FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MARYGROVE TO HOST OPEN DISCUSSION ON

MICHIGAN CIVIL RIGHTS INITIATIVE JUNE 8

DETROIT, MI, June 6, 2006 -- Marygrove College will be the site of a conference on the “Michigan Civil Rights Initiative: Is it Civil, Is it Right?” The panel presentation and roundtable discussion will take place Thursday, June 8, from noon till 2:30 p.m. in the Madame Cadillac Building on Marygrove’s campus. This event is free and open to the public.

Guest presenters include Robert Laird, well known author of The Case for Affirmative Action in University Admissions, who will discuss “Proposition 209 – The California Experience,” Jack Lessenberry, educator, political analyst and journalist, who will address the “Michigan Political Climate,” and Edward O Blews, Jr., president of the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Michigan, whose topic will be “Why the Independent Sector Should Care.”

At its February 2006 meeting, the Marygrove College Board of Trustees voted unanimously to express their opposition to the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative. This action was taken not only because they believe that it is bad policy for the state, but also because the underlying sentiments behind the proposed ballot are inconsistent with the College’s values. Further, some board members believed that, if passed, the amendment would have negative consequences for those in the independent higher education sector as it will for Marygrove’s colleagues in the public sector.

Marygrove College is a private liberal arts college located at 8425 W. McNichols Rd. in Detroit. Nearly 3,600 students attend classes in its undergraduate and graduate programs in education, business, human resource management, social justice, social work, science, theater, music, the fine arts and many others. Call 866-313-1927 or visit www.marygrove.edu.

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