Dearborn Board of Education unanimously appoints Dr. Lori Gonko as interim president of Henry Ford College
May 16th, 20250 DEARBORN – On Tuesday, the Dearborn Board of Education announced the unanimous appointment of Dr. Lori Gonko as interim president of Henry Ford College. Gonko, who is currently vice president of strategy and human resources at HFC, succeeds outgoing President Russell Kavalhuna, who will leave his position in early July to become...
Nessel drops charges against pro-Palestinian students at the University of Michigan amid pressure, bias allegations
May 9th, 20250 ANN ARBOR – After sustained pressure from civil rights and advocacy groups, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced the dismissal of charges against seven pro-Palestinian student protesters who were arrested in May 2024 during a campus encampment at the University of Michigan. The protest condemned what demonstrators described...
DEARBORN PUBLIC SCHOOLS NOTICE OF A PUBLIC HEARING ON PROPOSED 2025-2026 BUDGET
May 7th, 20250 PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that on May 12, 2025, at 7 o’clock pm., at the Ten Eyck Administration Building, 18700 Audette, Dearborn, MI. 48124, the Board of Education of Dearborn Public Schools will hold a public hearing to consider the district’s proposed 2025-2026 budget. The Board may not adopt its proposed 2025-2026 budget until after...
Russell Kavalhuna named president of Western Michigan University, leaving Henry Ford College and returning to Kalamazoo
May 2nd, 20251 DEARBORN – Last month the Board of Trustees at Western Michigan University (WMU) elected Russell Kavalhuna, president of Henry Ford College in Dearborn, to become the new president of the public university in Kalamazoo, effective July 1. Kavalhuna, a 2001 graduate of WMU, will succeed current president Dr. Edward Montgomery, becoming...
Student crackdown intensifies: Mahmoud Khalil’s case takes alarming turn as federal lawsuit filed in Michigan
April 18th, 20250 A sweeping federal crackdown on international students has intensified, with the U.S. government canceling the visas of approximately 1,000 current and recent foreign graduates from American universities. Among them is Palestinian student Mahmoud Khalil, a legal U.S. resident and Columbia University graduate, whose potential deportation...
CAIR accuses Wayne State University police of discrimination against Arab and Muslim students
April 18th, 20250 DETROIT — The Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI) has filed a formal complaint with the Michigan Department of Civil Rights (MDCR), accusing Wayne State University (WSU) campus police of racial and religious discrimination against Arab and Muslim students. The complaint follows a pro-Palestinian...
Federal crackdown continues on pro-Palestinian protesters: Visa cancellations hit international students at Michigan universities
April 11th, 20250 ANN ARBOR –As part of a federal crackdown on pro-Palestinian student voices at U.S. universities, at least five universities in Michigan have reported the cancellation of student visas by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The University of Michigan stated that visas for four international students were revoked, including...
Know Your Rights: CAIR releases educational guide for dealing with ICE officers
April 11th, 20250 WASHINGTON, D.C. – Under the title “Know Your Rights”, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) recently published an educational guide outlining what to do when interacting with officers from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other federal law enforcement agencies. CAIR said in a statement that the guide...
Religious leaders, human rights activists urge Wayne State University officials to protect students supporting Palestinian rights
April 4th, 20250 DETROIT – On Wednesday, religious leaders and human rights activists in Michigan sent an open letter to Wayne State University President Kimberly Andrews Espy and members of the university’s Board of Governors, expressing deep concern over what they described as repressive campaigns targeting students protesting acts of genocide in...
Trump administration detains Turkish student at Tufts for voicing support for Palestinians, revokes visa
March 29th, 20250 BOSTON - U.S. immigration authorities have detained and revoked the visa of a Turkish doctoral student at Tufts University near Boston who had voiced support for Palestinians in Israel's war on Gaza. Rumeysa Ozturk's supporters say her detention, late on Tuesday, is the first known immigration arrest of a...
These universities are in Trump’s crosshairs. Many don’t know why.
March 29th, 20250 NEW YORK — When Muhlenberg College learned in January 2024 — as pro-Palestinian protests were sweeping campuses across the United States — that it was under investigation for discriminating against Jewish students, the small liberal arts institution in Pennsylvania took action. The college fired a...
Federal court rejects deportation of Palestinian student arrested under Trump’s order for protesting against Israel
March 15th, 20250 Mahmoud Khalil: A Columbia University student becomes a symbol of free speech in America WASHINGTON, D.C. – The arrest of a Palestinian student from Columbia University and the federal authorities' attempt to deport him despite being a lawful permanent resident and a Green Card holder, have sparked the largest wave of protests...
“Mina’s Ramadan Adventure” – A children’s book by three Dearborn students, now available on Amazon
March 7th, 20250 DEARBORN – On the eve of Ramadan, three students from Dearborn Public Schools celebrated the signing of their children's book about a young girl attempting to fast during the holy month. The book, titled Mina's Ramadan Adventure, is now available on Amazon. The project began last year as a school assignment by two Muslim American...
Facing Trump’s threats, Columbia investigates students critical of Israel
March 7th, 20250 NEW YORK — Columbia University senior Maryam Alwan was visiting family in Jordan over winter break when she received an email from the school accusing her of discriminatory harassment. Her supposed top offense: writing an op-ed in the student newspaper calling for divestment from Israel. The probe is part of a flurry of recent...
Trump executive order urges universities to “monitor, report” protesters on student visas
February 7th, 20250 President Trump issued an executive order to combat anti-Semitism on January 29 that pushes higher education institutions to actively monitor and report international students engaged in activities perceived as anti-Semitic or supportive of terrorism. With the backdrop of heated pro-Palestinian protests on campuses in response to the......
Dearborn Board of Education reorganizes, elects officers
January 17th, 20250 DEARBORN — As part of School Board Appreciation Month, Superintendent Dr. Glenn Maleyko took time at the January 13 school board meeting to thank trustees for their service to the community and to recognize each trustee. Over the past few years, school board members across the state and throughout the country have encountered an...
Dearborn Public Schools combat teen vaping with new detectors placed in bathrooms
January 17th, 20250 DEARBORN — A Metro Detroit school district is taking measures to hopefully stop students from vaping on campus with vape detectors. Dearborn Public Schools is tackling vaping, which school officials say is not isolated to Dearborn, as more public school districts are taking actions on the three fronts of epidemics affecting teens:......
Dearborn High School senior earns full-ride scholarship to Ivy League institution Columbia University
December 30th, 20240 DEARBORN — Bissan Elzein, a senior at Dearborn High School, has earned a full-ride scholarship to Columbia University, an Ivy League institution located in New York City. Through the QuestBridge National College Match Program, a program that that helps connect high-achieving low-income students with top universities across the...
MiLEAP announces 2025-26 FAFSA now available for students and families to complete
November 29th, 20240 LANSING – The Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement and Potential (MiLEAP) has announced that students and families can now complete the 2025-26 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA serves as the gateway for students to access grants and scholarships, including the Michigan Achievement...
Voters return Crestwood School Board members to their seats, approve bond proposal to upgrade school buildings
November 9th, 20240 DEARBORN HEIGHTS – On Tuesday, voters in the Dearborn Heights Crestwood School District approved an election proposal to issue more than $120 million in bonds to upgrade school facilities and buildings, and they also renewed their confidence in five current school board members who ran to retain their seats on the seven-member...
Two Arab American candidates secure seats on Dearborn Board of Education, making Arab American majority for first time
November 9th, 20240 DEARBORN – The Dearborn Board of Education race concluded with the success of two Arab American candidates out of 10 contestants vying for two full six-year terms. This result will give Arab Americans a majority on the Dearborn Board of Education for the first time, with four Arab Americans out of seven members, starting in......
Two new members join Hamtramck School Board
November 9th, 20240 HAMTRAMCK – On Tuesday, Hamtramck voters approved a referendum to renew the property tax dedicated to funding public schools in the city for 10 years. This decision came as the number of Arab American members on the local school board decreased, with the current board president, Yemeni American Jihan Aiyash, losing her bid for one of...
Wayne State Students for Justice in Palestine hosts pro-Palestine rally, continues calls for university divestment
October 12th, 20240 Wayne State Students for Justice in Palestine and affiliated groups hosted a “Rally for Pali” on Wayne State’s campus on Wednesday to show support for Palestine and university divestment from weapons manufacturing companies. Thirteen groups, including Wayne Law Justice for Palestine, WSU Alumni for Justice in Palestine, WSU......
Rights groups respond to AG Nessel’s charges against 11 pro-Palestinian protesters during spring encampment at U of M
September 14th, 20240 Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel charged 11 people involved in protests on the University of Michigan’s campus in April and May for violations including trespassing, disturbing the peace and malicious destruction of personal property, according to a press release from the Attorney General's Office. The press release said the...
Pro-Palestinian protesters demonstrate outside Columbia University as classes begin
September 6th, 20240 NEW YORK — On Tuesday, two arrests were made as pro-Palestinian protesters demonstrated outside Columbia University, just as students returned to class for the fall semester. The NYPD put up barricades and anyone entering the campus was subject to an identification screening. A university spokesperson released the following......
