Community Engagement News

September 4, 2018

In This Issue:

Students Selected for Civic Learning and Leadership Development Program

Social Work Faculty Member Appointed to County’s Economic Advocacy Trust

Barry’s ‘Colleges of Distinction’ Profile Highlights Civic Engagement

All Set for Day of Service this Saturday to Commemorate 9/11

Registration for International Coastal Cleanup Project Gets Underway

Deliberative Dialogue Series Begins with Forum on Felons’ Right to Vote

Campus Invited to Community Engagement Fair on September 26

CCSI Annual Report Highlights Academic Year’s Achievements

Students Selected for Civic Learning and Leadership Development Program

Eight students were recently selected as newcomers to the Barry Service Corps (BSC) Fellows Program. They have joined nine students who are continuing their participation in the civic learning and leadership development program.

The new BSC fellows are Erica Cruz, a biology major; Joulinsa Jean-Charles, forensic psychology; Martina Muñoz, business management; Stephanie Nguyen, biology; Dai’Jonnai (DJ) Smith, athletic training; Samantha Ternelus, international studies; Alexis Toussaint, undecided; and Tatyana Wimbley, athletic training.

The returning fellows are Gabriel (Gabe) Bouani, a business management major; Sydney Ingram, nursing; Paola Lopez-Hernandez, international studies; Jasmine McKee, history; Pa Sheikh Ngom, business management; Anel Ramirez, nursing; Shayna Ramirez, criminology; Paris Razor, English; and Antonio (Toni) Rodriguez, political science.

BSC fellows participate in a yearlong program designed to foster civic-mindedness and to prepare students for civic leadership roles. Throughout the academic year, the 17 fellows will engage in social justice activities focused on civic health, equitable communities, and global citizenship.

CCSI Associate Director Courtney Berrien manages the program with assistance from Program Coordinators Donté Roberts and Asha Starks. Both Roberts and Starks are former BSC fellows.

Social Work Faculty Member Appointed to County’s Economic Advocacy Trust

Dr. Tisa McGhee, an associate professor of social work, has been appointed to the Miami-Dade Economic Advocacy Trust.

The Miami-Dade County Board of Commissioners ratified McGhee’s appointment as a trustee on July 20, and she is expected to attend her first meeting this month. In the meantime, Economic Advocacy Trust Board Chairman Sheldon Edwards has thanked McGhee for her “interest and support in our efforts to improve the lives of the citizens of Miami-Dade County.”

The mission of the Miami-Dade Economic Advocacy Trust is to ensure the equitable participation of Blacks in Miami-Dade County's economic growth through advocacy and monitoring of economic conditions and economic development initiatives in the county. The Trust operates in three areas of economic advancement: economic development, homeownership, and youth development.

McGhee is a former service-learning faculty fellow and was a winner of Barry’s Engaged Scholarship Award in 2015. Together with Drs. Jessie Colin and Dr. Corvette Yacoob (Nursing), McGhee is one of three Barry faculty members recently named among South Florida’s Top Black Educators of 2018.

Barry’s ‘Colleges of Distinction’ Profile Highlights Civic Engagement

The profile of Barry University as one of the 2018–2019 Colleges of Distinction highlights civic engagement and service-learning practice.

“Barry University provides a higher education experience that [allows students to apply] what is learned in the classroom to a constantly changing and diverse world, promoting civic engagement for the betterment of humanity,” the Colleges of Distinction profile says. “Barry is focused on inspiring and training the next generation of change agents and leaders.”

According to the profile, “Barry’s use of service learning, which integrates coursework with community needs, engages students with real-world issues and encourages them to help find solutions.”

The profile also specifies the role of the Center for Community Service Initiatives as the university’s clearinghouse for community engagement.

All Set for Day of Service this Saturday to Commemorate 9/11

All arrangements are in place for a day of service this Saturday (September 8) to commemorate 9/11. The community service activities will mark Barry’s observance of the 17th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

September 11th National Day of Service and Remembrance is the culmination of efforts, launched in 2002, to promote community service as an annual tribute to the 9/11 victims, survivors, and those who rose up in service in response to the attacks. In 2009, Congress designated September 11th as a National Day of Service and Remembrance under bipartisan federal law.

Barry participants will meet in the Landon Events Room at 8 a.m. A light breakfast and transportation will be

provided. Each participant is asked to take along a reusable water bottle and to wear closed-toe shoes.

Registration for the day of service remains open. To register, visit www.barry.edu/service and click on “GET INVOLVED.”

For more information, contact the Center for Community Service Initiatives (CCSI) at service@barry.edu or 305-899-3696.

Registration for International Coastal Cleanup Project Gets Underway

Registration for the International Coastal Cleanup project at Historic Virginia Key Beach Park is underway.

On September 15, Barry students, faculty, and staff will take part in the project as part of the university’s second major day of service for this academic year.

The International Coastal Cleanup is the world's largest one-day volunteer effort to clean up the marine environment and raise awareness about this issue. Spearheaded by Ocean Conservancy, the annual effort, takes place on the third Saturday of September. This is the 33rd year of the coastal cleanup efforts.

VolunteerCleanup.org coordinates Miami-Dade’s participation in this global event, which includes more than 40 simultaneous shoreline cleanups across the county. Volunteers not only remove marine debris but also catalog and tally what they find, using Ocean Conservancy’s data collection cards or Clean Swell app.  

Barry participants will remove debris and other items from the shoreline and nearby areas at Virginia Key Beach in Miami. They will keep a record of items collected and turn it over to the local project organizers. Over the years, cigarette butts, food wrappers, plastic beverage bottles, and plastic bottle caps have been on the list of “top 10 items collected.”

All registered participants are asked to meet in the Landon Events Room at 7:45 a.m. Transportation and a light breakfast will be provided. The service project is expected to end at lunch time.

Each participant is asked to take along a reusable water bottle and to wear closed-toe shoes.

To register, visit www.barry.edu/service and click on “GET INVOLVED.”

For more information, contact the CCSI at service@barry.edu or 305-899-3696.

Deliberative Dialogue Series Begins with Forum onFelons’ Right to Vote

This academic year’s Deliberative Dialogue Series will begin on September 20 with a forum focused on the proposed Florida Amendment 4, Voting Rights Restoration for Felons Initiative (2018).

The 90-minute forum will be held in the Andreas 112 conference room, beginning at 4 p.m.

The Voting Rights Restoration for Felons Initiative is on the November 6 ballot in Florida as an initiated constitutional amendment.

A “yes" vote supports this amendment to automatically restore the right to vote for people with prior felony

convictions, except those convicted of murder or a felony sexual offense, upon completion of their

sentences, including prison, parole, and probation. A "no" vote opposes this amendment.

In Florida, a constitutional amendment requires a 60 percent “yes” vote to be approved.

Florida is one of four states – the three others being Iowa, Kentucky, and Virginia – where convicted felons do not regain the right to vote, “until and unless a state officer or board restores an individual's voting rights.” If Amendment 4 passes, Florida would join 19 other states that restore the right to vote after the completion of prison time, parole, and probation.

Campus Invited to Community Engagement Fair on September 26

The annual Community Engagement Fair will be held on September 26 on Barry’s Miami Shores Campus.

The main segment of the event will be a showcase from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Community partners will provide students, faculty, and staff with information on opportunities for volunteer work, service-learning and community-based research projects, and community-focused internships.

A 90-minute workshop for community partners will precede the showcase segment of the fair.

Additional information on the Community Engagement Fair is available from the CCSI at service@barry.edu or 305-899-3696.

CCSI Annual Report Highlights Academic Year’s Achievements

Highlights of the CCSI’s 2018 Annual Report include a review of the implementation of Barry’s Civic Action Plan.

The statewide recognition of the university as a recipient of Florida Campus Compact’s Engaged Campus of the Year Award and students’ demonstration of the social responsibility outcomes of the university’s Quality Enhancement Plan are also among the highlights of the 60-page report.

The theme of the CCSI Annual Report is “Implementing Civic Action to Create Community Impact.”