2018-10-30

Page 1

ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-EIGHT YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM

Tuesday, October 30, 2018

Ann Arbor, Michigan

michigandaily.com

City Council members push to fail Prop A The panel, which featured Mayor Taylor and Councilmember Ackerman, was hosted by College Democrats and the Roosevelt Institute ABBY TAKAS For the Daily

With the midterm elections just around the corner, the University of Michigan chapter of College Democrats, the Roosevelt Institute and the Michigan Affordability and Advocacy Coalition hosted a panel Monday night to discuss

and explain Proposal A to University students at the Ford School of Public Policy. Panel members included Mayor Chris Taylor, Councilmember Zack Ackerman, D-Ward 3, and Public Policy Kellie Lounds, president of College Democrats. Proposal A was introduced following the City Council’s approvalof the Library Lot development in June, with plans of creating a 17-story commercial development complex on top of the 711

Students bring housing concerns to CSG town hall

University is working with landlords, city government to reduce rush in off-campus housing search BENJAMIN ROSENFELD For the Daily

As students begin the search for their housing arrangements for next year, the University of Michigan’s Central Student Government held a town hall Monday night to address the challenges of finding off-campus housing. CSG president Daniel Greene, a Public Policy senior, began the town hall discussing the dynamics of student and landlord relationships. “A lot of students blindly sign their lease,” Greene said. “They don’t know the information they should look out for, and a lot of students find themselves unsure of what to do when they have a

conf lict with their landlord or housing management company.” Dean of Students Laura Blake Jones followed Greene, going into further detail about the resources that are available to students searching for help. The University offers resources including Tenant Rights and Responsibilities materials, Student Legal Services for issues with landlords and more. “We’re committed to making sure that when you move off campus and go into residential environments that you have those that are among the highest quality,” Jones said. According to Jones, now is a stressful time for students, as many landlords

Underground Parking Structure in downtown Ann Arbor. The building would include 43 affordable housing units, office spaces, hotel rooms and a public plaza. If passed, Proposal A would reject these development plans, and instead, propose the city builds an additional urban park and civic center commons. The panelists argued the $5 million price tag of this park could instead be allocated towards affordable housing, which, according to the panelists, is a more pressing and relevant issue. Ackerman said with this new privatelyowned complex, students or Ann Arbor residents that use federal

begin to accept applications and deposits during the fall semester. For many freshmen, the search for off-campus housing can begin only a few months into their college careers and can present many obstacles for those unfamiliar with the ins and outs of securing and negotiating housing contracts. “We’ve been working really hard to correct a misperception that you have to rush and be in a hurry to make a decision about your housing for the subsequent year,” she said. “We’re working really hard with landlords and city officials to make it more comfortable for you to know, at whatever time of the year is right for you, that you will be able to find housing that works for you.” LSA sophomore Mikaela Uddfolk said she signed a lease by the end of October of her freshman year. Uddfolk, who is currently living in an off-campus apartment, said due to her plans to study abroad next year, the process has been significantly less stressful

Ann Arbor Mayor Christopher Taylor and Ann Arbor City Councilmember Zach Ackerman discuss how Proposal a will affect affordable housing in Ann Arbor in Weill Hall Monday. SARAH KUNKEL/DAILY

housing

compared to her freshman year. “I’m planning on finding a sublease for next year,” she said. “If I was just starting to look into housing now, to actually sign a lease, I think I’d be pretty stressed out.” Uddfolk said it would be helpful if the University included information about the housing search during orientation so new students could be better prepared for it. Among the other speakers at the event was Gayle Rosen, an attorney working for Student Legal Services, the University’s law office for students. Rosen is in charge of advising students in negotiating their leases and housing contracts. “We do anything from renewing leases to helping you with security deposits, as well as helping you deal with construction, noise, eating issues, air conditioning issues and

vouchers to pay their rent would be able to live in the central downtown area, rather than on the outskirts of the city. “If we truly want to

permitting emotional support animals,” Rosen said. The event also included a question and answer session with student representatives from Beyond the Diag, the university’s program intended to “improve off-campus safety resources, communication, and education for UM students.” Jones specifically referred to the program in her comments, citing the support they provide to undergraduates. “A lot of people think their problem or concern is a little too personal or specific to them,” Jones explained. “I want you to know that our help can be very personalized to your needs. If you

remain a diverse and inclusive community, housing is the crux of this entire equation,” Ackerman said. Ackerman said this complex would bridge the gap between the adult population in the Main Street area with the student population in the State Street See COUNCIL, Page 2A

“We’ve been working really hard to correct a misperception that you have to rush and be in a hurry to make a decision”

See CSG, Page 3A

ANN ARBOR

CAMPUS LIFE

Officials criticize A2 partisan elections

Experts on Boycott, Divest, and Sanctions discuss origins and intent of movement

Ann Arbor is one of three cities in MI with partisan local elections, Lumm wants change LEAH GRAHAM Daily Staff Reporter

Ann Arbor’s highly partisan local elections make it an outlier among cities in Michigan, and City Councilmember Jane Lumm, I-Ward 2, wants to change that. According to Lumm, only two other cities in Michigan — Ionia and Ypsilanti— have partisan local elections, while most have nonpartisan races, meaning candidates do not run as members of a particular political party. She also noted that Ann Arbor’s usual

Speakers refute allegations of anti-Semitism against movement, emphasizing solidarity with Jews ELIZABETH LAWRENCE Daily Staff Reporter

Students and faculty gathered in Palmer Commons at the University of Michigan Monday morning to listen to panelists describe the origins and mission of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement. The movement has always been a contentious issue on campus, but has become a rising issue recently after a Graduate Student Instructor and a professor declined to write letters of recommendation for students hoping to study abroad in Israel last month. The panel was hosted by the Center for Middle Eastern and North African Studies. CMENAS director Samer Mahdy Ali opened up the event, first recognizing the tragedy of the shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh this past weekend. Ali then noted some people might MATT VAILLIENCOURT/Daily

See ELECTIONS, Page 3A

GOT A NEWS TIP? Call 734-418-4115 or e-mail news@michigandaily.com and let us know.

See BOYCOTT, Page 3A

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Huwaida Arraf, a civil rights attorney and co-founder of the International Solidarity Movement, discusses the BDS movement at a CMENAS Teach-In Town Hall at Palmer Commons Monday morning.

For more stories and coverage, visit

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INDEX

Vol. CXXVIII, No. 20 ©2018 The Michigan Daily

NEWS.........................2 OPINION.....................4 ARTS......................5

SUDOKU.....................2 CLASSIFIEDS...............5 SPORTS....................7


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