NEWS _ __ ,The Michigan Daily - Monday, October 4, 2004 - 7A ISLAM Continued from page 1A percent of the population. So I'm being represented by 5 per- cent of the population of Muslims," she said. Stories like Tarsin's are only the tip of the iceberg. Now 26 percent of Muslims say they have been discriminated against in the past three years and 72 percent say they have experienced more discrimination since Sept. 11, according to a recent national poll conducted by New California Media, a national association of ethnic media organizations, and Amnesty International, a human rights organization. Yet perhaps the most disheartening effect is how being Muslim now equates to being "un-American," Grewal said. "So many times I've been asked about my religion in a negative way, and everyone assumes that I'm a foreigner. But I was born here. I'm just like everyone else," she added. To counter this increasing negativity about Muslims, this year's awareness week will seek to demonstrate that Muslims in America are no different than Americans of other religions and backgrounds, Tarsin said. "To reach that, we need everyone's support and to bridge the gap and to show them we are all not so different that we can all benefit from one another," he added. At the same time, MSA looks to breakdown the distorted image of Islam and spread its basic message of peace, MSA Vice President Aisha Jukaku said. She added that even with the difficulties facing the Muslim community, "We want to take advantage of this opportunity. This opportunity, it arose out of tragedy, and we have to deal with that and hope for the best." Tarsin said he hopes for the same and expects University stu- dents will get the message. "When people see the banner saying, 'Islam Awareness' it will be in red, white and blue. Those are our colors too." During Islam Awareness Week, tables manned by MSA members will be visible on the Diag and in the Michi- gan Union and Pierpont Commons. Group members will be on- hand to answer students' questions. about the religion. MSA will also sponsor programs on a variety of Muslim issues, centered on Muslim-American identity. The programs range from a speech by Umar Farooq Abd-Allah - a former University Near Eastern Studies professor - on the history of early Muslims in America, to a lecture on former NBA player Muhammed Abdul-Rauf struggle as a black Muslim. TOMORROWV LEARh HOW YOU THE LEAD MOVEMENT TO END SERVICE Continued from page 1A said she chose homelessness as her cause for the day. "I've never worked with homeless people. It seemed like an area that would take me out of my comfort zone and open my eyes," she said. A video montage of Gandhi, along with a speech by history prof. Nita Kumar, served to provide inspiration to the early-morning volunteers. She said while Gandhi was deep- ly moved by the suffering of others and worked to help them, he always loved and respected himself. Gandhi "respectedhimselfsomuch-- he took everymistake very seriously and then he could move on and say, I've learned from it'," Kumar said. Volunteers used Gandhi Dayasawayto give backto their community and broaden their perspectives on service. "We're all blessed and fortunate to attend the University of Michi- gan, and we want to help others," said IASA President Neal Pancholi, a Business School junior. He added that Gandhi Day allows students to learn about the many different community service opportunities in the area. A statement by Kumar during her speech resonated with volunteers as they completed a day of service. "Think of it radically, as some- thing creative. You can step back from a scene and say, 'What connec- tions can I make here? What can I do?"' she said. Nursing senior Seema Ghelani, a site leader at the Nichols Arbo- retum, chose her site based on her personal attachment to it. She helped maintain the Arb's historic peony flower garden. "Ever since I've been here, it has been a wonderful place to go run- ning, sit by the river - it's an impor- tant place for people who want to stay close to nature," she said. Students said they walked away from their volunteer experiences with various lessons and new skills. LSA freshman Juhi Aggarwal worked on a Detroit presentation by the Alliance to End Violence in Asian American Communities, a group based in the School of Social Work. "I feel more empathy for people who feel that they cannot voice their oppression," she said. But LSA sophomore Neal Uppal summed up the prevailing senti- ment of day. "I feel it's important to give back to the community and doing it in Gandhi's name makes it more meaningful because it's a celebration of his principles and ideals." The events were sponsored by the Indian American Student Asso- ciation and SPARK, an organization that sponsors such one-day commu- nity service events. EDUCATIONAL INEQUITY. Tuesday, October 5 7:30 pm Michigan Union Pond Room DIVERSITY Continued from page 1A "This view of minorities unable to perform well at affir- mative action universities is because a lot of (non-minority) students don't understand it and have misconceptions about the term." Fleischer said. In a recent study conducted by the research center, 78 per- cent of high school seniors nationwide said using race, eth- nicity and religious background as admissions factors affects the way nonminority students feel about their minority class- mates. The study also found 82 percent of students opposed race-conscious admissions, in spite of the 70 percent that also said attending a University with a diverse campus was impor- tant to them. Fleischer said the study did not directly quantify the perva- siveness of the stereotype, but he added that researchers found many students basing their responses on misconceptions of race-conscious admissions. "Many students surveyed had that stereotype in mind, and now when they see minorities, they might think, 'Did they take spots away from people who deserved to get in? Did they meet the same criteria as I did to get accepted?' " At the same time, Fleischer said"researchers noted that many of the students surveyed believe that race-conscious admissions are merely a quota system, whereas schools like the University only consider race as one of the many admis- sion factors in a subjective process. "Obviously, colleges aren't doing a good job of communicat- ing how they are creating a diverse student body," he added. LSA freshman Lindsay Richardson said she sees the same sentiment in friends from her hometown and students at the University. Richardson said that she thinks others students "get the impression that (minorities) had an easier time, and they didn't have to work as hard." "I think it builds up a lot of stereotypes," she added. Other students say the stereotype does in fact reflect that many unqualified minority students are unjustly taking the spots of more-qualified nonminority students. Engineering freshman Stacey Young said she thought that the academic performance of her minority classmates has not been on par with many of the other students. But the notion that all colleges should judge students solely on test scores and GPA is not the goal of many universities, said John Matlock, director of the University's Office of Aca- demic Multicultural Initiatives. "You can have all 4.0 students, but that doesn't mean you have an environment that people can learn about different per- spectives," Matlock said. "I don't think schools are looking for clones of a 'model' student." Instead, Matlock said the priority of University's admis- sion process is creating a diverse educational environment by incorporating students of all races, ethnicities, religion and economic status into the student body. As for whether the race-conscious policies admit under- qualified minorities, Matlock said all students accepted to the University are qualified students. But he added the issue deals more with the subjectivity of the term "qualified." "If you look at the new admissions (of the University), it gets down to how you define merit. Grades, tests scores are impor- tant, but they are not the only way to judge merit," he said. While the thought of the University's race-conscious admissions being based on a point system still lingers in the minds of some, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the LSA point system unconstitutional. The revamped admission system for- goes awarding a specific number of points to disadvantaged minorities. Now the LSA admissions policy focuses more on the student's goals, motivations and their leadership skills, Matlock said. However, it does not surprise Matlock that some non- minority students would perceive minority college students as unqualified to attend the University. "For 90 percent of the white students (at the University), they will have come from very segregated communities. Yet we know that a lot of students value the diversity, but it still does not mean there won't be stereotyping," he said. "In many ways, affirmative action has become a scapegoat. If I don't get into the University of Michigan and I am white, I blame affirmative action." Yet Matlock says ethnic stereotyping in general loses its hold over many students during the course of their time at the University, due to the open minds of the students and their ongoing interactions with their classmates of different back- grounds. It's good news for Johnson, but even with the stereotyping by some students, he said it won't hold him back. He said he knows that it was his own effort that brought him to the University. Nor will the stereotyping change his impression of the Uni- versity. "I think the diversity will make an enormous differ- ence. I couldn't have asked for a better place. I couldn't ask for more." 1 the michigan daily AFTERNOONS, 8 -12 hrs/wk, good pay. For 9 and 11 year old boys in Ann Arbor. Need car, lots of driving. Call Dan C 734-649-7009 or email: danschulumich.edu CHILD CARE, BURNS Park. Mother's helper, 10-15 hrsiwk. Afternoons and eves. Fun, exp., refs. wanted. Corry 734-327-7066. P/T CHILD CARE for 2 young girls, wknds & eves. CPR, first aid, & bilingual Span- ish/English pref. Call Laura 734-929-9551. 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