The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
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Friday, January 18, 2019 — 3
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EMPLOYMENT
From Page 1
LAW
From Page 1
POVERTY
From Page 1
INSTITUTIONALIZING EQUIT Y
Michelle Bolofer, the Executive Director of Century Forward, a nonprofit focused on building community infrastructure, speaks at the Urban Planning
Martin Luther King Jr. Symposium on “Institutionalizing Equity: Radically Restructuring Opportunity in Detroit” in the Art and Architecture Building
Thursday evening.
DANYEL THARAKAN/Daily
HEALTH
From Page 1
“It is evident that eviction
is a state-wide phenomenon,”
Goodspeed said. “Is it other factors
like the cost of housing, or a lack of
affordable housing in particular
locations? Or is it the access to
legal systems? The number of
legal attorneys available and how
close you are to their office really
varies a lot throughout the state.
(Attorneys) are doing their best,
but just have limited resources.”
After observing the available
data, Goodspeed hopes to identify
patterns in eviction rates and then
take it one step further by changing
public policy.
“The other focus of the project
is to understand the substantive
patterns and work with courts
to understand the data they
have and then come up with
recommendations on how the
court system and how policy
leaders can better track evictions
in the state,” Goodspeed said. “We
want to know how accurate is the
data that is available and how we
can set up systems so that we can
monitor this system going forward.
Because right now, there is not a
good mechanism of doing that.”
Benton
is
an
attorney
at
Legal Services of South Central
Michigan, a legal firm in the
Michigan
Advocacy
program
that services low-income families
involved in custody and evictions
cases. She stressed the importance
of this project, as evictions place
an overwhelming amount of stress
on these families already facing
numerous challenges.
“Our concern is relative because
we are representing these clients
every day and see the tremendous
impact that evictions have on their
lives,” Benton said. “It’s not just
about having to move, which is very
disruptive — but it involves time off
of work and time away from school.
Housing is central to people’s lives,
stability and wellbeing. So when
they are evicted, it’s just a really
horrible experience.”
Goodspeed
and
Benton’s
eviction venture is just one of the
nine projects created in attempt to
mitigate large-scale poverty. More
than $200,000 was distributed
from Poverty Solutions among
the projects to continue in the
fight against financial inequality.
Many of these projects will allow
numerous
University
schools
and colleges, including public
health, nursing, social work and
Michigan Medicine, to conduct
research in collaboration with the
greater Ann Arbor community.
These partnerships include aid
from the Detroit Community-
Academic Urban Research Center,
the Detroit Health Department,
the Henry Ford Health System,
the Community Health and Social
Services Center and many other
community-run facilities.
Luke
Shaefer,
director
of
Poverty
Solutions
and
Public
Policy professor, believes this
system-level approach helps the
community as a whole better
understand and address poverty.
“The government can’t do it
alone, the private sector can’t do it
alone, and the University certainly
can’t do it alone,” Shaefer said. “But
we can if we work together. The
role for the University is to bring
data and analysis to bare so that
we’re targeting the right policies
and so that we really understand
what we’re trying to grapple
together. To really find solutions
that work, we really have to have a
working partnership.”
LSA senior Zachary Tingley,
research
assistant
at
Poverty
Solutions, believes it is the duty
of the University as a public
institution to play a pivotal role
in
engaging
with
economic
inequality.
“I think it’s important U-M
conducts this research because any
institution has a moral obligation
to instigate change,” Tingley said.
“The fact that Poverty Solutions is
action-based and engaged with the
community allows the University
to recognize its impact on the
community around it and embrace
partnerships with non-university
stakeholders.”
Other joint projects running
this year include the testing of a
simulation exercise called CHAT
(CHoosing All Together), with goal
of helping overlooked, minority
members of different communities
establish and prioritize health
benefits. Poverty Solutions will
also tackle food insecurity issues
within impoverished homes by
providing cooking classes. These
plan to teach strategies that help
reduce food waste and budget
healthy and inexpensive meal
plans.
Poverty Solutions has resourced
about $9 million to fund research
initiatives which have already
produced an outlasting impact.
Their research has altered the way
Detroit Public Schools collect data
on their homeless students and
helped implement new methods
to deliver community-wide health
care support.
Though these projects will only
run through the 2019 calendar year,
Shaefer believes the initiatives will
have a lasting effect on the fight
against economic inequality and
high eviction rates.
“I think (the team) is going to
really map out and get a sense of
what’s going on with the eviction
landscape in a year’s time,” Shaefer
said. “We will be able to find out
what we can do to try to keep
people in their homes while also
supporting the overall ecosystem,
and how we might be able to
increase the affordable housing
units. These types of policy levels
are where the rubber hits the
road. So, hopefully, in a year they
have come to some proposed
recommendations
that
could
be moved forward. Sometimes
change happens very quickly,
and sometimes it’s much slower,
so we’ll have to see what the
landscapes hold.”
free case management to people
who reached out seeking advice
finding
employment,
helped
launch
the
foundations
of
Upbound at Work.
“There were about 300 job
seekers just in Michigan, so
when we started we already had
a base of about 300 job seekers,”
Morris said.
Though Autism Alliance is the
umbrella organization, Upbound
at Work is not limited to
assisting just those with autism.
The
organization
maintains
corporate
contracts
and
partnerships with companies
such as Ford, General Motors
and Daimler so Upbound at
Work can communicate with
recruiters who specialize in
helping people find employment.
Upbound at Work seeks to bridge
the gap between employers and
job seekers.
Beyond
initial
outreach,
Upbound at Work helps with the
employment process every step
of the way. Hetal Patel is one of
the communication specialists
who works one-on-one with
job seekers in order to provide
support
for
various
areas,
including problem solving, non-
verbal
communication
skills,
interviews
and
interpersonal
skills. Patel works with the job
seekers to provide an initial
consultation and make goals; it
is very much an individualized
process.
“I enjoy being able to work
through the various obstacles
individuals seeking employment
face and finding sustainable and
suitable
employment
options
that allow the use of individual
strengths,” Patel said. “Seeing
how the support we put in
place is beneficial not only to
the individual but the entire
organization has been rewarding
to see as well.”
Kelly Cole is the vocational
rehabilitation
manager
specializing
in
rehabilitation
counseling. As she transitioned
from her role as a job navigator
with Autism Alliance to helping
with employment at Upbound
at Work, she was able to work
with job seekers to build their
skills and strategize with them
while also acting as a support
network once they were hired.
She explained how retention is
important for long term growth.
“It’s so unique; everybody is
so different,” Cole said. “Every
single case is kind of like a
brain teaser. It helps me check
myself and treat everyone as
an individual who wants to live
independently and live their own
lives. And once I get positive
feedback and see the lives
that are being changed, I am
reminded of why I do what I do.”
Such
direct
services,
like
professional
skills
coaching,
have been working.
Ronald
Larson,
professor
of
chemical
engineering
at
the University, explains the
experience his son went through
with Upbound at Work. Through
his son, Andrew, graduated in
2014 with a B.S. in Computer
Science,
he
had
trouble
interviewing and adjusting to
expectations due to social and
cognitive deficits. And after a
while, he became discouraged,
Larson said.
“Thanks to the help from many
kind people, and most recently
and especially Tammy and her
team, Andrew is on a good track
now, and his added confidence
has given him a great boost in
continuing to work towards
higher life functionality,” Larson
said. “So, we are delighted with
Upbound at Work program, and
how much it has helped our son.”
Morris
explained
how
it
has grown in the past couple
years, as there are much more
job
seekers
coming
to
the
organization. From individuals
with backgrounds in aerospace
engineering to those versed in
coding, such job seekers bring
with them a range of diverse skill
sets.
“I think it’s because of the
awareness
of
the
fact
that
companies
are
looking
and
welcoming,”
Morris
said.
“They’re
diverse
individuals
who are a little bit different so
getting the message out that it’s
okay.”
The organization aspires to
raise awareness about these
issues in order to create a more
tolerant environment. Due to the
competitive nature of the field,
those with invisible disabilities
are often hesitant to disclose
their disability.
“The impact of having a job is
life changing,” said Morris. “It’s
an entryway into everything.”
Veidlinger’s background as an
attorney in private practice offers
a unique opportunity to learn from
someone further removed from
the University administration.
“In the past, this course has
been co-taught by the general
counsel of the University and
the Title IX coordinator of the
University,” Strauss said. “I’ve
heard that the perspective was a
little more biased in favor of what
the University does to deal with
these things, and I’m excited to be
able to learn from a professional
with an outside perspective.”
Gil Seinfeld, associate dean
for
academic
programming
at the Law School, noted how
Veidlinger’s experience in Title
IX investigation demonstrates her
serious commitment to enforcing
the law she teaches.
“For any faculty member, it
is so important to communicate
genuine immersion in and about
the
subject
matter,”
Seinfeld
said. “I think she (Veidlinger) is
obviously seriously engaged and
enthusiastic about teaching and
she’s going to bring that into the
classroom.”
Strauss
hopes
the
course
will provide her with a legal
framework
to
better
inform
her opinions. Strauss is a board
member of the Gender Violence
Project, a student organization
within the Law School which
raises awareness about gender
discrimination in the American
legal
system
and
represents
victims of sexual assault. Strauss
said her work with the project has
made her increasingly passionate
about defending the rights of
accusers, but also acknowledged
it is necessary to eliminate bias in
order to study law.
“Title IX proceedings within
the University aren’t judicial
proceedings — there aren’t as
many rules,” Strauss said. “Under
this policy, it’s totally cool for your
rapist to come up and slut-shame
you in front of decision makers.
I think that’s really troubling
and unfair to complainants who
are already going through this
potentially traumatic process. But
I also understand that I have a lot
of personal biases about that and I
think it would do me some good to
look at the full picture.”
Veidlinger said the course
consists of in-class discussions
regarding the history and current
use of Title IX policy in higher
education. Instead of a final
exam, there will be a paper on any
topic a student finds particularly
interesting related to Title IX.
Veidlinger noted how the study
of Title IX is not complete until it
incorporates current events and
changes to policy that frequently
arise.
“In my experience, something
that is so interesting about Title IX
is there are so many current events
going on over the past few years,
and I suspect into the future, that I
think it’s a great time to study Title
IX,” Veidlinger said. “I wouldn’t
be surprised if my syllabus has to
change mid-way through based
on changes that may come down
through court decisions or agency
actions from the Department of
Education.”
New MSU President appointed following
Engler’s resignation of the position
Satish Upda, the school’s executive vice president for admin services, will take the post
The Michigan State University
Board of Trustees named Satish Udpa,
the school’s executive vice president
for administrative services, interim
president
on
Thursday
morning
following the John Engler’s resignation.
Board member Brian Mosallam
said during the meeting he saw the
resignation of Engler and appointment
of Udpa as the start of a new era
on campus, the Detroit Free Press
reported Thursday morning.
“On this day, our survivors no
longer have to go to bed thinking no
one would listen to them,” Mosallam
said in the meeting. “Today, the healing
can begin.”
The appointment comes after an
11-page resignation letter from Interim
President
John
Engler
released
Wednesday night. Engler came under
new criticism after the release of a
statement to The Detroit News in
which he commented about a healing
fund. He said survivors of Larry
Nassar, who was sentenced to 40-175
years in state prison for criminal
sexual conduct charges in January
2018, were enjoying the spotlight
created by the case.
In a letter sent to MSU staff
and faculty in January 2018, Upda
wrote MSU must work to address
its mistakes and emphasized the
importance of devoting time and
resources to healing and creating a
campus culture which provides a safe
environment for all members of the
community.
“The pain inflicted on young
women and girls, some of whom are
our students, indeed our children, will
remain seared in our memories as long
as we live,” Upda wrote. “MSU has
been a beacon of hope for more than
160 years to many around the world.
While we are ready to identify and face
our mistakes, we cannot stop building
on the mountain of good that we have
been privileged to build. We cannot let
this tragedy define us. Our collective
will to be a force of good has to prevail.”
Engler also faced criticism in
December over his decision to close
a $10 million healing fund created
to pay for mental health services for
survivors of former MSU doctor Larry
Nassar’s abuse. Board trustees voted
the reopen the fund.
Engler’s appointment as interim
president followed Lou Anna Simon’s
resignation from the position in the
wake of the Nassar scandal in January
2018. Engler’s resignation came after
board chairwoman Dianne Byrum
told him the board was holding a
special meeting Thursday morning,
during which the board planned to
fire him.
In his letter, Engler highlighted
changes he made on campus during
his tenure as president. Under his
leadership, the University developed
24-hour access to counseling and
a new app for related services. The
university’s health colleges, clinical
operations and student wellness
programs
were
all
restructed
during Engler’s time as president,
and oversight of athletic trainers
was transferred from doctors from
coaches.
“The bottom line is that MSU
is a dramatically better, stronger
institution than it was one year ago,”
the letter read. “It has been an honor to
serve my beloved university.”
Upda held his vice president
position at MSU since 2013 and served
as dean of the engineering school for
seven years before that.
As vice president for administrative
services,
Upda
oversaw
the
university’s human resources, IT and
facilities departments, as well as the
offices of planning and budgets, land
management and the Facility for Rare
Isotope Beams, according to the Free
Press.
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must focus on the social climate
of an individual as well. She
mentioned that by researching a
variety of topics, more evidence
could be found that one’s health
is influenced by more than just
a handful of factors.
“We worked on a report
called Reducing Youth Arrests
Keeps
Kids
healthy
and
Successful,” Rabinowitz said.
“Not
necessarily
something
you think a health department
would be involved in, but we’re
really concerned about it and
now we’re looking at what
other communities have done.”
Felicia
Brabec,
licensed
psychologist and social worker,
continued Rabinowitz’s theme
of social determinants affecting
one’s
health
and
included
how race is often tied in with
determining
one’s
health
situation. She explained how
her offices have taken a new
approach to combating health
inequality.
“We are operating under
something
called
‘targeted
universalism’ which means that
we are choosing to really focus
on race and how it’s shared
some of those determinants
that we’ve heard about based
on race,” Brabec said. “And
what
targeted
universalism
says is ‘Hey, we’re going to start
with this sliver, we’re going to
start with race, understanding
that intersectionality is really
important and part of all this
and we’re not doing that to
the detriment of these other
intersectionalities, but this is
where we’re starting.’”
She
continued
her
presentation
by
informing
the audience on how racism is
institutional, individual and
structural. She then brought the
complexity of racism back to a
local scale by citing an example
of
redlining
in
Kerrytown
a few years ago. Redlining
is the denial of a home in
certain neighborhoods based
on someone being deemed a
“financial risk” because of their
race. Brabec also supplied the
statistic of Washtenaw County
falling to the bottom 8 percent
in the U.S. for upward income
mobility.
The
final
panelist,
Paul
Fleming,
assistant
professor
of health behavior and health
education at the University,
wrapped up the presentations
by discussing what he deemed
“the chilling effect” the 2016
election had on undocumented
immigrants attending health
care
professional’s
visits.
After
intensive
research
at
several
different
health
care
institutions,
Fleming
and his team found a reason
why
immigrants
skipped
out on appointments was an
increase and pervasive fear
of
deportations.
The
fear
has resulted in fractures and
strategic behavioral changes.
citizen.
ALEX HARRING
Daily Staff Reporter