Brian Wright, the father
of a student targeted by
the racist comments in a
Snapchat
group,
noted,
“That’s indicative of what
these kids are experiencing.”
Iraola is a Saline resident
and owner of the popular
Ann
Arbor
Mexican
restaurant
Chela’s.
He
immigrated
to
the
U.S.
from Mexico City in the
1980s. The video recorded
at the meeting shows Iraola
responding
to
Burtell’s
comment
and
explaining
why he moved to the U.S.
“He asked me a question,
why didn’t I stay in Mexico?”
Iraola said. “Because this is
the greatest country in the
world.”
LSA
senior
Liberty
Woodside graduated from
Saline High School in 2016.
Woodside said when she
first heard the news, she was
in disbelief at the blatant
nature of Burtell’s comment.
“It’s
shocking
to
hear
people
be
so
outwardly
racist,” Woodside said. “I
feel like subtle racism is
something that I’m more
commonly faced with in my
classes and more commonly
studying. Subtle racism is
still in our system, but I was
definitely surprised to hear
people just be so outwardly
racist.”
Woodside also commented
on how the demographics of
Saline may contribute to the
culture of racism, such as
that displayed in Burtell’s
comment.
“I
wasn’t
surprised
that people face racism in
Saline,”
Woodside
said.
“Everybody
in
Saline
is
mostly white. I didn’t really
experience
any
of
those
hardships because I’m a
white cis female, but I’m not
surprised that this would
happen because Saline is not
diverse at all.”
Adi Mannari, Engineering
senior
and
Saline
Area
Schools alum, said he was
not surprised upon hearing
about the incident.
“I’m not surprised that
there are people who have
those views,” Mannari said.
“But I am disappointed that
it revealed itself in the way
that it did.”
Rackham
student
Guadalupe
Madrigal
commented on Iraola’s role
as a business owner and
how he contributes to Ann
Arbor’s Latinx community.
“Chela’s is one of the few
Mexican
restaurants
in
Ann Arbor,” Madrigal said.
“It’s seen as a pillar and
as a mini-home for a lot of
Latinx people in the area, so
I think that it makes it even
more personal because it’s
somebody who’s part of our
community.”
Madrigal is currently a
graduate student instructor
for a communications class
about whiteness and the
media. She emphasized the
importance of conversations
about
race
on
the
University’s campus.
“The professor brought it
up in class today and talked
about it with the students,”
Madrigal said. “I think (the
fact that) there is a space in
which we’re talking to our
students, our undergraduate
students, it’s important.”
Scot
Graden,
superintendent
of
Saline
Area
Schools,
released
a
statement
on
Tuesday
denouncing
the
recent
instances of racism in the
school
district.
He
also
commented
on
how
the
district will respond and
continue working on the
problem in the future.
“The
Saline
Board
of
Education
and
administration
take
the
issue
of
student
and
adult behavior seriously,”
Graden
said.
“We
are
striving
to
ensure
a
welcoming,
inclusive
and
safe environment for all
students
and
families,
regardless of their race,
ethnicity,
socioeconomic
status, gender identity or
any
other
identity.
This
is an opportunity for us
— the staff, students and
community of Saline Area
Schools
—
to
stand
for
anti-racism,
respect
and
inclusion of all students.”
Following the meeting,
Saline
residents
held
a
Diversity
and
Inclusion
rally
on
Wednesday
night.
More
than
100
community
members
attended, marching through
downtown
Saline
and
calling out bigotry.
Personal travel to China is
also discouraged.”
As a result of the outbreak and
ensuing travel restrictions, many
students said they are struggling
to adjust their study abroad plans.
LSA freshman Erik Reyna was
also planning on doing a summer
abroad program in Shanghai
and was recently informed via
an email from CGIS that it’s still
unclear whether or not these
programs will be canceled.
“I wanted to study abroad in
Shanghai but then the University
sent me an email saying that the
University put a travel restriction
on China,” Reyna said. “So
undergraduates like me aren’t
able to go, and they say that if
they don’t lift the ban before
March 1 then they’ll just cancel
all China programs.”
The email was sent out last
Tuesday from Rachel Reuter,
CGIS international health and
safety adviser, and explains the
travel situation to students that
had an open spring/summer or
fall application for a program in
China.
“At this time we do not know
if U-M spring/summer programs
in China will be affected by the
travel restriction. If you are still
interested in studying abroad in
spring/summer or fall, you have
several options,” Reuter wrote.
“If China is the only program
you are interested in, then
you should still complete your
CGIS application as normal by
February 1st. CGIS will review
your application and wait to
see how the situation unfolds
in China. If the restriction has
not been lifted by March 1st,
then we will cancel the program
altogether.”
The email also suggested that
students fill out applications
for other CGIS programs or
withdraw their China application
and wait to attend in 2021.
Reyna said he thinks the
decision to set a deadline for
programs more than a month
before
they
begin
may
be
preemptive.
“Right now, it’s probably too
early to decide because there’s
still a possibility that they’ll
lift their travel restrictions if
the whole virus gets better,”
Reyna said. “I feel like March is
too early to say ‘Hey, you can’t
do this’ ... the University says
they don’t know about summer
programs, but then again they
kind of do because they already
put a deadline on it.”
Business
senior
Kirtana
Choragudi
also
planned
on
studying abroad in China this
May through a program in the
Ross School of Business. She said
she was informed recently about
the program’s cancellation.
“Most of the work would have
been done in China,” Choragudi
said. “I was looking forward to
learning the content of the class,
which is corporate strategy in
China.”
Choragudi said other students
enrolled in the course this
semester were also informed of
the program’s cancellation right
before the add/drop deadline.
“They emailed me I think the
day of the add/drop deadline or
maybe the night before because
that’s when U of M released
that there was an official ban,”
Choragudi said. “Essentially they
said that the trip was canceled
due to the U of M undergraduate
travel ban to China and that they
would look at alternate options if
we wanted to keep the course on
our transcript.”
According
to
Choragudi,
the late confirmation made it
difficult to adjust schedules.
“There hadn’t really been any
communication from the office
before then, even though we’d
all been wondering obviously,”
Choragudi said. “Since it was
the day of the add/drop deadline,
there weren’t any full semester
three-credit classes I could add
because it’s already pretty late
into the semester.”
Mary
Gallagher,
professor
and director of the Center for
Chinese Studies, discussed the
travel restrictions and health
concerns. She said she expects
study
abroad
programs
to
continue to be canceled until the
public health emergency is under
control.
“I would imagine that that will
happen throughout the winter
and spring semesters, that travel
to China will be questionable,”
Gallagher said. “It could go
into the summer in which case
summer programs would be
canceled.”
Gallagher said while it may
cause inconvenience, limiting
travel to China as much as
possible for the safety of the
general public and monitoring
potential incoming cases is the
best thing to do.
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
News
Thursday, February 6, 2020 — 3
CORONAVIRUS
From Page 1
SALINE
From Page 1
“It’s so cool to see people
like
Bernie
Sanders
and
AOC and Rashida Tlaib and
Ilhan Omar, and what kind
of leaders they can be when
they’re
just
unapologetic
champions
for
what
the
people need. And they don’t
need to get their permission
slip
signed
from
their
corporate donors before they
can make any statement.”
In the corner of the cafe
checking
in
volunteers
was
LSA
freshman
Gina
Liu,
the
campaign’s
campus coordinator for the
University of Michigan. As
more students filed into the
cafe, Rajput began greeting
them personally. He aims to
not only campaign on a strong
ideological platform but to
rely on passionate grassroots
volunteers while doing so.
“His
experience
is
grassroots and his experience
aligns with a lot of the
constituents in this district
and the young people in this
district,” Liu said. “Seeing
someone
who
actually
is
willing to fight the issues and
also just not accept corporate
money, that’s inspiring to
me.”
Rajput’s
platform
is
built on key policy pillars,
including
aggressively
fighting climate change and
rejecting
corporate
PAC
money. He believes Congress
needs to pass a Green New
Deal.
Since
District
12
has
six colleges and a large
student population, Rajput
also believes it’s necessary
to make college free and
eliminate student debt. He
argues that Medicare for All
and single-payer healthcare
should not only be supported
as an opportunistic political
move, but as a steadfast
Democratic ideal.
“Part of the reason why I
decided to run was because
I was taking a look at how
progressive
our
district
actually
is,”
Rajput
said.
“Unfortunately,
(Dingell’s)
not the progressive champion
that we need on these issues.”
As Rajput recounted his
experiences
canvassing,
he claimed voters are not
necessarily
excited
about
having
Dingell
as
their
representative, but feel like
she will always hold the seat.
In these instances, Rajput
makes his case a viable
alternative.
“There’s this perception
that Rep. Dingell is beloved
in the community or that
she is very active,” Rajput
said. “(But) when we go
and
talk
to
voters,
it’s
remarkable how infrequently
Congresswoman
Dingell’s
name is brought up.”
However, because he is
new to the political sphere,
Rajput’s
understanding
of
some of the issues important
to voters in the district
is less developed. One of
the
predominant
issues
in District 12 is the man-
made water crisis, where
toxic PFAS chemicals have
seeped
into
Michigan’s
waters. These chemicals are
linked to numerous health
concerns, including cancer.
Dingell
co-authored
the
bipartisan PFAS Action Act,
which passed the House of
Representatives on Jan. 10.
While Rajput noted the
work that Dingell has done
to combat PFAS, he said
he believes she and the
Democrats are only making
incremental legislation and
not considering the larger
issue at hand — climate
change.
“Although we need to be
focused on these more local
environmental
concerns,
we can’t lose sight of the
big picture,” Rajput said.
“We can talk about this
one chemical, or these few
chemicals that are going to
impact your health, but at
the same time, are we putting
blinders on when it comes to
… the fact that our house is on
fire when it comes to climate
change?”
While Dingell has received
criticism for not supporting
the Green New Deal, she
disagreed with the suggestion
that
local
environmental
concerns should be ignored
and
emphasized
her
record
as
a
progressive
congresswoman with a focus
on environmental issues. In
an interview with The Daily,
Dingell said environmental
groups such as Sierra Club and
the League of Conservation
Voters name her as one of the
few representatives pushing
for environmental bills every
day.
“If you call any of the
environmental
groups
…
they will tell you that I
have introduced the leading
legislation in the Congress
that is called the 100% Clean
Energy Bill, which follows
the UN recommendation in
achieving the 100 percent
clean energy economy by
2050,” Dingell said. “I am
actually one of the only
people getting bills through
the Congress. So, I take great
umbrage at his comment, to
be perfectly frank.”
In
November,
three
members
of
the
Sunrise
Movement held a sit-in protest
at Dingell’s office in Ypsilanti
where three were arrested.
The
young
protestors
demanded a meeting with the
representative and urged her
to sign on to the Green New
Deal.
Dingell added that while
she hasn’t come out in support
of the Green New Deal, she
has
spoken
with
several
stakeholders, including the
Sunrise Movement and the
Labor Coalition, to come to
a conclusion all constituents
will agree on.
“I
met
with
Sunrise
leadership
and
representatives, the Attorney
General,
Rashida
(Tlaib)
...
We’ve
been
having
conversations,” Dingell said.
“I respect the work of those
who are working on that.”
Rajput
also
opposes
“forever wars,” and in an
interview
with
Michael
Arria of progressive news
site
Mondoweiss,
Rajput
took issue with the fact that
Dingell had never made a
statement
against
going
to war in Iran, and only
spoke out against its having
congressional
approval.
Dingell rebuked the criticism,
saying that she was one of the
first Democrats to speak out
against war in Iran.
“He’s got a way of … not
telling the truth,” Dingell
said. “I was one of the very
first on the floor of the House
to speak out about what the
President did.”
Dingell
stands
by
her
record, noting that she is
the co-chair of the Medicare
for
All
caucus
and
has
always passionately fought
for
quality
affordable
health care. She said she
has consistently fought for
progressive legislation and
is proud of her ability to
pass bipartisan legislation in
Congress.
“I think that we gotta work
with everybody, and (that) if
you want to get a bill enacted
that you’ve got to work across
the aisle, because I know how
to count votes,” Dingell said.
“So if I can get a bill passed
that will lower the cost of
prescription
drugs
for
a
person in my district, that is
a good bill. Then I’m going to
work across the aisle … And
that’s what I do. I put together
friends across the aisle, and I
try not to demonize people.“
Rajput said bipartisanship
in this polarized era isn’t
realistic.
“So I understand when
people are saying … have the
Republicans and Democrats
figure out a way to work
together across the aisle,”
Rajput said. “That appeals
to my emotions, like how it
appeals to many other people
in this country. However, I
do believe that at this point,
bipartisanship is a myth.”
As Rajput and a campaign
fellow, LSA sophomore Alec
Schlotterback, parked outside
a residential neighborhood,
they put on their campaign
embroidered knit hats and
gloves to bear the snowstorm.
They divvied up the houses
and trudged through the
neighborhood as the snow
and winds thickened.
“Canvassing with him is a
pretty interesting experience
because people react to him
a lot differently than they
do with a volunteer like me,”
Schlotterback said. “They’re
much more willing to listen
to him and to share the
things they care about when
they see the candidate face-
to-face as opposed to hearing
about them from a volunteer.
It’s also nice to know that
he’s out there canvassing
with us. It definitely helps me
stay motivated knowing he’s
out there knocking doors just
like I am. Plus he’s got tons of
energy and charisma and that
really helps too.”
Rajput
disappeared
for
a moment, having stepped
inside of a house to talk to a
constituent. While this action
breaks traditional campaign
protocol, he felt strongly
about it. He said he spoke to
a former Dingell supporter
who left the conversation
undecided.
“Knocking
door-to-door,
that’s how you change votes,”
he said.
RAJPUT
From Page 1
A public lecture and reception.
For information please
call (734) 615-6667.
Liliana Borcea
Peter Field Collegiate
Professor of Mathematics
MATHEMATICAL AND
COMPUTATIONAL
ASPECTS OF
IMAGING WITH
WAVES
Weiser Hall, 10th Floor
4:00 p.m.
Thursday,
February 6, 2020
A public lecture and reception. For information please call (734) 615-6667
Read more at
MichiganDaily.com
Organizers set up an altar
of candles, surrounded by
bags with various customized
messages
and
flanked
by
several signs that contained
messages
and
statistics
about sexual assault at the
University of Michigan from
the 2019 Campus Climate
Survey.
One read “34.3% of Umich
Undergraduate
Women
Experience Sexual Assault,”
and another said that more
than 5,000 women at the
University have been sexually
assaulted.
Four
students
spoke
in
front of this altar about their
experiences
with
and
the
stigmas attached to sexual
assault.
One
common
sentiment
was
frustration
with
the
University’s
dealing
with
sexual
assault.
A
speaker
discussed
the
University’s
policy that requires victims
of
sexual
assault
to
face
cross-examination on behalf
of their accused perpetrator.
The policy came after a 2018
ruling from the Sixth Circuit
Court mandating the change.
Another speaker said she
“realized over a year ago that
(she) couldn’t name more than
5 friends” of hers who had
not experienced some form of
sexual assault.
Anil Bansal, Engineering
senior
and
co-founder
of
SAVA, clarified that sexual
assault is not only a problem
that affects women.
“Even though a lot of people
think that this is just an issue
for women, it’s not … A lot of
my best friends have been
sexually assaulted and it’s
hard on me to see that … and
realize that there’s not much
that I can do about it,” Bansal
said.
Jessica,
a
prospective
University transfer student
from Henry Ford Community
College, spoke at the event. In
an interview with The Daily,
she discussed the emotional
impact of her speech.
“I’m
happy
that
people
ended up staying around (in
the bad weather),” Jessica
said. “The first thing that
Anil said to me after I read my
speech was that I made him
cry. That was the first time
that I had given my speech to
anybody.”
Candice emphasized that
they were planning on holding
more
events
in
warmer
weather, specifically one in
the summer. Candice then
gave advice to anyone who
feels the urge to help victims
of sexual assault.
“I want people to know that
if you’re a person who hasn’t
experienced sexual assault or
sexual violence, but you want
to be an ally, the best thing
you can do is be a friend,”
Candice said. “Even saying
something as simple as like,
‘Hey, I went to a vigil, or I read
this article and it was really
interesting.’ You can start
that conversation even if you
haven’t had the experience.
People will open up to you
and people will come to you.
You will make them feel less
alone.”
VIGIL
From Page 1
Read more at
MichiganDaily.com