Plant medicine Rally at Capitol
Corporate greed
SEE A3
The Voice takes on D.C.
SEE A4
SEE A7
A NATIONAL PACEMAKER AWARD NEWSPAPER
VOL. 32, No. 5 The student publication of Washtenaw Community College
Tuesday, November 15 , 2022 www.washtenawvoice.com
Ann Arbor, Michigan
COLIN MACDUGALL | WASHTENAW VOICE
Jason Morgan wins House seat in District 23.
WCC instructor wins election Mich. Dems control legislature; now have political power to push agenda Jordan Scenna Deputy Editor
WCC’s stormwater retention system uses two ponds near the Gundar Myran building.
PAULA FARMER | WASHTENAW VOICE
Sewage leak shuts down campus Biology teacher takes advantage By Willow Symonds Staff Writer
Biology lecturer David Wooten plans to use a recent sewage water leakage as a teaching tool. Instead of bringing the outside world into the classroom, he takes his classes into the outside world. To support his lessons on field biology, including aquatic organisms, ecology, and conservation, he teaches his students by the two ponds near the Gundar Myran building. While these connected ponds support local wildlife, their purpose is to be a stormwater retention system. This
means they collect stormwater runoff, like a drain, to keep it away from campus. However, on the afternoon of Oct. 26, a different substance than usual entered the ponds. A waste pipe burst, releasing between 3,0004,000 gallons of sewage. According to vice president of facilities development and operations, Jim Becsey, this section of pipe handles all the sanitary drainage from buildings on campus, south of Huron River Drive. Administrators sent everyone home and closed campus for the following day. Under federal occupational, safety and health laws, public buildings cannot be opened without functioning water and wastewater systems. This would be the first of three campus closures related to the waste pipe. According to Wooten, aquatic vegetation can have
a hard time adjusting when exposed to foreign liquids in large quantities. “Sewer run-off … can contain microorganisms harmful to people and wildlife,” Wooten explained over email. “[This] can cause algal and bacterial blooms that deplete the ponds of oxygen, kill fish and aquatic invertebrates, and release toxins that can even harm larger animals like birds and mammals.” He believes this sets up an important conversation about hard-surface run-off (chemicals spills on parking lots, etc., flowing into grass and water) and its indirect pollution, a topic many people know little about. He also stressed the importance of natural buffer habitats around bodies of water, such as ponds, lakes, and streams. Several years ago, Wooten and other faculty
members dug bioswales between the WCC parking lots and the ponds. Bioswales are shallow crevices landscaped into the ground, typically planted with grass and other vegetation to match their environment. They act like natural sponges and absorb harmful chemical spills. Even with the bioswales, the artificial retention ponds are frequently exposed to chemical run-off from the parking lots. These include leaking oil, anti-freeze, salt, and anything else spilled onto pavements. “The sewage water leak is unfortunate and may have some negative effects on the pond ecosystem,” Wooten said. “We’re not sure if this will happen in our ponds as a result of the spill, but we’ll keep monitoring them and look for signs of stress.” continued on A5
In a historic midterm election Michigan Democrats claimed the house and senate last week, taking control of both legislative branches for the first time in almost 40 years. Jason Morgan, Washtenaw County Commissioner and part-time WCC instructor, was part of the “blue wave,” earning a landslide victory over Republican Richard Sharland in District 23 for house rep. The celebration might be short lived, as Morgan sees a lot of work to be done, including improvements to education, infrastructure, transportation, and water systems. “There’s a lot that we’re going to have to do after taking the reins from Republican leadership,” Morgan said. Tuesday’s election prompted the largest voter turnout for a midterm election in Michigan’s history, with 4.45 million people casting their votes, according to Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson. Morgan says that Michigan voters know Democrats are working for them, and went to the polls to show their support. “Michigan voters saw a vision for a brighter future with Democrats,” Morgan said. “On the other side they saw a Republican party very set on rolling back our reproductive rights, voting rights, and civil liberties.” Morgan has been a parttime WCC instructor since 2019 and has worked as the college’s director of government relations. He says that WCC has done an exceptional job keeping tuition affordable for students, but doesn’t think higher education as a whole
is being funded adequately, which is causing rising tuition rates. “When universities and colleges raise their tuition, it’s usually the result of not having support from the state,” Morgan said. “Funding by the state has significantly declined over the past few decades, far below other states. We are not funding higher education as we should.” According to the National Science and Engineering Statistics website, Michigan spends less per full time student than Georgia, Kentucky, Alabama, Florida, and New Mexico, among others. “Now that we have a democratic majority, I think we can make meaningful, large investments to make college more affordable,” Morgan said. Mental health is also a major concern for Morgan. He believes that Michigan doesn’t pay mental health and social workers enough money to do their jobs effectively. Salary for social workers can vary dramatically depending on level of education, location, and other factors, with the low-end earning less than $30,000 a year. “We have people doing incredibly difficult work and getting paid sometimes $9$10 an hour with a master’s degree,” Morgan said. “This is not a situation that should be acceptable.” Other priorities on Morgan’s agenda are repealing “Right to Work” and passing a “pollute or pay” bill. “Right to Work’’ is a law that restricts union resources and makes it harder for workers to negotiate and enforce contracts with employers. “Pollute or pay” is a bill that would ensure anyone who pollutes the environment has to pay for cleanup.
COLIN MACDOUGALL | WASHTENAW VOICE
James Morgan takes a Politcal Science class to meet with politicians in Lansing.