Lounge dedicated to former 'U' activist

By Rachel Green

Daily Staff Reporter

Vicky Barner, the first University student to protest the senior honor society Michigamua, was remembered yesterday as the former East Lounge in Alice Lloyd was renamed in her honor.

Barner, a former art student at the University, took legal action against Michigamua in 1972 for its practices, which allegedly disrespected Native American tradition. Barner, who graduated from the University in 1969, passed away in 1995 at the age of 76.

"We remember her as a mother, a wife, a nurse, a veteran, an artist, a friend, a warrior and elder," said LSA senior Stephanie Masta, a Native American Students Association representative.

Director of University Housing Bill Zeller said Housing helped finance the renovation of the lounge. He said plans for the lounge have been under consideration for the past two years, before the Students of Color Coalition occupied Michigamua's space in the Michigan Union tower in February.

"We're very pleased to have this lounge dedicated tonight," he said. "It will be a very positive contribution to the residence halls and to the University in years to come."

Darlene Ray-Johnson, assistant director of residence education, said the dedication of the multiculturally-themed lounge marks the third in a series of residence hall lounge dedications. The Kochiyama Lounge in South Quad and the Cesar Chavez Lounge in Mosher-Jordan Residence Hall already have been established.

"We allowed NASA to decide who they wanted the Native American theme lounge to be named after," Ray-Johnson said.

Masta said NASA decided at its mass meeting to dedicate the lounge to Barner.

"We started working on this last September," she said. "I feel that given the recent events with Michigamua, that we had to get this going."

Masta said she is impressed with the commitment that University Housing has put into this project.

More than 100 people gathered last night in the lounge, which is decorated with paintings from Barner's estate, for the ceremony.

Majel DeMarsh, a friend of Barner's from her days as a student at the University, said she believes the honor was long overdue.

"I knew Vicky early on when the Native students were pulling together an organization and getting together for social events," DeMarsh said.

She said Barner was a leader not only within the Native American community but across campus as well.

"She led the first protest against Michigamua," DeMarsh said. "She organized communities and made them aware of what was going on in terms of the misrepresentation of our culture."

DeMarsh said Barner's death was a great loss to the community. "She was just able to touch people's lives with what she said."