ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FIVE YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM Tuesday, February 2, 2016
Ann Arbor, Michigan
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SCIENCE
With 3-year contract, Hu prepares for VP role
GRANT HARDY/Daily
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R –Tex.) discusses his desire to restore the Constitution to its original form and defend it if elected president during a rally at Johnson County Fairgrounds outside Iowa City, Iowa, on Sunday.
Cruz stresses conservative credentials on path to victory Senator wins Republican Iowa caucus by roughly 3 percent
(R–Tex.) made sure Iowan voters knew he was the most conservative presidential candidate at his rally in Iowa City Sunday. On Sunday, Sen. Cruz’s final appeals aimed to cement the votes of the farthest right-wing constituents — and the final polls showed his effort drew them in, as well as others. During his remarks, Sen. Cruz urged attendees to each persuade nine other friends to caucus for him, and for those who were too
By EMMA KINERY Daily News Editor
IOWA CITY — A day before he won the nation’s first caucus by about three percent, Sen. Ted Cruz
young to vote: persuade 10. “I’m not suggesting voter fraud,” he said. “If every one of you brings nine other people to the caucus tomorrow night, you will have voted 10 times.” According to the Associated Press’s poll, Sen. Cruz won the caucuses with 27.7 percent. In second and third place were Donald Trump and Marco Rubio, at 24.4 and 23 percent respectively as of Monday night. At Sunday’s rally, the focus
rested largely on speakers who could speak to Cruz’s conservative credentials, with almost sixty minutes devoted to a range of individuals emphasizing Cruz’s devotion to conservative values and the strength of his conservative convictions. The candidate spoke for about fifteen minutes afterward to close out the rally. Over the past several years, Iowa’s Republican caucus has See CRUZ, Page 3
Vice president for research plans to continue support for innovation By ALEXA ST. JOHN Daily Staff Reporter
After serving as interim in the role for almost two years, Jack Hu, the University’s current vice president for research, was approved for a three-year appointment, effective Jan. 1, 2016 through Dec. 31, 2018, in December. In an interview with The Michigan Daily on Jan. 12, Hu outlined several goals for his role, including supporting creating opportunities for students, supporting faculty research and innovation and fostering interdisciplinary initiatives. The search process for Hu’s position was consulted by University President Mark Schlissel with the aim of
GOVERNMENT
CAMPUS LIFE
House bill calls for tax cuts to tampons, pads Representative aims to exempt feminine hygiene products from state revenue By CAITLIN REEDY Daily Staff Reporter
Michigan is joining several other states in the nation in working to abolish the so-called “tampon tax” through a new House bill that seeks to exempt several feminine hygiene products, including tampons and pads, from taxation among other products. Rep. Sarah Roberts (D– St. Clair Shores) introduced House Bill 5234 on Jan. 21 after hearing about an activist in New York who was advocating for removal of the tax. “I thought this absolutely makes sense that we should not be taxing women for being women,” Roberts said in an interview. “The state has a number of things that are seen as necessary items, like food and prescriptions, and I think feminine hygiene products are necessary items. It is something we cannot not have.” The bill has garnered 28 co-sponsors, three of which are Republicans. Nine of the 21 total women in the state House have supported the bill. “Women menstruate, we’ve been doing it for a very long time, and we should be talking about it,” Roberts said. “We
WEATHER TOMORROW
should make it accessible and affordable and safe.” The push to remove the tax started with California state Rep. Cristina Garcia (D–Calif.), who got the idea to make feminine hygiene products tax free after hearing from local constituents who said the tampon tax accumulates to a large portion of their income. Garcia said women are being taxed for being women and that until recently, men were afraid to approach the subject. “We’ve been taught to hide this,” Garcia said when announcing the bill. “The reality is, these institutions of power are male-dominated.” According to Garcia, the average California woman spends $7 a year on taxes for purchasing tampons and other feminine hygiene products. The state generates $20 million annually from these taxes alone, Garcia said in a press release. Nationwide, tampons are taxed more than candy and soda, according to a study from the Tax Foundation. Roberts said the average American woman will use upwards of 17,000 tampons and sanitary napkins during her lifetime, not including those used by her daughters. LSA sophomore Ashley Wilson, social media director of Students for Choice, said she thought this new initiative can positively affect women of lower income status. “The idea that having a See TAX, Page 3
HI: 44 LO: 40
identifying and evaluating senior officers who would be qualified for the position, according to University Regent Kathy White (D–Ann Arbor). During the process, Schlissel consulted with the Board of Regents and asked for their input, leading to their December vote on appointing Schlissel’s recommendation, Hu. In the University Board of Regents’ action item from its meeting in December, Schlissel summarized several reasons why Hu was a viable candidate, citing his leadership skills and experience in particular. “Professor Hu’s proven leadership skills, breadth and depth of experience, vision and demonstrated commitment to the University of Michigan make him ideally suited for the responsibilities of vice president for research,” Schlissel said. Hu was originally appointed as interim vice president following former vice president Stephen Forrest’s announcement to step down from the position and See JACK HU, Page 3
Plan-a-thon seeks input on strategic diversity plan LSA forum draws few students, some faculty to League ballroom By EMILY MILLER Daily Staff Reporter
EMILIE FARRUGIA/Daily
Nora Jane Struthers & the Party Line performs at The Ark’s 39th Ann Arbor Folk Festival at Hill Auditorium on Friday.
ARTS
Ann Arbor Folk Fest brings a winning variety of sounds Over a dozen artists play Hill Auditorium as part of annual festival By ARIANA ASSAF Daily Arts Writer
Last weekend, over a dozen musical acts graced the stage at Hill Auditorium as part of the 39th annual Ann Arbor Folk Festival. Not knowing much about folk music, I went in expecting songs praising the good ol’ US of A backed by banjos and harmonicas. But like many other genres of today, folk music is not defined by such specific parameters. Friday night at the festival exposed me to a grandiose landscape of styles: from
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soft vocalists to rock ‘n’ roll guitar players and everything in between. A voice that particularly caught my attention was that of Dallas Green, City and Colour’s lead singer. Green began his music career as guitarist/lead singer of Helicon Blue in the early 2000s, co-founded hardcore band Alexisonfire after that, and released his first album as City and Colour in 2005. Since then, the project has earned him international attention, and he’s performed everywhere from his home city of Toronto to South America (along with pop-star-turnedcountry-singer Pink on their duo, You+Me). Yet for all that big-time success, City and Colour’s performance felt as intimate as old friends sharing secrets and memories in the comfort
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of a living room. Green’s casual flannel and baseball cap lent an air of relaxation to the regal Hill Auditorium that perfectly matched the calmness of his voice, allowing him to establish instant familiarity with the audience regardless of whether or not they were already fans of his music. The band kept the performance balanced with a good mix of recent work and old favorites, highlighting songs like “If I Should Go Before You,” a beautiful example of Green’s vocal and emotional range. A well-received throwback came in the form of “Grand Optimist” from the album Little Hell, as eerie “ooooh” ’s made walls vibrate and souls tingle — the kind of effect only a live performance can achieve. They ended the set with the See FOLK FEST, Page 5
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The College of Literature, Science and the Arts hosted the first of two workshops Monday to receive feedback and ideas from students regarding ways to facilitate a more inclusive and diverse climate on campus. The workshop is part of LSA’s Plan-A-Thon, an initiative to help generate ideas before submitting a college-wide plan to enhance diversity at the school. The plan, which will be submitted on March 15 and implemented next fall, is part of University President Mark Schlissel’s strategic plan on diversity, equity and inclusion. While this event aimed to engage students in the planning process according to event organizers, about half of the audience Monday was made up of faculty members. The room was setup to accommodate a large crowd, but only a few of the tables in the League ballroom were filled, with about 15 students and 15 faculty members in attendance. During the workshop, administrators presented the current draft of the plan to gauge reactions to initiatives presented and brainstorm ways to improve. Angela Dillard, LSA associate See DIVERSITY, Page 2
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SUDOKU.....................2 ARTS....................5 SPORTS....................7