What is Michigamua? Who is in Michigamua?

By Micah Holmquist
February 9, 2000
Updated February 11, 2000
Michigan Independent World Wide Web Exclusive

What is Michigamua?

As you have probably heard by now, Michigamua is a secret society that has its headquarters on the top floor of the Michigan Union. It occupies this space rent-free although the group pays for all of its other costs on its own.

The group was founded in 1902 and its membership includes such University of Michigan illuminaries as current UM men's hockey coach Gordon "Red Scalper" Berenson (1962), former president Gerald "Flipp 'Um Back" Ford (1935), and former UM football coach Bo "Big Ten Wrecker" Schembechler (honorary, 1983). (The nicknames come from Michigamua's 1997 directory. The year refers to when the person became a member.)

Up to 25 people can join Michigamua each year. The current membership of the group determines who gets in. They begin to scout out potential recruits usually when they are sophomores or juniors.

Michigamua likes to view itself as being an organization for student leaders and other important people. For better or worse, its membership tends to consist of athletes and individuals who are involved in activities that merit little controversy. However, Michigamua does keep files on potential members which are quite revealing. These files often includes a picture, a listing of when and where a person can be best viewed and scouted, as well as the pros and cons of letting them in. Some members of current crop of candidates have such negatives as being mildly retarded and not being familiar with the other "elitist" organizations on campus. (Yes, one file does actually contain the word elitist and without any trace of irony.)

Eventually the list is narrowed down to 25 or fewer people. At the end of each academic year, these 25 or so people are tapped out to join Michigamua. Almost all of these candidates are juniors and will be begin their senior year in the following fall. They have to undergo an initiation process that appears, even to this day, to include some hazing rituals that the University has a policy against.

The new group of Michigamua members has traditionally gone by the name of Tribe of 1999 or whatever year it was that they joined. The group now officially refers to each class of members as the Pride of whatever year it is.

Michigamua has traditionally engaged in activities that mimic Native American practices. The office that they meet in looks like a wig-wam from the inside. Furthermore, the group has many objects and adornments in their office that are appropriated directly from indigenous cultures. The group presently claims that it does not participate in any rituals patterned after Native Americans; however a great deal of evidence, including the group's own documents, suggest that the group does in fact still engage in these activities.

Each new member gets a the nickname "fighting wolve." Michigamua members claim that this is a reference to a wolverine. However, more than one picture of a wolf is present in the group's office, and there are no pictures of wolverines. Furthermore the group's material talks regularly about working as a pack; wolves travel in packs, wolverines do not.

In addition to "fighting wolve," each Michigamua member gets a personalized moniker.

Who is in Michigamua?

The following is a list of the currently active Michigamua members. It comes from the pride2000@umich.edu email address listing. The nicknames come from the group's own Pride of 2000 internal document. Any assistance on further placing these people within the community of the University of Michigan would be appreciated. Please email any assistance to micahth@umich.edu.

Bryan F "Wanna See my Crack Again" Ackerman

-Senior, LSA

Nicholas J "Latino Unity I Try to Show" Delgado

-Senior, LSA

Diana M "Wanna Be" Economy

-Senior, LSA

-Member of Students United for Multicultural Initiatives according to the February 10, 1997 issue of the Daily.

-Refused to not spend more than $500 on her MSA campaign according to the March 30, 1997 issue of the Daily. Was a candidate for the Students Party (Daily, Mar. 14, 1997). Won election that year as LSA rep.

-Likes to go to Bollinger’s lunches. "I try to go to all of them, regardless of my interest in the topic" (Daily, Feb. 25, 1999).

Bram T "Won it by Computer Bias" Elias

-Senior, LSA

-President of the Michigan Student Assembly

Cynthia A "Frat Boys I Stalk" Faulk

-Senior, School of Education

Michael K "I'm a Nerd" Forward

- Student Residences

- Resident Minority Peer Advisor, Vera Baits I Residence Halls

Jose E Haro

-Senior, Division of Kinesiology

-Gymnastics team.

Douglas A "Everybody I See Runs Away from Me" Henry

-Senior, School of Business Administration

Damaune Y "Who You Gonna See" Journey

-Student Residences

-Resident Minority Peer Advisor, Bursley Residence Hall

Jason P "Recievers had it For" Kapsner

-LSA

-Football, Quarterback

Kevin M "I'm Kevin not Magnus" Magnuson

-Senior, LSA

-Staff of the News Department of The Michigan Daily

-Hockey team

-Magnuson on 1996 presidential election:

Scott A "Others Always Finish Higher" Meyer

-Senior, LSA

-swim team

Matthew "In my Pants I Pee when Everyone Pisses Me" Michalski

-Senior, School of Business Administration

Stephen D "First I Run then I Vomit" Moffat

-Senior, LSA

-Track team

Rishi "Kids Give me a Thrill" Moudgil

-Senior, School of Business Administration

-Founder of K-Gram program

Seema "Bye Bye Miss American" Pai

-Senior, LSA

-Currently serves as President of LSA student government

Sean C "Pucks always out of reach, missed Red Selpers Speech" Peach

-Senior, LSA

-Hockey player

Bryce E "Ticket to Boston" Ralston

-Senior, Division of Kinesiology

-baseball, pitcher

Rohith P "For the Mafia I'm Dressed and" Reddy

-Senior, LSA

- Interfraternity Council president. Was elected in November of 1998.

Robbie A "Big Boy, isnell" Renes

-Senior, School of Education

Shannon C "At my Top, Buzzed on Beer" Shakespeare

-Senior, Division of Kinesiology

-Swim team

-1996 Olympian for Canada. Currently preparing for the 2000 games. (Daily, Feb. 9, 2000)

-"As captain of the 1997 Canadian Pan-Pacific Championship team, Shannon won a silver medal with her 400- and 800- meter freestyle relay teams." (Daily, Feb. 9, 2000)

Darius T "What Michigan Basketball Means for me, I could've said More" Taylor

-Senior, Division of Kinesiology

-Basketball team, guard, forward

Cathleen C "9 mm I'm" Totin

-Senior, LSA

Erica L "Nobody Wants to Get" Widder

-Senior, LSA

-field hockey

 

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