An ad-hoc group of APA alumni wrote this open letter (see attached and below) to President Coleman in response to the recent hate incident on campus. We urge you to sign on to this letter and lend a voice to the students' efforts on campus.
If you have yet to sign on and would like to, please email alumni_response@yahoo.com.
Thanks for your support.
Links to some articles and blog detailing plans of action:
http://www.michigandaily.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2005/09/21/4330f61d9f9f0
http://www.freep.com/news/statewire/sw121690_20050923.htm
http://www.michigandaily.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2005/09/26/433793c716f81?in_archive=1
http://umichstopthehate.blogspot.com/
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September 24, 2005
Dear President Mary Sue Coleman,
We, the undersigned Asian Pacific American (APA) alumni from the University of Michigan, are outraged at the September 15th incident of ethnic intimidation, which targeted two Asian students on campus. We are dismayed at the delayed and inadequate response from your administration regarding the incident.
As former students, each of us can speak to the shared experience of racism and ignorance we had experienced as APAs on campus. Racial slurs and seemingly benign comments on our ethnicity became commonplace, the "norm" for APA student life. During our years at the University of Michigan, some of us were working arduously as student leaders to identify resources for APAs and other students of color on campus, in order to improve climate on campus. In 2000, the U.S. Department of Justice pointed to a University of Michigan policy[1] <#_ftn1> as a model for preventing hate crimes. This policy is a bold step, however we have seen nothing to support that an actual work plan has been implemented. We understand that change takes time, but were often frustrated at the poor response and lack of transparency and follow up from the administration toward the identified needs of our community. Had there been the adequate resources, staff, and institutional support to create a safe space for students of color, the APA community would not have continued to feel so marginalized and insignificant. Had the University had a true commitment to cultivating a culture of inclusiveness and respect for diversity, such incidents of hate could have been prevented.
As alumni, we are disappointed to see students having to face the same struggles that we faced and had lobbied the administration to pay greater attention to in the past. The September 15th incident and subsequent poor accountability from the University administration is evidence that the state of affairs has not changed much. We request that you immediately and aggressively work to better understand the needs of APAs and students of color at the University of Michigan, and that you work alongside members of the community (as determined by the APA student community) to identify the necessary resources to improve the quality of student life and learning at the University of Michigan. We urge you to not only speak of the University's commitment to diversity, but to act on this commitment as well.
Sincerely,
Asian Pacific American Alumni
University of Michigan