22 — Thursday, August 5, 2021 Opinion The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com The Official Merchandise Retailer of Michigan Athletics The M Den on Campus 303 South State Street Ann Arbor The Victors Collection by The M Den 307 South State Street Ann Arbor The M Den on Main Street Ann Arbor The M Den 12 Oaks Mall Novi The M Den in and around the Stadium on game day The M Den in Crisler Center – 2 locations The M Den The Victors Collection by The M Den Briarwood Mall Ann Arbor The M Den The Victors Collection by The M Den 55 Columbia Street Detroit FRESH FOR FALL FOR FALL Kick off the semester with new styles that look great on and off campus! As the official retailer of University of Michigan Athletics, The M Den has the highest quality gear from top brands like Nike, Champion and more! You’ll find everything from authentic jerseys and sideline wear to unique gifts you can’t get anywhere else. And don’t forget – shopping with The M Den is always a win because a portion of every purchase goes directly back to Wolverine teams and athletes. Visit your local storefront or shop online anytime at MDen.com. Two weeks ago, University President Mark Schlissel used an evaluative survey sent to all governing faculty at the University of Michi- gan to ask whether they sup- ported expanding the Go Blue Guarantee for the Uni- versity’s Flint and Dearborn campuses. The survey ques- tion framed the program’s expansion as a trade-off with academic excellence and sal- ary growth on the Ann Ar- bor campus. The question’s elitist connotations raised eyebrows, a bit of disbelief and understandable outrage among many campus groups. Schlissel offered a tepid apology a few weeks later, though not in a full or public fashion. Perhaps he hoped to leave this issue behind him — yet another episode in a list of controversies that include being forced to re- move his provost for sexual misconduct, overseeing a controversial COVID-19 re- sponse that many felt lacked transparency and receiving an unprecedented vote of no confidence from the 2020 Faculty Senate. But this incident also reveals a deeper problem, both with President Schlissel and the current structure of the Uni- versity: There remains a fla- grant disregard for fulfilling the role of a public institu- tion and serving the people of the state of Michigan. President Schlissel was edu- cated and spent his career at elite institutions, from Princ- eton University to Brown University to the University of California, Berkeley. Un- like his role at the University of Michigan, Schlissel’s lead- ership at these institutions did not carry the responsi- bility of developing regional, comprehensive campuses that support large numbers of working-class students. Schlissel’s lack of experience, and clear lack of interest, in the missions and strengths of these campuses has compro- mised his ability to lead. In an era rightfully attuned to racial and class inequali- ties, Schlissel’s treatment of the Flint and Dearborn campuses undermines the institution’s commitment to justice and equity. Sadly, President Schlissel seems ignorant of this — of- ten willfully so. His admin- istration misrepresented the goals of the One University campaign, claiming that it wants to “merge” the cam- puses. One University does not believe the mission of the Flint and Dearborn campus- es is the same as the Ann Ar- bor campus. In fact, it is pre- cisely the divergent missions of our campuses that make the University of Michigan stronger and positions us to make the greatest impact on the families and students of our state and nation. The Flint and Dearborn cam- puses instruct half of the Uni- versity of Michigan’s in-state students. Close to 40% of University of Michigan-Flint and University of Michigan- Dearborn students are low- er-income and therefore Pell Grant eligible, while almost half of Ann Arbor’s students come from the top 10% of earners. This means the Flint and Dearborn campuses are the University’s work-horses of upward mobility. They are precious resources that — for over half a century — have built deep ties to two of the most dynamic and resilient communities in our state. President Schlissel clearly does not see the three cam- puses in this light. He has fought tooth-and-nail against expanding programs like the Go Blue Guarantee. He has resisted extending other resources that would help many University of Mich- igan-Flint and University of Michigan-Dearborn stu- dents overcome the layered inequalities that they face on their educational journeys. And he has stood by as these campuses have cut music and foreign language programs due to financial pressures, taking away opportunities from these students. His position has become in- creasingly untenable and out of step with the views of fac- ulty, staff and students from across the University. It is also equally out of step with burgeoning support within our broader society for a more equitable higher edu- cation system. At University of Michigan- Flint and University of Mich- igan-Dearborn, students, staff and faculty think of President Schlissel as their president too. They want him to succeed, and they want him to want them to succeed. This is why it has been so disappointing to watch him blatantly act like the chancel- lor of the Ann Arbor campus, rather than the president of all three campuses — only invoking his role as president to justify austerity on the Flint and Dearborn campus- es in the name of a distant, better future. A truly great university de- serves a president who can use “both-and” thinking, not “either-or.” We can marshal our resources in a manner that cultivates and enhances Ann Arbor’s distinct research mission while supporting the crucial work taking place at the Flint and Dearborn cam- puses. President Schlissel: Are you the President of U-M or the Presi- dent of U-M Ann Arbor? JACOB LEDERMAN, LIZ ROHAN, DANIELLE HELD and BENNETT WALLING Daily Opinion Contributors The University of Michigan Board of Regents have voted to discontinue investments with companies that are linked to fossil fuels. Alec Cohen/Daily