Season 3 (October 2020 - August 2021) | U-M LSA Residential College

Episode 32 - How can you enrich your undergrad experience by building community and leading mindfully?

How can you enrich your undergrad experience by building community and leading mindfully? (42 min) July 22, 2021

In this collaboration episode of the Residential College Podcast and the Michigan Leadership Collaborative Break Away Podcast, the RC’s Robby Griswold talks with alum Mya Harris and fourth-year student Kaitlyn Colyer about their experiences as students in both the Residential College and the LSA Barger Leadership Institute. Mya and Kaitlyn discuss developing their leadership identities, the importance of practicing cultural humility, and what advice they would offer incoming students.

Episode 31 - "It's a wild ride, this life": Two trans* men sit down for a (virtual) cup of coffee

“It’s a wild ride, this life”: Two RC trans* men sit down for a (virtual) cup of coffee (27:06) April 19, 2021

13 years and a whole lexicon apart, and yet, so much in common. RC first year student Rellian deGraaf and RC alum Emmett Findley ‘07 explore “queer time”, the differences between stealth and passing, being weighed down by wearing the mantle of queer ambassador, and what makes a “queer space”. Where do trans men learn how to be in the world - from friends, from well-adjusted adults? What’s it like being a trans*parent? And what can young trans* people keep in mind when coming out to themselves? If this topic is newer to you, get a briefer on the trans* experience, - and if not, just enjoy the company.

Rellian deGraaf is finishing his first year of undergraduate study at the University of Michigan Residential College. He is from Grand Rapids, MI and is planning to study environmental sciences.

Episode 30 - What Courses to Take in the RC Winter 2021

Episode 30 - What Courses to Take in the RC Winter 2021 (15:10) December 10, 2020

We don't really know when this pandemic will be behind us, though promising vaccines are on the way. Students and faculty prepare for Winter 2021, when the majority of courses will be offered online with some exceptions like some of our studio arts and music courses. Who better to fill us in on the RC's academic offerings but director of RC Academic Services and long-time beloved advisor and mentor, Charlie Murphy? (Amirite?) Want to know about the history of race and the law, or about the elements that go into building an egalitarian metropolis? Want to apply your Spanish speaking skills - learned in school or from your heritage - to support the local Latino community? Or maybe you want to know how to live a life more aligned with your values of civility and justice? Listen up and get acquainted with a handful of the staggering 75 courses offered in the Residential College in Winter 2021. (And remember: RC courses are open to all LSA students!)

Episode 29 - The $300 that Launched the RC Creative Writing & Literature Program

Episode 29 -The $300 That Launched the RC Creative Writing and Literature Program (19:02) November 6, 2020

You know the old cliché, "they grow up so fast"? It's hard to believe, but 2020 marks the 50th birthday of the Residential College Creative Writing & Literature Program. We went right to horse's mouth on this and checked in with the founder of the program, Warren Hecht, whose 47-year lecturer career may be the longest of its kind at U-M. He explains how, in 1970, a mere $300 irreversibly altered the course of his life and that of the Residential College. Ken Mikolowski, now retired long-time faculty member in poetry, and Laura Thomas, current head of the program, fiction writer, and alumna, join in for a conversation of reminiscence, unexpected heart-to-heart, and reflection on what has changed in the program and its students over the years

Episode 28 - "U-M Works Because We Do": RCers on the Fall 2020 Strikes

Episode 28 - "U-M Works Because We Do": RCers on the Fall 2020 Strikes (17:27) October 6, 2020

Over the summer 2020, U-M communicated a public health-informed reopening plan for on-campus and virtual learning in the fall. Meanwhile, many universities around the country - including MSU, about an hour away - announced plans for a totally virtual fall term to prevent the spread of COVID-19 between students. Well before the first van showed up for residence hall move-in day, students, staff and faculty sought clarity on testing policies, noticed inconsistent execution, and felt that their safety concerns weren't being addressed. Fearful for safety and frustrated by slow communication with U-M leadership, the Graduate Employee's Organization and dozens of resident advisors went on strike, which pressured the administration from several directions and in ways we haven't seen in decades. In this episode, RC students and faculty weigh in on the GEO and RA strikes and the demonstration of MDining staff that, collectively, led to important public health gains for the entire U-M Ann Arbor campus community.

Photograph by RC student Cielle Waters-Umfleet