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Academics for Affirmative Action and Social Justice (AAASJ), a multi-racial coalition of University of Michigan students, faculty and staff, was established in response to the lawsuits filed in 1997 challenging the university's admissions practices. AAASJ supported affirmative action and protested inequality through education, debates and rallies. The record group contains correspondence, newsletters, and essays.

The records of Academics for Affirmative Action and Social Justice (AAASJ) cover the period 1997-2000, and contain administrative information about the organization such as correspondence, records of events, newsletters, and statements.

The bulk of the collection consists of correspondence (including printouts of email) between the founders of AAASJ, Nadia Kim and Tom Guglielmo, and members of the organization. Most of the correspondence contains details regarding meetings, events and news related to affirmative action. The record group also contains information regarding events sponsored by AAASJ like debates and rallies.

AAASJ published a newsletter titled Veritas, with information about affirmative action and the organization's position on the University of Michigan's admissions policies. The record group contains newsletters covering the period 1998-1999. A VHS videotape of the panel session It's All About Mike is also include in this collection. The session, which took place on January 27, 2000, was a debate about affirmative action between members of AAASJ and the Michigan Review.

This collection includes materials accumulated by the CMU. Multicultural Academic Student Services (MASS), including: photograph albums, newspaper clippings, and video recordings of multicultural related events.

This collection, 1984-2018, and undated, in 3 cubic ft. (in 4 boxes, 2 oversized photograph albums) includes materials accumulated by the CMU. Multicultural Academic Student Services (MASS), including: photograph albums, newspaper clippings, and video recordings of multicultural related events. The collection is organized by format and chronologically.

Newspaper Clippings(copies) directly related to cultural events that had an effect on CMU student body, faculty, or surrounding community were retained. For example: Chippewa nickname controversy, Tomahawk chop, residence hall conflicts, Kosovo POWs, Indian tuition waiver, Basketball Coach Keith Drambrot, Women’s track Coach Ellen Carpenter, Speaker Sister Souljah, Affirmative Action exemption debate, Central 6, and the Noose controversy (2007).

This collection includes six photograph albums. The contents of four of these albums were removed from poor quality three-ring binders, placed in folders and boxed, while two oversized albums were left intact. Photographs in this collection cover many multicultural events and settings such as: Get Acquainted Day, Parent Empowerment through Academics and Knowledge (PEAK), Minority awards ceremonies, cultural performances, American Council on Education (ACE), Cultural workshops, candid office moments, Spring break, Hispanic Heritage Food Taster, Zumba classes, Martin Luther King Jr. events (Unity Ball, Unity March, Peace Brunch), Organization for Black Unity events, Iron Chef, Think Fast, Black History Month events, Asian culture events, Soup and Substance, Battle of the Bands, Powwow, multicultural office, and Graduation Ceremonies. Also, included are photographs of speakers that visited CMU such as Danny Glover, B.D. Wong, Judge Joe Brown, and Jaime Escalante.

Videotapes in this collection are on VHS format. Events covered by this footage include: Battle of the Bands, Cultural Explosion, Minority Student Services Awards ceremonies, Students of Color Leadership Conference, United Holiday Celebration, and NSEMP (later known as African-American Mentoring Program).

ACE Picture Perfect Student Services compact disc includes two audio files and two PowerPoint files. The PowerPoints exhibit multiple photographs in various settings and lists members of the program with accompanying portrait.

Researchers may also be interested in other collections on CMU. Institutional Diversity and its predecessor units at the Clarke Historical Library.

The collection documents the center's history with reports, newspaper clippings, photographic materials, and VHS videos.

The collection is organized by format into the following series: papers, mostly newspaper clippings (1 cubic ft.), photographic materials, mostly of exhibits (.5 cubic ft.), and VHS videos on a wide variety of topics (2 cubic ft.). Each series is then organized alphabetically and chronologically.

The papers consist mostly of newspaper clippings (copies), 1980s-2010, and undated as well as programmatic materials, minority equality reports, copies or original artwork, and the Center’s webpage (copies), 2011.

Photographic materials consists mostly of colored photographs as well as some negatives and contact prints, mostly documenting Center art exhibits or KCP (King / Chavez / Parks) Days or Workshops at CMU for minority students, 1993, 2008, and undated.

The VHS videos, 1987, 2006, and undated, document visiting speakers, panel discussions, soup and substance and breakfast discussions, and other events covering a wide variety of multicultural topics including Native Americans, Disabilities Act, Affirmative Action, African Americans, Ojibwa traditions, feminism, Speak, Speak Out, diversity, etc. A few are user copies of CMU media productions, CMU Minute and Editor’s Notepad. Native American topics are particularly well documented. There are also six videos covering parts 7-24 of Dealing with Diversity, 1993.

The Addition to the collection, 1981-2010, and undated, 2.75 cubic ft. (in 6 boxes) consists of the same formats and information as the original collection. Boxes 1-3 are alphabetical subject files with photographs. Boxes 4-5 are of special interest as they include correspondence, reports, and other materials relating to the Chippewa nickname used by CMU. Box 6 includes several videos and a cassette tape.

The July 2019 Addition includes Box 12 (.5 cu.ft.), 10 VHS color videotapes, 1984-1993: The Legal (Pre-Employment) Interview, 1984, an acted interview with illegal questions, copyright 1984 by CMU Office of Affirmative Action, 5 minutes 58 seconds. Handicappers Rights, 1988, Marshall Rose and the Mount Pleasant Committee on the Handicapped lead a small, inaugural discussion on accessibility, dignity and quality of life in an unidentified CMU class room, 1.5 hours. Cultural Diversity at CMU, [1988] which includes discussion of the CMU mascot, speakers Pres. Jakubauskas, Dr. Nancy Belck, Dr. Rebecca Torres-Riviera, Dr. Ulana Klymyshyn, produced by CMU Library Instructional Resources, 6 minutes 49 seconds. Sexual Issues in the University, 1989, Marshall Rose, the CMU Affirmative Action officer, leads a panel discussion of Dr. Megan Goodwin, Dr. Angela Haddad, and Dr. James Jones on the topic, 1 hour, 3 minutes, 29 seconds. Marshall Rose on Whites in Black History, 1989, a very informative, thoughtful, presentation, about 1 hour, tape is in very bad shape. Have We Finally Arrived at Educational Equity Forum, 1990, includes Dr. Rita Kissen Dr. Robert Levy, Dr. Barbara Kirk discussing race, ethnicity, how to train teachers, 1 hour 6 minutes 36 seconds, this video is in very bad shape. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Freedom March and Commemorative Program, 1991, march of CMU students and staff from Foust to Warriner, 2 banners of note-Eta Sigma Gamma supports the dream and Barnes Hall Taking the dream into the 90s, two unidentified African American male speakers and Leticia Gary (?) in front of Warriner, 11 minutes, 29 seconds. Affirmative Action Annual Think Take, Tape 1, 1991, sponsored by Kappa Alpha Psi by two African American poets, Dr. Kenneth Zakee, and Askia M. Toure, and a presentation by Miss Lefisa (sp?) in the Theatre on the Side, 2 hours 3 minutes 36 seconds. Affirmative Action Annual Think Take, Tape 2, 1991, continues Tape 1, 24 minutes, 25 seconds. Dr. Lloyd Elm, Lincoln Address, 1993, Onadago Tribe member and Native American educator presentation in UC at unidentified conference, 37 minutes, 4 seconds.

Due to shelving issues, the Addition boxes are shelved separately from the main collection.

Two lawsuits filed in 1997 (Gratz, et al. v. Bollinger; and Grutter, et al. v. Bollinger) made the University of Michigan a focal point in the national debate over the value and legality of affirmative action in higher education. The lawsuits brought by non-minority applicants challenged the legality of the university's admissions process. Documentation includes briefs, judicial orders and opinions, expert reports, trial transcripts and exhibits, and amicus briefs from companies and organizations supporting the university's position in both the Gratz and Grutter case. Also included are snapshot of the university's admissions lawsuits website and clippings and media files.

The records are organized in four series, Grutter v. Bollinger, et al., Gratz v. Bollinger, et al., Admissions Lawsuits Website and News Media. The first three series contain briefs, judicial orders and opinions, experts' reports, amicus briefs from companies and organizations supporting the university's position in the lawsuits, and a limited number of press releases and documents printed from the website maintained by the university's News and Information Services regarding the lawsuits. The News Media series, however, is entirely comprised of news articles, editorials and press releases from newspapers across the country. Note that the record group currently contains only public documents. It does not contain internal General Counsel documents or correspondence regarding the lawsuits.

The office of the Vice Provost for Academic and Multicultural Affairs was originally established to develop and support programs to aid the University of Michigan in the recruitment and retention of students, faculty, and staff of color. The scope of the duties of the office were later expanded to include administrative oversight of a number of programs and services for faculty and students. The bulk of the record group is comprised of topical files related to multicultural issues, correspondence and reports relating to particular initiatives and funding programs, and administrative office files.

The records of the Vice Provost for Academic and Multicultural Affairs document the activities and functions of the office from its creation in 1987 through 2000. The record group has been received in increments over the years, with some overlap in content between different accessions; the researcher may want to consult the files in multiple accessions to ensure receiving the most complete account of a particular subject. Some scattered records predating the formal establishment of the office are present in the early accessions. The record group consists of records of Vice Provost Charles D. Moody, Sr. and Lester Monts relating to work of the Office; series concern relations of office with outside organizations as well as activities within the university. It also includes administrative files, chronological files, and files on units reporting to the Office such as Military Officer Education Programs and Undergraduate Admissions.

While the earlier accessions mainly concern the vice provost's involvement in multicultural affairs, later accessions include information on the office's broader academic affairs responsibilities, including administrative oversight of various student academic services. It should be noted that, for the most part, folder headings assigned by the vice provost's office have been retained, and reflect the use of terms such as "African Americans," "Blacks," "Hispanics," and "Latinos" by the office.