March 20, 2012 - 1:31am
This Week in History: Racist chalk message found on Diag
BY KATIE SZYMANSKI
10 years ago this week (March 19, 2002): A racially insensitive phrase regarding affirmative action was found written in yellow chalk on the Diag, the Daily reported.
Panther McAllister, then-speaker for the Black Student Union, said the incident served as a reminder to students that there was more do be done to improve race relations on campus and around the nation.
Then-LSA senior Erin Weber told the Daily she was astounded to find racist comments on campus.
“It’s disappointing that a campus as liberal and diverse as Ann Arbor would still have hateful opinions floating around like this,” Weber said. “You’d like to think that ignorance lives somewhere else.”
20 years ago this week (March 20, 1992): The University's Department of Political Science was ranked as the best in the country by U.S. News and World Report list, tying with departments at the University of California, Berkeley and Harvard University, the Daily reported.
Arlene Saxonhouse, then-chair of the Department of Political Science, spoke to the Daily about the department’s past success and newly-assigned ranking.
“Obviously, we’re delighted. We’ve always been a strong department — in the top three,” Saxonhouse said.
The University also ranked sixth nationally in law schools, seventh nationally in graduate engineering programs and tenth nationally in research-oriented medical schools.
30 years ago this week (March 21, 1982): At a day-long forum titled “Robots and High Technology: A new direction for Michigan?” at Rackham Hall, University students and faculty presented various views on increasing high-technology industries in the state, the Daily reported.
The forum was organized by students in the School of Natural Resources, along with African American Studies Prof. Bunyan Bryant, the forum’s opening discussion moderator.
Then-Ann Arbor City Councilmember Lowell Peterson (D-Ward 2), a participant in one of the conference’s sessions, said while increasing technological efforts could be beneficial for Ann Arbor, it could also be detrimental in the long run.
While high technology immersion “could help the Ann Arbor area, because of job loss, it could be bad for the state,” Peterson said.
