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Recent publications featuring the Alumni Association
Michigan Daily Keeping the applications coming Hundreds of members of Brown Chapel, a predominantly black African Methodist Episcopalian church, gave University President Mary Sue Coleman a standing ovation after she delivered a resounding reaffirmation of the University's dedication to diversity at an Ypsilanti banquet hall two weeks ago. After the address, a dozen attendees hugged Coleman and thanked her. Because voters passed a ban on the use of affirmative action by public institutions in November, speeches like the one Coleman gave in Ypsilanti may be one of the most important factors in encouraging underrepresented minorities to apply to the University. One of the biggest concerns University administrators had about the effects of the affirmative action ban was that it would hurt the school's image in the eyes of minority high school students, making them less likely to apply. "If students don't apply, there isn't much the school can do," Coleman said in an interview after the speech. "They have to apply first." Some high school seniors even went so far as to say the rhetoric from adminstrators after the passage of Proposal 2 did more to convince them that the campus is welcoming to minorities than any affirmative action program had.
Administrators have often officials hailed a 2003 Supreme Court case that upheld the use of affirmative action in admissions, but though the University was permitted to continue using race as a factor in admissions, it saw a 28 percent drop in the number of black applicants during the next admissions cycle. It is widely believed that the decline in applicants was a result of a Supreme Court order, to stop using a point system, which automatically awarded points toward admission to underrepresented minority applicants. Once the point system was removed, the number of minority applicants plummeted. Coleman said the Supreme Court's ruling was misunderstood. "There are some misconceptions that we lost the case," she said in a 2004 interview with The Washington Post. People know the University lost its battle against Proposal 2, which banned the use of affirmative action. What many are unsure of, however, is what the school plans to do to keep the number of minority applicants from dropping the way it did back in 2003.
After California voters banned affirmative action in 1996, minority applications to the University of California at Berkley and Los Angeles dropped dramatically. But if Proposal 2 will have such an effect at the University, it hasn't happened yet. According to preliminary admissions data, a total of 2,460 underrepresented minorities had applied to the University by the beginning of February - a 5 percent increase from the same point last year. The increase in applicants may have been due to the fact that Proposal 2 was looming. Students at Cass Technical High School in Detroit said that before the initiative passed, University admissions officers encouraged them to apply as early as possible because it would be harder to get in if Proposal 2 was approved. "Admissions officers came to our school and told us to apply early," said Cass Tech senior Dwayne Riley, who has already enrolled at the University for next year. Admissions officers visited Cass Tech - a major feeder school for underrepresented minorities who attend the University - frequently throughout the fall. Ashley Grant, also a senior at Cass, said the University's image may have even improved since Proposal 2 passed. "I definitely don't think Proposal 2 hurt Michigan's image," said Grant, who is still waiting to find out whether she's been admitted to the University. "If anything, I think it made the school look a lot better because it was trying to do everything in its power to admit as many students of color as possible." Doris Taylor Walls, a guidance counselor at Cass Tech, has worked as a liaison between high school students and admissions counselors for 33 years. While she has taken notice of the University's increased minority recruiting, Walls said what matters most to students is that the University is reaching out. "I think students at Cass were aware of Michigan's stance on Proposal 2," Walls said. "The simple fact that the University stood up to fight for diversity matters to them." Another Cass senior Rayna Wright, has also been admitted to the University, but is still waiting to hear back from Yale. She echoed Walls's argument. "There may be some students who are afraid to apply now because there is no affirmative action anymore," Wright said. "But it's still a great school, and it's helped that (University administrators) have made clear their need for diversity."
Over the past few weeks, thousands of phone calls and e-mails have gone out to University alumni asking them to help recruit underrepresented minorities. But at first, many in the University administration - including admissions officers - didn't know where the calls were coming from. It turned out that the University's Alumni Association coordinated the outreach calls. Alumni Association President Steve Grafton said alumni have been helping recruit prospective students to the University for years. But he said this is the first time the Alumni Association has targeted minorities. "We determined it would be good if we could help increase outreach, and in particular convince underrepresented minority students who have been admitted to the University to enroll," Grafton said. The Alumni Association paid for more than 8,000 automated phone calls and sent out about 5,000 e-mails to minority alumni asking for help in the recruitment process. Grafton said nearly 300 of those have offered to help in some way. Grafton said one of the reasons his group decided to get involved in minority recruitment was the negative perception of the University after Proposal 2. "Part of it for us is that we're concerned about what kind of message - even though the University is not sending it - the passage of Proposal 2 sends to minority students," he said. Cunningham, though, was emphatic in expressing her belief that the affirmative action ban hasn't hurt the University's image among potential applicants. "This is one of the top schools academically," Cunningham said. "It's very rigorous, but we believe that underrepresented minority students are getting the message that they are welcome." Ann Arbor News Be prepared to make some noise He wanted fans to save their energy for today's big showdown against Michigan
State University. Standing under a banner that read "Go Blue! Beat State!" Carr thanked everyone for supporting his team this season and asked them to be ready to take on the Spartans. He appeared at Friday's alumni association pep rally at Elbel Field along with captains Jake Long and LaMarr Woodley. Earlier, longtime Michigan radio analyst Jim Brandstatter - who was joined on the podium by former Wolverine running backs Tyrone Wheatley and Jamie Morris - read comments attributed to Michigan State coach John L. Smith and quarterback Drew Stanton about the lack of crowd noise at Michigan Stadium. "Let's make this the most difficult noise game that Drew Stanton has ever had," Brandstatter said. "You're personally responsible for two false starts and a delay of game." Wheatley, who went 3-1 in his career against the Spartans, didn't believe Michigan would have trouble today. "Listen up, we're going to whup them," Wheatley said. "We're going to whup them good. And then we are going on to win the national title. You heard it from me." Before departing for the hotel where the team is sequestered before games, Woodley offered a final nugget of wisdom to the crowd: "Drew Stanton called us 'Puke University,'" said Woodley, whose hard
hit knocked Stanton out of the 2004 game in Ann Arbor. "His dad said he
was born to beat Michigan in Michigan Stadium. So far that hasn't happened.
Crain’s Detroit Business Career help is new role for alumni group The Michigan Journal U-M Alumni Assn. offering students chance to job shadow The University of Michigan Alumni Association is offering current students a unique opportunity to job shadow several successful alumni around the country. "Michigan Apprentice is a wonderful opportunity for students to network with fellow Wolverines and spend the day living their dream jobs," said Steve Grafton, president of the Alumni Association. The Michigan Apprentice program is a competition in which winners spend one full day learning about real -world experiences from a Michigan graduate. The competition is open to all junior and senior university students on all three campuses. Applications can be completed online and submitted until Friday, October 27. From the submitted applications, three finalists for each apprenticeship will be selected for interview during the week of November 6. Interviews will be done by AAUM members and at least one previous Michigan Apprentice winner. Questions will be the same for all finalists, but may differ depending on the apprenticeship requested. Interview questions will not be released beforehand. Three factors will be used in determining winners. The application will account for 25 percent; the interview counts for 50 percent and 25 percent will be determined by an online vote. Online voting can be done by anyone who has been assigned a university uniqname. The winning students will visit the alumni at their respective places of employment and will blog their experiences online at the AAUM's Web site. Two nights of hotel and travel arrangements will be provided by the association, if needed. The Michigan Apprentice Web site is: www.umalumni.com/michiganapprentice. Winners will be announced on Friday, November 10. Available U-M Apprenticeships POLITICS TECHNOLOGY SPORTS MARKETING Ron Melnyk Craig Peiser JOURNALISM Robert McClure, class Kery Murakami, class of MARKETING Reba Dominski
Newsweek Magazine 15 People Who Make America Great A violinist whose life is introducing the music he loves to inner-city children. Growing up in rural Hershey, Pennsylvania, Aaron Dworkin was something of a double oddity: a black kid with a violin in his hand. There was only one other black family in town, and they looked nothing like Dworkin's household. He was adopted and raised by Jewish parents. His birthmother is Irish Catholic; his father is black. Diversity is literally in his blood. So picking up a violin at the age of 5 was just one more thing that made him different. It wasn't until college, though, that he realized how special it made him. At the University of Michigan, a music professor introduced him to the work of African-American composer William Grant Still. "I was overwhelmed," says Dworkin, 35. "No one ever told me this music existed. It would enrich so many people in the minority community. I thought, Why aren't they hearing it, too?" Suddenly, Dworkin's mission in life emerged: diversifying America's symphonies-and their musical repertoires. "You can't complain about something," he says, "unless you're doing something about it." So in 1996 he founded the Sphinx Organization, a Detroit-based nonprofit aimed at drawing young black and Latino kids into the world of classical music. From a shoestring start, Sphinx now has a yearly budget of $2 million. It has helped about 45,000 students in 100 schools and awarded $800,000 in scholarships. Two years ago kids from Sphinx played Carnegie Hall. Last year Dworkin won a "genius" grant from the MacArthur Foundation. With the help of an eight-person staff, Dworkin runs a weekend camp for urban
kids, teaching them music theory, history and basic instruction on a variety
of instruments. Sphinx also pays for 40 exceptional young musicians to attend
an intensive music camp in New England. "Playing an instrument improves
test scores and teaches discipline," Dworkin notes. The organization's
signature creation is its annual string competition. Winners can earn up to
$10,000, tour the country, perform with the New York Philharmonic and get airtime
on PBS and NPR. Alumni of the competition have landed jobs at big-city orchestras.
From the roughest parts of Detroit to center stage at Lincoln Center-it seems
hard to imagine. Says Dworkin, "Even what I was envisioning back then is
not what it's become." That's because he didn't settle for envisioning
his dream. He made it reality.
Study: More grads leaving state EAST LANSING - Greg Kindel has lived his whole life in Michigan, but the 24-year-old isn't sure if he'll still be in the Great Lakes State six months from now. It depends on where he finds a job to fit his newly minted telecommunications degree from Michigan State University. "I'm still searching for a job - and I'll go wherever I find one," said Kindel, who hails from St. Johns, a Clinton County town about 20 miles north of Lansing. "To me, the location doesn't matter much at all." College placement offices at several state universities survey their graduates
each year. The unscientific samples - based on just a fraction of total students
- appear to indicate that more graduates at some universities may be leaving
Michigan than a few years ago. Many attribute that at least in part to the state's
sluggish economy. Michigan had 176,500 fewer residents between the ages of 25 and 34 in 2004 than it had a decade earlier, a 12 percent decline, according to the state demographer's office and U.S. Census Bureau. But much of the decline can be attributed to a lower birth rate. About 17 percent fewer babies were born in Michigan in the 1970s than in the 1960s. Fewer young adults have left Michigan in recent years, particularly when compared with the early 1980s recession period, state demographer Kenneth Darga said. The state also has gained more foreign immigrants to boost the young adult age group. Michigan had 5 percent more 18-to-24 year olds in 2004 than in 1994 - even though there were fewer births in the early 1980s than in the early 1970s. And Darga points out that while Michigan tends to lose residents in their 20s, the state gets a lot of them back when they reach their 30s - at least in part because people move back to their home state after attending school or working elsewhere. "It's definitely overblown," Darga said of the notion that Michigan
is losing waves of young adults to other states. "We do have a population
loss in that age group, but it's fairly small." But there's no getting around the fact that many of Michigan's college-educated residents leave the state upon graduation. Democratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm, Republican challenger Dick DeVos and lawmakers from both parties have said they want to keep more Michigan graduates in the state to help attract employers and improve the economy. Michigan's unemployment rate was 6.8 percent in March, the third-highest rate in the nation. The economy factors into where graduates go, said Philip Gardner, director of Michigan State's Collegiate Employment Research Institute. "If kids are really struggling to find jobs, they'll go to the places they've been told there are jobs," Gardner said. Gardner estimates more than a third of Michigan State's graduating class will find jobs or otherwise move outside of Michigan this year. About 17 percent of Michigan State's undergraduate students came to East Lansing from out-of-state. Central Michigan University estimates that between 17 percent and 23 percent of 2004-05 graduates found jobs or continued their studies outside of Michigan. That compares to between 8 percent and 15 percent in 2000-01. The University of Michigan in Ann Arbor has one of the state's most geographically
diverse populations. About 35 percent of the university's undergraduates come
from outside of Michigan, and the percentage increases to 44 percent if graduate
students are included. Before the recent graduation ceremonies on the Ann Arbor campus, Class of 2006 members were given a chance to sign up for a free year of membership to the university's alumni association. Students placed a pin on a big map to indicate where they planned to move after the graduation ceremonies. The usual favorites - Detroit, Chicago, New York and Los Angeles - collected the most pins. The next tier includes cities such as Washington, Boston, Seattle and San Francisco. But a number of students stuck pins in what the alumni association staff likes to call 'Undecided Island.' The economy may factor into that, but it's mostly just a function of what happens in the lives of new graduates at any time, said Catherine Serrin Niekro, vice president of marketing for the Alumni Association of the University of Michigan. "It reflects that a lot happens for seniors when they graduate and the few months afterward," she said. "There are a lot of decisions to make."
Michigan must offer grads a reason to stay When seniors at the University of Michigan and Eastern Michigan University graduated last weekend, this area was flush with proud relatives and loud parties celebrating that milestone. Now they and other college students are leaving for the summer, and the hush of their absence is palpable. It's an apt metaphor for what happens to the state when graduates depart for good. Their absence in Michigan's economy is palpable. The intellectual exodus couldn't be more clear. Between 1995 and 2000, 42,700 college-educated residents between the ages of 25 and 39 moved out of Michigan, according to Census 2000. In contrast, only 26,600 people in that same demographic category moved into the state. By that measure, Michigan ranks third worst in the nation. That's unacceptable. At U-M, arguably the state's best educational resource, about 60 percent of its graduates this year came from Michigan. Data for this graduating class isn't yet available, but in 2005 only 36 percent of graduate and undergraduate students surveyed said they planned to stay in this state to work or seek more education. The survey sample was small, but striking. The U-M Alumni Association reports that 56 percent of its members live outside of Michigan. The outflow is a reflection of the state's inability to provide the things that young college-educated people want, and it hurts our economy in many ways. It hurts our businesses, which need to recruit the best possible workers. It hurts our ability to attract new businesses, which factor in the available talent pool when deciding where to locate. It hurts our reputation, which is known as a great place to vacation, but at best a so-so place to live and work. It hurts our state revenue, which relies on tax dollars from both individuals and companies to fund a broad range of programs and services. Many people have recognized this problem. The Cherry Commission on Higher Education and Economic Growth, a group led by Lt. Gov. John Cherry, was charged with identifying ways the state can double the number of Michigan college graduates over 10 years. (Find the entire report online at www.cherrycommission.org.) Issued in late 2004, the report's recommendations include: " Create a culture of entrepreneurship. Develop K-12 curriculum and standards
that include entrepreneurial skills. Offer degrees or certificates in entrepreneurial
education at two- and four-year academic institutions. These recommendations are a good starting point. The idea behind the commission was that increasing the number of college graduates would inevitably help boost the economy. The assumption is that more of these graduates would stay close to home. To us, that's not an obvious outcome. Students and their parents who invest in higher education-spending tens of thousands of dollars-rightly expect to capitalize on that investment. That might mean the highest salary. It might just as easily mean the best opportunity, be it an energized experience with a nonprofit group or an entry-level job with a government entity. Too often, the most attractive opportunities are elsewhere. It's also true that graduates with no spouse or children often gravitate to metro areas like Chicago, Boston, San Francisco or other thriving cities. Detroit, though showing signs of revitalization, just can't compete. We need to leverage this state's rich educational offerings and draw on its history of entrepreneurial success, best seen in the auto industry's birth a century ago. We need to give those graduates a reason to stay, and for those who've left, a reason to return.
Out of the sawdust come the start of homes and hope News Staff Reporter Byron Bailey has visited New Orleans eight times, and his thoughts were once again focused on the Big Easy as he stood in a cloud of sawdust on Thursday afternoon. He was thinking of a family who lost their home in Hurricane Katrina. Volunteers organized by the Alumni Association of the University of Michigan are working with Habitat for Humanity Detroit in building frames for five homes. Two of those frames will be sent to Dallas and become part of homes for Katrina refugees. U-M alumni who live in Dallas will be joined by other alumni making the trip south in June to do the finishing work on one of the frames in a project dubbed "Little Big House." The other three frames will become part of homes for the needy in Detroit. "I liked New Orleans," said Bailey, a retired financial controller. "This is an easy way to help out." Bailey, who lives in Farmington Hills, said his daughter, Julie, is a U-M alumna. She works in Chicago now, but she plans to come to Ann Arbor to work on the project on Saturday. Volunteers started work on Wednesday in the parking lot at Elbel Field and will continue through Sunday. The alumni association also is raising $150,000 for the home-building effort. The effort is so important that the alumni association will tap its budget to cover any shortfall in fundraising, said Steve Grafton, alumni association president. He said the group had searched for a way to get involved in hurricane relief efforts. "Very soon after the hurricane hit, we started having alumni calling us and saying, 'What can we do to help?'" Grafton said. Having volunteers gather at Elbel Field also is a way of engaging alumni with the university, which is the alumni association's main mission, he said. More than 200 volunteers signed up to work. Habitat for Humanity officials are directing them, and no prior experience in construction is needed. Many volunteers are retired alumni. Some volunteers are students and employees. "It's fun building stuff and working with your hands when you're not doing it every day," said Melanie Scheitler, who attends U-M Flint and took the day off from her job at a retail store to volunteer. Mary Hendricks, another U-M alumna, said she doesn't have any experience with carpentry, but she joked that Habitat officials found her something that she could do. "I can hold a tape measure and I can write," she said, as she marked lumber to be cut. Each home will be about 1,200 square feet, although the designs are different, depending on whether their final destination is Detroit or Dallas. The walls will be hoisted and checked to make sure all of their dimensions are correct. Then, the frames will be partially disassembled into panels that can be transported by truck to their final destinations. "It's just fun, actually," said Paul Plante, another U-M alumnus, as he worked on the project. "I enjoy the work, but I enjoy the people the most."
U Leaders Return from China Trip This year's China visit, hosted jointly by the Alumni Association and the Office of the President, exceeded the expectations of its organizers. The purpose of the trip was to boost alumni relations and work toward collaboration between the University and Chinese universities. Audiences of about 200 at receptions in Beijing, Hong Kong and Shanghai were entertained by presentations and discussions given by a delegation of University leaders. Audience members included University alumni working in China, current University students in China for the summer and officials and faculty from Chinese universities. LSA Prof. Kenneth Lieberthal, former director of Michigan's Center for Chinese Studies and an expert on United States-China relations, discussed current international issues relevant to the relationships between the University and Chinese universities. Alumni Association President Steve Grafton served as the emcee and addressed alumni relations in his introductory remarks. University Health System CEO Robert Kelch reported on the progress of University collaboration and relations with Chinese institutions since President Mary Sue Coleman's breakthrough visit to China a year ago. Many attribute the progress of the University in China to Coleman's committed approach to the alumni program. Coleman was awarded an honorary degree from Shanghai Jiao Tong University last year. Past attempts to foster durable relationships with China were generally unsuccessful. "All of this changed last year," Grafton said of Coleman's trip. At 905 students, the University has more international students from China than any other country. Korea sends the second most at 844 students, and India comes in at a close third with 836 students. Coordinator of China Programs Zhen Zhu said collaboration with Chinese universities assists the University's researchers and undergraduates. Zhu, whose position was recently created, hopes to see a growth of undergraduate programs that offer experiences interning or studying in China. Grafton said an especially memorable part of the trip was the "Lucky Draw" held at each reception. Grafton drew several audience members' business cards from a basket and then threw a football to the lucky guests. The individuals selected then gathered at the front of the room and sang the University fight song, "Hail to the Victors," in order to receive their gift. The favorite gift was a football autographed by Head Coach Lloyd Carr, Grafton said. He said that the Lucky Draw gave "a great sense of Michigan." Today, the future of the relationship between the University and Chinese universities is looking especially bright, but a long history of perseverance has contributed to this. The work toward creating a University presence in China began with the third University President, James Angell, who was Minister to China from 1880 to 1881. Then University Regent Levi Barbour created a scholarship program in 1914 for Asian women who planned to study medicine, public health or education. Five to eight scholarships are awarded each year. "There are Barbour scholars everywhere in China," said Vice President of University Relations Jo Rumsey, who has traveled to China four times on behalf of the University. The University had made several trips during the 1900s, but a long-term commitment in China had yet to be established. In 1998, Lieberthal was appointed Special Assistant and Senior Director for Asia on the National Security Council under former President Bill Clinton. The University has faced difficulties finding ways to connect with alumni in China. Grafton said much of the difficulty is generated by a lack of collaboration among various schools within the University that intend to create programs and foster relationships in China. Before the advent and widespread use of the Internet, Grafton said, it was very difficult for alumni to maintain communication. Transportation to and from China is also very expensive, he said. Rumsey said sustaining alumni clubs overseas has been very difficult because of the costly and time-consuming nature of long-distance communication. One of the most recent developments is the opening of a University office in Beijing in 2003. Rumsey is currently composing a contact list of the participants in the recent receptions in China.
U-M seeks alumni in China News Staff Reporter China has again beckoned for top University of Michigan officials - and this time a delegation from the alumni association is making the trip to host receptions in Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong for Chinese alumni this week. The visit comes nearly one year after U-M President Mary Sue Coleman led an 11-person delegation last June to sign agreements on academic and research efforts with four Chinese universities. This time, alumni officials are leading the trip to China, hoping to re-establish ties to alumni there who can support the university's ambitions. This week's contingent includes Steve Grafton, president of the Alumni Association of the University of Michigan, and Jo Rumsey, vice president of the association. Joining them are Dr. Robert Kelch, head of the U-M health system and executive vice president for medical affairs, and professor Kenneth Lieberthal, an expert on China who was also a participant in last year's trip. Meanwhile, U-M has created a new staff position to serve as coordinator of China initiatives. Zhen Zhu will work out of the office of the vice provost for international affairs and help develop new academic programs in China. Coleman had requested that the alumni association get involved in China. U-M is one of a host of American schools that has made a priority of forming closer ties with Chinese universities. Alumni in China can perform many of the same roles as alumni in the United States, convincing top Chinese scholars to come to U-M and serving as a resource for Americans studying in China, U-M alumni officials said. The latest trip is being funded by the alumni association and the university. Nearly 1,100 people living in China have earned degrees from Michigan. In fact, U-M had more students from China on its campuses than any other institution in the United States between the 1850s to the 1950s, according to the alumni association. Grafton said keeping in touch with Chinese alumni has been difficult, but the Internet has made it easier. For instance, the alumni association now sends Chinese alumni an e-mail newsletter. "We've let the distance and the cost of communicating these things get in the way of staying connected," Grafton said. "We're trying to remedy that now." Coleman's visit last June sparked interest among alumni, and the alumni association is trying to reconnect with Chinese alumni, Grafton said. Among its goals is to build a database of alumni in China. Receptions for alumni are being held in Beijing today, in Shanghai on Friday, and in Hong Kong on Monday. Kelch will present an update on the progress of U-M's academic and research efforts in China since Coleman's visit, and Lieberthal will talk about international issues of the day. Raising money isn't an immediate goal, alumni officials said. There isn't a tradition of higher education philanthropy in China. While there are informal alumni groups around the world, China is the first country where the alumni association is attempting to form a formal overseas alumni relations program. "China is, we hope, the beginning of what will be a deep international alumni relations program," said Rumsey.
Expressing opposition to MCRI, Alumni Association makes history The Alumni Association has never taken an official stance on issues that concern the University. Until now. On May 6, the Alumni Association Board of Directors issued a statement in opposition to the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative, a proposal that seeks to ban some affirmative action programs in the state. Michigan voters will make the final call when the proposal appears on the ballot in November. The statement reads, "The initiative significantly threatens the (Alumni Association's) ability to fulfill its mission, would severely limit U-M's ability to attract, support and maintain a diverse student body and academic community, and is harmful to U-M's students and alumni and society." The association will also launch a website devoted to its stance later this week. Bruce Courtade, vice chair of the association's Board of Directors, said MCRI proponents are attempting to make the issue black versus white. "It's ironic that I am the white male Republican from Grand Rapids and I'm an opponent of MCRI," he said. The variety of people and groups against MCRI - both Gov. Granholm and her probable opponent, Dick DeVos, for example - show MCRI's opposition's broad base, Courtade said. "It's much more far reaching than a race issue," Courtade said. University and School of Law alum Geoff Brown is disappointed with the association's decision to take a position on MCRI. "I would prefer to see the association remain neutral on this issue," Brown said in an e-mail. "Or, at the very least, it is something that the association might have discussed with its membership." Brown said that as an incoming president-elect of one of the association's largest local alumni clubs, he was not approached about this issue - nor was his alumni club. "I can only say that it seems that the association's position reflects the opinion of its leadership, and not necessarily its members," Brown said. Brown also said Association President Steve Grafton has been open about his stance against MCRI. When Brown was an association employee, he said he witnessed that the association's board was comprised of members "hand-picked" by Grafton. Brown said that with that in mind, he is not surprised that the association has chosen to take a stance in opposition to MCRI. Courtade began to draft the statement in January 2005, but decided not to release it publicly because it was not clear if MCRI would be on the ballot. When it was clear the initiative would be up for a vote later that year, he submitted a formal policy statement to the board. The association held a panel discussion before the Alumni Leadership Council - a group of more than 100 alumni leaders that counsel the board - featuring MCRI proponents and opponents. MCRI Executive Director Jennifer Gratz and RC Prof. Carl Cohen spoke on behalf of MCRI. Director of the Michigan Department of Civil Rights Linda Parker and University Vice President Marvin Krislov spoke on behalf of the opposition. The next day, the council had a formal debate and voted to recommend that the board of directors issue a statement of opposition to MCRI. Bruce said "less than a handful" of alumni abstained from the vote. The board of directors, which consists of about 24 people, voted to approve the recommendation with two abstentions. Catherine Serrin, director of media and communications for the association said the association has not taken a stance on any issues in the past for two reasons - until 2003, no protocol had been instated to consider developing an official statement on an issue, and at that time the association had not considered any issue to be a significant threat to its mission. Serrin also said the association developed an unofficial statement concerning their position on the 2003 Supreme Court case on the University's admissions policies. The board considered the case a threat to the University's commitment to diversity, a founding principle of the public institution. Courtade said the association was confronted by a group of activists in 2003 who wanted the association to take a position on a contentious issue of the time, but the association had no protocol to follow. The association then decided to develop a protocol. The five-step protocol is "intended to guide persons who seek to have the association publicly comment on an issue of public policy."
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