Tuesday, January 28, 2020

MI Senate Binsfeld Office Building
5th floor, room 5550, 201 Townsend St, Lansing, MI 48933
11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

RSVP Here

There are major challenges facing child welfare and juvenile justice systems in the United States. According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, Children’s Bureau, there are over 430,000 children in foster care. According to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), there were approximately 850,000 juvenile arrests and 45,000 juvenile offenders living in residential placements in 2016. Complex family issues, including poverty, unemployment, mental health and the abuse of alcohol and other drugs interfere with important measures of child safety, family stability and the interruption of offending trajectories.

The Child and Adolescent Data Lab began in 2015, with a mission to harness the power of data to improve outcomes for vulnerable children, adolescents and their families.

Joseph P. Ryan

Professor of Social Work, School of Social Work and Faculty Associate, Population Studies Center, ISR

Joe Ryan’s research and teaching build upon his direct practice experiences with child welfare and juvenile justice populations. Dr. Ryan is the Co-Director of the Child and Adolescent Data Lab an applied research center focused on using data to drive policy and practice decisions in the field. He is currently involved with several studies including a foster care placement prevention study for young children in Michigan (MI Family Demonstration), a study of the educational experiences of youth in foster care (Kellogg Foundation Education and Equity), a randomized clinical trial of recovery coaches for substance abusing parents in Illinois (AODA Demonstration), and a Pay for Success (social impact bonds) study focused on high risk adolescents involved with the Illinois child welfare and juvenile justice system.

This years Legislative Tailgate on November 16 featured two important initiatives. M-Dining and the University Research Corridor shared information with tailgate attendees prior to the U-M vs. MSU football game.

M|Dining

Mariah Bloomfield and Crede Strauser represent M-Dining at the Legislative Tailgate

Michigan Dining is comprised of eleven on-campus cafés and eight markets, seven residential dining halls, a line of Blue to Go foods and the Michigan Catering unit. Their emphasis is on creative, healthy and nutritious foods, international cuisines and sustainability throughout all dining operations. Their mission is to lead, feed, and contribute to the education, health and experience of the community, environment and staff.

University Research Corridor

Britany Affolter-Caine and Amber Shinn were present to share information about the URC.

Michigan’s University Research Corridor (URC) is one of the nation’s top academic research clusters and the leading engine for innovation in Michigan and the Great Lakes region. An alliance of Michigan State University, the University of Michigan and Wayne State University, the URC is focused on increasing economic prosperity and connecting Michigan to the world.

In 2017, the three URC universities conducted $2.46 billion in research and development, enrolled more than 155,000 students and granted degrees to more than 36,000 graduates. In 2017, the URC contributed $18.7 billion to Michigan’s economy. The URC has also cultivated 249 startup companies since 2002.

Riley Parrish with her work “Deterioration”

UM student artist Riley Parrish, who attended the Art in the Legislature Reception on Wednesday, October 23, 2019 in the Mackinac Room, Anderson House Office Building, took a photo beside her artwork “Deterioration”. She was also congratulated by State Senator Peter J. Lucido, 8th District, as he paused to admire her artwork which is displayed near his office in the Binsfeld Senate Office Building. Riley writes of her artwork:

“This 18 x 24 inch linoleum block print is a self-portrait of intentional disfigurement. I wanted to illustrate the struggles of my relationship with my body. The media constantly tells us that there is only one way to be beautiful. Although many companies in the beauty and fashion industries have begun to be more inclusive of all shapes and sizes, I still have a hard time loving my body. Through this piece, I explored my feelings more deeply about this subject to better understand what holds me back from loving who I am.”

Riley Parrish’s artwork is displayed on the 3rd floor of the Senate Binsfeld Building. All are welcome to visit the House and Senate office buildings to see all of the 2019-20 artists’ work through September 2020.

The Art in the Legislature Program displays and celebrates the work of amazing student artists from Michigan’s 15 public universities each year, and their work will adorn the walls of the Anderson House Office Building, or the Binsfeld Senate Building, for one year. UM proudly has seven 2019-2020 student artists:

Vanessa with Flowers
Elizabeth Hungerman

The Red Coat (Version II)
Olivia Arau-McSweeney

Feeling in the Dark
Eliana Harrison

Sounds Like a Personal Problem
Aditi Kannan

Sunset Over Burton
The late Atharva Kharkar

Deterioration
Riley Parrish

Bounding Hope
Karson Schenk