President Clinton to deliver spring 2007 commencement address

Former President Bill Clinton will deliver the spring 2007 commencement address at the University of Michigan.

The ceremony will be held April 28, 2007 in Michigan Stadium. The University awards degrees to about 3,500 undergraduate students at spring commencement, before an audience of more than 40,000.

All family members and guests attending Spring Commencement on Saturday, April 28, including children over age two, need a ticket to enter Michigan Stadium.  Bachelor's degree recipients are eligible to receive up to eight tickets; graduate (master's and doctoral) degree recipients are eligible to receive up to four tickets and request up to four additional tickets while supplies last.

Spring Commencement ticket distribution takes place in the Alumni Center, Founders Room (Alumni Association, 200 Fletcher Street, corner of Fletcher and Washington Streets).

Tickets-Campus Community

Once ticket distribution to the graduates is complete, the next order of priority will be the campus community, including faculty, staff, and non-graduating students.  Tickets will be available on a first-come, first-served basis and will be limited to two tickets per person.  The schedule for ticket distribution to the campus community is:  Wednesday, April 25, 7:30 a.m.-6:00 p.m.  University identification will be required.

Tickets-General Public

Following distribution to the graduates and campus community, remaining tickets will be made available to the general public on a first-come, first-served basis with a limit of two tickets per person.  The schedule for ticket distribution to the general public is Thursday, April 26, 7:30 a.m.-6:00 p.m.; and Friday, April 27, 8:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m., while supplies last.  Graduates and others may return during these times to request extra tickets.


The Workplace 2007:
University of Michigan Staff Recognition Awards nominations are due no later than April 27, 2007.

The Office of Human Resources & Affirmative Action is pleased to honor staff members who have made marked contributions to the mission and work of this institution with this University-wide award. All staff members, including bargained-for staff, are eligible for nomination. Members of the University community-staff, faculty and students-are invited to nominate University staff members.

For more information and an online nomination form:
www.umich.edu/~hraa/workplace/index.html

Racial slur on sofa label stuns family (continued)

To read earlier story CLICK HERE
Chinese translation error blamed for slur on sofa label

Had it not been for her daughter, Doris Moore might not have noticed the label attached to her brand new dark brown couch that contained the racial slur "n***** brown" to describe the shade of the couch. Moore, who was stunned, filed an immediate complaint with the furniture store. But the store said the burden of proof lay with the supplier. Kingsoft Corp., a Chinese software company, acknowledged its translation program was at fault and said it was a regrettable error. Luoyi, product manager for the Beijing-based company's translation software, explained that when the Chinese characters for "dark brown" are typed into an older version of its Chinese-English translation software, the offensive description comes up...FULL STORY

 

The 13th Annual Black Celebratory
ceremony will be held on Saturday April 28th, 2007 at 7:30 pm at Hill Auditorium.

The Black Celebratory celebrates the commonalties and differences that characterize the experiences of African Americans and other students at the University of Michigan. In upholding the expectation of the first Black Celebratory in 1993, this program serves as an example of the University of Michigan's commitment to diversity and to African American students. ...FULL STORY

 

Fighting Obesity in the Black Community

Ian Smith, physician, New York Times bestselling author and VH1 "Celebrity Fit Club" expert, is the brainchild behind the weight-loss-challenge initiative geared toward blacks who are overweight or obese. The challenge, sponsored by State Farm, is considered to be one of the largest black-health initiatives undertaken. For more information, go to www.50millionpounds.com.


Research performed by a 2006 Harris Interactive survey,  found that

80 percent of ADULT BLACK WOMEN
and
67 percent of ADULT BLACK MEN
ARE
OVERWEIGHT

and studies suggest these numbers are rising.

 

CAAS EVENTS
FOR
WEEK OF APRIL 23, 2007


Bambi Haggins

Bambi Haggins

Please join us at Shaman Drum Bookshop on Tuesday, April 24th at 7:00 PM, when we welcome Bambi Haggins to the store, for a reading and discussion of her new book, “Laughing Mad: The Black Comic Persona In Post-Soul America.”
Prior to the civil rights movement, comedians performed for audiences that were clearly delineated by race. Black comedians performed for black audiences and white comedians performed for whites. Yet during the past forty-five years, black comics have become progressively more central to mainstream culture.

In “Laughing Mad,” Bambi Haggins looks at how this transition occurred in a variety of media and shows how this integration has paved the way for black comedians and their audiences to affect each other. Historically, African American performers have been able to use comedy as a pedagogic tool, interjecting astute observations about race relations while the audience is laughing. And yet, Haggins makes the convincing argument that the potential of African American comedy remains fundamentally unfulfilled as the performance of blackness continues to be made culturally digestible for mass consumption.

Bambi Haggins is an assistant professor in Screen Arts and Cultures at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

 

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