Highlighting Wayne State University's Community Engagement
Forward Ever
Professor, scholar, civil rights activist, and Center for Latino/a and Latin American Studies Director Jorge Chinea recounts the personal journey that has kept him moving ahead
Fall 2020
Table of Contents
4
At a Glance
Wayne State University enrollment up; Black graduation rate soars
6
News Briefs
WSU joins forces with the Detroit Equity Report, Inc.; WSU, ACCESS and Ford Motor Company launch mobile COVID-19 testing fleet; WSU Press gets a new director
7
Forward Ever
Scholar, community activist, and director of the Center for Latino/a and Latin American Studies, Professor Jorge Chinea remembers his humble beginnings
11
Class Mobility
Wayne Med-Direct reaches milestone as first cohort starts medical school
14
Life Support
How one WSU public health major became a combatant in a hospital’s fight against COVID-19
17
Stitching Together
As the coronavirus pandemic roared through Michigan, the WSU fashion department faculty and alumni banded together to sew masks for hospital workers, first responders and others. Here’s how their movement grew.
19
Motherly Love
The Wayne State University Office of Women’s Health’s COVID-19 response team offers resources to connect to pregnant women
21
Keeping it Clean
Warriors help boost number of DIY outdoor hand-washing stations across area
23
A Call for Healing
Medical workers, students take a knee to show solidarity with community, end racism
25
Signs of the Times
Student uses her art to support the Black Lives Matter movement
students during graduation ceremony wearing caps and gowns
About this publication
EDITORIAL
Darrell Dawsey, editor-in-chief
Thomas Reynolds
Andrea Westfall
Shawn Wright

DESIGN
Juan Sifuentes

PHOTOGRAPHY
Paul Hitzelberger

As the publication devoted to covering Wayne State’s community involvement, we encourage readers to share stories about the work the university does in and around Detroit.

Got an idea for Warriors magazine?
Contact us at engaged@wayne.edu.

Wayne State University Board of Governors
Marilyn Kelly, chair
Bryan C. Barnhill, II
Michael Busuito
Mark Gaffney
Anil Kumar
Sandra Hughes O’Brien
Shirley Stancato
Dana Thompson
M. Roy Wilson, ex officio
President’s Letter
WSU Icon

For most of us, 2020 has been a year unlike any other.

A deadly pandemic stalks our nation. Social unrest continues to convulse our neighborhoods. And the cries for racial justice in metro Detroit and around the country have reached a pitch unheard for decades.

Even so, Warriors persevere. As our hometown continues its fight against COVID-19, we at Wayne State have done our best to not only safeguard our students and our campus from infection, but also to provide critical support for others fighting the virus across our city and state.

With the fall semester underway, we are fully re-engaged in the business of teaching, researching and learning, although we are doing a number of things differently for now. Most of our classes are online. Those who come to campus are required to follow a series of health protocols. And for now, many of the events that have become rituals on college campuses — from tailgates to homecomings to football games — have either been put on hold or have gone virtual.

President M. Roy Wilson Portrait
At a Glance
Wayne State University enrollment up; Black graduation rate soars

O

fficials at Wayne State University announced that as of Aug. 19, fall 2020 undergraduate enrollment is up 2.3% compared to fall 2019. Despite uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, it is trending toward being the largest freshman class in the university’s 152-year history. In addition, Black undergraduate enrollment for first-time college students at Wayne State is up an astonishing 58.7%. Overall Black enrollment is up 3.6% over last year.

“These numbers speak to the commitment we have made to making a Wayne State education accessible and affordable to all students, regardless of racial or socio-economic background,” said Wayne State President M. Roy Wilson. “We’re focused on increasing enrollment and the diversity of our student body through targeted strategic efforts to recruit students of all backgrounds. And it’s working.”

Wayne State also exceeded its strategic plan goal of a six-year graduation rate of 50% one year early, and is anticipating it will hit 52% by September. The six-year graduation rate for Black students has tripled to 25%, from 8% in 2011. Wayne State’s progress in boosting degree attainment and improving graduation rates has become a national model.

News Briefs
The Detroit Equity Report, Inc. partners with WSU to improve racial equity in business
Bishop Edgar L. Vann Portrait
The founders of the Detroit Equity Report, Inc., an initiative first envisioned several years ago by Bishop Edgar L. Vann, recently announced that Wayne State University will add its academic expertise to the burgeoning social justice program, which aims to help metro Detroit businesses foster greater racial equity in their ranks.

The Detroit Equity Report seeks to gather data from companies in the metro Detroit region about the levels of diversity throughout their organizations, including the C-suites and governance levels. This data will be used by the organizations to help promote the empowerment and advancement of African Americans and other people of color in corporate America. The collaborative effort is also backed by Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan and others.

“I am thrilled to have Wayne State University bring its analytical expertise to this endeavor,” said Vann, senior pastor of Second Ebenezer Church in Detroit. “Wayne State President M. Roy Wilson, a man of integrity and passionate commitment to social justice, immediately assembled a high-level team of academic experts to join us in this mission. We are particularly gratified that Peter Hammer, director of the Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights, will lead the Wayne State team. I have no doubt Damon Keith would be in full support of these efforts.”

Forward Ever
Scholar, community activist remembers humble beginnings

O

n a life’s journey that has been strewn with more than its share of potholes, bumps and barriers, Jorge Chinea, professor of history and director of Wayne State University’s Center for Latino/a and Latin American Studies (CLLAS), has less dodged the obstacles in his path than powered through them.

Rising from an adolescence mired in poverty in semi-rural Puerto Rico to a youth in New York marked first by gang life and, later, by passionate political activism, Chinea has undergone remarkable change with each step of a journey that has earned him a place as a respected pillar for social justice in Detroit and as one of the most prominent voices for the city’s Latino community.

“Joining gangs was the last thing I wanted to do, but I had four younger siblings and a divorced mother whom I needed to protect, so I entered that world reluctantly, hoping to deter ill-intentioned people from messing with them,” Chinea recalled. “In the course of gang-banging, I learned that these groups were not all the same, and eventually helped organize one, the Renigades of Harlem, that banned heavy drug use and promoted the rehabilitation of abandoned buildings. That move changed my life for the better.”

Honoring his legacy

The Center for Latino/a and Latin American Studies recently announced that it is launching a fundraising effort to create an endowed scholarship named in honor of Jorge Chinea.

The scholarship was developed to recognize Chinea’s yearslong dedication to community service and creating opportunities for underrepresented students at Wayne State University. When fully funded, the scholarship will be awarded to a student who is earning a minor in Latino/a and Latin American studies at WSU and maintains at least a 2.5 GPA, with preference given to those with a demonstrated commitment to community service and engagement.

This effort is being led by Assistant Director of Student Services and Program Development Melissa Miranda Morse and colleagues from Development and Alumni Affairs.

Contributions are currently being accepted. Visit warriorfunder.wayne.edu/chinea to learn more and to donate.

Honoring his legacy

The Center for Latino/a and Latin American Studies recently announced that it is launching a fundraising effort to create an endowed scholarship named in honor of Jorge Chinea.

The scholarship was developed to recognize Chinea’s yearslong dedication to community service and creating opportunities for underrepresented students at Wayne State University. When fully funded, the scholarship will be awarded to a student who is earning a minor in Latino/a and Latin American studies at WSU and maintains at least a 2.5 GPA, with preference given to those with a demonstrated commitment to community service and engagement.

This effort is being led by Assistant Director of Student Services and Program Development Melissa Miranda Morse and colleagues from Development and Alumni Affairs.

Contributions are currently being accepted. Visit warriorfunder.wayne.edu/chinea to learn more and to donate.

Class Mobility
Wayne Med-Direct reaches milestone as first cohort starts medical school
As an ambitious 12th grader in Bowie, Maryland, Rosetta Irons began laying the groundwork for her entry into medical school even before she’d started undergrad — and well before she earned her high school diploma.

“For as long as I can remember, medicine has been an interest of mine, but it was a series of academic opportunities and medically related personal experiences that solidified my dream of practicing medicine,” said Irons. “As soon as I began applying to universities, I started searching for programs that would provide a fast track and/or guarantee to medical school.”

It wasn’t her own searches, but rather a tip from a relative that led Irons into the program that she’d dreamed of. “Rather than discovering Wayne State and the Med-Direct program on my own, it was an aunt who informed me of the school and program at the recommendation of a friend and Wayne State University School of Medicine alumna.

LIFE SUPPORT
How a WSU public health major became a combatant in one hospital’s fight against COVID-19

“I haven’t cried…yet,” says Deaja Todd, a wan smile struggling across her face.

Not that anyone would blame the 22 year old — who plans to complete her bachelor’s program in public health at Wayne State University this winter — if she did break down in sobs. A nursing assistant who works three days a week on one of several floors set aside by a local hospital system for Detroit-area COVID-19 patients, Todd has been as close to the front lines of the pandemic as any aspiring health professional could imagine.

She’s witnessed the fear on the faces of her colleagues and mentors, hardened medical professionals with decades of experience, as they fight to save dying patients while also trying to avoid contracting the infection themselves. She’s felt the sadness and anger they’ve expressed at their inability to stop a disease that they still know too little about. And she’s seen death — way too much of it.

“We’ve had people pass away, and it’s very sad,” says Todd. “Sometimes, it happens so suddenly. We’ve had people come in who look fine. One minute, they’re talking and texting on their phones. And then, all of sudden, they’re fighting for their lives.”

Image of Stitching Together
Stitching Together
Fashion department faculty, alumni sew masks for health care workers, first responders battling COVID-19
E

ven before the COVID-19 outbreak paralyzed much of the nation, fashion designer Kelsey Tucker understood well the toll that work on the front lines of a crisis can take on those engaged in it.

Having an older sister who works for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Tucker often heard harrowing stories of tragedy and trauma and recognized intimately the strain facing those tasked with saving lives amid a crisis.

“FEMA works on handling natural disasters and responding, so I hear my sister’s stories all the time,” explained Tucker, who, with another sister, co-founded their own local fashion line, Deviate. “She’s been a big inspiration to me — so when the virus outbreak began, I heard that there was a shortage of equipment for first responders and health care workers. I felt the choice was an easy one to make to do my part and be part of positive change.”

E

ven before the COVID-19 outbreak paralyzed much of the nation, fashion designer Kelsey Tucker understood well the toll that work on the front lines of a crisis can take on those engaged in it.

Having an older sister who works for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Tucker often heard harrowing stories of tragedy and trauma and recognized intimately the strain facing those tasked with saving lives amid a crisis.

“FEMA works on handling natural disasters and responding, so I hear my sister’s stories all the time,” explained Tucker, who, with another sister, co-founded their own local fashion line, Deviate. “She’s been a big inspiration to me — so when the virus outbreak began, I heard that there was a shortage of equipment for first responders and health care workers. I felt the choice was an easy one to make to do my part and be part of positive change.”

Image of Wayne State University’s Office of Women’s Health COVID-19 response team
TItle of Motherly Love
Wayne State University’s Office of Women’s Health COVID-19 response team offers resources to connect to pregnant women
The coronavirus pandemic is affecting one of metro Detroit’s most vulnerable populations: expecting mothers.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, many pregnant women have found themselves in an extraordinary situation by missing regular obstetrical visits for fear of becoming exposed to the virus, having increased concern over not having a birthing partner, dreading risks to their baby during or after giving birth, and staying isolated at home without food or supplies. Unlike some elective medical procedures that have been delayed, pregnancy and delivery can’t wait; additionally, hospital systems may not have the capacity to work one-on-one with these vulnerable patients.

Wayne State University’s Office of Women’s Health and Make Your Date Detroit, a free program for expectant mothers, is available to help.

Keeping It Clean text
Number of DIY outdoor hand-washing stations increases across area
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Street Medicine Detroit, a Wayne State University School of Medicine student-led organization committed to serving the unreached homeless population of Detroit, has built a series of field hand-washing stations and placed them near soup kitchens and in homeless encampments throughout the city. The stations allow those who live on the streets to clean and sanitize their hands if they don’t have access to a sink or bathroom during the crisis.

The stations were all installed this spring.

“While many of us may take this simple act of hygiene for granted, a number of encampment residents have expressed gratitude and excitement to have the ability to wash their hands in their camps while businesses and public facilities are closed during the pandemic,” said Class of 2021 student Amanda Manly, president of Street Medicine Detroit. “SMD has been concerned for our friends on the street as their situations make them especially vulnerable to infections. Our goal is to maximize their health and safety. It is our hope that these stations will aid in doing so.”

Title: A Call for Healing
Medical workers, students take a knee to show solidarity with community, end racism
Nearly 300 physicians, health care workers and medical students kneeled for 10 minutes in Brush Mall at the Detroit Medical Center complex this summer to demonstrate their support in the call to end systemic racism in policing across America.

The June 5 event, coordinated locally by Ijeoma Nnodim Opara, M.D., assistant professor of internal medicine-pediatrics; Kenisha Evans, M.D., an internal medicine resident; and Claudia Jarrin Tejada, M.D., under the leadership of a coalition of African American medical residents training in Detroit academic health systems, was part of a nationwide effort by White Coats for Black Lives, a medical student-run organization.

White Coats for Black Lives was born out of the National White Coat Die-In demonstrations that took place on medical campuses across the nation on Dec. 10, 2014, in reaction to the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner at the hands of police in Ferguson, Missouri, and New York, respectively. White Coats for Black Lives seeks to safeguard the lives and well-being of patients through the elimination of racism, and to dismantle racism in medicine and promote the health, well-being and self-determination of people of color.

woman handing a sign to man
Curtis Schabath, a 33-year-old Ferndale resident and marketing professor at Macomb Community College, was one of the dozen or so people who lined up on June 24 on the sidewalk of Christina Krysiak’s mom’s home to purchase a sign. She sold 70 in under 30 minutes, with all proceeds going to Black Lives Matter.
Signs of the Times
Student uses her art to support Black Lives Matter movement
Tamir Rice, Sandra Bland, Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Philando Castile, Breonna Taylor … George Floyd.

Christina Krysiak scrolled down her internet browser and read name after name after name of Black Americans who have been victims of police brutality. The 19-year-old Wayne State University art student was appalled. She wanted to do something to help, especially as her social media feeds filled with others getting involved with the Black Lives Matter movement.

Krysiak decided that her art would be the best platform to help make a difference. What started as designing stickers with the phrase “Say Their Names,” which she sold for $5 through a local Facebook group to raise money for Black Lives Matter, has since turned into hundreds of yard signs across her hometown of Pleasant Ridge, the surrounding area and some communities throughout the United States.

Highlighting Wayne State University's Community Engagement
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