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ADMINISTRATION
Nonprofit founder tapped for deanship Aaron Dworkin to be next School of Music, Theatre & Dance dean SAN PHAM/Daily
S. Jack Hu, interim vice president of research, speaks about annual research funding at the University’s Board of Regents meeting at the Michigan Union Thursday.
‘U’ regents talk research, changes to North Campus Students highlight fossil fuels, sexual misconduct policy at March meeting By ALLANA AKHTAR and GENEVIEVE HUMMER Daily Staff Reporters
Thursday’s University Board of Regents meeting included the approval of two North Cam-
pus renovation projects, seven honorary degree recipients and an update on the University’s research funding. Research report S. Jack Hu, interim executive vice president for research, delivered the annual research report, which showed that the University’s annual research funding fell to $1.3 billion in 2014 — a slight decrease from the record high $1.32 billion in fiscal year 2013. “Research is an important
mission of the University,” Hu said. “With research, we create new knowledge and understanding that enhance our educational process.” This past year, Hu reported, the University funded more than 3,500 graduate students and 1,100 undergraduate students for research projects. Though the total number of research contracts awarded increased by 4.1 percent, he added, the total dollar value of those contracts dropped by about 16 percent.
Local legislators seek to overturn marriage ban By ISOBEL FUTTER Daily Staff Reporter
Though Michigan’s samesex marriage ban is currently before the U.S. Supreme Court, Democratic lawmakers have decided to take action on the issue through the legislature. On Thursday, a group of Democratic state representatives and senators introduced an array of bills on the issue, chief among them ones which would allow Michigan to become the 38th state to recognize same-sex marriages by both legalizing it and removing the state’s ban. State Rep. Jeremy Moss (D–Southfield) and State Sen. Rebekah Warren (D–Ann Arbor) sponsored legislation to repeal the state’s ban on samesex marriage. State Rep. Adam Zemke (D–Ann Arbor), State Sen. Curtis Hertel Jr. (D–East Lansing) and State Rep. Jeff Irwin (D–Ann Arbor) sponsored concurrent legislation to legalize same-sex marriage. State Rep. Sam Singh (D– East Lansing) and State Rep. Robert Wittenberg (D–Oak Park) also sponsored legisla-
WEATHER TOMORROW
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tion on related issues, including marriage licenses and tax benefits. “It’s a whole package of bills, covering a wide variety of things like allowing same sex marriage and recognizing out of state marriages and more,” Wittenberg said. The legality of same-sex marriage in Michigan has shifted significantly over the past decade. In 2004, voters approved a state constitutional amendment defining marriage as only applicable between a man and a woman. In 2012, Hazel Park residents April DeBoer and Jayne Rowse sued the state over the constitutionality of the amendment, leading to a protracted court battle that concluded in a district court ruling that the ban was unconstitutional. That decision was appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, which overturned the decision, finding the ban constitutional. Rowse and DeBoer are now appealing the case to the Supreme Court, which announced in January that it would take on the case. Oral arguments are scheduled for April 28. Roughly 300 same-sex couples in Michigan are currently legally married. The couples were married during a roughly 24-hour window between the District Court’s decision, and See MARRIAGE, Page 3
Daily Staff Reporter
At their monthly meeting Thursday, the University’s Board of Regents approved Aaron Dworkin, founder and president of the Detroit-based Sphinx Organization, as the new dean of the School of Music, Theatre & Dance. Dworkin will make history as the first Black dean of the school. Dworkin’s five-year term begins July 20. “I am tremendously honored to join this community comprised of leaders committed to scholarship and artistic excellence,” Dworkin said. “As we progress into an age which redefines the definitions of artistic pursuits, I am eager to bring my experiences and skillsets to bear as we nurture and empower a diverse student body to embody the best of our society in this new era.”
W H AT D O YO U S TA N D B Y ?
GOVERNMENT
Democratic caucus introduces bills to legalize same-sex marriage in state
Hu said the decrease in funding is due in part to the decline in federal support, which decreased 4.5 percent this year. To help curb decreasing federal sponsorship, the University has looked to other avenues to find funding, including to industries and foundations. Hu noted that nonfederal source funding was up 6.25 percent this year — a total of $124.4 million. North campus renovations The regents approved two See REGENTS, Page 3
By ALLANA AKHTAR
Dworkin was also appointed a tenured professor in the School of Music, Theatre & Dance. Widely regarded as one of the foremost violinists, he is also known as one of the foremost leaders of the performing arts in the world. During the course of his career, he has gained awards including the National Governors Association 2005 Distinguished Service to State Government Award, Harvard University’s Vosgerchian Teaching Award and BET’s History Makers in the Making Award. President Barack Obama selected Dworkin as his first presidential appointment to the National Council on the Arts. He is also a MacArthur Fellow and a member of the Royal Philharmonic Society in London. Recognizing the lack of minorities in the field of classical music, Dworkin created the Sphinx Organization to help reflect the diversity of orchestras in the nation. The Detroit-based organization is a national nonprofit that provides K-12 performing arts education and mentorship opportunities for minorities and students in underserved communities. It currently reaches 20,000 See DEAN, Page 3
ICE HOCKEY
Wolverines advance in Big Ten Tournament Michigan defeats Wisconsin to keep postseason hopes alive and well By JASON RUBINSTEIN Daily Sports Editor ANDREW COHEN/Daily
LSA senior Marli Siegel, the communications director of MUSIC Matters, participates in a community building event promoging SpringFest in the Diag on Thursday.
STUDENT GOVERNMENT
Student orgs. ask for more collaboration with CSG As election approaches, partnerships seen as area for growth By TANAZ AHMED Daily Staff Reporter
With elections for the next academic year’s Central Student Government less than a week away, The Michigan Daily spoke to a several student organizations on campus about their relationship with the body and the initiatives
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they would like CSG to focus on in the 2015-2016 school year. CSG currently has a Student Organization Outreach commission. The CSG website states the purpose of the commission is to meet with at least 10 student organizations per week. The commission is also tasked with creating monthly reports on student groups’ needs and suggestions on how to address those needs. The University’s South Asian American Network, Hillel and the Panhellenic Association responded to the Daily, and all listed increas-
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INDEX
ing active collaboration with student organizations as one of their top priorities for the student assembly. Black Student Union declined to comment. The Michigan Daily was unable to reach SAPAC and MSA for comment. SAAN programming director Fatema Chamak, a Public Policy junior, said she felt it can be difficult to receive support from CSG. She said she would like to see CSG reach out to student organizations like SAAN, instead of placing the burden of reaching out on the organizations. See CSG, Page 3
Vol. CXXIV, No. 84 ©2015 The Michigan Daily michigandaily.com
DETROIT — The Michigan hockey team lives to fight another day. Entering Thursday’s game against Wisconsin in the first round of the Big Ten Tour1 WISCONSIN 5 MICHIGAN nament, the Wolverines were faced with a do-or-die situation. And fortunately for Michigan, it prevailed against the Badgers for the fifth time this season, 5-1. The Wolverines struck first, when senior forward Zach Hyman put home a puck that had just rung off the iron. Freshman forward Dylan Larkin started the play, firing the puck toward the net before the puck ricocheted off of a Wisconsin player’s skate to Hyman, who put it home. Hyman’s tally was his 20th of the year, and the senior became the first Michigan hockey player to score 20 or more goals in a season since Louie Caporusso did the same in 2009-10. More notably, Hyman’s goal marked his 50th point of the season — the first Wolverine to accomplish such a feat since nowSee TOURNAMENT, Page 3A
NEWS...........................2 OPINION.......................4 ARTS............................5
SPORTS........................7 SUDOKU.......................2 CL ASSIFIEDS.................6