2019-10-09

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ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-NINE YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM

Wednesday, October 9, 2019

Ann Arbor, Michigan

michigandaily.com

Péripatéticienne

statement

Climate activists express criticism Points-based of U-M’s fossil fuel investments system to rank

A2 marijuana dispensaries Local businesses assigned scores for licensing, permiting requirements NIKKI KIM

Daily Staff Reporter

DESIGN BY SHERRY CHEN

ARJUN THAKKAR Daily Staff Reporter

As the threat of climate change continues to provoke protests demanding institutional action to address the issue, student activists are calling on the University of Michigan to reduce its use of fossil fuels for powering facilities on campus. Last week, activists sprayed graffiti and wrote chalk messages

on the Diag and other public outdoor locations claiming the University has $1 billion invested in fossil fuels. The 2018 Report on Investments corroborates this claim, stating the University allocated $1.12 billion dollars, toward investments classified under natural resources. The report defines investments in natural resources as “investments in companies located primarily in the U.S. that produce oil and natural gas, and companies that service those industries, as well as

non-energy related investments in minerals, mining, and wetland restoration.” Zaynab Elkolaly, student at Washtenaw Technical Middle College and cofounder of Washtenaw Climate Strike, criticized the University’s investments in fossil fuels. “The University, from an educational standpoint, has a great environmental curriculum where students fully understand the resulting detriment that comes

with fossil fuel consumption,” Elkolaly said. “Students are not ignorant, and nor is the administration. What’s appalling is that these authority figures touting their prestigious degrees and positions are still involved in the very thing that is destroying the planet, simply because of profit. The University of Michigan is notorious for exploiting students financially, and this is only part of the pattern.” See FUEL, Page 3A

Touted as the cannabis capital of the Midwest, Ann Arbor is no stranger to recreational marijuana use. However, the city’s marijuana market may be undergoing a dynamic shift. This past week, Deputy City Attorney Kevin McDonald presented a first draft proposal for a pointsbased scoring process for businesses seeking to obtain a permit to sell cannabis products. At a City Council meeting Monday, several councilmembers, including Jane Lumm, I-Ward 2, said they believe the topic requires further discussion. “It’s a topic of considerable interest to residents and deserves more public discussion and input,” Lumm said. “I just think it’s critical to get it right,” Points would be assigned to businesses based on four

Students Center for Academic Innovation implicated honors teams for new DEI projects in possible Event celebrates efforts to serve specific groups on campus, promote inclusion app hack GOVERNMENT

Federal investigation examines attempt to hack voting application LIAT WEINSTEIN Daily Staff Reporter

Following an attempt to hack the voting app Voatz during the 2018 midterm elections, the FBI revealed last week they have launched an investigation into the incident, which allegedly involved University of Michigan computer science students. According to an article from CNN, anonymous sources revealed the FBI is investigating an individual or several individuals who tried to hack the app as a part of their University of Michigan election security course. According to the EECS 498 course description, the class teaches students how to hack an election in order to better defend against cyber break-ins. “To defend a system you need to be able to think like an attacker, and that includes understanding techniques that can be used to compromise security,” the course description reads. Fifty-five percent of the students’ grades are determined by a large-scale group project related to a technical or tech policy topic on election cybersecurity. However, the description goes on to explain, the class will not allow students to directly break any laws. See HACK, Page 3A

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ANGELINA BREDE Daily Staff Reporter

The Center for Academic Innovation held an event Tuesday afternoon recognizing academic teams for their spring projects centered around diversity, equity and inclusion. This was the first in a series of six

events, featuring eight teams giving a brief overview of their DEI project and how their project will serve specific groups on campus, ranging from undocumented students to the LGBTQ community. The event began with Rachel Niemer, director for outreach and access at the Center for Academic Innovation, who echoed

sentiments made at the 2019 DEI Summit by Van Jones, CEO of REFORM Alliance, political commentator and host of “The Redemption Project” and “The Van Jones Show” on CNN. “Those of us working in higher education are in a very unique position,” Niemer said. “We not only get to shape the experience of the learners on campus, but as

they move out into the broader world, we get to shape the broader social structures that they will impact.” Niemer explained how the mission of these DEI projects is to understand and assist individuals from various minority communities, which is necessary for our society to succeed. See DEI, Page 3A

ALEC COHEN/Daily Rachel Niemer, Director for Outreach and Access at the Centere for Academic Innovation, discusses the mission of the DEI projects at an event hosted by the Center for Academic Innovation in Palmer Commons Tuesday.

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INDEX

Vol. CXXIX, No. 8 ©2019 The Michigan Daily

criteria: past performance, state compliance, location and community interest. Each category would be worth a maximum of 25 points. Past performance points would showcase the business’s influence and historical relationship with the city. State compliance points would measure how well the business has followed the city’s regulatory laws surrounding marijuana. Location points would portray how strategic a company’s geographic positioning in Ann Arbor is, considering the demographics of neighboring residents as well as competitive stores. Community interest points would measure the potential demand for the business in the market. The city is planning to limit the number of permits available for marijuana micro-businesses to 28. See MARIJUANA, Page 3A

FACIAL RECOGNITION

New tech approved for use in Detroit

Software to come to police department amid controversy over bias SONIA LEE

Daily Staff Reporter

The Detroit Board of Police Commissioners approved a policy Sept. 19 outlining the use of facial recognition technology for the police department. The policy includes guidelines for how officers who abuse the policy will be punished and a prohibition from sharing the photos with private companies. The software has been used by Detroit police since July 2017, when the Detroit City Council approved the software purchase. In June 2019, Detroit Police Chief James Craig asked the City Council to approve its permanent use. Controversy surrounds the technology because of issues with the systems misidentifying people with darker skin. In a test done by the ACLU, Amazon’s facial recognition tool Rekognition falsely matched 28 members of Congress, disproportionately identifying them as people who had committed crimes. The false matches were disproportionately people of color, misidentifying six members of the Congressional Black Caucus. See SOFTWARE, Page 3A

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

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


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2019-10-09 by The Michigan Daily - Issuu