University of Michigan - Michiganensian Yearbook (Ann Arbor, MI)

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ne university by liz mauck otactMsm ctivism was pervasive throughout the University ' s campus; in fact it was contagious. Nearly any time of day, any day of the year that you passed through the Diag, you were almost certain to find someone mak- ing a statement about something. What the issue of the day was, how- ever, unquestionably, had two or more voices contributing. One platform for speech was the Michigan Student Assembly,or MSA. Historically, MSA was plagued by representatives who used the orga- nization to make statements about non-University issues. Many stu- dents felt like MSA representatives took themselves too seriously, I mean get real. Who are you to be making ' resolutions ' about the USA support in country XYZ? You areMSA not the US senate, exclaimed se- nior Sonya Sutherland. The organi- zation, however, seemed to be mak- ing a turn around this past year in its focus of issues. MSA president Matt Nolan a junior history and political science major commented, MSA has been much more effective and on taskthisyear. A concurrent opin- ion was joined by Chris Miller a jun- ior history and political science ma- jorandtheassemblyVoiceyourVote chair, Matt [Nolan] and Jessica [Cash] have done a much better job of keeping MSA business within U of M affairs. Nevertheless, some representa- tives did not feel like this was the role they wanted for the assembly. The theory was that if an issue was important to a representative, and the students voted the representa- tive into office, then the issue must be important to the students and in turn the University. I disagree. I do not support resolutions that MSA can have no effect on, proclaimed junior business major John Carter the Student General Counsel. This frustration about the role of MSA came to a head this past year when ISA junior and MSA representative Fadi Kiblawi resigned calling MSA an, Illegitimate governing body. Despite the general student opin- ion of the group, and its past tribula- tions, more of an effort has been made for MSA to focus on things like its ' Campus Improvement Task Force ' , ' This is something students can see and relate to, concluded Nolan. Most stagesforactivism were not based in the strict political realm, butoutinthecommunity ' lfthereis something out there of interest to you, go and do it, commented jun- iorcomparative literature major Elise Halajian. Most studentsdid. Groups in general, they seem to do their fair share of activism behind the scenes with pamphleteering on the side, philosophy graduate student Rob Gressis stated. A few groups made their faces very recognizable, though. TheCoa- lition to Defend Affirmative Action by Any Means Necessary (BAMN) was met with several challengesthis year. ' They just shout at everyone. No one can even hear what they are saying, assessed ISA senior Jordan Farris.This was the basis that caused several students to create the group Students Supporting Affirmative Action. Julie Bertoni an ISA senior shared in some of the sentiment about BAMN, I totally agree with the Muslim Students Association. BAMN piggybacks onto other people ' s issues without regard for the groups dislike for any associa- tion with BAMN. BAMN had asked students to wear hajibs or green armbands in solidarity of the Mus- lim community in response to the events of September 1 1 . However, the group did not consult with the effected studentgroupspriorto their beginning this campaign. Echoing Bertoni ' s resentment of the organization, junior Ben Conway commented, Among my other ac- tions, I am actively working to get BAMN off campus. In full scout rega- lia with a rainbow ribbon pinned to his lapel, Conway, a classic language and literature major, went to speak to the regents about their support for the United Way. Despite the Uni- versity policy against discrimination, the University supported the United Way and encouraged it students and staff to do the same. The United Way received a lot of press this past year due to the controversy about its sup- port of the Boy Scouts of America whodidnotallowforassociationwith homosexuals. Conway was a scout nearly every year since he was eight and also served asanAssistantScout- master. Conway also is the Co-Chair of Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, and Transgenders(LGBT). Conway hoped to have the University replace the United Way with an alternative phil- anthropic organization. Hopefully the regents will be responsive to our demands and the oaths they have take, Conway stated. No matter what students felt about the effectiveness of the visible approaches to change, there was al- waystheoptionforthemtotaketheir own approach. As Nolan frankly put it, Put your money where your mouth is and get involved. Voices! 103

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With stamp on hand and brown bottle in tow, co-chair of the Students Rights Commission, Michael Simon, a junior political sci- ence major, passes out the House Party Handbook on the Diag. The Students Rights Comm ission, a subsidiary of the Michigan Student Assembly, with the help of the Univer- sity chapter of the ACLU, fought to educate students about their right to have parties without police interference. photv hy Liz Mauck 102 I Student Activism

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Enjoying a Friday afternoon, junior English major An- drew Ladd utilizes his front porch. Weather permitting, many University students took their activities to the porch, an extension of the house. pHota by Li: Mauck Winding up for a shot at beer pong, Chris Leimone, a jun- ior communication studies major, par- ticipates in one of the frequent activities on his porch. We meet a lot of people being out here so much. They walk past and want tojoin in, said Leimone. photo hv Liz Mauck 1041 Porches