ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-SIX YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM
Wednesday, January 11, 2017
Ann Arbor, Michigan
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statement T H E M I CH I G A N DA I LY | JA N UA RY 11T H , 20 16
CRIME
Federal court dismisses case filed by student after alleged sexual assault ALEXIS RANKIN/Daily
BAMN member Keysha Wall addresses the Central Student Government at a meeting in the Union on Tuesday.
CSG passes resolution to call on White House to aid DAPA, express solidarity At first meeting of the semester, BAMN expresses concern for undocumented students RHEA CHEETI & HEATHER COLLEY Daily Staff Reporters
A resolution asking President Barack Obama to support undocumented students — brought to the table by BAMN, the national coalition to Defend
Affirmative Action, Integration and Immigrant Rights and Fight for Equality By Any Means Necessary — passed at Central Student Government’s first meeting of the semester. The body voted 26-4 with 7 abstaining. Last December, CSG passed a similar resolution — authored
GOVERNMENT
50 students gather, view last speech by POTUS College Democrats, others admiring screened remarks in Ford School KAELA THEUT
Daily Staff Reporter
About 50 students gathered Tuesday night inside the Ford School of Public Policy, where they ate pizza and chatted as a part of the “Pizza and President Obama’s Farewell Address” watch party organized by the University of Michigan’s chapter of College Democrats. Though students in attendance said they were disappointed by the outcome of the 2016 election, many pointed to the importance of continuing to band together as a party. Public Policy junior Rowan Conybeare, explained the importance of continuing to fight for progressive ideals, even though the election results did not occur as she had hoped. “(I) worked on Hillary’s campaign so we obviously thought tonight would be a little bit more exciting,” Conybeare said prior to the speech. “But I think (in Obama’s speech tonight) that he will create this picture again of hope for the future, and just that even though we didn’t get the presidential outcome that we want, we can still fight and we can See WATCH PARTY, Page 3A
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by CSG President David Schafer, CSG Vice President Micah Griggs and Chief of Staff Noah Betman, all LSA seniors. The resolution was a joint-statement by members of CSG expressing solidarity for undocumented students and need for a continuation of the Deferred Action for Childhood
Arrival program, which allows undocumented immigrants to “apply for temporary deferrals of deportations and (for) work permits.” Currently, according to a New York Times article cited by Shafer in his resolution, about 741,000 individuals protected See CSG, Page 3A
U.S. district judge declares the claim of a due process violation inaccurate KAELA THEUT
Daily Staff Reporter
A federal district court dismissed a lawsuit filed by an former University of Michigan student who violated the University’s Student Sexual Misconduct Policy. A final opinion dated Jan. 5 declared the plaintiff’s claim of a due process violation was inaccurate. According to court records, U.S. District Judge David Lawson upheld the reasoning behind the appeals board’s decision to expel the plaintiff because it did not violate his underlying due process. The incident in question occurred at a fraternity house
in January 2016 when the victim was a freshman at the University. According to the version of events presented in the case of the former male student, indentified as John Doe in the claim, the woman was served a shot of vodka in the his room upstairs after they met earlier. After the shot, the pair went back downstairs, danced and eventually started kissing before they went back his room. The two then allegedly had sex. The male and female students’ lawsuits differ in their description of the event. Though the male’s suit said the woman had no problem dancing or talking, her lawsuit described a witness who said she later See ASSAULT, Page 3A
$85 million renovations for Michigan Start-up Union supported, despite tuition fee offers local BUSINESS
Increased accomodation of patrons with physical diabilities head construction plans MATT HARMON Daily Staff Reporter
The University of Michigan’s plans to renovate the Michigan Union, which include creating easier access to the building for patrons with physical disabilities, have so far received overall positive feedback from students. The 98-year-old Union — a haven of student offices, dining areas and large rooms for meetings, traditionally regarded as a centerpoint of campus — will be under construction as part of a large infrastructural renovation in the spring of 2018. An $85.2 million budget will go toward improving student study and lounge space in the building, as well as historical restoration. The plan was approved by the Board of Regents on July 21, 2016 at its monthly meeting, a vote which approved the building’s most extensive renovations since its opening. The budget for the project comes from the $65 University Unions and Recreational Sports Facility Improvement Fee that all full time students started paying in 2014. Susan Pile, senior director of University Unions and Auxiliary Services, said as of now there is no intention of increasing this fee due to additional funding from the University. “That fee is set by the Board of Regents,” Pile said. “There is
also funding coming from some other University sources such as Parking and Transportation and others to help shoulder the cost of the renovations but all that funding, all those funding sources are set at this point.” LSA freshman Cindy Chu said she does not have a problem with the fee as it stands but expressed concern for lowerincome students having to pay the fee. “Relatively, $65 isn’t much so right now; I don’t see too
much of an issue but if you’re one of those students struggling to make ends meet, then of course it’s more difficult to them,” Chu said. “I feel like some people should be exempt from (the fee) if they’re under financial strain.” The largest issue with the Union right now, according to Pile, is the lack of comprehensive compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, which mandates that buildings not discriminate against people
with disabilities and provide equal opportunities for access and travel through the building. Issues such as ramp access and elevators that reach all levels of the building are scheduled to be improved in the renovations. Currently, the main levels and the mezzanine levels of the Union are not connected by one main passenger elevator, making travel between floors difficult for those with See UNION, Page 3A
ALEXIS RANKIN/Daily
Students walk through the Union on Tuesday.
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INDEX
Vol. CXXVII, No. 6 ©2016 The Michigan Daily
business’ networks
Student-created app aims to connect, improve community advertising JENNIFER MEER Daily Staff Reporter
Companies in Ann Arbor looking to increase foot traffic and sales can now advertise in nearby locations, serving the local small business community and college students looking for discounts. Spade, a mobile application launched in early December, aims to help local small businesses advertise for one another. Spade serves as the middleman between businesses looking to advertise and locations looking to profit, according to Kinesiology sophomore Jake Fleshner, the company’s co-founder and chief marketing officer. Fleshner’s older brother came up with the idea three years ago and developed it for about a year before handing it off to Fleshner, who saw the app as an opportunity to create a network of businesses. “We thought ‘Why is no one doing this yet?’ ” Fleshner said. “Why aren’t businesses helping each other, cross-remoting and helping the local small business See BUSINESS, Page 3A
NEWS.........................2 OPINION.....................4 CLASSIFIEDS...............6
SUDOKU.....................2 ARTS...................5 SPORTS....................7