ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-SIX YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM
Tuesday, September 12, 2017
Ann Arbor, Michigan
michigandaily.com
DESIGN BY AVA WEINER
LGBTQ-focused student groups provide community The organizations aim to promote welcoming environment, provide networking opportunities, resources across disciplines JENNIFER MEER Daily Staff Reporter
LGBTQ-focused student groups on campus aim to foster welcoming communities and enhance professional opportunities for LGBTQ individuals and allies, at several of the University of Michigan’s schools and colleges. Out in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, Out for Business, and Outlaws are just three of the organizations with such missions. oSTEM New York Times columnist Manil Suri once asked, “Why is
science so straight?” He wrote while the statistics are difficult to find, an analysis by Rice University says the government-STEM field has 20 percent fewer LGBTQ workers than should be expected. Another study, in 2015, shows 43 percent of LGBTQ workers in the field are in the closet. Suri theorizes it could be because the culture of STEM suggests personal identity could interfere with neutrality. Engineering senior Caity Hines is on the executive board of oSTEM and President of Society of Women Engineers— an organization meant for LGBTQ students in STEM fields; she works in event planning and serves as a liaison between the group and other campus
organizations, as well as with the administration. The organization is registered through the College of Engineering, though it is open to people in STEM fields and beyond; it is also part of a national oSTEM organization. Hines said the group has a positive relationship with the Spectrum Center and the administration, especially as a result of an effort by the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiative to “hear all voices” on campus. “I’ve had administrators ask specifically if somebody from oSTEM was going to be present at different meetings with other student organizations,” she said.
Hines explained how within the College of Engineering there are DEI-focused meetings that include oSTEM and other identity-based organizations. She specifically noted a meeting that occurred the day after racist and anti-Semitic emails were sent to University engineering and computer science students. Though not directly affecting the LGBTQ community, the email incident, Hines said, was addressed in an oSTEM meeting; she noted an intersectionality of identities in the group. “There has not been a lot of direct homophobia; it’s a lot more indirect — just attitudes — and then we have a fair number of
students of color in the org,” she said. “Last year the majority of our board was students of color. So the intersectionality … has played into our activity.” Currently, Hines said, there are 30 to 40 active members, which she noted is to be expected seeing as there are not a lot of people in STEM fields who are openly LGBTQ; however, she added low numbers can be difficult when trying to organize events. Engineering sophomore Jaim Befeler is a student from Costa Rica and member of the organization. He said the organization is important to him because in Costa Rica it is hard to be out and in the science field, and added Costa Rica
is a very conservative country. He learned of oSTEM at the annual Pride Outside event when he was a freshman. “Coming here and being able to have people understand me not only for my identity, also for what I love doing, it was really supportive and it … made me feel like I am not alone,” he said. Befeler, who is studying computer engineering, noted one feature of the organization that has been an asset to him is the academic support. “It was really, really nice when I started coming to the meetings and having discussions and having people that told me, ‘If you need help in your class I can help,’ or See ORGS, Page 3
Professors consider tech displacement SACUA Kid Rock condemns in employment, concerns with ethics responds to
ACADEMICS
GOVERNMENT
anti-Latino spray paint
Event outlines possibilities of new advancements, unique career changes with robots
Resolution also approved unanimously to extend Tri-Campus Task Force
Imagine a world in which new careers and those that are unheard of today, exist, and those careers that exist today are no longer available. A world where robots have complete control of certain occupations, and where humans have the opportunity to implant knowledge into their brains through the use of technological advancements. On Monday evening, Dr. Kevin LaGrandeur, a professor of English at the New York Institute of Technology, addressed these possibilities to a crowd of about 100 students, faculty and community members as part of the Science, Technology and Public Policy Lecture Series. LaGrandeur, along with James J. Hughes, wrote “Surviving the Machine Age: Intelligent Technology and the Transformation of Human Work,” a book describing how an increase in technology may influence employment in future years. These spurts of technology advancement are not new to society, LaGrandeur explained. In the 1960s, the automobile industry underwent a change in which industrial robots began displacing workers. “Now this process is affecting jobs in a much
ALEX COTT
Daily Staff Reporter
At its first meeting of the academic year, the Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs passed a resolution condemning the recent anti-Latino graffiti incident, when hate messages were spray painted on the Rock, a campus landmark at the intersection of Hill Street and Washtenaw Avenue on Aug. 31. The resolution — which passed by a narrow 4-7 margin — states SACUA’s support for Latino community members, their devotion to the equity and inclusion of all ethnic communities, and denounced any acts of hate or messages targeting any ethnic or national community. However, despite their unanimous condemnation of the bias incident, the members of SACUA were split over the language of the resolution. In a debate among SACUA members about the wording of the resolution, Michael Atzmon, a professor of nuclear engineering and radiological sciences who See SACUA, Page 3
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JORDYN BAKER Daily Staff Reporter
broader way, not just in the working classes, but even in the middle and upper-middle classes,” LaGrandeur said. “This process in technological displacement is accelerating.” Among the most notable of displacements include a farm in Japan completely managed by robots, an Australian robot with the capability of laying bricks at about 20 times faster than a human in the
construction industry, bionic bartenders on several Royal Caribbean cruise ships and a restaurant in Japan capable of quickly making ramen dishes for customers. LaGrandeur continued by showing audience members a chart displaying the probabilities of robots taking over certain careers in the next 20 years. The four careers with the highest probabilities
included telemarketers, with a 99 percent chance of being replaced, accountant and auditors at 94 percent, retail salesperson with 92 percent and technical writers at 89 percent. He also described the more recent virtual reality real estate tours, in which prospective buyers can look through 3D glasses at real estate, even at buildings that See ROBOTS, Page 3
JOSHUA HAN/Daily
Kevin Lagrandeur, professor at the New York Institute of Technology and Fellow of the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technology, presents on the history of technological displacement of workers in Weiss Hall Monday afternoon.
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INDEX
Vol. CXXV, No. 87 ©2016 The Michigan Daily
‘campaign’ criticisms
Singer speaks out after allegations of racism, violations of campaign law MAYA GOLDMAN Daily Staff Reporter
It’s been quite a month for Kid Rock. The rock star and Michigan native has become embroiled in a slew of controversies lately, as he has been criticized as the opening-night choice for the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan and accused of violating campaign law. The singer released an official statement on his Facebook page Monday morning to address his adversaries. “People! Pay NO attention to the garbage the extreme left is trying to create! (and by the way, f—- the extreme left and the extreme right!),” Kid Rock, whose real name is Robert Ritchie, wrote on Facebook. Controversy arose when Sam Riddle, political director of the Michigan National Action Network, criticized the Red Wings in an interview with the Detroit Free Press for admonishing a white supremacy group who paraded with the team’s logo but still booking Kid Rock, who used See KID ROCK, Page 3
NEWS.........................2 OPINION.....................4 ARTS......................6
SUDOKU.....................2 CLASSIFIEDS...............6 SPORTS....................7