Dear Michigan Social Work community -
In the past few days, we have been horrified to read about racially motivated hate crimes involving physical violence and harassment, targeting elderly Asian Americans. These are not isolated events, since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, inflammatory and xenophobic rhetoric, harassment and violence against Asian American and Pacific Islander persons, families and communities have increased. These acts damage our society and counter the values of social work practice.
Advancing racial equity and economic inclusion for people of all races and ethnicities is critical to guaranteeing the safety and security of everyone. We will work to activate every member of our community to take a stand against the structures that perpetuate and fuel discrimination and assaults on Asian American and Pacific Islander persons.
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In Solidarity,
Lynn Videka, Dean
Larry Gant, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Program Director
Ayesha Ghazi Edwin, Lecturer and ENGAGE Program Manager, Chair of the Michigan Asian Pacific American Affairs Commission (MAPAAC)
Lorraine Gutiérrez, Associate Dean for Educational Programs
Joseph Himle, Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs
Trina Shanks, Director, School of Social Work Community Engagement
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Date: Month of February
Theme Description: Black History Month is celebrated nationally from February 1st - March 1st. Currently, the Office of Multi-Ethnic student affairs (MESA) helps support the student and staff committee. Virtual events will be held throughout the month in support of this year's theme, which intends to refocus and strengthen the path toward equity and justice while reclaiming space for blackness in all its intracacies in a world where proximity to blackness is a metric for coolness.
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Dates: February 15 - 19, 2021
Brief Description: Africa Week will bring together thought leaders in higher education, industry, and government for a series of discussions on the key issues and opportunities that will shape Africa in the coming decades. The conference will consist of various lectures and workshops focused on economics, technology, healthcare, education, reclaiming and repatriating African heritage, STEM collaborations, COVID-19 and more.
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Date: Friday, February 26 from 12 - 1:30 pm EST
Brief Description: Join Compear Global Education Network for an FREE interactive educational presentation and panel discussion highlighting BIPOC International Educators, addressing various topics around how we combat global anti-blackness through international education. Panelists will share their personal narratives, organizational approaches, and new ways we can present study abroad to BIPOC students. A 30-minute community discussion will be included.
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Date: Thursday, February 18 - Sunday, February 21
Brief Description: The Big Leap Travel Summit, a 4-day curated event, focused on learning about the black female travel experience from a lineup of amazing speakers who have shared their own journey on CNN, Conde Nast Traveler, Essence. We’ll cover things like:
- How to do proper research on travel destinations, make wise decisions on where and when to travel and stay healthy while traveling with our in-house medical experts
- Fund your time abroad & How to travel on a minimal budget
- Choosing effective ways to practice self-care through travel, community, and goal-setting
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Brief Description: The library recently shared a link to the recording of the workshop "The Evolution of Employment: Job Searching During Covid 19." U-M faculty students and staff can access it by logging in with their U-M info
Career expert and GoinGlobal founder Mary Anne Thompson explores proven strategies and tactics for helping job seekers achieve their career objectives in an employment market transformed by the Covid-19 Pandemic. During this informative, one hour presentation, Mary Annewill shares insights gathered by her global team of in-country career experts and provide practical advice.
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Discussion Date(s): Thursday, February 18 at 5:30 pm EST
Brief Description: In this talk, Professor Chris Garces, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, will explore how even the most modest of prison technologies participate in penal infrastructure’s human unmaking and world-remaking processes. Taking into account Ecuador’s 20th century material history of a humble water spigot in a municipal prison, I demonstrate the perverse tenacity of carceral relations and how penality itself—the state-sponsored ritual reproduction of punishment across the prison-neighborhood nexus—involves continuous, albeit disavowed human experimentation on diverse citizen-subjects.
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The English Language Insitute is offering a series of English for academic purposes workshops this winter semester:
- Poster Presentations: Interacting Fluently with Your Audience- Tuesday, February 23, at 8:30 am EST
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Discussion Date(s): Thursday, February 25, from 3 - 4 pm EST
Brief Description: How do you translate a study abroad experience into skills employers are looking for? The easy part is that many organizations are already looking for people with intercultural experiences. This Brief will discuss what study abroad can bring to your job search, how to make the most of your experience, and provide example language to use on your resumes.
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Discussion Date(s): Wednesday, February 24 - Sunday, February 28
Brief Description: This black history month, read a story about a Nigerian international student, Ifemelu, as she explores issues related to racism, relationships, and identity. GRIN will provide free copies of the book (while supplies last) and host a virtual discussion.
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Discussion Date(s): Various Dates Available through March 4
Brief Description: In times of heightened tension, division, and expressions of hate, faith, spiritual and secular communities have a vital role to play in being stewards of resilience, collective courage, and creating braver space in the presence of difference. Come join the Interfaith Program for a cozy meal together with Meals of Meaning! Meals of Meaning will provide a virtual space for students to gather and enjoy a warm dinner conversation together (meal provided). Here, you will have the chance to go beneath the surface, lean into vulnerability, and explore the struggles and stories that make up our lives. Sign up for a day/time that works for you!
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Date: Various
Brief Description: The International Center's Intercultural Leadership Seminar (ILS) is designed for international and U.S. students who want to learn how to be more effective in a global environment. ILS includes brief lectures, discussion, experiential activities, and small group work. You can attend as many sessions as you are interested in. Each session has a specific and different area of focus:
- Intercultural communication - Friday, March 12, 3 pm - 4:15 pm EST
- Intercultural leadership - Friday, April 9, 3 pm - 4:15 pm EST
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Professional Opportunities |
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Brief Description: The Student Community of Progressive Empowerment (SCOPE) is the undocumented students organization on campus and this semester they are piloting a mentorship program. Graduate students who identify as undocumented or DACAmented can apply to be mentees and/or mentors. Folks who consider themselves allies can support undergraduate students who identify as undocumented or DACAmented. The goal of the program is to build a close-knit community among students and community members in a personal and professional sense. Mentor and mentee pairing will be prioritized based on majors and future career plans. The tentative time commitment is 60 minutes a month with your student or mentor: two 30 minute meetings or one hour meeting per month.
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Application Deadline: Wednesday, February 10 at 11:59 pm EST
Course Dates: May 10-28, 2021 (twice daily on Mon, Tue, and Thurs from 10-11:30 am and 1-2:30 pm)
Project Engagement Dates: June 2 - July 30, 2021
Brief Description: The Global Information Engagement Program (GIEP) partners global and domestic non-profit organizations with teams of interdisciplinary graduate students from the University of Michigan to tackle an information challenge. In GIEP, student teams apply culturally responsive design thinking methods to leverage appropriate technology and information management skills and tools, addressing a contemporary social concern. The GIEP program will be facilitated virtually due to COVID-19 concerns. Because there will no longer be travel-related expenses (typically fully funded), all participants will receive a $5,000 stipend.
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Deadline: Rolling
Brief Description: Anti-racism grants are available to support student organization activities and projects by student groups for anti-racism work, with a specific focus on confronting anti-Blackness, racism against Indigenous peoples, and confronting white supremacy. The goal is to inclusively support the work of student groups seeking to confront racism to the greatest degree possible. Such funding could be for projects, events, services, programming, or partnerships with external organizations.
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Deadline: Rolling
Brief Description: This fund is intended to help departments and student organizations recognize the diversity of the international student population through special events and programming. We are looking to fund creative and collaborative programming that will address the following goals:
- To elevate the voices of the international student population at the University of Michigan.
- To provide programming to support international students.
- To hold events or offer initiatives of particular interest to the international student population, at large or subsets of it (cultural, vocational, etc).
The application process is currently rolling. Departments and organizations are encouraged to apply at least 14 days in advance of their planned event.
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"This document was initially directed at ways for how to turn fieldwork that was initially planned as using face-to-face methods into a more ‘hands-off’ mode. However, people have added useful material about ‘born digital’ research (content already generated on the internet by online interactions), which provides an alternative source of social research materials if researchers decide to go down that path."
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This three session video workshop will focus on understanding anxiety, learning strategies to manage anxiety, and developing a plan to apply the strategies on a daily basis wherever you are during the Pandemic. |
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SSW has listed resources and information on this web page related to tuition costs, financial aid, employment, health insurance and general questions and support. |
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Global Impact: News Story of the Week |
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*All news stories presented are likely to include bias. Please be aware of this as you read the article. If interested, we encourage you to read further about the topic at your own discretion. |
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Jessie Yeung and Swati Gupta
"New Delhi (CNN)Supporters of a young climate activist arrested in India over a farmers' protest "toolkit," later shared by Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, have called for her release.
Delhi police confirmed the arrest of Disha Ravi, who is in her early 20s, in a tweet on Sunday that accused her of being a "key conspirator in (the) document's formulation & dissemination."
The document, unsigned and publicly available on an encrypted sharing site, provides a list of ways supporters can help the ongoing protests.
"The main aim of the toolkit was to create misinformation and disaffection against the lawfully elected government," Prem Nath, joint commissioner of Delhi police, told a press conference on Monday..."
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Email ssw.oga@umich.edu if you have any questions.
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