Phase 2 is set to begin in
the late winter or early spring
and will extend to the broader
University community. A start
date for Phase 3 has not been
announced.
General
students
will
likely be in the second phase
of the vaccine’s distribution,
unless they are high risk,
which could move them to
the first phase, Cinti said.
He expects the University to
vaccinate about 80,000 U-M
community members in the
coming months. Two doses
are required for one person to
be vaccinated in the process,
which Cinti described as quick
but safe.
“Will we get (completely
vaccinated) before the fall
semester?” Cinti said. “I can’t
tell you that. I don’t know, but
maybe we’ll have the teachers
protected. We can’t rip off our
masks right away — we have to
wait — but teachers might feel
better about teaching.”
University President Mark
Schlissel said there is no plan
to require U-M community
members to be vaccinated,
though it might be considered
in the future.
“It’s gonna be a situation
where the vaccine is limited in
dose, and if I’ve got people that
want to take it that are in risk
groups — that are frontline
health care providers, that
are our faculty dealing with
students, people that have
actual risk — I’m gonna give
it to them rather than forcing
people who are unwilling,”
Schlissel said.
When Michigan Medicine
delivers
a
vaccine,
that
information
will
be
incorporated in the state’s
vaccine registry within 24
hours,
according
to
Dana
Habers,
chief
radiology
department
administrator.
Habers
said
multiple
reminders will go out to
patients
to
ensure
people
come back for the second dose
weeks laters.
Arnold
Monto,
professor
of epidemiology at the School
of
Public
Health,
is
the
chair of the Food and Drug
Administration’s
committee
evaluating COVID-19 vaccines.
His committee, which works to
approve the efficacy and safety
of potential candidate vaccines,
will meet on Dec. 10 and 17 to
discuss the Pfizer and Moderna
vaccines, respectively. In a
recent
interview
with
The
Michigan Daily, Monto said
the risk of taking a COVID-19
vaccine once one is approved
will be no greater than other
regular vaccines.
“This
vaccine
will
have
been approved by the standard
mechanism,”
Monto
said.
“By
the
time
the
vaccine
becomes
available
to
the
general population it will have
standard,
non-emergency
approval.”
Michigan
Medicine
has
partnered
with
companies
leading the pack in the race
for
a
COVID-19
vaccine
trials, including Janssen and
AstraZeneca. A week after
the AstraZeneca partnership
was introduced, the trial was
momentarily paused after an
adverse reaction was observed
in a participant. It was later
resumed.
Fifty-eight percent of adults
aged 50 to 80 say they are
somewhat or very likely to get
vaccinated to prevent COVID-
19, according to a University
Institute for Healthcare Policy
and Innovation poll taken in
September. Schlissel said he
will want to “roll up” his sleeve
as soon as he is eligible to
receive the vaccine.
“Without
a
doubt,
vaccination is the number one
most
effective
intervention
medicine has ever developed,”
Schlissel said. “The amount of
human suffering that’s been
mitigated through vaccinations
is unimaginable.”
Daily Staff Reporters Jasmin
Lee and Calder Lewis can be
reached at itsshlee@umich.edu
and calderll@umich.edu.
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
News
Wednesday, December 9, 2020 — 3
VACCINE
From Page 1
“I really value DAAS because
not many majors allow me to
sit in a room with people that
look like me and discuss Black
resistance, Black freedom and
Black anything while being
comfortable in our Blackness.”
Outside the classroom, DAAS
works to establish a close-knit
and welcoming community for
students of color and the student
body. By coordinating events
with student organizations, the
DAAS faculty hopes to teach
students to understand their
cultural and racial differences.
Though many of their 50th
anniversary
events
were
canceled due to the COVID-19
pandemic, the department has
adapted this semester to host
virtual events to celebrate the
milestone.
DAAS
associate
professor
Omolade
Adunbi
said
the
department’s greatest strength
is
its
synergy
between
academics
and
community,
including communities beyond
the University. Adunbi pointed
to the Semester in Detroit
program
as
one
example,
which
allows
students
to
engage in substantive urban
planning that benefits Detroit
communities.
Similarly,
the
Pedagogy of Action program
has empowered students to
learn about the impact of HIV
and AIDS on African American
communities
and
teach
prevention in the metro Detroit
area and Ypsilanti, Mich.
According
to
Adunbi,
DAAS’s
most
expansive
outreach
program
is
its
African Presidential Scholars
Program. In collaboration with
the African Studies Center,
DAAS invites scholars from
across Africa to the University.
Collectively, DAAS’s outreach
programs
exemplify
the
department’s growing reach
to
both
local
and
global
communities.
Countryman
said
DAAS
provides the most integral
component of social activism:
education. By learning about
historical
and
present-day
instances
of
inequality,
students
can
begin
to
confront
these
injustices.
Whether they advocate for
change
on
social
media,
donate to charitable causes
or work with policymakers to
propose beneficial legislation,
Countryman said students in
DAAS gain the knowledge and
fervor necessary to enact real-
world change.
“I think education provides a
crucial opportunity for people
to be honest about both the
promise of society and promise
of the institution, but also to
confront and look directly at
where we’ve come up short
in terms of those promises —
ways in which the nation and
institutions have been built
off structures of inequality,”
Countryman said. “By itself,
education can’t change those
structures; but without that
commitment to understanding
and investigating, we’re not
going to make progress toward
the goals of a just society.”
As important as it is to
reflect upon the past, Adunbi
said this milestone serves as
an opportunity to also consider
DAAS’s future.
“We’re not just remembering
the founders, but we are also
thinking
about
the
future
of Black studies in general,”
Adunbi said. “It’s like looking
back, taking a pause to evaluate
where we have come from and
what we are currently doing,
and then looking into the
future of Black studies.”
Vance said he hopes the
department
continues
to
promote the study of Black
communities
and
facilitate
their success.
“I hope DAAS continues to
thrive, continues to innovate
and continues to hire professors
and postdoctoral fellows who
are really committed to the
study of the diaspora and
members of the diaspora,”
Vance said. “As for the Black
community, I really just want
to see everybody win. I just
want to see everybody succeed
where they are, continue to
dream big, continue to aspire
for greatness and get there.”
Daily
Contributor
Evan
DeLorenzo can be reached at
evandelo@umich.edu
DAAS
From Page 1
But
seniors
applying
to
graduate or professional school
have
also
faced
pandemic-
related challenges. LSA senior
Yebin Lee spent her summer
applying to dental school and
had to scramble to find a new
testing center for her canceled
Dental Admission Test.
Additionally, Lee’s summer
job as a dental assistant was
canceled, which has impacted a
crucial component of her dental
school applications.
“I was supposed to work out
in a dental office in Manhattan,
and obviously everywhere in
Manhattan got closed down
because New York was having
such a bad COVID crisis. So, I
couldn’t work out there, and it
was actually kind of a disaster
for me,” Lee said. “I really
needed
experience,
because
they do require about a hundred
hours of work experience.”
Lee originally planned to
graduate next semester, but
she’s now going to graduate in
December in order to work as a
dental assistant.
“If I graduate this semester,
then I could work for about six
months and then go to grad
school, because I know grad
schools are expensive,” Lee said.
“I figured I should definitely
do that before I can’t afford it
anymore.”
Some students who graduated
right at the onset of the pandemic
are also still searching. After
graduation in May, University
alum Mary Rose Clark decided
to take the summer off from
applying to jobs due to COVID-
19 hiring freezes.
Since
late
August,
she’s
been actively looking for full-
time
opportunities
in
the
philanthropy or development
space, but she has not yet
secured full-time employment.
Clark said many of her peers
who graduated in May have also
been unable to secure full-time
employment.
“I’ve applied to numerous
things. I’ve begun networking,
especially in the past month,
with lots of people around
west Michigan and still have
not
heard
anything
back,”
Clark said. “I’ve gotten mostly
rejections, which I’ve heard that
that’s very common, though,
most people that I’ve talked to
haven’t really heard back from
anyone.”
LSA
senior
Mackensie
Freeman spent her summer
working for a public relations
agency
based
in
Atlanta.
Like Gupta, she secured this
internship through networking
after many of her other second-
round interviews and offers
were canceled.
Freeman has continued to
work for this agency throughout
the school year but said she
feels she missed out on the full
internship experience.
“I definitely missed out on
that whole aspect of corporate
culture and getting to know
your work, your coworkers,”
Freeman said.
With
the
timeline
for
returning
to
offices
still
uncertain,
Day
said
she
recognizes that the difficulty
in
securing
an
internship
and working virtually will be
prevalent this summer.
“Based on what happened
last summer, there’s still a
lot of questions around. ‘Is
this internship going to move
forward in a virtual format?’”
Day said. “Also, (students are
still) thinking about, ‘If I am
going to do a virtual internship,
how can I make the most of it?’”
Employers have also had to
adjust their hiring practices
this year, especially with virtual
career fairs. This was not ideal
for some students as one-on-
one meetings with recruiters
filled up fast, adding to the
competitiveness of recruiting.
The COVID-19 crisis has been
unique in the sense that some
industries and companies have
been devastated, while others
have thrived, leaving students
unsure about the shifting job
opportunities. While research
opportunities
for
students
have struggled, graduates have
still been able to find remote
opportunities.
However, Day said she has
heard from employers that they
are better prepared this year for
virtual internships, as they have
had more time to plan.
“Of
course,
last
summer
everything kind of happened
in March, so it was a little bit
of a time crunch to figure out
what to do if you had planned
on having in-person interns,”
Day said. “(This summer), they
are usually planning for at least
a virtual option if in-person
isn’t
possible,
depending
on the vaccine timeline and
everything.”
Freeman says the process has
been stressful and has forced
her to come up with a range of
back-up options.
“I’m just nervously checking
LinkedIn,” Freeman said. “My
mom also is having me applying
to a grad program just in case
everything fails.”
Daily
News
Contributor
Elizabeth
Williams
can
be
reached at eewilli@umich.edu.
JOBS
From Page 1
“There’s no element of that
grant program that targets
business
centers
of
color,”
Doyle said. “This particular
program is going to be first-
come, first-served, and so you
can imagine that those people
who are not as connected are
much less likely to get access.”
The
ABC
has
gained
momentum,
with
over
30
Washtenaw County businesses
joining
the
organization.
Jones-Chance said the ABC is
looking to continue its work
after the COVID-19 pandemic
ends.
“My goal is to just include
an educated and influential
and plugged-in membership,”
Jones-Chance
said.
“We
hope that (ABC members) all
have thriving and successful
businesses, we want them to
have access to funding, but to
also become some of the folks
who make these decisions.”
It
is
easier
for
some
businesses
to
adjust
to
a
COVID-19-safe
environment
than others. Jones-Chance said
734 Brewing has established
a beer delivery system that
keeps customer relationships
and a sense of community
intact through the pandemic.
“We have happily complied
with all the state orders to keep
the community safe and our
staff safe, so we’ve had to make
some changes,” Jones-Chance
said. “In such a social business,
people
who
come
in
are
generally looking to socialize
and it’s been challenging to
maintain those relationships
with our customers.”
In
May,
the
Michigan
Economic
Development
Corporation released a grant-
fund program called Match-
on-Main that supports small
businesses
in
areas
like
Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor with
main
streets
experiencing
less foot traffic than usual.
This program went through
the Downtown Development
Board to provide grants to
local businesses.
“I
found
that
it
was
inconsistent with the group of
people … and their businesses
that are in the district here,”
Doyle
said.
“And
it
was
concerning to me, and of
course this is in the middle of a
broader national conversation
and
protests
about
racial
justice.”
Jones-Chance said the ABC
helps connect businesses of
color to sources of funding that
may help them survive repeat
closures.
“The grant fund allocation
didn’t appear to be intentional,
and so we set out to help plug
more businesses of color into
the pre-existing sources of
funding,” Jones-Chance said.
“And over time we’ve begun
to see some other areas where
we can be of use. So more
education, helping members
gain more influence in the
community and over some of
these funding decisions.”
Jones-Chance cites lack of
access to capital as the main
struggle for people of color
who own businesses.
“The main difficulties of
being a business owner come
from
the
same
systematic
social issues as difficulties
of being just a person of color
or being a racial minority,”
Jones-Chance
said.
“In
business, that kind of takes
the shape of rugged, economic
individualism
for
people
of
color
but
government-
sponsored support for white
counterparts.”
Jones-Chance
said
the
G.I.
Bill,
which
provides
financial
assistance
to
veterans, is an example of
how the U.S. government
denied thousands of Black
World War II veterans access
to
higher
education
and
resources.
“A lot of folks are able to
build wealth over time to
start
businesses,
whereas
we’re intentionally excluded
from
that,”
Jones-Chance
said. “That access to capital
and that systemic advantage
we just don’t have, and so
even
when
things
aren’t
intentional now, they’re sort
of built on that foundation
and it can make capitalizing
your
business
extremely
difficult.”
Music, Theatre & Dance
freshman Maya Boyd, who
frequently uses Instagram
to encourage her followers
to support businesses owned
by
people
of
color,
said
the dual impact of racial
discrimination and COVID-
19 has put these companies in
a difficult position.
“In Michigan, for instance,
Black people were 40 percent
of
the
reported
(COVID-
19)
deaths,
while
only
making up 14 percent of the
state’s
population,”
Boyd
said. “Adding all the other
obstacles
of
owning
and
maintaining businesses that
people of color will inherently
face in comparison to non-
minority
owned
businesses
I feel says it all. And when
there are issues that non-
minority
owned
businesses
are able to face, it will always
disproportionately
affect
POC-owned business due to
the structural systems that are
ingrained in this country.”
Doyle
said
that
while
Ann Arbor is often viewed
as
a
progressive
city,
discrimination is still very
much present and impacts
business owners of color.
“I think it’s easy to look
at Ann Arbor and say, ‘Oh
well, you know, we’ve solved
all these problems that exist
out there in the real world,’”
Doyle said. “And the truth is,
of course, it couldn’t be further
from the truth.”
Boyd
said
she
believes
organizations like the ABC
can help Washtenaw County
better support businesses run
by people of color.
“There is so much room for
growth,” Boyd said. “These
kinds of organizations are so
important because I feel like
they have a lot of potential and
there is a lot to benefit from
locally having more diverse
businesses.”
Daily Staff Reporter Shannon
Stocking can be reached at
sstockin@umich.edu.
BUSINESS
From Page 1
“It was getting stressful
so I just wanted to talk to
someone at CAPS, and I
thought it would be a super
seamless process.”
For Ben-David, the process
was not simple and long wait
times dissuaded her from
going to CAPS.
“When I went on the
website and I saw that I had
to basically wait a month for
the next available time slot,
I was like, ‘this is not worth
it,’ and I just never actually
received the type of care that
I was expecting from the
University,” Ben-David said.
During
the
pandemic,
administrative
support
of
mental health services is
even more pressing.
Ben-David said changes
to
the
“normal”
college
experience have presented
challenges to freshmen and
hindered people’s abilities to
form friendships.
“This is not how we should
be
entering
college,
but
obviously there’s nothing we
can do about it so we just have
to try our best,” Ben-David
said.
“Generally
feeling
isolated has definitely taken
a toll on everyone’s mental
health — I don’t think I’m
the only one for sure.”
Ke said the University
increasing
support
for
CAPS would go a long way
in expanding their ability
to provide the services that
students expect.
“I
definitely
think,
in
general, the administration
should be investing more
in
CAPS,”
Ke
said.
“I
don’t think a lot of it is
necessarily
their
fault
—
they’re
just
understaffed
and underfunded and there
needs to be more resources
invested in them because it’s
just so important.”
Sevig wrote that the new
positions CAPS filled in the
fall increased their presence
in 18 out of 19 schools and
colleges at the University,
adding four new sites.
The 2020-2021 University
budget
for
counseling
services is nearly 3 million
dollars, about 0.03% of the
total
Ann
Arbor
campus
budget for the current fiscal
year. The counseling services
funding comes out of the
general fund for University
expenditures and represents
about 0.1% of the general
fund.
This
year’s
CAPS
expenditures are identical
to
the
budget
for
2019-
2020 which was an almost
$800,000 decrease from the
previous fiscal year.
Ben-David
said
she
felt
disappointed
by
the
University
as
well
as
confused by how resources
are allocated with regards to
mental health services.
“When
I
saw
that
I
couldn’t even see someone
just to talk to for 15 minutes,
I was so frustrated because I
thought that it should not be
this complicated,” Ben-David
said.
“The
school
boasts
about how many resources
they have and how students
are really cared about, but
when I saw the ridiculous
amount of time I had to wait
— it was clearly not working
out.”
Daily
Staff
Reporters
Hannah Mackay and Jared
Dougall can be reached at
mackayh@umich.edu
and
jdougall@umich.edu.
CAPS
From Page 2