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Community reflects on university’s role in civil rights movement By Olivia Dimmer odimmer@statenews.com THE STATE NEWS nn
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roject 60/50 is more than a commemoration of two landmark civil rights victories that will celebrate milestone anniversaries this year. It’s a yearlong discussion on human and civil rights issues brought to the forefront in the 1960s and remain relevant today. This year will mark the 60th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education and the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act being passed and signed into law. These anniversaries serve as the backdrop for Project 60/50, which also will encompass a broader discussion of 21stcentury civil and human rights issues. The project consists of a series of events, symposiums, documentary screenings and forums that deal with topics of civil and human rights. “These conversations are not intended to be limited to the borders of our campus,” said Paulette Granberry Russell, director of the Office for Inclusion and Intercultural Initiatives. “Our students extend themselves beyond the borders of our campus. Our goal is to be a diverse community and have our students explore and understand issues... not be an obstacle in the way of progress.” The project’s creation spawned from the idea of building upon MSU’s long-standing history of being on the forefront of civil and human rights, Human Resources & Labor Photos pictured: A civil rights march in East Lansing in the 1960s. Then-president John A. Hannah, chairman of the U.S. Civil Rights Commission, talks with Dr. George M. Johnson, professor of education during the 1968 presentation of the first copy of the book, “The U.S. Civil Rights Commission: 1957-1967,” published by the MSU Press. John Hannah stands beside President Dwight Eisenhower in a 1959 photo of the U.S. Civil Rights Commission. Gr aphic by isabel calder | SN / Photos courtesy msu archives
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MSU REACTS TO OBAMA’S COMMENTS ON SEXUAL ASSAULTs By Simon Schuster sschuster@statenews.com THE STATE NEWS nn
A prominent issue in the MSU community, sexual assault, received attention on the national stage this week when President Barack Obama addressed the issue directly in a speech delivered to the White House Council on Women and Girls. A White House report on the issue estimates 20 percent of female college students are sexually assaulted, while only about 12 percent of victims report it. In an October interview with
The State News, Sexual Assault Program Coordinator Shari Murgittroyd said she estimated only one in five assaults at MSU ever reach official ears. Jayne Schuiteman, interim director of the Women’s Resource
“It would have been ideal to have this addressed sooner ... The fact that President Obama’s doing it — it’s time.”
A report from the White House estimates 20 percent of female students are sexually assaulted, with only 12 percent reporting
the head” with his remarks, but acknowledged the issue was not a new one. “It would have been ideal to have this addressed sooner, but I think Vice President (Joe) Biden has a great track record at looking at issues of violence against women,” Schuiteman said. “The fact that President Obama’s doing
Center at MSU, said she thought the president “hit the nail on
Jayne Schuiteman, interim director of Women’s Resource Center
it — it’s time.” MSU has its share of problems with sexual assault. Twenty sexual offenses were reported in 2012, a number that has remained relatively unchanged from past years, according to MSU’s Annual Security and Fire Safety Report. There have been a string of high-profile assaults in recent years at MSU
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and in East Lansing — some have ended in arrests, while others remain unsolved. Even fewer are reported. During his speech, Obama also announced the creation of a new task force meant to work with educational institutions to improve the way they prevent and respond to assaults. “These young women worked so hard just to get into college, often their parents are doing everything they can to help them pay for it,” Obama said. “So when they finally make it there only to be assaulted, that is not just a nightmare for them
and their families, it’s an affront to everything they’ve worked so hard to achieve. ... It’s totally unacceptable.” The university offers a variety of services and support for victims. MSU’s Counseling Center has an office devoted to sexual assault, and every freshman at the university is mandated to attend a workshop on how to prevent the crime. Many services are confidential, and the university has outlined detailed reporting procedures, as federal guidelines mandate.
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