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Wednesday, March 17, 2021 — 3
City Council discusses uses for marijuana excise tax
CITY
Councilmembers commit to investing in community services, officially recognize Transgendender Day of Visibility
The Ann Arbor City Council
met virtually Monday evening
to
discuss
a
resolution
to
acknowledge Ann Arbor resident
Daniel
Bicknell’s
longstanding
career in public service, the
allocation of excise tax revenue
from
recreational
marijuana
and the implementation of a
Transgender Day of Visibility.
The meeting began with a
discussion of a resolution to
commend Bicknell, the president
of Global Environment Alliance
LLC, for his acts of public service.
Bicknell is credited for discovering
the 1,4-dioxane pollution in the
Third Sister Lake as a researcher at
the University of Michigan in 1984.
The pollution, which started from
the company Gelman Sciences,
eventually spread to a large plume
in the underground water system
in Ann Arbor.
Councilmember Jeff Hayner,
D-Ward 1, spoke in favor of the
resolution, saying the recognition
was well-deserved. He added
that Ann Arbor resident Roger
Rail should also be recognized for
working alongside Bicknell.
“I think it’s great that the
environmental commission has
brought this forward to recognize
Bicknell and the work he’s done
over the years, decades really,
on
the
Gelman
plume
issue
specifically,” Hayner said. “He’s
freely shared his knowledge and
experience with us over the years
about this issue, and I think that’s
terrific.”
The
resolution
passed
unanimously.
In October 2019, City Council
debated
whether
or
not
to
legalize the sale of recreational
marijuana, which was passed 9-2
at that meeting. When City Council
passed
this
ordinance,
there
were no plans made for the excise
taxes that would be collected,
Councilmember
Ali
Ramlawi,
D-Ward 5, said.
Councilmembers debated item
DC-3 on the agenda, which aims
to use revenue from the excise tax
placed on recreational marijuana
“in a way that intentionally
reinvests
in
our
community,
acknowledges the past harm of
criminalization,
and
supports
populations
disproportionately
and negatively impacted by the
‘War on Drugs.’”
Ann Arbor received 1% of the
state’s revenue from the tax,
totaling about $476,000 for Ann
Arbor.
Councilmembers are currently
trying to figure out how exactly
the revenue should be used in the
community.
In the original discussions in
October
2019,
councilmembers
discussed how these excise taxes
could be used for social justice,
mental
health
and
substance
abuse issues, Ramlawi said. More
specifically, Ramlawi suggested
putting the money toward unarmed
crisis response teams that could
serve as an alternative to police in
mental health crises. These teams
gained
increasing
mainstream
traction after a summer of protests
for racial justice and against police
brutality.
“It is my intent and my wishes
to see this money go to programs
that currently don’t exist and
that this can be used in ways that
are innovative and responsive
to the issues we hear from our
community based on the need for
unarmed
emergency
response
(teams),” Ramlawi said.
Ann
Arbor
resident
Aria
Schugat called into the meeting
in support for DC-3 but expressed
concern about the vagueness of
where the money from the excise
taxes will go. Schugat proposed
that the excise taxes go towards
supporting the housing association
of Washtenaw County and the
Delonis Center.
“I believe that if we help our
most vulnerable members and help
lift them up, we can lift everyone
else up with them,” Schugat said.
Hayner said he spoke with
members of the community and
people in the cannabis industry to
discuss how the money from the
excise taxes should be used.
“Overwhelmingly to the last
person, the comment was it
must have a community use and
do public good in areas that are
underfunded and have great need
in our community,” Hayner said.
DC-3 was sponsored by over
half of the members on the council.
Councilmembers
intend
to
incorporate this resolution into the
2022 budget, but have yet to decide
exactly where the money will be
allocated to.
“Essentially what we’re asking
this body to do is to agree in
principle that this goes towards
community uses and public good,”
Hayner said.
The
resolution
passed
unanimously.
The council also discussed
a
resolution
to
officially
recognize a Transgender Day
of
Visibility.
Councilmember
Travis
Radina,
D-Ward
3,
said there is a need for more
education and awareness around
the topic of transgender rights,
especially
since
transgender
people
face
higher
rates
of
discrimination.
Councilmember
Elizabeth
Nelson, D-Ward 4, voiced her
support for the resolution and
discussed
the
generational
differences
in
understanding
issues
of
transgender
rights.
Nelson said this resolution is
important for her son’s generation
and
future
generations,
who
will
grow
up
understanding
systemic discrimination against
transgender people.
“This is really an opportunity
for those of us who are old enough
to remember the terrible way
things used to be to make a real
effort to move forward,” Nelson
said. “And I’d like to say I’m really
optimistic about the future based
on the conversations I have with
my own children.”
The resolution was approved
unanimously.
Daily Staff Reporters Shannon
Stocking and Julia Forrest can be
reached at sstockin@umich.edu and
juforres@umich.edu.
SHANNON STOCKING
& JULIA FORREST
Daily Staff Reporters
Thursday,
March
11
marks
one year since the University of
Michigan suspended all in-person
classes in response to the COVID-
19 pandemic and transitioned the
majority of academic activities to an
online format. The same day, Gov.
Gretchen Whitmer announced all
Michigan high schools would be
required to go online as well.
A year later, another class of high
school seniors is struggling to sift
through hours of virtual resources
and campus tours to choose if,
and where, they want to pursue
postsecondary education. Yet a
handful of high school students are
getting a taste of the University’s
undergraduate experience in a
unique way — by participating in the
“dual enrollment” program, which
allows students to earn college
credit if they have “exhausted” the
courses offered at their high school
in a particular subject area and have
demonstrated high performance on
standardized tests and AP exams.
University
spokesman
Rick
Fitzgerald told The Daily there has
been a “modest increase” in the
number of high school students
who elected to dual enroll at the
University this academic year.
For the fall 2020 and winter 2021
semesters, 30 and 23 high school
students dual enrolled in various
University
classes,
respectively,
compared to 18 and 17 students
in the fall 2019 and winter 2020
semesters.
Once a student’s dual enrollment
application is accepted, they can
register for the classes they selected
on the application during the first
day of the term, provided there are
still open seats available.
The cost of tuition for these
students depends on the number of
credit hours requested. Fitzgerald
said for a four-credit course, tuition
totals $2,843, which does not
include additional costs associated
with books or other class-specific
materials. Though each high school
covers a specific amount of this
cost, determined by the Michigan
Department
of
Education,
the students are expected to
individually pay for the remainder
of their tuition and fees.
The
Community
Resource
Program, however, allows high
schoolers enrolled in Ann Arbor
Public Schools with at least a 3.5
grade point average to receive
high school credit for auditing a
University class — without paying
tuition — so long as the individual
professor grants permission.
Students who choose to engage
in University coursework through
the program are still expected
to attend lectures, participate in
any associated discussions or lab
components and complete any
assignments and exams to receive
high school credit.
When
discussing
the
67%
increase
in
University
dual
enrollment from the fall 2019 to
the fall 2020 semester, Christopher
Kasper, a counselor at Pioneer
High School in Ann Arbor, said
he thinks the online environment
might be more attractive to high
school students with tight academic
schedules, fewer transportation
options or various extracurricular
activities.
“It’s been nice this year in the
sense that if a student did want to
dual enroll, they could technically
be a little bit more flexible with
the
timeframe,”
Kasper
said.
“Usually there are some logistical
parameters that are in effect where
most of our students can’t take a …
college class during the school day
and they have to look to the late
afternoon or the evening.”
On the other hand, Kasper said
some students might be deterred
from paying for virtual dual
enrollment courses due to Zoom
fatigue from their high school
classes and the lack of on-campus
experiences.
Kimberly You, a sophomore
at Pioneer High School, is dual
enrolled in MATH 285 and 217.
You said with the virtual format,
she has enjoyed continuing her
mathematical education beyond
what the high school curriculum
traditionally offers without having
to sacrifice any high school classes
she wanted to take.
“It was easier to adjust my
schedule since I can still take
seven classes,” You said. “If I was
still at Pioneer in-person, I could
only take six classes because of the
commute.”
Haakam Aujla, a senior at
Bloomfield Hills High School, said
though the University was his first
choice for dual enrollment this year,
he would likely not have been able
to consider it as an option if classes
were in-person because of the
45-minute commute.
Having
previously
taken
other dual enrollment courses at
local colleges, Aujla said his dual
enrollment in the University for
MATH 465 and 425 this year gives
him an idea of what his freshman
year might be like if he decides to
accept his offer of admission to the
University.
Online learning presents new
opportunities for students in
dual enrollment program
Number of high schoolers taking U-M courses showed a ‘modest increase’
RONI KANE
Daily Staff Reporter
Read more at
MichiganDaily.com
OIE violations increased almost
every year.
Unlike the DPSS report, the OIE
report does not include information
on sexual harassment. Because
sexual
harassment
specifically
is not a crime that is mandatory
to report for data collection
under the Clery Act, a consumer
protection law that aims to provide
transparency
around
campus
crime statistics and policy, student-
reported
sexual
harrassment
cases do not get directed to OIE
by whomever the students reports
it to.
OIE and DPSS are the two
organizations at the University
that oversee sexual misconduct
reports and investigations. When a
student reports sexual misconduct
to a responsible employee, that
employee is mandated in their
employment contract to report
the case to either OIE or DPSS,
depending on the employee’s role.
SAPAC is an additional resource
that
helps
student
survivors
by
offering
peer-led
support
groups and directing them to
further
assistance
through
referrals. SAPAC is confidential,
meaning they “will not share any
information with anyone” unless
there is a potential for harm to the
student or others. Though SAPAC
does not oversee reports and
investigations, they do collect data
to use in reports by the other two
organizations due to the Clery Act.
SAPAC
Director
Kaaren
Williamsen said SAPAC internally
tracks the identities of students
who report but does not include
that information when giving it to
DPSS to be included in their annual
report, as specified by the Clery
Act. OIE is also required to report
sexual misconduct statistics to
DPSS because of the Clery Act.
University community
discusses results of the reports
Elizabeth Seney, the OIE Title
IX coordinator, discussed the
increased cases in the two reports.
Seney, who is in charge of deciding
whether
OIE
will
investigate
sexual misconduct cases, collects
data of these cases and looks at
trends in internal aggregate data
documents.
Seney said the increase in
reported cases does not necessarily
mean there are more instances
of sexual misconduct on campus,
but instead that more people are
reporting.
“In general, it is never the case
where we can look at the numbers
and the trends and pinpoint exactly
what is going on,” Seney said.
“But generally speaking, I don’t
necessarily interpret an increase,
or … decrease to mean that there is
more or less of a particular type of
conduct happening. I tend to first
think about reasons why people
might be reporting more or less.”
OIE does not require people to
include their identities in reporting,
but Seney said students who report
as identifying as LGBTQ+ tend to
have a higher risk of facing sexual
misconduct.
SAPAC has noticed a significant
increase in the number of graduate
students coming to the center
as compared to undergraduate
students in the past year, according
to SAPAC Associate Director Anne
Huhman. She said this increase
may be a result of increased
community outreach within the
graduate student community in
recent years.
“The first thing that came to
my mind in terms of a clear trend
is actually more around undergrad
versus
grad,”
Huhman
said.
“We’ve definitely seen a trend of
more graduate students coming
forward. We’ve possibly seen a
connection
between
increased
community outreach, education,
and training efforts with the grad
student population.”
According
to
Seney,
it
is
impossible to say what caused
the number of sexual misconduct
reports to go up, but she said there
are several possible explanations
for the data trend.
“Some of the factors that tend to
influence (the number of reports),
which I think align pretty well
with those years (2017-2019), is an
increase in the training that we
do about reporting,” Seney said.
“When there are policy changes,
and … a refresh of training on
reporting and required reporting,
(the number of reports increases).”
A change in the definition
of sexual misconduct in U-M
policy documents may also have
contributed to the increase. In
2016, the definition of stalking
was revised to be more specific
and included it as a formal form of
sexual misconduct. As a result, she
said, there was an increase in the
number of stalking cases that were
reported starting in 2017.
Seney
also
said
social
movements
and
increased
exposure of sexual misconduct
in the media have a large impact
on people’s perception of these
offenses, which might influence
survivors to come forward.
“The other thing is when
there’s issues in the news, both
nationally and at the University,
(reports increase),” Seney said.
“Every year, starting around the
beginning and the height of the
#MeToo movement in late 2017,
we have seen more news coverage
about particular cases, and about
how universities … and other
educational institutions handle
these things. I think sometimes
that can bring reports to the
forefront because it’s on people’s
mind.”
Huhman
echoed
Seney’s
statement and said the increase
in exposure of sexual misconduct
cases could potentially influence
people’s decision to come forward.
“We do know what some of the
common complex barriers are
for survivors to come forward,”
Huhman said. “I do think if there’s
heightened visibility around it,
sometimes
people
see
others
having the courage to come
forward, and that can always be a
powerful influence.”
There has been a number of
high-profile sexual misconduct
cases at the University in recent
years, particularly among faculty
and staff. In 2018, The Daily
conducted an investigation that
uncovered over 40 years of sexual
misconduct from former Music,
Theatre & Dance professor Stephen
Shipps.
David
Daniels,another
former Music, Theatre & Dance
professor,was fired in March 2020
over sexual assault allegations
that occured during and before his
tenure at the University. Former
U-M Provost Martin Philbert
was removed from his position in
March 2020, leading to a report
from WilmerHale finding over 20
years of sexual misconduct during
his time at the University.
Robert E. Anderson, deceased
former
University
athletics
physician and University Health
Services director, currently has
over
100
sexual
misconduct
allegations being litigated going
back 50 years in his time at the
University. Engineering professor
Jason Mars was accused of sexual
misconduct in Feb. 2020, and
Engineering professor Peter Chen
is currently on administrative
leave following criminal sexual
misconduct charges.
Tamiko
Strickman,
the
University’s
OIE
director,
is
facing
two
lawsuits
claiming
she mishandled sexual assault
and racial discrimination cases
while working at the University
of Nebraska-Lincoln. Strickman
worked as an investigator, deputy
Title IX coordinator, Title IX
coordinator and OIE director at
UNL from 2015 to 2019.
LSA senior Samantha Schubert,
co-president of University Students
Against Rape and Take Back the
Night Ann Arbor, wrote in an email
to The Michigan Daily that the rise
of the #MeToo movement and
increased support for those who
have been assaulted have helped
survivors to come forward.
However, Schubert added the
general consensus on campus
has “become less trusting of the
University’s ability to handle these
cases,” particularly when the
University was required to amend
its sexual assault guidelines in
2019 after the Doe v. Baum ruling
in 2018. The amended University
policy required mandatory live
cross-examination, during which
the person who alleges assault
is questioned by their alleged
assaulter, which drew criticism
from the University community.
Policy from former President
Donald Trump’s administration
mandated
these
cross-
examinations for all universities
but by a third-party such as a
lawyer, which some on campus saw
as a small win within what they
believed to be still-problematic
cross-examinations.
“The general sense in the
community
was
that
it
was
detrimental to survivors, who
were already under a lot of
pressure when going through the
University’s reporting system,”
Schubert wrote. “U-M student
orgs advocating for survivors were
especially appalled. I know that
there was a huge amount of anger
amongst the members of my own
org.”
Students have also taken “matters
into their own hands,” Schubert
wrote, pointing to the Assaulters
at Umich Twitter account that
was created in June 2020 and shut
down in November 2020. This
account posted pictures and names
of people who were accused of
sexual assault by direct messages
from anonymous students. None of
the allegations on the account have
been verified by The Daily or any
other news organization.
MISCONDUCT
From Page 1
Read more at
MichiganDaily.com