The University of Michigan
is freezing its fossil fuel
investments — for the time
being.
On
Thursday
evening,
during
the
University’s
Board of Regents meeting
at the Richard L. Postma
Family Clubhouse, University
Regent Mark Bernstein (D)
announced
the
board
is
looking into the University’s
policy
on
investments
in
fossil fuel companies. New
investments will not occur
during this time.
“We will not bring forward
new direct investments in
fossil fuel companies while we
study the investment policy
of the University of Michigan
with regard to all fossil fuel
investments in a deliberative,
thorough,
inclusive,
and
responsible
manner,”
Bernstein
said.
“We
will
proceed with this assessment
as quickly as possible and
plan to take any appropriate
actions in the months ahead.”
After
Bernstein’s
announcement, the audience
immediately
erupted
in
applause. The University is
the first Big Ten school to
pause future investments in
fossil fuel companies.
Approximately
80
University
students
and
faculty
and
Ann
Arbor
community
members
were
in attendance to observe the
meeting. University Regent
Shauna Ryder Diggs (D) called
into the meeting from a remote
location. Acting Provost Susan
Collins was also present.
University President Mark
Schlissel took the beginning
of the meeting to comment
on
recent
allegations
of
sexual misconduct that have
surfaced against prominent
University
administrators.
He encouraged students and
faculty who were disturbed
by the allegations to utilize
University
resources
and
continue supporting those who
come forward with allegations
of sexual misconduct.
After
Schlissel
said
he
condemned
all
instances
of
sexual
misconduct,
an
audience member interrupted
his speech, shouting, “You
knew!”
The
campaign
office
for
Sen.
Bernie
Sanders
(D-VT) opened on Stadium
Boulevard
in
Ann
Arbor
Thursday
night.
The
Democratic
presidential
candidate’s event drew more
than 150 local supporters
and featured guest speakers
former
gubernatorial
candidate Abdul El-Sayed
and state Rep. Yousef Rabhi,
D-Ann Arbor.
Sanders
endorsed
El-Sayed’s
campaign
for
governor
in
2018,
and
El-Sayed
has
expressed
his
support
for
Sanders’
presidential campaign.
El-Sayed
said
Sanders’
consistent beliefs on issues
like health care and the
environment resonated with
him the most.
“Let me tell you why I am
so excited to be out here for
Bernie right now,” El-Sayed
said. “It’s not just that Bernie
is the frontrunner among
candidates for president of
the United States, it’s that
Bernie has been talking about
these issues since before I
was born; it’s the recognition
of the kind of policies that
we need, but even more than
that, the kind of politics that
it will take to get it done.”
El-Sayed
concluded
his
remarks
by
connecting
Sanders’ campaign slogan
“Not
me.
Us.”
to
the
Constitution of the United
States.
“It goes back to those first
three words ‘We the People.’
That’s not just a statement,
that’s not just a description,
it’s
an
ideal
of
people
continuously
choosing
to
come together beyond the
differences that people tell
them divide them,” El - Sayed
said. “‘Not me. Us’ is about
‘We the People,’ it’s about us
coming together in the best
interests of our society.”
Rabhi
shared
his
excitement
for
Sanders’
campaign and vision for the
United States, especially on
health care.
“I am proud to be here with
so many fantastic people
to fight for someone who is
running, not just one person,
but all of us,” said Rabhi. “To
fight for an idea that we can
create a healthcare system
that leaves more money in
our pockets and less money
in the pockets of greedy
CEOs.”
When
LSA
freshman
Hannah
Shipley
started
learning more about the deaf and
hard of hearing communities
in her first-year seminar, her
interest in taking American
Sign Language courses piqued.
Upon further research, Shipley
found out about the waitlist of
more than 100 LSA students for
RCASL 100, the ASL language
sequence’s prerequisite course,
which could block her from
taking any further courses for
two years.
After
speaking
with
her
linguistics professor, Natasha
Abner, Shipley started a petition
in hopes of increasing the
opportunity to learn ASL at the
University of Michigan for both
the deaf and hard of hearing
communities and her hearing
classmates.
“She explained to me how
small the program was, that
there’s
only
one
professor,
that the Intro is only offered
every other year and that the
waiting list is so long that some
graduating seniors will never
get it,” Shipley said. “I was
really frustrated … The only
thing that came to mind was the
petition. So really it started out
of frustration that a program
for a community that’s so
marginalized is so small.”
According to the University’s
ASL professor, Paula Berwanger,
ASL 100 consistently has a
waitlist of more than 100 LSA
students in addition to more
than 20 students from other
schools across campus.
In RCASL 100, Introduction
to Deaf Culture, students do not
learn ASL; rather, they learn
about deaf culture in the United
States, deaf identity and the
historical roots of the language.
After completing RCASL 100,
students
are
permitted
to
continue on to elementary and
intermediate
sign
language
courses.
Because all students still
have to take ASL 100, those who
place into ASL 102 or further
get precedence in registering
for
ASL
100.
Additionally,
Berwanger wrote in an email
to The Daily that students who
are deaf, hard of hearing or
who have immediate family
members
using
ASL
get
preference. LSA students are
also shown preference.
“As
more
high
schools
now offer ASL, the number
of students testing into ASL
beyond
the
first-semester
language class has steadily
increased,” Berwanger wrote.
michigandaily.com
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Friday, February 21, 2020
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INDEX
Vol. CXXIX, No. 75
©2020 The Michigan Daily
N E W S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
O PI N I O N . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
C L A S S I F I E D S . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
S U D O K U . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
A R T S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
S P O R T S . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
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The
University
of
Michigan’s
NCAA
Division I standing and
Big
Ten
membership
provide
students
on
campus with a source
of spirit. However, not
all athletes on campus
compete at the varsity
level. Many students find
their desire to compete
athletically fulfilled by
membership to club or
intramural sports teams,
which
are
primarily
student-based
and
organized.
To achieve club status, a
team must apply through
the
University’s
Club
Sports
Office.
Before
this process can occur,
the Club Sports Program
must assess their ability
to add more teams.
Laurel Hanna, assistant
director of Club Sports,
explained how the Club
Sports Program decides
to open up more spots for
student organizations to
achieve club status.
Amid the usual bustling activity
in Mason Hall, more than 200
University of Michigan graduate
student instructors lined the walls
on Tuesday afternoon to display the
labor of graduate student workers.
The demonstration comes on the
heels of the University’s multiple
rejections to contract proposals
from the Graduate Employees’
Organization.
GEO began contract negotiations
with the University administration
last November. The organization
met
with
University
Human
Resources twice a week for a few
hours to introduce proposals and
language crucial to the bargaining
process.
GEO’s initial bargaining with HR
resulted in productive developments
on expanding trans health care
access and building union security,
according to GEO’s press release.
However, GEO’s frustration with
the University’s administration is
due to HR’s rejections — with no
counteroffers — of proposals related
to climate, housing and food justice,
a demilitarized workplace, disability
and mental health accommodations
and protections against sexual
assault.
Both
GEO
and
HR
have agreed to reach a tentative
agreement by Mar. 1, 2020.
GSI’s line
Mason in
protest of
contracts
ACADEMICS
KRISTINA ZHENG
Daily Staff Reporter
Petition calls for expansion of
American Sign Language program
Long waitlists show growing interest in learning ASL, supporting Deaf culture
CAMPUS LIFE
Graduate Employees’s
Organization arranges
‘grade-in’ after issues
negotiating with admin
Successful applications
give teams access to
resources, status, usage
of block ‘M’ imagery
SOFIA URBAN &
ROSE CRAMTON
Daily Staff Reporter &
Daily Sports Writer
See GRADE-IN, Page 3
See CLUB, Page 3
Student
rec sports
talk club
standing
SONIA LEE
Daily Staff Reporter
Bernie is second candidate to have
staff in Ann Arbor, after Bloomberg
Sanders sets
up campaign
office in A2,
150 attend
SARAH PAYNE
Daily Staff Reporter
See ASL, Page 3
See REGENTS, Page 3A
Board of Regents announces freeze
on future fossil fuel investments
‘U’ becomes first Big 10 school to do so following student activism
DOMINICK SOKOTOFF/Daily
Engineering senior Logan Vear holds up a sign to encourage divesting from fossil fuels at the Regent’s meeting at the Richard L. Postma Family
Clubhouse Thursday afternoon.
ARJUN THAKKAR &
PARNIA MAZHAR
Daily Staff Reporters
See BERNIE, Page 2A
DESIGN BY MARIAH PARKER