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

