ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-SEVEN YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM
Tuesday, November 21, 2017
Ann Arbor, Michigan
michigandaily.com
CAMPUS LIFE
Push to add ME/NA box launches on social media
Students, faculty sign onto #WeExist campaign to lobby for Arab category MATT HARMON Daily Staff Reporter
MATT VAILLIENCOURT/Daily
Students gather in rememberence of transgender people murdered in 2017 on the Diag Monday.
Students, faculty gather for Transgender Day of Remembrance with vigil, event Group gathered to reflect on those killed Moment of silence, vigil held for U-M to in the past year due to transphobia remember those affected by violence ABBY MURO
Daily Staff Reporter
About 40 people gathered to commemorate the 12th annual Transgender Day of Remembrance Monday evening at the University of Michigan’s Trotter Multicultural Center in honor of lives that have been lost as a result of transphobia in the past year, and to
acknowledge and discuss experiences of transgender and nonbinary people. The event was organized by the Spectrum Center as part of Transgender Awareness Week. It was followed by a candlelight vigil in the Diag in honor of those who have died in the past year. Spectrum Center Director Will Sherry gave the opening See REMEMBRANCE, Page 3
JULIA YOUNG For the Daily
A moment of silence fell across the University of Michigan Diag on Monday night as students and Ann Arbor residents gathered for a candlelight vigil to commemorate those who lost their lives or suffered as a result of transphobic-motivated
violence. The vigil took place on the internationally recognized Transgender Day of Remembrance, the finale of Transgender Awareness Week. LSA senior Emily Kaufman, president of LGBT+ Michigan, organized the event to raise awareness for the struggles her trans community deals with. She said too many people are unaware of the systemic See VIGIL, Page 3
After garnering support from students and faculty at all three University of Michigan campuses, a campaign called #WeExist to add a Middle Eastern/North African identity category to University documents launched Monday night. A running online petition features more than 350 faculty and staff signatures in support of the identity box. “For the University, the ability to ascertain who identifies with the ME/NA community is a necessary step in developing programs and interventions to address any disparities and to achieve Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) goals,” the petition reads. Data from the sample campus climate survey found ME/NA-identifying students to make up 2 percent of the
student body. Resolutions in favor of creating a Middle Eastern/North African identity category were passed by Central Student Government last February and by LSA Student Government last month — the CSG resolution passed unanimously. This lack of a Middle Eastern/North African option on University documents from application forms to financial aid is mirrored by the U.S. Census documents sent out every 10 years. The Arab American Institute has been leading the charge on this issue, saying the current method of tabulating the number of ME/NA citizens in the country is inaccurate. Including the ME/NA category, some argue, would have positive effects on issues of health, education and more. According to the Arab American Institute, adjusted for under-reporting, Michigan is ranked second in the nation for highest ArabSee ME/NA, Page 3
City Council tables development bills Emergency Minority could close after outpouring of resident opposition and female
ANN ARBOR
ACADEMICS
water lines, city supply
Public lobbies against residential zoning despite growing need for housing
Rupture might result in treatment plan shutdown and reduced consumption
After continued resistance from Ann Arbor residents, as well as several council members, City Council moved to once again postpone a decision on downtown developments. Many residents came to argue against several zoning changes on Broadway Street, seeking to defend the beauty and history of their town, and arguing for commercial rather than residential developments. With a zoning change, residents feared a high-rise would overcome the charm and integrity of their city. “What do residents get with this development? Nothing,” said Mary Underwood, a resident of Ann Arbor since 1974. “People who have to live beside it need benefits too. It should not just be for U of M students and employees. We want these areas developed, but we want to go about it in the right way for future generations. Ann Arbor is not a cookie-cutter place, and we’re proud of that.” One resident, Angela Baker, expressed concern for parking issues in her own neighborhood. “How much more do we have to bend before we break,” Baker asked. With plans for new developments, residents
MATT HARMON Daily Staff Reporter
Water supply lines to the city of Ann Arbor water line have ruptured and could possibly lead to a shutdown of the city’s water treatment facility for two to three days to repair the lines. Craig Hupy, Ann Arbor’s public services area administrator, debriefed City Council at its meeting Monday night. Running from the Huron River, the two water lines reportedly were affected by the rupture. The initial rupture of one of the pipelines happened Saturday, and efforts to divert the flow from the ruptured line to the intact one were unsuccessful, forcing the city to bring in an outside contractor. If the repairs are not successful by Tuesday, the water treatment facility will be forced to shut down, and citizens will have to limit water usage for two or three days so repairs can take place.
Read more at MichiganDaily.com See EMERGENCY, Page 3 GOT A NEWS TIP? Call 734-418-4115 or e-mail news@michigandaily.com and let us know.
GRACE KAY For The Daily
continued to express concerns about traffic, parking and how to keep Ann Arbor a dense city with close commercial retail shops. The zoning changes — particularly the brownfield site plan — can alleviate environmental issues years in the making. Zachary Ackerman, D-Ward 3, argued the zoning change and proposed development could
solve a $15 million issue of water contamination. Ackerman argued the developments could meet the rising housing demand, stressing the necessity for more affordable and readily available housing. “We have a huge demand,” Ackerman said, referencing the rise in the undergraduate population at the University of Michigan by 5,000 students
in the past few years. Ackerman also noted 55 percent of people in Ann Arbor are renters. “Are they attractive? No,” Ackerman said about residential buildings. “But are they housing people? Yes.” The decision to postpone the decision and the idea of a change in zoning itself was a controversial topic among the See DEVELOPMENT, Page 3
ALEC COHEN/Daily
Ann Arbor Mayor Christopher Taylor at a City Council meeting.
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INDEX
Vol. CXXVII, No. 34 ©2017 The Michigan Daily
faculty face more bias
Senate Assembly reviews DEI climate survey results with tri-campus members ZOE BAXTER For The Daily
The University of Michigan Senate Assembly, the University’s leading faculty governance body, gathered Monday afternoon to learn the results of the faculty campus climate survey. Guest speaker Robert Sellers, vice provost for Equity and Inclusion and chief diversity officer, presented the information from the 2016-17 survey. Overall, 72 percent of tenured faculty and 75 percent of nontenured faculty reported they were satisfied or very satisfied with the climate — which is consistent with students and staff. However, white faculty members were more than two and a half times more likely than African-American faculty members to report they are satisfied with overall campus climate, and over three times more likely than those who are Hispanic or Latino. Seventy-one percent of the faculty sample responded to the survey, much higher than the typical climate survey response rate of 22 percent to 27 percent. See FACULTY, Page 3
NEWS.........................2 OPINION.....................4 ARTS......................6
SUDOKU.....................2 CLASSIFIEDS...............6 SPORTS....................7