For the state of Michigan,
this would mean the University
could
resume
its
previous
practice
of
affirmative
action and the use of race in
admissions decisions.
The lawsuit was filed in
November 2014, claiming that
the practice of racial balancing,
commonly known as affirmative
action, in Harvard’s admissions
process was discriminatory.
In Burroughs’ conclusion,
she described her belief that
racial balance positively affects
Harvard University’s student
body and explains why she
upheld their affirmative action
policy.
“(Students) will have the
opportunity
to
know
and
understand one another beyond
race,
as
whole
individuals
with
unique
histories
and
experiences,” Burroughs wrote.
“Until we (can all do that), race
conscious admissions programs
that survive strict scrutiny
will have an important place
in society and help ensure that
colleges and universities can
offer
a
diverse
atmosphere
that
fosters
learning,
improves
scholarship,
and
encourages mutual respect and
understanding.”
Rob Sellers, the University’s
vice provost for equity and
inclusion and chief diversity
officer,
commented
on
the
Harvard admissions case and
how it could ultimately affect
the University in an email
statement to The Daily.
“The decision is important
in reaffirming the compelling
nature of [the] benefits [of
diversity] -- an argument that U
of M successfully championed
before the Supreme Court in
the Grutter and Gratz decisions
-- but ultimately does not affect
our admissions practices, as
we remain subject to Prop 2,”
Sellers wrote. “On a national
level,
the
case’s
ultimate
impact is not yet clear: SFFA
has reportedly already said it
will appeal to the First Circuit,
and to the Supreme Court if
necessary.
LSA senior James Lee, the
advocacy chair of United Asian
American
Organizations,
similarly
expressed
that

affirmative action would benefit
the University.
“I think we very much need
it,” Lee said. “I think affirmative
action
is
a
good
thing,
inherently. It gives people the
channels and avenues that they
historically weren’t given into
the top tier elite universities. So
I guess as a blanket statement,
yes, we do support affirmative
action.”
In
contrast
to
Harvard
University, the University of
Michigan has not considered
race as a part of the admissions
process since 2006. This change
occurred after a statewide ballot
initiative when the Proposal
2 amendment, which banned
the use of race in admissions
in education, was added to the
state constitution. The Supreme
Court ruled the amendment
was constitutional in 2014.
Following this change, the
University
saw
declines
in
the enrollment of minority
students. To combat this shift,
the
University
established
programs through The Center
for
Educational
Outreach,
such as collaborations with
K-12
schools
and
service
organizations
on
campus.
University
administration
has
confirmed
they
will
continue to be an affirmative
action
employer,
ensuring
all individuals have an equal
opportunity for advancement,
and
have
reaffirmed
their
commitment
to
diversity,
implementing
a
five-year
plan for diversity, equity and
inclusion efforts that began in
2016.
Sellers also commented on
how these programs and the
University’s
commitment
to
diversity affect students, despite
not being able to use affirmative
action in admissions.

“As
the
University
of
Michigan enters the fourth year
of its five-year strategic plan for
diversity, equity and inclusion,
we continue to make progress
in transforming the university
into a place where everyone
has an equitable opportunity
to succeed and contribute,”
Sellers wrote. “These changes
can be seen and felt throughout
our
campus,
as
programs,
practices
and
initiatives
continue to reflect our values
in making Michigan a more
diverse, equitable and inclusive

university.”
Despite
the
University’s
commitment
to
diversity,
Public Policy junior Cydney
Gardner-Brown said she is one
of only two Black students in
her cohort at the Gerald R. Ford
School of Public Policy. This
has often forced her to be the
spokesperson of her race, she
said.
“Black
students
entering
spaces where they are the racial
minority
can
be
extremely
difficult for them to navigate,”
Gardner-Brown said. “As one
of the only two Black students
in the Ford Class of 2021, my
presence is hyper-visible to my
classmates and instructors. My
voice, face and opinions are
often amplified, whether I want
them to be or not, because a
Black perspective is quite rare.”
She
thinks
the
state
of
Michigan’s lack of affirmative
action
in
admissions
has
negatively
impacted
the
University and student body.
“I’ll
say
that
repealing
(affirmative action) made a
significant negative impact on
diversity on campus which is
harmful to the university as a
whole,” Gardner-Brown said.
“Its repeal was a demonstration
of the Supreme Court’s lack
of empathy and resolve for
social reform and of its failure
to recognize and honor the
dire need for trailblazers in
public educational settings to
help rectify institutionalized
racism.”
In Harvard’s case, though
Burroughs’ ruled in favor of
the school, she also suggested
there were ways the admissions
process could be improved.
“Notwithstanding the fact
that
Harvard’s
admissions
program
survives
strict
scrutiny, it is not perfect,”
Burroughs
wrote
in
her
decision.
“The process would likely
benefit
from
conducting
implicit
bias
trainings
for
admissions
officers,
maintaining clear guidelines
on the use of race in the
admissions process … That
being said, the Court will
not dismantle a very fine
admissions
program
that
passes constitutional muster,
solely because it could do
better.”

“But with the Plessy v.
Ferguson decision, with the
overall
understanding
that
the
national
government
would not be aggressive about
implementing
and
ordering
and protecting the rights of
African
Americans,
voter
registration collapsed.”
From
this
concept,
Pinderhughes
said
she
developed her own notion of
a “contested nadir,” showing
resistance
in
the
face
of
systematic struggle for the
African-American community.
The contested nadir represents
a new resurgence of the civil
rights movement in the United
States.
“This is a kind of optimistic
future,”
Pinderhughes
said.
“I’m
arguing
that
there
are challenges — there’s no
question
that
the
Trump
administration
has
worked
very hard to undercut all the
reforms that were being put
in place over the last 40 to 50
years — but that there’s enough
structural changes that make
this (stable) long term.”
Rackham student Michelle
Mann, a doctoral candidate
in history, said she thought
the
historical
comparisons
throughout the lecture allowed
for a better understanding of
racial dynamics in the country.
“I think it’s great,” Mann
said.
“I
appreciated
the
comparison of the nadir to
a new nadir. I think there’s
definitely something to that.
You can’t understand where
you’re at if you don’t know
where you came from.”
According
to
Rackham
student
Kamri
Hudgins,
connecting
concepts
of
academics
and
activism
is
effective
in
starting
conversations
about
institutional change.
“I think it’s always good
to bridge the gap between

academia
and
activism,”
Hudgins
said.
“So,
I
feel
like a lot of times when you
think about people like Ralph
Bunche — he was a scholar and
an activist — so when you have
these people on the ground
doing the work, the grassroots-
type-thing that are going on,
it’s good to have things like
this because you almost need a
framework to pull from.”
When asked about modern
movements like Black Lives
Matter,
Pinderhughes
said
social media has allowed for
the resurgence of a large-scale
civil rights movement.
“In a sense, what we’re
seeing is the full mobilization
of
the
African-American
community,”
Pinderhughes
said. “I think we’re not afraid
to rise up and take public
stands about it and protest in
the streets and do things that
people wouldn’t necessarily
think you’d be safe doing all
the time. Ella Baker used
to say ‘Strong people don’t
need strong leaders.’ It seems
to me that’s where we’re
seeing community organizing
and
grassroots
organizing
happening
frequently,
and
those local organizers rising up
and challenging the police and
local officials successfully.”
Hudgins said she appreciated
the acknowledgment of a new
era of civil rights in the lecture.
“I thought it was really good
because you don’t necessarily
hear people talking about this
new era of civil rights that we’re
in. People don’t really frame it
in that context,” Hudgins said.
“It’s like everybody knows
something is going on. There’s
a lot of movements and a lot
of talk. There’s a lot of stuff
happening, but you don’t really
know what is going on, so I
think it’s good to even just
start baseline.”
According to Pinderhughes,
the
Obama
presidency
and
subsequent
Trump
presidency was the result of an
overwhelming change in racial

dynamics and politics in the
country.
“Decades of work seemed
to be moving in the right
direction,
and
then
the
improbable
election
of
Obama surprised many of the
most astute observers into
saying ‘not in my lifetime,’”
Pinderhughes said. “And then
Trump was the opposite and
the inverse of an Obama, and
yesterday was the 1000th day
of Trump’s presidency and he
may have lost his base.”
When asked about how the
modern ideological landscape
pertains to the 2020 election,
Pinderhughes said candidates
appealing
to
“old-school”
Black politics are struggling
to garner the attention and
support
of
young
African-
American voters.
“You could argue that Harris
and Booker are out there on
the
edges,”
Pinderhughes
said. “Partly — I’m pointing to
the race test — how Black are
they, issue, and then there’s
the
issues
of
they’re
not
liberal enough for the young
population. I wonder what this
means in terms of what people’s
definition is of ‘liberal.’ How
do we judge that?”
According
to
Rackham
student
Zoe
Walker,
discussions regarding racial
dynamics
are
especially
important on the U-M campus.
“The University of Michigan
is still a predominantly white
campus in the Midwest, so I
think diversity is going to be an
ongoing issue and the question
of civil rights is going to be an
ongoing issue in a place like
Michigan, especially in Ann
Arbor,” Walker said. “Even
though there’s only 4 percent
black students here at this
school, as Prof. Pinderhughes
was saying race has become a
national issue and it’s always
been an issue in national
politics,
but
especially
in
the era of Trump it’s going
to continue to be a national
conversation.”

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
News
Friday, October 18, 2019 — 3

HARVARD
From Page 1

DYNAMICS
From Page 1

Nickxit
Bhardwaj,
Flint
senior and president of the Flint
campus Student Government,
also addressed the board about
issues facing Flint students
and the ways the University
should support students across
the three campuses. Bhardwaj
urged the board to understand
the unique challenges that
many
Flint
students
must
overcome in order to get an
education.
“The story of a University
of Michigan-Flint student is
not the same as Ann Arbor,
Dearborn
or
any
other
campuses,” Bhardwaj said. “On
average, most of my student
peers have two jobs or ... are
involved in different projects
or organizations that impact
student life on campus. On
top of that, our students have
multiple
demands
on
their
time or resources. Many of our
students are veterans, single
parents, transfer students or
nontraditional students over
the age of 25.”
Bhardwaj asked the board
to take steps to ensure Flint
students feel included in the
University system and have
access
to
resources
made
available by the University.
“So, the question stands:
How does the University of
Michigan provide for the needs
of students in Flint?” Bhardwaj
said. “How, as a University, do
we think about the student who
works two jobs, takes 18 credits,
struggles
with
economic
disadvantages and still has to
go home and take care of their
family? ... We are a different
campus, and hence we have
different needs.”
The
remainder
of
the
meeting was centered around
23 finance agreements, all of
which were approved by the
board. A few of the agreements
centered around renovations to
University buildings, including

a $9 million renovation to the
A. Alfred Taubman Health Care
Center.
The
public
commentators
then took the stage to address
the Board of Regents and
Schlissel,
most
of
them
speaking on behalf of the One
University Campaign, which
advocates for equal funding
on
the
University’s
three
campuses.
Daniel
Birchok,
assistant
professor of anthropology at
the U-M Flint, argued some
of the University’s initiatives
to promote equality, such as
the Go Blue Guarantee, don’t
actually promote equity on all
three campuses.
“The public knows that you,
the regents, have the resources
to pursue equity for students
on the U-M Flint and Dearborn
campuses,” Birchok said. “But
when you set aside 50 million
dollars to education innovation
that does not include the Go
Blue Guarantee for Flint and
Dearborn,
something
that
would help our students avoid
crushing debt, you send a
message that your interest in
equity is more about image than
the well-being of students.”
Birchok
said
though
students who attend U-M Flint
and Dearborn may not be as
wealthy as students on the Ann
Arbor campus, they deserve
the same level of education and
opportunities.
“Our staff, my colleagues
and our community have not
given up on a vision of equity
that includes our students,”
Birchok said. “Our students
may not come from the wealth
that many Ann Arbor students
do, but they are of equal worth.”
LSA junior Solomon Medintz,
who writes for The Daily’s
opinion section, addressed the
board regarding climate change
during the public comment
period. Medintz criticized the
University for its investment in
the fossil fuel industry and for
arresting students for sitting
in the Fleming Administration

Building last March.
“You should stop trying to
throw
students
who
speak
out in jail,” Medintz said. “It’s
absurd
that
students
who
peacefully sat in last March
asking to schedule a one-hour
public meeting with President
Schlissel
were
arrested
by
University police and are still
in and out of court rooms today.
It is a stain on this University.”
Flint
senior
Brooklyn
Golden, president of the Black
Student Union, discussed how
many students at U-M Flint
are first-generation students
or low-income students, and
she said many of them feel like
the University does not value
their opinions. She noted the
negative reputation U-M Flint
has.
“Unfortunately, many of us
have the feeling that the faculty
and staff and administration
at this University do not hear
or value what students have
to say,” Golden said. “There
are three universities under
the University of Michigan
umbrella ... The University of
Michigan-Flint is commonly
known
as
the
non-tuition
university. The majority of our
students fall under the category
first-gen, commuter students,
parents, transfer or low-income
students.”
Golden concluded by saying
that while the University says
it prioritizes diversity, she and
her peers often feel unwelcome
on campus.
“The University makes it a
point to talk about diversity,
equity and inclusion on campus
without seeking any course
of action to exemplify change
for students of color,” Golden
said. “It is a shame that in 2019,
students of color on this campus
share experiences of prejudice
and derogatory remarks and
actions from faculty, staff and
even peers. Many students of
color,
particularly
African-
American
students,
feel
unwanted and out of place here
at this University.”

REGENTS
From Page 1

Muse then transitioned to
music, where he said catch
phrases are a big part of pop
culture, such as Megan Thee
Stallion’s “Hot Girl Summer.”
After her song went viral,
Muse said Stallion went to
patent a copyright for her
famous
phrase
and
was
successful. Muse emphasized
the importance of Stallion
being
able
to
obtain
a
copyright due to a history of
Black Americans being unable
to in the post-slavery era.
“The patent office, when
it was created, Black folks
could never get a patent for
anything they did during the
post-slavery
days
because
they
weren’t
look
at
as
citizens,” Muse said. “They
weren’t viewed as having the
ability to get a patent and they

were viewed as (not) having
intellect. So, if you didn’t have
intellect, then you couldn’t be
considered a U.S. citizen. And
considering having intellect
meant you had a patent.”
Rackham
student
Aloka
Narayanan told The Daily she
was interested in the policy
involved in the copyrighting
of “Hot Girl Summer” and
other viral catch phrases.
“The copyrighting of ‘Hot
Girl Summer,’ I didn’t know
that had been done. I had
heard about recent efforts to
copyright ‘Taco Tuesday’ and
some other big catch phrases,”
Narayanan said. “I thought
it was interesting that he
introduced it as an intellectual
copyrights issue. What we
traditional see purely related
to pop culture and cultural
norms can also have public
policy implications that we
don’t typically think about.”
Muse also talked about
the
platform
that
sports

players have and how that
has turned political in recent
years. For example, Daryl
Morey, general manager of
the Houston Rockets, posted
in a now deleted tweet a
statement supporting Hong
Kong protestors and China
responded by removing all
events and coverage of the
NBA in mainland China.
“I think sports has a hell
of a way of really moderating
our discourse in ways that
we don’t really think about
it,” Muse said. “I encourage
you
when
you’re
doing
your studies, think tanks,
internships to think about the
ways that sports could help
elevate things you guys care.”
Public Policy senior Ethan
Ramer told The Daily he
thought the discussion around
sports and public policy is

RADIO
From Page 1

P O L I C Y T A L K S @ T H E F O R D S C H O O L

KATHY CRAMER

Professor of Political
Science at the University of
Wisconsin-Madison

Photo: Michelle Stocker, The Cap Times

CLOSU P LECT UR E S ER I ES
Listening to
Strengthen Democracy

HOSTED AS PART OF THE FORD SCHOOL'S CONVERSATIONS ACROSS DIFFERENCE INITIATIVE.

Free and open to the public.
Reception to follow.

Information: 734-647-4091 or
closup@umich.edu

@fordschool #policytalks

Wednesday, October 23, 2019
4:00 - 5:30 pm

Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy
Annenberg Auditorium, 1120 Weill Hall
735 S. State Street

Read more at
MichiganDaily.com