LSA senior Jacob Chludzinski has
spent the last few weeks hunkered
down in the comfort of his family home
in Clinton Township, Mich., keeping
up with schoolwork, finalizing plans
for after graduation and enjoying
family time.
“Although the current situation
is unfortunate, I am glad I have the
opportunity to be safe at home with
my family,” Chludzinski said. “The
main shift has been trying to become
accustomed
to
the
‘Groundhog
Day’-type routine we are all in.
It is important to stay active and
motivated, but these conditions have
made it hard.”
Chludzinski is one of the millions
of Michiganders confined to their
homes due to a statewide stay-at-
home order implemented by Gov.
Gretchen Whitmer on March 10 that
has recently been extended until
April 30 in response to the spread of
COVID-19.
Michigan has been hit particularly
hard, where the virus has infected
more than 24,000 residents and killed
more than a thousand. Detroit is
considered to be the latest hotspot of
the coronavirus, with the third-most
cases and deaths in the United States.
Whitmer, like most other state
governors,
made
the
emergency
declarations at the request of public
health officials, who say aggressive
social distancing is crucial to saving
lives as it prevents health care
systems from becoming even more
overwhelmed.
However, the declarations have
made
Chludzinski,
a
member
of
the
University’s
chapter
of
Young
Americans
for
Freedom,
a
conservative-leaning
group
advocating for limited government,
and others wonder how individual
liberties are being balanced with state
interests in times of emergency.
“I understood Governor Whitmer’s
initial
declaration,”
Chludzinski
said. “My initial reaction understood
that we were entering a time where
individual
liberties
would
be
compromised for the greater health
and safety of our nation. However, it
became clear almost immediately that
the vagueness and uncertain timeline
of several restrictions would lead to
many constitutional questions.”
Whitmer’s executive order limits
gatherings, traveling and bans all non-
essential workers from going to work.
In the recent extension of the order,
Whitmer has now mandated that non-
family gatherings and vacation travel
are strictly prohibited. The extension
further
regulates
how
essential
business ought to run in order to
promote everyone’s health and safety.
Whitmer’s orders have limited
the way Michiganders can exercise
certain liberties. This has led some to
question what the long-lasting effects
of the pandemic will be on the way
we think about states’ rights versus
federal power and individual liberties
versus these powers.
When the University of Michigan
urged its students to return home
due to the COVID-19 pandemic,
Education junior Nicole Afton
moved back home to Kent City,
Mich., a rural town with limited
access to Wi-Fi and consequently,
reduced access to remote learning.
“Kent City is a super rural town,
so I’m really limited in Wi-Fi
options, and I didn’t have Wi-Fi
at my house,” Afton said. “I had
to buy Wi-Fi myself. I am also
unemployed from my jobs. I have
two, and I can’t work at either of
them because they’re closed, so it
was a financial struggle for me to
figure out how I was going to buy
Wi-Fi at home.”
Like
Afton,
many
students
from
low-income
families
or
rural areas returned home with
more challenges than when living
on campus. Purchasing reliable
access to the internet without a
source of income from on-campus
jobs was at the forefront of many
students’ struggles.
As a result, companies like
Comcast
are
providing
free
Wi-Fi networks across the nation
for low-income families trying
to work from home. However,
students from rural areas still face
connection issues.
“Comcast,
Spectrum,
all
of
those providers were all offering
free, and I called them and got
denied because Kent City is so
rural,” Afton said. “So I tried their
options, and I was denied because
where I live is in the middle of
nowhere.”
michigandaily.com
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Monday, April 13, 2020
ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-NINE YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM
Low-income, rural area students experience
increased difficulty accessing the internet
Following transition
to remote learning,
some populations lack
technological resources
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CAMPUS LIFE
The
University
of
Michigan
announced on March 26 that Martino
Harmon was appointed and approved
to serve as the Vice President for
Student Life. Harmon will be replacing
E. Royster Harper, who retired in
January. Harmon will officially start
his tenure at the University on July 1.
In an interview with The Daily,
Harmon said he looks forward to
serving a new community at the
University.
“This, for me, is a pinnacle
position in my career (and) I feel like
everything I have done has prepared
me for this role,” Harmon said.
‘It’s a dream opportunity
for me and I am so excited’
Students, faculty discuss state policies
Orders from Governor Whitmer, COVID-19 crisis spur questions regarding individual liberties
DESIGN BY LIZZY RUEPPEL
New VP for
Student Life
talks goals
KRISTINA ZHENG
Daily Staff Reporter
Read more at
MichiganDaily.com
SARAH PAYNE
Daily Staff Reporter
Read more at
MichiganDaily.com
JULIA FORREST
Daily Staff Reporter
Read more at
MichiganDaily.com
DESIGN BY CARA JHANG