO
Daily Staff Reporter
SONIA LEE
Daily Staff Reporter
See GOVERNOR, Page 3A
RUCHITA IYER/Daily
Musician and actor Common speaks on purpose and finding a vocie at the annual Ross School of Business Handleman Lecture in Hill Auditorium Thursday evening.
See DYLAN., Page 3A
See REALITY, Page 3A
SONIA LEE
Daily Staff Reporter
See FRAT, Page 3A
See COMMON, Page 3A
FRANCESA DUONG
Daily Staff Reporter
Common gives Handelman
Lecture on progress, purpose
Entertainer highlights using business as force for positive change
Multi-year initiative
brings technology to
classes, coursework
ALEX HARRING
Daily Staff Reporter
Student tickets sold
out to see musician
perform on campus
FootballSaturday
The Michigan marching band
created a special Mary Poppins-
themed show in honor of late
administrator Maggie St. Clair.
» Page 1B