Updates regarding faculty, staff, and student DEI-related activity at the Ford School
Diversifying what and how we teach
During the November faculty meeting, public policy lecturer Attia Qureshi presented on managing challenges in the classroom.
Course spotlight
Looking for additional courses to take winter term? We’ve highlighted a few course offerings that strengthen your knowledge and expertise while helping you meet your degree requirements. The course spotlight for this month include:
Pub Pol 475: Racial Disparities in Policing: Causes, Consequences, and Corectives. The rise of the Black Lives Matter movement has brought renewed public attention to an enduring social problem in America: racial disparities in policing, and gaps in police-community trust. Where do these inequities come from? What processes contribute to disparities in policing? And what can we do to address them? The overarching goal of this course is to get “under the hood” of racial inequality in policing through organizational analysis: to identify the institutional and individual contributors to disparities, so that we can combat it. This course is taught by assistant professor of Organizational Studies, Nicholas Camp ([email protected]) on Tuesday and Thursday from 11:00 - 11:30 am ET.
PubPol 710.001: Policing by Indian Tribes. Indian tribes provide law and order in a cross-jurisdictional matrix involving federal, state, local, and tribal agencies. This complexity, coupled with limited governmental resources, contributes to horrible violent crime rates in Indian country. Tribal police follow practices of other jurisdictions, engaging in the same police violence as non-tribal jurisdictions. Unarmed Native persons are shot and killed, many by tribal police, at a higher rate than other races and ethnicities. In this class, multidisciplinary teams of students will study reservation policing to determine if alternate regimes are possible. Students will engage with tribal, federal, and state judges, lawyers, and elected officials to generate ideas on culturally appropriate tribal policing regimes given the legal and political landscape. The class will be taught by tribal citizens who grew up in parts of Indian country where crime rates are very high. This course is taught by Matthew Fletcher ([email protected]) and April Youpee-Roll ([email protected]) on Wednesdays from 3:15 - 6:30 pm ET.
Promoting an equitable and inclusive climate
The Ford School community hosted a virtual panel discussion on to mark the 20th anniversary of the joint PhD program. Celeste Watkins-Hayes, director of the Center for Racial Justice, moderated the panel of Ford School PhD alums reflecting on key issues, challenges, and solutions around racial justice. Following the panel, attendees had the opportunity to participate in a virtual networking session with fellow PhD alumni, current doctoral students, and other attendees.
U of M recently launched a university-wide survey designed to gather important feedback about our current campus climate. The DEI Campus Climate Survey provides all students, faculty, and staff the opportunity to share their perspectives, opinions, and experiences associated with diversity, equity, and inclusion on campus. The web-based survey is open to all students, faculty, and staff and takes about 15 minutes to finish. The survey takes about 15 minutes to complete. To ensure confidentiality, it will be administered by an independent, third-party firm, SoundRocket. All survey participants have a chance to win prizes including $100 gift cards and other giveaways. Read more in the University Record.
DEI funding
DEI funding is available to Ford School student organizations who implement initiatives that promote DEI related values. The purpose of the funding is to encourage student-led programming that advance the Ford School’s four central pillars. All DEI funding proposals should be submitted to Stephanie Sanders ([email protected]).
Diversifying our research and policy engagement
As part of the Policy Talks @ the Ford School series, panelists discussed Trauma-informed policing: Improving mental health and public safety. This event was co-sponsored with the U-M School of Social Work.
Upcoming events
Revolutionary horizons after the George Floyd rebellion
December 3 | 3:30 - 5:00 pm ET
Featuring philosopher/activist Idris Robinson
Join us for this in-person conversation with philosopher/activist Idris Robinson on social movements, resistance, and the George Floyd Uprising. For over a decade, Robinson has written extensively on revolt and crisis in both European and American contexts. In his research, he works towards cultivating an open and comparative approach that encompasses both contemporary Continental and Anglo-American philosophy, while remaining informed by insights from various pre-modern traditions.
Fatima Hassan on global vaccine equity and health justice
December 6 | 11:00 - 12:00 pm ET
Science, Technology, and Public Policy program lecture series
Join STPP for a talk with Fatima Hassan, human rights lawyer, social justice activist, and the founder of the Health Justice Initiative in South Africa; and Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, Towsley Foundation Policymaker in Residence. The event is co-sponsored by the African Studies Center, the Office of Global Public Health, and the Center for Global Health Equity. Registration is required.
Therapy dog study break
December 6 | 3:00 - 5:00 pm ET
The Ford School Community Building Committee invites students to “paws” for a therapy dog study break at the Law School: Hutchins Hall, in the hallways just outside the K&E Cafe.
Anti-racism is never not intersectional
December 9 | 2:00 - 3:00 pm ET
The racial reckoning during 2020 sparked renewed energy to address pervasive structural racism and the resulting disparate inequities and injustices impacting minoritized communities and communities of color in the US. This expert panel will help us to understand how systems of racism and sexism support and maintain each other, discuss recent efforts to grapple with these issues at Michigan, frame them within a broader theoretical and political context and then provide suggestions on how to move from intention to action and how to enact structural change that is transformational and sustainable. Registration is required.
Welcome to the indigenous future
December 9 | 3:00 - 4:30 pm ET
With Riana Elyse Anderson and Nakeshia Williams
Growing social and economic injustices continue to amplify stress in the university community. Drs. Riana Elyse Anderson and Nakeshia Williams will identify stressors and discuss ways community members can support one another and foster a culture of self-care. Registration is required.
Looking ahead
Economic empowerment and racial justice
January 12 | 12:00 - 12:50 pm ET
Public Policy and Institutional Discrimination discussion series
Bill Bynum—a Towsley Foundation Policymaker in Residence at the Ford School—will address the role of policy to advance economic opportunity for disenfranchised populations. The series, open to U-M students, faculty, and staff, is designed to foster dialogue on important issues of U.S. public policy. Registration is required.
Learning and development
The list of mental health and well-being resources are designed to support members of the Ford School community. These resources continue to promote help seeking behaviors and emotional well-being practices.
- Ginger Roots "2's and 4's breathing"
- Mindfulness meditation
- One-Minute Stress Strategies
- Relaxation videos offered by CAPS
- SilverCloud
- Wolverine support network
Resources
- The University of Michigan’s Counseling and Psychological Services is piloting a new mental health and well-being resource that allows students to receive and provide support anonymously through an online peer-to-peer community. The service is available to students for free and joins U-M’s two additional peer support-based offerings for students: the Wolverine Support Network and Individual Peer Counseling.
- Financial assistance and funding opportunities for unanticipated financial challenges
- Ford School Emergency Fund: $500 limit, email [email protected] for more information.
- UM CARES funding: administered by the Office of Financial Aid. Application is available in Wolverine Access.
- Rackham Student Emergency Funds: graduate students only, up to $2,500, see eligibility details on the website.
- Dean of Students Emergency Fund: undergraduate and graduate students, see website for more information.
- CEW+ Emergency Fund: graduate students and underserved undergraduate students (including but not limited to: returning students, those with children, emancipated, first generation, transfer students).
- Maize and Blue Cupboard
- Office of Student Conflict Resolution (734-936-6308)
- Virtual Resources to Connect Students: https://admissions.umich.edu/explore-visit/virtual-resources
