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Interview with Zuzana Tomas Zuzana Tomas is an ESL and TESOL professor at Eastern Michigan University who also facilitates the Academic Service-Learning (AS-L) courses. In this interview, Tomas recounts growing up in Slovakia, developing an interest in English and American culture, and her decision to study abroad in the United States. Tomas discusses adjusting to life in the US, getting involved in ESL and TESOL, and how she decided to work at EMU after completing her PhD. Tomas describes her experience helping refugees gain literacy, becoming involved in AS-L, and her classes collaborations with Jewish Family Services. Tomas also explores her AS-L students decision to put on a cooking demonstration led by Afghan women and their children, the logistics of preparing for the the demonstration over Zoom, the importance of acknowledging refugees skills and what they bring to the table, and projects she hopes to work on in the future.
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Interview with Lauren London Lauren London is the General Counsel for Eastern Michigan University, and has been working at EMU for over a decade now. In this interview, London explains her decision to become a lawyer, how she became EMU’s General Counsel, and the challenges of being a Jewish person in the modern political climate. London describes her connection to Jewish Family Services, falling into the role as the project manager for the Afghan resettlement process, and the legality and logistics of opening up on-campus housing to the 12 Afghan families in 2022. London discusses future projects EMU hopes to work on relating to refugees, her gratitude to work at an institution that genuinely cares about people, and the things she does to practice self-care.
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Interview with Walter Kraft Walter Kraft is the Vice President for Communications at Eastern Michigan University, a position he has been in for over 14 years. In this interview, Kraft recounts how he got into communications, working his way from intern to News Director at Channel 7 in Detroit, and shifting from news to public relations after becoming Vice President of Caponigro PR. Kraft explains how he ended up in his current position at EMU, how the communications department has evolved since he started, and bringing the “You Are Welcome Here” slogan to EMU. Kraft describes the shift from “You Are Welcome Here” to “All Are Welcome Here,” the advertising campaign for the new slogan, and his role in the Afghan resettlement project writing articles and organizing the PBS special.
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Interview with Anya Abramzon & Shrina Eadeh Anya Abramzon and Shrina Eadeh both work in important leadership positions at Jewish Family Services of Washtenaw County. Abramzon serves as the CEO, and Eadeh serves as the Director of Resettlement Services. In this interview, Eadeh and Abramzon explain the difference between refugee and humanitarian parole status, resettling 85 Afghan families in six months, and the Walk a Mile in My Shoes fundraising initiative. Eadeh and Abramzon describe the difficulties in finding housing to resettle refugees/humanitarian parolees, how COVID-19 has impacted JFS, and how the Washtenaw County community has supported JFS. Eadeh and Abramzon also discuss the behavioral health services JFS provides, and the therapeutic impacts of JFS collaboration with EMU.
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Interview with Hamzah Dajani Hamzah Dajani is an international student from Jordan studying finance and accounting, and he currently serves as the Student Government President at Eastern Michigan University. In this interview, Dajani recounts his experience growing up in Jordan, how he became interested in math and finance, and how he decided to come to EMU. Dajani explains how he got involved in Student Government, his experience as an international student, the difficulties of adjusting to life in the United States, and the struggles of finding a job as a non-US citizen. Dajani describes how Student Government became involved in the Afghan resettlement process, helping move the Afghan families into on-campus housing, talking to the Afghan’s about their experience fleeing to the US, and his own experiences working with refugees prior to the Afghan resettlement.
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Interview with Sadaf Ali Dr. Sadaf Ali is a professor of Digital Media, Cinema, and Journalism at Eastern Michigan University, and has been working at EMU since 2012. Ali recounts how she became interested in news media, what led her to pursue a career in broadcasting, and her career working in journalism and broadcasting prior to coming to work at EMU. Ali describes her commitment to covering diverse stories, creating audio story and writing an article for WEMU about the Afghan refugee led cooking class coordinated by Zuzana Tomas’s Academic Service-Learning class, and the cultural importance of food as a person of Pakistani descent. Ali also discusses how refugees are depicted in the media, being a second generation American, and future journalism projects she would like to work on.
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Interview with Jessica "Decky" Alexander Decky Alexander is a Drama Professor and the director of academic engagement programs (Engage@EMU) at Eastern Michigan University. In this interview, Alexander recounts how she became interested in theater, growing up in the Chicago area, and the impact college had on expanding her worldview. Alexander describes her theatre initiatives, working to improve harmful public school policies, and how she ended up at Eastern Michigan University. Alexander explains her life during her “year of yes”, getting involved with the Jewish Federation in Washtenaw County, and her involvement in resettling Afghan families into student housing at EMU in 2022. Alexander explores how she thinks EMU can better engage with the international community, her desire to help formerly incarcerated people get an education, and other humanitarian initiatives that she has been involved with.
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Interview with President James Smith James Smith is Eastern Michigan University's 23rd president, a role he has been in since 2016. In this interview, Smith recounts how he got into a career in educational policy, his time working in the K-12 public school system, and moving up the ranks from professor, to administrator, to dean, and finally to being a university president. Smith explores his passion for international issues, his commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and how he came to join the President’s Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration. Smith describes how he jumped at the chance to open on-campus housing to twelve Afghan families in early 2022, the impacts of this decision, the university’s collaboration with Jewish Family Services of Washtenaw county, and other efforts EMU is undertaking to ensure the campus is welcoming to all.
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Interview with Patrick McGill Patrick McGill has worked as a police officer for Eastern Michigan University since 1999. In this interview, McGill reminisce's about how the EMU campus has changed during his time working here, and meeting international students when taking classes for his construction management degree at EMU. McGill recounts his experience getting fans for some of the Afghan families who were staying in on-campus housing in 2022, his perspectives on immigration law, and his thoughts on EMU providing the housing to the Afghan families.
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Interview with Mira Sussman Mira Sussman is the Resource Development Manager for Jewish Family Services of Washtenaw County. In this interview, Sussman describes growing up in the Jewish community in Ann Arbor, her first time working at JFS in the employment program between 2005-2013, and how JFS evolved during her first time working there. Sussman explains how different resettlement services are at JFS now vs. the early 2000s, the resettlement process, and how COVID-19 has made resettling difficult due to lack of access to housing. Sussman also explores JFS’s collaboration with Eastern Michigan University in resettling 12 Afghan families into on-campus housing, storing mattresses and pillows in the Bowen Fieldhouse, and the logistics of housing these families both during these short stay at EMU and beyond.
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Interview with Devon Meier Devon Meier worked as the Chief Development Officer at Jewish Family Services (JFS) of Washtenaw County from 2020-2022. In her role as Chief Development Officer, Meier was responsible for the annual giving and major gifts program, as well as, other fundraising efforts for JFS. In this interview, Meier explains how she got her role at JFS, a day in the life of a chief development officer, and what fundraising looked like during the early years of the COVID-19 pandemic. Meier describes how JFS got involved in the Afghan resettlement following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021, the logistics of resettlement work, fundraising for the Afghan humanitarian parolees, and the collaboration between JFS and Eastern Michigan University in resettling 12 of the Afghan families into student housing in 2022.
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Interview with Cedrick Charles Cedrick Charles is an undergraduate student at Eastern Michigan University who has been very active in campus life, as he is involved in many student organizations and has participated in Student Government serving as the Speaker of the Senate (2021-2022), and Vice President (2022-2023). In this interview, Charles recounts his experience growing up in a large immigrant family, as his parents and extended family immigrated to South Florida from Haiti in the 1990s, and what immigration means to him. Charles discusses what led him to come to Eastern Michigan University, why he is pursuing a degree in economics and political science, and how he became involved in campus organizations and Student Government. Charles also explains how he became involved in resettling the 12 Afghan families into on-campus housing in 2022 as a result of his role in Student Government, recruiting volunteers to assist in the move in process, and discussions he had with personnel from Jewish Family Services of Washtenaw County to ensure the process went smoothly.
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[Untitled]
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Civil War Memorial Tablet Civil War memorial tablet with names of Michigan State Normal School student's that passed in the Civil War
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McKenny Gallery 2024 Logo
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McKenny Gallery "Rising to the Challenge" Window The front window display for "Rising to the Challenge," which shows off some of the spectator objects of EMU in a classic tailgate scene.
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McKenny Gallery "Rising to the Challenge" Close-up A close-up for "Rising to the Challenge," which showcases the football jersey worn by Chris Creighton, football coach and EMU alum.
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McKenny Gallery "Rising to the Challenge" The display for "Rising to the Challenge," which highlights the changing faces of EMU athletics programs and spectators. Using items from the University Archives, the stories of how the university has overcome challenges are explored.
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McKenny Gallery "Instigators" Title IX Display A closer look at the display for "Instigators, Innovators, and Legislators." This bulletin features articles on the impact of Title IX legislation on women's athletics at EMU, as well as insight as to how men's athletics were changing as well.
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McKenny Gallery "Instigators" Display 2 A close up look at the display for "Instigators, Innovators, and Legislators." Using objects from the University Archives, the exhibit showcases change-makers like Gloria Lockhart, who left a large impact on women's sports at EMU.
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McKenny Gallery "Instigators" Display 1 The display for "Instigators, Innovators, and Legislators" which highlights the women who fought for inclusion in group sports at EMU, as well as some of the effects of Title IX legislation.
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McKenny Gallery, "Getting Physical" display 3 The third display for "Getting Physical," which explores the training student teachers would receive at the Rackham School. The school focused on curriculum for special education students, and part of that curriculum was physical education. The hands-on activity at this display is similar to the coordination exercises the students would participate in.
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McKenny Gallery "Getting Physical" Case 2 The second display for the "Getting Physical" theme, which further explores the early histories of physical education at the MSNC. Here, the beginnings of intramural sports programs at EMU are highlighted through handbooks and equipment.
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McKenny Gallery 2024, "Getting Physical," Case 1 The first display for the "Getting Physical" theme, which explore the early history of physical education at the MSNC. Highlighted in this display is the striped referee jersey, which was created by EMU's very own Lloyd Olds.
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1914 MSNC Calendar Page Page of the 1914 Michigan State Sormal College calendar, depicting the football team and Simon Pokagon's Wigwam
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Old Main South Elevation (reconstruction) This south elevation by Rorison was likely the other elevation drawing of Old Main included in the MSNS exhibit. This elevation shows the original 1852 section (rebuilt after a fire in 1860), the front addition (1878), the rear addition (1882), and the south wing (1888). The exhibit also included four floor plans of Old Main, but we have not been able to identify them. Digitally repaired image.
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Old Main North Elevation (Reconstruction) This north elevation of the Old Main building drawn by Ypsilanti architect E. P. Rorison was part of the Michigan State Normal School exhibit at the 1893 World’s Fair. The label in the bottom right corner reading “Michigan Public Schools 946” confirms that this drawing from the University Archives is the actual document exhibited in Chicago. This elevation depicts Old Main’s original 1852 section (rebuilt after a fire in 1860), the front addition (1878), the rear addition (1882), and the north wing (1888). The College’s original building, Old Main stood where the Boone / Ford / Pierce Quadrangle is today. Digitally repaired image.
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Table II - MSNS enrollment records 1854-1893 We have not been able to locate the four statistical charts Included in the exhibit, but fortunately Principal Sill reproduced one of these charts in his 1893 report to the State Board of Education. This chart from Sill’s report, “prepared for the Columbian Exposition with laborious care by Professor Austin George,” shows attendance and number of graduates from 1854 to 1893. This chart demonstrates the tremendous growth in attendance and number of graduates during Sill’s administration (1886-1893).