ONE-HUNDRED-TWENTY-FOUR YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM Wednesday, September 24, 2014
Ann Arbor, Michigan
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ELECTION 2014
Governor candidates to meet for first debate LUNA ANNA ARCHEY/Daily
Members of the Muslim Student Association pray during FestiFaith on the Diag Tuesday.
Students of faith gather for intercommunal celebration Festifaith coalition plans to hold panel in the future By CHARLOTTE JENKINS Daily Staff Reporter
Students from eight different religious organizations gathered on the Diag Tuesday for Festifaith: An Interfaith Celebration. Festifaith was the largest interfaith event hosted on
campus in recent years. The student leaders who coordinated the event said they also plan to host an interfaith panel about faith in the context of relationships, and potentially partner with the School of Social Work. The event featured students from each of the eight organizations, and opened with a speech by University President Mark Schlissel, who said he wanted to show support for the students and discussed how the United States was formed on the
basis of religious freedom. “It’s a wonderful thing that people are free to come to the center of the University and express their faith and share it with one another,” he said in an interview. The event featured posters where attendees could write answers to questions including “what could interfaith programming look like on campus,” and “how do people with diverse faiths on campus interact?” Students responded with
phrases including “collaborating and celebrating,” “connecting through passions” and “seeking common ground.” Kelly Dunlop, campus minister at St. Mary Student Parish, the primary Catholic Church serving campus, said she wanted the event to show how many people of faith there are at the University, and that this fact should be celebrated. Dunlop added that faith does not receive the same amount of attention as other identities on campus. See FESTIFAITH, Page 3A
STUDENT GOVERNMENT
By ALYSSA BRANDON Daily Staff Reporter
The Central Student Government met Tuesday night to discuss a resolution to stand with protesters in Ferguson, Missouri against alleged police brutality, passed a resolution to improve CSG oversight of student rights and responsibilities and passed a resolution to give more funding to the Student Organization Funding Commission. Resolution to stand with Ferguson Following the introduction of a resolution that would express CSG’s solidarity with the people of Ferguson last week, CSG continued discussion on the item but ultimately postponed a vote. The resolution would pledge CSG’s support for Ferguson residents and decry what many perceived as police brutality in response to protests in the wake of the death of local teenager Michael Brown. Brown, who was Black and unarmed at the time of the shooting, was shot and killed by Darren Wilson, a white Ferguson police officer on Aug. 9. Ferguson residents and people around the nation have protested what they see as racist and violent practices of police officers in the wake of the incident.
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Tuesday night, members of The Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action attended the assembly and spoke about why the resolution needs to be passed. “When Black and Latino youths being murdered by police becomes a commonality, something accepted, something gone unchallenged, a call to action becomes necessary,” BAMN organizer Jose Alvarenga said. Alvarenga said he believes that the response from Ferguson residents following the death of Michael Brown is incredibly inspiring and is something that needs to be replicated everywhere, especially on college campuses. “Tonight the student government has the opportunity to stand behind Ferguson in their struggle and join the national movement against police brutality and ultimately make the lives of Black and Latino youths safer,” he said. However, the assembly postponed the vote on the resolution because the authors of the resolution were not present during the meeting, as is necessary. CSG members said they are hopeful that they will be able to be able to vote on the resolution during next week’s meeting. Student Rights and Responsibilities Last year, following The Michigan Daily report revealing former kicker Brendan Gibbons was permanently separated from See CSG, Page 3A
By SHOHAM GEVA Daily Staff Reporter
After some uncertainty, the candidates in this year’s gubernatorial election — incumbent Republican Gov. Rick Snyder and his Democratic challenger Mark Schauer — will meet at least once to debate before the Nov. 4 election. The debate, which will be held in a town hall format at 6 p.m. Oct. 12, was announced Monday evening. Hosted by the Detroit Free Press, the Detroit News and Detroit Public Television, it will be broadcasted live on Detroit Public TV. Questions will come from an audience of undecided voters pre-selected by polling companies employed by the two news-
MORE COWBELL
CSG increases student org. funding budget Leaders postpone vote on stand with Ferguson resolution
Snyder, Schauer to meet for town hall forum in Detroit on Oct. 12
papers and from co-moderators Stephen Henderson, Detroit Free Press editorial page editor, and Nolan Finley, Detroit News editorial page editor. The event will be hosted by Christy McDonald, Detroit Public TV anchor. In a statement Monday evening, Dianne Byrum, debate negotiator for the Schauer campaign, said the campaign was excited for voters to have the opportunity to see Schauer and Snyder side-by-side. “Mark will share his vision of a building an economy that works for everyone, not just those at the top, and the governor should be prepared to defend his record over the past four years,” Byrum said. It was previously unclear whether there would be any debates at all in the gubernatorial election. A proposed first debate between the two to be hosted by WOOD-TV was canceled earlier this month after only Schauer, whose campaign has called for a series of live, televised debates, See DEBATE, Page 3A
GOVERNMENT
Kennedy’s assassination examined in guest lecture Last member of the Warren Commission defends group’s definitive 1964 report By EMMA KERR
» SEE THE STATEMENT RUBY WALLAU/Daily
While student season ticket holders fell by 40 percent this year compared to last year, fans still showed their game day spirit on Saturday’s game against Utah.
CAMPUS LIFE
President of Women’s Law Center calls for equal pay Speaker emphasizes value of women’s economic agenda By STEPHANIE DILWORTH Daily Staff Reporter
Droves of women — and a few men — went to the Rackham Graduate School Amphitheater Tuesday to hear why the nation needs a women’s economic agenda. Nancy Duff Campbell, copresident of the National Women’s Law Center, spoke to these students, faculty and visitors as part of the Visiting Social Activist program sponsored by the University’s Center for Educa-
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tion of Women. The presentation was followed by a Q&A and a reception at Rackham. Throughout her lecture, Campbell focused on the ways that gender stereotypes, unreasonable and unpredictable hours in low wage jobs and inadequate government and employer response support for pregnant workers negatively affect women’s ability to succeed in the workplace. Campbell drew much of her lecture on research and statistics gathered by both the National Women’s Law Center and government agencies such as the Census Bureau. “Giving women the chance to have their voices heard in American workplaces is key to
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their economic security and the economic security of American families,” Campbell said. “And ensuring this economic security is why we need a women’s economic agenda.” Campbell also emphasized the correlation between poverty and gender. According to her research, 59 percent of poor children live in families headed by women. She also said more than three-quarters of workers in the 10 largest low-wage occupations are women and over one-third are women of color. Some employees refuse to provide accommodation for pregnancy-related needs such as requesting a chair when working as a cashier but are willing to See WOMEN, Page 3A
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Daily Staff Reporter
University alum Howard Willens is the only living supervisor of the commission that investigated United States President John F. Kennedy’s assassination. In his book History Will Prove Us Right, he asserts that there is no evidence supporting any conspiracy theories that call into question the presidentially-mandated commission’s findings. Willens addressed theories Tuesday night ranging from the missing bullet to the many photos not released to the public from that day in a talk at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library. Despite nationwide criticism of the Warren Commission —named after Chief Justice Earl Warren — Willens defended that the original commission’s investigation through a perspective he can offer from his own first-hand experiences. “It was an extraordinary assignment, and I worked with an incredible group of people, but in my experience, eventually you sort of move on,” Willens said. Launched by President Lyndon B. Johnson on Nov. 29, 1963, the Warren Commission’s report was released in 1964, and included the testimonies of over 552 witnesses, See KENNEDY, Page 3A
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