As a way to convince GEO to
drop their demands, the University
of Michigan is refusing to discuss
further negotiations for salary
and benefits, Patwardhan said.
Patwardhan
called
the
tactic
“bad bargaining” and said the
University’s
decision
will
not
distract GEO from issues affecting
the community as a whole.
“We
can’t
even
organize
around and that’s not the kind of
thing that should be permitted as
a tactic at the bargaining table,”
Patwardhan told The Daily. “I
also think our commitment to
kind of keeping these issues in the
minds of the broader community
is a commitment to our members
democratically
generating
our
platform and telling us that climate
and housing issues matter to them.”
In a press release regarding GEO
bargaining last semester, Sascha
Matish, associate vice provost for
academic affairs and senior director
of Academic Human Resources,
said the University values graduate
students and is working towards a
fair agreement.
“We recognize the importance
of graduate student instructors and
graduate student staff assistants
to the academic mission of the
university and to the academic
success of our students,” said
Sascha Matish, associate vice
provost for academic affairs and
senior director of Academic Human
Resources. “We are committed
to bargaining in good faith with
GEO to reach a fair agreement that
serves the interest of all parties.”
Sheetz discussed a variety of
topics GEO was fighting for outside
of affordable housing and climate
change, including better wages
and healthcare for people in the
LGBTQ+ community.
“So among the more common
asks on our platform this year
are reports asking for a raise that
attempt to give graduate employees
enough to close the gap between
the outrageous cost of living in
Ann Arbor,” Sheetz said. “We’re
trying to improve the benefits for
trans healthcare and disability
accommodations.”
Next, the town hall transitioned
to the topic of affordable housing.
Over
the
last
few
decades,
the
University
has
grown
exponentially, adding thousands of
students and faculty. GEO member
Joseph Valle said the University
had not adjusted to this growth.
“Over the past several decades,
the
University
has
continued
to grow,” Valle said. “Tens of
thousands of more students and
employees … yet the University has
built a total of a thousand new beds
on campus in the past thirty years.”
Valle critiqued the money spent
on parking units and said one of
GEO’s demands is to have this
money spent on housing instead.
“One of our main demands is
for the University to compensate
for the increases in enrollment by
building 5,000 new on-campus
housing units in the next five years,”
Valle said. “We spend millions to
house cars, I don’t know why they
can’t do the same for people.”
GEO Solidarity Chair Amir
Fleischmann said the housing crisis
is not only a student body problem
but a problem for Ann Arbor
residents.
“We need a union that covers all
of Ann Arbor, not just students,”
Fleischmann said. “If it just covers
students, we won’t be as affected
in building power across the
community. More importantly, if
it just covers students, it won’t be
helping those most affected by the
housing crisis.”
After the Washtenaw Office
of Commission and Economic
Development report found the
poor state of affordable housing
in Washtenaw County, Ann Arbor
Housing set out a plan in 2015
to create 2,787 new affordable
housing units by 2035, but they are
behind on this plan.
GEO member Noah Weaverdyck
went over the plan to address
climate change on campus. This
would include a plan to transition
towards
carbon
neutrality,
including no further construction
or
investment
in
fossil
fuel
infrastructure.
Patwardhan spoke about food
justice efforts, which included an
affordable grocery store on campus
and space for a community garden.
He also discussed better water
quality at all three U-M campuses
as one of GEO’s objectives.
“We also represent graduate
students on all three campuses,”
Patwardhan said. “We want to
ensure that water quality on each
of those campuses and all of the
drinking fountains are tested for
lead.”
She trained last semester as
a peer supporter, and is now a
“trainer-in-training.”
“I know that not everyone
has that one person to turn to
when they’re going through
a hard time,” Tigadi said. “I
thought this would be a cool
thing, to be that person for
someone else who might need a
friend to listen to them.”
With the help of the four
founders, Tigadi is learning
how to train the next cohort
of peer supporters, and will
eventually
help
run
the
organization after the founders
graduate.
“I really like what these girls
are doing,” Tigadi said. “I think
it’s a very important thing
that we have on campus, and I
definitely think it is something
that should be continued once
they do graduate, so I would
love to keep it going.”
Describing the project as a
constant work in progress, the
founders urged students trying
out the hEARt Line to provide
user feedback that they’ll use to
improve the resource.
“One of the things that we’re
really proud of is that it’s for
students, by students,” Dharia
said. “We really want to make
that a central piece of what we
continue to do as we develop.
The more that we hear students’
voices in it, the more that it is
going to be a resource that they
actually feel like meets the
needs that they’re looking for.”
Through the development
and launch of hEARt Listens,
the founders said they hope
to improve the mental health
climate
by
harnessing
the
types of support systems they
observed
among
peers
on
campus.
“This campus is filled with
people
who
are
so
purely
dedicated
to
helping
the
people around them,” Sampath
said. “That’s something that
I personally, and all four of
us, have worked really hard
to not lose sight of, and to be
really inspired and encouraged
by. Hopefully, hEARt is just
another addition to that same
mentality that is already here.”
Reporter Iulia Dobrin can be
reached at idobrin@umich.edu.
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
News
Thursday, February 20, 2020 — 3
GEO
From Page 1
HEART
From Page 2
COUNCIL
From Page 1A
No salary is worth destroying
our own future. If you want our
talents, then drop ExxonMobil
and join us in fighting for a
livable planet … Employees in
this room, you are nowhere near
the responsible corporation you
make yourself out to be.”
Protest organizer Max Vogel,
first-year Law student, shared
a press release with The Daily,
which explained the passion
law students feel to fight against
environmental offenses.
“Paul, Weiss may say they’re
just doing their jobs, but a new
generation of law students —
faced with a world, quite literally,
on fire — sees things differently,”
the press release said.
ExxonMobil has been a point
of controversy in the climate
change movement since 2015
when the Los Angeles Times and
Columbia University Graduate
School of Journalism uncovered
internal ExxonMobil documents
proving the company understood
the environmental impacts of
climate change since the 1970s.
While
ExxonMobil
privately
projected
climate
change
impacts, ExxonMobil leadership
publicly
launched
a
climate
change denial campaign.
Paul,
Weiss
was
recently
victorious
in
defending
ExxonMobil in the State of New
York lawsuit, The People of The
State of New York v ExxonMobil.
The
New
York
Attorney
General
accused
ExxonMobil
of misleading investors about
the
negative
impact
climate
change regulation would have
on the company’s financial assets
and sought 1.6 billion dollars
to be returned to ExxonMobil
shareholders.
The
New
York
State
Supreme
Court
ruled
there
was
not
sufficient
evidence
of
ExxonMobil
misleading
investors. This was the second
climate change lawsuit to reach
trial in the United States, and the
verdict marked a big win for the
oil and gas company.
After the protest at Yale,
Law.com published a statement
by Paul, Weiss chairman Brad
Karp
that
said
Paul,
Weiss
stands by their representation of
ExxonMobil.
“We
are
proud
of
the
outstanding work we do for a
wide range of commercial and
pro bono clients in their most
challenging
and
high-profile
matters, including our recent
defense of ExxonMobil in a
securities fraud case in which
the court found, after trial, that
plaintiff’s claims were entirely
without merit,” Karp said. “Paul,
Weiss is committed to free
speech and debate, just as we
are committed to the principle
that we represent our clients
and safeguard the rule of law
zealously and to the best of our
abilities.”
Vogel
emphasized
the
power that law students have
in encouraging law firms to
reconsider
clientele
in
an
interview with The Daily.
“Law students have a really
powerful voice in this because
Paul, Weiss needs us to maintain
its influence and power as a top
law firm,” Vogel said. “They spend
a lot of time and money recruiting
students like Law students at the
University of Michigan because
of how valuable an asset we can
be which means that if we put
our foot down, and say we’re not
willing to work for a firm like this,
that can have huge ramifications
for the firm itself and we’re
willing to use that voice now to
say that firms like Paul, Weiss
should reject Exxon’s money.”
Vogel said the firm’s legal
tactics are particularly unethical,
as they use their prestige and
finances to engage in aggressive
practices to intimidate and stifle
any suits brought against them.
The press release mentioned a
statement made by San Francisco
City Attorney which referred to
ExxonMobil’s defense strategies
as “an outrageous abuse of the
legal process that seeks to limit
the ability of law enforcement
and local government to protect
their residents.”
First-year Law student Maiya
Moncino
participated
in
the
protest and said Paul, Weiss’ ties
to ExxonMobil contradicts their
proclaimed progressive agenda
and law students should be
aware of this discrepancy when
applying to work with them.
“Paul, Weiss’ image is as a
progressive firm,” Moncino said.
“They were involved in Brown
v. Board of Education, and they
just have a reputation for being
a good place to work. So part of
the issue is profiting off of that
recruitment strategy and then
taking on clients like ExxonMobil
just does not fit with that image.
And we just want people to be
aware of that as they are making
their decisions.”
Moncino
said
students
are taking a stand to remove
themselves from the narrative
of
lawyers
defending
multi
billion dollar companies who she
believes have unethical agendas.
According to Moncino, powerful
law firms like Paul, Weiss should
reject offers to defend companies
like Exxon.
“We’re
not
trying
to
say
ExxonMobil shouldn’t have a
lawyer,” Moncino said. “Because
everyone should have a lawyer.
But when you bring in a law
firm like Paul, Weiss, you bring
in the big guns. You bring real
power into a courtroom, and
we just think ExxonMobil does
not need to have that level of
aggressive representation when
what they’re doing is putting our
climate at risk.”
Paul,
Weiss
recruitment
representatives
declined
to
comment after the protest.
Vogel said the protest should
be a message to law firms that
students will consider firms’
ethics and client lists when
deciding where they will invest
their talents.
“Law
students,
as
future
lawyers, are incredibly powerful
and have the ability to bring in a
lot of money for a firm or to use
their choices to make a big impact
on the world,” Vogel said. “And if
we encourage more law students
to really think critically of what
impact the firms they work for
have on the world, we think firms
might think twice before taking
on a client like ExxonMobil.
Reporter Callie Teitelbaum can
be reached at cteitelb@umich.edu
EXXON
From Page 1
McNamee explained that as
part of her experience as a peer
mentor, she was not allowed to
encourage
incoming
students
to take classes outside of the
University.
“They do tell us to not tell
people to take things outside of
Michigan, and not encourage
that just because it’s sort of a
negative outlook on the classes
here,” McNamee said. “Obviously
it is challenging, so I think the
fact that they do accept credits
from elsewhere is because they
think it is equivalent.”
Joanna
Millunchick,
the
associate dean for undergraduate
education in the College of
Engineering,
spoke
to
The
Daily about the impact of math
classes on students’ learning
experiences.
“Math
grades
are
pretty
highly correlated with how well
you do, at least in engineering,”
Millunchick said. “I imagine
that must be true in other fields
of sciences as well. One of the
things that I do worry about is
that we start with the math, and
it becomes a barrier and students
kind of lose sight of why it’s
important. I wish there was a
way in which we can think about
how we change that a little bit.”
LSA
sophomore
Isabella
Yockey is studying biomolecular
sciences and took the equivalent
of Math 115: Calculus I at
Washtenaw
Community
College in the summer after her
freshman year.
Yockey took calculus at her
high school but was required
to take the class again at the
University after she did not
receive enough AP credit. She
described how the reputation
of the University’s math classes
influenced her decision to take
the class elsewhere.
“I had already taken calculus
in high school and I just heard
about how hard it was here, so I
didn’t want to take it here (and)
get a bad grade in a class that
I basically had already taken,”
Yockey said.
Yockey
also
said
taking
the class at Washtenaw was
cheaper than enrolling in the
course at the University over the
summer. Additionally, Yockey
said the calculus difficulty level
could potentially influence her
application to graduate schools.
“If I had taken it here, gotten
a lower grade, it would have
brought down my transcript, and
I might not get into med school
down the line, which is extreme,
but it all adds up,” Yockey said. “I
think that I didn’t see the point
in doing that and risking that. I
knew the material, I just didn’t
want to be penalized for any
group homework or super hard
exams, even though I obviously
know the material very well.”
Millunchick said some of
the changes in the number of
students taking math classes in
higher education. Approximately
40% of students took Math 115
during their first semester as
a freshman in 1996, compared
to 27% in 2018, according to
Millunchick.
Comparatively,
only 6% of students took Math 215
in 1996 and now 26% of students
do. Millumchick said she believes
this change in enrollment is due
to the prevalence of accelerated
math programs in high school.
“I just held a town hall
last week, where the math
department
came,
and
they
talked about Calc I through III,
and a lot of our faculty came just
to have a dialogue over what do
our students need, what do they
provide and how can we actually
align the math curriculum and
the engineering curriculum for
the needs of the 21st century
engineer,” Millunchick said.
When asked about students
opting to take classes outside of
the University, Millunchick did
not comment, citing a lack of
data.
Regardless,
the
reputation
of many of the University’s
STEM
classes
continues
to
impact students’ decisions to
complete the courses outside
of the University, according to
McNamee.
“My roommates actually have
never taken a calc class here at
Michigan math, but they do have
to take Calculus I,” McNamee
said. “And even though they
haven’t really looked into it,
haven’t really heard anything
about the calc classes other
than what they’ve heard from
the grapevine, they still are not
willing to take it here, despite
not having ever tried a calc class
here.”
Reporter Kristina Zheng can
be reached at krizheng@umich.
edu.
STEM
From Page 1
“How can we trust his student
government, that was run on a
campaign of inclusion, when he
believes radicalism is ingrained
in our societies?”
Gerstein released a statement
on
his
personal
Facebook
page
Wednesday
afternoon
apologizing for any harm caused
and saying he no longer holds the
views conveyed in the video.
“I have grown considerably
since I made those statements,
and
the
repulsive
views
I
expressed
in
the
video
no
longer
reflect
my
current
understanding,”
Gerstein
wrote in his statement. “I am
devastated to see them reappear
and be defended today. I know
an apology is never enough and
I am complicit in the oppression
of Palestinians through my past
actions.”
The statement from Arab
Student
Association
and
SAFE also called on CSG to
recognize a resolution passed
in
2017
supporting
Boycott,
Divestment, Sanctions . Though
CSG supported the resolution
after a contentious debate, the
University’s Board of Regents
ultimately voted against the
action, which would have made
the board create a committee
to investigate three companies
operating in Israel and involved
in
alleged
human
rights
violations against Palestinians.l.
The statement said Gerstein’s
comments
are
particularly
hurtful
considering
past
instances
in
which
pro-
Palestinian activists have been
targeted
for
their
activism.
The Daily investigated Canary
Mission, a pro-Israel blacklist
that named multiple University
students
as
anti-Israel
for
partaking in actions such as
voting in support of BDS as a
CSG member.
“If we cannot trust that our
own student body government
president
believes
in
our
humanity, how can we feel
supported and safe on our
campus,” the statement read.
“Our community can no longer
trust any intentions or policies
from
the
Central
Student
government, and once again have
watched our university isolate
and turn their backs on us.”
In an interview with The
Daily Wednesday night, Gerstein
acknowledged
his
comments
and the statement circulated by
SAFE on Facebook. He also said
the changes demanded in their
statement were reasonable and
that CSG would pursue them in
the following weeks.
“I think in the statement by
SAFE last night, they outlined
some really important points that
I had not previously considered,”
Gerstein said. “Just in general,
with the executive order that
came from the White House
— that I believe is a targeted
attempt to silence Palestinian
activism — there has been an
increased climate of hostility
towards those communities. I
want to make sure that I’m not
derelict in my responsibility to be
a partner in their movement.”
LSA
senior
Sharif-Ahmed
Krabti initially shared the clip on
Facebook, which contains a short
portion of the 15-minute video,
in which Gerstein questions
whether the Palestinian people
are worthy of a state.
In his interview with The
Daily, Gerstein reiterated his
positions have changed and he
no longer agrees with anything
said in the video. He also said he
recognizes his role in combating
oppression on campus.
“I
think
this
video
is
a
representation
of
what
specifically
we’re
fighting
against, which is a frame of
thought that denies and erases
the history and real story of
people,” Gerstein said. “And back
in when I was in high school and
in middle school, I had beliefs that
were complicit in that. And so I
think it’s incumbent upon people
who are in leadership positions,
especially
representing
the
different communities we have
on campus that are oppressed
and marginalized, we do have a
responsibility to not be passive
members in fighting systemic
oppression.”
Gerstein also urged people
to not defend his previous
statements,
explaining
he
recognizes the harm the video
has caused. He thanked fellow
students at the University for
helping him evolve.
“I hope people who would
defend what I said in the past,
recognize
the
real
impact
that words and the history of
our society have on people,”
Gerstein said. “(It’s important)
to participate in that difficult
path of realizing the faults in
your own thinking and have
the
vulnerability
to
move
forward and seek empathy. I
would encourage people not to
resist being open to change and
being open to empathy. I want
to thank the students here at
this university for showing me
a different way over these last
three years, and I know that
there’s a lot more work that I
need to do.”
CSG
Communications
Director Alex Johnson released
a statement Wednesday night,
acknowledging the harm done
to the Palestinian, Muslim and
Arab students on campus by
Gerstein’s comments. He also
addressed the steps CSG would
take to repair relationships with
affected communities moving
forward.
“As
an
organization
we
wholeheartedly realize the need
to better support Palestinian,
Muslim and Arab students on
campus,” Johnson wrote. “In
the next several days, President
Gerstein hopes to listen to the
concerns and needs of impacted
students
and
work
towards
the various asks outlined in
SAFE’s statement last night.
Apologies are insincere without
corresponding action and we
collectively are committed to
acting on these wrongs.”
Krabti called on the CSG
parties running for the election
in March to denounce this
behavior. He specifically tagged
the
Facebook
account
for
Mobilize, a new CSG party that
announced its formation Monday
night.
In a statement to The Daily,
Amanda Kaplan, Public Policy
junior and presidential candidate
for Mobilize, and Sav Nandigama,
LSA junior and vice-presidential
candidate for Mobilize, said they
would pursue anti-racist policies
if put in leadership positions.
“If elected, we will require
our
executive
team
and
strongly encourage all elected
representatives to attend anti-
racism teach ins and other
programs that target biases...”
the statement said. “At this
time, we have already submitted
a request for, and will be
participating in, a MESA anti-
racism teach in with our core
team. We call on all future CSG
candidates/campaigns to do the
same during this election cycle.”
Sam
Burnstein,
communications
director
for
Change at Michigan — another
CSG party running for seats
in the March election — also
released
a
statement
about
Gerstein’s comments. The party
does not officially launch until
Feb. 26, and no presidential or
vice-presidential
candidates
have been announced.
“We
believe
that
these
remarks,
as
SAFE
rightly
states, are inappropriate and
unacceptable for any member of
our community - but especially
for its chief advocate,” Burnstein
wrote. “The President’s words
make
our
community
more
divided, less safe and secure, and
less inclusive and we condemn
them.”
News Editor Alex Harring can
be reached at harring@umich.
edu and reporter Emma Ruberg
can be reached at eruberg@
umich.edu
CSG
From Page 2
Read more at
MichiganDaily.com