ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY FOUR YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM Ann Arbor, Michigan
Wednesday, February 12, 2025
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A look into
STUDENT PROTESTS
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STUDENT GOVERNMENT
CSG passes Emergency Protect All Students Act
The resolution expresses concern about the increased presence of ICE on campus GLENN HEDIN
Daily Staff Reporter
The University of Michigan’s Central Student Government met Tuesday evening to discuss the dangers of censorship, create scholarships for conflict-affected students and student caretakers and pass the Emergency Protect All Students Act protesting the presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement on campus. The meeting began with a presentation on Black History Month by members of the CSG Black Caucus. The presentation covered the legacy of the Black Action Movement, a student movement of Black and other students of Color at the University which advocated for increased representation of minority students on campus. LSA sophomore and CSG representative Shawn Kelly spoke on the accomplishments of BAM yet reminded the Assembly many of their goals remained unfulfilled. “Even though we’ve had so many accomplishments there are points in which we fall short, and then there is also a lot of work to be done,” Kelly said. “The University has never reached any of the BAM goals in terms of raising the (Black) student population to 10%, nor has it reached its newly added goals of making the Black population proportional to the Black population of the state of Michigan.” CSG Speaker Eric Veal Jr. spoke on his experiences as a Black student in CSG, saying there is still more work to be done for Black representation. “When I came here there was only two of us,” Veal Jr. said. “I remember experiencing microaggressions within CSG. I
remember experiencing racism and other things within our own student government, and I’m not even getting started with the Black experience on this campus. To stand here and get to open Black History Month with other Black leaders here really does warm my heart. … While there’s few of us we do have a voice, and while there’s few of us we still have a lot to go and a mission to continue.” In his report as chair of the Conflict-Affected and Refugee Student Scholarship Task Force, LSA sophomore Amr Brown said the University’s recent ban of Students Allied for Freedom and Equality posed a threat to students’ First Amendment rights. “The ban on SAFE will create concern among students and organizations that are considering protesting and expressing their freedom of speech on campus,” Brown said. “Many students may no longer feel safe to protest here. The fear of getting arrested while expressing beliefs that do not align with administrators has become all too realized … Whether you agree or disagree with SAFE in any capacity, their silencing attacks the voices of our constituents.” CSG president Mario Thaqi faced some criticism from the Assembly for his executive report, which contained no mention of the SAFE ban. Engineering graduate student Mark Farag expressed his disappointment over what he saw as the report’s misplaced priorities. “(Your report) talked about Valentine’s Day, which is fine, talk about it,” Farag said. “But you didn’t even mention any concern (over SAFE). Is that something that you don’t care about? We are talking about people who are actually getting arrested, and you don’t have a speech or any promise.”
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Thaqi objected to this criticism, stating he had talked with University President Santa Ono about the suspension. “I’m sorry that you feel that we’re not supportive of you or the work of CARES, or even supportive of SAFE on this campus, because that’s far from the truth,” Thaqi said. “(CSG vice president) Jake and I have been involved even today. We met with President Ono earlier today, and we brought up the fact that (SAFE was) removed from campus, kind of in a process that doesn’t have much representation from students.” During the legislative session, CSG passed two resolutions for the creation of scholarships. Resolution AR 14-066 established the Conflict-Affected and Refugee Student Scholarship, creating two $5,000 scholarships for conflict-affected and refugee students, students who have had their education disturbed by war conflict. Resolution AR 14-069 created four $2,500 scholarships to be awarded to students who have either been disability advocates or caregivers for other students with disabilities. Vincent Pinti, Law School student and a sponsor of the resolution who himself faces a disability, expressed his appreciation for the student caregivers the scholarship will honor. “I spent a considerable time thinking about what to say tonight to honor this incredible scholarship,” Pinti said. “The fact that so many beautiful faces are here touches my heart because of the incredible path of the scores of student caregivers that have contributed their time, energy and effort to fight for their fellow student.”
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ADMINISTRATION
Dr. Nadav Davidovitch speaks at School of Public Health Davidovitch’s ties to Israel prompt protest from pro-Palestinian activists
LYRA WILDER
Daily Staff Reporter
The University of Michigan School of Public Health began a seminar series last month focusing on a range of epidemiological topics. As part of the series, Israeli physician Dr. Nadav Davidovitch was scheduled to speak Feb. 6th about the recent polio epidemic and other public health issues in Gaza since Hamas’ Oct. 7th, 2023 attack on Israel and the resulting Israeli military campaign in Gaza. A week prior to Davidovitch’s seminar, a petition signed by more than 200 students, staff and alumni was sent to the Public Health School’s Department of Epidemiology requesting the seminar canceled on the grounds that Davidovitch’s ties with Israel taint the neutrality of his work. Davidovitch’s previous experiences include serving as the official Israel representative on the Executive Committee of the European Public Health Association, a military physician for the Israel Defense Forces and lieutenant colonel for the IDF reserves. The petition expressed concern that Davidovitch’s discussion of the polio outbreak in Gaza would not acknowledge the Israeli government’s role in the humanitarian crisis in the region. “In much of Dadidovitch’s work, he omits Israel’s active and continuous role in the destruction of Palestinian populations and communities,” the petition read. “Thus, there is reason to believe that in his discussion of the Polio outbreak in Gaza, that he will omit the primary role that the Israeli government has played in this health emergency.”
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Upon receiving the petition, Belinda Needham, chair of the Department of Epidemiology, organized a forum the day before the seminar where students, staff and faculty could express their concerns. Needham told The Michigan Daily in an email that she was glad to hear students speak up for themselves. “I was really glad that students felt comfortable sharing their concerns with us,” Needham wrote. “I know that it takes a lot of courage to stand up for what you think is right, especially when you’re not in a position of power.” Needham said, while she appreciates community members who voiced their concerns, she stands by the decision to host Davidovitch to speak as a part of the seminar series. “Working with governments is really important in public health,” Needham wrote. “If we only work with administrations we like, then the health of the public will suffer. Dr. Davidovitch is a great example of someone who works with his government but is critical of many of its policies.” The Department went forward with Davidovitch’s seminar Thursday afternoon. Approximately 30 people showed up to hear him speak, while another dozen came to protest. During his talk, Davidovitch said that the conflict in the region interrupted youth Polio vaccination efforts in Gaza, worsening the outbreak. “Nearly three months into the escalation of the war, we know that about 17,000 children in Gaza missed the routine (Polio) vaccination,” Davidovitch said. “Before October 7, substantial progress had been made to
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improve children’s health and well-being with raising vaccination coverage, arriving up to 99%. … But of course, the socio-economic decline, the conflict, the infrastructure that was ruined, all of this, of course, makes a very fertile ground (for disease).” Davidovitch also said he held conflicting sentiments on the Israeli government’s effort to preserve civilian lives and health infrastructure while still pursuing Hamas. “I’m not trying to make a comparison, I’m not trying to say who was suffering more,” Davidovitch said. “What Hamas did was horrible, but of course, it’s not giving Israelis a permit to destroy Gaza, and also not to destroy all the health care system in Gaza. … I don’t have an answer about what to do when a terrorist organization is taking civilians and taking hospitals and using them.” In an email to The Daily, a student spokesperson for the petitioners, who requested anonymity for fear of retaliation, wrote that their group of petitioners was disappointed in the decision to go forward with hosting Davidovitch despite his ties to Israel. “As SPH affiliates and public health professionals, we are deeply disappointed in the Department of Epidemiology’s decision to host Dr. Nadav Davidovitch,” the student wrote. “We must assert that there is no counter-point to acknowledging occupation and genocide. … By platforming Nadav Davidovitch, the School of Public Health (SPH) is attempting to give intellectual and institutional legitimacy to apartheid, ethnic cleansing, and genocide.”
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