Italian American Heritage Society
The Society is hosting a bocce tournament, Friday, April 1, to benefit an Endowed Chair in Italian Studies at Wayne State University.
In the news
BLACK HISTORY MONTH: Black hospitals gone, health care crisis here
In a story about the demise of Black hospitals, a loss of 27 in Detroit, Wayne State's Walter P. Reuther Library is noted as an official repository location for the hospitals. Detroit was once among the cities with the highest number of Black hospitals, most of them owned and operated by African Americans.
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An item In the college basketball roundup section mentioned that Wayne State loss to Ashland 93-90 in overtime. Morris Hall scored a career-high 29 points for Wayne State (15-9, 9-5), and Darrell Evans dished out a school-record 15 assists.
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An item in the Area Sports Brief section mentioned that Wayne State signed running back Jimmie Freeman (Grand Rapids Community College), wide receiver Carlos Robinson (Grand Rapids CC) and safety Marcel Smith (Detroit Central).
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An item in the Area Sports Brief section mentioned that The Wayne State men\'s swim team kept their lead with 274 points after the second day of the Great Lakes Conference championships at the Matthei Aquatic Center. Indianapolis was second with 246. The Indianapolis women had 319 points, followed by Grand Valley State with 273 and Wayne State with 203.
Developmental Disabilities Institute earns $250,000, five-year grant
Wayne State University's Developmental Disabilities Institute (DDI) has received a five-year, $250,000 grant to assist Detroit families with children who have disabilities. Funds are to be used to help the institute's "Detroit Family 360 Project," a support center that helps families obtain services to enhance their health and well-being. DDI's Elizabeth Janks and Angela Martin are noted as appropriate contact people for the project.
Desiree Cooper: Little-known black scholar made waves
Columnist Desiree Cooper focuses on the work of Michele Ronnick, associate professor of classics at Wayne State. Ronnick has compiled a traveling photo exhibit featuring several African-American classicists, including William Sanders Scarborough, who was born into slavery and became a self-taught intellectual following the civil war. The WSU professor says she was awed by Scarborough's achievements and bewildered that a man of his stature has been largely forgotten by history. \"He learns Greek and Latin at a time when people believed African Americans couldn\'t be taught these subjects," she pointed out. "I could be writing about the beauty of Cicero\'s letters, but why not raise up another American hero -- an intellectual hero?\"
Exiled constituents vote minority slate into Iraqi Assembly
Numerous newspapers in the Knight Rider chain ran a story about some 260,000 expatriates in the U.S. who voted in the Iraqi election, helping to influence the outcome. Joseph Kassab, an instructor at Wayne State and the president of the Chaldean National Congress, said his group mounted an aggressive get-out-the-vote campaign and provided buses to bring voters in the United States to distant polling centers. He estimates that about 6,000 of the approximately 10,000 Iraqis who voted in Michigan were Chaldo-Assyrians. U.S. census figures show there are 51,000 Chaldo-Assyrians in the United States, about 30,000 of them in the Detroit metropolitan area.
Community News Briefs
The Ohio School Boards Association announced last week that Cheryl D. Kreger, an adjunct professor at Wayne State, is among three finalists to replace Interim Superintendent Roger Lulow. Kreger also is associate superintendent for curriculum instruction with Dearborn Public Schools.
WSU presents 'The Last 5 years'
The Studio Theatre at WSU will present Jason Robert Brown's musical "The Last 5 Years," Feb. 18-20 at 8p.m. "The Last 5 Years" takes the audience on a journey through a young couple's romance with a twist. The role of Cathy is played by Jennifer Sessions and the role of Cathy's lover, Jamie, is performed by Frank Sawa.
Pointers weigh in on minimum wage
A story about efforts of the AFL-CIO to persuade state legislators to raise the minimum wage in Michigan mentions that a recent survey released by the Small Business Association showed a reduced rate of hiring by small businesses from summer to fall of 2004. Conducted by a Lansing firm, the survey was supported by the Center for Urban Studies at Wayne State.
AFT archive opens collection of Shanker papers
Dan Golodner, archivist at Wayne State University's Walter P. Reuther Library, commented in a story about the official collection of Albert Shanker's historic tenure as the president of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT). Golodner said the collection covers three main topics: education reform, teacher unionism and international affairs. He added that next year Shanker's personal papers, including a copy of his unfinished dissertation and his collection of Boy Scout materials, will be on display at the Reuther Library. The Reuther Library is also the repository of the AFT's historical records dating back to 1969.
Summit renews struggle against racism
About 350 people attended the Ottawa Area Summit on Racism hosted yesterday by Hope College. Keynote speaker Frank Wu, dean of the Wayne State University Law School, said modern racism is usually subtle, sometimes ambiguous and often embedded in society\'s structures, but individuals must continue to address it to preserve both diversity and democracy. \"Eliminating racism is a process, not an outcome that was achieved with the Civil Rights Act,\" he said. \"If you\'re sick and tired of hearing about racism, think of how sick and tired the people are who are living with these problems.\"
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Professor Frederic Pearson, director of CULMA's Center for Peace and Conflict Studies, was a guest on the Ron Jolly show. He discussed the issue of issue of resolving world conflicts.
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Professor Frederic Pearson, director of CULMA's Center for Peace and Conflict Studies, was a guest on the Ron Jolly show. He discussed the issue of issue of resolving world conflicts.
Metro Detroit sprawl separates blacks, jobs
Jobs in Metro Detroit sprawl across the suburbs more than in just about any other part of the country, a phenomenon that has cut off many African-Americans from potential employers, according to a study by the Brookings Institution released Tuesday. The findings build on a report last year by Wayne State University showing job sprawl slowed progress toward breaking down racial segregation.
Quest for diversity 'a journey of healing'
Wayne State Law School Dean Frank Wu was the keynote speaker at the Ottawa Area Summit on Racism held at Hope College. Wu said the summit created "a new paradigm that moves us beyond black and white color lines." He added, "I believe in diversity, because I believe in democracy. Diversity like democracy is a process not an outcome." A photo of Wu is included.
Public Mission of State Colleges Is Endangered by Increasing Competition and Privatization, Report Says
Increased competition among universities and trends toward privatization are threatening the public mission of state universities and colleges, according to a report by Futures Project scheduled for release today. The new report identifies four areas of weakness in public higher education: rising costs and unaffordable tuition, limited need-based financial aid, the lack of a sufficient way to measure success, and an increase in the proportion of research funds coming from corporate rather than government sources. The changes mean that universities are competing for two types of students: those who will increase an institution\'s ranking in U.S. News & World Report and those who can pay the full cost of their education.
Central Michigan University degree programs at SC4
Wayne State is mentioned as one of the partner universities offering programs at St. Clair County Community College in Port Huron.
Colleges come to visit seniors
College Night 2005 is scheduled from 6:30-8:30 p.m. March 23 at the Romeo Engineering and Technology Center. Wayne State will present an informational session with other colleges including Michigan State, Oakland Community College and Michigan Technological University.