Volunteer or Community Service

One sweet campus tradition: Making Michigan maple syrup

stuxbury — Wed, 15 Feb 2023 17:46:15 +0000

One sweet campus tradition: Making Michigan maple syrup stuxbury Wed, 02/15/2023 - 12:46

A squirrel ran across a maple tree’s large branch, stopped near the end and plopped down for a snack. Its nibble of choice? The maple tree’s leaf buds. Most people might not notice an animal grabbing a bite to eat in the tree canopy. But ��-Dearborn’s Environmental Study Area Program Manager Rick Simek has a sense about these things.

Sitting at an outdoor picnic table, Simek said he’s unsure of the impact this year’s warmer Michigan winter will have on the trees’ sap production. Simek then paused and then squinted to get a better look at movement in the trees. “Some animals have sweet tooths, just like we do. That squirrel is eating the maple buds. If the squirrel thinks those are pretty tasty, that’s a good sign,” Simek said. “It tells us that the sap is moving around in the tree and it’s time to tap.”

That’s an especially good thing for ��-Dearborn’s long-standing campus maple syrup collecting tradition. On Saturday, Feb. 18, community members are invited to help the university’s Environmental Interpretive Center staff tap 50 maples to begin the sap collection process. Volunteers can also help hang sap buckets — basically round tin structures with a bent lid — on the trees too. Interested in the all-ages event? Sign up.

“We enjoy sharing this beautiful part of our campus with the public to experience traditional seasonal activities that go back a long, long time in our part of the world,” Simek said. In addition to the tapping activity, Simek said people will learn how to identify non-leafed sugar and black maple trees and other distinguishing characteristics about maples. They’ll also hear about the maple syrup-making process and its history on the land.

Here’s a taste of information volunteers will get at Saturday’s program.

In this 1980s photo, Cathy (Schmidt) Bean, '84, and then EIC Program Manager Mike Hayes, '78, make maple syrup on campus.

Maple syrup collecting officially started as a campus community event in 1984. But the trees were tapped to make syrup years prior to that.

Simek: “We are lucky to live in an area where the climate is just right for tapping maple trees and making syrup and we have many sugar and black maple trees on campus. We do 50 trees each year and are careful not to over tap them — that’s why we rotate every few years or so.

We know there was a forest of maples by the Henry Ford Estate that Henry tapped for syrup right after he and Clara bought the land in 1908. Maple syrup making is mentioned in a 1911 book by Jefferson Butler, who did bird surveying for the Fords. He said how much he enjoyed watching the process. Some of those original maples that the Fords tapped are still there, but most are newer. They are descendants of the Ford’s sugar bush (that’s what we call a group of maple trees used for maple syrup).

Of course, Indigenous people on the land tapped trees for the sap hundreds of years prior to that. We don’t have an exact record to point to, but we know maple syrup is distinctly North American and that Indigenous peoples were using it as a staple food when the Europeans arrived.”

EIC staff member Rick Simek, right, pours maple sap into the outdoor kitchen as children watch the maple syrup making process.

If you want to grow your own sugar bush, you need to plan ahead.

Simek: ““The adage goes that people who plant trees are working for their children and grandchildren. That is certainly true with sugar maples and black maples. If you plant saplings this year it would be 40 to 50 years before the trees were big enough to tap — and about 100 years before they were big enough for two buckets.

I don’t ever want to discourage anyone from planting a tree, but people should know it’s a natural process that takes a bit of time, just like many of life’s best things. So you won’t be able to collect your own sap anytime soon.

That’s why we invite people to come do this with us. We want people and families to have this experience. It will go beyond February 18 too. For two or so weeks after our tree-tapping event, we invite volunteers to help us collect the sap. We do collection around 4 p.m. daily, depending on conditions. That’s where we bring the buckets from the trees to where our sap chefs will later turn it into syrup. Sample tastes of syrup are available to anyone who drops by our syrup kitchen while it's being prepared.” Want to help empty sap buckets? If you are interested in joining a volunteer corps for a hike out to the sugar bush, please let the EIC staff know on this form.

The syrup will be available to buy in March.

Simek: “We cannot just take our pancakes up to a tree and top them with syrup. It takes 35 to 40 gallons of sap from sugar maples or black maples to make one gallon of maple syrup.

That’s because it’s mostly water — and like 2-to-4% sugar. The sap is like water that tastes just a little bit sweet. When we boil it in our outdoor kitchen, which removes the water through evaporation, we get a natural treat: yummy syrup. On average, we collect 480 to 500 gallons of sap — which is about 12 gallons of syrup. We then bottle it in small containers (250ml) to sell. When it’s ready, an order form will be available on the EIC website. I’m partial, but our syrup is really good stuff — and we know exactly where it comes from right down to the trees.”

Article by Sarah Tuxbury.

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Dress for the weather — the forecast says 47 degrees and sunny — and come to ��-Dearborn on Saturday. You’re invited to take part in a favorite seasonal activity.

EIC staff member Rick Simek leads a maple tree tapping lesson to younger EIC explorers. During maple syrup season, approximately 1,000 children on school field trips visit the center. Photo by Sarah Tuxbury

��-Dearborn celebrates 30th Annual MLK Day of Service

stuxbury — Mon, 16 Jan 2023 22:03:45 +0000

��-Dearborn celebrates 30th Annual MLK Day of Service stuxbury Mon, 01/16/2023 - 17:03

On Monday, athletes, academics, alumni and others came together as advocates. For the 30th year at ��-Dearborn, hundreds of people went out to help others in the name and memory of Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr.

During that 30 years, Chancellor Domenico Grasso said 8500 people have volunteered 42,000 hours in Detroit and the surrounding areas.

“This year is especially important to us because a few months ago we dedicated our University Center after James Renick, who was the chancellor that started this MLK Day of Service,” Grasso said. “We are indebted to him, not only for starting this, but for reaching out to our community and building stronger partnerships.”

Volunteers from ��-Dearborn, Henry Ford College and throughout the community lent a helping hand and inspired positive change. They had the option to serve in person or work remotely to support community agencies like the Capuchin Services Center, Gleaners, Eternal Light and Forgotten Harvest.

At the Arts & Scraps table in ��-Dearborn’s Fairlane Center, Delta Sigma Theta sorority chapter President Destiny Proffett sorted craft supplies to be used in schools and community programs. Proffett said she looks forward to volunteering on MLK Day because of the solidarity she sees.

“It’s important to get out and give of yourself to help others,” said Proffett, who volunteered with members from her organization. “Dr. King strongly believed in service. Hopefully a day like today creates a spark that lights the way for a lifelong commitment to service.”

During welcome remarks, ��-Dearborn Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer Keisha Blevins talked about the power of voice. She said people honor Dr. King’s legacy by getting involved and by speaking up — not just on MLK Day or this week, but every day.

“Dr. King’s determination for equal rights and service to others should speak to all of us as human beings. He believed that we had a responsibility to not only use our own voices but to also speak on behalf of those whose voices are being silenced and to make room for them,” she said. “We are fortunate to be a part of a university that believes in inclusion and community impact.”

See what ��-Dearborn and Henry Ford College volunteers did during the 30th Annual MLK Day of Service.

Chancellor Domenico Grasso works with Brooke Garland at the Arts & Scraps table in campus' Fairlane Center North to create bags of materials to send to local schools and community organizations.

��-Dearborn students Jack Meyers and Allyssa Decato sorted boxes of craft supplies at Arts & Scraps in Detroit.

Fairlane Center was set up to pack meals for Kids Against Hunger, which has provided a total of 162 million meals to children and families in need in 65 countries.

��-Dearborn Chief Officer for Inclusion and Diversity Keisha Blevins and graduate student Alvita Yathati package the nutrient mix, which will be sent to hungry families.

MLK Day of Service volunteers spent the day at the Capuchin Services Center in Detroit.

Students, alumni, staff and children spent time knitting hats and scarves to donate to homeless shelters. Abigail Awood, 10, crocheted with her mother ��-Dearborn Graduate Programs Coordinator Rebekah Awood.

��-Dearborn cross country runners Gavin Llewelyn and Luke Kaferle made rollable plastic mats with carrying handles for homeless shelters.

MLK Day of Service volunteers spent time at Gleaners in Taylor, where they sorted food items, packaged boxes that will be distributed to people in need in the southeastern Michigan region.

Office of TRIO Programs Adviser Rachel Leonard, right, and ��-Dearborn TRIO tutor/mentors Gigi Nassir, left, and Austin Kipfmiller, center, finish making a fleece blanket. The blankets made will be send to nonprofit organizations like Vista Maria.

Have photos of the MLK Day of Service that you'd like us to add? Reach out to umdearborn-news@umich.edu.

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The MLK Day of Service hosted nearly 400 volunteers who served at 10 sites at ��-Dearborn and in the community.

��-Dearborn students Vanessa Coly, Savannah Welch and Morgan Jones making roll up mats out of plastic bags that will be donated to organizations like Vista Maria. Photos by Sarah Tuxbury

Celebrate the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.

stuxbury — Wed, 11 Jan 2023 21:54:39 +0000

Celebrate the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. stuxbury Wed, 01/11/2023 - 16:54

A variety of voices and events on- and off-campus next week will honor the life of Martin Luther King Jr.

A Peace Rally brings community members together to continue social justice efforts. Students in multicultural organizations — like the Black Student Union, Alpha Psi Lambda Latino Fraternity, Indian Graduate Student Association and others — will reflect on Dr. King’s legacy. Professors will discuss the role of religion in civil rights.

“And there are more events and activities planned. This is a campus and community collective effort to continue Dr. King’s legacy through intentional inclusion,” said Center for Social Justice and Inclusion Director Shareia Carter. “It’s wonderful to see such strong partnerships across the university and into the community come together.”

The Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service on Jan. 16 — a day that’s all about partnership — starts off the Martin Luther King Week of Events. Chancellor Domenico Grasso, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer Keisha Blevins and Henry Ford College President Russ Kavalhuna will give opening remarks starting at 9:30 a.m. at Fairlane Center North's Quad E.

In its 30th year, ��-Dearborn and Henry Ford College have partnered to organize a day where the two schools can assist community-based organizations through a variety of options. Volunteers can pack food boxes for families in need, sort gently used clothing at Capuchin Services Center, make fleece blankets for shelters and more.

“That is a big deal — we are celebrating 30 years for a single event. We even pivoted it remotely to still have the Day of Service during the pandemic,” Carter said. “We’re proud of the campus’ ongoing commitment to Dr. King’s legacy.”

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

Ongoing

Mardigian Library Book Display and De-Stress Zone
Learn more about civil rights activism in Detroit and surrounding areas. Celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legacy through education. Books and other materials highlighted in the Mardigian Library’s first floor display case and in the de-stress zone are available for check out.

•••

Through Jan. 18

Martin Luther King Jr. and Civil Rights Icons of Detroit
MLK came to Southeast Michigan in 1963 to give his “I Have A Dream” speech, which had an impact on the Civil Rights Movement. Advocates and activists such as Rosa Parks, Rev. Nicholas Hood, Sr, Grace Lee Boggs and others played a significant role too. Explore their lives and the Civil Rights Movement through a display on the first floor of the Mardigian Library.

•••

Monday, Jan. 16

30th Annual ��-Dearborn MLK Day of Service
10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Volunteers from across campus and the surrounding community will come together to lend a helping hand and inspire long lasting and positive change throughout the Metro Detroit area. Volunteers will work remotely or in person to support Detroit-area community agencies in fulfilling their valuable missions. Registration is closed, but you can get more information.

•••

Tuesday, Jan. 17

Chancellor's Video Club: Baldwin/Buckley Debate
10:30 a.m., Renick University Center, Kochoff Hall B
Watch the video “James Baldwin vs William F Buckley: A legendary debate” (it’s less than one hour) and discuss it during the first Chancellor’s Video Club. You can watch on your own or join a public viewing at 9:30 a.m., just prior to the discussion.

“Addressing Racism in the White Church,” a talk lead by Calvin University Professor Kristen Kobes Du Mez and ��-Dearborn Associate Professor Terri Laws
1-2:30 p.m. Zoom.
Calvin University Professor Kristen Kobes Du Mez and ��-Dearborn Associate Professor of African and African American Studies Terri Laws will discuss racism in the white church, what effect this segment of the U.S. population has had on American culture, and the threat that racism in the white Evangelical church presents to American democracy.

•••

Wednesday, Jan. 18

"Impact of the Dream" Film Screening and Discussion
6-8 p.m. Mardigian Library, room 1211. Register to attend.
The Campus Video Network and the Black Student Union created a short film featuring ��-Dearborn's community members’ thoughts on the legacy and impact of Dr. King and his dream.

•••

Thursday, Jan. 19

2023 MLK Peace Rally
11 a.m.-1 p.m. Thursday, Meet at the Renick University Center. Register to attend.
Poster making begins at 11 a.m.; the rally starts at noon at the UC's north-east entrance.
A peaceful march from ��-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 messages from the Black Student Union, Student Government, Alpha Psi Lambda, Indian Graduate Student Association and a keynote address from Henry Ford College African American Studies Professor Kalvin Harvell. The rally will end at Henry Ford College's Building L. Snacks will be provided upon arrival at HFC.

Article by Sarah Tuxbury.

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��-Dearborn hosts several events that highlight Dr. King, the Civil Rights Movement and the importance of continued social justice work.

Graphic by Violet Dashi

Students take away new perspectives during a week of service

rudmehta — Wed, 14 Dec 2022 18:06:25 +0000

Students take away new perspectives during a week of service rudmehta Wed, 12/14/2022 - 13:06

Many of the students who pitched in during this year’s Alternative Spring Break and Solar Spring Break programs are no strangers to giving back. But several students said that with schedules packed full of classes, side jobs, and family obligations, it’s often hard to find time to regularly volunteer. The solid week of service not only felt like a much-needed chance to lend a hand. Many said it helped renew their motivation for doing so year round. Here’s a look at what ��-Dearborn students accomplished at sites in Cleveland, San Diego and right here on campus.

Cleveland

��-Dearborn’s Opportunity Scholars take the first part of their program’s name to heart.

“Our mindset is basically that if you’re given an opportunity to a make a difference, you take it,” said sophomore Jalen Rose. You certainly saw that spirit on display during the recent Alternative Spring Break trip to Cleveland, where Rose and a group of his fellow OpScholars powered through a packed itinerary of service with seven different community organizations in just six days.

Both Rose and his fellow Cleveland site leader, sophomore Karina Nava, said one of the most meaningful experiences came at the front end of the week. The Monday trip into a rapidly changing Cleveland neighborhood left the team with an up-close look at the complexities of gentrification—and a new lense on how that’s impacting Detroit.

“If we think about Detroit, we want it to grow, and for that you need new people and businesses to come in,” Nava said. “But you also have to be careful with home pricing and the opportunities that are available for the people who have been here forever. They are the people who have created, over time, the culture of the city. So you can’t just relocate everyone, or you’ll lose that culture. Finding the middle ground is what makes the challenge so difficult.”

Later in the week, students pitched in packing lunches at a local food pantry, lent a hand with Habitat for Humanity and helped out at a Cleveland book bank. But it was a visit to a community center dedicated to helping immigrants and refugees that left the biggest mark on freshman Amanda Saleh.

“They had so many kinds of programs, from helping out single mothers to teaching people English,” Saleh said. “You see how hard it is for someone to leave their home and become an American citizen. It’s not as easy as some people think it is.”

San Diego

Students from University of Michigan have traveled to San Diego to do solar installations in lower-income communities for the past five spring breaks. But 2018 was a year of milestones for their partnership with the nonprofit GRID Alternatives and the “Solar Spring Break” program.

For starters, it was the first year that ��-Dearborn students made the trip alongside their Ann Arbor counterparts. In fact, Alexis Thompson and Christian Cannon, both juniors in ��-Dearborn’s mechanical engineering department, served as team leaders for the trip—overseeing everything from fundraising to personally cooking meals for their team of 25 volunteers at the end of their long work days.

Thompson said they initially set a goal of raising $10,000 to support a single solar installation in their target service area—a La Jolla tribal community northeast of San Diego. In the end, the group blew through that target, raising more than $25,000—a record number for a U-M Solar Spring Break team. That allowed them to complete three solar arrays in less than a week.

“The cultural aspect was also pretty incredible,” she said. “We had a lot of conversations, and members of the community talked about how hard it was for their students to get into universities, or about the increase in crime and abuse rates. And those are some of the very same issues facing households in Detroit. So I was able to make connections with people from a totally different background in a totally different part of the country.”

Cannon said the group already is planning its next renewable energy-focused service trips, including a return trip to the La Jolla reservation next year and a project in Tijuana. The trip to Mexico will mark yet another milestone: It will make the U-M team the first Solar Spring Break group to take their volunteerism outside the U.S.

Dearborn

Students who were staying closer to home for the break didn’t miss out on the week of giving back. A third team of about a dozen students participated in three days of hands-on activities on campus.

On the first day, that included making blankets for area homeless shelters, which gave graduate student Priyal Sheth a rare chance to connect with students from other parts of the university.

“I’m in engineering, so I only get to work with other engineers,” Sheth said. “But on our team we had a biology major, somebody from the College of Business, and two people who just transferred from other schools. One of us was from South Africa, one from El Salvador, another from South America, another from the Middle East—and I’m from India. You’re sitting there for a few hours, too, so it’s a chance to hear a lot of different perspectives. By the end of the day, you feel like old friends.”

Later in the week, students wrote cards to kids in local hospitals and organized ��-Dearborn’s Student Food Pantry.

Master’s student Raquel Estrada, who was participating in ASB for the second time, said the turnout for the local events left her energized.

“I thought there weren’t going to be that many people showing up because it was spring break,” she said. “But for every activity, there were at least five or six people coming in and out per hour. So it shows you we can make a difference anywhere, from campus or outside. Either way, it’s really powerful.”

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More than two dozen students participated in Alternative Spring Break and Solar Spring Break programs at home and across the country.

This edible landscape is one of ��-Dearborn’s best-kept secrets

rudmehta — Wed, 30 Nov 2022 18:16:59 +0000

This edible landscape is one of ��-Dearborn’s best-kept secrets rudmehta Wed, 11/30/2022 - 13:16

It’s probably not such a bad thing the on-campus orchard and garden is tucked along a less-traveled stretch of sidewalk on the east side of the Natural Sciences Building. After all, if it had been located within picking distance of a major campus thruway, it’s easy to see how the apples, wild strawberries and blueberries might succumb to an everyday gauntlet of faculty, staff and student foragers.

While some grazing might be inevitable, Director of Facilities Planning Kate Pepin expects most of the produce to reach its intended destination: the ��-Dearborn Student Food Pantry.

And though it may be a few years before they’re collecting big-time harvests for students, she and a team of volunteers who help maintain the garden have designed the site with longevity in mind. Unlike most gardens in northern climates, which typically rely on annual crops that are harvested through the summer and fall, this orchard is built on the idea of permaculture—an approach to agriculture designed around sustainability and self-sufficiency.

For example, Pepin and the team have chosen a balance of plantings that favors lower-maintenance edible perennials. They sometimes take a few years to get established, but they’ll produce year after year without need for replanting. The blueberries are one of those crops, along with the cranberries, ginger, a cold-tolerant variety of kiwi, and several kinds of apples. Underneath the branches of the latter, there’s also a thick mat of tenacious wild strawberries, which they’re planning to complement with an everbearing variety this year. Pepin said that kind of “layering” is another hallmark of permaculture plantings and allows them to grow more food in less space.

Throughout the garden, you’ll see another key permaculture principle on display—companion planting—which clusters crops that like living side by side.

“When we plant garlic this fall, it will be next to the roses because garlic and roses grow well together,” Pepin explained. Those roses are edible too; as are the hibiscus and violets they’re planning to add to the garden this summer.

As the garden fills in, so are the ranks of volunteers and staff who are lending a hand. Pepin said Jeanette Whiting, ��-Dearborn’s veteran master gardener, has brought her effort and expertise to the project and helped shepherd the garden through that critical first year. And this season, a small group of students is pitching in to handle summer weeding, watering and harvesting.

“For me, as a political science major, one of the things you study is environmental issues and sustainability,” said senior Ashleigh Schoeninger. “So it’s pretty cool to see a real example of that. I think everyone should have access to food that’s not contaminated with pesticides and toxins.”

Volunteering at the garden was personal for health policy studies senior Fannetta Watson. Last year, she decided to leave her job in order to make time for her studies, and the student food pantry helped fill in some gaps when money got tight.

“I’d walked past that area before, and I never even knew that was a garden,” Watson said. “But when Kate [Pepin] explained what was going on there, I was really excited to do something. That little bit of space can feed a lot of people.”

Pepin and the team aren’t expecting a super bountiful harvest for at least another year or two, but as the garden matures, she hopes it can indeed add a meaningful amount of hyper-local fresh foods to the shelves of the student food pantry. And if you’re a tempted forager, there’s still a way for you to have a taste. Pepin said a little grazing is an assumed perk for anyone who helps with the harvest.

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The low-maintenance permaculture orchard and garden is growing fresh produce—for a good cause.

��-Dearborn students Fannetta Watson and Ashleigh Schoeninger are among the student volunteers who are lending a hand to the university’s permaculture orchard this summer.

Nearly 400 volunteer to serve community during 26th Annual MLK Day of Service

rudmehta — Thu, 29 Sep 2022 19:44:41 +0000

Nearly 400 volunteer to serve community during 26th Annual MLK Day of Service rudmehta Thu, 09/29/2022 - 15:44

This article was originally published on January 21, 2019.

Despite below-freezing temperatures, nearly 400 volunteers from University of Michigan-Dearborn and Henry Ford College turned out to participate in the university’s 26th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service today. The event is a collaboration that brings together students, faculty, staff and alumni from both schools for a morning of service to organizations throughout metro Detroit.

Volunteers gathered at ��-Dearborn’s University Center early this morning and then dispersed to nearly two dozen on-campus locations and partner organizations.

Welcoming the volunteers to his first university MLK Day of Service, Chancellor Domenico Grasso reflected on Unitarian minister Theodore Parker’s sentiment on the ‘moral universe,’ which was popularized by King’s quote, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.”

“Seeing the ultimate solution to all of our challenges is nearly impossible,” Grasso said. “However, it is the sense of optimism, knowing that the arc bends towards justice that inspires us to make a difference each day.”

Henry Ford President Russell Kavalhuna, also participating in his first MLK Day of Service, encouraged students to think about their passions as they are out in the community.

“You are given the liberty to learn about yourself through service. And if you can find what your passion is, then you can devote your life to it … If you do that, then you’ll be honoring the legacy of the person we’re here to honor,” he said.

Volunteers sort food at Gleaners Community Food Bank

The morning’s volunteer activities included sorting donations at Fish & Loaves Community Food Pantry, cleaning stalls at the Michigan Humane Society, and sorting food and cleaning at Zaman International.

Junior Zeinab Alhassan, who volunteered on campus during last year’s MLK Day of Service, decided to go out into the community this year.

“Martin Luther King, Jr. did so much for humanity. The least I can do is give a few hours of my time,” said Alhassan, who volunteered at Zaman International. “It might not have a huge impact, but my small action might spark something in someone else or make someone else’s day a little better.”

Former ��-Dearborn staff member Jung Koral, now U-M School for Environment and Sustainability associate director of enrollment services, said he has volunteered for ��-Dearborn’s MLK Day of Service for the past seven years.

“You meet really great people and learn about some of the work being done in Detroit communities. It’s working together and having camaraderie while making a difference,” said Koral, who volunteered at Urban Neighborhood Initiatives. “I’m shoveling snow today — and sure, it’s cold — but this is nothing for these neighborhood organizations; this work is 24/7. It’s a few hours of my time to give kids a safe snow-free path to walk at the park and I’m happy to give it.”

Volunteers divide bulk food items for the pantry at Zaman International

The MLK Day of Service kicked off a week of events organized to honor King’s legacy:

Tuesday, January 22, 2019

Black History 101 Mobile Museum, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Kochoff Hall, UC
Silent March, noon-12:30 p.m., University Center Atrium
Commitment to Inclusion Reception, 4:30-6:30 p.m. *reservation required

Wednesday, January 23, 2019

Healing and Justice for Sexual Assault Survivors in the African American Community, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., Kochoff Hall A&B, UC

Thursday, January 24, 2019

Democracy Dialogues, 12:30-2 p.m., Kochoff Hall C, UC
Engagement Day, 2-4, Kochoff Hall A&B, UC

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The event, which is a partnership between ��-Dearborn and Henry Ford College, included more than 20 volunteer sites throughout the metro area.

��-Dearborn’s annual MLK Day of Service draws more than 400 volunteers to 21 work sites

rudmehta — Wed, 10 Aug 2022 17:25:16 +0000

��-Dearborn’s annual MLK Day of Service draws more than 400 volunteers to 21 work sites rudmehta Wed, 08/10/2022 - 13:25

This article was originally published on January 20, 2020.

Retired Mathematics Faculty Helen Santiz has walked in silence across the bridge in Selma, Ala, to remember the peaceful Civil Rights demonstrators who were met with violence. She’s visited the Lorraine Motel in Tennessee where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in 1968. And she’s listened to the recording of King’s March 14, 1968 speech to Grosse Pointe residents, which is now considered the precursor to his “I Have a Dream” speech. But prior to doing any of this, she served on the first ��-Dearborn’s Martin Luther King Day of Service planning committee nearly 30 years ago. And she’s participated in every one since.

Mathematics Professor Emeritus Helen Santiz is a founding committee member of the MLK Day of Service and the last remaining active member from the original planning group.

Santiz observed that the event teaches what Dr. King stood for. It reminds us to pay attention and to not forget about our nation's ugly history. And it's important to get involved so we can do better as a community. “I didn’t know how to get involved in his legacy until I joined the committee; once I did, it encouraged me to find other ways to learn about Dr. King. It all started here at ��-Dearborn.”

Now 80, Santiz is still very involved in ��-Dearborn's MLK Day of Service, continuously greeting volunteers and giving directions. She said it’s encouraging to see the steady stream of people filtering down the University Center hallway.

“(Former) Chancellor Blenda Wilson had the vision for this day. We weren’t sure if it would last beyond that first year — there was a blizzard and 12 inches of snow on the ground,” Santiz said. “But people showed up to do it again the next year. And it continued to grow. I’m confident that the event is here to stay.”

Now in its 27th year, more than 400 volunteers gathered in Kochoff Hall early Monday morning before heading out to one of the 21 MLK Day of Service sites, which ranged from food bank stocking at Gleaners to organizing clothing for a veteran’s thrift store. See photos from the 2020 event.

Students read quotes from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. while waiting in line to check in during the MLK Day of Service.

At the MLK Week Kickoff event, Chancellor Domenico Grasso welcomed the large crowd and had the group read a quote from King on the back of MLK Day of Service T-shirts: There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must take it because conscience tells him it is right.

“We are all faced with difficult decisions. It can be easy to go with the flow, but sometimes you have to step out of the flow and do what’s right,” Grasso said. “That’s what’s embodied in all of the work that Dr. Martin Luther King did. And I feel that it’s what distinguishes our campus. People around the country are taking the day off and you are here to do something for others.”

As staff from ��-Dearborn and Henry Ford College — the campus’ co-partner in the event — checked in volunteers, a line of T-shirts hung above the crowd. They were from all of the previous MLK Days of Service; the 2020 shirt will join them soon. It’s been put aside to go up on the wall after the event.

Retired staff Karen Holland has a bit of inside information about that display: Most of them once belonged to her and Santiz. “When we were doing this event for about 20 years, we thought it would be nice to display the shirts in a permanent way — it worked out that between Helen and I, we had shirts that we kept that would cover all of the years,” said Holland, who also serves on the MLK Planning Committee and has volunteered every year since the first one. “Don’t ever take them out of the frames — they are hung strategically because they are used and there might be some paint on some of those.”

Retired staff member Karen Holland has volunteered for the MLK Day of Service since it began; most of the MLK Day of Service T-shirts from the early years of the event on display in the University Center are hers.

Chatting with a student before the kickoff event Monday, Santiz was asked if he’d see her at the Capuchin Community Service Center, the site where he was volunteering. When she remarked being too old for the labor involved there, the student replied, “You don’t look old and any age is the perfect age to volunteer.”

As the night sky became pink with the sunrise, Santiz lit up too. But it wasn’t because of the age compliment, she liked his view on community service.

Staff and students organize art supplies for children at Arts & Scraps in Detroit.

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Student Engagement

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As the event approaches three decades, retired faculty and staff reflect on how the event has grown and become a campus mainstay.

More than 400 people — faculty, staff, students and community members — came together to volunteer for the campus' annual MLK Day of Service. Volunteer activities included making fleece blankets, which will go to Love A Vet, First Step, Kids Talk, Vista M

Bringing positive energy to the neighborhoods

rudmehta — Wed, 10 Aug 2022 15:20:52 +0000

Bringing positive energy to the neighborhoods rudmehta Wed, 08/10/2022 - 11:20

This article was originally published on February 25, 2020.

There was a vacant lot that Keviyan Richardson regularly mowed at the corner of Oakland and Euclid in Detroit. Just five minutes from where he lives, Richardson maintained the space and watched the vacant homes on either side of it to make sure no one broke in. He says others in Detroit’s North End neighborhood helped too by removing unwanted foliage and picking up trash.

Today Richardson, an urban and regional studies major, still spends time at the Oakland Avenue location. But he now interacts with the space differently — as do people throughout the neighborhood.

There's a two-story stainless steel art structure called American Riad (an Arabic word for garden) on the once empty lot. The 40-foot structure has multiple canopies and is interlaid with finely done geometric shapes. When the light shines through it, there’s a beautiful pattern on the ground. But not only is it attractive, people in the neighborhood have had cookouts, poetry readings, summer youth camps, and concerts there. The land is considered Michigan’s first community land trust, which means that residents are all partial owners.

Richardson says it’s brought energy to the neighborhood that, like many others in the city, feels a bit disconnected with all of the talk about revitalization in Detroit. “What’s happening downtown isn’t what our neighborhoods are experiencing. So we need to work together. That starts by getting to know the people around you, finding out what’s needed and looking for ways to make it happen.”

To better understand how to get things in motion, Richardson enrolled in ��-Dearborn’s urban and regional studies program in 2017. He said the prestige of the Michigan name and close-to-home location enticed him to check out campus — and the major sealed the deal.

“I’ve used so much of what I’ve learned in class in the work I’m doing in Detroit,” he says, noting that he often sees faculty like Geography and Urban and Regional Studies Assistant Professor Joshua Akers and Sociology Professor Paul Draus working in Detroit’s neighborhoods too. “My professors know what they are talking about because they are on the ground with us. They are at neighborhood meetings, community workshops, farmer’s markets, everywhere.” The program’s goal is to provide knowledge, techniques and critical analytical skills to enable students to effectively participate in changing your city and region.

Richardson — who’s taught urban farming, run summer youth camps and creates parks for the Detroit skateboarding scene — says the American Riad project is one of the largest neighborhood projects he’s done. This past summer he was a part of the North End neighborhood installment crew who began building up the corner lot by adding the stainless structure.

Richardson says the large vacant houses on either side of the courtyard will be turned into affordable housing and the courtyard will expand in future phases to incorporate more ways for the community to engage. He’s also excited to add his spin to it — he’s planning to design a skate park that will be incorporated into the space in a later phase.

Before and after/ Courtesy of the American Riad Project

Richardson, who’s lived in Detroit his entire life, says knowing your neighbors allows you to help where needed. With voids between homes, a lack of organized community space, and the single-family structures, sometimes people don’t reach out. As someone planning to work in urban development, Richardson knows that connection is critical.

Though his involvement with the Oakland Avenue Artists Coalition, a major partner in the multi-year project, Richardson says he’s seen what can happen when people work together for common good.

“I wanted to learn how to do right by my community and how to create what we need to succeed; it’s why I’m earning my degree,” he says. “Don’t live in a space that no longer works well for you. Instead, go out and work to mold your community in a way that will help you and your neighbors succeed.”

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Keviyan Richardson says his ��-Dearborn education helps guide him when working in his city. The latest project — called American Riad — may be the biggest community project he's done yet.

Keviyan Richardson works on site during the American Riad canopy installation. Photo by: Nick Hagan.

��-Dearborn students step up to support campus families during COVID

rudmehta — Wed, 29 Jun 2022 14:41:31 +0000

��-Dearborn students step up to support campus families during COVID rudmehta Wed, 06/29/2022 - 10:41

This article was originally published on August 23, 2021.

Summer tutoring has always been an important part of education for students looking to play a little catch-up. But with students coming off a challenging school year marked by social isolation and remote learning difficulties, tutoring programs have played an even more significant role. Earlier this spring, folks from the ��-Dearborn Experience+ team decided to contribute to that effort with a pilot tutoring program for children of faculty, staff and students. Staffed by ��-Dearborn students, the hope was not only to assist kids with their individual academic needs, but to provide a supportive environment that helped children become better accustomed to online learning formats. The paid tutoring positions also provided the ��-Dearborn students with professional development and training.

Student Anthony Pyrozhenko, son of Associate Professor of Public Administration Vadym Pyrozhenko, logs in for a virtual tutoring session from his campsite.

“What is unique about this particular program at this particular time is that the individual one-on-one relationship that the tutors are forging with their students has become an engaging force in itself,” says Britta Roan, associate director of career services, who led the initiative. “Some of the students are meeting with their tutor three to four times a week — I did not expect to see that. Our hope is that this experience will be a positive motivating force as students return to their schools this fall.”

Ava Crandell, daughter of International Student and Scholar Advisor Suzette Crandell

The core of the program was a team of 9 ��-Dearborn student tutors, who matched their talents with the needs of 29 K-12 student tutees. "Students are craving interaction, they are craving connection,” says tutor Brigit Bradakis. “They want to learn, but just like many of us, they are burnt out. This program is a great opportunity for students to be able to connect to others and ask questions.” The tutors say their own experiences adapting to remote college classes helped them understand the challenges the kids were having in the virtual learning environment. For example, tutor Audrey Asgarally says she drew on her experience with document cameras to show students examples, which helped them solve challenging problems.

Parents have shared lots of positive feedback about the program too. Jennifer Macleod, a program manager for career services, says the tutoring program provided her child “a safe and personalized virtual learning opportunity,” and liked in particular that the sessions were individually designed to meet each student’s needs.

Boosted by a summer of fun and engaging learning, the hope is that students will again be poised to thrive in the upcoming school year.

###

Story by Harry Rahn and Austin Kipfmiller. Both Rahn and Kipfmiller were tutors in the Experience+ K-12 summer tutoring program.

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��-Dearborn students step up to support campus families during COVID

Alexander Pyrozhenko, son of Associate Professor of Public Administration Vadym Pyrozhenko, logs in for a session with a ��-Dearborn student tutor.

Mentors create a path for math

rudmehta — Sun, 26 Jun 2022 15:45:34 +0000

Mentors create a path for math rudmehta Sun, 06/26/2022 - 11:45

Mathematics Associate Professor Yulia Hristova started an outreach program to encourage women to enter science, technology, engineering and math fields. Associate Professor Yunus Zeytuncu created a math-centered sports-based workshop for kids at a local community center. And Assistant Professor Michael Dabkowski spent his summer teaching math through fun activities to children in underserved communities.

This is in addition to the work the Mathematics and Statistics department already does, like hosting a National Science Foundation-funded Research Experience for Undergraduates site on campus and running the math mentoring initiative Maize and Blue Math Circle, which is a problem-solving program for middle- and high-school students.

Mathematics and Statics Chair Joan Remski said the department’s community-minded culture has existed for many years. But faculty members became more strategic and collaborative in their approach recently, which has led to more grant awards and added outreach. “Our faculty aren’t just excellent researchers and grant writers — they are phenomenal teachers. That’s a magical combination.”

��-Dearborn educators know how important it is to understand mathematics and they see the low standardized test scores in the subject — a problem further aggravated by the pandemic year. So they look for ways to work with community organizations and schools, Remski said.

“Mathematics is the secret to success in any STEM field and our professors want to go out and give students a strong foundation to build on.”

Professors started the summer GirlsGetMath@Dearborn program.

Over the past decade, Associate Professor Yulia Hristova detected a pattern in her math courses. The more advanced, the less women.

“It’s better than it used to be, but it’s still a concern,” she said. “In any field, if half the population doesn’t participate, you lose a lot. I wanted to find ways to reach girls at a young age, help them feel empowered and see that math leads to interesting career paths.”

Reading about Brown University’s GirlsGetMath@ICERM — a summer program that shows high school students the impact math applications have on our day-to-day lives — Hristova wanted to know more. So she attended a 2019 training on Brown’s campus about how to implement a similar program in Michigan.

This summer, Hristova and her colleagues made it happen. Metro Detroit high school students participated in the first GirlsGetMath@Dearborn summer camp, which took place online in July. Through the support of Elsevier's Mathematical Sciences Scholarship Fund, it was free for students to attend.

Four faculty members from Mathematics and Statistics led interactive lectures and computer labs: Hristova, Associate Professor Hyejin Kim, Assistant Professor Aditya Viswanathan and Remski. Student Maya Hamka, a senior majoring in Electrical Engineering and Engineering Mathematics and the ��-Dearborn chapter of Association for Women in Mathematics president, helped facilitate the computer labs and talked to participants about her college experience.

GirlsGetMath@Dearborn participants discussed graph theory and its applications to modeling epidemics, studied how recommendation systems — for example, what Netflix suggests to you — work, saw the role mathematics plays in image processing, and more. They also learned the programming language MATLAB, which is used by engineers and scientists to analyze data and develop algorithms.

“I want people to have a positive experience, to grow their confidence, to appreciate the beauty in mathematics and to see the positive change it brings forward.”

The program will continue in summer 2022.

Math Matches partners with Verizon, expands program.

Assistant Professor Michael Dabkowski said math is everywhere. To prove this point, ��-Dearborn faculty created the Math Matches program by merging two seemingly unrelated topics: boxing and math lessons.

So what’s the connection?

“There are patterns in boxing movements. Logic governs your next move. Physics comes into play: momentum and energy dissipation guide your decisions. Mathematical reasoning is definitely involved in boxing,” Dabkowski said. “It’s also active, fun and different. Our students loved the boxing activities; it garnered their attention and helped the daily math lesson saturate in a way that a more traditional math mentoring program might not.”

Associate Professor Yunus Zeytuncu, Mathematics Education Associate Professor Angela Krebs and Dabkowski helped develop the Match Matches program at the Jefferson-Barns Community Vitality Center’s Norwayne Boxing Gym in Westland in coordination with the gym’s Director Jan Mnich.

During the academic year, students meet on Saturdays to learn math and participate in physical education sessions; over the summer, they had the Math Matches summer day camp experience. Twenty students took part this summer.

Dabkowski said that it is easy to forget some of the mathematics that you learn in middle and high school, so students may arrive at college academically unprepared. Math Matches seeks to close the educational gaps that may exist. “No one is to blame. For whatever reason, some may view math as an abstract concept. Nothing could be further from the truth. Cooking, woodworking, balancing your budget or securing cryptocurrencies require mathematics. Students may never see these applications of mathematical ideas, so they lose interest. We hope to open their eyes.”

The program focuses on math lessons at the beginning of the day, along with collaborative activities, games and organized outside play. Later in the day, the participants reflect on what they’ve learned and head to the boxing gym. Math Matches, which includes healthy meals, is free for participants.

The unconventional approach and focus on increasing fluency in arithmetic, geometry and algebra in Metro Detroit communities caught the attention of Verizon Wireless. Looking to support pathways into STEM fields, Verizon is sponsoring the program with a $25,000 gift and future volunteer support.

"Verizon is proud to support the University of Michigan Dearborn's Math Matches Program. As a company, we have pledged to prepare 500,000 people for the jobs of the future by 2030 and this program is setting the critical framework for youth to excel in a fun and engaging way," said Verizon Community Engagement Director Brianna Ellison. The Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan also supports the program.

Dabkowski said as the program continues to grow, more students will sharpen their math skills while staying healthy and active in a safe community space.

Educators plan to bring a Math Corps site to campus.

From personal finance to cell phone data transmission to machine learning — and everything in between — mathematics permeates our daily life.

To help preteens and teens see how math is connected to so much of what we do, ��-Dearborn educators worked with nearly 60 Math Corps students over the summer.

The mission of Math Corps — which started in 1992 at Wayne State University and is now a nationwide initiative — is to empower and inspire children from under-served communities.

��-Dearborn faculty members Dabkowski and Zeytuncu participated in the Ypsilanti Math Corp program, which was hosted by U-M and directed by Mathematics Arthur F. Thurnau Professor Sarah Koch.

Serving as a Ypsilanti Math Corp senior staff member, Dabkowski said he enjoyed the experience because teaching in Math Corps goes beyond math skills. It prioritizes mentorship through a kids-teaching-kids model, providing a positive learning environment and a strong sense of community.

“(Professor) Yunus (Zeytuncu) would teach the high school students. Then the high school students would go out and mentor the middle school students. It created an educational ecosystem.” Dabkowski ran an activities room where students exercised, played games and did a variety of math activities.

��-Dearborn faculty have participated in Math Corps for multiple years and have done it in person and online. With the experiences gained, Zeytuncu and Dabkowski said ��-Dearborn plans to host a Math Corps site in 2022.

“We continue to ask ourselves: How can we better serve our communities? We are uniquely positioned between Detroit and Ypsilanti and know the need is there. Having a Math Corps site here will provide more opportunities for local students,” Dabkowski said. “We love when kids realize math is everywhere — it changes how they see it. It becomes useful, interesting and fun. That opens doors for learning.”

Article by Sarah Tuxbury. For more information about the Mathematics and Statistics Department’s community focused efforts, contact Chair Joan Remski.

Student Success

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Mathematics and Statistics

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Wed, 09/15/2021 - 05:00

Games, art, design, sports and more — math is everywhere. And ��-Dearborn's Mathematics professors are doing all they can to get kids to embrace the field at a young age to increase proficiency, confidence and interest in STEM fields.

Volunteer or Community Service

One sweet campus tradition: Making Michigan maple syrup

Maple syrup collecting officially started as a campus community event in 1984. But the trees were tapped to make syrup years prior to that.

If you want to grow your own sugar bush, you need to plan ahead.

The syrup will be available to buy in March.

������-Dearborn celebrates 30th Annual MLK Day of Service

See what ������-Dearborn and Henry Ford College volunteers did during the 30th Annual MLK Day of Service.

Celebrate the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.

Ongoing

Through Jan. 18

Monday, Jan. 16

Tuesday, Jan. 17

Wednesday, Jan. 18

Thursday, Jan. 19

Students take away new perspectives during a week of service

Cleveland

San Diego

Dearborn

This edible landscape is one of ������-Dearborn’s best-kept secrets

Nearly 400 volunteer to serve community during 26th Annual MLK Day of Service

������-Dearborn’s annual MLK Day of Service draws more than 400 volunteers to 21 work sites

Bringing positive energy to the neighborhoods

������-Dearborn students step up to support campus families during COVID

Mentors create a path for math

Professors started the summer GirlsGetMath@Dearborn program.

Math Matches partners with Verizon, expands program.

Educators plan to bring a Math Corps site to campus.

��-Dearborn celebrates 30th Annual MLK Day of Service

See what ��-Dearborn and Henry Ford College volunteers did during the 30th Annual MLK Day of Service.

This edible landscape is one of ��-Dearborn’s best-kept secrets

��-Dearborn’s annual MLK Day of Service draws more than 400 volunteers to 21 work sites

��-Dearborn students step up to support campus families during COVID