There was a time when the University of Michigan was a point of pride for Michigan families—a place where our best and brightest could dream of earning a seat close to home at a school built by and for the people of Michigan. Until the 90s, our flagship institution enrolled about 75% from our own state. But those days seem behind us, and the Michigan Regents (whom we, the voters, elect in general elections) have no interest in fixing this terrible injustice against Michigan kids.

Today, almost half of U-M’s undergraduate seats are filled by nonresidents, many hailing from elite zip codes on the East and West Coasts. This shift has left countless qualified Michigan students out in the cold, rejected by the very university their families and communities helped build and support. Many leave the state for college and never return.

UM once promised more—to champion the educational aspirations of Michigan's youth, secure their futures, and bind our communities together. These days, they prioritize profit, and once the out of state students graduate, they take the skills we taught them here in Michigan back to New York, California and Los Angeles. Our flagship helps strengthen other states when it was built to strengthen ours.

As a teacher of 25 years at a large Michigan feeder school, I see the rejection of highly intelligent, ambitious and admissible Michigan kids every year, and it is heart breaking. This is not just a betrayal by a prestigious institution; it’s a fracture in the promise we thought was ironclad between UM and its community. If the Regents are unwilling to rectify this trend (and they definitely are unwilling), the power to enforce change must lie in the voters of the people of Michigan. Voting the Regents out will take years. But there is another way.

By raising awareness, we can start a movement to change the state's constitution, which currently gives all decision making rights to the Regents. We would need to reach 10 percent of voters, and they would need to understand how Regents are presented on the ballot (in other words, they are attached to a party even though they shouldn't be). I have yet to meet a Michigan parent, student or union member who was not enthusiastic about this prospect. When we look at other state flagships and how they take care of their own, UM should be ashamed of itself: UT Austin (90 percent), UC schools (roughly 86 percent), UF (90 percent), UVA (67 percent), UNC (82 percent). We DO NOT need to allow this to continue.

Let this petition serve as both a call to action and a gateway to reigniting education at the University of Michigan for those who call this state home. It’s time to reclaim a future where our youth can once again claim what is rightfully theirs—a world-class education in their own backyard.

Support the movement to ensure future generations of Michigan students have the opportunity to study at this great institution. Sign this petition today to start making a difference. #umich #UM #formichiganbymichigan #hailno #Michigan