Diversity Is Good for Us and Good for the Data | Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Amanda Dudley was recognized in December for her contributions to a healthy and constructive campus climate with a 2017 Distinguished Diversity Leaders Award. These awards recognize individual staff members and teams for extraordinary commitment and dedication to diversity at Michigan. Dudley is known around Michigan Public Health for her professionalism and hospitality and for her ability to connect people and groups and help them understand one another.

For nearly a decade, Dudley has served as program manager for the Center for Social Epidemiology and Population Health. As an experienced data analyst and public health leader, we asked Dudley to share her thoughts on how she sees diversity and equity in public health and how that impacts her management of two research centers.

Diversity is good for community. There are plenty of ways to bring diversity into this school and this community. And everyone will benefit from it. Everyone learns from diverse voices. A diverse, equitable, inclusive school of public health is our goal, and we are well on our way to achieving that goal.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion is still in its infancy, here at Michigan and around the country. In some ways, that’s a good thing. I’ve just celebrated my tenth year here at Michigan and have seen tremendous change, and I appreciate all that’s happened. Am I satisfied with where we are now? No. We still have many issues to address. But we have the benefit of being in a community that is going in the right direction—forward. We’ve acknowledged that there are problems and we’re all moving this school and university into the future.

We don’t have to accept the status quo. Many of the perceived barriers should not slow us down. For example, recruiting a diverse faculty pool may be difficult because of our location and history, so let’s start simple. We can increase our sample size by updating our recruitment process—which we are working on. These steps put us proactively ahead of the process and will pay dividends. We all need to keep working at it because in the end, it will benefit the institution and every one of us.

Hostility does not have to be the norm for us. I’m from Baldwin, a small town in northwest Michigan and a predominantly white town. We all cared for each other and respected each other. A shared history and shared goals knit that town together, and we defined our community the way we wanted to define it. And our definition didn’t involve any assumptions about racial tensions. Having grown up in that setting, I just know that some of the things we see today don’t have to be that way. We can all do a little more to refuse that narrative.

I know how overwhelmed we all feel right now, but I stay hopeful. It can take courage to speak out, but as soon as you do, you realize you’re surrounded by people who believe in the same things you do. I started out in kindergarten with most of the 42 people I graduated with, and many of us are still in contact today. We have a lifelong bond because of the challenges we faced together. At times, we did have racial tension pushed on us by surrounding communities who didn’t understand us or didn’t like something about us. But those situations only made our town stronger, and I draw on that strength all the time in my work now and in the hope I have for the university community and our community here at the school.

I love seeing participants get really engaged with the research we do. My first job as a data analyst was at Henry Ford working on a community-based research project. The participants could tell our survey was important to their community, and they knew their participation could help make a change. They believed that research would lead to new ideas and improved situations. It was eye opening for me to see that level of engagement with research.

The person conducting an interview influences the data they’re collecting. Henry Ford was forward-thinking not only in reaching out to underserved communities but in ensuring that our methodologies worked for that community. In having me collect data in communities of color, it actually improved the comfort level of the interviewees and therefore the accuracy of the data. I saw in a prostate study that having men interview male participants really helped the participants reply more openly. Interviewers can misinterpret responses, even more so when they don’t understand the participants in their context and in the context of the survey.

I still love analyzing data. Occasionally I have the opportunity to get involved with how we’re collecting data, advising students or supporting investigators with troubleshooting. My background in data helps me every day, especially in pushing students to validate research questions with a little more scrutiny and help them understand how survey methodology translates best to various communities.

Public health has been ahead of the diversity and equity conversation in many ways. If you look back at the field’s history, we are always asking questions about the distribution of various health burdens and how we might best address and prevent problems. In other ways, of course, we have a lot of work to do. I’m proud of this school and how far we’ve come. I am glad to be working with these colleagues and students as we move forward together, and I’m fortunate to have a role where I know I make a contribution every day.

This story was originally published but the University of Michigan School of Public Health.

Not all Americans currently see their own stories told in the national parks, whether those parks are iconic natural wonders like the Grand Canyon or historical sites like Independence National Historical Park in Pennsylvania. Percentage-wise, visitorship to national parks by black, Hispanic, Native American, and LGBT individuals is much lower than the representation of those demographics in the U.S. population.

The National Park Service (NPS) is looking to change that. The organization is making a conscientious effort to reach out to diverse groups and highlight how their stories are an integral part of the American experience.

“I have seen a significant difference between educational programs designed about, for, and with a group of people. That shift is very subtle, but it’s also very profound,” says Michael Liang, a visual information specialist for the NPS.

Liang uses his work as a means of drawing a more diverse audience to the national parks. He is particularly passionate about designing exhibit, museum, and social media content that showcases less commonly-visited parks – those that tell a heterogeneous repertoire of stories spanning the Civil Rights movement to the gay rights movement. By extension, Liang intends to help all Americans understand how each individual story has an important place in the history of the national parks.

For example, Liang designed an interactive American history timeline for an exhibit featured as part of the Rose Bowl festivities in 2016. Extending back 22,000 years to the present day, the timeline used the national parks to tell the story of America and featured cards visitors could use to add their personal histories to the timeline.

One visitor wrote that his ancestors had been forcibly brought to North America as slaves. Another wrote that she had just learned that her family had owned slaves and wasn’t sure what to do with that information.

“This content, placed side-by-side, wasn’t generated by the NPS; it came from a very authentic place in our visitor’s experiences,” comments Liang.

Liang hopes such projects will result in a broadened sense of inclusion at the national parks.

“Our intention is to help people recognize that history isn’t just about politicians or leaders or wars,” states Liang. “It’s about the day-to-day lives of everyday Americans contributing to the fabric of American history.”

This story was originally published by the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability.

On March 16, the International Policy Center hosted distinguished guests for a research workshop entitled “China’s Impact in the International Development Arena.”

The 10 participants hailed from academic institutions in the United States and China and offered varying perspectives on China’s role in the international development landscape. The workshop series is a new initiative at the International Policy Center.

Daniel Russel, who served as Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs from 2013 to 2017, delivered the keynote address. Mr. Russel spoke on U.S.-China relations, as well as China’s influence in a regional and global context. His address proposed optimistic steps for China and the U.S., such that the two nations “Find ways to work together to surmount and to reduce our mutual suspicion, to identify a shared interest in building global governance systems.”

Mr. Russel explained that, “The U.S. shouldn’t walk away from its global leadership responsibilities and China should seek to ensure that its international initiatives complement and not undercut existing international institutions.”

The workshop was facilitated by Mary Gallagher, Director of the Lieberthal-Rogel Center for Chinese Studies at University of Michigan, and John Ciorciari, Director of the International Policy Center at the Ford School. Ciorciari explained, “This expert workshop aimed to develop a better collective grasp of how and why Chinese aid matters in international development. Scholars shared insights about the mix of cooperation and competition between China and other major aid providers and the many domestic and international constraints Chinese authorities face as they seek to implement the signature Belt and Road Initiative.”

The day was structured into four sessions: China’s Approach to International Aid, The Belt and Road Initiative, Effects of Chinese Aid, and Chinese-led Development Institutions and Global Order. Under IPC’s workshop model, each session consisted of a conversation surrounding the participants’ respective research papers followed by often lively discussion focused on the nuances of differing expert opinion on development.

The workshop reflected the growing range of opinions on international development in the forms of transnational infrastructure projects and foreign aid. In moments of disagreement, participants offered challenging perspectives and were nuanced in their discussions following each presentation, contributing to robust and productive conversations. In essence, participants practiced what Mr. Russel promoted in his keynote address, to “find ways to work together to surmount and to reduce our mutual suspicion, to identify a shared interest in building global governance systems.”

This story was originally published by the University of Michigan Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy.

In celebration of the University of Michigan’s Bicentennial, the U-M Library partnered with the national oral history organization StoryCorps to record and preserve stories from our community. During the Fall Festival Bicentennial Celebration, participants had conversations with friends, classmates, family members and colleagues about meaningful experiences at U-M. These stories, presented and curated by the U-M Library in collaboration with StoryCorps, capture the essence of the U-M’s past and present.

INTERVIEW NO. 12: HANK GREENSPAN & ARIANA HEADRICK

Hank Greenspan has been interviewing Holocaust survivors since the early 70s, and points out that learning from the past isn’t enough; it’s what we do as bystanders that pays off. Greenspan, a psychologist and U-M lecturer, talks about his life’s work with his former student and friend Ariana Headrick.

Click HERE to listen to the full interview.

This story was originally published by the University of Michigan Arts & Culture.

View the full Bicentennial StoryCorps Collection

Last October, controversial social scientist Charles Murray visited campus at the invitation of the U-M chapter of the College Republicans and the American Enterprise Institute U-M Executive Council. He came to discuss his latest book, but students and faculty familiar with his earlier book, “The Bell Curve” (in which he equates IQ with race and social class), protested his visit.

Despite large numbers of protestors, police allowed only the first 200 people into the room at Palmer Commons. Once inside, however, the group activated smartphone alarms, read statements against him, and even projected the words “White Supremacist” on the wall. Only when they walked out was he able to finish uninterrupted. Unlike March 2017, when Murray spoke at Middlebury College in Vermont, there were no violent clashes.

Fast forward to Feb. 15, when two U-M students on opposing sides of the Murray event discussed the issue during a panel on free speech at Rackham Auditorium.

U-M graduate student Maximillian Alvarez, the co-founder of the Campus Antifascist Network, said he protested that day to make his voice heard and not allow Murray’s presence on campus to go unquestioned. Then-senior Jessie Arm, ’17, one of the organizers of Murray’s visit, countered Alvarez, ‘’If the University is huge on safe spaces, the biggest safe space is the right to free speech.” He had hoped Murray’s visit would provide a forum for an exchange of ideas.

Such tensions surrounding issues of free speech are manifest today on many campuses. While colleges and universities strive to be open to all ideas, they also strive to provide a safe and inclusive environment for students. At U-M, the conversation surrounding free speech didn’t end with Murray’s visit. (See page 19.) In the intervening months, the administration, board of regents, students, faculty, and staff have debated a request by white nationalist Richard Spencer to rent a facility for an appearance in Ann Arbor. (He will not come to campus this academic year, but the University may have to consider his request later in 2018.)

“What we hear today is an energetic and important debate about how to reconcile our goal of having a campus where ideas can be freely expressed with our goal of having a campus that is welcoming, inclusive, and nondiscriminatory,” says Len M. Niehoff, ’81, JD’84, a First Amendment scholar and professor at the U-M Law School.

One key argument of those who oppose Spencer’s visit is the possibility of physical harm, which occurred in Charlottesville, Virginia, when he appeared there in August. Violent clashes between his supporters and protesters resulted in the death of a protester; dozens were injured. That same month, 13 people were arrested in Berkeley when thousands of people gathered in what was supposed to be a peaceful march against bigotry. Instead, antifascist protesters, dressed in black with their faces covered, clashed with white nationalists. And closer to home, Spencer spoke on March 5 at Michigan State University, where multiple police agencies provided security. By the end of the day, there were 25 arrests, 13 on felony charges, and four police officers suffered minor injuries.

Like these other universities, U-M is a public—and therefore governmental—institution. So it must uphold First Amendment protections of free speech and not restrict people from campus based only on the presumed content of their speech.

“Unfortunately, we have no way of keeping Spencer from coming,” says Robert Sellers, vice provost for equity and inclusion, and the University’s chief diversity officer. “What we have to do is make sure our students and our community are as safe as possible.”

U-M President Mark Schlissel echoed that thought in a November 2017 letter to the U-M community following Spencer’s request to visit campus. “Let me repeat: If we cannot assure a reasonably safe setting for the event, we will not allow it to go forward.”

Alexa St. John, a U-M junior and editor of The Michigan Daily, agrees that the University should not allow speakers whose supporters might cause physical harm. The Daily uses that same standard in deciding whether to print opinion pieces. As long as an essay would not incite physical harm or threats to someone in particular, St. John says it is usually cleared for publication.

“Free speech is a core value of America, it’s part of what made us who we are,” St. John says. “But when there’s a correlation of danger attached to it, it’s my opinion and that of many students that we can’t allow it.”

Safety is not the only variable in the University’s decision whether to allow a speaker. It is important, Sellers says, for Michigan students as well as the broader community to hear various points of view, not simply those with which they agree.

“One of the goals is to make sure we as an institution do not lose what I think is a responsibility to help educate our students across differences.”

Not surprisingly, the atmosphere of hyper-partisanship that proliferates around the United States is infecting institutions of higher education, which are microcosms of the larger society.

“The country is going through an identity crisis, and Michigan is no different,” says senior Anushka Sarkar, president of U-M’s Central Student Government. “When people feel threatened, it’s difficult for them not to retract into what feels safe and affirming. That worries me.”

In the end, Sellers says the University faces a greater task than deciding who can rent a microphone or which views can be expressed in a classroom.

“Can we get to a point where we treat each other with a level of respect and civility that allows differences in ideas?” he asks. “The biggest problem we face is understanding that, just because I have the right to say it, doesn’t mean it is right to say it.”

To provide a forum for dialogue on these issues, U-M’s office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and other campus units, including the Alumni Association, are sponsoring Speech and Inclusion: Recognizing Conflict and Building Tools for Engagement. This series has offered various events on campus this semester, including “Speak Freely,” the Feb. 15 event at Rackham moderated by NPR’s Joshua Johnson; “Free Speech and the Necessity of Discomfort,” a presentation by conservative New York Times columnist Bret Stephens; and a keynote speech by journalist April Ryan at the U-M Women of Color Task Force conference.

In addition, the Office of Academic Innovation has organized several teach-outs, a series of online courses focused on free speech on campus, in journalism, and in sports. And on March 15, the University held a teach-in for the campus community to discuss building an inclusive movement against white supremacy and racism.

During his presentation, New York Time’s columnist Stephens said it was important for both sides to engage in dialogue and admit that their firmly held opinions could be wrong.

“We are rapidly losing the ability to talk to one another,” Stephens said. “What we lose by trying to censor hate speech is infinitely greater than what we gain by allowing hate speech to manifest itself.” He warned that what Spencer and his provocative counterparts want most is to be called martyrs—silenced because they pose too big a threat.

Jesse Arm, who helped organized the Charles Murray visit and participated in the Feb. 15 panel, suggested that the best reaction to Spencer—who is neither invited nor sponsored by anyone in the U-M community—is to ignore him. “I don’t want Spencer here on campus, but I think the strongest sign would be for him to speak to an empty classroom or an empty Rackham auditorium.” However, it’s difficult to ignore someone like Spencer.

“They bring violent people with them who storm our towns and believe in ethnic cleansing and apartheid,” counters Maximillian Alvarez, who also participated in the Feb. 15 panel. “It is a slippery slope, but should it be called free speech when it is a threat to our community?”

This is not the first time that U-M has been embroiled in free speech debates. Sellers says that students are acting in the same way that students have acted historically. Protests against the Vietnam War most likely would not have taken place without the activities of Students for a Democratic Society, which was founded at Michigan in 1960 to promote equality, economic justice, peace, and participatory democracy. Along with other student-led organizations such as the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, SDS was one of the proponents of the civil rights movement. Both organizations might have been stifled if there had been no policies on college campuses to promote free speech.

“Free speech cases are almost never about popular speech or speech that represents the majority view,” Niehoff says, noting that U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis, the court’s first Jewish justice, wrote frequently about the First Amendment and the need for civic courage. “We are being asked to have a lot of it at present—particularly those who are members of groups targeted by hateful speech and noxious ideologies.”

In the late 1980s, the campus was rattled by a series of incidents, including a racist flier, repeated destruction of a student-built hut that protested apartheid in South Africa, display of a Ku Klux Klan uniform from a dorm room window, and a guest on student-run radio station WJJX who told racist jokes, causing the station to be shut down.

In response to these incidents, the University adopted a free speech policy in 1988 that was meant to define and curb hate speech. But the effort was immediately challenged in court by an unnamed graduate student, in a case called Doe v. University of Michigan, as being vague and overbroad. After the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan struck down the policy, the University rewrote it and put the new guidelines into effect in 1993. It still abides by the policy.

“Writing a code that prohibits harmful and unprotected speech sounds easy enough,” says Niehoff, who was on campus when that debate was underway. “But such a code must be sufficiently specific that people know what they can and cannot do, sufficiently narrow that it does not overreach and punish protected speech, and sufficiently detailed that it does not leave administrators with unbridled discretion.

As the University community continues to debate and discuss free speech issues, it’s obvious that no simple answers exist for some very challenging questions. In his November letter, Schlissel indicated that the community can draw together despite the challenges.

“We now face a very difficult test of our ability to uphold these values. This is a test we did not welcome, but it’s one that we must face together.”

This story was originally published by Michigan Alumnus.

America’s medical schools are making progress in efforts to attract, admit and accommodate students with disabilities — though there is more work to be done, a new report concludes. The report lays out steps medical schools can take to lower the physical, cultural and administrative barriers that keep people with disabilities from seeking a career in medicine.

The School of Public Health’s Eugene Feingold Excellence in Diversity Award helps celebrate the legacy of public health leader and social activist Eugene Feingold. Feingold was professor of Health Management and Policy at Michigan Public Health and was active in community organizations concerned with civil liberties, poverty, and racial discrimination.

Established in 2004, the Feingold Award recognizes and honors faculty, staff, and students who champion diversity efforts throughout the school and contribute positively to an environment of inclusion.

Jenny Crawford, executive secretary for the Department of Health Behavior and Health Education

This year’s staff Feingold Award was awarded to Jenny Crawford, executive secretary for the Department of Health Behavior and Health Education. Crawford serves as the department’s staff representative to the school-wide Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) committee and is known as an action-oriented colleague who moves initiatives forward with equal commitment to ideas from faculty, staff, and students. She leads a monthly book club that discusses diversity-related books and recently instituted a current-events dialogue series to provide a community forum to discuss important topics.

Crawford brings together a diverse range of people in the department to help build a culture of connection. “Jenny has been a leader in our department to engage in meaningful and substantive discussions that critically examine structural challenges to equity and diversity on campus,” said Amy Schulz, professor of Health Behavior and Health Education.

Crawford says our differences make us stronger as a community: “I am incredibly honored to receive the Feingold Award, and I truly believe community building is the key to improving diversity, equity, and inclusion. Coming together and getting to know each other—with our varying opinions, perspectives, and life histories—is priceless.”

Katrina Burns, a doctoral student in Environmental Health Sciences

Katrina Burns, a doctoral student in Environmental Health Sciences, is the very first student recipient of the Feingold Award. Burns serves on the departmental and school-wide DE&I committees and is known for her tireless work coordinating ambitious DE&I-related activities for students, staff, and faculty. She initiated and organized her department’s first DE&I town hall in 2016 and initiated the department’s DE&I committee, personally recruiting and inspiring students to get involved.

Burns is also known for passionate and effective research efforts to protect the safety and health of laboratory workers in all settings, particularly among groups that are vulnerable or disadvantaged. “Katrina’s efforts to do research on laboratory safety—an important issue that affects many but has not historically received sufficient attention—are badly needed in order to protect students, staff, and faculty both at the university and elsewhere,” said Dana Dolinoy, NSF International Chair of Environmental Health Sciences and professor of Nutritional Sciences.

Burns says that success in diversity, equity, and inclusion mean an unwavering dedication to excellence, integrity, consistency, patience, fairness, persistence, and courage for all of us. “And that success is not determined by how much we know, but the willingness to learn. This willingness is embodied in my colleagues on the Environmental Health Sciences DE&I departmental committee. I share this recognition with them and with the Environmental Health Sciences department, and am grateful for their support. I am honored to have begun our journey, but together, through our commitment to each other and the work we do in the Environmental Health Sciences department, we are seekers of universal love for all of humanity, creating a path towards the future vision of DE&I for Environmental Health Sciences, Michigan Public Health and the University of Michigan.”

This story was originally published by the University of School of Public Health.

Two faculty members and two students were honored Wednesday as the School of Dentistry presented its annual Ida Gray Awards during a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Day program.

Receiving awards were Kelsie Pittel, a third-year dental student; Hussain Haider, a fourth-year dental student; adjunct faculty member Dr. Shahrzad (Sherry) Mirafzali; and faculty member Dr. Elliott Hill. The award honors individuals who have contributed to the advancement of diversity and who have improved the climate for work, learning, research and patient care. Faculty, staff and students from the school submit nominations for the award.

The award is named for Dr. Ida Gray, the first African American woman in the country to earn a DDS when she graduated from the School of Dentistry in 1890. She was also the first black woman to practice dentistry in Chicago.

Dean Laurie McCauley applauded the work of the school’s Multicultural Affairs Committee in sponsoring a strong slate of programs and events, like DEI Day, that encourage students, faculty and staff to sustain a welcoming, inclusive environment throughout the school. She noted that university administrators recently praised the school’s DEI efforts as well, citing it as an exemplar on campus. “That speaks so highly of the work we all do collectively in this area,” McCauley said.

During the Ida Gray Award presentation, Pittel was nominated for her work with LGBTQ advocacy and awareness. She has been president of the Alliance for Inclusion, the school’s LGBTQ advocacy group for three years and has taken a leadership role in related issues since first entering the school. Nominators noted that she has created a climate of caring, acceptance and welcoming throughout the school by organizing and attending numerous educational events and support groups. She is a member of the school’s Multicultural Affairs Committee and also has volunteered for programs that provide oral health information to various constituencies in the community.

Haider and Mirafzali were nominated for their parts in making a documentary film -– “Me, the ‘Other’ ” -– which had its world premiere on Jan. 15 before a capacity crowd at the Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor. Mirafzali co-produced the film and Haider is one of 12 Ann Arbor-area students profiled in the documentary. The film looks at the sometimes overt and sometimes subtle prejudices of being “different” in a community or society because of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, age, immigrant status or other elements of personal experience. The students discuss how their lives have been shaped by the perceptions of others and how they have overcome difficulties to move forward in their education, careers and lives. Mirafzali cast students from U-M, Eastern Michigan University and Washtenaw Community College, and recruited mostly volunteers to produce the film, finishing it in less than a year. In the documentary, Hussain discusses how his life changed when his family immigrated from Pakistan to New Jersey when he was 13 years old. The documentary has been shown twice in Ann Arbor and discussions are under way for sharing it more widely, perhaps nationally.

Elliott was cited as a quiet, humble faculty member who brings critical contributions to dental education that reach beyond the school. A DDS alum with a master’s in prosthodontics and a PhD in Oral Health Sciences, Elliott returned from private practice to teach at the school because he found that education and mentoring are his passions. He has served on the school’s DDS admissions committee for more than 10 years, helping to recruit talented student applicants and ensure diversity in the candidate pool. He is also active leading the U-M Student National Dental Association chapter’s Jamaica Outreach Program, which takes students to remote areas of Jamaica to provide oral health care and education for children. The project has inspired students to continue to work with underserved populations as their careers progress. The nomination cited one of Hill’s favorite quotes: History most often records those who have made themselves broad in heart by serving others.

Also during the program, Dr. Todd Ester, Director of Diversity and Inclusion, gave an update of the school’s participation in the second year of the campus-wide diversity, equity and inclusion initiative. The school completed a cultural competency training series for students, faculty and staff last year. He announced that the series will continue this year with more speakers and training designed for students, faculty and staff. He noted that faculty member Dr. Marita Inglehart will be contributing to campus-wide inclusive-teaching seminars for faculty this year. Ester also introduced the school’s Human Resources Director, Natalie Brown, who joins Ester as co-chair of the school’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Strategic Plan. She replaces Tina Pryor, the previous HR director who retired last year.

This story was originally published by the University of Michigan School of Dentistry.

Rama Mwenesi was a freshman at the University of Michigan when he came up with an idea of designing, building and deploying low-cost, solar-powered internet systems to various off-the-grid communities in Africa. The much-needed mentorship, funding and encouragement for the project came from the African Studies Center at U-M’s College of Literature, Science, and the Arts.

Nathaniel Mercado had just begun his first year at the University of Michigan School of Nursing when Hurricane Maria hit his family’s homeland, Puerto Rico, on September 20, 2017. Maria was one of the most destructive storms the island has ever seen.

He had been visiting family the month before, and returned stateside in September to begin his freshman year at UMSN.

“There was so much going on with the start of school, but I contacted my mom back in Chicago to see what we could do for our family in Puerto Rico,” he said. “We were able to ship water. We had to send a lot because they couldn’t get anything where they were. It was a lot to organize, but it got there, and that’s all that matters.”

Compounding the concern he felt for his family and the stress of starting college was the political rhetoric around federal responsibility for disaster relief in Puerto Rico.

Puerto Ricans are United States citizens, but as a U.S. territory and not a state, Puerto Rico does not have voting representation in Congress, nor do they have electoral college votes. Lack of political representation is often cited to explain the difference between the recent federal disaster responses in Texas and Florida, on one hand, and that in Puerto Rico, on the other.

“It was tough,” Mercado explained. “Just knowing that my family needed help, and dealing with everything at school, and having to deal with that rhetoric was stressful.”

Mercado took solace in his ability to make a positive impact.

“At least we were able to help them as much as we could,” he said.

Maintaining connections

Mercado and his family try to visit their extended family in Puerto Rico every summer.

“Since I wasn’t born in Puerto Rico, it’s a big deal for me to visit as much as possible,” he said. “I grew up in a really culturally Puerto Rican family in a Hispanic area of Chicago, where my parents raised my brothers and me to have pride in being Puerto Rican.”

Encountering discrimination

The pride his family instilled in him has served him well in navigating his first year living in Ann Arbor.

“I’ve had a couple encounters on the bus where I hear people talking, saying that people should stay in Mexico and shouldn’t be speaking their languages here,” said Mercado who was bothered by his experiences on the bus. “I didn’t expect to be bothered by other people’s racial prejudice, but I guess it just helped me to have that pride, and stay true to it.”

The 2017-18 academic year at the University of Michigan saw a number of racial incidents, from anti-Latinx painting on the “rock” to flyers stating “make America white again” to racist graffiti in West Quad dormitory, where Mercado lives.

Mercado had hoped for a stronger response from U-M’s administration towards these incidents, particularly in the case of a white supremacist seeking a venue on U-M’s campus.

“That made me uncomfortable. I feel like there is a difference between free speech and hate speech,” he said.

The tension between free speech and inclusivity on campus has been debated especially fiercely this semester. University of Michigan President Mark Schlissel has provided a statement to the campus community outlining how he sees the university’s dual obligation to uphold free speech as well as protect public safety. In addition, the Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion is leading a speech and inclusion series this semester addressing the very issue Mercado raises.

Mercado plans to join a Latinx student group next year to help make a difference on U-M’s campus.

Inspired by nursing care

Mercado became interested in nursing as a career through managing childhood disease.

“Growing up I had high blood pressure,” Mercado said. “I was on medication from age 10 to age 16, and just being at a hospital all the time, having to have echocardiograms, I was able to interact with the nurses. Seeing how they communicated with me and were very caring, I really wanted to translate that into my future.”

Mercado and one of his older brothers both had hypertension. The culprit, Mercado believes, was an unhealthy diet high in salt. Thanks to a change in diet and lifestyle choices his mother made for the family, their conditions resolved.

“As a kid I was still able to do things that I liked,” he said. “But it was uncomfortable to have to take medication every day at the same time.”

This story was originally published by the University of Michigan School of Nursing.