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December 16, 2019 | ||
In This Issue:
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Organizers Introduce Truth, Education, and Reconciliation Initiative at Campus Forum
Committee members participate in Deliberative Dialogue
An initiative focused on “truth-telling” processes and public remembrance of incidents of racial terror in Miami-Dade County was introduced at a campus forum recently. Truth, Education, and Reconciliation, or TeAR, is designed to foster racial healing.
Community members, faculty, staff, and students participating in a deliberative dialogue discussed the long-standing issue of racial injustice and discussed how the community can heal and move forward.
“Truth and Reconciliation: Confronting South Florida’s Racist Past” was the second forum in this year’s Deliberative Dialogue Series. The Center for Community Service Initiatives (CCSI) hosted the forum in Weber Grand Hall on November 21.
The lead participants were mainly members of the TEaR Steering Committee: Dr. Judith Bachay, a Barry alumna and director of graduate mental health counseling programs at St. Thomas University; Roni Bennett, co-founder and executive director of South Florida People of Color; Dr. Marvin Dunn, community activist and professor emeritus of Florida International University; and Gene Tinnie, chairman of the Virginia Key Beach Park Trust. Joining them on a panel was Gabriel Bouani, a former Barry Service Corps Fellow and current graduate student.
Dunn referred to the McDuffie riots of 1980 in Miami following the acquittal of four Dade County Public Safety Department officers charged in connection with the killing of a black salesman and former Marine. According to various accounts, Arthur McDuffie died from injuries sustained at the hands of four white officers trying to arrest him after a high-speed chase.
“It was an act of racial violence that has gone unrecognized,” declared Dunn, the co-author of a book on the historic event. “Why is there not a marker for where he was killed?”
Bachay noted that more black people per capita were lynched in Florida than in any other state, and Dunn – a 2011 recipient of Barry’s Laudare Medal for service – told forum participants that he has visited everywhere there has been a lynching. He spoke about “a legacy of extrajudicial killings” and acts of racial violence.
Bennett called Miami-Dade “a diverse but segregated community” that needs racial healing. Describing South Florida People of Color as “a racial healing organization,” she highlighted its ongoing efforts to eradicate racism and bigotry.
“We have to repair the human race,” Tinnie argued. Referring to the power of words, he said, “Words shape thoughts; thought shape actions.”
Bouani shared his experience in Montgomery, Alabama, last spring as part of Alternative Breaks. He was a member of a group from Barry who learned about the legacy of lynching, mass incarceration of people of color, and resistance to civil rights. The Alternative Spring Break group visited the Equal Justice Initiative’s (EJI) Legacy Museum.
Dunn and Tinnie called attention to the EJI’s work in challenging racial injustice and engaging communities in related conversation.
Bachay, who has expertise in conflict mediation and resolution, spoke about research on intergenerational trauma and how trauma affects physical health.
Forum facilitator Courtney Berrien pointed out that “truth and reconciliation is a process” that involves dialogue and action. Berrien is associate director of the CCSI and co-chair of the TEaR Committee. Co-chair Guy Forchion also took part in the forum.
Discussing how to address racial intolerance and violence, forum participants identified publications, programs, and events that could be instrumental in the process. For example, it was suggested, everyone should read the book “Just Mercy” by Bryan Stevenson, the EJI founder and executive director.
“Are reparations appropriate and desirable?” CCSI Executive Director Dr. Glenn Bowen asked. In response, Dunn said reparations should not mean that checks would be given to individuals but funds should be provided to organizations demonstrating that they are doing this kind of work – truth telling, education, and acts of reconciliation.
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Deliberative Dialogue Series to Continue with Two Spring Semester Forums
The academic year’s Deliberative Dialogue Series will continue in the spring semester with two forums – the first on comprehensive sex education, scheduled for February 25, and the second on waste disposal, for April 16. Both are slated for 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. in Andreas 112.
The CCSI hosted two forums in the Deliberative Dialogue Series in the fall semester.
The CCSI organizes the Deliberative Dialogue Series as an approach to civic learning and engagement in addressing hot-button social issues. Free and open to the public, the series brings together campus and community stakeholders to weigh perspectives on the issues and to work towards practical solutions.
For further information, contact CCSI Associate Director Courtney Berrien at cberrien@barry.edu or 305-899-4017.
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CCSI Accepting Nominations for Community Engagement Awards 2020
The Center for Community Service Initiatives (CCSI) is accepting nominations for the 2020 Community Engagement Awards. Students, faculty, and staff members, as well as community partners, are invited to submit nominationsby January 27.
Nominations are being accepted in seven categories: Community Impact, Community Partnership, Community-Based Research, Engaged Scholarship, Community Engagement Educator, Service-Learning Faculty, and Engaged Department.
The CCSI will host Barry’s seventh annual Community Engagement Awards on March 25, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m., in Andreas 111.
The nomination forms are available in CEMS, the Community Engagement Management System. For additional information, contact the CCSI at service@barry.edu or the QEP desk at qep@barry.edu.
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Community Engagement Symposium Presentation Proposals Should be Submitted by February 3
The Center for Community Service Initiatives (CCSI) is accepting proposals for presentations at Barry’s seventh annual Community Engagement Symposium. Students, faculty, staff, and community partners are invited to submit proposals for presentations by February 3.
The theme of the symposium is "Engagement in Purposeful Projects: From Awareness to Action.”
In the context of community engagement, purposeful projects include experiential learning practices such as service-learning, community-based research, fieldwork, study abroad, capstones, and internships.
Proposals should address the theme of the symposium and identify the experiential learning practice that was implemented. Successful proposals will specify the course or co-curricular project, the social or community issue addressed, the related activities undertaken, and the actual learning outcomes. Proposals should also emphasize how the project was designed to be purposeful and how student awareness was translated into action.
Scheduled for March 25, the 2020 symposium will highlight student learning outcomes of community engagement practices in the context of Barry’s Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) titled “Fostering Personal and Social Responsibility through Experiential Learning.”
The guidelines and proposal submission form are available in CEMS, the Community Engagement Management System. For additional information, contact the CCSI at service@barry.edu.
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Psychology Students Showcase Community Engagement at University Event
Dr. Pamela Hall and a team of psychology students showcased a community engagement initiative at a university event recently. The initiative involves support for the local Haitian community, including children benefiting from the Head Start program.
“Community-Based Research: Haitian Head Start Program” is the title of a presentation made by Hall and four undergraduate psychology students: Benson Denis, Marly Jean-Jacques, Jonathan Pierre, and Bruce Sakindi.
As part of the community engagement initiative, Hall is instructor for a psychology capstone, designated as a service-learning course. Through the course, she has engaged her students in community-based participatory research in partnership with the Haitian Youth and Community Center of Florida.
The Core Commitments Luncheon was a highlight of Barry Founders’ Week 2019, November 9–15. During the luncheon, students, faculty, and staff members presented exemplary collaborative projects that demonstrate the university’s mission and core commitments.
Presentations included “Nursing and Education International Learning Partnership (Project NEILP).” The presenters were Courtney Berrien, associate director of the Center for Community Service Initiatives (CCSI), and Dr. Sean Buckreis, an associate professor in the Adrian Dominican School of Education.
Dr. Mike Allen, president, and Dr. John Murray, provost, were among the university leaders in attendance. In the audience was Nadie Mondestin, executive director of the Haitian Youth and Community Center of Florida. The agency was a recipient of Barry’s Community Partnership Award for 2019.
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In case you missed it
Finance Program with Service-Learning Component Featured in Magazine
Florida Trend: The Magazine of Florida Business has highlighted the partnership between Barry University’s Student Managed Investment Fund (SMIF) and a local high school.
In a recent issue, the article noted that the SMIF partnership with William H. Turner Technical Arts High School was designed “to teach a yearlong course in financial literacy to high school students.”
Now in its sixth year, the partnership facilitates Barry’s SMIF as a designated service-learning course. SMIF advisor Dr. Stephen Morrell is the instructor for Finance 356.
William H. Turner Technical Arts High School – aka Turner Tech – was a recipient of Barry’s Community Partnership Award in 2017.
Cindy Krischer Goodman’s Wealth Management-category article featured student-managed investment funds at seven Florida colleges and universities, emphasizing how they are organized and operated. Besides Barry, institutions featured in the article were Florida State University, Rollins College, Stetson University, University of Florida, University of Miami, and University of North Florida.
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Organizers of First Miami Walk to End Epilepsy Seeking Student Volunteers
The Epilepsy Foundation of Florida needs student volunteers for its Miami Walk to End Epilepsy, scheduled for March 14, 2020, at Zoo Miami. The first such event in Miami, the walk is aimed at supporting what the organizers describe as “a very special and important cause.”
Over 223,000 people in Florida are living with epilepsy or seizure-related conditions.
“Our previous walk in Tampa in October 2019 raised $40,000.00 in our fight to end epilepsy,” said Christina Delgado, the Epilepsy Foundation of Florida program and events manager. “We are hoping to surpass that goal in Miami.
The Epilepsy Foundation of Florida is a chapter of the Epilepsy Foundation of America, which develops and implements programs and services for people with epilepsy.
For answers to questions, visit https://epilepsyfoundationfl.org/ or contact Delgado at cdelgado@efa.org or 813-255-0840.
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Happy Holidays!
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