ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FIVE YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM Wednesday, April 6, 2016
Ann Arbor, Michigan
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University to offer orgs funding for bicentennial ELIZABETH XIONG/Daily
LSA senior Cooper Charleton, CSG president, speaks at a Central Student Government meeting in CSG chambers in the Michigan Union Tuesday.
CSG passes resolution to affirm religious expression Student rights and safety on campus focus of assembly’s final meeting,
groups on campus by making the University of Michigan a sanctuary campus for immigrants took center stage. The resolution, following an incident of anti-Islam chalking on the Diag last week, was discussed at length and ultimately split into two separate resolutions that were passed. The resolutions affirms students’ rights of religious expression, such as the right to wear a hijab in any setting It also calls for CSG to recognize the
By JENNIFER MEER Daily Staff Reporter
At Tuesday’s Central Student Government meeting, a new resolution to promote the safety of Muslim and other minority
University’s campus as a safe space on campus for immigrant students. LSA representative Samer Alkhalili, an LSA junior who presented the resolution on the behalf of its authors, emphasized the University’s responsibility to protect its Muslim students, especially in the aftermath of the chalk messages on the Diag. “In this resolution, we want to reach out to students,” he said. “A lot of the students I’ve talked to have been traumatized by this
event. They don’t even want to leave their homes to go to class. At an institution like the University of Michigan, which prides itself in the core tenets of diversity, it’s unacceptable that we’re choosing to abstain from taking part in this conversation.” Fourteen students spoke on behalf of the resolution during the Community Concerns portion of the meeting before the resolution was brought to the floor. When representatives See CSG, Page 2A
Event outlines how students can participate in festivities By TIM COHN Daily Staff Reporter
On Tuesday, the University of Michigan Bicentennial Office and Center for Campus Involvement hosted an informational workshop at the Michigan League to help student organizations plan for upcoming bicentennial events in 2017. In total, the University Bicentennial Office is planning to grant a total of $300,000 to student organizations that host a bicentennial-themed event in 2017. Bailey Oland, an administrative assistant senior at the University Bicentennial Office, hosted the event along with Nick Smith from the Center for Campus Involvement.
CAMPUS LIFE
ACADEMICS
Debate focuses on definitions of hate speech Participants discuss the difference between violence, threats By CAMY METWALLY Daily Staff Reporter
About a dozen members of the University of Michigan’s Michigan Political Union — a student-run organization that aims to create a space for students on campus to discuss political issues — gathered Tuesday night at the Michigan Union for their final debate of the semester. Members discussed a wide array of topics, including issues of free speech, student diversity and bipartisanship, as well as responded to questions from attendees. LSA freshman Liam Stewart, member of the Michigan Political Union, touched on issues of unregulated free speech in his comments at the event.
He said his remarks were motivated by a personal encounter from earlier that day, when he passed a group of four individuals protesting on campus against what they characterized as racist hate speech. “The gist of their belief is that people who spout racist hate speech should not be protected, they shouldn’t have the right to free speech, the University should sanction against them and oppose their right to speech,” Stewart said. “That people who wrote things like last week the ‘Stop Islam’ posts … should be expelled from campus.” Last Wednesday, a number of religiously- and politicallydriven statements were written in chalk on the Diag, including phrases such as “#Stop Islam,” “Trump 2016” and “Build the Wall.” The statements sparked at least one call to University Police and an effort by students to wash the phrases away. See UNION, Page 3A
Oland highlighted the different events that will take place during the yearlong bicentennial celebration. Among other events included a 2017 Spring Festival, which will take place in early April and will feature a tree-planting event, a show hosted by the School of Music, Theatre & Dance, and a celebration of the University’s community of cultures that will feature the University’s historic relationship between different ethnic communities on campus. Several other themed festivals will include a summer festival in June to celebrate staff appreciation and a Detroit festival in September to honor the University’s founding in Detroit and the University’s relationship with the city. The bicentennial is slated to end with a time capsule dedication and a Third Century Expo in the style of a World’s Fair that will focus on the future of the University. Oland told the crowd of about 30 people that the University See BICENTENNIAL, Page 3A
NPR exec. to direct ‘U’ journalism programs Lynette Clemetson to take seat as Knight Wallace House director in July By JENNIFER MEER
ELIZABETH XIONG/Daily
Education Prof. Debi Khasnabis speaks about diversity at the Lean In panel for Multiculturalism and Diversity in Education in Rackham Auditorium Tuesday.
Lean In hosts discussion on campus multiculturalism Panelists raise concerns about marginalized students By ISHIHITO MORI For the Daily
Four representatives from the University of Michigan community discussed social justice issues on campus with
an emphasis on feminism and multiculturalism a panel Tuesday night. Panelists for the event, hosted by student organization Lean In University of Michigan were chosen for their unique views on diversity, according to organizers. The group is tied to a nationwide nonprofit of the same name, which aims to increase dialogue around gender equity. The panel was attended by about 100 University of Michigan
students, faculty and staff. Business junior Kelsey Hayes, one of two Lean In co-directors of internal operations, said Lean In focuses on various forms of diversity because these movements are intertwined with each other. “Lean In is all about bringing diverse perspectives to tell a story about how we can all achieve a more equal world,” she said. “So that’s why we’re really excited about See DIVERSITY, Page 3A
Daily Staff Reporter
Lynette Clemetson, current senior director of strategy and content initiatives at National Public Radio, will take on a new position at the University of Michigan in July as the director of Wallace House. Located just off Central Campus, Wallace House serves as the heart of the KnightWallace Fellowships and the Livingston Awards, distinctions for achievement in journalism. The organization’s fellowship offers mid-career journalists a year of study at the University of Michigan to advance their careers, and the Livingston Award honors top journalists under the age of 35 with monetary rewards. According to the Wallace House’s See WALLACE, Page 2A
the statement A look at the past, present and future of Ypsilanti
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INDEX
Vol. CXXV, No. 104 ©2016 The Michigan Daily michigandaily.com
NEWS.........................2 OPINION.....................4 CLASSIFIEDS...............6
SUDOKU.....................2 ARTS..................5 S TAT E M E N T. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 B