University
of
Michigan
professors are worried that an
executive order intended to
combat anti-Semitism poses a
threat to their ability to teach
about Middle Eastern conflict
and engage with students freely
in the classroom.
The executive order, signed
by President Donald Trump on
Dec. 11, 2019, designates Judaism
as either a nationality or a race
and
prohibits
anti-Semitism,
declaring
certain
language
painting Israel in a negative light
as anti-Semitic and illegal under
the Civil Rights Act.
Universities
that
defy
it
risk potentially losing federal
funding, but leaders in the
University’s
Judaic
Studies
Department do not foresee any
changes to their curricula and
doubt the efficacy of the order.
Jeffrey Veidlinger, director of
the Frankel Center for Judaic
Studies, said no alterations would
be made in his department.
“We
will
not
make
any
changes based on the Trump
executive
order,”
Veidlinger
said. “I think that’s the goal of
the executive order, (which) is
to have that chilling effect on
the climate of teaching, to make
professors afraid of things they
would otherwise say.”
The order follows an increase
in anti-Semitic harassment on
college campuses across the
country. According to the Anti-
Defamation League, an anti-hate
group dedicated to protecting
Jewish
people,
American
colleges and universities claimed
an
89
percent
increase
in
reported anti-Semitic incidents
in 2017 compared to 2016.
This order follows a rise
in attacks on Jewish people
outside of academia, including a
shooting that killed 11 people in a
Pittsburgh synagogue in October
2018 and a December 2019 attack
in which a knife-wielding man
wounded five people gathered
to light candles for the seventh
night of Hanukkah at the home
of a Hasidic rabbi.
Order
reminiscent
of
previous
controversy
on
campus
On
Nov.
14,
2017,
the
University’s
Central
Student
Government
passed
the
#UMDivest
resolution
supporting
divestment
from
companies operating in Israel
due to alleged human rights
violations. The resolution aligned
with values of the Boycott, Divest
and
Sanctions
movement,
a
movement started by Palestinian
civil society groups in 2005, and
initiated a wave of support from
pro-divestment students, and
conversely, dissent from many
pro-Israel students.
Professor Victor Lieberman,
who declined to be quoted in
this article, was critical of the
BDS
movement
on
campus,
accusing pro-Palestine activists
of stifling political discourse. In
an open letter published in The
Algemeiner in 2017, Lieberman
accused
BDS
activists
of
hypocrisy after he was blocked
from
speaking
during
the
divestment debate at the Central
Student Government meeting.
Approximately
50
students,
faculty
and
community
members
gathered
in
Weill
Hall
Tuesday evening for “Hope
and Healing,” a discussion
of sexual violence recovery.
The
Sexual
Assault
Prevention and Awareness
Center hosted the event.
Alisa Zipursky, University
of
Michigan
alum
and
founder of Healing Honestly,
led the discussion.
Zipursky clarified her goal
to create a safe space within
the community to talk about
healing after sexual assault
trauma. The event focused
on
debunking
common
myths
surrounding
the
healing process. Zipursky
said she hopes the event will
inspire others.
“Tonight is more about the
‘what now’ and ‘what next,’
how to live full and vibrant
lives (as) young people while
we deal with the real impacts
of our trauma on our lives,”
Zipursky said.
At
the
beginning
of
the
event,
coordinators
reminded
attendees
that SAPAC is a free and
confidential
resource
for
students, staff and faculty on
campus.
The first myth Zipursky
focused on was the concept
of a “real” survivor. She
explained
how
various
unique
factors
can
lead
survivors to feel silenced.
Zipursky said many survivors
feel increased stigmatization
due to internal guilt or lack
of ability to immediately
identify their trauma.
Zipursky also explained
how survivors who delay
reporting sexual assaults or
do not have clear memories
of their assaults often fear
that their claims will be
perceived as illegitimate.
“There
are
so
many
ways our survivorship is
invalidated,” Zipursky said.
“For me, my survivorship
was invalidated by the fact
that I didn’t have clear
memories of what happened
to me. I have what I would
describe as body memories
or sensory memories that are
sometimes called somatic
memories.”
The second myth Zipursky
expanded on was the idea
that college is supposed to
be the best time of a person’s
life. She explained how the
pressure to have the perfect
college
experience
leaves
little space for survivors to
make space for their pain
and healing.
Zipursky
said
while
college should be a time
for fun and friendship, her
experience at the University
also included struggle and
pain. She said she struggled
with
the
discrepancy
between these two feelings.
In his book “What ifs of
Jewish History: From Abraham
to Zionism,” professor Gavriel
Rosenfeld
discusses
what
life would be like if certain
pieces
of
Jewish
history
hadn’t happened. Rosenfeld
examined these speculations
of
Jewish
history
at
his
seminar Thursday afternoon
with around 30 students and
Ann Arbor residents at the 202
South Thayer Building.
Rosenfeld is a professor
at Fairfield University and
has written several books on
Jewish history. Specifically, he
poses hypotheticals, asking,
among
other
things,
what
would have happened if Hitler
had been assassinated and died
prematurely. Rosenfeld read
excerpts from his novel to help
the audience better understand
his ideas of how life would be if
Hitler had been killed.
“We
understand
your
father was highly conflicted
about
this
evening
with
the assassination of Hitler
as
was
reported
in
the
newspaper,” Rosenfeld read
from the book. “In the years
after the assassination he
was plagued by doubt … and
made life worse rather than
better for your excuse. And
as a result, we adhere to his
decision to see the life of
exile and millions without
the reflective reluctance to be
linked to an act.”
After Feb. 29, the University
of Michigan will switch to
using the U-M Magic Bus and
halt all DoubleMap support.
According
to
Senior
Manager of Logistics Scott
Babut, the transition to U-M
Magic Bus app follows the
expiration of the contract
with the previous supplier
system.
Babut
said
after
pursuing
the
University
of
Michigan’s
contracting
process,
Clever
Devices
became the new supplier, and
Magic Bus was included in
their system.
According to the Logistics,
Transportation
&
Parking
press release, the new app
will feature stop times, a real-
time map, a trip planner, the
ability to create an account
and tracking by text message.
Babut
said
creating
an
account in the app has helped
many passengers plan their
trips around campus.
“Within these accounts,
the
passengers
have
the
ability
to
create
profiles
with their favorite route
and stops, allowing them to
receive information that’s
important to them based
on those routes and stops,”
Babut. “We also see that it
provides us the potential
to
communicate
service
changes and detours to a
targeted passenger base.”
Climate Blue, a student
organization responsible for
organizing the University of
Michigan’s student delegation
to
the
United
Nations
Framework
Convention
on
Climate Change Conference,
sent a letter to University
administrators
on
Monday
outlining calling for carbon
neutrality by 2030.
The letter reflected on the
delegation’s experiences at the
conference in December 2019
and recommended actions for
the University to pursue in
order to approach the growing
climate crisis.
The organization shared the
letter on Monday in the format
of an email to University
President Mark Schlissel, the
University Regents and the
President’s Commission on
Carbon Neutrality. Climate
Blue thanked the University
for the opportunity to send
13
delegates
to
the
25th
annual Conference of the
Parties, where 197 member
countries come together to
discuss
preventing
human
interference on the global
climate.
“However, despite being
a part of such a stimulating
and inspiring event, we feel
disheartened by the lack of
urgency in raising awareness
about and addressing climate
change locally, at UM,” the
letter read. “As a top research
institution globally, we have
the capacity to be leaders on
climate
change
initiatives,
and should be using our
resources
to
do
what
is
morally right, not only for
students, but also for the rest
of the world. We strongly
urge UM to implement the
resolutions presented in this
letter.”
michigandaily.com
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Wednesday, February 12, 2020
ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-NINE YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM
GOT A NEWS TIP?
Call 734-418-4115 or e-mail
news@michigandaily.com and let us know.
INDEX
Vol. CXXIX, No. 63
©2019 The Michigan Daily
NE WS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 A
OPINION.....................4A
CL ASSIFIEDS................6A
S TAT E M E N T. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 B
A R T S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 A
S P O R T S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 A
michigandaily.com
For more stories and coverage, visit
Professor
examines
‘what ifs’
in history
CAMPUS LIFE
Campus
switches
to Magic
Bus app
TRANSPORTATION
Follow The Daily
on Instagram,
@michigandaily
FRANCESCA DUONG &
KRISTINA ZHENG
Daily Staff Reporters
See APP, Page 3
BRAYDEN HIRSCH
Daily Staff Reporter
Fairfield University
faculty member talks
Jewish developments
University transitions
to new bus-tracking
system starting Feb. 29
FRANCESCA DUONG
Daily Staff Reporter
Message delivered to Schlissel, Regents
recommends carbon neutrality by 2030
Climate Blue
sends letter
questioning
‘U’ decisions
Activists, SAPAC host discussion on
survivors’ healing, handling trauma
Alumna Alisa Zipursky shares personal experience with overcoming assault
ARJUN THAKKAR
Daily Staff Reporter
See SAPAC, Page 3
See ORDER, Page 2
SOFIA URBAN
Daily Staff Reporter
RUCHITA IYER/Daily
. LSA alum Alisa Zipursky shares her experiences on the healing process at SAPAC’s Hope and Healing event in Annenberg Auditorium Tuesday evening.
See HISTORY, Page 3
Executive order on
anti-Semitism concerns
students, faculty
ACADEMIC FREEDOM
ACADEMIC FREEDOM
PHOTO & DESIGN BY ALEC COHEN/DAILY
See LETTER, Page 3