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Wednesday, March 30, 2022 — 3
ADMINISTRATION
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Design by Kate Shen
Graduate students at the Univer-
sity of Michigan School of Social
Work walked out of their classes
Monday morning and gathered on
the Diag to rally for Payments for
Placements (P4P). This is a student
campaign demanding that the Uni-
versity begin compensating Master
of Social Work (MSW) students for
their internship work; around 80
members of the campus commu-
nity attended the walkout.
In 2017, MSW students, Social
Work alumni and social workers
started a petition calling for fair
compensation for their field work.
Most recently in January, MSW
students submitted a petition with
over 300 student signatures to
Social Work Dean Joseph Himle
and other Social Work administra-
tors calling on the University to
fund their degree-required intern-
ships.
Currently, the majority of MSW
field work positions are unpaid
even though the Council on Social
Work Education requires that
MSW students across the U.S.
complete 900 hours of field work
during their master’s program.
SSW spokeswoman Lisa Raycraft
confirmed that at the University,
non-advanced standing MSW stu-
dents must complete 912 hours of
field work to get their degree. How-
ever, MSW students with advanced
standing — those who come into the
University with a BSW — only have
to complete 684 hours during their
three semester program.
At the protest, several MSW stu-
dents expressed their frustrations
with the lack of compensation for
their field work, which they claim
has impacted their mental health
and ability to afford housing.
Anjelica Abraham, a MSW stu-
dent and one of the speakers at the
walkout, told the crowd that balanc-
ing a paid job with her unpaid field
work causes a lot of stress. Abra-
ham said she is currently work-
ing to complete her field work at
Kids-TALK Children’s Advocacy
Center in Detroit, which involves an
85-mile commute.
“I’m tired of having to juggle two
part-time jobs on top of class work,
on top of field (work) and with an
85 mile round trip multiple times a
week,” Abraham said. “I’m tired of
working 12 hours a day, six days a
week.”
Other students within the Social
Work School shared Abraham’s
frustration. A survey conducted by
the P4P leaders found that 83% of
respondents worked additional jobs
on top of the required field work.
In an email to The Michigan
Daily, Dan Fischer, assistant dean
of field education in the SSW,
wrote that unpaid field work does
not violate the U.S. Fair Labor and
Standards Act which helps protect
workers’ rights. Fischer empha-
sized that the field work is primarily
intended to academically support
the MSW program by providing
students with hands-on experience
before receiving their degree.
“Students are unlicensed pro-
fessionals and would not be able to
engage in MSW-level work,” Fisch-
er wrote. “Field placements also
provide opportunities for students
to discover new ideas or to think
about themselves and their own
values, prejudices, and attitudes
towards others while learning to
manage emotions and feelings
within real-world settings.”
Other programs at the Univer-
sity provide stipends for students
to compensate for their work. The
Ford School of Public Policy offers
funding for Master of Public Policy
students with low-paying or unpaid
internships — 60% of MPP stu-
dents receive funding from Ford
School partnerships or other U-M
resources. Similarly, the University
of Michigan Law School guarantees
up to a $6,500 stipend for second-
year law students who take summer
internships with government agen-
cies or public interest organizations.
MSW students are not the only
master’s students who are not paid
for field work. Fischer wrote that
other master’s programs in the
health sciences at the University
also do not provide monetary com-
pensation for clinical work.
“No other health sciences profes-
sional program at U-M, including
medicine, nursing, dentistry and
pharmacy, pays students for clini-
cal training recognizing the critical
impact of experiential learning,”
Fischer wrote.
School of Social Work students
walk out of classes, demand
payment for field work
Over 80 protestors cite frustrations with lack of compensation
for degree-required internships
ALEC HUGHES
Daily News Contributor
BOARD OF REGENTS
From Page 1
CAMPUS LIFE
Geoffrey Chatas, executive vice
president and chief financial officer,
updated the regents on the University’s
carbon neutrality progress, including
the creation of the new Planet Blue
dashboard,
which
tracks
U-M
greenhouse gas emissions levels and
reduction trajectory. According to
Chatas, the University is on track to
meet its sustainability goals and reduce
greenhouse gas emissions.
“I’m
extremely
pleased
to
announce that U of M is on pace to
reduce greenhouse gasses scope one
and two by 50% by 2025, which is
both five years ahead of and exceeds
the United Nations intergovernmental
panel on climate change … guidance
to reduce emissions by 45% by 2030,”
Chatas said. “We’re also working to
instill a University-wide culture of
sustainability with justice as a core
principle.”
Chatas also revealed plans to
purchase four all-electric buses for the
Ann Arbor campus — one 60-foot bus
and three standard 40-foot buses —
as well as a $10 million plan to replace
lights in 70 buildings on all three
campuses with LED lights. Chatas
also said the University is working on
existing investments that emit large
levels of greenhouse gasses.
The board then discussed plans
to renovate the Central Campus
Recreational Building . New features
of the plan include a three-court
gymnasium and a natatorium with a
lap pool, a recreational pool and a post-
workout recovery pool. Mike Widen,
director
of
Recreational
Sports,
emphasized the value of renovating
the CCRB given its contributions to
student well-being.
“This is a truly comprehensive
facility built for student experience,”
Widen said. “This is a prime example
for many decades to come of our
campus’s commitment to health
and well-being for our students and
our entire University of Michigan
community.”
Regent Denise Illitch (D), co-chair
of the Presidential Search Committee,
gave an update on the board’s search
for a new University president and
expressed gratitude for the level of
campus involvement in the process.
“I want to say how grateful we
are for the outpouring of community
engagement and feedback we’ve
received since the beginning of
this presidential search process,”
Illitch said. “Over 1,000 University
of Michigan community members
completed our feedback survey.”
Illitch also shared some of the major
themes from the February Presidential
Search Committee listening sessions.
“Number one, it is important that
the next president rebuild trust and
accountability within the University
community, leading with integrity and
readdressing past abuses and sexual
misconduct,” Illitch said. “I was struck
by all (the) sessions, the observations
of being heard, and of listening and of
being appreciated.”
The regents then allowed public
commenters to communicate what
they would like to see in the next
University president. Law student
Hafsa Tout said she wanted a president
who would commit to listening to
students and addressing campus
concerns.
As an undergraduate at the
University, Tout was a Central Student
Government
(CSG)
representative
and was part of passing a resolution in
2017 asking the board to divest from
companies based in Israel in response to
the occupation of Palestine. The board
voted to reject this resolution less than
a month later. Tout said she felt that the
University’s recent announcement to
pull its investments in Russian-based
companies demonstrated hypocrisy
in light of its previous attitude toward
divesting in Israel-based companies.
“The statement that the board
issued in response to that resolution
read, ‘We remain committed to the
University’s long-standing policy to
shield the endowment from political
pressures,’” Tout said. “But here we are
in 2022 when the board and Interim
President are openly, unhesitatingly
and quickly making decisions and
changes to the endowment in response
to undeniably political situations
across the world, which fully deserve
that response, but which directly
contradict that supposed commitment
to shielding the endowment from
political pressure.”
Illitch also addressed concerns from
meeting attendees who commented on
the difficulties that individuals with
physical disabilities face opening doors
on campus.
“We commit to prioritize and
provide an automatic door opener into
all of our public buildings right now,”
Illitch said. “We have 50 buildings in
need of that; we already have several
hundred automatic door openers on
entry doors, but if there is a specific
door that’s difficult to open, please
email (me) … or the associate vice
president of Facilities and Operations.”
Illitch said a new map of all
accessible pathways in buildings will
be completed over the summer and
made available to the public in Fall
2022.
Public Health senior Nithya Arun,
CSG President, asked the Regents to
consider changing the name of Angell
Hall — a building named after the
University’s longest-serving president,
James B. Angell.
In 1880, Angell negotiated The
Angell Treaty, which allowed the
United States to restrict the migration
of certain categories of Chinese
workers and is widely considered to be
a precursor to the Chinese Exclusion
Act of 1882, a piece of legislation that
prohibited all immigration of Chinese
laborers into the United States.
Arun also asked the regents to
consider increasing the CSG student
fee, which currently requires all
students to pay $9.19. Arun did not
clarify the amount she is interested in
receiving.
“We
implement
recurring
programs that are heavily utilized by
students, such as a free subscription to
The New York Times and Wall Street
Journal, a GRE, MCAT and LSAT test
prep program provided at reduced
cost, subsidized transportation to and
from the airport for major breaks and
significant student org funding,” Arun
said. “Unfortunately, given that our
current student fee is set at $9.19, these
programs are becoming unsustainable
for CSG’s budget. So when the time
comes to vote on the new budget, I urge
you to vote in favor of a fee increase.”
The regents then voted to approve
a $41 million update to the Big House,
including an $8 million upgrade to
the production room — the space that
controls the audiovisual experience
for several U-M sports venues across
campus — which serves field hockey,
ice hockey, basketball, football, soccer,
indoor track, baseball and softball.
Additional
updates
include
replacements for the north and south
video boards in Michigan Stadium
for $12 million, and an audio system
replacement for $5 million. Other
updates to the Big House include
safety additions for $4 million and
infrastructure, site work and design
fees for $12 million. According to Rob
Rademacher, chief operating officer of
U-M Athletics, the source of funding
will be Athletic Department Gifts
Restricted for Capital Improvements.
“I also just want to reiterate a little
bit of my experience in sports and
with stadiums, and I can’t begin to tell
you the enhancement of a scoreboard
and the infrastructure and the new
technology around it, how much it
enhances the fan experience,” Illitch
said. “It will be like night and day.”
During the public comment portion
of the meeting, several commenters
expressed
desires
for
increased
resources for student physical and
financial well-being.
Elaine
Lande,
comprehensive
studies program lecturer, said the
University needs to increase the
availability of menstrual products on
campus. In late January, the University
announced 670 main-floor restrooms
will be given free menstrual products
in all academic and student-facing
buildings.
“
I am a Gen X-er,” Lande said. “I
learned a lot from my students. They
are not shy or embarrassed to talk
about their periods as my generation
and those before; I am following their
lead. While the need for feminine
products in the bathrooms may be
difficult for someone to understand, I
liken this to someone defecating and
then realizing there’s no toilet paper, or
in this case, having no expectation of
toilet paper available.”
Social
Work
students
Matthew Dargay and Arie Davey,
representatives for Payments for
Placements, said students in the School
of Social Work should be paid for the
field placements in which they are
required to participate for graduation.
The organization wrote a petition
in January outlining their concerns
and emphasizing that the University
affords stipends to students in other
graduate programs, a practice they
argue should be extended to include
social work students.
“Nine hundred and fourteen hours
I work in my internship are required
for me to receive my master’s degree,”
Davey said. “I do the same work as
the paid staff at my agency, but I don’t
get paid. Social work students are in a
financial crisis.”
Dargay echoed similar sentiments
and pointed to how Public Policy and
Law students at the University are
compensated for their internships,
while Social Work students are still not.
“We applaud the University of
Michigan for affording stipends to
public policy students and law students
who have decided to take their
internships with public interest firms,”
Dargay said. “And we believe that
social work students should be treated
similarly.”
Daily Staff Reporters Anna Fifelski
and Samantha Rich can be reached at
afifelsk@umich.edu and sammrich@
umich.edu.
Erica Nelson: I wanted a real seat
at a table that is not often invited to
me. I wanted to give myself a place
in (the) university, specifically in
student government, where I can help
students who look like me — or don’t
look like me — have a voice in the
system, have a say in the things that
impact them. I am running, because I
wanted to be there for the students. I
want to be a voice, be a light, and show
future Wolverines that being at a place
like this and having a voice in the
decisions that affect you is important.
That’s really why I wanted to run. I
want to inspire. I want to lead but I also
know how to be led. I want to show
underrepresented communities that
this is okay and that (the University) is
a place that you belong.
Ron Burgaj: A lot of wanting to run
is being the change that we want to
see happen. Part of being the “Leaders
and Best” isn’t just talking the talk, but
it’s walking the walk. It’s speaking to
the underrepresented groups here at
the University, it’s meeting with them,
meeting with admin, seeing how we
can best incorporate what’s best for
the students, what’s best for us. We
are the University and our voices need
to be heard.
TMD: Is there anything you
would like to highlight regarding
your campaign?
NZ: The biggest thing is that our
candidacy is more of a partnership.
There’s
this
stigmatization
of
president and vice president. We’re
seeing these positions as a separation
of focus areas rather than a hierarchy.
Jackie and I want to make sure that
we’re playing to our strengths. Jackie
has her strengths. She’s very good at
communications, programming and
government relations, so those are the
focus areas that she’ll have. I’ve had
a lot of experience in CSG policy and
law experience with working with
the assembly and the other student
governments in Flint and Dearborn,
the Association of Big Ten Students.
I’ve also had some experience working
with
the
Student
Organization
Committee. We want to be able to
make sure that we’re doing everything
as efficiently as possible.
JH: Processes that are going to
better represent voices on campus.
We think different populations, like
the Greek Life Community, doesn’t
have a spot within CSG to advocate
for their needs. With different
cultural groups, we want to make
sure that those voices are being heard.
There are a lot of different structural
changes that we want to make in order
to allow for that to be the case within
(student) government and ensure
that our policies are actually going to
impact the people they’re intended
for. While it’s great to have 15 LSA
representatives, that can’t represent
1000s of (LSA) students, so we want to
create a space where everyone’s input
can be shared.
EN: We’re the Diverse&Dedicated
students. We’re diverse in our beliefs,
diverse in our experiences, we’re
dedicated to making real change,
we’re dedicated to underrepresented
communities. We have gone out and
asked them how we can best (serve
them). While campaigning, we’ve
gone to La Casa, we’ve gone to the
Michigan Africans, we’ve gone to BSU
(Black Student Union), we’ve gone
to the Arab Student Association and
we’ve had conversations with them.
We have already taken that leap by
saying, ‘How can we best serve you?’
That’s who we are. We want to serve
the students, we want to serve the
people. People like us, people different
from us. That’s just who we are.
RB: We’ve talked with a lot of
different cultural organizations on
campus. There have been groups
that we went to, and they’ve told us,
‘You were the first ones to ever reach
out, you’re the first ones that come to
our meetings for this, you’re the first
ones to actually hear what we have to
say.’ We plan to continue that work,
because we want to be the change
that we want to see. There’s a big
growing nontraditional population
of students here, and every year that
continues to grow: students that are
first generation, students that are
immigrants in this country, students
that are transferring here. We want
to give them a seat at the table. So
together with their love and support,
we can make the University better for
all its students so we can be the change
we want to see, so we can be diverse
and dedicated.
TMD: Why did you two decide to
run together as president and vice
president?
NZ: We had met a couple times
earlier, but we didn’t really know each
other before this year. While working
on FlipBLUE, we got to talking more
and more. We had a shared vision
for what campus could look like. We
saw that there is a lack of sufficient
programming and policies being
implemented this year. We don’t think
that’s the fault of anyone. It’s just been
transition years with COVID. But
we thought we could bring a sense of
pragmatism and practicality to CSG,
especially with our experience in
government. So that’s how we decided
to run.
EN: Ron and I, we’ve been best
friends for a few months now. We met
in the LSA student government, and it
just felt natural for us to run together
because we’re both passionate about
making a difference. After talking to
each other, learning more about each
other and seeing how passionate the
other person is, we were like, ‘Yeah,
we should do this.’ Especially since
we’ve shared some experiences within
Student Government that weren’t
the most positive, it really solidified
our bond. We said we’re gonna be a
powerhouse. Let’s get this done. Let’s
put that work in.
TMD: For the executive runner,
what are some prevalent campus
issues you plan on addressing
through your campaign?
NZ: Jackie highlighted a lot of
our main points that we’re trying to
make with the campaign. During my
first year, I saw a lot of programs and
policies that were directed towards
students’ everyday lives, something as
simple as the calculator and iClicker
loan programs. Jackie and I really
want to provide the small things for
students that don’t end up being small
after all.
CSG
From Page 1
Lynn Meskell is a Penn Integrates Knowledge (PIK) Professor at the University
of Pennsylvania, the Richard D. Green Professor of Anthropology, Professor of Historic
Preservation in the Weitzman School of Design, a curator at the Penn Museum, and an
A.D. White Professor-at-Large at Cornell University.
For more info, including Zoom links,
visit events.umich.edu/event/92110
or call 734.615.6667.
A FUTURE IN
Monday, March 28
Wednesday, March 30
Friday, April 1
Monday, April 4
Ethics of Archaeology and Heritage
Engineering Internationalism: Colonialism,
the Cold War and UNESCO’s Victory in Nubia
Imperialism, Internationalism and Archaeology
in the Un/Making of the Middle East
Saving the World? Reflections on UNESCO’s
Mid Century Mission in Conflict
Developing Petra: UNESCO, the World Bank,
and America in the Desert
Palmer Commons, Forum Hall
4:00 pm
2022 Thomas Spencer Jerome Lecture Series
Read more at MichiganDaily.com