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

Enjoy comfortable and spacious seating, outlets to keep you charged and 
free WiFi. Plus, Amtrak lets you bring up to two carry-on bags for free. 

Book your travel at AmtrakMichigan.com.

Amtrak and Amtrak Midwest are service marks of the National Railroad Passenger Corporation. 

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