The meeting was called to order at 12:25 pm by President Dawn Johnson, and Chief Andre Anderson inspired 59 members and 16 guests by urging us to turn the impossible into the possible by shifting perspective. He stressed that the impossible is yesterday’s understanding of what we have already achieved. Believe!

Announcements

• The District 6380 Assembly will be April 11 in Howell. District grant training will be one of the focuses of the assembly.
• Book Swap is Wednesday, Febuary 25. Bring a book to swap.
• The board approved funding for a variety of projects using more than $23,000 from the GPO that wasn’t originallly in the budget. See the board meeting summary for more information.
• We are working with U of M’s survey class to finalize and review the club’s survey questions which will be sent to club  members on March 2.
• EPIC Day park cleanup will take place at Argo Park on May 16.
• The Creating Peace through Music Conference will take place on March 27 at Washtenaw Community College.

Washtenaw Community College receives Ann Arbor Rotary’s Distinguished Service Award

The Distinguished Service Award (DSA) is our club’s highest honor and exemplifies “Service Above Self” through exceptional professional, community and Rotary contributions. This award was presented to Washtenaw Community College.

Past District Governor, Collyer Smith introduced Dr. Rose Bellanca, president of Washtenaw Community College who  accepted the award on behalf of the college. She highlighted its affordable tuition, strong nursing program, cyber sescurity and role in preparing skilled professionals for Michigan’s economy. Dr Balanca thanked Rotary for contributing over $320,ooo in student scholarships for 150 students over the past 10 years through A2 Rotary’s STRIVE program and Service Above Self scholarships.

Professor Eve Primus: Preventing Wrongful Convictions

Don Duquette introduced  Professor Eve Primus who delivered a presentation on wrongful convictions, highlighting four common errors in the criminal justice system: mistaken eyewitness identification, flawed forensic analyses, false confessions, and official misconduct. She explained how these errors occur and proposed solutions to mitigate them, such as eliminating system variables, educating jurors, improving forensic quality control, and implementing better interrogation practices. The presentation aimed to raise awareness of the systemic issues leading to wrongful convictions and suggest ways to prevent them.

The meeting adjourned at 1:30