2019-03-22

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ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-EIGHT YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM

Friday, March 22, 2019

Ann Arbor, Michigan

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Students, DPSS reflect on U-M Emergency Alert System service

ACADEMICS

English Dept. supports new minor for the narrative arts

False shooter reports prompt further assessment of University defense protocol

Potential program draws controversy for straying from original journalism focus DANIELLE PASEKOFF Daily Staff Reporter

Design by Roseanne Chao

ALEX HARRING, CLAIRE HAO, ZAYNA SYED & ELIZABETH LAWRENCE Daily Staff Reporters & Managing News Editor

Max Tsao, Music, Theatre & Dance junior, was working in Mason Hall with other students Saturday afternoon when the first reports of an active shooter on the University of Michigan’s Central Campus were publicized. In one of the student’s group chats, at approximately 4:44 p.m., one student alerted the group “There’s an active shooter near Mason.” Many students responded to the text in confusion, one asking “How am I supposed to get to work?” and another,

“Do you know if anyone got hurt?” One student texted, “Apparently the suspect moving towards UGLi. Please leave Central.” From there, one student shared the link to the Washtenaw Sheriff Office’s police scanner. Many students said there were reports the shooter was going toward the Brown Jug. Another said “three shooters total” with a screenshot of a different group message, while another said “two in custody.” In this group chat, there were messages of “someone got shot” and “white man holding gun.” This group chat began discussing the incident about 20 minutes before the first alert from the University’s alert system.

Saturday’s events spurred widespread confusion, and multiple students have found the experience to have exposed weaknesses in the University’s emergency protocols as well as how quickly information can spread on campus through informal channels in times of crisis. The Daily reviewed emergency protocols, University systems and training and personal experiences to look at the day’s events and what they mean in a nation plagued by gun violence. I. From DPSS’ perspective Melissa Overton, deputy chief of police and public information officer for the Division of Public Safety and

Security, said in terms of the response from local law enforcement, the situation was handled well. She commended the collaboration of the various agencies, including Ann Arbor Police and Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office, in the area and the reactions from the community. “We were very lucky that we had staff already out at the location of the incident and we were there so quickly,” Overton said. “We couldn’t be happier with the response from the community, the neighboring agencies, because if this ended up being a real situation, this is exactly what we would hope for.” See ALERT, Page 2

The University of Michigan’s English Department voted Wednesday to support the creation of a new minor focused on narrative arts and creative nonfiction. The minor was originally proposed as a journalism minor, though the final iteration includes a broader curriculum. After this initial voice of support by the English Department, the draft proposal will continue to be updated and refined, leading to an eventual viewing and consideration made by the LSA Curriculum Committee. The minor, which originated with student interest in taking more journalism and creative non-fiction courses, has caused internal debate within the English department, specifically on its disclusion of the term “journalism.” English lecturer Will Potter has been working with the

University’s Office of Academic Innovation, where he is a fellow in digital storytelling, to implement a program in journalism at the University. The Narrative Arts minor grew out of Potter and other professors’ journalism minor proposal. After working with the English Department and the Office of Academic Innovation to develop stronger journalism-related educational path at the University, Potter said he and his colleagues were shocked to hear their idea had been transformed by the department into a proposed minor in “Narrative Arts,” an ambiguous title excluding the word “journalism.” “The new minor, as presented by leadership in the English department, is explicitly rejecting even the term ‘journalism,’” Potter said. “We have all been very surprised at this change in direction … even the English Department faculty who have joined me in this conversation from the start. See MINOR, Page 3

Paani hosts ‘Ripple Effect’ event to raise Activists to RHA holds engage in awareness about water sanitation crisis discussion CLIMATE

CAMPUS LIFE

study-in at Fleming

Panel speakers Dr. Abdul El-Sayed and Dr. Adjad Saqib look at issues in U.S. and in Pakistan

Demonstrators to return to Schlissel’s office until climate demands are met

On Thursday night, Paani at the University of Michigan, a non-profit organization, hosted “Ripple Effect,” its first annual banquet and largest event yet with around 180 people in attendance. The event focused on the water and sanitation crisis in Pakistan as well as the U.S., and included speeches from Dr. Mohammed Amjad Saqib and and Abdul El-Sayed.

ALEX HARRING Daily Staff Reporter

Demonstrators, acting in solidarity with those who participated in last week’s Climate Strike and subsequent sit-in, began an indefinite study-in at 8 a.m. in the Office of the President in the Fleming Administrative Building Thursday afternoon. About 15 demonstrators were present at 2 p.m. and plan to stay until University of Michigan President Mark Schlissel commits to carbon neutrality by the year 2030. LSA sophomore Solomon Medintz, an Opinion columnist at The Daily, said this event was not a continuation of last week’s sit-in, which resulted in 10 arrests Friday night. He said protestors will come in at 8 a.m. when the building opens and leave at 5 p.m. when it closes every day until their demands are met. “We didn’t get what we asked for — at all,” Mednitz said. “We got none of it. We’re not doing anything illegal by sitting here, and we’ll leave when they ask us to, but we’ll be back in the morning, every morning.” On Friday, Climate Strike demonstrators occupied Schlissel’s office. See CLIMATE, Page 3

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LIVVY HINTZ For the Daily

The event brought in an equal mix of students and community members. Paani aimed to bring awareness to the water crisis, create a space to discuss innovative solutions and educate the attendees about how they can get involved with aiding the crisis from over 7,000 miles away. Paani’s executive board began the banquet by discussing their past initiatives to draw attention to their club. Numerous fundraising events later, they secured over $2,000 to donate

towards feminine hygiene and sanitation kits for Pakistani citizens. Since then, they’ve collaborated with several student organizations on campus to unite cultures and to expand the dialogue of their organization. Paani members also mentioned their online journal dedicated to sharing Pakistani stories of water crisis experiences. To recognize the intersectionality of the issue, they also included stories about water sanitation issues from other countries to highlight the

global emergency. Faraz Longi, Paani director of partnerships, also shared a story of his visit to Pakistan. “We are no better than the people we’re helping,” Longi said. “We are here at the University of Michigan drinking clean water only by luck. Therefore, it’s our duty to help these people. That’s why Paani strives to through events like these.”

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with DPSS on alarm

Weekly meeting focuses on addressing concerns about Saturday’s events ALYSSA MCMURTRY Daily Staff Reporter

The University of Michigan Residence Halls Association hosted their weekly meeting on Thursday evening in the Couzens Residence Hall multipurpose room. The major highlight of the night was a presentation from Bryan Baker, DPSS lieutenant and liaison to the Division of Student Life, about how to handle events similar to Saturday’s active attacker scare. Baker was originally scheduled to talk for twenty minutes, but the concerns of RHA assembly took up over ninety minutes of the meeting. One RHA member brought up her concern of not receiving information from the University. Instead, she found out most of her information through group messages and social media. Baker addressed this issue and expressed his concern over students receiving inaccurate information. “Information from unverified sources should not be shared,” Baker said.

Read more online at DANYEL THARAKAN/Daily Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, former director of the Detroit Health Department, speaks on the importance of sanitation and public health at the Ripple Effect event, hosted by Paani, an organization that focuses on constructing sanitation projects in Pakistan, in Blau Hall Thursday evening.

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INDEX

Vol. CXXVIII, No. 92 ©2019 The Michigan Daily

NEWS.........................2 OPINION.....................4 CLASSIFIEDS................6

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SUDOKU.....................2 ARTS...................5 SPORTS....................7


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