ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY FOUR YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM
Thursday, October 17, 2024
Ann Arbor, Michigan
STUDENT GOVERNMENT
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CSG passes Wolverines’ Budget Act
The student government failed to pass the Rebuilding Education in Gaza Act KATE LEVY
Daily Staff Reporter
The University of Michigan Central Student Government met in the East Room in Pierpont Commons Tuesday evening to discuss Assembly Initiatives 24-001, The Wolverines’ Budget Act and 24-002, the Rebuilding Education in Gaza Act. The meeting began with community concerns, during which over 30 U-M students and a professor from Birzeit University shared their thoughts on the Rebuilding Education in Gaza Act. The petition sought to set aside a donation to Rebuilding Hope, a Birzeit University initiative aiming to support and resume higher education in Gaza, funding student education and assisting in rebuilding educational infrastructure. Birzeit University Professor Ala Alazzeh expressed his support for the Rebuilding Education in Gaza Act, which included setting aside $440,000 for the initiative. Alazzeh discussed how the Israeli military campaign has led to the destruction of many institutions for higher education in Gaza. “Around 88,000 students are now without education,” Alazzeh said. “The Rebuilding Hope Initiative of Birzeit University, which is located in the west, is providing online education for students right now.” Engineering senior Jenin Alameddin shared her intentions to discuss the testimony of a child in Gaza who cannot go to
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school. Instead, she expressed her outrage toward others in the meeting for silencing students’ voices. “I was going to come up here and talk about a testimony of a child that can’t go to school, but I’m kind of disgusted with everybody here,” Alameddin said. “It’s hard to say that I can respect any of you guys as you silence the voices of our students here at Michigan, we are asking you guys to send money to fund education for students that don’t
have school.” LSA Representative Anthony DiMeglio said he believes the temporary student organization funding provided by the University goes against the wants of the student body, and that it was important for students to vote on this issue directly. “The University administration already circumvented the will of the people and the will of the study body in providing
alternative funding for student organizations,” DiMeglio said. “So now you have the opportunity to do something bold and transformative, put something onto the ballot, to put the voice and the decision back in the hands of the people of your student body that you’re here to represent, to choose on this important issue.” CSG then transitioned to voting on The Wolverines’ Budget Act and Rebuilding Education in Gaza Act.
NEWS
CAIR-MI files federal complaint over leaked Ono audio recording
Ono said the federal government was unbalanced in questioning how universities are combating antisemitism, but not Islamophobia MICHELLE LIAO Daily Staff Reporter
The Michigan chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations announced Wednesday they filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights against the University of Michigan. Monday evening, the TAHRIR Coalition — a group of more than 90 pro-Palestine organizations — posted a leaked audio recording of University President Santa Ono to their Instagram. In the recording, Ono said the federal government was asking questions about how universities are combating antisemitism, but not Islamophobia. The Instagram post does not identify the source
or context of the audio. The CAIR complaint requests an investigation into whether the University is abiding by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and the Conflict Resolution agreement it entered into with the Office of Civil Rights on June 17. In August, Ono submitted a transcribed interview to the U.S. House Education and the Workforce Committee about the University’s response to campus tensions about the Israeli military campaign in Gaza. Ono was originally slated to appear for a hearing in person but was later asked to provide a written response. In the leaked recording, Ono said he believes universities are forced to treat Islamophobia and antisemitism on campus in an
unbalanced way due to pressures from Congress and interest groups. “The government could call me tomorrow and say, in a very unbalanced way, the University is not doing enough to combat antisemitism,” Ono said. “And I could say it’s not doing enough to combat Islamophobia, and that’s not what they want to hear. So, the whole situation is not balanced.” Ono also implied in the audio clip that the government threatened to withhold federal funds if the University did not address antisemitism on campus. “And so, you can see (Congress is) a very powerful group who are not shy to say that they will hold the whole institution accountable for not addressing antisemitism,” Ono said. “To have
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the government say something like, well, we will withhold your $2 billion dollars in funding if you don’t address antisemitism.” In a press release following the audio release, the TAHRIR Coalition said the recording indicated that the University was focusing on antisemitism in order to repress pro-Palestine campus activism. “This only confirms what we know to be true: the University regents and administration, in collaboration with the federal government, are stifling dissent and public pressure to divest from “israel’s” genocide in Gaza under the guise of combating antisemitism,” the press release reads. “The weaponization of antisemitism is being tactically used to repress the pro-Palestine movement on a national scale, with protesters routinely getting brutalized and attacked by militarized police forces.” In an email to The Daily, University spokesperson Colleen Mastony wrote that the University is dedicated to fighting both antisemitism and Islamophobia on campus. “The University of Michigan is steadfastly committed to ensuring our community remains a safe and supportive environment, where all students – regardless of race, religion, ethnicity or other identities – have the opportunity to learn and thrive,” Mastony wrote. “President Santa J. Ono has spoken out repeatedly against antisemitism and Islamophobia, and he will continue to do so, as any form of discrimination or hate is an affront to our community.” ReadmoreatMichiganDaily.com
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The Assembly passed The Wolverines’ Budget Act with 21 votes for and 15 against. Previously, CSG President Alifa Chowdhury vetoed the last two CSG budgets. The Wolverines’ Budget Act establishes a budget for student programs, services, operations and discretionary costs for the fall 2024 semester. Student organizations will also receive their regular funding, but must repay the University for any temporary funds used since the beginning of the
semester. In an email to The Michigan Daily following the meeting, LSA senior Mario Thaqi, speaker of the Assembly, wrote that the petition would resume funding for student organizations and other programs. “The petition effectively puts into place a budget for the Fall Semester, resuming student organization funding and all the other programs CSG offers like disability advocacy, sexual misconduct prevention and survivor empowerment, Airbus transportation, elections, student organization funding, and any projects or programming the Assembly has in mind,” Thaqi wrote. The Assembly then voted on the Rebuilding Education in Gaza Act. The petition failed, with 16 in support and 22 against. The vote would have amended the Compiled Code — the document listing all regulations affecting CSG — and enacted a budget to support low-income U-M students and students in Gaza. After the passage of The Wolverines’ Budget Act and failure of the Rebuilding Education in Gaza Act, CSG cut the meeting short after meeting attendees reacted negatively to the outcome, according to Thaqi. “After its passage, multiple members were met with harassment, intimidation, assault (spitting and touching people) by people associated with CSG President and VP / Tahrir Coalition,” Thaqi wrote. “Members were followed home and had to be escorted out by police for their safety.”
GOVERNMENT
JD Vance holds rally in Detroit
Vance visited Michigan for the second time this month as the Nov. 5 general election approaches SASHA KALVERT Daily Staff Reporter
For the second time this month, Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, the Republican vice presidential candidate, visited Michigan to rally supporters in a key swing state expected to help decide the 2024 presidential election. About 300 people gathered in Detroit to see Vance speak, a city that has long been considered a Democratic stronghold in the state. Many attendees wore paraphernalia of former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, and Vance, including more than a dozen who sported T-shirts reading “Auto Workers for Trump.” According to The Detroit News, at least six of those wearing the shirts were not auto workers. Detroit has historically been known as one of the biggest hubs for auto manufacturing in the country. In his remarks, Vance said the Trump administration would prioritize Michigan-made vehicles. “Instead of forcing Americans to buy electric vehicles manufactured in China, we’re going to let Americans buy whatever the hell they want to, because this is America,” Vance said. “And of course, my friends, when they do pick the automobile that they want and that they choose, we know they’re going to buy something made in the great state of Michigan.” When asked by reporters whether the Trump-Vance administration would honor
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President Joe Biden’s $11.7 billion plan to convert 11 gas-powered vehicle plants to electric vehicle plants. Vance said the BidenHarris administration’s plan would ultimately cause more harm than good. “Kamala Harris is offering table scraps,” Vance said. “I think that Michigan auto workers deserve more than the table scraps of Kamala Harris.” In response to a question from the press about climate emissions, Vance said he thinks high carbon emissions worldwide are due to a lack of American manufacturing. “The most important thing that we can do to ensure clean air and clean water is to build more and make more stuff in the United States,” Vance said. “I would be lying to you if I told you that carbon emissions was my number one issue — it’s not. But if your number one issue is carbon emissions, look at the two countries that have emitted the most carbon in the last 20, 30 years. It’s China and it’s India.” In recent years, the U.S. and China have emitted the highest levels of carbon dioxide emissions of any country. Since 1850, the U.S. has had the largest cumulative amount of carbon emissions, distantly followed by China, then Russia. In terms of cumulative carbon emissions, India ranks seventh. Vance’s patriotic message was particularly resonant for Karin Dziamski. Dziamski is a member of Trump Force 47, a volunteer group that goes door-to-door campaigning for Trump.
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