The Senate Advisory Committee
on University Affairs met in a hybrid
format at the Ruthven Building
on Monday to discuss chair and
director updates and the upcoming
election to replace a University-wide
Ombud.
LSA professor Silvia Pedraza,
SACUA chair, began the meeting by
commemorating the recent death
of Oveta Fuller, associate professor
at the Medical School. Fuller was a
recipient of the 2022 Regents Award
for Distinguished Public Service, a
designation given to members of the
University Senate for public service
activities that reflect their teachings
and expertise.
“I am personally, of course, so
sorry that she passed away, but
pleased that we gave her an award
in time,” Pedraza said. “She realized
that we held her in high esteem.”
Pedraza
announced
that
University Faculty Ombud Robert
Ortega stepped down from being
the University-wide Ombud and
discussed the process of appointing
a replacement.
“There is now a search committee
that is looking at applications for the
job,” Pedraza said. “We have received
eight very excellent applications.”
She explained that many of
the applicants were very skilled
and have already served in either
ombuds in their units or have
experience as faculty grievance
monitors. The committee will begin
interviewing exclusively University
faculty members on Tuesday and
is basing the decision on rankings,
Pedraza explained.
Luke McCarthy, director of the
Faculty Senate Office, also provided
updates
about
the
upcoming
installation of a duress button
that will allow doors in University
buildings to lock from inside the
building in case of an emergency.
“Building
facilitators
were
very glad to look into this and
address the situation,” McCarthy
said. “We got word that we were
approved to have a duress button
in the office so that we can lock
the doors from the inside. Building
management has been very helpful
and supportive.”
Student Life Sustainability held
a panel to discuss the recent United
Nations climate talks held in Sharm
El-Sheikh, Egypt for their most
recent Conference of Parties (COP27).
The
United
Nations
Framework
Convention
on
Climate
Change
includes representatives from various
countries, corporations and non-
governmental
organizations
that
arrive at prior agreements like the
Paris Climate Accords during COP21.
Rackham student Alexa White,
who presented at a COP27 pavilion on
climate justice, was the event’s first
speaker. White said the pavilions are
spaces where state leaders can discuss
different issues.
“This being the first climate justice
pavilion … it was the first time there
was a really large community where
we could have a dialogue about climate
justice and what it really meant,” White
said. “So this is also the first time that
nations were really pushing for climate
justice to be discussed in negotiations.”
White said the biggest amendment
that came out of COP27 was the loss
and damage fund, which was designed
to provide money to help developing
countries cope with climate change-
induced disasters.
“(The loss and damage fund) will
provide money that’s needed to rescue
and rebuild the physical and social
infrastructures that were devastated
as a result of extreme weather events
from climate change,” White said.
“That is a major milestone in and of
itself.”
White said the significance of the
loss and damage fund is comparable to
that of the Paris Climate Accords and
that many concrete details regarding
the fund have yet to be established.
“The difficult part is that now that
it’s set up, there is an issue of figuring
out who’s going to put what dollar
amount in, when they will do so, (and)
who is going to get that money,” White
said. “What are (developing countries)
going to get and when will they get
it? All of those questions were not
answered.”
Environment and Sustainability
graduate student Neeka Salmasi, who
also attended COP27 and organized
the Talk Back event, discussed
attempts to draw attention to the lack
of water access in Palestine.
Wednesday, December 7, 2022 — 3
News
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Student Life Sustainability hosts COP27 Talk Back event
GOVERNMENT
Attendees of UN climate gathering share experiences, decry protest policies
José Brenes/Daily
NADIA TAECKENS
Daily Staff Reporter
SACUA commemorates Oveta Fuller, talks
new chair and new buildings
Late Med School professor honored, University acts to provide
better door locks for classroom safety
MADDYN SHAPIRO &
HANNAH YORAN
Daily News Contributors
ACADEMICS
The Native American Student
Association and the Office of Multi-
Ethnic Student Affairs hosted a
ceremony
Wednesday
night
to
conclude Native American Heritage
Month. Multiple events were held to
educate attendees about Indigenous
issues and celebrate cultural traditions.
Beginning with a community
meal, the closing celebration featured
a variety of Native foods, and was
followed
by
a
presentation
by
Rackham student Julisa Lopez.
Lopez’s
presentation
outlined
her research as a member of the
The Research for Indigenous Social
Action and Equity Center about the
marginalization of Native people.
“I like to think about the society
we live in today, and how Native
people are temporarily omitted in
contemporary society, and how this
omission in our current society leads
to different consequences for Natives,”
Lopez said.
Lopez discussed her research
on the perception of racism against
Native people with specific reference
to
red
face
and
stereotypical
portrayals of Native culture. She
also presented data about murdered
and missing Indigenous women and
girls that demonstrated how the
omission of Native people from the
media results in apathy toward their
marginalization.
“When a group doesn’t exist
anymore, you don’t have to deal with
their oppression,” Lopez said.
Lopez said she hopes that students
and faculty are educated on the
history of Indigenous people. Her
presentation was prefaced by a land
acknowledgement that recognized
the Anishinaabeg people, whose land
the University of Michigan was built
upon.
“Education
here
was
started
through boarding schools, which
(were) stripping Native children
from their families and from their
culture,” Lopez said. “So recognizing
that history first and foremost, and
building trustful relationships with
Native people, is a really important
step on the path of education systems.”
Rackham student Alanna Hurd
said she hopes the University will
implement more direct change with
input by Native communities.
MESA hosts Native American Heritage
Month closing ceremony
CAMPUS LIFE
Hosts, students call for more awareness of, engagement with
Indigenous communities
JOSH SINHA
Daily Contributor
Erin Posas reports on her personal experience through COP27 at the Talkback even at the Michigan League Thursday evening.
Read more at MichiganDaily.com
RSVP to attend: myumi.ch/pZpdQ
The session will also be livestreamed at diversity.umich.edu.
Join us for a discussion on the outcomes of our initial five-year
strategic plan (DEI 1.0) and how we can leverage the successes and
opportunities for growth in our next strategic plan, DEI 2.0.
Tuesday, January 10 | 2:30–4 pm
Michigan Union Rogel Ballroom
Refreshments will be served.
DEI 1.0
Evaluation Report
information session
President
Santa J. Ono
Vice Provost and
Chief Diversity Officer
Tabbye M. Chavous
Read more at MichiganDaily.com
Read more at MichiganDaily.com
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