CELEBRATING OUR ONE-HUNDRED TWENTY-FIFTH YEAR OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM Wednesday, December 10, 2014
Ann Arbor, Michigan
michigandaily.com
ADMINISTRATION
‘U’: Regents complied with state meeting law
AMANDA ALLEN/Daily
Students participate in the Black Lives Matter Silent Vigil held at the Winter Garden in the Ross School of Business on Tuesday.
Silent vigil honors victims of police violence, profiling Business school organization mobilizes students
universities gathered in the Winter Garden at the Ross School of Business for a silent vigil for Michael Brown and Eric Garner, two men who recently lost their lives in police-related violence. The event was organized by students in the Black Business Student Association to show solidarity for victims of racialized violence. Business graduate student Kareem Edwards, BBSA president, said the event was intended
By JACK TURMAN and STEPHANIE SHENOUDA Daily Staff Reporter and Daily News Editor
Hundreds of University students, faculty and staff members, as well as students from other
to raise awareness about police brutality and racial profiling and how it affects people across the country. “The purpose of the event was really just to have a moment to honor those lost lives of citizens across America due to police brutality,” he said. “People realize it’s not a Black issue; it’s an American issue that we all need to help and support in some capacity. Whether it’s small as a like on a picture or working with
local authorities (on) policy, you all have a part.” Edwards added that he was pleased with the turnout, noting the attendance showed the importance of the conversation on college campuses. Business graduate student Lonzyo Holcomb, who also attended the vigil, said it surpassed his expectations and he was grateful for the community’s support. See VIGIL, Page 2A
Officials prevented public from attending November session By CLAIRE BRYAN Daily Staff Reporter
November’s University Board of Regents meeting did not go according to schedule. Ten minutes into the meeting, members of the organization By Any Means Necessary rose from their seats in the audience and began disrupting the proceedings with shouting until the regents and executive officers vacated the room. The regents later reconvened in the Regents Room of the Fleming Administration Building to approve the month’s agenda items, including a $49 million renovation to the Dennison Building and the construction of a $261 million Biological Sciences Building. The meeting was closed
GOVERNMENT
STAFF ANNOUNCEMENT
If passed, bill would redefine religious rights Businesses could deny services based on faithbased objections By SHOHAM GEVA Daily Staff Reporter
Passed by the Michigan House last week, the Religious Freedom Resoration Act has potential impact on two proposed amendments that seek to include LGBTQ protections to the state’s Elliott-Larsen civil rights act. Modeled after 1993 federal legislation, the Michigan RFRA would grant exemptions to individuals and businesses if they feel laws substantially burden their religious beliefs. It provides for exemptions both from state laws and laws in the state’s “political subdivisions” — a term usually interpreted to mean municipalities and cities. Eighteen other states have also passed their own versions of RFRA, the original version of which is only applicable feder-
ally. However, dozens of cities and municipalities already have ordinances protecting statuses such as sexual orientation, marital, HIV, political beliefs and arrest record. These local laws are more extensive than the state’s civil rights protections, and are in effect in polities including Ann Arbor, Royal Oak and Delhi Township. They could feel much of the law’s impact — potentially even a majority of it — especially given that the ELCRA is unlikely to be amended this legislative session. In an interview with The Michigan Daily Tuesday, State Rep. Jim Townsend (D–Royal Oak) said RFRA could place more extensive local nondiscrimination ordinances and state law on a “collision course.” “Basically, the bullseye is going to end up on Royal Oak and other cities that have done this, to protect everybody in their community, and it’s just gratuitous,” he said. “It’s just way beyond what is necessary to protect people’s First See FREEDOM, Page 2A
to members of the general public. Though members of the press were alerted to the venue change, University officials did not publicly announce that the proceedings would be relocated. “It was a complicated decision,” said University President Mark Schlissel in an interview with The Michigan Daily. “We certainly didn’t want to move it out of the public eye.” The state of Michigan’s Open Meetings Act requires public governing bodies such as the regents to host meetings “in a place available to the general public.” The law says votes must occur in the presence of the public and members of the public must have the opportunity to comment on the proceedings. That evening, signs on the Fleming Administration Building read “The building is LOCKED.” Security guards explicitly blocked members of the public from entering the building. After he reopened the meeting inside Fleming, Schlissel said See OPEN, Page 3A
Daily staff elects new leadership for 2015 Across sections, online initiatives seen as paramount for publication’s future ZACH MOORE/Daily
By MICHAEL SUGERMAN Daily Staff Reporter
CSG President Bobby Dishell, Public Policy senior, speaks at the CSG meeting at the Michigan Union Tuesday.
CSG passes resolution to support onsite admissions Legislation includes clause condemning threatening action
swore in new representatives and elected new vice chairs for the Finance Committee and for the Resolutions Committee. CSG passes resolution to support onsite admissions at Detroit schools
By ALYSSA BRANDON Daily Staff Reporter
At the Central Student Government meeting Tuesday night, the assembly passed a resolution supporting an onsite admissions process in Detroit schools,
Following a 35-2 vote, the assembly passed a resolution to support onsite admissions at Detroit schools. The resolution, introduced last week by members of By Any Means Necessary and authored
by members of CSG, highlights how minority enrollment has remained stagnant at the University in recent years. The assembly said one method to combat low minority enrollment would be to implement onsite admissions at schools in the Detroit area. BAMN members were present Tuesday night to encourage the assembly to pass the resolution. BAMN organizer Jose Alvarenga said passing the resolution would be the first step See CSG, Page 3A
After nearly a month of publication-wide elections, The Michigan Daily staff has chosen its editor in chief, managing editor and section leaders for the 2015 calendar year. While each section of the newspaper elects its respective managing editors internally, the editor-in-chief and co-editorial page editors were chosen in a staff-wide vote Nov. 14. LSA junior Jennifer Calfas, who served as managing news editor this year, will serve as the 2015 editor-in-chief. Calfas said one of her main goals is to lead the paper in a collaborative, transparent manner. Her barometer for success will be maintaining staff enthusiasm and the quality of the paper’s content. See EDITORS, Page 3A
let’s talk about sex The Statement talks about how Tinder and social media affect our sex lives and relationships
» INSIDE WEATHER TOMORROW
HI: 38 LO: 27
GOT A NEWS TIP? Call 734-418-4115 or e-mail news@michigandaily.com and let us know.
NEW ON MICHIGANDAILY.COM Edwards Bros. property almost ready for construction MICHIGANDAILY.COM/BLOGS
INDEX
Vol. CXXIV, No. 41 ©2014 The Michigan Daily michigandaily.com
NEWS......................... 2A SUDOKU.....................2A OPINION.....................4A
ARTS........................... 5A CL ASSIFIEDS...............6A S P O R T S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7A