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Greek life chapters could face sanctions Six fraternities, sororities suspended for vandalism undergo review By MICHAEL SUGERMAN Daily News Editor
After six University Greek life chapters drew criticism last month for causing extensive damage to two Northern Michigan ski resorts, discussion about the incidents surfaced at Thursday’s meeting of the University’s Board of Regents. At the meeting, Interfraternity Council President Alex Krupiak, an LSA senior, and Panhellenic Association President Maddy Walsh, a Business junior, issued apologies on behalf of the Greek community and said Greek life judicial proceedings have already recommended sanctions for those involved. “We have been collectively embarrassed and humbled by the actions of some of our members,” Krupiak said. “We fully understand how our actions impacted everyone involved…
and that severe measures need to be taken.” Krupiak added that students have already faced the Student Organization Advancement and Recognition’s judicial process. The system referred cases to the chapters’ respective student governing body, the Greek Activities Review Panel. GARP is the judicial branch for the University’s Greek Councils — the Panhellenic Association, the Interfraternity Council, the National Pan-Hellenic Council and the Multicultural Greek Council. Hearings are currently underway and Krupiak said GARP has recommended sanctions, which are currently under review by Dean of Students Laura Blake Jones. “The only way to move forward completely from this is to ensure that every member understands the consequences of his or her behavior,” Krupiak said. “We also recognize that, regardless of if an individual caused damage or not, each member had a responsibility to be an active bystander,” he added. “Failing to do so caused See GREEK LIFE, Page 3
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(LEFT) Newly appointed chief financial officer Kevin Hegarty attends the February Regents’ Meeting in the Anderson Room at the Union Thursday. (RIGHT) President Mark Schlissel opens the Regents’ Meeting.
UT administrator approved as University’s next CFO Regents approve building projects, calendar changes By GENEVIEVE HUMMER and ALLANA AKHTAR Daily Staff Reporters
At the University’s Board of Regents meeting Thursday, several renovation projects and appointments were approved,
including an updated plan for the Intramural Sports Building and the confirmation of a new University chief financial officer. Renovations to athletic buildings The regents approved a budget increase for the renovation of the Intramural Sports Building. The budget for the project has now been extended from $18.7 million to $21.4 million. The additional funds will
Regents held closed strategic session in Jan.
Task force holds open forum about honor code Students weigh possible addition to Student Rights and Responsibilities
Body discussed diversity, higher education during meeting in A2
By TANAZ AHMED
By GENEVIEVE HUMMER
Daily Staff Reporter
ZACH MOORE/Daily
The Central Student Government’s Student Honor Code Task Force held a forum Thursday night to gather student input for a new University-wide student honor code. CSG President Bobby Dishell, a Public Policy senior, established the task force earlier this month to compose a code pertaining to academic integrity, individual behavior and student rights. The goal of creating a code is to complement the preexisting Statement of Student Rights and Responsibilities, a University document that outlines appropriate responses to inappropriate student behavior. The forum was open to students across campus. Aside from CSG members, 10 students attended the event. CSG Vice President Emily Lustig, an LSA senior and the task force chair, led the forum. According to Lustig, some student leaders opposed the Statement of Student Rights and Responsibilities when it was first approved and said the honor code would give students a space See FORUM, Page 3
HI: 32 LO: 18
time it was constructed in 1928, the facility was the first collegiate intramural sports building in the country. “The project will preserve the history of the 87-year-old iconic facility,” Royster said. “It will also promote the health and wellness of our students, faculty and staff.” LSA senior Jacob Light, a member of Building a Better Michigan and a Residential See REGENTS, Page 3
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be used in part to build more group exercise rooms, add perimeter drains and install air conditioning. The additional funding will be provided by investment proceeds and the Student Life Student Fee for Facility Renewal. E. Royster Harper, vice president for student life, who included mention of the renovations in her report to the regents, said preserving the building is important. At the
Associate History Prof. Rudolf Ware speaks about Islam in Black America at the Michigan League Thursday.
Professor talks presence of Muslims in African history Student group hosts event in honor of Black History Month By EMMA KINERY Daily Staff Reporter
The Muslim Student Association celebrated Black History Month Thursday night with a lecture on Islam’s roots in Africa. The event, which was attended by about 50 people, was held in the Henderson Room of the Michigan League and features Associate History Prof. Rudolph Ware. In his lecture, Ware outlined the history of Islam in Africa.
He said that even before the official beginning of Islam, when Muhammad traveled from Mecca to Medina on an invitation to escape persecution, the religion has had a presence on the continent. In the year 615 CE and again in 616 CE, Ware said Muslims escaped persecution by crossing the Red Sea into present day Ethiopia and seeking refuge with a Christian king. However, over time, he said Blacks practicing the religion have been alienated by current Middle Eastern countries, leading to the earlier prominence of Islam in Western Africa often being forgotten. Nonetheless, one sixth of the world’s Muslim population currently resides in Sub-Saharan Africa, Ware said. In Senegal, he said 98 percent of citizens are
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Muslim. “The only Arab countries that have that percentage are Saudi Arabia and Yemen,” Ware said. “There are more Muslims in Nigeria than there are in Egypt, and Nigeria’s only 50 percent Muslim. There’s more Muslims in Ethiopia than there are in Iraq.” This number is so high because of the tradition of Qur’an schools in western Africa, he said. Dating back to the 1400s Qur’an schools were open to teach Muslim children mathematics and reading. These schools, which still exist today, promoted the spread of Islam because certain groups of scholars were trained to memorize the Qu’uran to the point of being able to reproduce it, Ware See HISTORY, Page 3
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Daily Staff Reporter
Members of the University’s Board of Regents convened in the Michigan Union on Thursday afternoon for their monthly public meeting. In January, the regents also met in Ann Arbor, but in place of an open meeting, they gathered for closed strategy sessions. In a January interview with The Michigan Daily, University President Mark Schlissel said the retreat focused on philosophical discussions around what it means to be an excellent university and to brainstorm ways in which the University can continue to improve. He said the regents continue to bring an important perspective to the University’s policy-making process. “The regents are incredibly engaged in the governance of the University,” he said. “They’re really the connection between professional academics like me and this huge public that we serve.” In an e-mail interview after the strategic session, Regent Katherine White (D–Ann Arbor) noted that no official
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decisions were made at these meetings, but said the session gave the board a chance to focus on broad topics related to higher education. “The retreat contrasts with our monthly meetings, which are focused on the topics that need immediate attention,” White said. “Our strategic session was a good opportunity to focus on the future of higher education. It also gave us a chance to welcome new regent Michael Behm and get to know him better.” Apart from White, no other regents were available for comment for this article. Five regents did not respond to e-mail inquires from the Daily. Regents Denise Ilitch (D–Bingham Farms) and Larry Deitch (D–Grosse Pointe) declined interview requests due to scheduling conflicts. White said the closed strategic session provides the board a chance to speak openly about how to improve the University, an opportunity not afforded at the monthly meetings. “Again, this is our one chance a year to turn our attention to asking ‘What if?’ types of questions and to step away from the topics that demand our attention on a monthly basis,” White said. “It is good governance to have an opportunity to do a little blue-sky thinking and have very candid discussions. See SESSION, Page 3
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