ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FIVE YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM Friday, March 11, 2016
Ann Arbor, Michigan
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GOVERNMENT
In 2016 elections, a focus on higher ed
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Information senior Sonia Doshi introduces a workshop at the Mental Health Monologues during the Depression on College Campuses Conference at Rackham Graduate School on Thursday.
Mental Health Monologue addresses campus stigmas Event part of twoday conference on depression on college campuses
By MADELINE MCGERSON Daily Staff Reporter
Thursday afternoon, about 60 students, faculty and social workers from across the country gathered to attend a Mental Health Monologues workshop led by Information senior Sonia Doshi, founder of Healthy Minds
Student Leadership Coalition. The workshop was part of the second day of the 14th annual Depression on College Campuses Conferences, hosted by the University of Michigan’s Depression Center. Doshi created the event last year with the aim of giving students the opportunity to share their stories and experiences with mental health and reduce the stigma of mental health on campus. Three students performed monologues during a series of workshops, throughout which Doshi explained the process and intentions of the actual Mental
Health Monologues, which will take place in April. Speakers at the Monologues are anonymous due to the sensitive and personal nature of their stories. One student shared her story of living with obsessivecompulsive disorder. “When you have OCD, it is not uncommon for your thoughts to give you superpowers,” she said. “Once you get rid of one fear, another comes back.” Following the first story, Doshi asked the audience to create a mental map, which encouraged participants to explore a theme such as pain, and then form a
script for a potential monologue of their own. “This activity simplifies the act of taking your entire life story and condensing it into a five minute performance,” Doshi said. Nyshourn Price, student services specialist at the School of Social Work, shared her experiences as a single mother during the exercise. “I saw that I was able to pull up something so quickly that is so old for me,” Price said. “There were two issues that came up for me. Grief, as I lost my mother two years ago, and my past relationship See HEALTH, Page 3
Candidates in both parties release comprehensive plans on debt, tuition By CAITLIN REEDY Daily Staff Reporter
Among other unique qualities, this presidential election stands out in that it’s putting the spotlight on and taking new approaches to many previously under-the-radar topics — such as campus issues like college student debt and campus sexual assault. Seeking to appeal to young voters, all major GOP and Democratic candidates have presented plans to address student loan debt and restructure higher education to benefit more young Americans. From tuition-free state universities to heavily subsidized tuition to restructuring of student loans, candidates on both sides have highlighted reform efforts. The Democrats were the first
CRIME
LEGISLATURE
After incidents, ‘U’ students still riding with Uber Kalamazoo mass shooting renews calls for increased regulations By RIYAH BASHA Daily Staff Reporter
Though Uber and other ridesharing services are facing a nationwide call for increased regulation on drivers — in Michigan specifically, following a mass shooting carried out by an Uber driver in Kalamazoo who killed six — University of Michigan students continue to use on Uber as a reliable way to get around campus. LSA junior Nadine Jawad said she takes safety precautions when using Uber, such as carrying pepper spray and a charged phone, but remains loyal to the service even after the mass shootings. “My parents strongly discourage my use of Uber so often due to the recent shooting in Kalamazoo, so I can’t help but hold a tinge of fear subconsciously,” she said. “However, of the 50 times I’ve used an Uber I’ve never had an issue, (but) you never know what to expect. Personally I’m not scared so long as it’s light outside and I have a phone and my pepper spray.” In response to the Kalamazoo incidents, as well as others that have occured in the state and beyond, critics of Uber and Lyft have pointed to issues of safety originating with companies’ verification process. Uber and Lyft drivers go through a significantly shorter interview process than rival taxi companies and do not have to
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submit government background checks or pay fees to obtain city licenses, Newsweekreported. Drivers found to be violent are immediately suspended, according to Uber’s policy, but if a customer lodges a complaint against something subjective, like bad driving, the driver may not be immediately punished. Jeremy Dalton, the shooter responsible for six deaths in Kalamazoo, had a “good” rating of 4.73 and favorable feedback from riders, Time found. In an interview, Fermaish Ali, an Uber driver in Detroit, admitted the company’s hiring practices could use tweaking. “Being scared is justified,” he said. “You are given a service in which even the employer does not know the driver. Even when they have done background research on the drivers, there is no real meetings or interview after being hired. Everything from there on is online or on the phone.” LSA freshman Stephanie Harris agreed with Jawad, saying she feels Uber is more dependable than other options for getting home at night, such as walking or taking the bus. “I’ve always thought the concept of Uber is sketchy, but walking home from parties late at night is sketchier,” she said. “Living on North Campus doesn’t really give me much of a choice since the buses are so unreliable.” University Police spokeswoman Diane Brown said she woudn’t dissuade students from using ride-sharing services, but warned them to only request rides through Uber and Lyft’s official apps and to exercise caution. See UBER, Page 3
to take on the policy focus, when U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.) entered the race with higher education reform as a key pillar to his platform. His challenger, Hillary Clinton, also proposed her own solution, and leading Republicans soon followed suit. Now down to the last four in a race that once had 17 — with U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tx.), Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), businessman Donald Trump and Ohio Gov. John Kasich — higher education has been a less prominent focus for the Republicans than the Democrats overall, but an emphasis nonetheless. Cynthia Wilbanks, vice president for government relations at the University of Michigan, in response to the call by all candidates for universities to take more responsibility for managing tuition costs, said the University is working more closely with students. “The most important thing is that we have receptive students and families,” Wilbanks said. “One See HIGHER ED, Page 3
Bills aim to up access to hygiene items for women State legislators hope to open up dialogue around menstruation By CAITLIN REEDY
DELANEY RYAN/Daily
Jeanice Swift, Ann Arbor Public Schools superintendent, speaks on the addition of crosswalks near Huron High School at the Ann Arbor City Council meeting at City Hall on Thursday.
City Council plans reforms to oversight of police in A2 Council members say transparency a recurring issue in department By BRIAN KUANG Daily Staff Reporter
Members of the Ann Arbor Human Rights Commission addressed City Council Thursday as the body voted to accept the commission’s recommendations regarding police-community relations. Prompted by the police shooting of Ann Arbor resident Aura Rosser, a Black woman, in 2014, the HRC extensively studied police oversight practices across the country and published a report in November 2015. Washtenaw County prosecutor’s office ultimately declined to press charges against the officer involved in the shooting in January 2015. The commission’s report
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calls for the appointment of an independent police auditor, the creation of a civilian board to investigate complaints against police and improved channels for dispute resolution and crisis intervention. Several members of the locally appointed commission — including two University of Michigan law students — were present at the meeting to speak in favor of adopting the recommendations put forth by their report. Commission chair Leslie Stambaugh, an Ann Arbor resident, told councilmembers the independent police auditor should urgently be funded by the city’s May budget deadline. “We want council to provide funding for this before the budget deadline in May so that it can get installed quickly and effectively,” Stambaugh said. “Otherwise, we fear it will get delayed even further and be implemented poorly, and that would be a waste.” Ann Arbor resident Robert
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McGee, who was in attendance, also praised the report’s recommendations and the drive for greater police transparency, but cautioned that civilian oversight should not directly obstruct the operations of the Ann Arbor Police Department. “Nowadays with the mounting societal pressure on our men and women in blue, I fully support any effort to improve relations between them and the public, and in the same breadth I also support a mechanism for the public to be heard,” McGee said. “However, I do caution the citizen oversight board should not interfere with ongoing criminal investigations, departmental disciplinary actions, union issues and any real-time events.” As the council moved to unanimously approve the resolution to accept the report, the councilmembers acknowledged the work of the commission — who are unpaid volunteers — and the See COUNCIL, Page 3
Vol. CXXV, No. 87 ©2016 The Michigan Daily michigandaily.com
Daily Staff Reporter
In a bid to increase access, two bills were introduced in the Michigan House of Representatives last week to provide tampons and sanitary napkins for free in women’s restrooms in public school buildings and state-owned facilities. House Bills 5427 and 5426, introduced by Rep. Sarah Roberts (D–St. Clair Shores), follow another bill focused on access, HB 5234, introduced in January 2016 that aimed to remove sales taxes from all feminine hygiene products. The bills join a nationwide push to make feminine hygiene products more accessible to women, which started in January when California State Rep. Cristina Garcia (D–Calif.) introduced the first piece of state legislation to abolish the “tampon tax.” As of now, only five states have gotten rid of the tax: Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey and Massachusetts. Roberts said she was first inspired to work toward making feminine hygiene products more readily available after hearing about the work of an advocate in New York. The three bills concerning tampon access currently in the House, she said, are part of a package to open up See BILLS, Page 3
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