ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-NINE YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM
Monday, November 18, 2019
Ann Arbor, Michigan
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Statement made
Michigan runs away from its in-state rival, 44-10, sending Michigan State into further despair in a disastrous year.
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A residents call for more affordability in city housing 2
Activism groups draw attention to issue in march through downtown COOPER CLARK For The Daily
EMMA MATI/Daily Former U-M professor Scott Kurashige and lecturer Emily Lawsin discuss corrupt structural practices at the University regarding administrative and sexual misconduct policies at the #UMICHIsComplicit Town Hall at Weill Hall Sunday evening.
Panelists voice concerns over hiring practices in A/PIA studies program Scott Kurishage, Emily Lawsin to appear in court in December after lawsuit EMMA STEIN
Daily Staff Reporter
University of Michigan students, faculty and community members discussed discrimination and “sham” investigations at the “UM: Corruption, Complicity, Coverups” town hall in Weill Hall Sunday night. The event was hosted by UMich is Complicit: a movement dedicated to combating discriminatory hiring practices and sexual misconduct policies at the University.
The panel featured Scott Kurashige, former director of the Asian/Pacific Islander American Studies Program and tenured professor at U-M, and his partner Emily Lawsin, a lecturer in the departments of Women’s Studies and American Culture. They filed a discrimination lawsuit against the University under the Michigan Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act in December 2016. Kurashige is now a professor at the University of Washington.
STUDENT GOVERNMENT
LSA student gov’t hosts forum for candidates 13 positions discuss issues including mental health, transportation AYSE ELDES For The Daily
On Friday morning, LSA freshman Adam Grimes visited the University of Michigan Counseling and Psychological Services website to make an appointment with a campus counselor. His wait time was 13 days. On that same day, LSA sophomore Andrew Goldman received a wait time of 23 days. “That means that if right now you felt as though you needed to talk to someone here at this university regarding a mental health issue or some other issue you have — you want to go to talk to someone you can trust to give you good advice — you have to wait all the way until mid-December, right around finals,” Goldman said. “That’s absolutely unacceptable for any student to have to wait that long.” Mental health and student input were major agendas on policy platforms at the LSA Student Government representative candidates’ forum on Friday. According to LSA senior Lorraine Furtado, LSA SG elections director, the 13 candidates are currently uncontested.
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He said he was removed from his position as the director of the A/ PIA Studies Program, and while his tenure prevented him from being fired, the University pressured him to quit. “While I was here, I was an advocate for students who had faced different types of discrimination or assault,” Kurashige said. “In response, I faced retaliation, harassment. In essence, I was forced to quit under threats and harassment by administrators at this University.”
Lawsin was up for her employment review in 2017 — every few years, lecturers undergo standard performance reviews. She said she expected her contract to be renewed, as she had been working at the University since 2000. However, both departments she works in decided not to renew her contract. She then submitted a rebuttal letter to the LSA Executive Committee. See A/PIA PAGE 2A
More than 100 Ann Arbor residents and students marched Sunday to raise awareness about affordable housing issues in the city. Gathering initially in Liberty Plaza, many members of the group spoke about their personal housing experiences and urged others to contact their representatives about housing issues. According to the Washtenaw General Defense Committee, rent went up 15 percent in the last year alone in some areas of the city. Two different reports from this August confirmed Ann Arbor’s skyrocketing rents, with a year-over-year rent increase of 15.9 percent. The committee also said about 80,000 individuals commute to Ann Arbor as there isn’t affordable housing closer to their point of work. The University of Michigan also
Annual IASA show highlights cultural dances at Michigan Theater
‘Kahaani’ features 240 student performers from hip hop to bhangra IULIA DOBRIN For The Daily
On Friday night, the Indian American Student Association put on its annual cultural dance show at the Michigan Theater. This year’s show, titled “Kahaani: The Tale of Our Time,” featured more than 250 participants performing for a sold-out audience. The show featured 10 dances showcasing a variety of styles, ranging from traditional Bhangra and South Indian dances, to Bollywood and hip hop. “Kahaani,” which means “story,” was chosen as the show’s
theme by the show coordinators and show core team. LSA senior Karthik Pittala, IASA co-president, talked about the reasons behind the theme. “They wanted to sort of make it like a story, so we have ups and downs in terms of tempo or musicality trying to make it dynamic as much as possible,” Pittala said. “I think it’s just something that resonated with all of us.” As co-presidents, Pittala and LSA senior Sanjna Chokshi were in charge of communicating with the leadership team and the rest of the IASA members, as well as engaging with other organizations
on campus such as the United Asian American Organizations and Michigan Sahānā. “We’re like the groundwork, and then everyone else can build their ideas based on some of our suggestions,” Pittala said. IASA also partners with a charity each year to help raise money and promote their cause. This year’s community service partner was Sakhi for South Asian Women, a New York-based charity that unites “survivors, communities, and institutions to eradicate gender-based violence and form healthy communities.” After the dancers of the “Village” performance left
the stage in their traditional costumes, taking with them the aviator sunglasses they put on in the middle of the dance, the show took a brief pause from the high energy and humor of the dances to play a video about Sakhi’s mission and impact. As one of the community service chairs for IASA, LSA sophomore Jhanvi Garg was involved with picking out the charity for the season and creating events throughout the year that align with Sakhi’s values.
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has a large effect on this issue, as every year the number of students trying to find off-campus housing grows, according to the Washtenaw General Defense Committee. Several different social activism groups participated in the march. The Washtenaw General Defense Committee, Interfaith Council for Peace & Justice, Journey of Faith Christian Church, Poor People’s Campaign of Washtenaw County and Huron Valley Democratic Socialists of America all had representatives present. Rackham student Meg Berkobien, co-chair of the Huron Valley DSA, said housing affordability is a systemic issue that needs to be addressed. “This is a systemic problem, and so it takes systemic answers, right. Coming together, that’s exactly what this is about.
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GOVERNMENT
Female vets reflect on role within the military Women in U.S. armed forces discuss challenges in training, stereotypes SUNSKRITI PARANJAPE For The Daily
The University of Michigan Veteran and Military Services organized and hosted a Women in the Military panel Friday. The six panelists, all female veterans, spoke as part of the University Veteran’s Week to an audience of about 25 students, veterans and other members of the Ann Arbor community. Jan Malaikal, a veteran who served in the U.S. Army for 20 years, moderated the panel. She began by asking the panelists to introduce themselves, give a brief overview of their service and talk about why they joined the military. Jennifer Lamb, who served as a mortar ballistic computer weapons specialist and a supply officer for the U.S. Marine Corps, talked about how she was the first woman in history to cross the Arctic Circle in a rigid rubber raft, and only the third woman ever to be trained in her profession. She said she joined the military to fund her college education. “I joined because I was poor,” she said. “The military does help pay for college. So, I was in the Marine Corps reserves so I could finish my college.”
RYAN LITTLE/Daily Members of the Indian American Student Association participate in the annual IASA performance titled “Kahaani” at the Michigan Theater.
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INDEX
Vol. CXXIX, No. 30 ©2019 The Michigan Daily
NEWS.........................2 OPINION.....................4 CROSSWORD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
Read more at MichiganDaily.com MIC.....................3 ARTS...................5 SPORTS.................1B