Arbor Update

Ann Arbor Area Community News

Campus Newsbits

10. February 2005 • Matt Hollerbach
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Student government votes to support Affirmative Action, unmarried partner benefits

On Tuesday, MSA voted on a resolution opposing Ward Connerly’s MCRI campaign, which seeks to end Affirmative Action in Michigan education. The resolution was created by several members of BAMN, but was supported by a wide array of student reps. This support included typically conservative students, and the resolution passed with only a handful of nay votes.

The resolution compels the student government to send letters in opposition to MCRI, and to lobby U-M administrators to support campus efforts at defeating MCRI.

There were also two resolutions on the agenda which asked for MSA support in the battle to maintain U-M’s current benefit structure with regard to unmarried and same-sex couples. These benefits are in danger due to last year’s passage of State Proposal 2, defining marriage as between a man and woman only.

Both resolutions passed with little opposition.

EMU BAMN & NAACP join to oppose MCRI

Just down the road in Ypsilanti, Eastern Michigan University students rallied and marched in opposition to MCRI. It marks the beginning of a unique partnership between BAMN and NAACP, who typically do not work together.

EMU’s NAACP chapter went against national organization policy to work with BAMN, which earned a reputation for using violent and divisive tactics during the run-up to the 2003 supreme court hearings on U-M’s admissions policies.

The event saw about 250 people and several members of the media (including a Channel 7 camera). Some U-M students attended, and plan on working more closely with EMU in the future.

Coke campaign update

Next Tuesday, MSA will vote on supporting student efforts to end U-M’s contracts with the Coca Cola Company and its distributors. Eight universities in the US have already cut their contract, and countless more are considering doing the same.

If the resolution passes, U-M stands to become the largest university asking Coke to mend their ways.

see also: Killer Coke, Rally and Teach-in