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Thursday, January 25, 2018 — 3
Project Moxie, a research
project at the University of
Michigan, focuses on increasing
transgender youth access to
HIV testing kits. The project is
in its pilot stage, and working on
recruiting participants.
Rob Stephenson, the project
director and a vice chair for
research in the Department of
Health Behavior and Biological
Sciences, said he hopes Project
Moxie will help break down
social and economic barriers
that
transgender
individuals
face when receiving health care.
After participants fill out a
series of surveys, HIV testing
kits are sent to their homes in
an effort to help them avoid
the stigma often associated
with either publicly purchasing
these kits or going into a clinic
to get tested. Participants then
schedule a time to have a video
chat session with one of Project
Moxie’s
trained
counselors,
where they can test themselves
in front of the counselor and get
help building a prevention plan.
If the test is positive, they will
receive help on how to get care
and live with HIV.
“Throughout my work, I’ve
noticed
that
young
people
in particular face a whole
range of barriers to accessing
health benefits, and one of the
things I’m passionate about
is understanding how stigma
and discrimination influences
health,”
Stephenson
said.
“If you just watch the news,
you can see the incredible
amounts of stigma experienced
by transgender youth, and I
thought this is a way to provide
an intervention in their own
home that tackles some of those
barriers.”
Though
Stephenson
couldn’t say for sure whether
participants in the study would
have found alternate testing
without Project Moxie, he did
say
participants
expressed
appreciation for the at-home
testing kits.
“We send them an HIV
testing kit which they could
find themselves at CVS or
Walgreens, so I always ask,
‘Why didn’t you just do this
yourself?’”
Stephenson
said.
“And they say, ‘Well, we were
scared, we don’t want to test
on our own without anyone to
talk to.’ Other common issues
I hear are, ‘I don’t know where
to go,’ or ‘I live in a rural area
and there is nowhere to go,’ or
‘I don’t want to have to discuss
my behavior or my identity with
somebody.’”
So far, the study has reached
100 youth participants across
the country. In order to recruit
for the study, Project Moxie
advertises on Facebook, Twitter,
Instagram
and
Craigslist.
Project Director Erin Riley said
that of these various platforms,
Instagram and Craigslist are the
most effective. She said she was
surprised to find Craigslist to be
so effective.
“Craigslist is a bit archaic
and it can be a little shady, so
we didn’t add Craigslist until
maybe three months ago when
we were having some issues
with recruitment,” Riley said.
“But since we began putting up
ads on there every day, we’ve
gotten quite a few participants.”
LSA senior Michael Miller-
Perusse began working with
Project Moxie in September. He
discussed the importance of the
study for its target population.
“I
think
that
it’s
really
important,
just
the
impact
of having studies out there,”
Miller-Perusse said. “We know
that when we created this study
that there was no published
research examining the need
for HIV testing for transgender
men, and we’re aiming for half
of our cohort to be trans men
and half to be trans women. So,
even just having this research
out there is great, regardless of
the result.”
Stephenson said if the project
is successful, he would love to
try and expand it.
“Right now it’s only a pilot
study,” Stephenson said. “If
it’s proven feasible, I’d love to
scale it up. We’re focusing on
transgender youth now, there’s
no reason we can’t expand this
to other vulnerable groups as
well. People who, for social,
cultural or economic reasons,
don’t have access to services; we
can take the services to these
people.”
Tuesday
afternoon,
the
University of Michigan’s Office
of Multi-Ethnic Student Affairs
announced Krishna Han will
serve as its new associate
director.
Han’s
position
will begin on Jan. 29 and is
currently being held by interim
MESA Director Lihn Nguyen.
MESA Director Nadia Bazzy
welcomed Han in an email
to
Student
Life
affiliates,
and
described
Han’s
past
experiences
working
with
multicultural
organizations
such as Black Student Union,
Muslim Students’ Association,
World Student Association and
more. Han has also worked
as the assistant director for
Diversity
Education
and
Cultural Programs at Bowling
Green State University for more
than five years.
Bazzy’s email also described
Han’s passion for ensuring that
students from all backgrounds
can access safe environments
and equal opportunity.
“Krishna
is
passionate
about
transforming
student
experiences to build inclusive
spaces
and
equitable
opportunities for all and brings
nearly a decade of experience
working with minority groups
in student life and university
administration both nationally
and
internationally,”
Bazzy
wrote. “He describes himself as
a professionally trained Social
Environmentalist who fell in
love with student affairs.”
However, Han’s appointment
was not without controversy.
The
hiring
process,
which
began in December, faced a
boycott from several student
organizations, such as La Casa
and
the
Muslim
Students’
Association, after individuals
from the Latino community
criticized MESA for the lack
of Latino representation in the
search for the new associate
director.
An earlier statement from the
Latinx Alliance for Community
Action, Support, and Advocacy
pointed out the absence of
any Latino candidates from
consideration.
“Members
of
the
La
Casa board were invited to
participate in student sessions
for the hiring of candidates for
the Associate Director position.
None of the candidates are
Latinx individuals and across
all of their cover letters and
resumes,
Latinx
students
were only mentioned by one
candidate in a singular past
experience,”
the
statement
reads.
Yezeñia Sandoval, external
director
for
La
Casa,
explained in an email to The
Michigan
Daily
that
while
the organization fostered no
resentment toward Han, they
were disappointed with the
inattention given to Latino
input.
“La
Casa
is
deeply
disappointed to see MESA’s
disregard for the Latinx voice
in this hiring,” Sandoval wrote.
“Without the Latinx voice at
the table, along with other
important voices from minority
communities,
MESA
should
have reconsidered its hiring
practices, including its pool
of applicants and job posting
locations. This is not a personal
attack on the person hired
or their qualifications, but it
creates a pattern of untouched
potential
in
Latinx
hiring
pools.”
Sandoval
furthered
this
sentiment by discussing how
excluding members from the
Latino community contradicts
the efforts of the University to
increase diversity. Enrollment
reports released last semester
showed Latino students make
up about 6 percent of the
student body.
“The diversity the school
seeks
to
achieve
must
go
beyond
proclamations
of
support.”
Sandoval
wrote.
The University of Michigan’s
Office
for
Institutional
Equity
released
its
annual
reportconcerning
prohibited
student conduct on Wednesday.
The report details outcomes of
all investigations carried out by
the OIE under the direction of
Pamela Heatlie, the University’s
Title IX coordinator and senior
director of OIE.
“U-M encourages individuals
to report misconduct to the
University and, if the behavior
is criminal in nature, to law
enforcement,” Heatlie said in a
University press release. “We
are deeply invested in providing
resources and support as well as
addressing these issues through
a fair and effective process.”
The 2017 investigation found
a 40 percent increase from 2016
in the number of misconduct
reports filed. The OIE received
218 reports of prohibited conduct
between July 2016 and June 2017,
and 157 reports the previous
year. The OIE conducted 28
investigations in this period, up
from 18 in the 2015-2016 report.
The OIE concluded after the
28 investigations that eight policy
violations had occurred over the
past year: Five sexual assaults,
two incidents of stalking and a
violation of interim measures.
The report stated the OIE carried
out disciplinary action for these
violations, including educational
measures,
employment
restriction,
suspension
and
expulsion.
The
increase
in
reports
could be partially due to the
broadening of the University
policy’s definition of misconduct.
As
of
last
year,
prohibited
conduct now includes intimate
partner violence, gender-based
harassment
and
violation
of
interim
measures.
These
collectively
counted
for
15
percent of the reported incidents
last year, or about 30 reports.
This indicates that reports still
surpassed the previous year’s
number, despite the newly added
categories.
Heatlie, however, believes
this change is due to increased
awareness
of
gender-based
discrimination and misconduct
rather than a rise in the actual
conduct on campus.
“We believe that this increase
is
the
result
of
enhanced
awareness on campus of these
issues
and
how
to
report
concerns, as well as the addition
of new types of allegations now
covered under the policy that
were previously addressed under
different
university
policies,”
Heatlie said in the release.
University spokesman Rick
Fitzgerald said though there is
no way to determine a definitive
cause for the increase in reports,
an
increase
isn’t
inherently
negative — an increase can
signify heightened support for
survivors and more awareness
of the University’s system for
investigating assault.
“Reports go up each year, but
that is possibly a good sign,”
Fitzgerald said in an interview
with The Daily.
After the policy revision in
July 2016, the Sexual Assault
Awareness
and
Prevention
Center began a campus-wide
campaign
called
“Start
by
Believing.” It aimed to increase
awareness of sexual misconduct
as well as support and reporting
resources. It is likely that both
factors influenced the increase
in reporting over the following
year.
Former
SAPAC
Volunteer
Coordinator Laura Meyer was
a part of the campaign. She
expressed her confidence in
the program and its work in an
April 2016 interview about their
efforts.
“There is a generally greater
awareness of SAPAC and its
services on campus when we
are out in the community, and
the volunteer coordinators have
received even more outreach
from community members and
organizations who are eager to
partner with SAPAC,” Meyer
said.
Meyer
also
encouraged
students to take advantage of
the resources available through
SAPAC
and
other
campus
organizations,
specifically
commending the Peer Education
and
Bystander
Intervention
and
Community
Engagement
programs,
which
work
to
engage and educate students
on sexual assault awareness
and prevention. She also named
Know Your IX, an education and
advocacy group focused on Title
IX, as an excellent source for
information.
“Students should be ready
to engage their communities
in conversations about sexual
assault
and
sexual
violence
by believing and supporting
survivors, centering the voices
of survivors, and respecting the
agency and choices of survivors,”
Meyer said.
Misconduct reports up 40 percent
Project boosts HIV testing access
2017 sexual misconduct findings could indicate increase in reporting rates
Project Moxie seeks to dismantle barriers to care for transgender individuals
RILEY LANGEFIELD
Daily Staff Reporter
AMARA SHAIKH
Daily Staff Reporter
MOLLY NORRIS
Daily Staff Reporter
MESA office
selects new,
permanent
assoc. lead
Krishna Han will serve as assistant
director, must answer to Latino groups
ALEXA DI LUCA/Daily
lead Michigan State University
forward,” the House resolution,
supported by House Speaker
Tom Leonard, reads.
Statements
from
MSU’s
trustees have been conflicting
in the last week. Though the
board publicly renewed their
trust in Simon’s leadership
Friday
afternoon,
trustees
Dianne
Byrum
and
Michel
Lyons
called
for
Simon’s
resignation Wednesday.
“I support the resignation
of President Simon, effective
immediately, and I support the
investigation by the Attorney
General that will provide a full
accounting of what happened
and take an important step
toward restoring trust, which
has
understandably
been
shaken,” Byrum wrote in her
statement.
Vice Chair of the board of
trustees Joel Ferguson affirmed
his faith in Simon on a Lansing
radio show WVFN, citing her
strong fundraisers skills.
“I mean, when you go to the
basketball game, you walk into
the new Breslin [Center], and
the person who hustled and got
all those major donors to give
money was Lou Anna Simon,”
Ferguson said in the interview.
In the interview Ferguson
was quick to discredit the
possibility of the NCAA getting
involved.
“To do what?” he said. “This
is not Penn State. They were
dealing
with
their
football
program. They’re smart enough
to know they’re not competent
to walk in here on this.”
The
NCAA
opened
an
investigation
into
Michigan
State’s handling of the Nassar
investigation later that day.
Sens.
Debbie
Stabenow,
D-Mich.,
and
Gary
Peters,
D-Mich., released statements
echoing
calls
for
Simon’s
resignation Wednesday as well.
“It has become clear that
the leadership at Michigan
State University has failed to
adequately prevent, address or
respond to the victimization
of young women and girls on
its campus, and the crisis at
MSU continues despite today’s
verdict,”
Peters’
statement
reads.
“Michigan
State
University has a long way to
go in rebuilding trust with
its students, athletes, faculty,
alumni and the entire state
of Michigan. To do so, it must
have new leadership.”
MSU
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