Michael Brooks, executive director of Hillel, confirmed Friday that he has been an adviser to the controversial senior honor society formerly known as Michigamua for the past year.

Brooks serves as the group's Honorary Angell. The position is named for University President James Angell, who founded Michigamua in 1902 to bring together student leaders to improve the University.

"My role is to provide a perspective to the seniors as well as to the alumni membership that derives from my own three decades of experience with the University of Michigan community," Brooks said in an e-mail interview. "I do more listening than talking, and I ask more questions than I suggest answers."

When Brooks was first approached about becoming an honorary member, he declined because of the organization's past.

The society has come under fire throughout its history for appropriating Native American imagery and artifacts in its rituals and other traditions.

"By the time they renewed their invitation a year later I had spoken with many of the members and alumni about the organization's activities and mission," Brooks said. "It was clear that those practices had been abandoned well before any of these students arrived on campus."

The group announced in April that it was abandoning the name Michigamua, which was chosen to sound like a mythical Native American tribe. The society also released the names of the student members in the last two classes, called "prides."

Brooks's name wasn't among those released in April. He said that's because he is not a member of the group, just an adviser.

LSA senior Andrew Yahkind, a member of the group, refused to release Brooks's name until Brooks confirmed his membership.

Brooks said he is not the group's only Honorary Angell.

Although the group says it is not a secret society, both Brooks and Yahkind refused to name others.

"It is not a large group, perhaps a few dozen," Brooks said. "Assuming that most of them who are still alive are at least as reluctant as I am to be recognized for what they do on campus - in keeping with the philosophy of the organization itself - it would be inappropriate and out of character for me to call attention to them."

There are a "handful" of Honorary Angells, Yahkind said. They all have different degrees of involvement in the group, he said. Over the past 25 years, no University presidents or vice presidents have held the position, Yahkind said.

The group has said that its mission is to "serve the University of Michigan above all else," but members are reluctant to discuss specifics of what the society has accomplished.

"Because our goal is not self-promotion, we don't advertise the group's actions," Yahkind said.

The group's membership is made up of prominent student leaders and athletes. Michigan Student Assembly President Nicole Stallings, Interfraternity Council President Jon Krasnov and Michigan football players Adam Kraus and Jake Long are all members of the current class.

The society's list of alumni is even more impressive. It includes former U.S. President Gerald Ford, legendary football coaches Bo Schembechler and Fielding Yost and five University presidents.

The group's past is rife with accusations of racial insensitivity.

In 1989, it promised to stop using Native American imagery in its rituals in a signed agreement.

But in 2000, the Students of Color Coalition occupied the society's meeting space on the top floor of the Michigan Union's tower for 37 days, finding Native American artifacts in the process. SCC displayed the artifacts it found there and led tours of the space.

At the time, Michigamua members said the artifacts were just being stored in the tower and not being used. The University has since severed its official ties with Michigamua and evicted it and two other societies from the tower, but the group is considering regaining some sort of recognition from the University.

At least three members of student groups have recently been expelled from their organizations because of their involvement with Michigamua.

The group plans to announce a new name soon.

"Replacing a 105-year-old name is an exhaustive process and we're hoping to get it done as soon as possible," Yahkind said.

From the Editors:

Over the summer, Michigan Daily Editor in Chief Donn Fresard joined the society formerly known as Michigamua. Although Fresard normally edits articles on this page, he did not edit this article and will not edit future articles on the group because of his membership.