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In This Issue:
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Volunteers Render Service Benefiting Local Communities and Bahamians Affected by Hurricane
Students Request Garbage Receptacles for Neighborhood
Barry University marked the September 11th National Day of Service and Remembrance on September 14 with collaborative service projects at four sites.
One group of volunteers was assigned to Feeding South Florida’s Pembroke Park (Broward) warehouse, where they inspected, sorted, and packed nonperishable food items for distribution. Some of the supplies will assist Bahamian nationals in South Florida affected by Hurricane Dorian.
A second volunteer group went to Greater St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church in Coconut Grove (Miami-Dade), where they lent a hand with hurricane relief efforts benefiting people in the Bahamas.
Historically, Coconut Grove has been home to Bahamian immigrants.
“It was great putting in my grain of sand in helping the natural disaster victims after seeing how many of my peers were affected," said Martina Muñoz, a Barry Service Corps Fellow.
Muñoz has been focusing much of her civic work on a marketing project to assist artisans in a northwestern Haiti cooperative. However, she did not hesitate to shift her attention to another Caribbean country in response to the devastation caused by the recent hurricane.
“I learned that many of the victims from Abaco have migrated into Nassau, where they are now in shelters,” Muñoz said. "The donations we helped to pack at the church will be shipped off to Nassau.”
In La Paloma, the unincorporated neighborhood adjacent to Barry’s main campus, volunteers picked up litter and did a trash audit. They analyzed the items they collected and recorded the information for use by neighborhood leaders in getting a sense of potential problem activity and health-related risks in La Paloma.
In addition, students wrote letters to Miami-Dade County District 3 Commissioner Audrey Edmonson, requesting that garbage receptacles to be placed throughout La Paloma.
On campus, volunteers served in the Barry Urban Garden, preparing vegetable plots for the growing season. Some volunteers did the weeding; others installed a cinderblock edging.
In all, 83 students, together with faculty/staff members, turned out for the 9/11 Day of Service. Among them were Dr. Lisa Konczal, professor of criminology and sociology, and two academic success coaches, Francesca Muro and Keyonvis Bouie.
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This Tuesday, September 24, is National Voter Registration Day
Tomorrow (Tuesday, Sept. 24) is National Voter Registration Day.
“Members of the BucsVote team will be stationed around campus, seeking to help people register to vote and answering questions people may have about the process,” said Dr. Sean Foreman, co-chair of Barry’s Campus Democracy Project (CDP) Committee.
“There will be tables set up in some buildings where people can choose to register to vote either electronically or with a paper application,” Foreman added. “Some team members will be walking around campus with clipboards to meet people where they are comfortable on campus.”
This year, according to Foreman, “there seems to be more energy around the efforts probably because of the many controversial issues that dominate the current political environment.”
Set for the fourth Tuesday of September, National Voter Registration Day celebrates American democracy. The day was first observed in 2012 and is said to be growing in popularity.
“Registering to vote is one step, but the more critical one is actually exercising your right to vote on Election Day,” Foreman said. He explained that the CDP Committee would “follow up on the registration efforts with voter education activities and programs targeting policies that matter to young voters.”
Members of the BucsVote team are students appointed to the CDP Committee. They include Barry Service Corps (BSC) Fellows and Barry’s Campus Election Engagement Fellow.
“All efforts are non-partisan in nature. The goal is not to promote a particular party or ideology but rather to get people engaged and to encourage them to think critically about the values and principles that matter in a democratic society,” Foreman said.
Foreman co-chairs the CDP Committee with Antonio Rodriguez, a BSC Fellow and former president of the Florida College Democrats.
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State Lawmakers to Participate in Legislative Forums on Campus
As part of Barry University’s Campus Democracy Project (CDP), two Legislative Forums are scheduled for this semester.
State Representative Dotie Joseph (D–108) will participate in the first forum this Wednesday (Sept. 25) and State Sen. Jason Pizzo (D–38) in the second on October 8. Both forums will be held in Room 110 of the R. Kirk Landon Student Union, from 6 to 8 p.m.
Joseph and Pizzo are expected to discuss Florida’s current legislative agenda and their specific plans for the districts they represent in the Florida legislature. They will answer questions from the audience.
The Campus Democracy Project is a nonpartisan initiative aimed at promoting civic learning and democratic engagement through voter education, registration, and mobilization.
TheLegislative Forums are free and open to the public. For further information, contact the Center for Community Service Initiatives at service@barry.edu or 305-899-3696. | ||
Community Partners Coming to Campus for Annual Fair this Wednesday
Community partners representing a variety of organizations will be coming to campus this Wednesday (Sept. 25) for the Community Engagement Fair.
Students, as well as faculty and staff members, are invited to exchange information with community partners in the atrium of the R. Kirk Landon Student Union between 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
Designated as a QEP-PSR (Quality Enhancement Plan-personal and social responsibility) event, the Community Engagement Fair draws attention to opportunities for volunteer work, service-learning and community-based research projects, and community-focused internships.
For additional information on this event, contact Liz James, experiential learning coordinator, at ljames@barry.edu or 305-899-3728.
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Students Invited to Open House for Alternative Breaks on October 2
An Open House for the Alternative Breaks Program is scheduled for October 2, from 4 to 5 p.m., in the De Porres Center, Thompson Hall. Preliminary details of the plans for fall and spring break trips will be discussed.
Alternative Fall Break, October 4, will involve a farmworker justice immersion in Immokalee, southwestern Florida, where the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) will welcome the Barry group to its headquarters. Students will learn about injustices in the modern agricultural sector and are expected to offer their support to the CIW Campaign for Fair Food.
The Alternative Fall Break participants will also do voluntary work at social service agencies in Immokalee.
Alternative Spring Break will run from February 29 through March 6. ASB trips are being planned for McAllen, Texas; Tallahassee, Florida; Port-de-Paix, Haiti; and the Bahamas.
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CCSI Invites Course Instructors to Apply for Service-Learning Designation
Courses that meet specific criteria are labeled “service-learning” in the course schedule and are listed as such in the university catalogs.
The Center for Community Service Initiatives (CCSI) is inviting faculty members whose courses include a service-learning component to apply for the service-learning designation.
Sections of courses, internships, practicum assignments, field education, capstones, community-based research, and similar community-focused or community-based work also may be designated as service-learning.
“Designating courses as service-learning promotes deep integration of thoughtfully organized community service into the curriculum and high standards of service-learning practice,” according to a statement from the CCSI. “Service-learning courses demonstrate the value of applied learning, student engagement with the community, and critical reflection.”
For additional information on the service-learning designation, contact Dr. Glenn Bowen at gbowen@barry.edu.
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Faculty Learning Community for Engaged Scholarship to Meet on October 15
The Faculty Learning Community for Engaged Scholarship will have its second meeting for the academic year on October 15, beginning at 1 p.m. The CCSI will host the hour-long meeting in Adrian Hall, Room 208.
All FLC members and prospective members are urged to attend.
For further information, contact any of the FLC facilitators – Dr. Laura Finley (lfinley@barry.edu), Dr. Pamela Hall (phall@barry.edu), or Dr. Celeste Landeros (clanderos@barry.edu).
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Stamps Scholars Day of Service Spotlighted in CCSI Annual Report 2019
In its Annual Report for 2019, the CCSI put the spotlight on the Stamps Scholars Day of Service. Barry’s Stamps Scholars helped to improve the campus garden by installing a cinderblock border, removing invasive species, and planting vegetables and flowers.
The Barry Stamps Scholars Program helps “driven and talented student leaders achieve their education and life goals,” the Report says. ”With the generous support of the Stamps Family Charitable Foundation, the program invests in an exclusive group of high-achieving incoming freshmen interested in leadership and service.”
The CCSI Annual Report is divided into seven sections: Awards and Accolades, Service-Learning Program, Co-curricular Programs and Events, Civic Learning and Leadership, Community Partnerships and Participation, Community-Engaged Scholarship, and Other Community Engagement Activities.
The theme of the 60-page Report is “Accelerating the Pace of Civic Engagement.”
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Federal Work-Study Community Service Placements Availableto Eligible Students
Students eligible for Federal Work-Study (FWS) are urged to apply for community service positions. All students participating in FWS Community Service are members of the Barry Service Corps.
The Barry Service Corps is a civic engagement program managed by the CCSI. While gaining valuable work experience, members address issues affecting local communities.
The CCSI coordinates Federal Work-Study Community Service Federal Work-Study Community Service in partnership with the Office of Financial Aid and the Office of Human Resources.
For further information, contact Brittney Morales, coordinator of FWS Community Service, at BriMorales@barry.edu or 305-899-3696.
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Box Tops for Education Drive Continuing Throughout Academic Year
The Box Tops for Education Drive is continuing this academic year. Proceeds of the drive benefit two South Florida elementary schools – North Miami in Miami-Dade County and Sheridan Hills in Broward.
The Minority Association of Pre-Health Students (MAPS) in association with the Center for Community Service Initiatives (CCSI) organizes the drive from which the schools earn 10 cents for each Box Tops clip.
Box Tops clips from household products may be dropped in the labeled boxes found at several locations on Barry’s main campus, including the CCSI (Adrian 208), the Monsignor William Barry Memorial Library, and Thompson Hall. Alternatively, donations may be sent to Dr. Stephanie Bingham, the MAPS advisor, in the Department of Biology, Siena 309.
Cereals, household-cleaning supplies, paper products, and school supplies are on the list of eligible products found at the following site: <http://www.boxtops4education.com/earn/participating-products>.
For further information, contact Bingham at sbingham@barry.edu.
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Organizers Looking for Volunteers for 2019 Walk to End Lupus Now
The Lupus Foundation of America, Florida Chapter is seeking volunteers for its annual Walk to End Lupus Now on November 16 at Marlins Park in Miami. The event is scheduled for 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., with the Opening Ceremony set for 5:30.
“We are in need of volunteers to help with crowd interaction, event coordination, registration, greeting, and store attending,” said Sarah Tedesco, events intern.
The Lupus Foundation of America (LFA) and its national network conduct Walk to End Lupus Now events to raise money for lupus research, increase awareness of lupus, and rally public support for those who suffer from the disease. To register, visit LFA’s Walk to End Lupus Now website.
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