ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-SEVEN YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM
Friday, January 5, 2018
Ann Arbor, Michigan
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ACADEMICS
‘U’ affiliates report dozen harassment allegations Crowd-sourced sexual misconduct log includes 12 faculty, student survivors ANNA HARITOS
Managing Social Media Editor ROSEANNE CHAO/Daily
First-gen students struggle to find support in adjusting to campus life
In new academic environments, first-generation students must navigate structural hurdles ELIZABETH LAWRENCE Daily Staff Reporter
Taubman sophomore Wendy Zhuo moved herself into college. She bid farewell to her parents and hopped on a train from Boston to Ann Arbor. When she arrived, four suitcases in tow, she had no idea where she was. Eventually she called a taxi, which then dropped her and her belongings at her dorm. Zhuo is part of the 8 percent of first-generation undergraduate
students at the University, according to the 2016 Campus Climate Survey on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and her story is just one of many that first-generation students have to tell. Navigating the complex academic and social environment of college is difficult enough, but it is compounded by a lack of parental guidance and, in the case of many first-generation college students, a low-income status. According to a 2017 report from the National Center for Education Statistics, 27 percent of first-
generation students come from homes making $20,000 a year or less, whereas only six percent of continuing-generation students do. The setbacks these students face can create feelings of isolation and dissatisfaction with the campus climate, as shown in the results of the University’s 2016 Campus Climate Survey on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. To combat these struggles, the University has various resources and programs to help first-generation students throughout their college careers.
Adan Hussain, a firstgeneration project manager in the Office of Academic Multicultural Initiatives, detailed the four major events he oversees: a student and parent open house at the start of the year, two large community dinners and a first-generation graduation ceremony. “The major goal is community building, so that first-gen students can meet other first-gens who might be like them, or who might not be like them,” Hussain said. “Meeting both is just really See SUPPORT, Page 3
Thus far, the University of Michigan hasappeared in 12 alleged incidents of sexual harassment and assault taken from acrowdsourced database circulating in academic communities. Since December, over 2,000 individuals from academic institutions in the United States and abroad have responded to the sexual harassment survey created by Karen Kelsky, founder of the academic career-advisory business The Professor is In. The anonymous contributors who shared their stories range from students to professors. Perpetrators, all anonymous and in academia, also have also contributed to the survey. The 12 alleged incidents centered at the University vary in demographics and situation –– and some of the incidents date back to the 1980s. The unidentified sources wrote
about inappropriate sexual advances, sexist comments and rapes. Entries ranged from “raped during my PhD program” to tenured professors “serially groping” students. According to the log, of the four cases that were allegedly reported at the University, investigations were launched for two of them, and only one incident ended in disciplinary action. Many entries do not mention specific dates, but some refer to incidents that allegedly occurred in the last decade. “He berated me for being a ‘tease,’” one Universityaffiliated contributor wrote of her experience working in a University counseling center in the 1980s. “He said that I shouldn’t have agreed to come to his place if I didn’t want to have sex. And then he pointed to his crotch and said, “What am I supposed to do about that?” And he unzipped his pants and masturbated in front of me while I sat, frozen, on the See HARASSMENT, Page 3
Ann Arbor launches Citizens Academic program to University student to increase civic engagement & voter participation
BUSINESS
launch bag start-up
25 residents will have chance to attend weekly courses on budgeting, water and sewage infrastructure in city
Luggage Teleport Inc. will transport travelers’ bags to airports, hotels
This spring, the city of Ann Arbor will welcome a cohort of 25 residents for its inaugural “Citizens Academy”. The program aims to broaden civic understanding and offer Ann Arbor residents a perspective into the functioning of local government. Over the course of six weeks from March 28 to May 2, participants will have the chance to attend weekly sessions covering topics ranging from the mechanics behind city budgeting to water quality. Each week’s session will meet at a different location ranging from the Water Treatment Plant to the Communication Television Network offices. The initial idea for an Ann Arbor Citizens Academy came from the popular Ann Arbor Citizens’ Police, Fire and Courts Academy, established in 2008, which provide citizens the opportunity to engage with public safety operations. AAPFCA has been well received by the community according to Ann Arbor Police Service Specialist Jamie Giordano, who has been at the helm of the program for the past two years. The success of the AAPFCA, Giordano said, can be seen with the participants’ willingness to contribute to the city and their
RACHEL CUNNINGHAM Daily Staff Reporter
A new student start-up company that transports luggage for business travelers to airports and hotels in the San Francisco and Las Vegas areas will launch at the International Consumer Electronics Showcase held next week in Las Vegas. Engineering junior Benjamin Eu and his co-founder Max Yong met while taking entrepreneurship courses at Stanford University last summer. Yong had previously faced issues with luggage transport because his f light arrival time was much earlier than his checkin time at his hotel. Yong had a meeting to attend, so the process of transporting his luggage and traveling to the meeting took an additional hour of his time –– the two saw an opening in the market and founded Luggage Teleport Inc. Luggage Teleport Inc. works to transport luggage for business travelers from See START-UP, Page 3
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SHANNON ORS
Daily Staff Reporter
community. application review. A point“On the surface it sounds Ann Arbor resident Mary “Last year in our group we based system will be used to like an excellent goal. Morgan, the founder of had many of the members identify the top 25 scoring In looking through the the CivCity Initiative, a that were part of our group participants who will then be application process and how nonpartisan nonprofit with also were part of the Citizens offered a spot in the Citizens selective they plan to be, I the mission to increase civic Emergency Response Team Academy. am a little concerned about participation within Ann program, so they’re are helping Ann Arbor resident Kathy whether they are going to be Arbor, was excited about the out the community in that Griswold applauded the effort selecting citizens that could announcement of a Citizens way. Many of them went on to by the city to create a citizens be like-minded and use this Academy and believes it become neighborhood watch council, but has reservations as a development for potential is too early to tell if there captains, so they are a liaison concerning the application council candidates who agree are consequences to the between the police department process. with the majority,” she said. application requirement. and their neighborhoods See PROGRAM, Page 3 to bridge the gap and get information out into the community and from the community to us. Sharing their experiences helps the relationship between our department and the city,” Giordano said. The application process includes two components. The first component is a required application form with two short answer questions. The second component is an optional photo challenge where applicants have the opportunity to send photos of themselves at various Ann Arbor landmarks. Applications are due on March 2 by 5 p.m. The city has provided a detailed explanation of the selection process on their website. Applicants must be eighteen years old to apply. Ann Arbor residents and those who indicate they can attend SARAH KUNKEL/Daily all meetings will be This spring, the city of Ann Arbor will welcome a cohort of 25 residents for its inaugural “Citizens Academy.” given preference in the
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INDEX
Vol. CXXVII, No. 50 ©2018 The Michigan Daily
NEWS.........................2 OPINION.....................4 ARTS......................6
SUDOKU.....................2 CLASSIFIEDS...............6 SPORTS....................7