On such a large campus, it’s easy to feel alone, especially if you belong to a racial or ethnic minority group. Fortunately, Michigan has lots of outlets for students of color.
- Comprehensive Studies Program: The Comprehensive Studies Program (CSP) offers academic su
pport and a community for scholars organized around the principles of diversity, access, equity, and inclusion. - Multi-Ethnic Student Affairs (MESA): MESA was founded after student activists protested the lack of diversity at Michigan. It now serves as a unit of Student Life that focuses on engaging the campus community and making campus an inclusive and equitable space for students of all races and ethnicities.
- Trotter Multicultural Center: Trotter is an inclusive space on campus that offers many services, including office space for student organizations, and hosts events to support students from all backgrounds.
- Michigan in Color: Michigan in Color (MiC) is a news section of the Michigan Daily for and by people of color. You can read articles written by other students of color on their experiences, submit your own, or even join the MiC family by applying to work for this section of the Daily.
- If you are interested in contributing to MiC, reach out via email at michiganincolor@umich.edu
“The workload of university is very demanding. On top of that, as a person of color, many must deal with everyday occurrences of racism but also other forms of oppression that exists within our many unique identities. As a Filipino American, I have found a home within the Filipino American Student Association as well as Michigan in Color. It is so comforting to have communities that can relate to my lived experiences and are here to empower me daily.”
- Student Organizations: There are many student run organizations you can join to find a community of people who share the same culture, ethnicity or goals as you do. Check out Maize Pages and filter by culture/ethnicity or see the following list of some of the clubs for students of color.
“At first, it never occurred to me to find a community of people that look like me or even share the same goals as me. However, when I got to Michigan and started dealing with problems specific to my identity I sought out to find spaces where I felt everyone, or almost everyone, could relate to me. Now I’m a senior editor for MiC and an active member of the Black Undergraduate Medical Association and I’m so grateful to have those outlets.”
- African Student Association
- Asian American Association
- Assisting Latinos to Maximize Achievement
- Arab Student Association
- Black Celebratory
- Black Student Union
- Black Welcome Week
- Chaldean American Student Association
- Chinese Students Association
- Filipino American Student Association
- Generation Asian Pacific American
- Indonesian Students’ Association in America
- Japan Student Association
- Latino Culture Show
- Latinx Alliance for Community Action, Support, and Advocacy
- Lebanese Student Association
- Middle East and Arab Network
- Midwest Asian American Student Union
- National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
- Support for Incoming Black Students
- Thai Student Association
- Uncover: Asian/Asian Pacific Islander American
- United Asian American Association
- Vietnamese Student Association
- Yoni Ki Baat
- There are also a number of pre-professional organizations and Greek Life options for students of color
- Click here to check out more organizations for Asian/Asian Pacific Islander American students