LSA Dean Anne Curzan presented an overview of the college’s operations and provided updates on plans for improving the classroom environment at the LSA Student Government meeting Wednesday evening.
Curzan said there are two working groups part of the anti-racism task force in the LSA curriculum. One is revisiting the LSA race and ethnicity requisite, which requires undergraduates to take at least one course addressing racial intolerance and inequality. The second group is part of the undergraduate admissions department and focuses on enrollment recruitment and retention.
“We are a college that is deeply committed to diversity, equity and inclusion, justice and anti-racism,” Curzan said. “This is work that we are taking very seriously.”
Kelly Maxwell, LSA assistant dean for undergraduate education, joined Curzan to discuss improvements to different learning environments. The two talked about the importance of attending office hours, utilizing resources like the Sweetland Writing Center and maintaining Zoom recordings to help students with learning differences watch classes on their own time.
“Your voice is represented as we make decisions about online teaching going forward,” Maxwell said.
Curzan said she recalled policies that stemmed from student advocacy in recent years, such as changes to make registration time more equitable for those coming in with less Advanced Placement and International Baccalereate credits and the initiative to loan free laptops to students.
“We want to hear from you — many of our wonderful ideas come from you,” Curzan said. “One of the really important ways that we know about (issues impacting campus) is actually through students.”
Later, the LSA Student Government passed a resolution advocating for action on behalf of students displaced by The One Ann Arbor, which has left 600 tenants without permanent housing after the company failed to build new housing on time. The company told students they needed to go elsewhere, causing many students to end up in hotels paid for by The One or go back home.
Last week, student organizers who had planned on living at The One delivered a letter to Laura Blake Jones, the Dean of Students, asking for the University’s assistance following move-in delays.
The resolution advocates for The One to be removed from the University’s off-campus housing website. LSA sophomore William Addison, author of the resolution, said The One should not be listed by the University on its off-campus housing website.
“(The One tenants) can’t get to class on time and they have to take hours out of the day to actually get here,” Addison said. “Another thing is that the listing ‘The One’ is still on the website, endorsed by the University of Michigan. So that means that anyone can still rent, through The One, and they can still get in the situation.”
Daily Staff Reporter Nirali Patel can be reached at nirpat@umich.edu.