Chinese 
students 
in 
the 
U.S. have faced a unique set of 
challenges amid the pandemic, 
several of which exceed those of 
their domestic peers: from dealing 
with hate speech that wrongfully 
places 
blame 
on 
Chinese 
immigrants for the pandemic, to 
the threat of deportation in light 
of disruptions to their in-person 
research and academic pursuits. 
For Chinese graduate students in 
STEM fields, they face additional 
concerns 
from 
the 
federal 
government.
On May 29, President Donald 
Trump 
issued 
a 
presidential 
proclamation that restricts certain 
Chinese students and researchers 
at 
the 
postgraduate 
and 
postdoctoral levels from entry to 
the U.S. on student visas, effective 
as of June 1. The proclamation 
specifies a few exceptions, such 
as 
undergraduate 
students, 
permanent residents and spouses 
of U.S. citizens and permanent 

residents.
According to the proclamation, 
these restrictions are a response 
to China’s “wide-ranging and 
heavily resourced campaign to 
acquire sensitive United States 
technologies 
and 
intellectual 
properties” 
for 
use 
by 
the 
People’s Liberation Army. The 
proclamation claims that this 
campaign constitutes a threat 
to both the U.S. economy and 
national security.
Although 
affected 
students 
and 
institutions 
— 
including 
the 
University 
of 
Michigan, 
according to the International 
Center — await clarifications 
from the Department of State 
and Homeland Security on what 
may constitute an association 
with the PLA, some students say 
they already saw these targeted 
restrictions coming.
A graduate student at the 
University, 
who 
requested 
anonymity 
citing 
fears 
of 
retaliation 
from 
prospective 

Thursday, June 11, 2020

INDEX

Vol. CXXIX, No. 118
 © 2020 The Michigan Daily 
NEWS ....................................
OPINION ............................... 
ARTS/NEWS..........................
MiC.........................................
SPORTS................................

MICHIGAN IN COLOR

Politicizing emotion 

The sentiment of 
resentment is presented 
as a tool for revolution 

and proper reconciliation. 

>> SEE PAGE 8

NEWS
#ShutDownStem

STEM and academia 

strike in solidarity with Black 

Lives Matter 

>> SEE PAGE 2

OPINION
Dismantling police

Read into the history of policing 

agencies and what systems 

of injustice we must correct in 

America. >> SEE PAGE 4

ARTS
Country music 
and race 

The genre has a persistent 

white supremacy problem 

that is being addressed. 
 

>> SEE PAGE 6 

SPORTS
Draft Stories
A look inside Michigan’s 

2020 MLB draft class. 

>> SEE PAGE 10

inside

2
4
6
8
10

Community asks ‘U’ to 
recognize Juneteenth

ONE HUNDRED TWENTY-NINE YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM

Read more at michigandaily.com

JASMIN LEE
Summer Managing News Editor 

JULIANNA MORANO
Daily Staff Reporter

Read more at michigandaily.com

michigandaily.com

Chinese grad students 
face federal restrictions

Design by Hibah Chughtai

When Education graduate student 
Alyssa 
Brandon 
and 
Katherine 
Taylor, manager of communications 
and special projects at the School of 
Education, noticed the University of 
Michigan was not observing June 19 
as a holiday, they decided to send an 
open letter to University President 
Mark Schlisel asking the University 
to allow faculty members and staff 
to officially recognize Juneteenth as 
a national holiday in the workplace. 
Since its release on June 16, the open 
letter has received over 500 signatures 
and continues to gain support from 
staff, students, alumni and other 
University community members. 
“We thought this was such a timely, 
urgent request,” Brandon said. “Given 
the daily reminders of brutality and 
loss faced in the Black community 
(and) the pain that is (being) 
experiencing. This is an opportunity 
for the University to really step up 
and to offer tangible evidence of 
its commitment to — not just only 
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion — but 
to its Black community members.”
The letter asks the University to 
“give all regular staff members the 
option to take paid time off (without 
having to use vacation or sick time)” 
on June 19. It also includes a long 
term request, asking the University 
to develop plans for continuing to 
acknowledge 
Juneteenth 
in 
the 
future. 
University Public Affairs did not 
respond in time for publication. 
Juneteenth, celebrated on June 19, 
is the day all slaves in Texas were freed 
in 1865, which signified the freeing 
of all slaves across the United States. 
Juneteenth is known among the Black 
community as the Black independence 
day. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has 
signed 
proclamations 
recognizing 
Juneteenth since 2019 and the holiday 
has been officially celebrated in the 
state of Michigan for 16 years. 

Quicken Loans is giving their 
employees 
a 
paid 
holiday 
and 
other companies are recognizing 
Juneteenth in different ways. Many 
events are occurring in Ann Arbor 
on Friday to celebrate Juneteenth as 
well. The holiday has gained more 
recognition 
through 
the 
recent 
protests that have supported the Black 
Lives Matter movement and stood up 
against police brutality.
According to Brandon, the School 
of Education is giving their staff early 
release to recognize the holiday, but 
she believes it is important for the 
whole University to be involved in 
celebrating Juneteenth.
“You have to think of the University 
(as not) just a research institution, but 
it’s an institution that is a member 
of a larger community that not only 
serves the Black community, but is 
served by the Black community,” 
Brandon said. “It’s also the systems of 
white supremacy and anti-Blackness 
and violence (that) impacts us just as 
they do (at) other organizations (and) 
other communities. The University 
is not immune to those patterns. It’s 
very much entrenched and impacted 
in them … This timing really presents 
a very crucial opportunity for the 
University to step up. It will be such an 
awesome opportunity to show the care 
and commitment that (the University 
has) for the Black community and the 
University community at large.”
David 
Humphrey, 
School 
of 
Education diversity and inclusion 
officer, signed the open letter, saying it 
was important for him as a Black man 
to celebrate Juneteenth. He said the 
University should be able to recognize 
the holiday for the Black community.
“I thought this was an excellent 
thing 
to 
consider,” 
Humphrey 
said. “As a Black man, this is my 
Independence Day. An opportunity 
for an institution that I love and is 
committed to thinking deeply about 

michigandaily.com
Thursday, June 18, 2020
ONE HUNDRED TWENTY-NINE YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM
michigandaily.com

School of Education members send open letter to 
University President Mark Schlissel 

