WSU, Board of Governors — IN-PERSON ONLY

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This is my first time live-reporting. Join me in praying I do NOT break this thread!

I’m here! Greeted by a receptionist and three uniformed WSU Police officers at the door of the Wayne State’s Integrative Biosciences Center, 6135 Woodward Ave. Oh also, snacks! There’s probably about 15 people here in the audience with ~5 minutes to start time.

Agenda for today’s meeting can be found here: https://bog.wayne.edu/meetings/2025/02-14

Meeting started at 3:32 pm with a literal gavel! Exciting

Starting with a welcome to the newest BOG member, Governor Sunny Reddy: https://bog.wayne.edu/members/reddy
Quorum is met!

They are reviewing last meeting’s minutes which included n establishment of 2 new programs - an Undergraduate Certificate in Adapted Physical Education https://bog.wayne.edu/meetings/374/bog-feb-2025-master-of-health-administration-revised.pdf
Master of Health Administration https://bog.wayne.edu/meetings/374/bog-feb-2025-master-of-health-administration-revised.pdf

Budget and finance committee - reporting on repairs to 2 parking structures, flood response, + fire damage restoration and suppression in the Biological Science Building.

Dr. Obasi.- reporting on the University’s strategic plan. The strategic plan aims to answer questions like “what is our identity?”
Hearing 4 goals related to research. Increasing research, increasing research awards, and I didn’t catch the other two! They were research related.

Obasi is breaking down the expenditures in research - largely going to health services. The numbers are on the screen but kinda hard to read from here (I’m in the fourth row).

Obasi - WSU is currently ranked 78 in R&D (research and development) amongst public universities.

Obasi’s presentation - “we will be more intentional about recognizing faculty excellence”. On the screen there are two faculty members who received different honorifics.

Obasi on enhancing infrastructure to facilitate interdisciplinary collaborations - They’ve hosted town halls, launched regular meetings with WSU stakeholders, and more.

Obasi - Excited about two new members of DORI (Department of Research Initiative)
https://research.wayne.edu/about

Correction! DORI - Division of Research & Innovation, which is a new as of July, 2024

https://research.wayne.edu/news/vice-president-obasi-announces-the-creation-of-wsus-division-of-research-innovation-63140

‼️ Obasi- “Advocating and Facilitating New Federal Opportunities” - An “Educational Partnership Agreement” with “US Ground Vehicles Systems Center” gvschttps://gvsc.devcom.army.mil/te from site: (GVSC) “is the U.S. Armed Forces’ research and development facility for advanced technology in ground systems.”

Espy on President’s Highlights of the University Report* - Sharing on the event on MLK day - “Sixty Years After Selma and We’re Still Marching” events.whttps://events.wayne.edu/2025/01/17/a-tribute-to-rev-dr-martin-luther-king-jr-101938/

Espy - sharing a slide with many faculty members that received various awards since their last meeting.

Espy - uplifts the Wayne State Magazine https://alumni.wayne.edu/news/magazine

Espy - sharing WSU student who was awarded the ACE student of the year, Carissa Bennett, a Marine Corps veteran and an aspiring pediatric neurologist. They are playing a video sharing her story. “A nice way to end the report” - Espy
https://www.acenet.edu/News-Room/Pages/2023-Students-of-the-Year.aspx#:~:text=%E2%80%8BCarissa%20Bennett%2C%20a%20Marine,award%20is%20supported%20by%20Sophia.

ITS TIME! My favorite part of any meeting - public comment. There are 8 speakers who registered before Wednesday’s deadline.
ps- Wow! You have to sign up two days in advance to give public comment…

Speakers are given 3 minutes - 1st public speaker, Aimee Shulman, WSU instructor and organizer with Graduate Employees Organizing Committee (GEOC, correct me if I got that wrong!) GEOC who per the speaker, just started contract negotiations with the university.

Shulman - wants to ensure that their salary align with the living costs of the moment. GEOC wants to ensure that their students are safe, especially given the current political moment.

Next speaker - Taura Brown, per her words, a non-traditional student usually the oldest in the room. Here to talk about her interest in radio. She says that the radio program is not very diverse or very updated. “There needs to be a radio station here”.

Brown - How better to tell your story (referring to earlier in the meeting) than to do so on the radio station. Speaker says its a great opportunity for BOG to also inform students. Brown says the current radio is not inclusive and requests follow-up especially if there is a budgetary issue.

The next speaker - Ali Hassan, speaks and sings in Arabic then translates - the Holy Book of the Quran encourages people to stand up to justice. Speaker says that this university has no moral ground. He uplifts the situation in which students were arrested. He asks “How do you go to sleep at night”

Hassan - WSU is the greatest perpetrated of Islamphobia. Students have gone through all the proper channels. During the time of South African Apartheid, the president debated students. He then challenges Espy to a debate on if it’s right for university’s to benefit from war profiteers.

Addition - WSU president debated students on the issue of South African Apartheid.

Mahmoud Muheisen - next speaker asks if someone can speak on their behalf. BOG says it is not allowed. Someone from the crowd yells to him to talk about the hijabs being taken off and the misconduct cases.

Niguel Ali (next speaker) - says that the BOG continually disrespects students. Says that BOG is too arrogant or scared to talk about Palestine. Ali - Recently attended event and learned that Black students were promised a department and still don’t have it to this day.

Ali - requests to see where that money is going.

Next speaker and last speaker - Jabril Abdrabboh, will address Islamophobia. Says that the student’s hijab was ripped off at the raid of the encampment. Says that to not release a statement is embarrassing. Says this is Islamophobia because is perpetuates the dehumanization of Muslims.

Abdrabboh - to not make a statement about the students’ hijabs being ripped off and then to go and charge the students is disappointing. Says that without any apology, communicates that the university does not care about these students.

At exactly 3 minutes, they tell the speaker that his time is cut off and immediately shut off the microphone.

The meeting is adjourned at 4:37 pm. A student stands up and yells to Espy asking her why she is charging students. There is no response from BOG.

Here is some past reporting by @outliermedia.org on the issue that the students are referencing https://outliermedia.org/wayne-state-encampment-cleared-university-police-arrest-student-protesters/

Some further reporting by @outliermedia.org demonstrating why the students are frustrated. https://outliermedia.org/wayne-state-board-of-governors-public-meeting-virtual-detroit/

Phew! Thanks for hanging with me. I hope I documented (especially) those who gave public comment well. I think it is brave to speak at these meetings and always appreciate it as an act of public engagement. That concludes my live reporting!

This concludes my live reporting of the Wayne State University Board of Governors Meeting. The next meeting is scheduled for Friday, April 25, 2025 at the WSU Student Center. For more meeting coverage, check out https://documenters.org.

If you believe anything in these notes is inaccurate, email documenters@outliermedia.org with “Correction Request” subject line. Thank you in advance!