Campus Life

How the women’s ice hockey team helped two siblings reconnect

lblouin — Mon, 24 Mar 2025 12:13:51 +0000

How the women’s ice hockey team helped two siblings reconnect lblouin Mon, 03/24/2025 - 08:13

The day Nicole Hahn scored her first goal for the 51��Ƶ-Dearborn Women’s Ice Hockey team, her sister Victoria, who was in goal that night, threw her arms in the air, bolted down the ice and gave her a huge hug. It’s the kind of on-ice moment you’d think they, as sisters who grew up playing hockey in central Ontario, would have shared dozens of times. But this is actually the first time the Hahn sisters have played on the same team. Victoria, who’s 23 and the oldest of four hockey-playing sisters, and Nicole, 19, the youngest, were a bit too far apart in age to play together in youth leagues that typically grouped kids in two-year ranges. That meant they still usually had a Hahn sister by their side — just not each other: Nicole often played on the same teams with her older sister, Alexa, and Victoria got used to keeping an eye out for her younger sister, Jessie, who she says “was a good little skater but the shortest out of all of us.” “My mom likes to tell this story about when we were kids and Jessie was in the corner and this girl came up and hit her and she went down,” Victoria says. “And the next shift I went over to this girl and hit her and told her she better not touch #16 again.”

The Hahn sisters lace up their skates for practice.

Victoria and Nicole say they’re still both really protective of each other, though most often that takes the form of support rather than taking a run at people on the opposing team. Having a sibling on the roster does seem to give them a little extra something. Because they know each other’s games so well, they’re often each other’s best source for candid feedback when one of them is struggling on the ice. And their connection is also a big boost with the mental part of the game. “Like, if someone says something that upsets me, I’ll look over at Nicole, and she’ll already be looking at me,” Victoria says. “She knows me, and she knows what’s going to calm me down. And when she builds me up, it means more.” Victoria says it’s also just straight up more fun with Nicole on the team.

Nicole (left) and Victoria tape their sticks before practice.

Victoria, who started at 51��Ƶ-Dearborn in 2019, had three years with the team before her younger sister joined her. But Victoria says she didn’t try to influence Nicole’s decision about where to go to college when she was getting scouted, even though Victoria thought it would be pretty amazing to be going to the same school. “I actually moved out when I was 17 so I could play hockey on a team in Windsor. So I kind of missed out on that last year at home with her, and I did really miss her,” Victoria says. “But I didn’t want her to feel pressure. I didn’t want her to come here and feel like, ‘Oh, my big sister is here so I can’t do whatever I want’ — like I’m her mom or something.” Nicole says the fact that Victoria was already here didn’t factor too heavily in her decision, though it has proven to be a big positive in her life. “We had basically five years where we only saw each other on special occasions or during the summer, and now we see each other almost every day,” Nicole says. “So it’s been this period of not ‘meeting’ her again, but rebonding. And the things we would have talked about when she was 17 and I was 13 are a lot different than the things we talk about now.” The sisters say they’ve found the right balance living in the same building, but not the same apartment — though Nicole has unlimited unannounced drop-in privileges at Victoria’s place.

Players on the 51��Ƶ-Dearborn Women's Ice Hockey team smile after the national anthem is played on Senior Night.

The team gathers pucks after practice.

Victoria (back row, left) and Nicole (back row, right) listen during practice.

Nicole dives for a puck during the Senior Night game against Michigan State on Feb. 15.

Victoria looks at a Senior Night banner during warm-up. She'll be graduating this spring.

Victoria, in goal, hugs the post during the Senior Night game against Michigan State.

Victoria looks up ice at her teammates during practice.

Victoria may have had a little more direct, though still unintentional, influence on her sister’s academic path. Victoria started off as a business major, but decided late in the game to add a second major in behavioral and biological sciences with a minor in psychology. Nicole entered school with a biology major in mind, but also made a switch to biological and behavioral sciences. Victoria, who graduates this spring, says she is thinking about a career in genetic counseling and recently accepted a job in Southeast Michigan as a behavioral technician working with children with autism. Nicole is working on a minor in criminology and criminal justice and is thinking about a career working with young people who are impacted by the justice system.

Nicole (far left) and Victoria (third from right) pose for a photo with their family during Senior Night on Feb. 15. Victoria is graduating this spring.

Next year is poised to bring a different rhythm of life for the Hahn sisters. This is Victoria’s final season with the team, which means Nicole will be losing her biggest cheerleader and “the person I cheer the loudest for.” “It’s started to hit me these past couple of months that she’s not going to be here,” Nicole says. “Like, at senior night a few weeks ago, I got a little emotional about it, just thinking what it’s going to feel like to not have her next door anytime I want.” Victoria is more blunt about what it’s meant to have her sister with her these past two years. At a few points in her life, Victoria says she’s struggled with “falling out of love with hockey,” and as she closes out her college career, she’s definitely feeling a bit of that burnout. She had an extra year of athletic eligibility because of COVID, and she says she may not have played this year if Nicole wasn’t here. “But it’s my sister. And when are we going to have another chance like this? She made it worth it.”

###

Story by Lou Blouin. Photos by Annie Barker.

Campus Life

Athletics

Off

Mon, 03/24/2025 - 11:40

Playing ice hockey at 51��Ƶ-Dearborn gave Victoria and Nicole Hahn an unexpected opportunity to grow closer as sisters.

After growing up playing hockey in central Ontario, sisters Victoria Hahn (front) and Nicole Hahn are finally getting to play on the same team.

Class project sparks new student club for future educators

lblouin — Wed, 19 Mar 2025 11:39:03 +0000

Class project sparks new student club for future educators lblouin Wed, 03/19/2025 - 07:39

Identifying and creating a solution for a real community need is one of Education Professor Chris Burke’s go-to project-based learning assignments in his place-based education course. Students form small groups and then brainstorm ideas, after which they pitch them to the larger group and the class votes on which project they’ll work on that semester. During the Fall 2024 semester, when McKenna Shelide was a student in the course, her small group came up with an idea to start a student organization for pre-service teachers. “It’s kind of surprising, but there wasn’t a club for us. And we really thought there was so much we could be doing,” Shelide says. Students ended up picking another idea for their class project. But after class, Burke pulled Shelide and the other students in her group aside and told them if they were really serious about starting a club, he could connect them with some folks who could help. Shelide and the other students jumped on the idea, and within a couple weeks, they had their own campus chapter of Aspiring Educators, the student arm of the National Education Association and Michigan Education Association.

Shelide, who’s currently serving as the group’s president, says one of their primary goals is to provide learning and professional development opportunities that complement their formal coursework, and the affiliation with the MEA has proven to be an effective way to do that. For example, at one of the club’s first meetings, a representative from the MEA talked about the ins and outs of teachers unions. And last November, the students attended an MEA conference that included sessions like “The Tea on Teaching,” which featured early-career teachers sharing their honest takes on finding their footings in the profession. Kamryn McCutcheon, the club’s vice president, says she found the session on prep for the state certification exam particularly helpful. “We got to talk through some sample questions, what to expect on test day and how the exam is going to be laid out,” McCutcheon says. “It’s obviously pretty stressful thinking about that test because you have to pass in order to get a job. So it just makes you feel better going into it when you know what to expect.”

Shelide and McCutcheon say the club is also focusing on service projects. For example, for Valentine’s Day, they got together to make homemade valentines for children in foster care. And they recently received a $2,000 grant from the NEA to partner with an elementary school in Allen Park to fulfill a student and teacher “wish list” of supplies and resources. Shelide says these service projects are obviously about giving back. But they also provide a venue for visiting schools, networking with teachers and getting more practical experience working with kids.

For one of their recent service projects, members of Aspiring Educators made valentines for children in foster care. Photo by Serena Cowette

Of course, the group is also providing some much needed camaraderie. Teaching is not the easiest profession to be going into these days. It’s demanding and stressful, the pay isn’t great and the hyper-partisan politics in America have spoiled some of the trust that used to exist between parents, teachers and students. With all of those challenges, Shelide says you have to really want to do it, and having a solid group of people around you who have similar worries and aspirations helps a lot. “My mom was a teacher and she had such a great group of friends at her school and I always kind of hoped I’d have the same thing — like, the people you go to chat with after the bell rings,” Shelide says. “With this club, I’ve met a bunch of great friends. Really, Kamryn’s probably like, ‘Can this girl stop texting me?’ So to be able to share your excitement — or if you need to complain about something — it’s just been so nice to have this group to rely on.”

Burke is excited to see the group is taking root. Student clubs can be hard to maintain long term, and he says the college has had a few iterations of student groups for pre-service teachers over the years. But those were all organized by faculty and failed to gain enough traction with students. “I think that’s the main reason you’re seeing a lot more success with this group. They have this core group of members and now they’re connecting with their classmates and friends, so you have this natural networking effect,” Burke says. “Plus, because it’s coming from them, they know what they need. We faculty have good intentions, but we can just kind of make guesses at it.”

###

Story by Lou Blouin. If you want to learn more about the club, email McKenna Shelide.

Campus Life

Volunteer or Community Service

College of Education, Health, and Human Services

Education

Off

Wed, 03/19/2025 - 11:25

51��Ƶ-Dearborn’s education students have a new group for peer support, professional development and community service.

Kamryn McCutcheon (right) and McKenna Shelide helped launch the Aspiring Educators club, the first student organization 51��Ƶ-Dearborn has had for education students in a number of years. Photo by Annie Barker

Renick University Center debuts first floor makeover

lblouin — Mon, 17 Mar 2025 11:24:39 +0000

Renick University Center debuts first floor makeover lblouin Mon, 03/17/2025 - 07:24

A big chunk of the Renick University Center’s first floor has been closed for renovation since April of last year. If you’ve been wondering what the remodeled space was going to look like, you can now come take it all in. The RUC fully reopened on Monday last week, showcasing a host of improvements, including a lot of U-M-themed branding, a fireplace, plenty of spaces to hang out and study, and new homes for several key campus offices, including Career Services and the Student Advising and Resource Team, or START. Director of Facilities Planning and Construction Emily Hamilton, who oversaw design of the project, says one of the goals was to make the east end of the building, which faces the campus’ large surface parking area, feel more like a front door to the university. “Now, you walk in and it just feels like a more fun place to go to school,” Hamilton says. “It’s more open. You immediately see lounge and hangout spaces. There’s a fireplace and a big ‘Hail to the Victors’ on the wall and some very recognizable colors. You know where you are when you walk in the door.”

Senior Architect and Project Manager Kal Haddad says the RUC renovation went a little "above and beyond" on materials, design and color compared to some other recent projects.

Indeed. The maize and blue and other U-M touches are the driving force behind the aesthetic overhaul. In addition, Hamilton says there were a lot of meaningful changes to the building’s floor plan so some core student services could be relocated to a more convenient location. A couple of the biggest changes: There’s a new shared suite for START, which is moving down from the RUC’s second floor, and Career Services, which was located in Fairlane Center North. In addition, the One-Stop office has a much more open floor plan. The renovated first floor is also gaining several smaller meeting rooms, as well as a large meeting room for hosting tour and orientation groups. To do more with the same amount of space, Hamilton says the team drew on newly adopted compact space guidelines for offices, made considerations for office sharing where it made sense, and stocked communal spaces with moveable furniture so they could easily transition from meeting rooms to lunch rooms. The design team even chose barn door-style office entry doors to eliminate the space that’s needed for conventional inswing doors.

During the design phase, Hamilton says some staff were initially a little anxious about the smaller offices. But now that they’ve seen them in person, people seem totally fine with the smaller footprints. “This is the first time we’ve designed a project with this post-COVID office philosophy in mind,” Hamilton says. “In fact, right now, we’re working on moving the College of Education, Health and Human Services into the Administration Building, and we gave them a tour of the RUC to give them a sense of what the space would feel like. They really liked it, and so I think having this project as an example is helping allay people’s fears about what shrinking your office size actually looks like.”

The new fireplace is the centerpiece of a cozy first floor lounge area.

The Career Services staff is particularly enthusiastic about its move to the heart of campus. Jennifer Macleod, the senior professional development program manager for Career Services, jokes that they’d grown used to correcting students, who assumed Career Services was already located in the RUC. Now that Career Services is actually here, she’s hoping for a lot more drop-in traffic from students. Moreover, the shared space with START will make collaborating even easier. “We’ve done a lot of programming with START over the years and there’s a natural back-and-forth between our two teams,” Macleod says. “A student might be working with us on career coaching, but there is a lot of planning of academics that goes into that, whether it’s changing a major or exploring different majors. So that’s when you need to help students connect with their START advisor, and now, we can basically just walk a student down the hall. Any time you can remove a barrier like that, they’re more likely to follow through and get the help they need.” Similarly, Macleod says it’ll be huge to be able to take students who might be struggling with, say, the stress of a job search, directly up to the staff at Counseling and Psychological Services, which is located on the RUC’s second floor.

Not surprisingly, students are already laying claim to the new hangout and study spaces. Grad students Devraj Amin and Theekshana Vishnu Kumar, who were studying in one of the new lounge areas on Wednesday last week, say they’ve already sought out their favorite spot a couple times. “The furniture is very comfortable and it’s very cozy and classy,” Kumar says. “Everyone enters from here, and when [students] see this place, I think they’ll get more interested. It looks very appealing and eye-catching. I think this will be one of the hotspots to sit and study or hang out. It might be one of the coziest places now.”

The RUC is now packed with different kinds of study spaces for students.

The renovation at the RUC is part of an ongoing multi-phase effort to transform the building, the neighboring Mardigian Library and the space between the two buildings into a central hub for campus. You can read more about this and other major design projects that are in the works in our most recent story on the comprehensive campus plan.

###

Story by Lou Blouin, Cayley Catlett and Ben Vertin. Photos by Annie Barker

Off

Mon, 03/17/2025 - 11:18

A lot of maize and blue branding, a hangout area with a fireplace and new spaces for core student services are some of the highlights of the recent renovation at the RUC, which fully reopened last week.

With lots of new maize and blue design elements, the renovated first floor of the Renick University Center leaves no doubt that you're on a U-M campus.

Highlights from the 2025 State of the University

lblouin — Mon, 03 Feb 2025 17:41:50 +0000

Highlights from the 2025 State of the University lblouin Mon, 02/03/2025 - 12:41

Chancellor Domenico Grasso hosted his annual State of the University address last Thursday before a standing-room-only audience of more than 250. Grasso shared the university’s progress toward key milestones, as well as some concerns and challenges, before handing the mic over to the offices of the Provost, Institutional Advancement and Facilities Operations, as well as several 51��Ƶ-Dearborn students, to discuss new initiatives and their impact, along with some future plans. Key takeaways from the event are below.

More students are crossing the finish line to graduation.

Several key metrics in the GOBLUEprint for Success — the university’s strategic plan — are well on track. The four-year graduation rate has climbed from 22% in 2018 to 38% in 2024. “That's a 16% increase. That is truly incredible,” Grasso noted. “Many factors have led to this success in graduation rate: our students’ determination, our professors’ skill and mentoring, our campus resources and a community that is dedicated to seeing students across the finish line.”

The transition to a need-based financial aid model means that 94% of 51��Ƶ-Dearborn undergraduate FTIAC students now receive enough aid that their remaining obligations are less than $2,000 a year. And half of classes on campus now include a practice-based learning component. “This approach provides distinctive and creative opportunities for our students to prepare for the next phase of their careers,” Grasso observed. “I commend the faculty who design these courses and the department chairs and deans who support them.”

Faculty continue to excel: In the past two years, faculty and staff annual citations in publications have grown from 13,500 to over 22,000, and 51��Ƶ-Dearborn faculty experts appeared in 119 major local and national media outlets in 2024. Research awards continue to climb as well. While the university aimed for $9.8 million in research support in FY2024, that number actually reached nearly $12 million. Awarded and recommended funding for the first six months of FY25 now exceeds $14 million.

Grasso celebrated last year’s launch of the Office of Holistic Excellence, noting that the office was supporting several storytelling initiatives as a means of building empathy and a sense of inclusion across campus, as recently discussed in Insight into Diversity magazine. He noted that the campus community will see a new set of KPIs related to belonging and inclusion. The latest GOBLUEprint for Success KPI report was emailed to campus following the event.

Overall enrollment is encouraging, but there is still work to do.

Grasso was candid about the fact that the university’s highest hurdle — one shared by nearly every college and university in the state and many across the country — is enrollment. "There are simply fewer college age students today than a decade ago, especially here in Michigan, but there are still growing opportunities,” he said. “We currently enroll 8,100 students, and have challenged ourselves to enroll 10,000 by 2032. We have experienced modest increases in undergraduate students, which is encouraging. More students should experience everything we have to offer here at 51��Ƶ-Dearborn.”

Grasso shared two concerns about graduate enrollment: first, it has declined, and second, the new presidential administration could severely limit the ability of prospective international students to enter the U.S. “The encouraging news is that the Institute of International Education believes enough members of Congress appreciate what international students contribute to our communities and economy,” Grasso observed. “Our university, too, will continue to advocate for this important community.”

He added that he is meeting with executive officers across all three campuses daily to monitor changes in federal policies, and that the university is regularly posting information on federal orders, policies and regulations on the Key Issues section of the 51��Ƶ-Dearborn website. He urged faculty, staff and students to visit this page for the latest information pertaining specifically to the Dearborn campus.

Grasso also addressed enrollment concerns in the College of Arts, Sciences and Letters and the resulting need to collaboratively reimagine the college’s future. “Together, let’s focus on creative and lasting solutions,” he said. “I would love nothing more than for the University of Michigan-Dearborn to create novel approaches for increasing the attractiveness of the arts and humanities that could serve as models for higher education.”

Fundraising is essential to maintaining the mission.

Grasso then passed the mic to Vice Chancellor for Institutional Advancement Casandra Ulbrich, who shared details about the university’s recently launched five-year “Look to Michigan” fundraising campaign. After announcing the campaign goal of $60 million, she shared short videos from three donors who choose to support 51��Ƶ-Dearborn in diverse ways: Mark Ritz and L. Lee Gorman have made a multi-year gift of $500,000 to install solar panels on the roof of the England Engineering Lab Building; Sadaf Lodhi and Riz Hussain have directed stock to the Student Opportunity and Engagement Fund; and Altair’s corporate contribution created the Altair #OnlyForward Scholarship Fund in the College of Engineering and Computer Science. Ulbrich then spoke with two #OnlyForward scholarship recipients, CECS juniors Rehab Jadalla and Jide Owo, about the impact of the award. “Receiving the scholarship, to me, it means that, instead of spending time taking on additional jobs and taking on work to try to make ends meet for each semester, I have the space to take on the opportunities that I'm passionate about and are related to my ultimate career goals,” Jadalla, who is studying software engineering, said.

CECS juniors Rehab Jadalla (right) and Jide Owo (middle) spoke to the crowd about the impact of the #OnlyForward scholarship, sponsored by Altair Engineering.

“I also grew up in Dearborn, so I'm really, really proud to be attending this university," she added. "Just the culture of how encouraging and supportive the faculty and staff here are and the other students, and also the opportunities that I've had over the past three years, I don't think I would find at any other university."

Student success initiatives are having a big impact.

Associate Provosts Maureen Linker and Joan Remski discussed several initiatives led by Experience+ and the Office of Academic Success, all of which are seeing impressive results. These include the Summer Undergraduate Research Experience, the Wolverine Mentor Collective, a new peer-to-peer tutoring program that enables students to get help with their studies 24/7 and the STEM Scholars program, which supports STEM majors from low-income backgrounds throughout their time at 51��Ƶ-Dearborn and boasts a 98% retention rate. Two STEM Scholars, Myriam Hazime and Zahra Alemarah, joined Remski on stage to reflect on their experiences. “I was always provided with a very strong support group that I felt like other students outside of STEM scholars didn't have,” Hazime, a CECS sophomore majoring in software engineering, told the audience.

Alemarah, a CASL junior majoring in biochemistry, echoed her sentiments: “Something that's really important, especially at 51��Ƶ-Dearborn as a commuter campus, is building a relationship your first year, your freshman year. Through STEM Scholars, I had so many different friends, and it was very crucial to keep me going to study when it feels impossible, to ask for help when I need it.”

Great spaces encourage students to stay.

Executive Director for Facilities Carol Glick closed out the event with a quick check-in on the Comprehensive Campus Plan, an overview of the design process, and a look at five priority projects, all in different phases: the Computer and Information Science Building (investigation phase), Mardigian Library (conceptual design), Social Sciences Building renovations for the College of Business (schematic design), Administrative Building renovations to support the move of the College of Education, Health and Human Services (design development) and the Renick University Center first floor, which is currently wrapping up construction. Glick shared a few “before and after” renderings and photos, revealing a significantly transformed space complete with a fireplace where students won’t just pass through, but will want to hang out for hours. After the event, many attendees took advantage of tours led by the facilities team and the University Unions and Events office to see the changes in real life.

Executive Director for Facilities Carol Glick gave an update on the Comprehensive Campus Plan.

Concluding the event, which took place on a nearly 40-degree day, Grasso invited attendees to stick around for the Winter Carnival. “We actually have winter this year,” he’d noted earlier in his address. “Sort of.”

###

Story by Kristin Palm. Photos by Annie Barker. Watch the recording of the event.

Administration & Governance

Institutional Advancement

Off

Mon, 02/03/2025 - 17:40

Chancellor Grasso’s annual address covered enrollment good news and challenges, major research wins, promising student success initiatives and more.

Chancellor Domenico Grasso speaks to a crowd of more than 250 at the 2025 State of the University event.

Wolverine Welcome Day hosts record number of attendees

kbourlie — Fri, 30 Aug 2024 20:54:31 +0000

Wolverine Welcome Day hosts record number of attendees kbourlie Fri, 08/30/2024 - 16:54

Faculty, staff and university leaders took part in scavenger hunts, selfie stations and more to introduce themselves. Dearborn Wolverines walked throughout campus to check out 125 student organizations booths. And 1,100 new first-year, transfer and graduate students had the opportunity to make new friends. Wolverine Welcome Day and Go Blue Bash, which took place Thursday, is a fall tradition to get new students familiar with campus and excited about this chapter in their lives.

Students pose for a photo with Bruce the Goose at Wolverine Welcome Day.

“I like the vibes, the music,” said first-year engineering student Faisal Abushaban as he waited for festivities to begin. He was looking forward to meeting up with friends from Edsel Ford High School who would be staffing student group tables at the Go Blue Bash later in the afternoon. “Hopefully they can help me get started and know where my classes are,” he said.

Campus Wide & Family Programs Coordinator Jennifer Kowalcyk said 51��Ƶ-Dearborn hosted a record-number of Wolverine Welcome Day attendees this year. “It’s much larger this year — I’ve heard this may be our biggest first-year student class yet,” she said. “This is a great event to get students out to explore campus, learn about resources and see what being a Dearborn Wolverine is all about.”

With many upper-level 51��Ƶ-Dearborn students focused on service and volunteering, there was a new focus added to the day. Civic Engagement Coordinator JaNai' James said each student registered for the Welcome Day of Service was given a t-shirt with a checklist of volunteer opportunities on the back. A group of first-year and returning students checked off one box by helping place native plants around the Environmental Interpretive Center during the event.

“I know that planting those plants, they’re going to stay there for a while and actually make a difference for a little while,” said sophomore Traven Yarbro, who is studying economics and computation. It was Yarbro’s first visit to the EIC, but he enjoys walking around campus and said he will likely add the EIC trails to his outings. “Now that I know there’s trails back there that’s probably where I’ll start going,” he said.

Among other items on the list: Get civically engaged and sign up for a campus volunteer opportunity. “We hope that the shirts invoke some excitement and commitment to continuing to attend and support different volunteer initiatives and activities on campus.” James said. “It’s a fun way to prompt students to ask themselves, ‘How engaged am I?’” She said it's also an opportunity to promote Civic Action Week, which takes place Sept. 16, and National Lands Day, which is Sept. 28. “Our goal is to help students locate a community initiative they are personally passionate about and guide them to becoming community leaders.”

Dean of Students Amy Finley, along with other 51��Ƶ-Dearborn leaders, spoke to students at the event. She said time goes fast — and Wolverine Welcome Day is a first step in a fulfilling journey.

“You’ll look back at this time and be proud of the work you’ve done, the life-long friendships you’ve built and the ways that you’ve grown and changed,” Finley said. “But today, my friends, whether you’re a first-year student, a transfer student or a graduate student — today is the day where you start to feel transformed. Today is the day where you start reaching for the stars, for your dreams. Today is the day where you start figuring out who you are and what you are going to do to help transform our world. Today you truly become a part of our 51��Ƶ-Dearborn community.”

Students ended the day with new connections. “I met a young man early on from Pakistan and he’s awesome,” said first-year CASL student Andi Basnaw, who is from Port Huron and came to the event not knowing any fellow students. Basnaw was looking forward to learning more about the Association of Student Anthropologists and PRIDE at the Go Blue Bash.

Mercy Tum, a software engineering graduate student from Kenya, enjoyed taking in the campus for the first time. “The day has been great,” she said. “I got lost a couple times but thankfully there are a lot of nice people to show you around.”

College of Business first-year student Connor Swank came from Traverse City to join the men’s lacrosse team. “I fell in love when I visited,” he said, noting that he committed to the team the following day. Wolverine Welcome Day and the Go Blue Bash only made him feel more enthusiastic. “Everyone is so welcoming, it’s really cool,” he said. “I have no anxiety. It just feels like home already.”

Story by Sarah Tuxbury and Kristin Palm

Campus Life

New Student Engagement

Student Life

Off

Fri, 08/30/2024 - 20:30

The 51��Ƶ-Dearborn orientation event saw 1,100 participants, added an engagement initiative and connected Dearborn Wolverines to new friendships and activities.

Students arrive at Wolverine Welcome Day. Photos/Annie Barker

Facilities teams made progress on some big picture upgrades this summer

lblouin — Mon, 26 Aug 2024 12:55:19 +0000

Facilities teams made progress on some big picture upgrades this summer lblouin Mon, 08/26/2024 - 08:55

Summer is typically a time when facilities teams are sprinting around campus, trying to complete a laundry list of projects and upgrades before the start of the busy fall semester. But Executive Director for Facilities Carol Glick says this summer had a little different rhythm. “We’ve actually been working on a few big projects rather than a lot of smaller ones. And these are projects that really represent a sort of culture change that’s happening at the university, so that makes it a lot more exciting,” Glick says.

The biggest of those projects is the ongoing first floor renovation of the Renick University Center, which, along with the Mardigian Library and the outdoor space between the two buildings, is being reimagined as a central hub for campus in the new comprehensive campus plan. This summer, crews tackled some of the unglamorous heavy lifting for the project, including ripping up floors, installing new underground plumbing and pouring new concrete. Glick says walls have also been demoed and new walls are going up to create the improved floor plan, which includes several changes to office footprints, a large meeting room for hosting orientation groups and a new public lounge area with a fireplace. Though the scene right now is a construction zone, Interior Designer Sally Hamilton is already working on some of the finishing touches for that space, including ordering furniture and fabrics. Hamilton says the challenge of the moment is “picking out the right maize” to match some of the interior finishes, which lean heavily on the university’s signature colors.

The first floor of the Renick University Center is a total construction zone right now. But Executive Director for Facilities Carol Glick says the project is currently on track to be completed by the end of February 2025.

Glick says they haven’t run into major hurdles — a pleasant surprise in any renovation — and the project remains on track for a late-February reopening of the first floor. One area that’s already complete is the Bookstore, which now has a smaller footprint and a new manager, Lulu Owens-Berry, who started this summer. New features include a concierge textbook area, where students can ask about materials needed for their courses, and lots of new 51��Ƶ-Dearborn-themed merchandise.

The Bookstore is stocked with lots of new 51��Ƶ-Dearborn merchandise this fall.

Lulu Owens-Berry is the Bookstore's new manager.

This summer, facilities teams also started some early design work for the College of Education, Health and Human Services’ and College of Business’ moves to the main campus in 2026 and 2027, respectively. COB’s new home will be the Social Sciences Building, while CEHHS will be housed in a portion of the Administration Building — two older campus structures that will get some renovations prior to the move. SmithGroup, the university’s architectural partner on the Comprehensive Campus Plan, is currently working on the redesign for the SSB, while Neumann/Smith Architecture, the university’s partner for the RUC renovation, is working on the AB.

Other summer upgrades to check out: Chancellor’s Pond got some new plumbing and a new skimmer, and the concrete basin color is being updated from blue to beige to give it a more natural appearance. The Bikeable Campus initiative also scored some progress, with new signage, sharrows and bike racks, plus resources on the university website to help bike commuters plan their routes. Facilities teams installed new electric absorption chillers in the Mardigian Library, which will help reduce the building’s carbon footprint. And with the final bulbs and fixtures going in CASL classrooms this summer, facilities teams completed a multi-year LED lighting retrofit across the entire campus — a project that’s expected to save the university more than $140,000 annually in energy costs.

###

Story by Lou Blouin

Campus Life

University-wide

Facilities Operations

Facilities Planning

Off

Mon, 08/26/2024 - 12:48

The renovation of the Renick University Center’s first floor is on track, while the plan to consolidate operations on the main campus took some early steps.

The Renick University Center is currently undergoing a major renovation of its first floor, including upgrades to the university Bookstore, which are now complete. The full renovation is expected to be finished early next year.

Plan a trip to the lake

stuxbury — Fri, 02 Aug 2024 15:49:26 +0000

Plan a trip to the lake stuxbury Fri, 08/02/2024 - 11:49

Standing at the edge of Fair Lane Lake, there are wood ducks, great blue herons and a black-crowned night heron — all on a recent weekday lunch walk.

The trail highlighted today starts at the EIC, in red, and continues around the lake.

“We’ve seen osprey, eagles, kingfishers and other birds on or over this lake. More than 100 years after it was put here, this lake continues to serve its purpose,” says Environmental Interpretive Center Program Supervisor Rick Simek, while pointing out the many waterfowl — including a wood duck family — seen on the lake. “The lake was created in 1915 as a conservation effort. By the early 1900s, some waterfowl species were in decline. That included the wood duck, which was rapidly declining and thought to be headed toward extinction. This lake was intended to provide a refuge for wood ducks and other waterfowl."

For the last installment of Reporter’s summer trail series, Simek highlights a few interesting sights, sounds and facts around and about Fair Lane Lake.

This walk, which takes about 45 minutes depending on your pace, starts at the EIC. Then head down Orchard Trail, turn left at the lake and follow it around until you are back at Orchard Trail. Trail tip: wear bug spray, especially on a wet, humid day.

The lake and its history

As Simek shared above, the lake was created with birds in mind. “Henry Ford was a very complicated man, to put it mildly. But he was instrumental in protecting bird life and promoting conservation efforts,” Simek says. “The reason we have so many birds here today — and birds that are doing very well — is because of him.”

In 1915, Ford commissioned a 10-acre lake — which is now closer to eight acres as dirt from the 1959 campus construction was poured in the lake — that was on a gradual slope that went from 12 feet on the south end (by the Ford estate) and became more shallow as it moved north (the side closest to Henry Ford College).

At the shallow end, wild rice was planted to provide food and habitat for marsh birds. Native plantings and waterfowl food favorites like the arrowhead plants, including the still-visible duck potato, and sweet-scented water lily were planted along the lake. And fish were plentiful and could winter at the deep end of the lake. “There is no evidence that Henry Ford fished at the lake, so the fish may have been put in to provide food for waterfowl such as diving ducks, which often feed on fish,” Simek says.

With the trees, foliage and other natural debris that’s settled at the bottom of water, the maximum depth has changed over the course of a century. According to a research project conducted by 2014 environmental science graduate Ryan Keeling, who took more than 100 measurements across the pond to create a 3D image, the maximum depth is seven feet. Keeling now works at Mast Reforestation in Seattle as a senior manager of GIS technical operations.

“The lake is aging,” Simek says. “But the fish are doing well and the lake continues to provide food and refuge for the plants and animals that live here.”

The stone bridge and steps along the lake

Looking straight out of a storybook, there’s a stone bridge on the walk along the lake. But its origins are a bit of a mystery. Simek says he’s been looking into it for years, but the Fords didn’t include it among their archival blueprints or any other documentation. Simek’s best guess is that it was built around 1915, shortly after the lake was made.

What he does know is that it is a beautiful way for the lake overflow to drain into the Rouge River. “It’s a great meditative place, especially after a heavy rain or when the snow is melting. I come out here often,” Simek says. “The water flows down like a small waterfall.”

Continuing down the path right past the bridge, there are stone steps along the lake. These were built so the Fords could easily go onto the ice to skate. For summer activities, there is a small metal ring along the steps; it's where the Fords may have kept a small boat, Simek says.

The tree trail and a ‘fallen giant’

After you walk through an open chain-link gate, there’s a sign with a QR code for the EIC’s website on the right. The sign reads, “The Hidden Benefits of Trees: An Exploration of Medicinal and Other Uses from First Nations to Today.”

Matching up each number-marked tree to the website, fun facts are shared about eight different tree species on the trail. For example, boiled husks from the nuts of the black walnut tree were used to make yellow dye for fabrics. And the inner bark of the black cherry tree was made into a tea that alleviated symptoms of colds, fevers and labor pain by First Nations peoples like the Chippewa and Potawatomi. Simek says ‘2007 biological sciences alum Greg Norwood, who is now an ecologist at the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, developed the tree trail guide as an undergraduate. The current guide is an updated version of Norwood’sl project.

Just past the last tree on the trail, look to the left. There’s a huge white oak on the forest floor. Simek calls it the “fallen giant” and says it was more than 300 years old when it died around 2000. The age estimation of the tree was made in the late 1970s by tree expert Paul Thompson — a statewide big tree coordinator for the Michigan Botanical Club, a role he had for 40-plus years — who worked with Biology and Environmental Studies Professor Emeritus Orin Gelderloos.

Simek, who started at 51��Ƶ-Dearborn in 1994, remembers when the tree still stood. “It has endured for more than three centuries — that’s nearly 100 years before we were a country. It’s this very real link to the past,” he says. “I like to think about the people and wildlife who found shade or shelter under the tree. They may no longer be here, but we will have this connection to them, thanks to this old tree.” Simek says he is sad to see the white oak slowly break down, but it also makes room for new life — including a small oak tree, which is in a cage to protect it from hungry deer, right near it. “It gives you the perspective of not just looking back, but also looking forward,” he says. “I hope this habitat stays preserved so this little oak can live 300 years too.”

Yellow flowers, conservation efforts and Eagle Scout projects

Turning the bend of the lake, there are tall yellow flowers on either side. Simek says they are ox-eye “false sunflowers,” a native wildflower. But these pretty petals didn’t just show up — it was a several-year effort of Simek and EIC volunteers. “As we’ve been removing invasive plants, we've been scattering ox-eye seeds. Birds like the seeds, pollinators like the flowers and I really enjoy seeing a nice pop of color,” he says.

Rick Simek says the sign at the top of Orchard Trail was created in 2017 by an Eagle Scout.

Community volunteers also are responsible for the cages around the small trees along the path to protect the growing saplings from hungry deer, the wooden walkways over the marshy areas along the path and the large EIC welcome sign at the mouth of the trail.

“With preserving this area, the university has given people, myself included, direct access to hands-on personal experience with nature. It is truly one-of-a-kind and the community appreciates what we have to offer,” Simek says. “We’ve had at least 40 Eagle Scout projects done here and I took a call from someone interested in doing one today. Nonprofits, schools, individuals and businesses come out to be wonderful stewards who make sure we keep this outdoor classroom and habitat in a condition that benefits everyone.”

Reporter checked out the south side of the Rouge Gateway trail in July, the north side of the trail in June and the EIC’s Orchard Trail in May. Have a favorite spot on campus and want to know a little more about it? Reach out and we’ll do a little digging.

Story by Sarah Tuxbury.

Campus Life

Nature or Environment

College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters

Environmental Interpretive Center

Off

Fri, 08/02/2024 - 15:48

Take a dip into the history of Fair Lane Lake, along with what you’ll see when hiking around the trails that surround it.

Rick Simek relaxes on a bench on the south end of Fair Lane Lake. Photos by Sarah Tuxbury

Intriguing sites just steps from the classroom

stuxbury — Mon, 08 Jul 2024 11:26:12 +0000

Intriguing sites just steps from the classroom stuxbury Mon, 07/08/2024 - 07:26

Fossils that dot building exteriors. A wrought iron-fenced rose garden that sits on top of underground tunnels. And a new water feature that helps the fish travel up the Rouge River from the Detroit River for the first time in more than a century.

These are a few of the intriguing sites along a trek from campus to the south end of Rouge Gateway Trail. First created in 2005, the gateway trail runs through campus and gives the community a scenic way to explore local history and a route to downtown West Dearborn.

“We have so many fascinating landscape features right in our backyard. Some are beautiful, some are functional, some are intriguing — and some have a little bit of everything,” says EIC Program Coordinator and Interpretive Naturalist Dorothy McLeer, who has led educational programs along this route. “If you want a shorter walk, you can start at the CASL Building or Fieldhouse and walk along Fair Lane Road from there. You’ll still see most of the sites I’m talking about today.”

This month's trek, marked by a purple path, takes us from the EIC (in red on the left) past the Henry Ford Estate (in red on the right) and onto the south side of the Rouge Gateway Trail.

A walk from the Environmental Interpretive Center to the Rouge Gateway Trail’s south bridge and back takes about 90 minutes, depending on your pace.

Here are a few things you’ll see when you take the south side portion of the Rouge Gateway Trail. Since the Orchard Trail leg of the walk — which is the beginning path from the EIC to Fair Lane Lake — was previously covered in a recent article, this trail guide’s highlights will start at the edge of Fair Lane Lake.

The greenspace between Fair Lane Lake to the Henry Ford Estate

At first glance, it just looks like grass — but something else is going on here. The land didn’t always look like this. Nearly 110 years ago, this meadow was designed to use curiosity to keep people moving forward.

When at the lake, you cannot see the house. When in the middle of the meadow, you can’t see the lake or the house — just an opening in the trees that hints something is up ahead.

Geese by Fair Lane Lake

Closer to the 1915 mansion, there’s a glimpse of the 56-room residence. McLeer says the peek-a-boo pathway was created through the progressive realization technique. And Henry Ford’s landscape architect, Jens Jensen, did it by redesigning the entire area.

“Jensen turned farmland into a scenic space that looks like it could have always been here,” McLeer says. “Everything you see in the meadow, including the lake, was put here by Jensen.”

On the grounds, McLeer says there are 100-plus-year-old Hawthorn trees that dot the landscape, which was a nod to the prairie style of Frank Lloyd Wright. Looking up, there are herons, hawks and eagles that nest in or around the meadow. “This meadow was created in a way that supports and highlights nature,” McLeer says. “At the time it was done, this was progressive. I think we can say, 100 years later, that Jensen’s plan was successful.”

A century-old terrace

Once getting to the clearing end of the meadow, Henry Ford Estate — a national historic landmark — is completely visible. The first prominent feature seen is the home’s terrace. Made of limestone from Kelleys Island State Park in Ohio, there are surprises in the brownish-gray material. “There are visible fossils in this limestone. They are everywhere,” McLeer says, pointing out lighter patterns on the steps of the porch and exterior walls of the house. Fossils include extinct marine invertebrates like trilobites and nautilus-type shells.

“This limestone was all under water in Lake Erie at some point. It’s a 100-plus-year-old home made of a million-plus-year-old material,” McLeer says. In addition to the main house, McLeer says the estate’s garage, powerhouse, gazebo and potting shed also are made from the natural stone.

The rose garden

Keep walking south around the 31,000-square-foot house and you’ll arrive at a picturesque rose garden with a fountain in the center. The garden’s opening welcomes guests with a decorative wrought iron gate that once belonged to an 18^th century English manor. The gate, pictured at the top of this article, was noticed by Clara Ford on a European vacation and a deal was struck to bring it back with them for their home.

Karen Marzonie, Fair Lane director of gardens and grounds, says the flowers, including the roses around the estate, have been carefully researched by combing through historic photographs, correspondence and receipts of plant purchases from when the Fords lived at Fair Lane. “It’s not unusual for homeowners, especially garden enthusiasts like Clara Ford, to revise their plant choices over time," she says. "Fair Lane’s gardens and grounds reflect the plant preferences of the Fords while responding to today’s need for disease- and deer-resistant plant varieties.”

Not only is the garden beautiful, it’s intriguing. McLeer says there’s a tunnel from the Ford’s power house to the main home that runs under the roses. Ford used a variety of tunnels to travel to the buildings without needing to be concerned about weather.

The tunnels were also an important safety feature in the wake of the 1932 Lindbergh kidnapping, in which the famous aviator Charles Lindbergh’s 20-month-old son was snatched from his home. McLeer says the Fords saw the underground passage as a way to protect their often-visiting grandchildren. At the time, their youngest grandchild, William Clay Ford, was 7. McLeer says she’s been in the tunnels before, but the tunnels are not open to the public, with the estate currently undergoing renovations.

The south side bridge

Keep traveling down Fair Lane Road until there’s an opening to the right marked by a “Rouge River Gateway Trail” sign. Take that until you see a bridge. Once you get to the red south bridge and cross the Rouge River, there’s a fork in the road — one way leads you to downtown West Dearborn and the other takes you across the river from the Henry Ford Estate.

“You can choose your own adventure,” says McLeer, who walked the trail recently. “It can take you to a busy downtown for lunch or a quiet place to enjoy listening to birds and the sounds of rushing river water.”

If there’s time, stop on the bridge and look for wildlife. McLeer says evidence of beaver families — like gnawed tree trunks — are often seen from the south bridge. “It depends on the time of day whether you’ll see them. They are most active at dawn and dusk,” she says.

Incredibly, the bridge is quiet and serene, even though a busy downtown is just around the bend.

Downtown West Dearborn

Looking to be part of the action? Head left. The trailhead emerges in downtown West Dearborn near the former Andiamo’s building. It seems a bit loud with car traffic after being among the trees and bird songs. There are trees along the way for shade, historic buildings for visual interest and restaurant options for a nice lunch break. Buddy’s Pizza is a few blocks from where the path emerges and more restaurants, coffee shops, stores, parks and museums are nearby.

There’s a Dearborn Summer Market that brings together the community with local farmers, entrepreneurs and small businesses. It’s at Bryant Branch Library — a very short walk from the trailhead — and runs from 3 to 8 p.m. July 12, Aug. 9 and Sept. 13. The address is 22100 Michigan Ave.

Prefer to take a bike? 51��Ƶ-Dearborn has a bike route that goes from the EIC to downtown West Dearborn via the Rouge River Gateway Trail. Want to make it a social event with 51��Ƶ-Dearborn colleagues? There's a group meeting at the Renick University Center's patio at 4 p.m. Friday, July 12, to walk to the market.

The fish ladder

If a scenic nature walk is the preference, go to the right and cross the second red bridge. On the right, you’ll come to a small waterfall in the river that appears natural — but it was added in the early 20th century to generate hydroelectric power that powered the Henry Ford Estate and 200-plus houses in Dearborn.

McLeer says it’s attractive and innovative, but the waterfall posed a problem for the fish that swam up the Rouge River from the Detroit River. They were blocked by the 12-foot waterfall/dam.

Looking at the environmental concerns and the health of the Rouge River and its wildlife, the Rouge River Advisory Council recently led an effort to create a $9 million fish ladder. (Yes, it’s a real thing and not an idea from Dr. Seuss.) Construction started in 2018 and finished in 2023. As McLeer puts it, “Now the fish can swim upstream to make more of themselves.”

To help Friends of the Rouge learn more about the fish in the river, McLeer says 51��Ƶ-Dearborn alum Robert Muller conducted a long-term research project that assessed fish life in the water. Muller began the project in 2012 as a college intern and continues the work today. The data he gathered helped show why the fish ladder was needed. Fish that travel upstream from the Detroit River to the Rouge include yellow perch, black crappie, emerald shiner and more.

“Environmentalists knew cutting off river access was an issue and the fish ladder had been in talks for quite some time. But it takes education, experts and funding to make large projects like this happen,” McLeer says. “It’s been more than 100 years, but they can finally swim upstream again.”

Many thanks to EIC Interpretive Naturalist Dorothy McLeer for sharing her insights along the trail journey.

Reporter checked out the north side of the trail in June and the EIC’s Orchard Lake trail in May. Next month, we’ll hike around Fair Lane Lake.

Story by Sarah Tuxbury.

Campus Life

Nature or Environment

College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters

Environmental Interpretive Center

Off

Mon, 07/08/2024 - 11:25

Take a stroll back in time — and see a new environmentally friendly addition to the land — when on a campus walk toward the south side of the Rouge Gateway Trail.

An ornate gate opens to Fair Lane's rose garden. Photos/Sarah Tuxbury

The Renick University Center renovation is kicking off next month

lblouin — Mon, 18 Mar 2024 13:20:21 +0000

The Renick University Center renovation is kicking off next month lblouin Mon, 03/18/2024 - 09:20

Last summer, the university announced a new comprehensive campus planning effort to rethink how we use physical spaces on campus. The centerpiece of that plan is a vision for making the renovated Renick University Center, Mardigian Library and the outdoor space between the two buildings a new central hub for campus, particularly for student-focused activities and services. Executive Director for Facilities Operations Carol Glick says this will be a multi-year, multi-phase project, but she’s excited that the first stage — a major renovation of the RUC’s first floor — will begin next month.

The renovation will focus on the east (parking lot) side of the building, where several core student-facing offices will be getting new or updated spaces. Director of Planning and Construction Emily Hamilton says one of the fun parts about this renovation is working with staff to design around their specific needs, many of which have changed substantially post-pandemic. For example, staff in the One-Stop, the student-facing hub for enrollment-focused services, have embraced hybrid scheduling and office sharing. Hamilton says this, along with new, recently adopted guidelines for more compact offices, enabled the facilities team to create additional spaces within the same physical office footprint. “By having smaller offices and shared offices, along with more efficient furniture styles, we were able to create a whole new flexible workroom space that has a TV on the wall, and you can push the tables together for meetings, or break them apart to eat lunch or have a conversation,” Hamilton says. “So they’re getting more useful space in the One-Stop without adding any square footage.”

University Unions and Events is also getting a new suite on the first floor, which gives staff a location nearer the meeting rooms that UUE manages, like Kochoff Hall. The renovated first floor will gain several smaller meeting rooms, as well as a large meeting room for hosting tour and orientation groups. The Student Advising and Resource Team, or START, will be moving down to a new first floor location and will be sharing a suite with Career Services, which is moving over from the Fairlane campus.

One of the biggest transformations is happening along the east end of the building, where the bank of transaction counters will be removed and replaced with a large open lounge area. Furnished with cozy furniture and a multi-sided, walk-around fireplace, this space is intended to create the welcoming living room the campus has never really had. “This building is the center of the campus, right? So this is prime real estate,” Hamilton says. “We realized having rooms that store years and years of student documents wasn’t the best use of that space. We want every inch of that prime space to be focused on serving students.”

The renovated One-Stop office will feature a much more open floor plan. Credit: Neumann Smith Architecture

Another view of the new open One-Stop office. Credit: Neumann Smith Architecture

A more efficient office design made this new flexible work space in the One-Stop possible. Credit: Neumann Smith Architecture

University Unions and Events' new flexible workspace. Credit: Neumann Smith Architecture

The new work room in the suite shared by START and Career Services. Credit: Neumann Smith Architecture

The renovation project is currently out for bid, and Project Manager Kal Haddad expects construction crews will start prep work in early April. Starting March 18, offices impacted by the renovation began temporarily moving to various locations. The One-Stop will relocate to the SSB building. The UUE info desk will shift to the northwest corner of the RUC, outside Kochoff Hall. The Office of International Affairs will move to the second floor of the RUC. Kochoff Hall and meeting rooms 1225 and 1227 will remain open for scheduling. Picasso and the credit union will be unaffected by the renovation. The Bookstore will be downsized and renovated. Glick expects the first floor to fully reopen sometime during the first quarter of 2025.

Work on the Mardigian Library, as well as the outdoor space between the RUC and library, is not part of this initial round of design and construction but is expected to begin in the next few years. Work on the larger comprehensive campus plan is also ongoing and scheduled to be finalized in May. A forum will be held to review the data collection and evaluation process, share findings and address questions from the campus community.

###

Learn more about the comprehensive campus plan. Story by Lou Blouin

Campus Life

University-wide

Facilities Operations

Facilities Planning

Off

Mon, 03/18/2024 - 13:11

The plan to make a renovated Renick University Center and Mardigian Library the new central hub of campus is taking some big steps.

This artist rendering is the inspiration for the renovated east side of the Renick University Center. Credit: Neumann Smith Architecture

Celebrate the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.

lblouin — Mon, 08 Jan 2024 18:13:24 +0000

Celebrate the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. lblouin Mon, 01/08/2024 - 13:13

The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. worked tirelessly toward creating a just and equitable society where people were valued and respected, regardless of skin color, abilities or social class. To do this, the civil rights leader and Nobel Prize winner advocated for peaceful approaches to some of society's biggest problems — problems that continue today, more than 55 years after his assassination.

“Dr. King challenged systemic oppression and the people in power were threatened by his words and peaceful actions. Dr. King practiced what he preached. He changed us for the better. And he was murdered for it,” says Mechanical Engineering and Bioengineering Graduate Programs Coordinator Rebekah Awood, a 2000 51��Ƶ-Dearborn alum who’s participated in MLK Day of Service events on campus for nearly 25 years. “Dr. King changed lives through acts of service — we still need to continue his work and do better. This time of year is a reminder to follow his lead and help where you can, however you can.”

To offer service opportunities in honor of King's legacy, 51��Ƶ-Dearborn is hosting the annual MLK Day of Service and Week of Events, which is a partnership with Henry Ford College, on Jan. 15. There are several volunteer opportunities available on campus, in the community or remotely at home. Times and locations vary, depending on the volunteer opportunity chosen. Opening remarks for the event will take place at 9:30 a.m. in Kochoff Hall in the Renick University Center.

During the MLK Day of Service’s 31-year history at 51��Ƶ-Dearborn, more than 8,500 people have volunteered 42,000 hours in Detroit and the surrounding areas, says Civic Engagement Coordinator JaNai’ James. James says she hopes students, faculty, staff and community members will sign up and add to these numbers and the community impact made.

“There are many ways to get involved. You have strengths that your community needs. If you are concerned that you don’t have the skills to build a house or something like that, I want to let you know that it’s OK. I don’t have that either. All you need to have is a willingness to help,” she says. “If you are open to helping, there is someone who will accept your help.”

James says there are new volunteer opportunities this year. Volunteers are needed to assemble play kits for hospitalized children, create chew toys for shelter animals and put together welcome bags for families entering homeless shelters. This is in addition to soup kitchen assistance, food pantry stocking and clean-up work. Partner organizations include Capuchin Soup Kitchen, Project Sunshine, Auntie Na’s House, Kids Against Hunger, Eternal Light, Wayne Metro Community Action Agency, World Medical Relief Detroit, Tuckerville Transitions House and more.

“Everyone has their own reasons for why they participate, but we all share that we got out of bed on a day off and are choosing to put good into the world,” James says. “The MLK Day of Service emphasizes Dr. King’s spirit of service while giving us time to reflect on our actions and our values. It’s hopefully the first step toward a much larger question: ‘How can we continue this work?’”

Awood says she and her daughter Abigail, 11, will participate again in this year’s day of service. The pair take part in the MLK Day of Service yarn group — they knit and crochet hats and scarves that are then donated to local organizations — that meets in Fairlane Center. Echoing James’ sentiments, Awood says she needs to remember that every act counts — even when it seems small.

Awood, who grew up in a church that preached white supremacy and gender divides, uses the homemaking skills she was required to learn as a way to give warmth to people in need. As Awood crochets, she’s performing her small act of peaceful resistance to honor King’s legacy.

As a child, Awood recalls hearing church leaders say hateful things about Dr. King. “In my childhood innocence, I didn’t understand why they vilified him so much. We were Baptist. He was a Baptist preacher, too. He was formally educated in religious studies. His message was biblically sound,” she says. “When I later connected the comments people made about him to who he was as a person, I finally understood that they vilified him because he was Black. It was disgusting. I consider that a point on my timeline where I realized I needed to educate myself, question the status quo and, finally, leave my church.”

Since the late 1990s, Awood has volunteered during 51��Ƶ-Dearborn’s MLK Day of Service and sought out other opportunities for service. She’s sung in choir performance tributes to MLK, driven students to service sites and attended expert-led conversation-based events that discussed systemic racism. She says she continues to participate and seek out knowledge because learning is continuous.

“Sometimes it feels like there is never enough we can do to undo the damage of things we were taught or experienced — and that these system injustices are too big to take on. But I remind myself that every bit, even if it feels tiny, helps,” Awood says. “The first step is showing up. Then you put in some work. What happens from there is up to us.”

Here are campus events taking place next week that highlight MLK and the importance of continued social justice work.

Civil Rights Anthems Display
ongoing, Mardigian Library
Discover the music that accompanied the movement. The Mardigian Library will have a display on Civil Rights anthems for MLK week. The display will feature a short history of each song, including the iconic "We Shall Overcome," and provide an opportunity to listen to each of the songs.

MLK Week of Events Keynote with 51��Ƶ-Flint Chief Diversity Officer David Luke
1 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 16, Zoom.

51��Ƶ-Flint’s Chief Diversity Officer David Luke reflects on MLK’s legacy through the context of the recent ban on affirmative action and attacks on its successor — diversity, equity and inclusion. While some argue that Dr. King would be opposed to DEI interventions, Luke argues that affirmative action and DEI are outgrowths of the Civil Rights Movement and are tools consistent with Dr. King's fight against racism and systemic oppression.

2024 MLK Peace Rally
11 a.m.-1 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 18. Meet at the Renick University Center.

Poster making begins at 11 a.m.; the rally starts at noon at the RUC's northeast entrance.

A peaceful march from 51��Ƶ-Dearborn to Henry Ford College recognizes the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and commemorates the role that protest has taken in shaping our society. Hear a keynote address from Henry Ford College African American Studies Professor Kalvin Harvell. The rally will end at Henry Ford College's Building L. Refreshments will be provided upon arrival at HFC.

###

Article by Sarah Tuxbury

Campus Life

Events

Inclusion or Diversity

Off

Mon, 01/08/2024 - 18:10

51��Ƶ-Dearborn hosts the annual MLK Day of Service on Jan. 15, followed by a week of events that highlight Dr. King and the importance of continued social justice work.

Members of the 51��Ƶ-Dearborn community make blankets that were donated to local nonprofits during the MLK Day of Service in 2022.