ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-SEVEN YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM
Thursday, October 18, 2018
Ann Arbor, Michigan
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ACADEMICS
Professional orgs support faculty right to ideology
2 associations, 200 grad students ask ‘U’ to roll back Cheney-Lippold punishment ANDREW HIYAMA Daily News Editor
DESIGN BY JACK SILBERMAN
Water quality raises concerns about pollutants across Michigan
Not much known about high levels of PFAS chemicals linked to increased risk of cancer ZACK BLUMBERG Daily Staff Reporter
More than four years after the Flint water crisis, Michigan officials encountered a new challenge this summer when the Department of Environmental Quality revealed some water quality tests around the state — including in Ann Arbor — contained a toxic chemical called
perfluorooctanesulfonic acid. Brian Steglitz, manager of the Ann Arbor Water Treatment Plant, believes on a local level there is very little to worry about and the plant is handling the situation well. He explained the risks associated with PFAS were still largely unknown, though the chemical has been linked to an potential increased risk for cancer and other health problems in some studies. In
September, Steglitz announced a “do-not-eat foam” warning at an Ann Arbor City Council meeting. “The challenge with PFAS is that it is emerging,” Steglitz said. “We don’t have all the information we really need to assess what the risks are and what the safe levels are. I think a lot of that is going to come in the coming months and maybe even years.” According to Steglitz, the
water treatment plant has been testing treatment technologies for the past year and the city recently spent $850,000 to implement an effective technology in all of the city’s filters. “In terms of PFAS, I think we’re very well-prepared to deal with this emerging contaminant. I feel extremely confident that See POLLUTANTS, Page 2
Two prominent educational and professional institutions — the American Association of University Professors and the American Political Science Association — are urging the University of Michigan to reconsider sanctions imposed on American Culture professor John CheneyLippold. Cheney-Lippold recently became ineligible for a salary raise for one year and ineligible for sabbatical credits for two years after rescinding his offer to write a letter of recommendation for a student studying abroad in Israel, as part of an academic boycott. CheneyLippold was joined last week by Rackham student Lucy Peterson, a Political Science graduate student instructor who also declined to write a letter for a student studying in Israel. Political Science prof. Juan Cole published a blog post over the weekend announcing he would also
National Review editor discusses ‘U’ releases names of immigration policy, new book release
refuse reccommendations for students studying in the occupied West Bank. University graduate students also published an open letter last week with over 200 signatures affirming their support for CheneyLippold and Peterson. Interim LSA Dean Elizabeth Cole informed Cheney-Lippold of sanctions in a letter dated Oct. 3. “Your conduct has fallen far short of the University’s and College’s expectations for how LSA faculty interact with and treat students,” Cole wrote. In a letter from AAUP Associate Secretary HansJoerg Tiede dated Oct. 16, Tiede claimed the sanctions on Cheney-Lippold violate the association’s standards of due process. These standards first call for an informal inquiry by a faculty committee to determine whether proceedings to impose sanctions are necessary and then call for the See IDEOLOGY, Page 3
ACADEMICS
RESEARCH
honorary graduates
Reihan Salam advocated for a new system which prioritizes highly-skilled immigrants
Fed funds enable new research on algo-fuels
Recipients range from a former US poet laureate to Ford chief exective officer
Wednesday night, students filled the Ford School of Public Policy’s Weill Hall to listen to Reihan Salam, a political commentator, columnist and executive editor of National Review magazine, talk about his ideas on immigration policy in his new book “Melting Pot or Civil War?” The American Enterprise Institute at the University of Michigan, along with the National Review Institute and Young Americans for Freedom, hosted Salam. Clare Ath, the NRI campus outreach coordinator, said one of the main goals of her organization is to promote civil public discourse, which is why she helps bring conservative voices to college campuses. “Our focus is to show that no political ideology should be trying to prove that they’re right, but they should be working to convince people to their side,” Ath said. “It isn’t a ‘we beat you,’ it’s a ‘let’s see where we can find commonality and come to the best solution together.’” Salam noted the difficulty of having civil debate on a hot-button issue like immigration, for which both sides are so impassioned.
MAEVE O’BRIEN Daily Staff Reporter
Four individuals have been recommended to receive honorary degrees at the University of Michigan’s 2018 Winter Commencement: Lynn Conway, a transgender activist and computer scientist; Rita Dove, a former U.S. poet laureate; James Hackett, an alum and CEO of Ford Motor Company; and Elizabeth Nabel, Michigan Medicine’s first female chief of cardiology. All are pending approval by the Board of Regents. Conway, who is scheduled to receive an honorary Doctor of Science degree, will be delivering the commencement speech at the ceremony. She is a former University professor and associate dean of the College of Engineering, whose research focused on visual communications and control. She made significant contributions to See GRADUATES, Page 3
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ELIZABETH LAWRENCE Daily Staff Reporter
Check out the Daily’s News podcast, The Daily Weekly
“Immigration is not an easy, slam dunk question at all,” Salam said. “There are very decent, goodhearted people on every side of this debate, and there is a tendency we have to talk past each other in the debate, and the reason is because many of us feel so passionate about it.” Salam spoke to the audience about how his proposed system, which calls for limited immigration and prioritizing high-
skilled immigrants, would better address issues of inequality, foster a sense of national solidarity, and create a balance of diversity and assimilation. Critics of merit-based immigration point out many industries in the United States rely on low-skill labor that generally raises economic output and reduces prices. He first talked about this idea of solidarity, referencing the book “The Paradox of Vulnerability:
States, Nationalism, and the Financial Crisis” by John Campbell and John Hall, which claims societies that are smaller and more vulnerable to outside threats are more likely to develop cooperative institutions. With a higher inf lux of immigrants and a lower birth rate of American citizens, Salam said, U.S. society may feel less inclined to bond together for See IMMIGRATION, Page 3
CARTER FOX/DAILY Reihan Salam speaks about his new book “Melting Pot or Civil War?” which discusses an argument against open borders at Weill Hall Wednesday evening.
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INDEX
Vol. CXXVIII, No. 13 ©2018 The Michigan Daily
$2 million from the US Department of Energy will help ‘U’ scientists ATTICUS RAASCH Daily Staff Reporter
Though their research on turning algae into an environmentally-friendly source of diesel fuel has been ongoing, a team of University researchers’ funding has been extended with a new $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy. Headed by professors in conjunction with the University of Pennsylvania, the group has been working to develop a cheaper fuel, according to research leader Brad Cardinale, professor in the School for Environment and Sustainability. “We’re trying to grow algal biofuels in a way that’s more sustainable, that we produce more energy but do so without creating a lot of environmental pollution or genetically modified species that might be a problem,” Cardinale said. The research team is composed of environmental sustainability professors,
NEWS.........................2 OPINION.....................4 ARTS......................6
See ALGO-FUELS, Page 3
SUDOKU.....................2 CLASSIFIEDS...............6 SPORTS....................7