ONE-HUNDRED-TWENTY-FOUR YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Ann Arbor, Michigan
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PUBLIC SAFETY
Freshman found dead in Baits II residence JAMES COLLER/Daily
Joshua DuBois, a former faith adviser to President Barack Obama, speaks about his book, The President’s Devotional, at the Ford School Monday. Dubois also spoke and answered questions regarding the role religion plays in the Oval Office.
Former pres. advisor talks faith Obama’s spiritual guide discusses recent book
ity, Joshua DuBois, President Barack Obama’s former advisor on faith-related topics, provided a contrast. DuBois spoke a before a packed auditorium at the Ford School of Public Policy with an air of sincerity and venerable confidence. In 2008, DuBois was 26 years old and working for the Obama campaign as a commonplace
By YARDAIN AMRON Daily Staff Reporter
Though he worked in a White House often characterized by seniority and confidential-
legislative correspondent when he sent the president an inspirational e-mail with a spiritual quote from Psalms and a poem from Wendell Berry. “I wondered who was thinking about his soul,” DuBois said. “You know, who was helping him cultivate that aspect of himself separate from his formal work running for president.”
Obama enjoyed the devotional so much that he asked DuBois to send one every day. He later chose DuBois to head the Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships in 2009, making the 27 year old the youngest head of a White House office in history. Fast-forward six years and more than 1,000 emails, DuBois See FAITH, Page 3
UMPD: No threat to public safety, no injuries found during autopsy By TAYLOR WIZNER Daily News Editor
University Police are investigating the death of a freshman student who was found deceased in his Baits II Residence Hall dorm room last night. UMPD identified the student as Music, Theatre & Dance freshman Thibault deSaintPhalle, an 18-year-old male from California. At about 12 a.m. Monday, a well-being check was requested
SENATE ASSEMBLY
ANN ARBOR
Faculty body discusses IT consolidation Members express concern regarding effects of cutbacks By STEPHANIE SHENOUDA Daily Staff Reporter
Despite a modest turn out, there was no shortage of conversation at the Senate Assembly’s monthly meeting, which was held at Palmer Commons Monday night. Following a quick approval of previous minutes and the agenda, Astronomy Prof. Sally Oey addressed the group about IT Rationalization, a “parallel effort” to the shared services initiative, scheduled to roll out 2014. Though not implemented yet, the administration’s plan is to consolidate IT services offered throughout the different departments within the University as part of their efforts to improve efficiency and cut $120 million in costs by 2017. The project aims to decrease redundancy by generalizing IT staff. While Oey — a member of the Senate Assembly Committee on University Affairs — said there’s room for standardization within some of the University’s IT departments, she expressed concern about how the cutbacks would impact departments with more specialized technological needs. Representing the Department of Astronomy, Oey also said she feels the needs of her departments are “falling through the cracks” and the effects the unit is already feeling are “exceedingly painful.” A representative from the University of Michigan, Dearborn campus said she was surprised to learn these rollbacks
WEATHER TOMORROW
hadn’t already taken place on the Ann Arbor campus, since Dearborn already implemented these changes on that campus without staff input. SACUA member Finn Larsen said he understood the concerns but wasn’t surprised the administration had chosen to consolidate IT support staff because “personnel is where the money is.” Though some concerns about rationalization are not yet resolved, there are plans underway to invite Chief Information Officer Laura Patterson to an upcoming assembly meeting so the group can express their concerns to the University’s technology czar. When Social Work prof. Karen Staller, chair of SACUA, asked the group if they felt their deans had been open with them about the consolidation process, the reply was a brief outburst of laughter. Department administrators were issued a gag order last week, which insisted that they do not talk about how individuals would be effected by the Shared Services Center, a similar effort. The meeting continued on with a follow-up discussion of benefits, introduced at last month’s meeting when Laurita Thomas, vice president of human resources, answered the faculty’s questions regarding the changing benefits policies. Adjunct Law prof. Scott Masten led the follow-up discussion, which ultimately resulted in the unanimous passing of a resolution addressing the committee’s communal frustration with the administration’s lack of transparency. Larry Jones, a non-voting representative for University retirees, said he wholeheartSee CONSOLIDATION, Page 3
HI: 47 LO: 35
for deSaintPhalle, who University Police say had not been seen by friends all weekend. When Housing Security officers entered the student’s dorm room, they found the 18-year-old deceased in his bed. University Police say there is currently no indication that the death represents a public safety threat, but is being investigated nonetheless. The Washtenaw County Medical Examiner conducted an autopsy on deSaintPhalle this afternoon and found no injuries. The toxicology results of the autopsy are still pending, and the process could take several weeks. Police declined to comment on the person who requested the well-being check.
City Council debates crosswalk ordinance Council approves first reading of changed ordinance By MATT JACKONEN Daily Staff Reporter
NICHOLAS WILLIAMS/Daily
LSA junior Simon Rivers, coordinator of the Riding for Rosa event, leads the march from the Central Campus Transit Center Monday to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Rosa Parks Minority Lounge in Stockwell Residence Hall.
Students honor Rosa Parks at commemorative event Lounge named for civil rights leader celebrates 40th anniversary By ALEXANDRA DITOMMASO For the Daily
There was only silence as students marched in cold weather from the Central Campus Transit Center to Stockwell Residence Hall. The march was held to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Rosa Parks Lounge in Stockwell Residence Hall. Students — most of whom are diversity peer educators — sought to honor the civil rights icon during the subdued march. Once at Stockwell, participants listened to a lecture by Spectrum Center founder Jim Toy and viewed a performance by the Educational Theater Company.
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Students arrived at the Central Campus Transit Center clad in matching T-shirts bearing Parks’s mug shot and reading “#RideforRosa.” They then silently marched toward Stockwell Hall with posters with the same words: “Ride for Rosa.” The Rosa Parks Lounge is one of the many cultural lounges in residence halls, including the Umoja lounge in Alica Lloyd Residence Hall and the César Chávez lounge in Mosher Jordan Residence Hall. The lounges are designed to be safe spaces for students who are underrepresented on campus, according to LSA junior Igra Nasir, a diversity peer educator for Oxford Housing. At Stockwell, Toy spoke to the audience about his experiences with social inequality and his activism work for civil rights, LGBTQ issues and opposition of the Vietnam War. “I’ve come to believe that the struggle for any justice connects to all the struggles for all justice—gender justice, race
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justice, class justice, religious justice, political justice,” Toy said. Toy said it’s important to continue fighting for justice not just here at the University, but also after graduation. “This event is continuing the work that Mrs. Park engaged in and the work that Dr. King did,” Toy said. “And it is here and it is now, and it’s up to us to keep this moving.” Following Toy’s speech, ETC performed a sketch titled “What If,” which questioned what the world would be like without formative leaders like Parks and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. LSA freshman Arielle Hehir, a member of ETC, said the sketch described the ripple effect of change. “The whole show said how much it’s needed to have one person say ‘I’m going to stand up for this’ because then you have so many other people joining in saying ‘I can stand See MARCH, Page 3
Vol. CXXIV, No. 32 ©2013 The Michigan Daily michigandaily.com
The Ann Arbor City Council attempted to come one step closer to solving the city’s evident pedestrian safety issues Monday night. The city council approved the first reading of the ordinance to repeal the city’s crosswalk ordinance, which has been criticized for conflicting with the state traffic code. Only Mayor John Hieftje, Christopher Taylor (D–Ward 3) and Margie Teall (D–Ward 4) voted not to approve the first reading. The ordinance differs from the Michigan Uniform Traffic Code in that Ann Arbor’s code adds that a driver must stop at a crosswalk even if a pedestrian is on the curb waiting to cross a street. The state code explains that drivers should yield the right-of-way when a pedestrian is in a crosswalk on the half of the roadway on which the vehicle is traveling, or when the pedestrian is approaching closely from the opposite site of the freeway Should the ordinance pass, the driver of any vehicle would no longer be legally obliged to stop at pedestrian crossings or yield to pedestrians waiting to walk. It would mean that drivers must stop only when a pedestrian is actively crossing in a crosswalk. Craig Hupy, the city’s interim public services area administrator, told the council that the repeal would not change where and how they place crosswalks, but it would change how signs around crosswalks are marked, See ORDINANCE, Page 3
NEWS............................ 2 OPINION.......................4 SPORTS......................... 5
ARTS............................7 SUDOKU........................ 2 CL ASSIFIEDS.................6