Climate change could have dire
impacts on Michigan farmers.
As a result, local producers are
taking matters into their own
hands to cope with extreme
temperatures and unpredictable
weather patterns in the state.
Earlier
in
October,
Sen.
Debbie
Stabenow,
D-Mich,
released a report entitled “The
Climate Crisis and Michigan”
to address environmental issues
surrounding the state and the
implications of climate change on
local communities.
Sections of the report discuss
various ways climate change has
affected Michigan’s physical and
economic landscape, including
damages to agriculture, winter
recreation and both public and
private infrastructure.
Agriculture
is
the
second
largest industry in Michigan,
representing about a quarter of all
jobs. These jobs require a stable
and reliable climate in order to
succeed. The report highlighted
a
phenomenon
called
“false
spring,” marked by unseasonal
warmth and sudden shifts back
to cold temperatures. According
to the report, the phenomenon
puts stress on crops and causes
them to underperform. In 2012,
Michigan farmers lost 90 percent
of the tart cherry crop due to false
spring, according to the report.
Climate
change
is
also
impacting local life. Stephanie
Willette, manager of the Ann
Arbor Farmers Market, noted the
dangers of climate instability in
recent years, as well as its impact
on crop yield in Ann Arbor.
“This year, we had that cold
snap that was a lot later than
normal, and so we didn’t have
hardly any peaches at all that
were good this year,” Willette
said. “That’s kind of rare and
really happens when you get
(temperatures)
that
aren’t
normal, and we had a late frost
this spring.”
At the end of every year, the
market releases an annual report
in which Ann Arbor residents
can voice feedback on the market
and its vendors. In 2018, various
complaints pertained to creating
an indoor version of the year-
round market for winter months.
Willette explained extreme
weather
patterns
caused
by
climate change, like severe wind
and rain, pose a serious threat to
the physical market, as well as to
the items vendors can sell during
the year.
“I think there is a concern that
storms, rain, snow are going to
become more severe, and that
is one of the things pushing the
issue, and we’re taking a look at
trying to winterize the space,”
Willette said. “We are working
with (the city) in order to try and
install solar, so we’re thinking in
terms of how our facility can be
more sustainable. How can we
have energy solutions that are not
contributing to climate change
that are reliable long-term?”
Anxieties surrounding lack of
a plentiful harvest can also put
stress on the farmers, who risk
job instability. According to the
report, an increase in Michigan’s
poor air quality has exacerbated
the
annual
allergy
season.
Warmer conditions caused by
climate change have allowed
disease-carrying
pests
like
mosquitoes and ticks to thrive
in the state, both of which pose
statewide public health concerns.
Eric Kampe, a vendor at the
Ann Arbor Farmers Market and
the owner of Ann Arbor Seed
Company,
explained
climate
change can harm a farmer’s
financial and emotional well-
being.
“Folks that farm really love and
care (about) what they’re doing,
and if the wind is blowing hard
and you’re thinking, ‘Man, is this
going to ruin one of my buildings,
or break one of my hoop houses,
or is this stressing out my crops?’”
Kampe said. “You can put on your
accountant hat, (but) that’s not
who we are as living creatures.
It’s stressful, it’s hard, you don’t
sleep well at night … It definitely
can hurt the bottom line and hurt
your ability to make a living.”
Stabenow’s report concludes
with solutions to the problems
of climate change in Michigan,
such as investing in renewable
energy and employing smarter
agricultural practices.
Exactly how the change will
manifest is unclear to everyone
involved.
Even
NCAA
President Mark Emmert kept
things ambiguous when he
spoke to reporters Tuesday.
“We’re going to have to wait
and see what transpires with
each of these legislatures,”
Emmert said. “We believe very
deeply in the board … that you
have to have a national system
if you’re going to have national
championships.
Doing
all
these things state by state is
at best ineffective and most
likely makes it very difficult
or impossible.”
At the same time Emmert
spoke,
bills
similar
to
California’s had already begun
taking shape in Washington,
Colorado, Illinois and Florida.
Federally, Rep. Mark Walker,
R-N.C., proposed a bill while
Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C.,
took to Twitter on Tuesday
to say he would introduce a
measure to make any income
gained by college athletes
taxable.
A U-M spokesperson told
The Daily Tuesday afternoon
that athletic director Warde
Manuel
had
no
comment
on the situation at the time.
Men’s basketball coach Juwan
Howard has pled ignorance
on the issue when asked and
football coach Jim Harbaugh
pivoted
—
diverting
the
conversation towards allowing
players to declare for the
NFL Draft early. Harbaugh’s
proposal was to allow players
to turn professional at any
point in their college careers
while keeping their amateur
status intact.
“That’s something I think
would be fair and beneficial to
everybody,” Harbaugh said on
Oct. 7.
“We must embrace change
to provide the best possible
experience
for
college
athletes,”
said
Ohio
State
president and NCAA Board of
Directors chair Michael Drake
in a press release. “Additional
flexibility in this area can
and must continue to support
college sports as part of higher
education.”
Gene Smith, Ohio State’s
athletic director, said earlier
this month that he opposed
California’s
legislation,
emphasizing the need for a
federal framework.
Though players may not
have
been
aware
of
the
specifics of the legislation,
their stances became clear on
Tuesday.
“The amount of time and
work we put in, just how big
the football industry is, how
much it’s increasing, I think,
yeah, give back to us a little
bit,” said redshirt freshman
tight end Luke Schoonmaker.
“We’re the ones (playing).”
Schoonmaker also pointed
to
financial
troubles
that
many players face, saying he
had to look for a job over the
summer for extra money.
At the same time, the Big
Ten is in the midst of a six-
year TV rights deal with ESPN
and Fox Sports worth $2.64
billion, while Harbaugh, the
third-highest paid coach in
college football, is set to make
$7.5 million this season.
“I’d say food-wise, I think
most of the guys, too, are
always hungry,” Schoonmaker
said. “And it’d just help during
the week with being able to
eat some more and have more
money for that. And any daily
needs and stuff, just could
help us, week to week.”
The CCS serves a similar
purpose, but does not reach out
to the subjects of the anonymous
reports
directly.
According
to the University Record, the
settlement does not bar staff
members
from
speaking
to
individual students or student
groups about any incidents that
may have occurred.
The new CCS will continue to
address issues of discrimination
on campus and support those
who choose to report, University
spokesman
Rick
Fitzgerald
wrote in an email to The Daily.
The goal of the CCS is to make
University resources available to
students, faculty and staff when
instances
of
discrimination
arise.
“The focus of this work is
providing support, which has
been the long-standing primary
(focus) of this work,” Fitzgerald
wrote.
LSA junior Lincoln Ballew,
chairman of the University’s
chapter of Young Americans
for Freedom, said the CCS will
benefit the University in ways
the Bias Response Team did not.
“I think that’s a much better
system than the BRT because
it doesn’t make anyone afraid
to speak what they would like
to,” Ballew said. “But also, it
provides support for people who
may be offended by comments.
So, it’s a good system to replace
the BRT.”
In August 2018, U.S District
Court Judge, Linda V. Parker,
sided with the University and
rejected Speech First’s request
for a preliminary injunction
against
the
Bias
Response
Team. According to Parker,
in September of this year, a
federal appeals court reversed
Parker’s decision and voided
the ruling on the basis the Bias
Response Team infringed upon
the First Amendment rights
by allowing students to report
discrimination anonymously.
According to the settlement
agreement,
the
University
removed certain definitions of
“harassment” and “bullying”
from its Statement of Student
Rights and Responsibilities on
June 11, 2018, after the lawsuit
was filed by Speech First. The
change was meant to clarify the
definitions of these terms for
students, faculty and staff.
Fitzgerald told the University
Record the decision to settle
will reaffirm the University’s
commitment
to
freedom
of
speech and prevent against
similar
claims
against
the
University in the future.
“Vigorous debate on all sides
of an issue has been a hallmark
of this campus before and
during the lawsuit,” Fitzgerald
said. “We have confidence that
true diversity of thought will
continue to flourish on our
campus.”
The decision to settle is a
victory for the organization
and for free speech rights on
college campuses, University
spokesman
Rick
Fitzgerald
wrote in an email to The Daily.
Neily wrote that Speech First
is satisfied with this decision
but will continue to watch the
University for any actions that
may violate First Amendment
rights.
“The settlement gives us the
relief we initially requested:
the University agrees to never
return to the unconstitutional
definitions of ‘bullying’ and
‘harassing,’ and to never return to
the Bias Response Team,” Neily
wrote. “We have reserved our
rights to challenge the Campus
Climate Support program in
the future should the program
ever be used to chill students’
speech. This victory paves the
way for college students who
may have been too fearful or
intimidated to express their
opinions to finally embrace their
free speech rights and engage in
true academic discourse.”
When
contacted
by
The
Daily, College Democrats and
College Republicans declined to
comment on the outcome of the
lawsuit.
Ballew said she hopes the
settlement, and the lawsuit in
general, allows students to speak
freely with each other and voice
their opinions in ways they may
have not been able to previously.
“I
hope
it
provides
an
environment for students to be
able to have honest and open
conversations without fear of
problems from the University
because of what they’re saying,”
Ballew said.
“Roughly one-fifth of police
officers surveyed reported that,
in 2017, immigrants were less
willing than they were in 2016 to
make police reports, less likely
to help police when they arrived
at the scene of the crime, less
likely to assist with subsequent
investigations, and less willing
to work with prosecutors,” the
statement reads.
According to the statement,
DACA is seen as a method
to
preserve
the
fragile
relationships between local law
enforcement and communities.
“With DACA, you’d have a
portion of individuals that aren’t
as concerned about immigration
enforcement,”
Clayton
said.
“They know their presence in
a country is supported. Then
legally, they don’t have to fear
ice coming out of nowhere or law
enforcement seizing them and
taking them out of the county.”
With this growing fear, the
statement notes more crimes are
going unreported, endangering
the entire community.
“As a result, more than half
of the law enforcement officials
surveyed reported that crimes
such
as
domestic
violence,
human trafficking, and sexual
assault
have
become
more
difficult to investigate,” the
statement reads.
In his interview, Clayton
reaffirmed
the
danger
that
unreported crimes pose to the
community.
“Crime
doesn’t
know
boundaries,”
Clayton
said.
“We run the risk of having that
behavior expanding beyond the
immigrant community into the
larger community. We should all
be concerned and we should all
know we have the responsibility
to make every community in
Washtenaw County safe.”
Ann
Arbor
resident
Sue
Shink is vice president of Pilar’s
Foundation, an organization that
recently held a gala to stand with
refugees and immigrants. Shink
said she has seen the effects of
DACA on the community.
“My
daughter,
one
of
her best friend’s mom got
deported,”
Shink
said.
“It
created an untenable situation.
Her family has gone under a
tremendous amount of stress,
even though her parents have
been contributing members of
our society. The fear is well-
grounded.”
Ann Arbor resident Sylvia
Nolasco-Rivers,
president
of
Pilar’s Foundation, said she was
excited to hear about Clayton’s
statement.
“It’s nice to see someone in
the community making sure that
people feel safe,” Nolasco-Rivers
said. “At the end of the day that’s
what people need to do. We
need to go beyond ourselves
and expand our hearts out to
others and find ways to bring the
healing … and make it right.”
Yet, while some members of
the community are thankful
for the sheriff’s step, they don’t
believe it is enough.
In an email to The Daily, LSA
senior Barbara Diaz, Student
Community
of
Progressive
Empowerment
member,
said
DACA isn’t a cure-all solution.
“While
it’s
nice
to
see
people
supporting
DACA
program, I think it becomes
easy to dehumanize the issue
of immigration as a whole
when we only focus on how
immigrants benefit us,” Diaz
wrote. “Perhaps trust between
immigrant communities and the
police help make neighborhoods
safer, but I think people (with
or without citizenship status)
having access to life-saving
resources is important on its
own regard. Also I understand
that sometimes things need
to be said in a certain way to
persuade people, but at the same
time we shouldn’t advocate for
others only because there’s some
benefit in return.”
Marra and the Assistant
Director
of
the
Barger
Leadership
Institute,
Carmeda Stokes, a Strategic
Initiatives & Organizational
Learning Consultant at U-M,
announced the launch of the
COUNTS Toolkit for Students
Success
in
partnership
with
the
Council
for
Nontraditional Students and
University Human Resources
Organizational Learning. The
Toolkit is an online module
that provides training and
resources to help participants
become more aware of the
different
experiences
and
challenges students face on
campus.
“It’s designed for student-
facing staff to provide them
with resources and tools to
enhance how they support
students on campus,” Marra
said.
“We’ve
defined
19
different groups that we are
promoting that need a little
more attention and visibility
to break down the ‘Leaders
and the Best’ kind of model
that everyone has in their
mind about what it is to be a
student here.”
Counselor
and
Program
Coordinator
of
CEW+
Morgan Hull spearheaded the
development of the Toolkit.
“The focus of the topics that
we select for the Toolkit are
based off of the trends that
we hear from the COUNTS
group,
from
nontraditional
students that we see at CEW+
and others that we hear across
campus,” Hull said.
For
this
rollout,
the
topics include the imposter
syndrome, as well as basic
needs
on
college
and
wayfinding on a decentralized
campus. The COUNTS Toolkit
is live on Canvas and is open
to all University staff and
students.
The symposium included
a keynote panel featuring
Shannon Cohen, founder of
Shannon Cohen, Inc., and
Stephanie Land, author of
“Maid:
Hard
Work,
Low
Pay, and a Mother’s Will to
Survive.”
Cohen
spoke
about
her
experience with a lack of racial
diversity in communities and
professional
environments.
Cohen
emphasized
the
importance
of
discussing
diversity in the employment
practices of companies.
“One
of
the
ways
my
advocacy plays out is that
organizations are recognizing
that
those
brands
and
organizations that will be
visual, valuable and vocal in
the future must reconcile this
space of how they engage and
build authentic relationships
with one another,” Cohen said.
Stephanie
Land
read
excerpts
from
her
book,
which detailed her accounts
of being a single mother
living in poverty. In the past,
she worked as a housekeeper
for the wealthy and was on
welfare to cover necessary
expenses.
In response to a question
asking the pair what inspired
them to keep pushing forward,
Cohen called on the strength
of advocates of the past and
expressed her gratitude for
the progress past women have
made.
“I know that I am my
ancestor’s
wildest
dream,”
Cohen said. “I literally know
that I am because of the
resilience of other women,
specifically for me, my mother
and my great grandmother
…
I
know
that
I
could
walk on this campus today
because
someone
did
the
uncomfortable.”
Land answered the question
by first noting the implications
of low socioeconomic status.
“I ended up falling into a
niche of poverty and social
economic justice,” Land said.
“It was incredibly unnerving
to admit that I was in that
situation
because
society
made me feel like a complete
failure in the last decade,
just because we often look at
people who aren’t ‘making it’
as people that aren’t working
as hard.”
She said once she started
writing online, she began to
see a community form around
her, urging her to continue
sharing her story.
“I realized that there wasn’t
really a niche for first-person
narratives that came from
impoverished
situations,
because poor people can’t
afford to write about their
lives, and they can’t afford to
find mentorship or access to
publish,” Land said.
Today,
she
said
she
is
motivated to help people in
low income households speak
up about their experiences.
Rackham student Andrew
Gilroy said he was inspired by
Land’s perspective. He said
he attended the symposium
on behalf of the Coalition on
Temporary Shelter in Detroit,
where he interacts with a
lot of women, children and
people of color. By attending
the symposium, Gilroy said he
hoped to learn better ways to
support them in the homeless
shelter.
“I think hearing the stories
that
they
provide
really
provide a different perspective
that people often don’t hear,”
Gilroy said. “I’ve never been
in poverty, and I’m not from
a marginalized population,
so being able to hear that
perspective changes the way
people think. I really think it’s
helpful to hear that, because
you can make better decisions
when interacting with people
from those populations.”
According
to
Statista,
McDonald’s currently leads in
total fast-food sales. In 2018,
McDonald’s generated $38.52
billion in sales, while Starbucks,
the
second
most
profitable
chain in the U.S., made $19.66
billion. Yet McDonald’s has
come under frequent criticism
for the treatment of animals in
their supply chain, especially
concerning
the
housing
conditions of their chickens
and the slaughtering of their
animals.
Students at the University
have been protesting against
unethical fast food practices
for a number of months. In
January, when the renovation
of
the
Michigan
Union
prompted questions about what
restaurants should open in the
new space, students led protests
against Wendy’s employee labor
conditions. Students have also
spoken out against Wendy’s
unwillingness to sign onto the
Fair Food Program. When the
Union’s restaurant lineup was
announced
in
mid-October,
Wendy’s was not included in
the list of companies that will
serve students when the Union
reopens in January 2020 after
the franchise owner declined to
renew the lease.
LSA senior Zina Abourjeily,
a
member
of
MARS,
said
the
University’s
student
organizations can play a large
role in the prevention of animal
abuse.
“We tried to leverage MARS
members to come out as a way to
build community around animal
activism and also (show that) we
care,” Abourjeily said.
During the protest, students
and community members held
signs reading “stop this abuse,”
“animals deserve better” and
“the sad truth.”
Trevor Bechtel, a pastor at
Shalom Community Church and
student engagement coordinator
at the Ford School of Public
Policy, said he attended the
protest because he believes
McDonald’s should be meeting
much
higher
standards
of
ethical food preparation.
“The protest is about silently
opposing
how
McDonald’s
prepares
its
food
—
from
the fields, to the farm, to the
processing, packaging,” Bechtel
said. “We can do a lot better than
what McDonald’s is doing.”
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
News
Wednesday, October 30, 2019 — 3A
LAWSUIT
From Page 1A
PROTEST
From Page 1A
NCAA
From Page 1A
DACA
From Page 1A
SYMPOSIUM
From Page 1A
Michigan farmers take steps
to deal with climate change
Local producers cope with extreme temperatures
DANIELLE PASEKOFF
Daily Staff Reporter
Read more at
MichiganDaily.com