Current Students

Detroit Mercy’s annual student organization fair is set for Friday, Sept. 5, from 3-5 p.m. at the Fisher Fountain outside the Student Union.

Explore all the unique and incredible student organizations the University has to offer and find the right fit for you while enjoying music, fair foods, face painters and more. Be one of the first 500 students to visit the Student Life tent and grab a new free T-shirt (sponsored by Alliance Catholic Credit Union).

Student organizations that still need to reserve their table may do so at the link below. Organizations MUST be registered before reserving their table.

For any questions, contact the Assistant Director of Student Life Emily Johnson at johnsoem6@udmercy.edu or 313-993-1593.

Tappy Guide is seeking Detroit Mercy student volunteers to support their mission of making communities more accessible and inclusive.

Tappy Guide is a smart city solution revolutionizing mobility and accessibility for people with disabilities and older adults. Their cutting-edge app connects people with disabilities and older adults to live human agents (Tappy guides) to assist them in navigating public spaces safely and confidently.

If you are looking for consistent and flexible volunteer opportunities, this could be the perfect fit! Tappy Guide needs volunteers to serve as agents guiding the public while the program runs seven days a week, morning until the evening.

To get involved or for more information, please email John at john@tappyguide.com.

Explore the city of Detroit after dark in Detroit Mercy’s 34th Annual Late Night Bike Ride. Join fellow students, staff, faculty and community members on Friday, Sept. 5 and travel by bicycle to discover all that Detroit has to offer.

• Students: If you have your own bike, this is a FREE event. If you need to rent a bike, indicate on the form below and follow the link to receive a rental bike for just $5.
• Staff, faculty and community members: Registration is $20 — the same whether you need to rent a bike or not.
• Day-of check-in will begin at 7 p.m. in Kassab Mall on the McNichols Campus (the area between the Student Union and Holden Hall). There you’ll receive a free reflective Detroit Mercy lanyard and, if you registered for one, your rental bike. The Bike Ride will begin at 8 p.m. sharp.

After cutting south on Hamilton Avenue, we’ll wend our way through the Boston-Edison Historical District and Detroit’s Midtown/Cass Corridor neighborhood before stopping at UDM’s Dentistry Campus in Southwest Detroit for a bathroom/water break. From there, we’ll head down Michigan Avenue, through Corktown and into downtown, where we’ll ride along the River Walk, swing past UDM’s Riverfront Campus on Jefferson Avenue, and make a pit stop at Lafayette Coney Island for a bite to eat.

On our way back, we’ll cruise back through Midtown/Cass Corridor, then take Hamilton Avenue north to Oakman Boulevard. Finally, we’ll roll through the Martin Park neighborhood and return to campus through the east gate at about 11:30-11:45 p.m.

Looking for a way to feel better connected with our neighbors? The Martin Park District Association invites all Detroit Mercy students, faculty and staff to participate in the annual Martin Park Walk on Saturday, Sept. 13, from 12-1:30 p.m.

This is a great opportunity to build community spirit, enjoy a refreshing walk and strengthen the bond between Detroit Mercy and our surrounding neighborhood.

Those interested in joining the Martin Park Walk will gather at noon at the pavilion behind Good Shepherd Lutheran Church located at 16100 Lawton Street, Detroit. From there, the group will walk through the neighborhood, learning about its rich history along the way. The walk will conclude by 1:30 p.m.

For more information, please contact Tim Hipskind at hipskijt@udmercy.edu, Chelsea Manning at mannincp@udmercy.edu or Shane Hisner at hisnersj@udmercy.edu.

Please Note: Prior to the Martin Park Walk, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church will be hosting its monthly community outreach. If you’re interested in lending a hand, please contact Pastor Blanton Banks at bboy10ppn@gmail.com for details.

Right now, families in our community are making impossible choices between paying bills and buying groceries. September is Hunger Action Month — the perfect time to take action. Many Detroit families are struggling to put food on the table as food banks face rising costs and reduced federal support.

Titan Equity Nourish Network (TENN) is working for a more food-sovereign Detroit through student-led produce deliveries, urban gardening, composting and food waste education.

Your gift can make a real impact, and thanks to our partnership with Gleaners, we can stretch your donation further than retail prices:

• $14 provides one family with fresh proteins & dairy for the week: 1 pound of ground beef, 10 pounds of chicken leg quarters, 1 quart milk and 1 dozen eggs.
• $138 provides these essentials to 10 families.
• $830 provides them to 60 families.

These high-cost foods are often the hardest for families to afford — but they are essential for balanced, nutritious meals. Your support makes them possible.

This fall’s first Creative Writing Collective (CWC) is set for Tuesday, Sept. 9. If you have an interest in creative writing, you won’t want to miss this gathering. All are invited, and no creative writing experience is necessary.

The following are the details for each CWC meeting this fall semester:

• Sept. 9 at 5:15 pm
  Topic: Ekphrasis
  Led by Professor Stacy Gnall
  Briggs Building, Room 202
• Oct. 22 at 5:15 p.m.
  Topic: 50th gathering of the CWC
  Led by Professor Rosemary Weatherston
  Location: Commerce & Finance Building, Room 138
• Nov. 13 at 5:15 p.m.
  Topic: Documentary Poetics
  Led by Professor Isaac Pickell
  Location: Briggs Building, Room 202

For questions or if you would like to be added to the CWC mailing list, please email english@udmercy.edu.

Are you looking for consistent evening volunteer opportunities? SDM2 Project Education‘s tutoring program might be just for you! The program runs every Tuesday and Thursday from 4 to 6 p.m.

If you are interested in volunteering or would like more information, email Ms. Jackie at sdm2projectedu@gmail.com.

Start the year off strong by volunteering for Titan Equity Nourish Network (TENN) and get to know our wonderful neighbors. Produce deliveries start next week!

Get in on the action and sign up for bi-weekly Wednesday deliveries from 1:30-3 p.m. or weekly Friday deliveries from 10-11:45 a.m.

Join the fun and community building as TENN packs fresh produce and delivers it to the doors of the University’s neighbors.

With any questions, please email Chelsea Manning at mannincp@udmercy.edu.

Did you snap some great photos this summer or over the past year? As we head into the fall term, consider capturing those special moments for your submission to the 3rd annual Detroit Mercy Photography Contest!

The UDM Photography Contest is sponsored by the Office of Academic Affairs and the Center for Excellence in Teaching & Learning. The contest is open to all students enrolled in fall 2025, as well as all UDM employees across every campus.

Photography offers a mode of creative communication and a lens into the communities we inhabit and visit. Photographs can capture various moments and expressions, people, places and events. As such, the Office of Academic Affairs and Center for Excellence in Teaching & Learning would like to invite all Detroit Mercy community members to submit digital photographs for consideration as part of a special 2025 photography contest.

You can submit one photograph per category. First-place winners in each category will receive cash prizes and an enlarged, mounted copy of their winning photograph!

Be sure to visit the UDM photo contest page for some inspiration, contest rules, submission and release forms and to view the previous winners. The deadline for submissions is Nov. 2.

Current categories for submissions:

• Abstract/conceptual/manipulation – Images of unusual patterns, lighting or objects recognized for their design element (i.e., streaking light photos, mechanical structures, reflections in glass or metal, view from a strange angle). Images can be digitally enhanced or altered beyond the minor adjustments to create an entirely different photograph. Be creative. All images must be produced by the photographer (photos taken by someone else may not be used), and the finished entry must still appear to be a photograph – not an artistic impression, drawing or design.
• People – Photos of people, alone or in a group. Such pictures may be candid, humorous, journalistic or interpretative portraits where an emphasis placed on the person, not the environment. The main focus should be people. *
• Nature/scenic – Images or scenes of plant life, landscapes, seascapes, underwater, architectural and industrial scenes. Seasonal scenes that display a fundamental design or mood are also acceptable. The main focus should be nature/scenic.
• Dusk to dawn – Details the photographic imagery captured after the sun goes down. This includes but is not limited to starry skies, life under neon lights, streaking traffic lights, mother nature at night, scenic landscapes and cityscapes, film noir portraits, creative use of light and shadows. *
• Creatures (new category for 2025) – Images or scenes of animal life, wild creatures, insects, etc. (i.e., action shots of your pet, giraffes at the zoo, cows on a countryside, banana slugs in the forest). It may be a scenic environment, but the main focus should be the creature(s) or animal(s). *

*Appropriate and accepted image enhancement in these categories must be limited to minor adjustments such as contrast, exposure, cropping, HDR, dodge and burn.

CALL FOR JUDGES: If you are interested in serving as a judge for the 2025 photo contest, please send an email expressing your interest to photocontest@udmercy.edu for consideration. With any direct questions, also contact photocontest@udmercy.edu.

The photos of last year’s winners will be displayed in the Office of Academic Affairs for the 2025-2026 academic year. Please stop by in the President’s Suite if you would like to view them.

Undergraduate and graduate students who would like to see their writing, photographs or visual art published should consider submitting their work to Detroit Mercy’s student art journal [sic], which is looking for poems, short stories, personal essays, photographs and other visual artwork for the 2025-26 issue.

[sic] offers $100 prizes for the best visual, poetry and fiction/prose submissions. The deadline for submissions is Friday, Oct. 10.

Please contact Associate Professor of English Rosemary Weatherston with any questions at weatherr@udmercy.edu.