On the Aug. 4 primary election ballot, voters will decide on five seats on the Ann Arbor City Council. With one seat open in each ward and 13 total candidates running, The Daily has put together a City Council election guide with each candidate’s platforms to help Ann Arbor voters make informed decisions at the polls.
Ward 1
Anne Bannister (D), incumbent
University of Michigan students enrolled in Public Policy 456/756 hosted candidates for Wards 1, 2 and 3 of Ann Arbor City Council in an online forum Thursday afternoon. Students asked candidates about transportation, affordable housing and climate change.
Candidates for Wards 4 and 5 of the Ann Arbor City Council participated in an online forum via BlueJeans Tuesday afternoon. During the event, students enrolled in Public Policy 456/756 at the University of Michigan asked candidates questions about affordable housing, carbon neutrality and the coronavirus pandemic.
According to an email sent to students by Acting Provost Susan Collins, all undergraduate courses at the University of Michigan will transition to an alternative grading policy.
The policy, announced this Friday, says that students will now receive a “Pass” or “No Record Covid” on their transcript, as opposed to a letter grade. Students will have the option to “unmask” their letter grade in order for the traditional letter to be put onto their transcripts and impact their GPA.
According to an email sent to housing residents from Simone Himbeault Taylor, interim vice president for student life, Friday morning, all students who move out of residence halls by March 25 will receive a $1,200 refund.
Students who have already checked out of their residence halls will automatically receive the refund, which will be directly applied to each student’s account.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced the first death due to the novel coronavirus in an update on the state’s response to the virus Wednesday afternoon.
Beaumont Health confirmed a man who tested positive for COVID-19 died early Wednesday morning. The man, who was in his 50’s and had an underlying health condition, was being treated at a Beaumont hospital facility in Wayne County.
In the press conference, Whitmer said the state is making decisions based on the best science to slow the spread of the virus.
Editor’s note: More cases of COVID-19 are being diagnosed daily. Check back at michigandaily.com for updates or at the state’s website https://www.michigan.gov/coronavirus.
Editor's Note: This article has been updated to reflect additional City of Ann Arbor changes announced Friday afternoon, including the closure of City Hall to the public until April 5.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer ordered a shutdown of all K-12 schools in Michigan until April 5 in an attempt to slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
In a press release Thursday evening, Whitmer said the closure of all public, private and boarding schools is a necessary step to protect Michigan's children, families and overall public health.
In response to COVID-19, the ‘U’ announced Wednesday that all face-to-face classes would be cancelled, with online classes beginning March 16 through the end of the semester, April 21.
While University facilities, such as M-Dining and dorm buildings, will remain open, events expecting over 100 attendees will be cancelled, and on-campus sporting events will be limited to parents and members of the press.
According to an email sent to students from University President Mark Schlissel on Wednesday, University Provost Martin Philbert was placed on administrative leave following multiple allegations of sexual assault.
The announcement comes on the heels of various University officials facing scrutiny for allegations of sexual assault in the past few years.