U.S. 
Sen. 
Mazie 
Hirono, 
D-Hawaii, spoke with University of 
Michigan students at the Michigan 
Union Friday night. The event was 
co-hosted by the Michigan-Hawaii 
Student Association (MIHI) and 
the Asian Pacific American Law 
Students Association. 
In an interview with The 
Michigan Daily, LSA sophomore 
Ellie Omori-Sampson, founding 
member of MIHI, said their main 
goal for the event is to promote 
Hawaiian representation at the 
University of Michigan. She said 
she feels Pacific Islanders are 
underrepresented within Asian 
American and Pacific Islander 
communities. 
“Even in ‘AAPI,’ ‘PI’ is very 
much underrepresented in AAPI 
spaces on campus, which I’ve 
noticed,” 
Omori-Sampson 
said. 
“So bringing a senator from 
Hawaii who is Asian American, 
who is fighting to promote the 

representation of Pacific Islander 
people as well … puts something in 
(the audience’s) brains about being 
aware of Hawaii, being aware of 
AAPI groups.” 
Hirono began by discussing her 
career as an elected official, which 
began in the Hawaii State Senate 
in 1981. When elected to the U.S. 
Senate in 2012, she was the first 
Asian American female senator 
and the only immigrant serving 
in the Senate, having moved from 
Japan at age eight.
Hirono said throughout her 
legislative career, she has learned 
the importance of perseverance 
when fighting for the causes that 
matter most. Hirono pointed to 
the stalled Voting Rights Act and 
the overturning of Roe v. Wade as 
examples of why people need to 
continue to “show up.”
“Half the battle is showing up,” 
Hirono said. “By ‘showing up’ I 
don’t mean just physically showing 
up for things but staying the course. 
Because the battles we thought we 
had won don’t stay won, so eternal 
vigilance is required.”

In an interview with The Daily 
after the event, Hirono urged young 
people to vote in the upcoming 
Nov. 8 general election, especially 
with a constitutional amendment 
to protect abortion access on the 
ballot in Michigan. “Democracy is 
at stake, especially for the young 
women,” Hirono said. “They have 
fewer rights than their mothers 
and even their grandmothers — 
that should motivate them to one: 
get really angry about it, and then, 
(two:) do something. Right now, the 
‘something’ they can do is to vote.”
Hirono said her initial political 
awakening was participating in 
protests against the Vietnam War.
“I was not one of the leaders 
of the anti-war movement, but 
(protesting) was enough for me 
to question, for the first time ever, 
what our government was doing,” 
Hirono said. “I became friends 
with other politically active people 
…, and so we all kind of decided that 
we needed to do more to get seats at 
the table.” 

Though the sky remained overcast 
and rainfall graced the University of 
Michigan campus until late into the 
afternoon, hundreds of members 
of the campus community showed 
up Sunday for the annual Pride 
Outside at Palmer Field. Dozens of 
student organizations set up tables to 
welcome new and returning students 
to campus, and a variety of drag 
performances kept the energy high 
throughout the afternoon. 
Every 
year, 
the 
University’s 
chapter 
of 
Out 
in 
Science, 
Technology, 
Engineering 
and 
Mathematics (oSTEM) collaborates 
with Central Student Government 
(CSG), the College of Engineering and 
the Spectrum Center to coordinate 
the celebration of LGBTQ+ identities 
on campus. CSG members and 
Spectrum Center volunteers were 
interacting with students, handing 
out pronoun pins and “Michigan 

Pride” t-shirts throughout the event.
CSG president Noah Zimmerman, 
LSA senior, and CSG chief of staff 
Meera Herle, LSA junior, also handed 
out t-shirts and greeted students at 
the event. Zimmerman said he was 
excited by the number of students 
who had shown up wearing rainbow 
attire and were participating in 
the activities, despite the adverse 
weather.
“Seeing all the students coming 

out here, especially on such a 
rainy day, is really great to see,” 
Zimmerman said. “The turnout is 
impressive and it’s been nice to see 
everyone get involved.”
Herle discussed how the event’s 
location helped bring in new students. 
With the Hill Neighborhood having 
a number of freshman dorms, she 
was glad to see freshmen stopping by.

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INDEX
Vol. CXXXII, No. 91
©2022 The Michigan Daily

NEWS............................1

A R T S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

MICHIGAN IN COLOR .........6

STATEMENT...................7

O P I N I O N . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

S P O R T S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 1
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Ann Arbor, Michigan
Wednesday, September 14, 2022

ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY ONE YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM

See ‘ROSS’, Page 3

‘Embrace us’: U-M Dearborn, 
Flint communities weigh in on new 
University President Santa Ono

RILEY HODDER
Daily Staff Reporter

The night of January 15, 2022 
was not one to forget for students 
at the University of Michigan. 
That evening, over 100 students 
gathered outside the house of 
former U-M President Mark 
Schlissel just hours after news 
broke that he had been fired for 
an “inappropriate relationship” 
with an employee. This was the 
beginning of what would be 
months of an outpouring of hope 
and anticipation from students, 
faculty and staff alike for the 
future of the University.
Among 
those 
expressing 
hope were members of the 
One University campaign, an 
organization that lobbies for 
equitable funding across all three 
of the University’s campuses: 
Flint, Dearborn and Ann Arbor. 
Throughout Schlissel’s tenure, 
One 
University 
expressed 
criticism of his actions, including 
in May 2021, when Schlissel 
portrayed the expansion of the 
Go Blue Guarantee to Dearborn 
and Flint campuses as both a 
financial and academic burden 
to the Ann Arbor campus. Upon 
Schlissel’s firing, One University 
released a statement reiterating 
its discontent, as well as hope 
that the Board of Regents would 
select a president who would 
carry out “more democratic and 
transparent governance on all 
levels across our three campuses.”
After 
the 
Presidential 
Search Committee conducted a 
nationwide search of potential 

candidates beginning in February, 
the 
Board 
of 
Regents 
named 
current 
University 
of 
British 
Columbia President Dr. Santa Ono 
as Schlissel’s successor on July 13. 
With Ono taking office on October 
13, students and faculty on the 
Dearborn and Flint campuses spoke 
with The Michigan Daily about 
their hopes and expectations for the 
new era of the University.
Ono told The Daily in an exclusive 
interview that he believes in order 
for other campuses to feel as if the 
administration is invested in them, 
there has to be an effort from the 
administration to be present on 
those campuses. He claimed that he 
was going to spend time on both the 
Flint and Dearborn campuses, and 
that he would support their “great” 
leaders.
Reflecting on the relationship 
between Schlissel and the Flint 
and Dearborn campuses, Jacob 
Lederman, associate professor of 
sociology on the Flint campus and 
active member of the One University 
campaign, 
said 
he 
believes 
Schlissel’s relationship with the 
Flint and Dearborn campuses was 
always distant.
“Unfortunately, 
Schlissel 
just 
never really took a big interest in 
the Flint or Dearborn campuses,” 
Lederman said.
According to Lederman, Schlissel 
didn’t understand that Flint and 
Dearborn campuses serve different 
communities and have different 
goals than the Ann Arbor campus. 
“I think amongst the faculty 
on our campuses, particularly 
in Flint, there is a sense that we 
have a very different mission than, 
for example, Ann Arbor, and we 

embrace that mission,” Lederman 
said. “I don’t think Schlissel 
could ever understand what we 
meant by investment and equity 
if it didn’t mean becoming like 
Ann Arbor.”
The 
U-M 
Flint 
and 
U-M 
Dearborn 
campuses 
have 
historically 
served 
a 
disproportionately large portion 
of marginalized students in the 
state 
of 
Michigan. 
However, 
the 
two 
satellite 
campuses 
have traditionally received less 
financial aid resources compared 
to the U-M Ann Arbor campus. 
In addition, the U-M Flint and 
U-M 
Dearborn 
student 
bodies 
differ greatly from U-M Ann Arbor 
in terms of socioeconomic status. 
Based on the 2021 campus data 
snapshot, 40% of U-M Dearborn 
students and 52% of U-M Flint 
students received Pell Grants — a 
federal grant awarded to high-
achieving students with financial 
need — whereas 17% of U-M Ann 
Arbor students received the same 
grant.
Lederman expressed his support 
for Ono and said he believes Ono has 
a mindset that would be welcome on 
the U-M Flint campus.
“I think President Ono appears 
to be someone who wants to get to 
know people and understand their 
perspectives,” Lederman said. “I 
think that will go a long way on 
Flint’s campus.”
Lederman said he hopes Ono will 
apply this mindset when considering 
the three campuses of the University 
and their unique needs.
“I think I’d like to see President 
Ono embrace us,” Lederman said. 
“Not because we should or need 

to move closer or appear closer 
to the Ann Arbor campus, but 
precisely because our mission is 
so different and so important.”
Shbeib Dabaja, a senior in the 
College of Arts and Sciences at 
U-M Flint, said a lack of funding 
on U-M Flint’s campus results in 
a lesser campus life experience.
“On campus, it was a struggle 
to keep students involved, and 
I think a lot of it stems from 
campus equity and equitable 
investment,” Dabaja said.
According to Dabaja, this 
sense of campus life is crucial to 
maintaining the Flint campus in 
the long-term.
“Campus life is crucial to the 
longevity of the University of 
Michigan-Flint, and I think that 
starts with funding,” Dabaja said. 
“That increase(s) (the) conversation 
of ‘How can we make campus life 
similar to what it is in Ann Arbor?’ 
or ‘How can we bring Flint into the 
fold of things?’”
Dabaja 
said 
these 
conversations are his main hopes 
for Ono’s presidency.
“Really, that’s the crux of 
everything,” Dabaja said. “To be 
able to work on these issues. To 
not only understand that there’s 
an issue, but to find common 
ground on how to solve the issue.”
Dabaja said one issue he 
believes should be addressed 
is the GPA requirement for the 
Go Blue Guarantee that only 
exists for the U-M Dearborn 
and U-M Flint campuses. The 
Go Blue Guarantee — a free-
tuition scholarship for in-state 

Read more at MichiganDaily.com

Hundreds attend annual Pride Outside 
to celebrate LGBTQ+ diversity

Ross attendance 
policy removes 
exceptions 
for COVID-
19-related 
absences 

Sen. Mazie Hirono headlines Q&A

RONI KANE
Daily News Editor

SAMANTHA RICH
Daily Staff Reporter

Read more at MichiganDaily.com

Reproductive 
health, voting 
rights to appear 
on November 
ballot

ANNA FIFELSKI 
Daily News Editor

On Thursday, the Michigan 
Supreme Court ruled that the 
Michigan Board of Canvassers 
must place two constitutional 
amendments on the Nov. 8 general 
election 
ballot: 
Reproductive 
Freedom for All and Promote 
the 
Vote 
2022. 
Earlier 
this 
week, the Board of Canvassers 
had deadlocked votes for both 
initiatives, requiring backers of 
both amendments to file appeals in 
order to secure a spot on the ballot.
On 
Sept. 
1, 
Board 
Chair 
Anthony Daunt (R) and Board 
Member 
Richard 
Houskamp 
(R) voted against putting the 
Reproductive Freedom for All 
amendment — which would codify 
the right to abortion access in the 
Michigan Constitution — on the 
general election ballot. Though 
the amendment amassed over 
730,000 signatures, the Board 
claimed formatting errors on the 
proposal, including a lack of spaces 
between some words, rendered 
the 
signatures 
invalid. 
Mary 
Ellen Gurewitz (D), the board’s 
vice chair, voted in favor of the 
amendment, along with Board 
Member Jeannette Bradshaw (D).
On Thursday, the Michigan 
Supreme Court ruled that the 
meaning of the amendment is still 
identifiable despite the errors in 
the proposal. 
“The only challenge to the 
petition is in regard to whether 
there is sufficient space between 
certain words of the text of the 
proposed amendment,” the order 
reads. “The ‘full text’ of the 
amendment is present: regardless 
of the existence or extent of the 
spacing, all of the words remain 
and they remain in the same order, 
and it is not disputed that they are 
printed in 8-point type. In this 
case, the meaning of the words 
has not changed by the alleged 
insufficient 
spacing 
between 
them.”
According to the order, the 
Board of Canvassers must approve 
the petition as sufficient for 
placement on the general election 
ballot by Friday. The court also 
directed the Secretary of State to 
include the Reproductive Freedom 
for All proposal on the general 
election ballot. 
The vote split among the justices 
was not included in the court 

Though 
getting 
sick 
and 
having to miss class is a stressful 
experience for all students, some 
Ross School of Business juniors 
are 
especially 
worried 
about 
how it could impact their grades 
this fall. Despite the University’s 
five-to-10-day isolation policy for 
students who contract COVID-19, 
Business juniors get only three 
absences per semester in the 
majority of their classes before 
they face potential academic 
consequences. 
Last year, the Business School 
made 
special 
exceptions 
for 
Business students who tested 
positive, but that clause has 
since been removed from the 
2022 syllabi. All Business juniors 
participate in the Ross Integrative 
Semester (RIS). Through RIS, 
each student is enrolled in four 
mandatory 
core 
courses 
and 
must complete a culminating 
entrepreneurial project by the end 
of the term.
The 2022 RIS syllabus, which 
outlines general policies for all 
of the classes juniors must take, 
states that students are allowed 
one absence from their Business 
Communication course and three 
absences from the other core 
courses during the semester.
“In the rare case that you 
must miss more than the allotted 
number of classes, you must 
contact your instructor as soon as 
possible,” the syllabus reads. “The 
decision to excuse you from class 
is at the discretion of faculty.” 
Some students, including one 
Business junior who has asked 
to remain anonymous for fear 
of academic retribution, tested 
positive for COVID-19 during the 
first week of classes. According 
to emails the student received 
from faculty after reporting their 
absence, the student’s isolation 
period used up two of their three 
excused absences.
The student, who will be 
referred to as Sam, tested positive 
Monday afternoon and had to stay 
home the rest of the week. In an 
interview with The Michigan 
Daily, Sam said when they looked 
at their syllabi for the attendance 
policy, they were shocked by 
the lack of leniency during the 
ongoing pandemic.

TEAGAN STEBBINS
Daily Staff Reporter

Read more at MichiganDaily.com
Read more at MichiganDaily.com

Students, faculty discuss Go Blue Guarantee requirements, separate missions from Ann Arbor
Business juniors say they 
are worried the guidelines 
may impact their grades

Michigan Supreme Court 
rules two proposals must 
go up for election after 
split vote 

Heads over Heels drag troupe performs, shares experiences with identity

Hawaiian senator encourages voting, touts legislative achievements

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