Administrators at the University of Michigan are “doubling down” on efforts to improve race relations at the university’s Ann Arbor campus.
Minority enrollment is down at the university: In 2008, black students made up about 6.8% of the university’s freshman class. In 2012, that number dropped to 4.6%.
A recent Twitter campaign caught the attention of administrators, as students took to the Web to express their frustrations with race relations on campus. The #BBUM campaign – Being Black at Michigan – went viral, with more than 10,000 tweets using the hashtag in November.
As MLive’s Kellie Woodhouse reported, the university is now launching a campus-wide effort to increase enrollment of underrepresented students and improve the campus climate.
One plan in the works is to renovate the Trotter Multicultural Center, a hub dedicated to providing a safe working environment for students on campus.
“Students, faculty and staff have told us that the Trotter Multicultural Center needs a fundamental rethinking and ideally should be moved closer to the central campus,” University Provost Martha Pollack wrote in campuswide email.
According to some students, the center’s current off-campus location makes it hard to use the resources available.
“You’re kind of alone when you’re walking down there at night,” said Steve Lin, a sophomore at the university. “It’s kind of scary to walk down there.”
- Melanie Kruvelis, Michigan Radio Newsroom
