ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FIVE YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM Friday, November 13, 2015
Ann Arbor, Michigan
michigandaily.com
ANN ARBOR
FROM THE DAILY
Wake up and pay attention Institutional racism must be acknowledged By THE MICHIGAN DAILY Editorial Board
The University community is no stranger to protests in recent years with several student groups calling for the administration to improve race relations and increase diversity on campus. Therefore, the events of this past week at the University of Missouri should be of no surprise to anyone paying attention to the realities that Black students face each and every day on college campuses across the nation. But therein lies the problem: Not enough people are paying attention. Too many deny the existence of institutional racism. That must change now. The School of Social Work People of Color Collective led a demonstration on the Diag Wednesday evening to stand in solidarity with the Black community at the University of Missouri. Hundreds of University community members gathered to share personal experiences and show their support. The demonstration comes after months of racial tension on Missouri’s campus, which culminated in the resignation of the Missouri system’s president, Timothy Wolfe, on Nov. 9. A prominent student activist group at Mizzou, Concerned Student 1950 — which refers to the first year Black students were admitted to the university — led an aggressive push for Wolfe’s resignation after it became evident he was incapable of dealing with racism on campus. The group also called for a formal apology from Wolfe along with eight other demands of the administration. These efforts echo similar actions taken by the University of Michigan’s Black Student Union, which led a protest in January 2014 that garnered national attention about issues of race on college campuses. In the cases of both Missouri and Michigan, student groups criticized the inaction of their respective university administrators and called for reform to increase education about race in course curricula, enrollment of ethnic minorities and accessibility to safe spaces on campuses, such as multicultural centers. There’s no denying the differences in the cultural climates at the University of Missouri and on our campus. But the overarching commonalities in these demands illustrate the urgent need to address the institutional racism ever-present in our nation that takes shape in many forms: lack of minority representation and inclusivity on college campuses, discriminatory criminal justice policy and voter registration laws, police brutality and so much more. This week, our University hosted the Diversity Summit to collect opinions on how to devise a campus-wide plan to improve inclusion and diversity on campus. These efforts — along with those aimed at increasing minority enrollment, expanding education about race in curricula and improving the Trotter Multicultural Center — demonstrate a legitimate attempt to stimulate a broad conversation about race on campus and create tangible change. But there’s a long, long way to go. For starters, the entire campus community must listen to, sympathize with and learn about the very real and urgent struggles that Black students — and all students of color — face in 2015. In other words, wake up and pay attention.
DELANEY RYAN/Daily
Darlene Nichols, foundations and grants librarian at the University Library, facilitates a discussion on diversity in staff and faculty at the Michigan League on Thursday.
Staff, faculty discuss steps to bolster ‘U’ workplace diversity During event, employees give feedback on August report
student experience, such as hostingdialogues on campus climate and packagingadmissions and financial aid decisions in an effort to enroll more lowincome students. However, a dialogue hosted Thursday by the Staff Committee on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion focused entirely on staff and faculty. The event, part of the University’s week-long diversity summit, largely
By SAMANTHA WINTNER Daily Staff Reporter
Many of the University’s recent efforts to improve diversity on campus have focused on the
centered around a report released in August by the staff committee, which was charged with gathering data and crafting recommendations on staff hiring, promotion and work climate. Darlene Nichols, a committee member and the foundations and grants librarian at the University, said the report found that about 75 percent of the staff surveyed felt good about working at the University. See DIVERSITY, Page 3A
Dark, challenging meta-comedy in ‘The Pillowman’ By GRACE HAMILTON Daily Arts Writer
“The Pillowman” is a complex play about violence, politics and the power of art. Confidently confronting issues such as child abuse and The fratricide, the work is a feat Pillowman for both the Walgreen playwright Drama Center and his Nov. 13 and 14, audiences. It is perhaps 7 p.m. and 11 p.m. even more of Free a challenge for the actors who must plumb the depths for their representation, particularly when those actors work under the constraints of limited resources and limited time. “Come and expect to laugh. And then leave shaken to your core,” School of Music, Theatre
& Dance senior and director Jacob Sam Rich said of “The Pillowman.” Comedies can’t get any darker than this. Basement Arts, a studentrun theater organization that has provided free entertainment to the University for over 20 years, has never shied away from challenges such as these. In fact, the group actively seeks cutting-edge work that continues to push the boundaries of both its own previous productions and the rest of the University’s theater world. Most audiences can’t get enough of it; some of their notable productions like “A Very Potter Musical” and “Me and My Dick” have even reached national success. This Saturday, Basement Arts is putting on its production of Irish playwright Martin McDonagh’s “The Pillowman” with a cast of four. After its debut in 2003, the play has been produced on Broadway and London’s West End and earned the 2004 Oliver Award for Best New Play. The play is set in an See PILLOWMAN, Page 3A
Detroit Police assistant chief to assume role in early 2016, pending vote By SHOHAM GEVA Daily News Editor
There’s a new chief in town. The city of Ann Arbor announced Thursday that James White, an assistant police chief with the Detroit Police Department, has been appointed the new Ann Arbor Police Chief. The selection pends approval by the Ann Arbor City Council, which will vote on the recommendation at their meeting Monday. White will replace John Seto, current chief of the Ann Arbor Police Department, who announced his retirement in May. Seto was appointed chief of police in 2012, and served for 25 years with AAPD. He
has since accepted a job with the University as the director of Housing Security. City Administrator Steve Powers, who is responsible for making the recommendation, wrote in a press release that White’s skill set prepared him well for the job. “I’m confident that James’ broad management experience and abilities will be an asset to the Ann Arbor Police Department, which has a well-earned reputation for excellence,” he wrote. “James has a keen understanding of law enforcement challenges and opportunities and I’m confident he will serve the Ann Arbor community well.” If approved as chief, White will have to face the ongoing controversy over the fatal shooting of Ann Arbor resident Aura Rosser a year ago by an AAPD officer. The shooting has prompted multiple protests in the city, See CHIEF, Page 3A
POEMS FOR CHANGE
ARTS PREVIEW
Basement Arts stages Martin McDonnaugh’s acclaimed play
Council to approve new police chief on Monday
GREG GOSS/Daily
Ann Arbor resident Ady Powell performs during the during the Poems for Change event hosted by the Groundcover News U-M Student Group on Thursday.
CAMPUS LIFE
Women share experiences at third annual Abortion Speak Out Hundreds attend event hosted by Students for Choice By CAITLIN REEDY Daily Staff Reporter
Amid an ongoing national debate over abortion rights and Planned Parenthood, about 300 students gathered in the
Michigan Union on Thursday night for the third annual Abortion Speak Out. The event, which invited people to share their personal experiences with abortion, was hosted in collaboration with the 1 in 3 Campaign, a national group that aims to make abortion a less taboo topic. “I thought it was very powerful and I’m so grateful that all of these people were
so brave and able to share their stories,” said LSA junior Kelsey Almony, a member of Students for Choice. “And I hope that other spaces can be created like this for other people to share their stories.” During the speak out, only individuals who had an abortion were permitted to share, and organizers placed restrictions on recording or social media See SPEAK OUT, Page 3A
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INDEX
Vol. CXXV, No. 29 ©2015 The Michigan Daily michigandaily.com
NEWS......................... 2A OPINION.....................4A ARTS.......................5A
SUDOKU.....................2A CL ASSIFIEDS...............6A T H E T I P - O F F. . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 B