2020-02-21 by The Michigan Daily

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Friday, February 21, 2020

Ann Arbor, Michigan

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Sanders sets up campaign 2 office in A , 150 attend

Bernie is second candidate to have staff in Ann Arbor, after Bloomberg SARAH PAYNE

Daily Staff Reporter

DOMINICK SOKOTOFF/Daily Engineering senior Logan Vear holds up a sign to encourage divesting from fossil fuels at the Regent’s meeting at the Richard L. Postma Family Clubhouse Thursday afternoon.

Board of Regents announces freeze on future fossil fuel investments ‘U’ becomes first Big 10 school to do so following student activism ARJUN THAKKAR & PARNIA MAZHAR Daily Staff Reporters

The University of Michigan is freezing its fossil fuel investments — for the time being. On Thursday evening, during the University’s Board of Regents meeting at the Richard L. Postma Family Clubhouse, University Regent Mark Bernstein (D) announced the board is looking into the University’s policy on investments in fossil fuel companies. New investments will not occur

during this time. “We will not bring forward new direct investments in fossil fuel companies while we study the investment policy of the University of Michigan with regard to all fossil fuel investments in a deliberative, thorough, inclusive, and responsible manner,” Bernstein said. “We will proceed with this assessment as quickly as possible and plan to take any appropriate actions in the months ahead.” After Bernstein’s announcement, the audience immediately erupted in

applause. The University is the first Big Ten school to pause future investments in fossil fuel companies. Approximately 80 University students and faculty and Ann Arbor community members were in attendance to observe the meeting. University Regent Shauna Ryder Diggs (D) called into the meeting from a remote location. Acting Provost Susan Collins was also present. University President Mark Schlissel took the beginning of the meeting to comment on recent allegations of

sexual misconduct that have surfaced against prominent University administrators. He encouraged students and faculty who were disturbed by the allegations to utilize University resources and continue supporting those who come forward with allegations of sexual misconduct. After Schlissel said he condemned all instances of sexual misconduct, an audience member interrupted his speech, shouting, “You knew!” See REGENTS, Page 3A

The campaign office for Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-VT) opened on Stadium Boulevard in Ann Arbor Thursday night. The Democratic presidential candidate’s event drew more than 150 local supporters and featured guest speakers former gubernatorial candidate Abdul El-Sayed and state Rep. Yousef Rabhi, D-Ann Arbor. Sanders endorsed El-Sayed’s campaign for governor in 2018, and El-Sayed has expressed his support for Sanders’ presidential campaign. El-Sayed said Sanders’ consistent beliefs on issues like health care and the environment resonated with him the most. “Let me tell you why I am so excited to be out here for Bernie right now,” El-Sayed said. “It’s not just that Bernie is the frontrunner among candidates for president of the United States, it’s that Bernie has been talking about these issues since before I was born; it’s the recognition of the kind of policies that we need, but even more than

that, the kind of politics that it will take to get it done.” El-Sayed concluded his remarks by connecting Sanders’ campaign slogan “Not me. Us.” to the Constitution of the United States. “It goes back to those first three words ‘We the People.’ That’s not just a statement, that’s not just a description, it’s an ideal of people continuously choosing to come together beyond the differences that people tell them divide them,” El - Sayed said. “‘Not me. Us’ is about ‘We the People,’ it’s about us coming together in the best interests of our society.” Rabhi shared his excitement for Sanders’ campaign and vision for the United States, especially on health care. “I am proud to be here with so many fantastic people to fight for someone who is running, not just one person, but all of us,” said Rabhi. “To fight for an idea that we can create a healthcare system that leaves more money in our pockets and less money in the pockets of greedy CEOs.” See BERNIE, Page 2A

Petition calls for expansion of GSI’s line Student Mason in American Sign Language program rec sports ACADEMICS

protest of contracts

CAMPUS LIFE

Long waitlists show growing interest in learning ASL, supporting Deaf culture

Graduate Employees’s Organization arranges ‘grade-in’ after issues negotiating with admin

talk club standing

Successful applications give teams access to resources, status, usage of block ‘M’ imagery SOFIA URBAN & ROSE CRAMTON

KRISTINA ZHENG Daily Staff Reporter

Amid the usual bustling activity in Mason Hall, more than 200 University of Michigan graduate student instructors lined the walls on Tuesday afternoon to display the labor of graduate student workers. The demonstration comes on the heels of the University’s multiple rejections to contract proposals from the Graduate Employees’ Organization. GEO began contract negotiations with the University administration last November. The organization met with University Human Resources twice a week for a few hours to introduce proposals and language crucial to the bargaining process. GEO’s initial bargaining with HR resulted in productive developments on expanding trans health care access and building union security, according to GEO’s press release. However, GEO’s frustration with the University’s administration is due to HR’s rejections — with no counteroffers — of proposals related to climate, housing and food justice, a demilitarized workplace, disability and mental health accommodations and protections against sexual assault. Both GEO and HR have agreed to reach a tentative agreement by Mar. 1, 2020. See GRADE-IN, Page 3

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Daily Staff Reporter & Daily Sports Writer

DESIGN BY MARIAH PARKER

SONIA LEE

Daily Staff Reporter

When LSA freshman Hannah Shipley started learning more about the deaf and hard of hearing communities in her first-year seminar, her interest in taking American Sign Language courses piqued. Upon further research, Shipley found out about the waitlist of more than 100 LSA students for RCASL 100, the ASL language sequence’s prerequisite course, which could block her from taking any further courses for two years. After speaking with her linguistics professor, Natasha

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Abner, Shipley started a petition in hopes of increasing the opportunity to learn ASL at the University of Michigan for both the deaf and hard of hearing communities and her hearing classmates. “She explained to me how small the program was, that there’s only one professor, that the Intro is only offered every other year and that the waiting list is so long that some graduating seniors will never get it,” Shipley said. “I was really frustrated … The only thing that came to mind was the petition. So really it started out of frustration that a program for a community that’s so

marginalized is so small.” According to the University’s ASL professor, Paula Berwanger, ASL 100 consistently has a waitlist of more than 100 LSA students in addition to more than 20 students from other schools across campus. In RCASL 100, Introduction to Deaf Culture, students do not learn ASL; rather, they learn about deaf culture in the United States, deaf identity and the historical roots of the language. After completing RCASL 100, students are permitted to continue on to elementary and intermediate sign language courses. Because all students still

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INDEX

have to take ASL 100, those who place into ASL 102 or further get precedence in registering for ASL 100. Additionally, Berwanger wrote in an email to The Daily that students who are deaf, hard of hearing or who have immediate family members using ASL get preference. LSA students are also shown preference. “As more high schools now offer ASL, the number of students testing into ASL beyond the first-semester language class has steadily increased,” Berwanger wrote.

The Universit y of Michigan’s NCA A Division I standing and Big Ten membership provide students on campus with a source of spirit. However, not all athletes on campus compete at the varsit y level. Many students find their desire to compete athletically fulfilled by membership to club or intramural sports teams, which are primarily student-based and organized. To achieve club status, a team must apply through the Universit y’s Club Sports Office. Before this process can occur, the Club Sports Prog ram must assess their abilit y to add more teams. Laurel Hanna, assistant director of Club Sports, explained how the Club Sports Prog ram decides to open up more spots for student organizations to achieve club status.

See ASL, Page 3

NEWS .........................1 OPINION.....................4 CLASSIFIEDS.............6

See CLUB, Page 3

SUDOKU................6 ARTS...............5 SPORTS.............7