The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
News
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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