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Friday, April 14, 2017 — 3

Continuing the conversations 

started during the Asian and 
Pacific Islander American Summit 
in March, a panel on A/PIAs in 
academia was held Thursday 
evening, bringing together seven 
panelists from across all levels 
at the University of Michigan 
to answer questions about their 
experiences in the field from 
moderator and event organizer 
Paulina Fraser, a Ph.D. candidate 
in the School of Education, and 
from the audience.

Fraser 
said 
the 
summit 

inspired her to organize this event 
as a capstone to A/PIA Heritage 
Month.

“After going to the summit, 

I wanted to do something that 
combined 
both 
the 
graduate 

students, faculty, post-docs and 
undergraduates and just get some 
exposure, in terms of who are the 
A/PIA students and faculty here,” 
Fraser said. “Just to increase 
awareness 
to 
undergraduates 

or other community members 
who might be thinking about 
(academia) but have never seen 
themselves represented here.”

Kalia Vang, a Hmong-American 

and master’s student in the School 
of Public Policy, came to the 
event because one of her friends 
was a panelist, but felt she could 
relate to the stories of all seven 
speakers and appreciated the 
representation Fraser mentioned.

“As one of few Hmong students 

here on campus … I think it’s a 
huge accomplishment but also 
a unique burden to be someone 
with a background where your 
community is not represented 
in academic spaces,” Vang said. 
“Coming here is sort of a great way 
to learn about the experiences 
of other Asian Americans from 
similar backgrounds and just sort 
of learn how to deal with some of 
the microaggressions or unique 
challenges that come with it.”

The 
event 
began 
with 

introductions from each speaker. 
Though the speakers all came 
from unique backgrounds, many 
themes 
appeared 
throughout 

each of their individual stories. 
One of these themes included the 
search for visibility and others 
who looked like them in their 
educational 
experiences. 
Nue 

Lee, a Ph.D. student in the School 
of Education, articulated this in 
her introduction.

“What 
led 
me 
to 
the 

(University’s) program was my 
overall undergraduate experience 
of being the oldest of seven from a 
refugee family and being the first 
to go to college,” Lee said. “When 
I got to college … I didn’t see 

myself reflected in the research, 
whether it was in the textbooks or 
in the scholarly research that was 
being read.”

Amy Stillman, professor and 

director of the A/PIA Studies 
program, came to the University 
in 1989 to help grow the A/PIA 
Studies program. She, too, went 
into academia because she felt the 
need to advocate for herself in a 
place where there was no one else 
to do so.

“I had this wake-up moment 

in an anthropology class about 
Hawaiians, which was taught by 
a non-Hawaiian … who made a 
point of saying the real, traditional 
culture of Hawaiians was dead 
… contemporary Hawaiians had 
moved so far away that we were 
living in cultural degradation,” 
Stillman said. “And I remember 
thinking … if I want to talk back 
to these people with any degree of 
credibility, I need a Ph.D. too.”

After introductions, the panel 

moved into a discussion on 
mentorship. Many of the speakers 
talked about an inability to find 
mentors of A/PIA heritage in 
their earlier education. Laura-
Ann Jacobs, a Ph.D. student in 
the School of Education, said 
while her dissimilar mentors 
still provided her with valuable 
assistance, there was something 
important in having a mentor to 
whom she could actually relate.

“When 
I 
was 
choosing 

graduate schools, there were 
some programs where my adviser 
would have been a man, someone 
with a different identity from me, 
and I thought there’s something 
here that I’m not sure that you’re 
going to give me what I need 
and fulfill me personally on this 
emotional journey of grad school,” 
Jacobs said.

Other panelists talked about 

the importance of not just finding 
your own mentors, but also being 
someone else’s mentor. Bernard 
Ellorin, a lecturer from the Center 
for Southeast Asian Studies, also 
brought up the idea of support 
groups between peers as a way to 
cope with the challenges of being 
a minority and graduate school in 
general.

“(I’ve dealt with challenges) by 

having a small group of friends 
and individuals who are in the 
same position as you, who know 
the same struggles and who you 
can actually confide in,” Ellorin 
said.

The 
panel 
then 
turned 

to a discussion on imposter 
syndrome — the idea that a high-
achieving individual might feel 
like they don’t deserve their 
accomplishments and are afraid 
of being exposed as a fraud.

Carmen Ye, a master’s student 

in the School of Public Policy, said 

she had a difficult time realizing 
that she actually deserved many 
of the things she’d earned in her 
early academic career. She told 
the story of working hard to be 
accepted into a specific program 
as an undergraduate, and feeling 
like she wasn’t worthy when she 
finally got in.

“I spent the whole summer 

believing the program was going 
to send me back to California,” Ye 
said. “I’d already made it here, I 
was in the classes, but I just felt 
like something bad was going to 
happen and that I didn’t deserve 
to be here. One solution to that 
is I need to keep telling myself 
every day that I am here because 
I deserve to be.”

Later on in the talk, an 

audience 
member 
posed 
the 

question of when and how to call 
out a superior’s microaggressions. 
All the panelists acknowledged 
the difficulty of this question and 
said there was no one true answer. 
Jacobs said when she encounters 
a situation like this, she tries to 
pose the statement as a question 
back to whoever said it to make 
them aware of how what they said 
sounded.

“I’d say that’s a really difficult 

question, 
especially 
being 

conscious 
of 
relationships 
of 

power,” Jacobs said. “It makes 
you want to silent yourself and 
not speak up for yourself — girl, 
I’ve been there. But just being 
like, ‘What do you mean by that?’ 
and just repeat it like that, it 
seems less threatening, like the 
best advice for an in-the-moment 
situation.”

Stillman built off that answer, 

bringing 
up 
the 
Diversity, 

Equity and Inclusion plan the 
University rolled out this fall. She 
said the plan isn’t reaching the 
department level, where many 
of these microaggressions and 
harmful actions are taking place.

“How can we close the gap 

between what our experience is 
in the citizenry and make sure 
that those committed to the 
principles of DEI are very, very 
clear about what’s going on?” she 
said. “Speaking up at the moment 
of microaggressions, not letting 
it go by, is an important personal 
step … it also is a very important 
step in this institutional journey 
we’re on.”

The panel ended with each 

speaker giving the audience a 
piece of advice they try to live by. 
Lee summed up the purpose of 
the panel with her statement.

“I think it’s important to 

remember your roots and see if 
that can develop through your 
research agenda or your studies 
or the classes you want to take,” 
Lee said. “That will help develop 
growth and strengthen identity.” 

Panel outlines experience of A/PIA
community in academic settings

The speakers also talked about importance of mentorship, handling microaggressions

MAYA GOLDMAN

Daily Staff Reporter

KEVIN ZHENG/Daily

Public Policy Masters student Carmen Ye and Education PhD student Laura-Ann Jacobs discuss the A/PIA commu-
nity in academia at the League on Thursday.

of Michigan Hillel for two 
years, attended the event as a 
culmination of his participation 
in Hillel. Like Kalfus, all four 
of Katz’s grandparents were 
Holocaust survivors.

“For me, I have a regret 

that I didn’t get more involved 
in this group, because this 
type of thing and Holocaust 
remembrance is very important 
to me,” he said. “So this last 
event is a little of me still 
getting involved even though 
I didn’t take on a leadership 
position in this group.”

Similar to the other students 

who attended the event, Katz 

emphasized the importance of 
hearing stories from Holocaust 
survivors.

“Many of them are old and 

aren’t going to be here in a 
couple of years, so that’s really 
important to me, getting to 
know them, because stories are 
stories, but we if can actually 
put them to a face, it means so 
much more,” he said. 

VIGIL
From Page 1

shooting at a mosque in Quebec 
and the Boycott, Divestment, 
Sanctions campaign.

IISS coordinator Saquib Ali 

Usman, a doctoral student in 
anthropology at the University 
of Michigan, said it became clear 
in planning the event the “era of 
Trump” is incredibly pertinent to 
Islamic studies today.

He 
referenced 
American 

scholar Sherman Jackson, who 
describes Islamic studies today 
as Islamic studies 2.0. Islamic 
studies 1.0, he said, refers to the 
discursive study of Islam through 
an academic setting, using the 
tools and genealogy of studies. 
Islamic studies 2.0 refers to 
putting 1.0 into real-life political 
situations in which an event is 
unfolding.

“I think Islamic studies is 

becoming much more tied to 
social realities of Muslims living 
in the world and in the U.S., as 
opposed to some ideological 
disconnected, disembodied study 
of Islamic studies,” he said.

Samiah Haque, the interim 

Islamic 
studies 
program 

coordinator, said the purpose of 
the symposium was to relate the 
work of individuals to the current 
political climate.

“Considering 
the 
political 

climate, we thought it would be 
a very timely seminar and really 
this conference is about how 
different people in the field of 
Islamic studies are relating to 
what’s happening right now in 
terms of what they’re working 
on,” she said.

She 
emphasized 
the 

interdisciplinary nature of the 
symposium, 
which 
includes 

storytelling, 
arts 
and 
music 

performances, 
among 
others. 

Presenters 
were 
graduate 

students, 
professors, 
social 

activists and scholars from the 
University and other institutions 
around the world.

Sara 
Tahir, 
a 
graduate 

student studying anthropology 
at Michigan State University, 
presented earlier in the day on 
ethical labor with regard to 
Muslim-American women after 
the election.

Tahir 
said 
she 
enjoyed 

Spellberg’s lecture and the overall 
opportunity to work alongside 
students pursuing similar studies.

“It was really interesting,” she 

said. “I’m so glad it was organized 
because I got to meet people 
from the University of Michigan, 
especially people who are people 
of color, and people who are 
working … who have a similar sort 
of process with respect to what 
is going on in the world today, 
globally as well. Of course, the 
United States is included what is 
happening in the United States 
and how we’re projecting that to 
the global scale.”

KEYNOTE
From Page 1

“Many inside and outside the 
university had begun to refer 
to the center as Mcity, not just 
the test facility.”

Mcity 
Deputy 
Director 

Carrie Morton believes this 
name change will also help 
connect the various projects 
taking place across Mcity.

“We 
are 
now 
uniting 

two 
separate 
brands 
that 

represented the full breadth 
of our work and what was 
formerly the MTC, under one 
very 
recognizable 
brand,” 

Morton said. “This allows 
us to really streamline and 
elevate 
our 
voice 
in 
this 

space by getting behind one 
brand, and leverage the brand 
of Mcity which was so well 
recognized.”

The testing ground itself, 

located on the University’s 
North 
Campus, 
will 
now 

be called the Mcity Test 
Facility. 
The 
test 
facility 

allows researchers to conduct 
stringent tests that would 

typically require thousands of 
miles of public roads.

The Mcity Test Facility 

is 
one 
of 
Mcity’s 
three 

main initiatives, which also 
include 
funding 
research 

and partnering with other 
groups, such as the University 
Transportation 
Research 

Institute, to deploy connected 
and automated vehicles on 

the streets of Ann Arbor and 
potentially beyond.

Right 
now, 
Mcity 
has 

partnerships 
with 
65 

companies, spanning various 
industries. Mcity has also 
invested 
approximately 

$16 million in 30 research 
projects such as studies on 
the 
interactions 
of 
motor 

vehicles and bicyclists as well 
as vehicle data collection for 
cloud processing.

“Rebranding 
as 
Mcity 

allows us to focus on one 
brand rather than two, and 
more effectively tell the story 
of the work we’re doing to 
advance the development of 
advanced 
mobility 
vehicles 

and 
technologies,” 
Carney 

said.

According to Carney, the 

renaming 
of 
the 
Mobility 

Transformation 
Center 
to 

Mcity will have no effects on 
Mcity’s funding or mission.

“In fact, I think having 

everything 
under 
the 
one 

brand more completely shares 
our mission,” Morton said.

In regard to future projects, 

Carney and Morton said Mcity 
plans to continue the research 
on 
autonomous 
vehicles, 

which they have spent the past 
years on.

“I don’t think there are 

any significant changes than 
working really hard on our 
plans to continue to execute 
our deployment plans which 
include automated vehicles,” 
Morton said.

MCITY
From Page 1

Wadley said. “Part of it being a 
therapy dog, you have to have 
a really good temperament. 
Every time you see him, it 
seems like he’s always smiling 
so that always puts people in a 
good mood.”

With 
about 
25 
teams 

assigned 
to 
Michigan 

Medicine, 
Therapaws’s 

therapy dogs can be found at 
Mott, the medical procedures 
unit, the intensive care unit 
as well as the Cardiovascular 
Center. The dogs typically 
visit individual patient rooms 
and interact with groups.

Lana Berry, a volunteer 

supervisor 
and 
liaison 

between 
Therapaws 
and 

Michigan 
Medicine, 
has 

been involved with canine 
therapy for 15 years. Her 
main responsibilities include 
screening the therapy dogs 
and scheduling dog visits to 
medical units in need. Berry 
emphasized the importance 
of the canine-human bond in 
the healing process.

“A lot of people, when 

they are in the hospital, are 
missing their own pets, so just 
being able to hug or touch or 
pet a furry dog makes them 
more 
comfortable,” 
Berry 

said. “Studies have shown 
that it reduces blood pressure, 
reduces 
anxiety 
and 
just 

overall (promotes) well-being 
for the patients.”

Wadley, 
who 
refers 
to 

himself as the dog whisperer, 
has found the patients at 
Mott respond to visits from 
Legend. He added the patients 
gravitate 
toward 
Legend’s 

gentle side.

This is especially the case 

for a young girl who suffered 
from a traumatic dog bite. 
She initially felt uneasy with 
the idea of petting Legend, so 
Wadely suggested she start 
petting 
Legend 
from 
the 

back, working her way up to 
his head. Eventually, she felt 
comfortable enough to give 
Legend a treat.

“She started smiling and 

she felt better,” Wadley said. 
“Before we left, she gave him 
a hug. That just reconfirms 
what therapy is all about, 
especially 
for 
kids, 
just 

making sure they have really 
good experiences.”

Wadley 
has 
found 

volunteering 
at 
Mott 
to 

be 
especially 
impactful 

because 
of 
the 
anxieties 

that accompany being such a 
young patient.

“A lot of times when we see 

some of these kids, they are 
going into surgery, so they are 
feeling a little bit nervous and 
apprehensive about getting 
the procedures that they are 
having, so bringing a dog there 
calms them down a little bit 
and provides a distraction,” 
Wadley said.

The main goal of Therapaws 

is to bring comfort and joy to 
those young and old, in the 
form of canine therapy. Karen 
O’Connor, the president of 
Therapaws of Michigan, has 
been in the business of therapy 
dogs for nearly 20 years.

“I think canine therapy 

is special because it takes 
(the patient’s) mind off of 
whatever is going on in their 
life and in their illness,” 
O’Connor said. “I think it’s a 
huge stress reliever. The dogs 
are entertaining, they remind 
them of their pets.”

DOGS
From Page 1

I think having 

everything under 

the one brand 

completely shares 

our mission 

Native American artifacts and 
cultural references, such as 
headdresses and statues, and 
performing Native American-
like rituals. 

“There were many protests 

held by Native students around 
10 years ago that led to the land 
grant plaque and the removal of 
support for Michigamua,” Gant 
said.

Michigamua has since been 

renamed Order of Angell, an 
organization which focuses on 
honoring senior leadership at the 
University. 

An exhibit on the history 

of student protest on campus, 
which is located on the sidewalks 
of Angell Hall, highlights the 
periods 
of 
student 
activism 

during World War I, the civil 
rights movement and Vietnam 
War, but doesn’t discuss Native 
Americans.

LSA 
freshman 
Maitland 

Bowen, who is of Native American 
heritage, 
discussed 
how 
the 

exhibit shows the University 
has made significant progress 
over the years, but also pointed 
to how the University neglects 
to 
recognize 
the 
profound 

significance Native Americans 
have had in the University’s 
history.

“The fact that this pop-up 

plaque seems so novel points 
to a real problem,” Bowen said. 
“The Native land grant should 
not be something we remember 
once every 200 years, it should 
be something the University 
consciously 
acknowledges, 

respects and appreciates every 
day.”

She described how, due to the 

small population of students who 
identify as Native American — 
0.2 percent of enrolled students 
as of 2015 — the University does 
not feel a sense of urgency to 
fully recognize the University’s 
history with Native Americans. 

“The University doesn’t have 

to answer to a large Native 
student population because they 
don’t have a large Native student 
population,” Bowen said.

Referring to the ways in which 

the University represents Native 
American students, Bowen stated 
that the University still has a long 
way to go.

“They must make a conscious 

and 
consistent 
effort 
to 

acknowledge Native Americans’ 
roles in the history of the 
University and to support their 
roles in its future,” she said.

Philip Deloria, professor of 

American culture and Native 
American studies, spoke about 
the significance of the pop-up art 
exhibit.

“It’s a great gesture, but it’s 

a gesture that also reveals the 
invisibility of Indian people 
kind of in general on campus 
and in American society as a 
whole,” Deloria said. “They 
make up about 1.5 percent of 
the population, they’re easily 
ignored and that’s been the case 
on the campus for a while.”

BICENTENNIAL
From Page 1

