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ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY TWO YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM

Wednesday, September 28, 2022

Ann Arbor, Michigan

CAMPUS LIFE

Trevor Noah talks innovation, equity with engineering students

michigandaily.com

ANN ARBOR

The Daily Show host gives fireside chat, stand-up comedy performance RONI KANE & SHANNON STOCKING Daily News Editors

If Trevor Noah could have any wish granted, he would not wish for more money, success or even more wishes. Instead, he told University of Michigan students that he would wish for something “crazy.” “I wish that the world would have this weird system where at any time, in any place, you could be snapped out of your body and you’d have to live in somebody else’s for an indeterminate period of time,” Noah said. “I wonder how they would treat (other) people knowing that they might be them on any given day.” Noah, a 38-year-old South African comedian and host of The Daily Show, presented life advice — and humor, of course — to U-M engineering students while talking about his 2016 autobiography “Born a Crime.” He gave the equivalent of an intimate “fireside chat” from the stage of a packed Hill Auditorium and returned to Hill after sunset to perform stand-up. The comedy show was a stop on his ongoing “Back to Abnormal” world tour and marked the first time Noah has appeared live at the University. Following the fireside chat, which was exclusively for engineering students, Noah hosted a comedy show at the Hill Auditorium that drew over 3,000 attendees, of which over 1,100 were U-M students. The show featured a comedic take on U.S. and U.K politics, the COVID19 pandemic and the upcoming live-action remake of Disney’s “The Little Mermaid.” Engineering freshmen in 2021 and 2022 were asked to read Noah’s “Born a Crime” as a part of the Common Reading Experience program before stepping foot on campus and starting their first courses. Since 2013, the program

was created to give new students an easy way to start conversations with their peers. The literary selection has changed from year to year, but for the past two summers, engineering students have started their time as Wolverines by reading Noah’s book about growing up in South Africa during apartheid. Friday’s talk was specifically reserved for engineering students who filled up the main floor and mezzanine of Hill Auditorium — over 2,000 seats total. At the talk, Alec D. Gallimore, the Robert J. Vlasic dean of engineering, introduced Sita Syal, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering, who led the conversation with Noah. Gallimore spoke to the crowd about why the College of Engineering wanted to bring Noah to campus to talk to students. He mentioned that Noah speaks eight different languages — English, Xhosa, Zulu, Tsonga, Southern Sotho, Tswana, Afrikaans and German — and was listed as one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People in 2018. “The Common Reading Experience creates an opportunity for class bonding and thoughtprovoking discussions even before the students arrive on campus,” Gallimore said. “Our aim is to compliment our technical excellence with insights from other disciplines such as the humanities and the arts and broaden the understanding of equity as we cultivate the global perspective we call this comprehensive approach to our work: People-first Engineering.” Syal asked how Noah strikes a balance between humor and social sensitivity when discussing controversial topics in his comedy routines. Noah said he uses comedy to overcome the day-to-day challenges that come with “being human” and to contextualize his individually lived experiences.

Read more at MichiganDaily.com

JEREMY WEINE/Daily Shelly Smith (right) and Sarah Nuñez-Bida (left) help festival attendees enter a drawing to win books about psychedelics at Entheofest in the Diag Sunday afternoon.

Entheofest returns to Ann Arbor to spread awareness of psychedelic decriminalization

Activists host second annual celebration of entheogenic plants ISABELLA KASSA Daily Staff Reporter

Over 700 community members gathered in the University of Michigan Diag on Sept. 18 to participate in the second annual Entheofest, a festival dedicated to the decriminalization and awareness of entheogens, or psychedelic substances. The event brought together people and organizations from all over the Ann Arbor area, fostering a sense of community through a variety of performances and educational booths. This September marks the two-year anniversary of the Ann Arbor City Council’s decision to decriminalize psychedelics, declaring it “the lowest priority” for law enforcement. The Washtenaw County Prosecutor’s Office also does not charge individuals for the use, growth or possession of entheogenic plants. According to an MLive article, City Council members

were “swayed by arguments about medical and spiritual benefits of using psychedelics, including for mental health treatment” in 2020, when they made their decision. Though the state of Michigan has not decriminalized psychedelic substances statewide, the city of Detroit officially decriminalized entheogens in November 2021, with Hazel Park following in March 2022. According to Bridge Michigan, only 14 cities nationwide have passed similar policies by March, and Oregon is currently the only state to have decriminalized entheogens for medical purposes. Julie Barron, president of the Michigan Psychedelic Society and board member of Decriminalize Nature Michigan, has been involved with Entheofest since its inception, one year ago. Barron was beaming as she talked Sunday about the success of this year’s event. Barron told The Michigan Daily that hosting public events like Entheofest promotes a sense of inclusion in the community. “We want to honor our sacred

plants and fungi,” Barron said. “We want to create a space of diversity and equality in the space. Our event is really just to continue the forward motion of the work already done. It’s really to make sure we take time and honor the community and the plants.” Keynote speaker Moudou Baqui, who is also a key leader in the Decriminalize Nature Detroit campaign, emphasized the less obvious benefits of psychedelics, such as healing trauma and helping those with mental health concerns. His speech spoke to the importance of keeping psychedelic substances under the jurisdiction of activists rather than the government. “How do (psychedelics) stay in the hands of people? By avoiding the mistakes that we made in the previous movement of cannabis,” Baqui said. “We allowed people to convince us that legalization was the smart way which was really signing us up to enter into a legal structure.” Based on previous research, Baqui said there is potential for

increased health benefits from improving access to psychedelics for individuals experiencing mental health concerns, the elderly and those healing from trauma. “When we do mushrooms, sometimes I’m dealing with a kid that’s got memories of police repression or drive-bys or memories of friends dying on the street, so we do it with a deeper level of healing,” Baqui said. Matt Strang, another member of the Michigan Initiative for Community Healing, attended Entheofest for the second time on Sunday. Strang said he was happy with how the event seemed to attract more visitors and felt more welcoming to him this year compared with 2021. “I like how (Entheofest) is maturing and changing,” Strang said. “People are kind of learning as we go.” Daily News Reporter Isabella Kassa can be reached at ikassa@ umich.edu.

ADMINISTRATION

Mary Sue Coleman present at her last meeting to talk new dorms, Michigan Stadium

UMich reaches benchmark of 25% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions

University publishes first climate action Board of Regents approve transformative report on sustainability progress, priorities plan for Flint Campus RILEY HODDER & MATTHEW SHANBOM Daily Staff Reporter

The University of Michigan Board of Regents met on Sept. 22 at the Alexander G. Ruthven Museums Building to discuss enrollment rates at the University of Michigan-Flint, new residence halls and dedicating the tunnel at Michigan Stadium to former football coach Lloyd Carr. The meeting marked Interim University President Mary Sue Coleman’s last meeting before President-elect Santa Ono takes office on Oct. 13. She opened the

meeting by addressing challenges at U-M Flint, including a 30% drop in enrollment since 2014. Coleman announced a strategic plan to improve U-M Flint and to extend Flint Chancellor Debasish Dutta’s appointment until June 2026. “The work begins tomorrow morning when (Dutta) will host (a) town hall meeting,” Coleman said. “It will be driven by comprehensive data, including labor and student market demand for academic programs. It is critical that the Flint campus align its programs with the needs of our state’s workforce.” The town hall meeting will take place Sept. 23 at 10 a.m. at the

U-M Flint Riverfront Conference Center. Strategic planning will continue through the fall and winter semesters under Ono’s presidency. In anticipation of an increased demand for student housing, Coleman proposed naming a future residence hall after former Vice President of Student Life Dr. E. Royster Harper. The board approved the renaming unanimously. It will be the first University of Michigan building to be named after a Black woman. Athletic Director Warde Manuel also proposed a dedication, asking the Board of Regents to name the players’ tunnel at Michigan Stadium for former U-M football coach Lloyd Carr, who was present at the meeting. “There is something that’s so appropriate about naming this tunnel after (Carr),” Regent Mark Bernstein (D) said. “When you go through a tunnel, particularly the tunnel at the football stadium, The Big House, you emerge in this majestic and formative place, and that’s what (Carr has) done for countless numbers of student athletes and students on campus.” The board approved the proposal unanimously.

SAMANTHA RICH Daily Staff Reporter

The University of Michigan published its first climate action report detailing the University’s progress toward its sustainability and carbon neutrality goals during the 2022 fiscal year on Sept. 23. In a press release obtained by The Michigan Daily, Interim University President Mary Sue Coleman said the University will continue its commitment to its carbon neutrality goals and collaborate with various stakeholders to achieve them. “Carbon neutrality is at the heart of what we do; in planning and powering our buildings, deploying our buses, pursuing leading research, and making investments to fund such work,” Coleman wrote. “I look forward to building on our progress and learning from like-minded partners and communities as we pursue a more sustainable world. Together, we can take meaningful climate action.” According to the report, the University has reduced its total greenhouse gas emissions by 25% from 2010 to 2022, achieving a goal to do so three years early.

HANNAH TORRES/Daily Interim President Mary Sue Coleman speaks at her final Regents meeting Thursday evening.