Michigan Campus Activism Guide Published

Although it has been a while since I’ve written about the University of Michigan, I thought I would note the publication of a book by my friend and U-M senior Mollie Bates. An Art and Design senior, in collaboration with the progressive paper the Michigan Independent, Mollie has designed and produced an 80-page, full color book on progressive campus activism at the university titled The Michigan Independent’s Guide to Campus Activism. The book features detailed descriptions of activism from 2003 to 2007 (Students Supporting Affirmative Action, The College Democrats, Voice Your Vote and The Coke Coalition), historical information dating back to the 1960s, and a how-to guide for future activists. I had the opportunity to peruse a copy this summer and was duly impressed. You can get a copy of the book by getting in touch with Mollie at mollie.bates at gmail.com. She informs me it will eventually be available for purchase online, and I will update this post when that happens.

> Preview the book on Mollie’s online portfolio

Almost everyone has had a printer at one time or the other. This is the age of lexmark printers. Throw away the old ones, and get new printer accessories and start printing right away.

‘It’s Fun To Be In the O-R-D-E-R’

For those accustom to my usual topics about urbanism and D.C., permit me a brief digression about a University of Michigan “leadership” society with a controversial history, that recently re-named themselves from Michigamua to The Order of Angell.

The Ann Arbor blog Left Behind in the Fishbowl has posted what appears to be a copy of lyrics of a song written to be used during initiation rituals by Michigamua/Order of the Angell, titled “YMCA (Pride 2008)”. Whether or not the document is authentic of a sophisticated parody, it makes for hilarious reading.

There’s been a lot of talk lately about Michigamua/Order of the Angell because they just inducted new members. Readers of this blog will know I think the group should be abolished since it is a shameful blemish on the history of the University of Michigan, but I won’t belabor the point. I think my views are a quite reasonable conclusion based on my research. It seems some basic history is a good starting point.

1. At its founding, the group created an elaborate invented mythology using their views of Native American culture, which they proceeded to use for nearly 100 years.
2. For 90 years of their history most internal communication (including all newsletters) was in a stylized speech (see below for examples)
3. The group first admitted women in 2000
4. The organized had privileged space in the Michigan Union from the 30s until 2000, had close relationships with administrators for many years, and even at one point had a special university account for their finances. For years, they used university property outside downtown Ann Arbor for special events.
5. They agreed to abolish all references to native American culture in 1989, however the tower occupation revealed numerous objects and a wigwam retained by the organization

Whether it is even possible — or even desirable — to whitewash this history with a quick name change I think is an open question. This is not to mention the appropriateness of having such a group with such an elitist past (and present) claiming to act “for Michigan.”

Here are the new members, from the Daily:

“Pride of 2008″
-Sarah Banco - Women’s soccer
-Lindsey Cottrell - Women’s soccer
-Steve Crompton - Dance Marathon
-Lindsay Davis - Women’s golf
-Alessandra Giampaolo - Softball
-Sam Harper - College Democrats chair
-Michael Hart - Football
-Jen Hsu - Co-chair of the Michigan Student Assembly’s LGBT commission
-Nellie Kippley - Women’s gymnastics
-Matko Maravic - Men’s tennis
-Doug Pickens - Baseball
-Randal Seriguchi - VP of the National Pan-Hellenic council, MSA
-Sejal Tailor - Multicultural Greek Council president
-Alex Tisdall - ROTC
-Tyrel Todd - Men’s wrestling
-Alex Vanderkaay - Swimmer
-Zack Yost - MSA president
-Michael Cromwell - A capella
-Nicole Wojcik - Marching Band
-Anup Shah - IASA
-Rohan Patel - Dance Marathon
-Kelly Sanderson - Women Engineers
-Gervis Menzies - Residence Hall Association

Here’s some images I pulled from my collection:

Newsletters from the 1940s

Class of 1966

Induction ritual photo and account from 1960s

This letterhead was used well into the 1970s. Ironically, this copy contains notes from a meeting where negotiations with Native American students was discussed.

Note, donations from this 1980s fundraising letter are payable to a “University of Michigan — Michigamua Account”

Objects discovered in the “wigwam” during 2000 Student of Color Coalition occupation.

Recent News
> Michigan Daily: “After seven years, group recognized by ‘U’ once again”
> Michigan Daily: “The secret society that lived: New name alone can’t cover blemishes of a shady past”
> Michigan Daily: “Jim Toy Viewpoint: To build a bridge” (Community member describes why he is working with group)

Resources
> Native American Student Association — Michigamua “Guide to Understanding”
> The Order of Angell Maize pages entry
> The Order of Angell website
> Michigamua Members: 1999-2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 (For previous years just drop me a line, I have a printed directory going all the way back to 1902)

More
> Previous Michigamua Posts

Student Housing in Ann Arbor

My friend Dale has just posted a rough introduction to his urban planning thesis to his blog. He is making an ambitious argument — perhaps too ambitious — but I’m interested to see what he uncovers in the process of investigating it.

In this thesis, I argue that students individually and collectively were agents of change in this period of major alterations in the educational project of the university, in local and university housing policy, and in federal housing policy, making significant contributions to urban development even while they worked within a structural framework of national economic depression and world war, changing federal housing policy, suburbanization, the emergence of the research university, and urban crisis and revitalization. This consideration of student housing, then, is an effective means of examining the changing relationship between the city and the university in twentieth century American urban history.

I’ll also be interested to see what comparisons could be made with College Park from his finished work, and what insights he uncovers on the topic of student voting rights. A year ago I blogged about an interesting group, the Student Voting Rights Campaign, but sadly just noticed their rich trove of articles collected in 2004 was lost to a server crash. Here’s to hoping it’s backed up somewhere.

> Urban Oasis: “Allow Me to Introduce Myself“

Luxury Boxes at the Big House?

My father pointed me to this article in the New York Times from a couple weeks back (I found a free copy on a blog here, but with editorializing) about a controversy over a proposal to add luxury boxes to Michigan Stadium. The idea has been floated as a means to produce additional revenue for the athletic department, but no concrete proposal has been made before the Regents yet. New York City resident John Pollack, who is the son of a U-M professor and season ticket holder, has organized opposition to the plan and launched a website savethebighouse.com. On the website he argues “The very idea of private luxury boxes in Michigan Stadium runs contrary to the egalitarian ideals to which the U-M is dedicated,” and likens the proposed boxes to the much-hated “halo” which was removed from the stadium shortly after it was added in the 1990s as a response to fan complaints.

‘Tent State University’

First time I’ve heard about this:

Tent State University is a campaign that started in 2003 at Rutgers University and has been taken on by about 10 other schools so far. It is the realization of an alternative university in the midst of the old university. It symbolizes our dissatisfaction with the direction of the education system in the United States. With tents, workshops, alternative classes, open assemblies, and free art and music, we will build parallel democratic institutions to challenge the undemocratic control of our education. With your help, Tent State will take over the Diag this Spring, 2006!

Remembering Faz

Faz Husain, who passed away last week, will be remembered at a memorial service in Ann Arbor at Pioneer High School on Thursday, March 23rd at 7.30 pm. Friends have set up a memorial website at www.SayHelloToFaz.com.

Ann Arbor’s Faz Husain Passes Away

A reader wrote to ask me to post this news story. Faz Husain, the popular owner of Ann Arbor pizza store Hello Faz Pizza, passed away last week from lung disease. I have re-posted the Ann Arbor News story below.

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