2018-11-19

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ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-EIGHT YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM

Monday, November 19, 2018

Ann Arbor, Michigan

michigandaily.com

One to go

Michigan set itself up for one final showdown with Ohio State — for all the marbles — by defeating Indiana on Saturday, 31-20.

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CITY

City council seeks legal counsel after appeal claim Developer company took action after A 2 denied housing complex proposal

ANNIE KLUS/Daily

LSA senior Hoai An Pham speaks at the breakout session held by the Michigan Student Power Network during the Organizing Against White Supremacy conference in Mason Hall Friday.

LEAH GRAHAM

Workshop talks combatting white supremacy, power of organizing

Daily Staff Reporter

Trinitas Ventures is taking legal action against Ann Arbor after City Council denied a proposal for a student housing complex north of campus. The Indiana-based developer filed a claim of appeal, arguing the project complies with relevant zoning regulations and calling for a reversal of the city’s decision on the development. In September, City Council rejected the proposal — in which Trinitas planned to construct the complex at 2601 Pontiac Trl., more than two miles away from both North and Central Campus — in a unanimous vote. Then, in November, it voted unanimously

Michigan Student Power Network centered the workshop on importance of collective action LIAT WEINSTEIN & ZAYNA SYED Daily Staff Reporters

In response to the growing visibility of white nationalist movements across the country and subsequent debates about free speech, the social justice

nonprofit Michigan Student Power Network hosted a workshop Friday afternoon about the power of community organizing and action. The workshop was one of many events hosted during the conference “Building Power: Organizing Effectively Against White Supremacy,” which discussed topics like nonviolence and the Black

Action movement. Inspiration for the conference, which described itself as “Blackled,” stemmed from controversial events last year that received pushback from students and campus organizations. In November 2017, white supremacist Richard Spencer’s request to speak at the University of

Michigan incited protests from the Black Student Union and the University’s chapter of the NAACP. Spencer cancelled his request to speak in January and canceled all national college tours after violence broke out at his stop at Michigan State University. MSPN member Hoai An Pham, See NATIONALIST, Page 2A

in favor of a $150,000 contract to retain outside legal counsel to fight the developer’s claim against the city. City Councilmember Zachary Ackerman, D-Ward 3, said despite the fact legal precedents in the state tend to favor developers, he was pleased the council was taking action to block the Trinitas plan. “Precedent is set by our court system and generally not by legislative branches, and the precedent that’s been set in the state of Michigan protects developers who believe they have the right to build a certain way on a property,” Ackerman said.

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Ann Arbor Airbnb hosts take in $1.5 Burt Lake Economics event talks million during football Saturdays conference

CAMPUS LIFE

BUSINESS

Biostation recognition

The host community housed over 8,900 guests throughout the season

University research station situated on stolen acres of Native American land

Between alumni, parents and general Michigan fans, people flock to Ann Arbor on Saturdays during the fall. The Ann Arbor Airbnb host community has seen this firsthand and earned $1.55 million in supplemental income from 8,900 guests during University of Michigan home football game weekends this season, according to Airbnb. This included the $117,000 in projected income from the Indiana game on Saturday. The $1.55 million in Airbnb income is up from $1.2 million during the 2017 football season. Janice Cutting, an Airbnb host of several local properties, said she has no trouble finding guests for football weekends. “If you have a football game, clearly the demand is much higher and you can raise your price,” Cutting said. “But when it’s a little bit slower, you need to lower your prices.” Cutting is a Superhost, meaning she has a 4.8 rating or higher, a 90-percent response rate and zero cancellations. After staying in above-average Airbnb properties, Cutting said she wanted to provide her guests with an excellent experience. Cutting provides coffee, creamer and soap products for her guests, and she hires professional cleaners between each guest. “About 80 percent of the time they’re booked,” Cutting said.

KATHERINA SOURINE Daily News Reporter

Students and faculty gathered Friday night for a Native American Heritage Month event, a historical discussion of the Burt Lake Burnout led by historian Richard Wiles and the Burt Lake Tribal Council. The event first centered around the history of the Burt Lake Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, and later discussed the band’s ongoing struggle to achieve federal tribal recognition. On Oct. 15, 1900, the government forced the relocation of the Burt Lake Band of Chippewa and Ottawa Native Americans, burning their village and giving the land to a local developer who claimed to have purchased the property. The University later gained ownership of some of this property in 1909, and the U-M Biological Station currently sits on this land. Last December, native students and faculty submitted a request to the University to investigate the land ownership belonging to the Burt Lake Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Native American

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JULIA FORD

Daily Staff Reporter

Follow The Daily on Instagram, @michigandaily

“When I first started out, my prices were a little bit lower and I used to get them booked up in the 90 to 95 percent of the time. But when I’m pricing it lower I have found that you don’t get quite as nice a clientele, so they didn’t treat the properties quite as well.” Jack Savas, also a local Airbnb Superhost, decided to use his home for Airbnb because he travels often and his daughter attends college overseas. After

four years as a host, Savas said he has learned communication and honesty is essential to finding guests who will respect the property. “Surprisingly, I’ve had excellent guests,” Savas said. “In many cases, they leave the house cleaner than when they arrive. But I think the key to maintaining a residence that’s clean and immaculate is transparency with the guests and pricing your house at the

right amount of money.” Savas currently maintains two Airbnb properties and is planning on listing a third. Especially for hosts who maintain multiple properties, Savas said Airbnb can present a great opportunity for earning extra income. “A peak month I did $14,600 but on average on average I earn between $5,000 and $7,000,”

michigandaily.com

SEPT 21 – 22

SEPT 14 – 15

OCT 5 – 6

$76,000

$134,000

$293,000

$218,000

720

960

1600

1300

Guests

Guests

Guests

WESTERN MICHIGAN

SMU

SEPT 7 – 8

Guests

NEBRASKA

MARYLAND

SEPT 21 – 22

SEPT 14 – 15

$343,000

$371,000

$117,000

1720

1700

940

Guests

WISCONSIN

Guests

Guests

PENN STATE

University hosts Economic Outlook panels, featuring research and forecasts SONIA LEE

Daily News Reporter

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Ann Arbor Airbnb Host Income During Home Football Game Weekends SEPT 7 – 8

emphasizes education

INDIANA

The University of Michigan’s 66th Annual Economic Outlook Conference discussed research on the national and state economic future, especially as a recession rapidly approaches. The program’s 10 presentations, held between Thursday and Friday, spanned talks from “Election Implications for Small Business Spending and Hiring” to “NAFTA, Tariffs, and the U.S. Automotive Industry.” The conference was organized by the Research Seminar in Quantitative Economics, a modeling and forecasting unit in the Economics Department that provides quarterly forecasts for the U.S. and Michigan economies. The conference is the longest running one of its kind in the U.S. , and is attended by upper level government and business economists, economic analysts, and academics. RSQE Director Gabriel Ehrlich spoke about Michigan’s economic outlook at the conference on Friday.

CASEY TIN/Daily

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INDEX

Vol. CXXVIII, No. 34 ©2018 The Michigan Daily

NEWS.........................2 OPINION.....................4 ARTS......................6

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SUDOKU.....................2 CLASSIFIEDS...............5 SPORTS....................1B


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