CELEBRATING OUR ONE-HUNDRED-TWENTY-FIFTH YEAR OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM Thursday, March 12, 2015
Ann Arbor, Michigan
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ADMINISTRATION
‘U’ declines to estimate timeline for FOIA docs.
IRENE KIM/Daily
E. Royster Harper, vice president of student life, discusses diversity and campus inclusion at the Trotter Multicultural Center Wednesday.
Student Life V.P. discusses diversity issues on campus E. Royster Harper facilitates dialogue on inclusion, U. of Oklahoma incident By ALLANA AKHTAR Daily Staff Reporter
E. Royster Harper, vice president for student life, sat down with a group of students Wednesday evening from all parts of campus to discuss diversity and the role adminis-
trators can play in facilitating it. According to Jackie Simpson, director of the Trotter Multicultural Center, the conversation, titled “Keepin’ It Real with VP Harper,” is part of a new effort by the Trotter Center and the Office of Multi-Ethnic Affairs to engage students and administrators personally. The initiative is meant to facilitate the discussion of and to combat issues of equity and inclusion on campus. The group discussed a variety of topics related to issues of diversity on campus, including methods for fostering a
welcoming campus climate, the drawbacks of the race and ethnicity requirement and the recent racial controversy at the University of Oklahoma. Royster said promoting an accepting campus climate is an important factor in preventing issues related to discrimination. However, she said that because “campus climate” is a nebulous word, it can be hard to measure. “How do you measure this feeling that’s almost like air,” Harper said. “It’s there, but it’s hard to describe and you know when it isn’t there. That’s one of
Officials have yet to provide requested records from federal Title IX investigation By SAM GRINGLAS and MAX RADWIN Managing News Editor and Daily Staff Reporter
the challenges around climate.” She added that a welcoming campus climate can include using pipeline programs, where universities begin recruiting in high school, to encourage lower-income and minority students to attend the University. Harper also noted that it is difficult to teach about racial differences and micro-aggressions in the first place, as many times people become desensitized to these conflicts. “The question is how do we respond in light of the way See DIVERSITY, Page 3A
The University has yet to release dozens of documents related to the U.S. Department of Education’s ongoing Title IX investigation of the University, which were requested and paid for in part by The Michigan Daily over two months ago. The Daily made a request to the University in December under the purview of the state’s Freedom of Information Act, and paid one of two $445 fees in January for the collection of documents related to sexual misconduct — including written complaints, e-mails from administrators and witness statements, among other documents. The state’s Freedom of Information Act, or FOIA, provides for the release of records by public institutions in the state of Michigan,
FACULTY
GOVERNMENT
SACUA asks for modifications to disciplinary body Report alleges lack of due process in Office of Institutional Equity procedures By SHOHAM GEVA and CARLY NOAH Daily News Editor and Daily Staff Reporter
In a report sent to media Wednesday, the Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs said the body sees several major flaws with how the University’s Office for Institutional Equity treats faculty members who are subjects of harassment and discrimination investigations. The report’s central concerns are the adequacy of due process protections in OIE procedures, and OIE’s application of those procedures in the cases of three faculty members who submitted complaints to SACUA. OIE is tasked in part with investigating
and resolving instances of discrimination and discriminatory harassment at the University. “The evidence available to us, examined in the course of reviewing OIE’s practices, raises serious doubts about the validity of the OIE findings in these cases,” the report read. “SACUA does not take a position on the outcome of these cases. But our findings regarding lack of due process necessitate reconsideration of these cases.” In regards to the identified issues with due process, Wednesday’s report recommended that OIE consult with SACUA to incorporate “fair and adequate notice, fair investigation processes and the ability to obtain an independent, meaningful and timely appeal of findings,” into its operations. The recommendation mirrored one provided in an April report to University Provost Martha Pollack. SACUA, the executive committee of the body that formally represents faculty, first began looking into OIE’s policies in 2012 when See SACUA, Page 3A
including the University. However, after the documents are requested, FOIA does not specify a deadline by which an institution must produce the documents. In a February phone interview with the Daily, Patricia Sellinger, the University’s FOIA coordinator, said she could not provide a timeline for when the Daily’s document request would be filled. She could not be reached for comment Wednesday. Frank LoMonte, executive director of the Student Press Law Center, said he believes the University has surpassed what he considers a “reasonable time.” “Because of the national spotlight that has been focused on campus sexual assault, colleges everywhere are being asked for documents about how they handle those cases,” he said. “Understandably, there is sensitivity about records that might reveal confidential information about victims and some degree of redacting is probably legitimate. But that process really should not take months.” Though the FOIA does not specify a time frame for producing records, Jane Briggs-Bunting, an attorney, president of the Michigan See FOIA, Page 3A
White House announces new financial aid initiatives DELANEY RYAN/Daily
Activist and author Tawana Petty discusses the current status of education in Detroit and opportunities for change in the future at the Ford School Wednesday.
Detroit education panel considers lack of funding Discussion examines loss of stability with closing schools
By COLLEEN HARRISON Daily Staff Reporter
The future of education in Detroit was the focus of conversation Wednesday at the Ford School of Public Policy. Part of the Education Pol-
icy Initiative speaker series, the panel consisted of active members of the Detroit community who spoke about education issues. It was co-sponsored by the Public Policy School and the School of Education. Across the board, each speaker stressed the dysfunction of the city’s school system. One of the four speakers, Bridge Magazine reporter Chastity Pratt Dawsey, focused largely on the financial issues plaguing education
in the city. Dawsey noted that schools in Detroit often close due to eliminated funding and children often have to switch from school to school. Dawsey said when students lose their school, they lose the resources and connections they have built there. She explained that students gain important stability from the support systems they develop while in one school. “There are people in these schools who care that the See DETROIT, Page 3A
Executive action to increase oversight of lenders, work to decrease loan burden By EMMA KINERY Daily Staff Reporter
Following several announcements earlier this year, President Barack Obama again addressed higher-education policy in a speech Tuesday at the Georgia Institute of Technology. The president announced a presidential memorandum he signed earlier that morning, which he called a Student Aid Bill of Rights, that will direct the U.S. Department of Education to increase support for students to repay their student loans. In a White House conference call with college reporters Wednesday, the president said the creation of the Student Aid Bill of Rights would help alleviate concerns over See WHITE HOUSE, Page 3A
the b-side This week, the b-side takes a look at The Blind Pig
» INSIDE WEATHER TOMORROW
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INDEX
Vol. CXXIV, No. 80 ©2015 The Michigan Daily michigandaily.com
NEWS......................... 2A OPINION.....................4A SPORTS......................6A
SUDOKU.....................2A CL ASSIFIEDS............... 5A B-SIDE ....................1B