EMU Embraces the Youth

Eastern Michigan University attracts more people than just students looking for a higher education. EMU's campus offers Ypsilanti High School students a place to hang out and enjoy recreational activities during after school hours.

Ypsilanti Township does not have the funding to provide teens with recreational activities, as well as many families are budgeted to the last penny, therefore also unable to supply teens the ability to partake in sports/extracurricular activities in school. So, where do teens go? Eastern Michigan University. The university is less than a 5 minute drive from Ypsilanti High School, providing the teens with an accessible place to gather with their friends without the proximity of their community.

What does Eastern have to offer high school teens? EMU's campus provides six lighted outdoor tennis and four basketball courts which were installed along Park Road in 1990. Both courts provide outdoor recreation for the community as well as a home for fall intramural athletics at EMU. Gehman Field, the home of the EMU softball team was installed in 1990. The complex underwent a major face lift after the 2002 season and now boasts two refinished dugouts, a press box and new outfield fencing. Enclosed outdoor batting cages with two pitching circles were also added behind the left-field fence. One of the last features added to the new University Commons building was an indoor climbing wall that simulates rock climbing. The structure 42 feet in height offers three sections of varying difficulty. Trained student assistants help users ascend the wall. Physical education professor Lester Zook, who spearheaded the project, says the rock wall prepares students for rock climbing on nearby mountains. EMU also offers high school students the use of the Fitness Center at a low rate of $35 per month, opposed to the majority of fitness gyms that overcharge into the $100's.

EMU stands behind their mission statement: "We extend our commitment beyond the campus boundaries to the wider community through service initiatives and partnerships of mutual interest addressing local, regional, national and international opportunities and challenges."

Check out the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=my1cMMy13sI

"This I Believe"

I believe in Equality. I believe that every human being, despite race, ethnicity, gender, religious preference, and sexual orientation deserves a fair chance and not be judged upon by another.

"Building on a proud tradition of national leadership in the preparation of teachers, we maximize educational opportunities and personal and professional growth for students from diverse backgrounds through an array of baccalaureate, master's and doctoral programs." I believe that Eastern Michigan University exhibits equality in the selection of students that are given the opportunity to attend EMU, as supported by their mission statement.

I can distinctly remember the day that I attended EMU for the Fast Track program. I was still a senior in High School and quite nervous to tour the university campus. I wanted the ability to attend an accredited university without having to leave the comforts of home. My parents and I arrived onto campus and I was struck at the diversity of students that filled the campus walkways, hallways and classrooms. I was raised in Detroit for 12 years, yet attended a parochial school in Dearborn, then moved to the suburb of garden City, where the majority of the community were middle-class, white families. My graduating class alone only encompassed three African-American kids, therefore limiting my exposure to diversity and the understanding of equality. I had toured a few other university campuses and had noticed the clique of stereotypes that were exhibited on the campus. Yet at Eastern, I felt the diversity. Men, women, young, old, white, black, Mexican, Arabic, straight, gay....the sky was the limit: literally. I was amazed, awed, intrigued and had my decision in the few seconds that I had stepped outside the car door. I hadn't quite found my identity in high school, but I felt a passion, desire and belonging at EMU.

Since that first day I stepped foot onto campus, EMU has continued to thrive in equality. I have friends that attend other colleges/universities and they complain of the lack of individuality. No one at Eastern can exert that same complaint. I love walking into a new class at the beginning of each semester, not hoping, but KNOWING that I will meet someone just as uniquely different as me, someone who has passion, desire and feels like they belong.

The day that I walk down the aisle in my commencement ceremony, I will proudly boast that I am a graduate of Eastern Michigan University, a university that is passionate of its students; believing, supporting and standing up for equality.