The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
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Wednesday, September 20, 2017 — 3A
DOG DAYS ARE OVE R
JULIA LAWSON/Daily
Students pet therapy dog Kipper at the Dogs on Diag event, which was moved into the Ugli due to rain on Tuesday.
money is not the issue. It’s the
struggles that continue once
you get into college unless the
proper support is provided.”
Connolly said she believes in
“student-centered
planning,”
and begins by looking at each
prospective scholar’s needs,
such as career development,
life skills preparation, identity
formation and their university
community experience.
“We
provide
a
holistic
approach,”
Connolly
said.
“Each student is different.
We work through each and
every aspect of that scholars’
undergraduate experience and
their life to really help them
gain the skills they’ll need to
be successful at the University
of Michigan.”
Scholars have access to one-
on-one support, mentoring and
community building. They also
set goals at the beginning of
each semester and meet with
coaches at least once a month.
Blavin
scholar
Samantha
Wilson, an LSA senior, has
been in the program since
the fall of 2015 when she
transferred to the University.
She said her mentor has had a
positive influence on her life
and has helped her through
difficult times.
“My mentor is one of the
best people on the planet,”
Wilson said. “It’s just lovely
to have her in my life. We can
talk about personal things
and that’s the beauty of being
paired with a mentor — you get
to choose what you want the
relationship to be like.”
Wilson said the program
levels the playing field and
gives students with difficult,
complicated
and
differing
pasts people they can trust.
“To be on more of a level
playing field, to say, ‘I am
here, no matter my path and
no matter what has happened’
is so impactful,” Wilson said.
“To have someone say, ‘I’ve got
your back,’ for a lot of people
it’s unprecedented and it’s
uncomfortable. … It provides
such a serene, haven-like place
for so many people, and I mean
that in terms of state of mind.”
The program helps students
eliminate financial barriers by
providing a $5,000 scholarship
each year to help pay for
personal needs in addition to
their financial aid package.
“It meets any gaps the
student has in their financial
aid package,” Connolly said.
“Our students may have more
emergent
needs
than
the
average student. Some scholars
deal with homelessness while
others just lack funds to finish
their degree due to family
obligations.”
Wilson said she uses the
scholarship money to pay for
classes and food.
“It’s
removed
a
lot
of
barriers financially,” she said.
“I don’t have to worry about
where my next meal is going to
come from or how I’m going to
pay for this class. All the who,
what, where, when and how’s
now have answers.”
Many
struggles
scholars
face stem from a lack of
community,
Blavin
said,
which causes pressure socially
and academically. There are
therefore
several
events,
including
dinner
with
the
Blavins on Thanksgiving for
students without a home and
social gatherings, in order to
build a community.
Connolly said a major goal
of the program is to turn a
large campus into a small place
where students feel welcome.
Blavin added how lonely college
can be for minority students,
both socioeconomically and
racially, without a network of
support.
“College can be a lonely
place,” Blavin said. “When
you’re a minority on campus,
it can be a very difficult place.
So
we
have
a
supportive
community that I think our
scholars find beneficial. It’s the
love and attention our scholars
receive
from
everybody
—
that’s where success comes
from.”
Connolly and Blavin said not
all scholars have the privilege
of having a family for support,
which is where coaches help.
Coaches, such as Connolly,
help scholars move and provide
dorm supplies such as bedding,
laundry detergent and other
items.
“Thinking about this idea
of
family
privilege,
every
scholar’s
experience
is
different,” Connolly said. “Our
scholars may not have family
support like their roommates.
We may be that support — so
we’ll load up our cars and help
them move onto campus. And
we’ll also supply them with all
of the things that they’ll need.”
Wilson
said
she
has
struggled to build consistency
in her life.
“Abandonment
can
be
a
huge component of being in
care,” Wilson said. “I’ve had
a lot of overturn in my life.
It’s like a revolving door. To
have someone stay is a rarity.
To have consistency, I think
would be a component that
needs to be worked on.”
Going
forward,
Connolly
and
Blavin
would
like
to
have
100
scholars
in
the
program and create a positive
experience for students who
have experienced foster care.
Other goals include growing
their alumni base, expanding
even more in the community
and affecting governmental
policy.
“In
the
future
of
the
program, I do see us going to
100 students,” Connolly said.
“And I do see us changing the
narrative around students who
have experienced foster care.
We’re looking at how we can
improve these outcomes.”
Paul Blavin said he hopes
organization,
faculty
and
even students continue their
support
for
the
program
because they drive its success.
“We all can be rooting for
the success of these students,”
Paul Blavin said. “It’s an
amazing example of the power
of the human spirit.”
PROGRAM
From Page 1A
Sarkar later expanded on this
in a statement.
“The anti-black targeting of
students this past weekend in
West Quad is indicative of a larger
problem that is perpetuated by
both active hatred and quiet
bystanders,” she wrote. “It is
impossible to stop every force
of racism and hatred, but it
is certainly within the reach
of every single member of the
Michigan community to vocally
and actively stand up against
these acts of hatred. If you are
not doing so, you are complicit
in these continued incidents.
I encourage those of you who
have stood by until now to join
those who continue to face these
attacks.
Without
community-
wide and active solidarity, hatred
will continue to manifest in these
cowardly acts.”
The assembly then moved on
to their guest speakers. Dean of
Students Laura Jones explained
what the Dean of Students Office
offers and how they hope to
facilitate leadership advancement
with CSG. She said working with
students from CSG is one of the
matters that has defined her
perception of the University of
Michigan as such a distinguished
institution.
“I want to acknowledge and
thank you for caring enough
about the institution to run for
office and to be a part of student
government,” she said. “I really
value and appreciate the role that
you play and what your purpose
is.”
Jones also introduced Jim
Hoppes, the newly hired program
adviser
for
Central
Student
Government.
Taking
over
a
role that works closely with
CSG, Hoppes, who attended the
University as an undergraduate,
looks to build upon previous
experience working with student
leaders.
“I’m very excited for this
year and I hope to help you all
accomplish your goals,” he said.
In updates from the executive
branch, Sarkar discussed projects
such as CSG’s new partnership
with Lyft, featuring $10 passes
that work from midnight until 6
a.m. and that CSG hopes to make
available to students next week.
“One of the things we had
campaigned on was security
threats for walking home late at
night among students, especially
in the South U, East U area,” she
said. “I worked with Lyft over
the summer to get late night ride
passes for everyone.”
Other
projects
currently
addressed
by
the
executive
branch include food insecurity
initiatives that look to build upon
last year’s progress, in which CSG
worked with the dean of students
to facilitate a referral program
by CAPS and SAPAC that allows
students in need to receive six
free meal swipes at University
dining halls.
In addition, CSG approved the
appointments for new leadership
in
several
positions
and
commission chairs, including LSA
sophomore Isabelle Blanchard as
chief programming officer and
LSA junior Niccolo Beltramo as
chair of the Student Organization
Funding Commission.
CSG
From Page 1A
bond a carbon atom and a metal.
To preface her work, Alektiar
explained most molecules have
a carbon-hydrogen bond. When
people get sick, the bacteria
in their bodies can evolve, she
continued, eventually making
them
immune
to
certain
medicines.
Therefore,
there
needs to be a way to develop new
medicines efficiently.
“The way that issue is being
tackled is you kind of have to
start at ground zero,” she said.
“You have to start and basically
make almost exactly the same
thing, just change one thing
about it, but you have to start
from the very beginning. It’s not
the most effective way because
you are wasting a lot of the stuff
that you’ve already made before
you realized it wasn’t useful.
So it’s just a much longer, time-
consuming process.”
However, Alektiar explained
she has recently worked in the
lab with carbon-hydrogen bond
functionalization to improve the
process.
Now, Alektiar is currently
starting to do more research
with metals — something she
said aligns with what she is
looking to do in the future. She
said wants to get her Ph.D. in
organic chemistry, and is very
interested
in
photocatalysis.
Alektiar offered a simplified
definition of the photocatalysis
process, saying it uses light to
make reactions occur.
“A lot of the fundamentals
and
techniques
that
I’m
learning through the different
projects I’ve been doing at
the Montgomery lab, I will be
able to apply them to then do
photocatalysis in the future,” she
said.
Wilson
is
also
studying
chemistry and has been working
a project in the Montgomery
lab since January. His work
involves
biocatalysis,
which
uses natural enzymes to speed
up chemical reactions, of which
he uses mutants to modify big
macromolecules.
“Essentially,
we’re
speeding up the process of the
pharmaceutical company so that
they can screen more antibiotics
quicker,” he said.
Wilson
said
he
modifies
substrates — substances that
undergo chemical reactions.
“For me, the most interesting
part
is
that
I
can
make
modifications on the molecule
and then force something that
is biologically active to do that
reaction on a molecule in a
different way,” he said. “It’s
a little bit of a power trip in a
way, but obviously in a nerdy
way. You’re able to basically
manipulate the molecule any
way you want to.”
Wilson took Chemistry 210,
an organic chemistry course,
with Montgomery as a freshman.
He said he was interested in
the theory behind the material
so he often stayed behind to
ask questions after class and
soon
expressed
interest
in
Montgomery’s research.
Wilson said he enjoys the
research he is doing because
he gets to establish a personal
connection
with
high-level
faculty that can help him to
understand the material; he said
speaking directly with experts
in the field is a “one of a kind”
experience that is not necessarily
offered in classes.
In terms of why research is
important, Wilson said in the
current political climate there is
the perception that research isn’t
as important because the results
are not necessarily tangible.
“I obviously have a scientific
background … I understand that
essentially all scientific research
is important in some way no
matter how far removed away
from process it is,” he said.
A
big
CHEMISTRY
From Page 1A
of different students and a lot
of different donors and things
like that. But even if it’s a small
group of students, we matter
here and I want people to know
that. It’s kind of a slap in the
face when I get an email about
the Bicentennial when three
days later there’s no address to
the racists incidents, and you
are still sending out emails
about bicentennials.”
LSA
freshman
Dylan
Gilbert shared some of Land’s
sentiment, and explained she
is upset but not surprised by
Schlissel’s inaction.
“I wasn’t that surprised
because
(racist
incidents)
happens all the time, and at this
point I’m pretty desensitized to
it all. I think people don’t like
addressing what makes them
uncomfortable,
especially
in
such
a
predominantly
white
university,”
Gilbert
said. “They probably have no
idea what to do and are most
likely floundering a little bit.
There definitely needs to be
a statement made explaining
that we protect students and
don’t like stuff like this to
happen.”
Because of this, students
have taken matters into their
own hands: The Black Student
Union
and
the
Michigan
branch of the NAACP held
an
event
titled
“Destress”
Tuesday evening to discuss
strategies for supporting the
Black community and moving
forward after the recent racial
incidents that have taken place
on campus and downtown Ann
Arbor.
Black students, faculty and
allies piled into the Modern
Language Building to look for
ways to ensure that African-
American students feel safe and
comfortable at Michigan. The
event was orginally slated to
be held in the Yuri Kochiyama
lounge of South quad but
changed due to high interest.
It was casual, and offered
students a chance to voice
their emotions, experiences
and opinions following recent
incidents of racism in a safe
and comfortable environment.
One of the students was LSA
sophomore
Kaitlyn
Brown,
who reflected on the alarm she
felt after finding out about the
writings in West Quad.
“I was also shocked — hurt
— that this is something that’s
happening at my school and in
my community. It’s personal.
I’m
appalled
that
this
is
happening now, in 2017, on
my campus, happening to my
people. Why is this something
that is still going on?” Brown
said. “And it’s hurtful that
people even think that’s OK.
Like they actually thought
about it, and then did it, and
didn’t think there would be any
consequence.”
The
Destress
event
is
one of many ways the Black
community
on
campus
is
working to heal and move
forward. During the discussion
portion,
suggestions
such
as having mandatory race-
relation
training
for
each
student, faculty member and
GSI
and
reclaiming
Black
spaces
on
campus
were
explored.
Throughout
the
day
Tuesday, students and allies
also participated in a “Black-
Out,” dressing in all black to
show solidarity with the Black
community.
Land
explained
the
importance of a “Black-Out”
and explained how the show of
solidarity is comforting during
tough times.
“When you look and see
someone wearing all black,
whether it’s an ally or someone
in your community, you can
easily look at them and say,
hey, you’re with us, you’re not
against me and you want to
make a change with me,” Land
said.
The
University
chapter
of the NAACP, The Muslim
Students Association, Central
Student
Government,
and
JustDems,
the
University’s
chapter
College
Democrat’s
social
justice
committee,
as
well
as
handful
other
students
organizations,
tweeted in solidarity with the
Black Student Union and the
statement they released.
Public Policy junior Lauren
Schandevel,
communications
director for the University’s
chapter of College Democrats,
wrote in an email interview
the black-out had full support
from her organization.
“College
Democrats
supports the black-out 100%,”
she wrote. “We encouraged our
members to participate, too.”
Both
Gilbert
and
Land
hope people continue to show
their support for the Black
community
and
that
the
administration
makes
more
of an effort to help minority
students on campus.
“They can start talking about
it, holding people accountable
for their actions and showing
that if they find the people who
did it that they take serious
measures. Also by addressing
it and showing that they stand
with the Black students in the
University,” Gilbert said.
Land
urged
the
entire
community
to
stand
in
solidarity
and
support
the
movement.
“This
movement
is
for
everybody. I think typically
we come and see it’s mostly
Black students in these type of
spaces, and I encourage anyone
who is with us to come out and
voice your opinion and show
support.”
Read more online at
michigandaily.com
RESPONSE
From Page 1A
I’m appalled that
this is happening
now, in 2017,
on my campus,
happening to my
people