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