The 
University 
of 

Michigan’s chapter of Biden for 
President hosted Sen. Bernie 
Sanders, I-Vt., in Ann Arbor’s 
Kerrytown Monday afternoon. 
More than 75 people attended 
the rally in person, while more 
than 500 supporters logged on 
to the virtual livestream. 

Sanders started the event by 

emphasizing the importance of 
continuing to make progress in 
a thoughtful, informed way. 

“We can keep our country 

moving forward if we do so in 
a way that is disciplined, not 
dangerous, that is responsible, 
not reckless,” Sanders said. 
“And we (need to) listen to 
science.”

U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, 

D-Mich., spoke to supporters 
about her excitement for the 
election. 

“(It’s 
a) 
really 
exciting, 

important day for me,” Dingell 
said. “We are four weeks out 
from 
the 
most 
important 

election of my lifetime. I’ve 
been talking to Bernie about 

things we care about … we 
both know how important 
the young people are in this 
election.”

Sanders appealed to young 

people, saying they are leading 
activists in many social justice 
issues.

“This is a generation that 

is leading the fight against 
systemic racism and police 
brutality,” Sanders said. “It 
is a generation that is leading 
the fight against xenophobia, 
a generation that is leading 
the fight against sexism. A 
generation that is leading the 

fight against religious bigotry, 
a generation that is leading 
the 
fight 
against 
never-

ending wars and a bloated 
military budget. And this is a 
generation, unlike the current 
president of the United States, 
that knows that climate change 
is real.”

Sanders said despite young 

peoples’ achievements, they 
have 
one 
“major 
political 

shortcoming:” 
low 
voter 

turnout. 

The Michigan Daily sat down 

with University of Michigan 
President 
Mark 
Schlissel 
to 

discuss the University’s COVID-
19 response, increasing testing 
availability at UHS, why the 
University sought an injunction 
against GEO, the role of policing 
on campus, the Faculty Senate 
vote 
of 
no 
confidence 
and 

whether he’s still friends with 
Jim Harbaugh. 

This interview has been edited 

and condensed for clarity. 

Mark Schlissel: Obviously, 

(the election is) getting closer 
and closer. We’ve been working 
for years now trying to drive 
voter 
registration 
at 
the 

University, particularly among 
students, (and we’re) doing 
many things trying to make it 
easier. The county clerk and 
the Secretary of State here in 
Michigan 
have 
collaborated 

on letting us set up (a satellite 
office) in the art museum, a 
very convenient site where 
students can actually go vote 
today if they want to, there’s 
early voting in the state of 

Michigan, they can register, or 
they can drop off their absentee 
ballots in person, removing any 
anxiety that somehow the post 
office will slow them down or 
lose them … You know I think 
everybody on campus who’s 
eligible to vote should vote. And 
that’s what we can do to make a 
difference.

The Michigan Daily: So, 

first 
on 
COVID-19. 
There 

have been mixed responses 
to the University’s protocols 
and resources for addressing 
the COVID-19 pandemic on 
campus. Students, parents and 
faculty have voiced concerns 
about 
quarantine 
housing, 

outbreaks on campus and a lack 
of testing to name a few. How 
do you think the University has 
handled the first few weeks 
of school, and do you think 
the reopening plan has been 
successful so far?

MS: I think COVID-19 is 

the 
biggest 
challenge 
that 

we face as a community, at 
least in this generation, and 
certainly in my career. There is 
a lot of uncertainty, so we make 
our best plans based on our 
knowledge and our judgments 
and our values. And then we 
modify them as we learn more 
and as the situation changes. 

One 
of 
the 
University 

of 
Michigan’s 
metrics 
for 

reevaluating campus operations 
amid the COVID-19 pandemic 
has been triggered, University 

President 
Mark 
Schlissel 

confirmed coming two days after 
the guidelines were published 
online. 

Schlissel 
acknowledged 
the 

trigger in a Friday email to 
faculty members concerned about 
the spread of the virus in the 
surrounding community.

“Yes, the metrics were triggered, 

and as per the new policy, our 
public health and medical advisors 
are discussing, based on the 
details of the cases and overall 
context, which next steps are most 
appropriate,” Schlissel wrote in the 
email obtained by The Michigan 
Daily. “As we stated, there are 
many options for interventions 
that must be tailored to the exact 

circumstances. (sic) involved.”

On the University’s Campus 

Blueprint website, the criteria 
include 
Washtenaw 
County 

seeing more than 70 new cases per 
million, sustained test positivity 
rates of 10% or 3 consecutive days 
of a more than 10% case increase. 

michigandaily.com
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Wednesday, October 7, 2020

ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM

Though 
the 
University 

of 
Michigan 
provides 

free 
COVID-19 
testing 
to 

symptomatic students, some 
asymptomatic 
students 
are 

opting 
to 
get 
tested 
off-

campus. 

Engineering senior Maya 

Getachew 
was 
tested 
at 

University 
Health 
Service 

as well as an outside urgent 
care center. Getachew said 
the UHS process was faster, 
but the restrictions on who is 
eligible for testing frustrated 
her.

“I kind of had to lie on my 

form to get an appointment,” 
Getachew said. “But once I 
actually went in for the test, 
really fast, I was in and out of 
the building within like five 
minutes. With urgent care, 
there was a little bit of a wait, 
but it was pretty much the 
same thing, once I got the test 
I was out in like 30 seconds.”

Getachew said she got her 

results back from UHS in less 
than 24 hours, while it took 
the urgent care about three 
days.

The University is currently 

testing 
all 
symptomatic 

students 
through 
UHS. 

Students with symptoms can 
fill out an online survey to see 
if they qualify for testing, and 
a UHS employee is supposed 
to 
call 
and 
schedule 
an 

appointment usually on the 
same day. Other local testing 
sites are run through the 
Washtenaw 
County 
Health 

Department, and vary from 
local urgent cares to pop-up 
testing locations across town.

Andie Ransom, who co-leads 

COVID response at UHS, told 
The Michigan Daily that the 
University’s testing capacity 
has 
significantly 
increased 

from the beginning of the year. 
According to Ransom, the 
requirements have changed so 
that any student who has been 
exposed to the virus can get a 
test at UHS. 

“When COVID first started, 

we were very limited in what 
we could do,” Ransom said. 
“And so this new expanded 
testing feels really good for 
us because we want to do 
what’s right for the student. 
And 
(being 
exposed 
is) 

worrisome. We want to make 
sure that these students are 
getting the testing that they 
want.”

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Call 734-418-4115 or e-mail 
news@michigandaily.com and let us know.

INDEX
Vol. CXXX, No. 133
©2020 The Michigan Daily

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COVID-19

Follow The Daily 
on Instagram, 
@michigandaily

SARAH PAYNE
Daily Staff Reporter 

DOMINICK SOKOTOFF/Daily

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders visits Ann Arbor to campaign for the Democratic Presidential nominee Joe Biden Monday afternoon.

DOMINIC COLETTI 
& JENNA SITEMAN 

Daily Staff Reporters

SAYALI AMIN & 
LEAH GRAHAM 

Managing News Editors

See METRIC, Page 3

Washtenaw COVID cases exceed ‘U’ 
threshold for review of operations

Cases per million in county repeatedly top 70 per million in September, breaching 
one of University’s metrics for reevaluation of campus protocols amid pandemic

Bernie Sanders stumps for Joe 
Biden at campaign event in A2

Vermont senator and former presidential candidate makes case for Democratic 
ticket at small rally in Kerrytown, argues country needs new style of leadership

Students weigh options 
between getting tested 
on campus or heading 
outside of University

U-M President: 
‘Things are not 
heading in the 
right direction’

Schlissel comments on rise in COVID-19 
cases among students, recent strikes

EMMA STEIN, 

DOMINIC COLETTI 

& CALDER LEWIS
Daily News Editor & 
Daily Staff Reporters

See SCHLISSEL, Page 3

See TESTING, Page 3

MADELINE HINKLEY/Daily

The University announced criteria that would lead to reevaluating campus operations on Wednesday.

Read more at 
MichiganDaily.com

People face restrictions with accessing 
testing at University Health Services

