CELEBRATING OUR ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FIFTH YEAR OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM Tuesday, October 28, 2014
Ann Arbor, Michigan
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DETROIT
I N T E R N AT I O N A L F O C U S
Bankruptcy court hears final set of arguments SAM MOUSIGIAN/Daily
Robert Crawford, a professor at the University of St. Andrews, gives a public presentation about T.S. Eliot and the Scottish Indepndence Referendum in Angell Hall Monday.
By WILL GREENBERG and NEALA BERKOWSKI
FACULTY GOVERNANCE
Daily News Editor and Daily Staff Reporter
SACUA reworks policy regarding fitness to work Existing protocol may conflict with ADA standards By STEPHANIE SHENOUDA Daily News Editor
The Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs convened for its weekly meeting in the Regent’s Room of the Flem-
Judge to determine feasibility of adjustment plan by Nov. 7
ing Administration Building Monday afternoon to discuss the Fitness for Duty policy. Much of the group’s discussion centered on language regarding revision of the policy and its accompanying professional standards as they relate to University faculty and staff. The Fitness for Duty policy offers protections to University employees in the event that they find themselves physically or mentally unable
to perform their jobs, including possible financial compensation during their investigation and one year of severance pay if they are let go due to their condition. SACUA Chair Scott Masten, a professor of business economics and public policy, said the group was making progress and had recently heard from the Office of the Provost about the “source of conflict” regarding the Americans with Disabilities
Act and the University’s current standards of fitness for duty and medical conditions. Currently, the ADA places emphasis on “job performance,” and not the reason the individual is unable to perform their job, unless they choose to disclose their disability. The law specifically forbids officials from making assumptions about the reason a faculty member is failSee SACUA, Page 3
More than a year after the city of Detroit became the largest municipality to declare Chapter 9 bankruptcy in U.S. history, the decision regarding the city’s proposed plan of adjustment and the beginnings of a new financial life is now a reality. In the closing arguments of Detroit’s bankruptcy trial, the city’s legal representation held the floor most of the day, asking to confirm the plan of adjustment by reiterating the status of deals with creditors, the fate of the Detroit Institute of Art’s artworks and the pensions of city workers. The next step will be for U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Steven Rhodes to decide whether Detroit’s plan of adjustment is
ANN ARBOR
HEALTH
Medicaid enrollment grows in Michigan
Taylor plans to model Hieftje’s goals, leadership Mayoral frontrunner will maintain atmosphere in City Council By EMMA KERR Daily Staff Reporter
With two new Ann Arbor City Council members slated to assume office and the upcoming election of Ann Arbor’s first new mayor in 14 years, times are changing. But when it comes to mayoral priorities, these changes might not be so drastic. The local Democratic primary resulted in a near majority victory for mayoral candidate Christopher Taylor, who currently serves on the Council representing the third ward. While Taylor was not publicly endorsed by current Mayor John Hieftje (D), his campaign focused heavily on maintaining a council that is a continuation of the current Council and embodies the ideals and goals set under Hieftje’s leadership. Development has been one of the most divisive issues among councilmembers in recent years and was also a hot topic during the mayoral primary. Hieftje has been a more ardent supporter of downtown development programs compared to other Council factions which have been more hesitant to allow new building projects and have advocated for a
WEATHER TOMORROW
HI: 52 LO: 34
focus instead on the city’s neighborhoods. Julie Grand (D–Ward 3), Kirk Westphal (D–Ward 2) and incumbent Chuck Warpehoski (D–Ward 5), who will all serve on Council in 2015 due to being uncontested candidates, each have associations with Taylor and Hieftje. During her campaign for her Council seat, Grand endorsed Taylor for mayor over councilmembers Sabra Briere (D–Ward 1), Steve Kunselman (D–Ward 3) and Sally Petersen (D–Ward 2). Warpehoski and Westphal were both publicly endorsed by Hieftje. Taylor said throughout his campaign that he believes Ann Arbor is headed in the right direction, and Grand and Westphal have also applauded much of the current Council’s work under Hieftje. Grand would not explicitly say whether she supports Hieftje, but said because Taylor won the primary with a platform of continuing Hieftje’s work, it is clear the public feels confident that the city has been in good hands with the incumbent mayor and will be with Taylor as well. Taylor’s record reflects a voting history similar to that of Hieftje’s. “I’m not saying that I am or that I’m not an ally (of Hieftje),” Grand said. “I’m very pleased with the job that the mayor has done. And if you look at Chris Taylor’s victory, that is reflecSee COUNCIL, Page 3
feasible. This decision will come on Friday, Nov. 7 at 2 p.m. Bruce Bennett, the attorney from law firm Jones Day who is representing the city, reminded those present to not lose sight of how much has been accomplished in the 15 months and 8 days since Detroit filed for bankruptcy last July — a quick proceeding compared to other municipality bankruptcy cases. The city has come up with a broadly consensual plan — which includes agreement from all parties — that would discharge $7 billion in claims and reinvest $1.7 billion in the city. Bennett lauded the city’s overall efficiency in compiling a plan, calling it “remarkable” that a thorough plan was created in a timeframe that was “not widely expected when the case began.” He added that the timing also helps to mitigate the negative effects that an ongoing bankruptcy has on a city. “It is for your honor to take the next big step and confirm this plan,” Bennett said to Rhodes, adding that he’d like to see a ruling from the judge before Thanksgiving. See DETROIT, Page 3
Healthy Michigan Plan garners more participants than predicted TERESA MATHEW/Daily
By AMABEL KAROUB
Attorney Mike Behm, a Democratic candidate for the University’s Board of Regents, speaks with the Daily Oct. 8.
With an eye on affordability, Behm hopes for regent seat Candidate hopes to foster more collaboration with Flint, Dearborn By ALLANA AKHTAR Daily Staff Reporter
Attorney Mike Behm, one of the Democratic candidates for the University’s Board of Regents, is running on a platform of decreasing tuition to make the University more accessible and working to increase collaboration with the University’s satellite campuses in Flint and Dearborn. In November, Behm will compete for one of two spots on the eight-member Board of Regents. One of the open slots will be vacated by University Regent Julia Darlow (D–Ann Arbor),
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who has opted to not seek another term. The other is currently held by Regent Kathy White (D–Ann Arbor), who is up for re-election. Two Republicans, Dr. Rob Steele and Ron Weiser, a former U.S. ambassador to Slovakia, are also seeking election. Regents are popularly elected by voters from across the state of Michigan. A Flint native, Behm moved to Ann Arbor in 1985 to study English at the University. Active on campus, he wrote for The Michigan Daily and sang in the Michigan Men’s Glee Club, the second oldest club in the country, and eventually sang a capella with the renowned group The Friars. After graduation, he attended law school at Wayne State University in Detroit and currently works as a litigator in Flint. Recognized by the American Trial Lawyers Association as one of the top 100 lawyers
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in Michigan, Behm also served as president of the trade association Michigan Association for Justice in 2011. “The mission of that group is to protect peoples’ Seventh Amendment rights, to be able to have a jury in front of their peers,” Behm said. “I think that’s something that’s very important.” Before deciding to run for regent, Behm was an active member of the Democratic Party for much of his adult life. In 1996 he worked as a volunteer lawyer for the Clinton campaign, and in 2004 he created programs to educate citizens about elections to discourage voter intimidation and urge people to vote. He also served as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 2008. Behm said he decided to run for regent on a platform of makSee REGENTS, Page 3
Vol. CXXIV, No. 18 ©2014 The Michigan Daily michigandaily.com
Daily Staff Reporter
Open Enrollment for 2015 health insurance plans is fast approaching, and hundreds of thousands of Michiganders have recently signed up to receive state aid to pay for their healthcare plans. The Healthy Michigan Plan — Michigan’s Medicaid expansion — was approved in late 2013 and began accepting applications April 1. Six months in, the number of enrollees in the plan has already far exceeded projections for the first year. Michigan is one of the most recent states to expand the Medicaid program. The plan provides health care to Michigan residents ages 19 to 64 with incomes below 133 percent of the federal poverty line. For an individual without a family to support, this would be an income of $16,000 or less per year. Medicaid is a social welfare program that began long before President Obama’s 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Beginning in 1965, this program provided funding for states to expand health care to lowSee INSURANCE, Page 3
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