Gov. 
Gretchen 
Whitmer 

signed a bill expanding rights 

and 
protections 
for 
LGBTQ+ 

Michiganders Thursday afternoon. 

The Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act 

of 1976 prohibits discrimination 

based on religion, race, color, 

national origin, age, sex, height, 

weight, familial status or marital 

status. The bill expands this list to 

include sexual orientation, gender 

identity and gender expression.

In a press release obtained by 

The 
Michigan 
Daily, 
Whitmer 

expressed her enthusiasm for the 

legislation.

“Today, we are taking a long 

overdue step to ensure that no one 

can be fired from their job or evicted 

from their home because of who they 

are or how they identify,” Whitmer 

said. 
“Our LGBTQ+ friends, 

family, 
and 
neighbors 
deserve 

equal protection under the law so 

they can live their authentic 
lives, 

and I want everyone to know that 

Michigan is a place that will fight 

for your freedom to be yourself.”

Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II 

joined Whitmer as she signed the 

bill. According to the press release, 

Gilchrist said he sees the bill as an 

affirmation of all identities.

“Today, we are building on 

decades of work by advocates, 

activists, and allies to deliver real 

change and send a message that 

you can be yourself in Michigan,” 

Gilchrist said. “Expanding the 

Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act 

to 
strengthen 
protections 
for 

sexual 
orientation 
and 
gender 

identity or expression will prevent 

Michiganders from being fired 

from their job or evicted from their 

home because of who they are or 

how they identify. It will recognize 

and reaffirm that Michigan is at its 

strongest when every individual is 

respected and empowered.”

The bill passed with bipartisan 

support in both chambers, 23-15 

in the state Senate and 64-45 in 

the state House. State Sen. Jeremy 

Moss, D-Southfield, who sponsored 

the Senate bill, said he sees it as an 

overdue step toward equality for all 

Michiganders.

Recently inaugurated University 

President Santa Ono is leading 

multiple projects to improve the 

University of Michigan experience. 

One of them is “Vision 2034,” which 

Ono announced in November 2022, 

a 10-year strategic visioning plan to 

implement and enforce the University 

of Michigan’s core values across 

the Ann Arbor, Dearborn and Flint 

campuses and Michigan Medicine.

Vision 2034 seeks to implement 

six key values — integrity, respect, 

inclusion, 
equity, 
diversity 
and 

innovation — through six plans across 

all U-M campuses. DEI 2.0 and the 

University’s carbon neutrality plan, 

which span all campuses, are included 

under Vision 2034, in addition to 

Culture Journey, U-M Dearborn 

Strategic Planning, the U-M Flint 

Transformation 
Plan 
and 
the 

Michigan Medicine Strategic Plan. 

The University aims to incorporate 

student input when activating these 

initiatives and values by holding 

town halls, student focus groups and 

forums.

The Vision 2034 project team is 

currently in phase two of its four-part 

plan, which focuses on community 

outreach and engagement. In an 

interview with The Michigan Daily, 

project team leader Jenny Faust said 

because phase two is still in its infancy, 

she looks forward to engaging U-M 

community members to determine 

the team’s next steps.

“We have more questions than 

answers at this point,” Faust said. 

“And that is appropriate. This is 

really a collective effort, and until 

we have heard from the many groups 

and individuals who care about the 

University and our future, we can’t 

say what that vision is. It will emerge 

over time.” 

Faust added that they have not 

yet established a clear direction for 

these initiatives based on student 

feedback. However, she said the team 

has been working to incorporate 

as many student voices as possible 

through the town hall meetings, unit-

level information sessions and focus 

groups.

“(These events) are not aimed at 

implementation, but rather at the 

formation of a collective vision,” Faust 

said. “So our job, as a project team, is 

to create a space for people to share 

their ideas and thoughts about the 

University of Michigan.”

Business 
senior 
Clare 
Walby, 

president of the Ross Student Council, 

told The Daily she and other student 

organization leaders were invited to 

attend a roundtable with Ono in the 

fall to express their opinions on future 

directions for the University. Walby 

said she believes this roundtable 

was an effective way to incorporate 

student voices, and she looks forward 

to seeing similar events in the future. 

“Something that I’ve been really 

impressed with with President Ono 

so far is his willingness to engage the 

student body and connect with the 

students,” Walby said. “I think he 

values their opinions, maybe more 

than other stakeholders, which I 

really appreciate.”

While 
she 
appreciated 
the 

opportunity to share her opinions, 

Walby said she hopes to hear more 

about the specific details of the plan in 

the future.

“It’s very broad and, I’m sure, in the 

very initial stages of development,” 

Walby said. “So I’d be interested to 

learn more about the specifics behind 

some of these points.”

LSA 
sophomore 
Bilal 
Irfan, 

president of LSA Student Government, 

told The Daily he is looking forward 

to the implementation of Vision 2034, 

particularly the environmental and 

DEI initiatives.

“Some of the progress that we’ve 

seen, even since the time (Ono has) 

been here, has been kind of a cultural 

shift in the discussion that we have 

about climate change on campus,” 

Irfan 
said. 
“With 
the 
Fleming 

(Administration) Building, I know 

LSA Student Government and Central 

Student Government have made some 

progress in working with some of the 

folks that are looking at remapping 

the building and creating gardens 

inside of it. So just seeing the progress 

on that front and support from Ono’s 

administration 
to 
advance 
that 

agenda has been really helpful.” 

The University of Michigan’s 

University Health Services and 

Counseling 
and 
Psychological 

Services 
is 
partnering 
with 

online counseling service Uwill 

to offer students up to six free 

online counseling sessions per 

year, in addition to mental health 

resources offered by CAPS and 

UHS. Announced on March 6, 

the new partnership arrives as 

many 
students 
are 
suffering 

with mental health issues and 

as CAPS employees are asking 

for more support from the U-M 

administration. How does the 

campus community feel about 

these new mental health care 

services?

LSA senior Isabel Steinberg, 

executive 
director 
of 
the 

Wolverine 
Support 
Network, 

told The Michigan Daily the 

Uwill 
partnership 
will 
allow 

students to access counselors and 

other professional support more 

regularly, helping students who 

may have been previously unable to 

access private mental health care.

“I think (the University is) 

making 
great 
strides 
in 
the 

direction of letting students see a 

counselor on a consistent basis in a 

means that is accessible to them,” 

Steinberg said. “Private mental 

health care is very unaffordable so 

it’s great to see that the University 

is 
focused 
on 
making 
that 

accessible for students.”

LSA freshman Anika Deshpande 

is a member of CAPS in Action, a 

group of students who work with 

CAPS to help with mental health 

outreach. Deshpande told The 

Daily she believes Uwill creates 

more opportunities for students to 

schedule counseling appointments 

when CAPS is overburdened.

“I think that introducing the 

new Uwill program will allow a 

greater reach for mental health 

resources, because it kind of 

harnesses the power of providers 

from all throughout the country,” 

Deshpande said. “But especially 

when 
CAPS 
gets 
really 
busy 

with more requests to schedule 

appointments … Uwill would be a 

great way to get that fast, effective 

mental health treatment.”

Students 
have 
historically 

expressed frustrations regarding 

mental health care at the University, 

including long wait times for CAPS 

initial consultations and difficulty 

accessing more specialized mental 

health resources.

In an interview with The Daily, 

LSA senior Jacqueline Hillman, 

vice president of Central Student 

Government, said she has heard 

many student complaints about 

CAPS throughout her time at the 

University. She said she believes 

Uwill will help to address some of 

these issues by giving all students 

an opportunity to access mental 

health services.

“I’ve 
personally 
heard 

complaints and issues with CAPS 

since I was a freshman here,” 

Hillman said. “I know that it’s 

sort of become an institutional 

issue. So Uwill is a great way to 

not 
necessarily 
address 
those 

(institutional) issues, but provide 

some supplementary care, and also 

address groups of students that 

haven’t historically had a chance to 

actually access those mental health 

services.”

After using Uwill for the first 

time, Steinberg said it was easy 

to log in to the site and find a 

counselor of her choice. She said 

she loves the opportunity to 

consistently meet with the same 

therapist.

“You literally just log in with 

your UMID and in (Uwill) you have 

your 180 credits,” Steinberg said. 

“That’s six 30-minute sessions. I 

was able to go through and pick 

a counselor of my choosing. … 

(Students) want more than just 

crisis support. So I love that you’re 

able to see the same therapist 

again.”

Though Hillman said the Uwill 

program is a step in the right 

direction, she hopes the University 

will further expand its mental 

health services for students in the 

future.

“I think there’s always room for 

improvement,” Hillman said. “This 

is a really promising step forward, I 

really hope students utilize (Uwill) 

and enjoy it, and (the University) 

can scale it up even further in the 

future.”

Steinberg said she hopes the 

Uwill program will allow students 

to prioritize their mental health 

while 
balancing 
their 
other 

academic and social commitments.

“College is a time where students 

move away from home, they’re 

learning things about themselves 

or things about their environment,” 

Steinberg said. “And a lot of times, 

that means the beginning of their 

mental health journey. I think it’s 

really amazing for the University 

to offer opportunities for students 

to explore their mental health.”

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
News

UMich partners with Uwill for student mental health

ADMINISTRATION

Whitmer signs bill codifying civil 
rights for LGBTQ+ Michiganders

UMich community discusses Ono’s 
“Vision 2034” plan

U-M students can now access up to 6 free online counseling sessions through Uwill

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer expanded the Elliott-Larsen 
Civil Rights Act to prohibit discrimination against 
LGBTQ+ community

NEWS BRIEFS

ADMINISTRATION

Wednesday, March 22, 2023 — 3

MATTHEW SHANBOM
Daily Staff Reporter

MILES ANDERSON
Daily Staff Reporter

Design by Abby Schreck

LUCAS CHEN/Daily

The University of Michigan 

has 
announced 
that 
Wynton 

Marsalis, artistic director of Jazz 

at Lincoln Center, will be the 2023 

Spring 
Commencement 
speaker 

at the April 29 commencement 

ceremony, which will be held at 

the Michigan Stadium. Marsalis 

has been recommended for an 

honorary Doctor of Music from the 

University, according to a University 

Record article. 

Marsalis currently serves as 

director of Jazz Studies at The 

Juilliard School in New York City 

and is the president of the Louis 

Armstrong Educational Foundation, 

a nonprofit that supports jazz 

musicians 
and 
jazz 
education. 

Marsalis was the 2005 recipient 

of the National Medal of Arts and 

the 2015 recipient of the National 

Humanities Medal.

The 
University 
has 
also 

recommended former University 

President Mary Sue Coleman — 

who most recently served as the 

interim University President in 

2022 — for an honorary Doctor 

of Humane Letters. Playwright 

Dominique Morisseau and Flint-

based entrepreneur Phil Hagerman 

have 
also 
been 
recommended 

for an honorary Doctor of Fine 

Arts and an honorary Doctor of 

Laws, respectively. Coleman and 

Morisseau 
will 
be 
recognized 

and will speak at the University’s 

Spring Commencement. Coleman 

will also be the commencement 

speaker at the Rackham Graduate 

School 
Graduation. 
Hagerman 

will speak at the U-M Flint School 

of 
Management 
commencement 

ceremony, also on April 29. 

All four speakers will receive 

their honorary degrees at the 

commencement 
ceremonies, 

pending approval at the March 23 

meeting of the Board of Regents.

Wynton Marsalis announced as 
2023 commencement speaker

The University announced Wynton Marsalis will be 
the 2023 Spring Commencement speaker on April 29 
Campus community discusses benefits and drawbacks 
of Ono’s 10-year strategic visioning plan

SAMANTHA RICH
Daily News Editor

Design by Evelyn Mousigian

TALIA BELOWICH
Daily Staff Reporter

Gov. Whitmer joins CNN anchor Chris Wallace at Rackham Auditorium March 8.

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

Read more at MichiganDaily.com

