: [POST-BROADCAST CLARIFICATION: The University of Michigan contacted NPR after the audio version of this report aired. A spokesperson, Colleen Mastony, assistant vice president for Public Affairs, says the university will make funding available to registered student organizations that apply for funding for the fall semester. They add that a freeze on Central Student Government (CSG) funds affected only the summer term and that funds disbursed by the CSG come from student fees, not tuition dollars.]
MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
Students at the University of Michigan are escalating their protest against the war in Gaza with a bold move. After winning enough votes to control the student government, they are freezing about a million dollars designated for student activities. They are demanding the university divest itself from companies that have business ties to Israel or weapons manufacturers.
Ji Hoon Choi is following this story. She is the student government editor at the school paper, The Michigan Daily. And here's where I want to tell you that The Michigan Daily is independently funded, without funds from the university or the student government. And Ji Hoon is with us now. Good morning.
JI HOON CHOI: Oh, good morning.
MARTIN: So what reasoning did the activists - now student government members - offer for withholding funds from student activities? What did they say?
CHOI: The main, like, student government, I guess, opinion on this is that because CSG serves as a voice for students to the university, they wanted to be, like, an outlet for students to show concern on how the university is - at least in their opinion - funding or at least investing in companies that are funding Israel and, like, the current Middle East conflict. So one way to kind of show that they don't want to be participating in that or want the school to divest is to halt a lot of student activities, which includes, like, student organization funding.
MARTIN: So I read on the website that the Central Student Government aims to, quote, "enhance student welfare and the Michigan experience for everyone," unquote. And I just wondered if there's any way to gauge whether the student body on the whole thinks that this decision is in alignment with that.
CHOI: Yeah, so it's a little too early to tell just because students have just come in. It's our first week, and student organizations will be doing, like, their first meetings, like, this week as well. Even today, we have something called Festifall, where student organizations will be showcasing what they are all about. So it's a little too early. But there has been some concerns voiced by some community members, such as last night when there was a meeting for the student government, a few of the student leaders in certain student organizations did say that they were a little concerned for the year.
MARTIN: So there was a student government assembly meeting just last night, right?
CHOI: Uh-huh.
MARTIN: OK. And there was an opportunity for people to sort of talk about this. But what I think I hear you saying is people are just getting back to campus. So perhaps, I guess, people are just hearing about this.
CHOI: Yeah, that's right.
MARTIN: So what has the university said, if anything?
CHOI: Because I mostly do student government, I'm not too sure exactly how the university feels about all of that. But - yeah.
MARTIN: How is this funded then? Does this come out of students' tuition payments? I mean, how is this activities fund funded?
CHOI: Yeah, so the student activities or at least student organization funds come from the Central Student Government, which has, like, a lot - a total money that is budgeted to, like, different groups within, like, the student government, and one of them is the student organizations. I think in their tuition money, we do have money that goes towards the student government, and they're the ones that, like, divide how much money goes where. But the money that's put into student organizations right now, it isn't, like, being used. So that's kind of, like, where we are at.
MARTIN: OK. So you were telling us that today is the day that student groups meet for the first time. I mean, a lot of universities, they call it, you know, tabling - or a number of things - where they kind of show the student body what they're all about. Have you - have any of them talked about how they think they can cope without the promised school activities funding?
CHOI: Not exactly. I think, like, for students, they were just mostly, like, concerned, but, like, yeah, nothing, like, I guess, solid at the moment.
MARTIN: OK. Well, I guess you'll be reporting on this, and you can report back to us when you know more. That is Ji Hoon Choi. She's student government editor of The Michigan Daily. Ji Hoon, thanks so much for joining us.
CHOI: Yeah, thank you.
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