The Fall of 2006 was a pretty tumultuous time on the University of Michigan’s campus. Democratic Governor Jennifer Granholm was facing (what seemed to be) a formidable challenge from Dick DeVos, and the campus was alive with discussion of the ballot initiative aimed at ending affirmative action.
Ann Arbor had always been a hotbed of sorts for student activism, from the Students for Democratic Society to more recent challenges of affirmative action. Unlike previous Supreme Court cases, in 2006 Ward Connerly and the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative successfully lobbied to put Proposal 2 on the state ballot, legislation that would ban race-conscious admissions policies and hiring at public institutions.
I was on campus at the time, marginally active with campus events (I’ll let you guess which side of the debate I was on). In the end, the Proposal passed with a strong majority, and the University was forced to augment their admissions policy.
At the same time, a courageous, brilliant, and charismatic young activist named Rachael Tanner proposed a unique program for her final paper in her Urban and Community Studies course. Michigan had plenty of study abroad programs, even a program to send student to Washington, DC. But what about a partnership with a closer neighbor, like Detroit? What about a…Semester in Detroit?
Tanner proposed the project in our class, received feedback, and hit the ground running. Just this past year, the program sent its inaugural class to live, learn, work, and engage with Detroit. Students are taking classes and work part time for a local non-profit, all while living in the city’s cultural center.
The program, aptly titled Semester in Detroit, was recently featured in the Detroit Free Press. I think the possibilities for this program are limitless, and future research may want to closely analyze its impact. If the program is effective at raising awareness and making a tangible difference, maybe this is something we can, and should, replicate across the country.
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