Viewpoint in the Michigan Daily

Here is UAAO's stance on Housing Administration's enforcement of their space use policy. This viewpoint will soon be published in the Michigan Daily, so read it here before it comes out.

One day after Michigan voters approved Prop 2 in 2006, Mary Sue Coleman addressed the University community, proclaiming, “diversity matters at Michigan.”

“If November 7th was the day that Proposal 2 passed, then November 8th is the day we pledge to remain unified in our fight for diversity. Together, we must continue to make this world-class university one that reflects the richness of the world.”

Yet in spite of such proclamations, the University of Michigan has proven to be an unwelcoming place for students of color. Space, specifically a central location in which members of minority populations can gather, is necessary for not only the empowerment of individuals, but also empowerment of such communities as a whole. The preservation of a safe space in which students of color are encouraged to meet and foster their individual identities and values is crucial to creating a campus climate where diversity is a lived state of being and not simply an abstract concept or cliché dictum.

The University housing administration has recently decided to enforce its policy of limiting the number of times per academic term and year for which an individual or organization can conduct an activity. While this policy applies to all residence hall lounges, it has the greatest impact on minority-cultural and multicultural lounges and the student organizations that have historic ties to those rooms.

United Asian American Organizations (UAAO) has had unrestricted use of the Yuri Kochiyama Lounge in South Quad for nearly a decade. Named after Japanese American civil rights activist Yuri Kochiyama, the space is the only space on campus dedicated to the Asian/Pacific Islander American (A/PIA) community and A/PIA activism.

While it is within university policy to regulate use of residence hall space, it is also stated university policy to "create and sustain diverse learning-centered residence communities.” (See “Living at Michigan Credo”) It is crucial that UAAO and other organizations like UAAO have unrestricted access (i.e. being able to hold standing meetings) to show that our mission is to unite and empower the A/PIA community. Furthermore, we want to embody and carry on the historical current left by Yuri Kochiyama's legacy of engaging in activism and promoting diversity.

In a post-Prop 2 world, the relationships between minority students, faculty, staff and overall campus community have been tenuous ones. To deny A/PIA students unrestricted space use perpetuates the university's refusal to acknowledge the needs of students of color and directly contradicts President Coleman’s claim that "diversity matters." While there do exist other facilities dedicated to Asian/Pacific Islander Americans, none are as centrally located as the Yuri Kochiyama Lounge. The importance of a centrally located space cannot be understated, as it shows a true commitment to putting diversity at the fore.

Limiting access to the YK lounge would not only be detrimental to the success of UAAO as a student organization, but would also be detrimental to the diversity and the value we place on diversity at the U of M. Just as the Yuri Kochiyama Lounge is not the only one where this policy is being enforced, UAAO and the A/PIA community are not the only ones being affected. As members of the A/PIA community, and hence a part of the minority community at large on campus, we also stand in solidarity with other groups whose space use is also being restricted. Just as Yuri Kochiyama organized across community lines, we will not consider this issue closed until all groups with long standing history with certain lounges have their unrestricted access restored