Color ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-SEVEN YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM
Wednesday, February 7, 2018
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Michigan in Color looks forward
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Founded four years ago as a just stand-alone column, the Michigan in Color section reflects on its founding
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T H E M I CH I GA N DAI LY | FE B RUA RY 7, 201 8
STUDENT GOVERNMENT
CSG student rep resigns after alleged harassment IBRAHIM IJAZ/Daily
Member accuses lacking inclusion, rest of meeting focuses on election code revisions
Yaa Gyasi, author of Homecoming, speaks as part of the 2018 Jill S. Harris Memorial Lecture at Rackham Auditorium Tuesday.
Yaa Gyasi discusses ‘Homegoing,’ racial trauma in packed Rackham
Award-winning author talks novel, personal roots with panel of ‘U’ professors REFAEL KUBERSKY For The Daily
On Tuesday, author Yaa Gyasi spoke at the University of Michigan in front of a crowded Rackham Auditorium to discuss her awardwinning novel “Homegoing.” After
its publication, Gyasi won the National Book Critics’ Circle’s John Leonard First Book Prize. The novel has also been selected as the 2018 book for the Washtenaw Reads program. “Homegoing” highlights the story of two half sisters and their descendants through eight generations, going over two
hundred years of Ghanaian and American history. It also highlights illuminating themes of racism, family and unity. To begin the event, Yaa Gyasi, sat down with English professors Gaurav Desai and Aida LevyHussen. She opened the discussion by reading a powerful excerpt from her novel, detailing the life of her
character “Afiyah” and the physical abuse she suffered at the hands of her father. She then transitioned to the discussion with Desai and Levy-Hussen, as they discussed the novel’s origins and several of its central themes. In their discussion, Gyasi explained how she traveled to Ghana to conduct research after See HOMEGOING, Page 3A
DANIELLE PASEKOFF Daily Staff Reporter
The University of Michigan’s Central Student Government met Tuesday evening to address issues regarding anti-Semitism on campus, University efforts to transfer to clean energy sources and further revisions to the CSG election code. Additionally, the assembly continued their discussion regarding improved sexual assault prevention training and appointed several new student representatives. Before agenda items were considered, however, Business junior Lauren Ward announced her resignation from the assembly due to issues of inclusion.
Ward referenced a previous virtual confrontation between her and a fellow CSG member, but did not disclose who was involved in this dispute. “I would feel remiss in my resignation from Central Student Government if I didn’t at least tell you all why I’ve chosen to leave this poisonous position,” Ward said. “What are we doing? Not just representatives, but CSG as a whole?” Ward ran as a representative on the eMerge campaign last spring — the ticket made history when president Anushka Sarkar, an LSA senior, and vice president Nadine Jawad, a Ford senior, became the first women of color elected together since at least 1993. See ASSEMBLY, Page 3A
Ross students’ behavior surrounding Orgs face Greek Life off on role Tide Pods threatens P&G business ties hosts third
CAMPUS LIFE
of Zionist ideologies
CAMPUS LIFE
Class questions to guest speaker included “what flavors of Tide Pods are coming out?”
SAFE and Hillel counter program two teach-ins supremacy, anti-Semitism ELIZABETH LAWRENCE & LEAH GRAHAM Daily Staff Reporters
Students Allied for Freedom and Equality held a teach-in Tuesday night to discuss the altright’s affinity for U.S. support of the state of Israel, as well as criticisms of Israeli government. In response, University of Michigan Hillel held a counterevent intended to fuel discussion on whether equating Zionism with Nazism is a modern form of anti-Semitism. Both events were highly discussed by members of the University community — tensions between pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel groups have remained high since the passing of SAFE’s #UMDivest resolution last November. SAFE’s discussion on the intersection of Israel and the far right honed in on the example of Richard Spencer, a white supremacist who is currently in talks with the University to speak on campus. Spencer, SAFE proposed, seems at once to espouse both anti-Semitic and Zionist views. The teach-in was See TEACH-INS, Page 3A
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CORY ZAYANCE Daily Staff Reporter
A representative of Procter & Gamble Co. visited the University of Michigan on Jan. 22 to lecture Ross School of Business students on marketing tactics and its role as part of the Tide brand. However, the lecture went awry after the students attending asked questions centered almost exclusively around popular phenomenon Tide Pods. Ross students have since said they were told the questions jeopardized the business schools’s relationship with P&G. While the representative, Business alum Courtney Ratkowiak, opened the f loor for questions related to marketing, students, utilizing the anonymous feature of the question-app Pigeonhole Live, sent in a number of questions based on a popular meme centered around millennials eating Tide Pods. P&G is an American multinational consumer goods corporation. They own a series of brands including Gillette, Old Spice, Febreze and Tide, among others. P&G has had a longstanding recruiting relationship with the Business School. The lecture took place outside of normal class hours on a Monday night, and included a mix of Business Check out the Daily’s News podcast, The Daily Weekly
students and non-Business students. According to a junior who wished to remain anonymous, the fact the lecture occurred outside of the class schedule contributed to the students’ attitude. Some of the highest voted questions included: “What new f lavors of tide pods do you have coming out?” and “How many tide pods a day keep the doctor away?”
“The problem was they used this anonymous app called Pigeonhole,” the anonymous junior said. “I think that was where they went wrong; as soon as they did that for the first time, the dynamic of the presentation changed.” According to the junior, attendees wanted to post something funny as the questions continued. The representative appeared to be
f lustered, and skimmed over the joke-questions, answering only the serious ones. “I definitely think most people, including myself, walked out of the presentation thinking that it was funny,” the junior said. “Then they told us P&G was reconsidering a relationship with Ross, and that jeopardizes people’s chances of working for them, See PODS, Page 3A
ROSEANNE CHAO/Daily
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INDEX
Vol. CXXVII, No. 71 ©2018 The Michigan Daily
Speak Out gathering
Amid #MeToo movement, survivors shared stories in an unmoderated session RILEY LANGEFELD Daily Staff Reporter
The Panhellenic Peer Educators at the University of Michigan hosted the third annual Panhellenic Speak Out on Tuesday night, providing a forum for survivors of sexual violence to share their stories in a confidential space. At the event, attendees were welcomed to share stories in an open, unmoderated session that lasted two hours. Survivors shared stories from a wide range of experiences; some read poetry, some told their stories unscripted and some spoke for friends who were unable to speak. LSA senior Ally Cohen and Kinesiology senior Cass BouseEaton worked to organize the event, with preparations beginning in August. Both have been involved with the event and PPE for several years, and they expressed their hope it would empower more survivors to share stories and spur action. “In the wake of the #MeToo movement and everything See SPEAK, Page 3A
NEWS.........................2 OPINION.....................4 ARTS......................6
SUDOKU.....................2 CLASSIFIEDS...............6 SPORTS....................7