September 21, 2020
IN THIS ISSUE
- Academic Year’s Community Engagement Calendar is Chock-full of Events
- Deliberative Dialogue Series Focusing on Race Matters Gets Going This Thursday
- Significant Increase in Committee Membership for Campus Democracy Project
- Tomorrow, September 22, is National Voter Registration Day
- Finley, Hall, and Landeros Remain Co-facilitators of the Faculty Learning Community
- Community Partners Attend Federal Work-Study Supervisor Training Sessions
- Federal Work-Study Community Service Placements Available to Eligible Students
Academic Year’s Community Engagement Calendar is Chock-full of Events
Annual awards, symposium scheduled for March 31
On the calendar are major days of service, including Founders Day of Service, November 7, and MLK Day of Service, January 16. Service sites will include the Barry Urban Garden on campus. (CCSI file photos)
The academic year’s community engagement calendar includes a variety of events—from deliberative dialogue forums and collaborative service projects to the annual symposium and awards. Several events are specifically connected to initiatives that advance the university’s commitment to social justice.
The Center for Community Service Initiatives (CCSI) will host four forums in this year’s Deliberative Dialogue Series on “Race Matters.” The 90-minute forums will be held on September 24, October 22, February 11, and April 15.
Major days of service on the calendar include Founders Day of Service, November 7, and Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service, January 16. Service site will include the Barry Urban Garden on the main campus.
Last Saturday was International Coastal Cleanup Day. The CCSI organized activities in partnership with the Virginia Key Beach Part Trust.
In addition to the major days of service, Sustainability Saturday (April 17) is on the calendar. Each year, the day’s project is designed to “uphold the sacredness of Earth by supporting community-based projects that contribute to environmental health.”
On Sustainability Saturday in April, the collaborative service projects “uphold the sacredness of Earth.” (CCSI file photo)
The CCSI will host both the seventh annual Community Engagement Symposium and the eighth annual Community Engagement Awards on March 31.
The symposium will feature a nationally recognized community engagement scholar as the lead presenter. Students, faculty, and staff members as well as community partners will make presentations, and the results of a Student Poster Competition will be announced.
During the Community Engagement Awards Ceremony, the achievements made by students, faculty, and staff members will be highlighted. Community Partnership and Engaged Department are two of the categories in which awards will be presented.
Also on the calendar are voter registration and mobilization activities organized as part of Barry’s Campus Democracy Project (CDP). The annual Constitution Day Student Forum, organized by the CDP Committee, took place last Thursday (Sept. 21). Other events slated for this semester include the Presidential Debate Watch on September 29, October 15, and October 22, with a students’ response session the day after each debate; and the Vice-Presidential Debate Watch on October 7, with a students’ response session the following day.
The CDP Committee will host the Florida 2020 Ballot Forum on October 1 and hold two Legislative Forums in the spring semester.
The annual Community Engagement Fair is on the schedule for the spring. On February 3, community partners will attend a workshop and provide a showcase of their programs and services.
Deliberative Dialogue Series Focusing On Race Matters Gets Going This Thursday
The academic year’s Deliberative Dialogue Series will begin this Thursday, September 24, at 4 p.m., with a forum titled “Why Race Matters.” It will be the introductory forum in the series on “Race Matters.”
Organized by the Center for Community Service Initiatives (CCSI), the series of four forums—two in the fall semester and two in the spring—will “engage representatives of diverse social groups in productive and respectful dialogue about race,” explained CCSI Associate Director Courtney Berrien. “In the first forum, we will establish a common understanding and vocabulary around such topics as whiteness, systemic racism, privilege and power, and implicit bias.”
A panel of lead participants for Thursday’s forum will include Charles Bell, a Barry student; Ron E. Miles, diversity, equity, and inclusion facilitator and communications director for South Florida People of Color; Dr. Fabio Naranjo, assistant professor of social work; Dr. Pawena Sirimangkala, associate professor of communication and director of the Honors Program; and T. Nikki Watkins, program director of MCCJ (formerly Miami Coalition of Christians and Jews).
The forum facilitators will be Berrien and Amanda Knight, associate director of athletics and senior woman administrator. Both Berrien and Knight are members of Barry’s Antiracism and Equity Coalition.
The Deliberative Dialogue Series brings together campus and community stakeholders to weigh perspectives on the issues and to work toward practical solutions. (CCSI file photos)
In announcing the Deliberative Dialogue Series, the CCSI said this, in a statement: “By creating a safe yet brave space to allow for uncomfortable yet productive conversations, participants will learn from the shared experience of others while expanding their understanding of U.S. history, with an emphasis on the painful legacy of racial violence.”
The Deliberative Dialogue Series serves as a method of civic learning and engagement in addressing hot-button social issues. The series brings together campus and community stakeholders to weigh perspectives on the issues and to work toward practical solutions.
| DELIBERATIVE DIALOGUE SERIES 2020–2021: “Race Matters” | |
Fall Semester Thursday, September 24 “Why Race Matters” Thursday, October 22 “The Impact of COVID-19 on Black and Brown Communities—Did So Many Have to Die?” | Spring Semester Thursday, February 11 Say Her Name! Working for Social Justice at the Intersection of Race and Gender” Thursday, April 15 “We’re Sinking! Why Climate Change Disproportionately Affects Communities of Color” |
The forum in September is a Peace Week event.
The series of forums is a Barry QEP/PSR-designated event. | |
For additional information on the Deliberative Dialogue Series, contact Courtney Berrien at cberrien@barry.edu.
Significant Increase In Membership On Campus Democracy Project Committee
The organizing committee for Barry’s Campus Democracy Project (CDP) has a significant increase in membership this year. Committee members are now drawn from three divisions of the university and from all colleges and schools, including Barry Law.
This year, the committee has 20 members in all---students, faculty, and staff—from Academic Affairs, Mission and Student Engagement, and Business and Finance. Members include Nadia Ahmad of the School of Law; Ginette Melchoirre, representing the Division of Business and Finance; Dr. Thomas Merrill of the School of Podiatric Medicine; and Alina Diaz-Cruz of the College of Nursing and Health Sciences.
Student Government Association President Johanssen Grandoit is a member of the committee. Barry College Democrats and Barry College Republicans are represented.
 | |
| CDP Committee 2020–2021 | |
| Dr. Sean Foreman | (Committee Co-chair) Department of History and Political Science |
| Isaly Ortiz | (Committee Co-chair) College Democrats |
| Nadia Ahmad, J.D. | School of Law |
| Dr. Glenn Bowen | Center for Community Service Initiatives |
| Dr. Paula Dias | Office of Mission Engagement |
| Alina Diaz-Cruz | College of Nursing and Health Sciences |
| Johanssen Grandoit | Student Government Association |
| Steve Hendricks | Intercollegiate Athletics |
| Holly Kachler | CEEP Fellow; ICUF (Independent Colleges and Universities of Florida) Presidential Fellow |
| Dr. Jalane Maloun | School of Education |
| Ginette Melchoirre | Division of Business and Finance |
| Dr. Thomas Merrill | School of Podiatric Medicine |
| Deborah Montoya | Campus Ministry |
| Dr. Fabio Naranjo | School of Social Work |
| Lindsay Syeh | Graduate Students |
| Dr. Manuel Tejeda | School of Business |
| Stephanie Torres | College Republicans |
| Dr. Heidi Whitford | School of Education |
| Judisha Williams | Department of Housing and Residence Life |
| Keana Woods | Department of Housing and Residence Life |
The CDP is a civic learning and democratic engagement initiative of the CCSI. Co-chaired by a professor of political science and a student leader, the CDP Committee coordinates this nonpartisan initiative, promoting civic learning and democratic engagement through voter registration, education, and mobilization.
Follow the CDP on social media: Twitter @barry_cdp and Instagram @barrycdp.
Tomorrow, September 22, Is National Voter Registration Day
Tomorrow (Tuesday, Sept. 22) is National Voter Registration Day. Throughout the day, members of the Campus Democracy Project’s (CDP) BucsVote team will promote student voting.
Members of the BucsVote team are students serving on the CDP Committee. They include Barry Service Corps Fellows and Barry’s Campus Election Engagement Fellow.
National Voter Registration Day is a nonpartisan civic holiday that celebrates American democracy. The day was first observed in 2012 and is said to be growing in popularity.
The holiday has been endorsed by the National Association of Secretaries of State, the National Association of State Election Directors, the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, and the National Association of Election Officials (The Election Center).
Finley, Hall, And Landeros Remain Co-Facilitators Of The Faculty Learning Community
The co-facilitators of the FLC are, from left, Drs. Laura Finley, Pamela Hall, and Celeste Landeros. They are encouraging colleagues to join the FLC and to attend meetings/seminars starting in November.
Drs. Laura Finley, Pamela Hall, and Celeste Landeros remain the co-facilitators of the Faculty Learning Community for Engaged Scholarship this academic year.
Finley is a professor of sociology and criminology, Hall an associate professor of psychology, and Landeros a professor of English and humanities. They assumed the co-facilitator role in 2018 after each served a two-year term as the facilitator.
They are encouraging colleagues to join the FLC and to attend meetings/seminars in November (for this semester) and during the spring semester.
The FLC facilitates professional development and reflective practice in community-engaged teaching, research, and service. Organized by the CCSI, the FLC is open to all faculty members. For additional information on the FLC, contact any of the facilitators or Dr. Glenn Bowen in the CCSI.
Community Partners Attend Federal Work-Study Supervisor Training Sessions
Seventeen community partners attended the recent training sessions for supervisors in the Federal Work-Study (FWS) Community Service Program.
The training sessions included reflections from students and supervisors on their experiences last year. Participants commented positively on their civic learning and professional development experiences. In addition, supervisors shared concerns and hopes regarding the program in the context of the coronavirus pandemic.
CCSI staff member Liz James, coordinator of FWS Community Service, facilitated the sessions.
Students in FWS Community Service are members of the Barry Service Corps. Last year, just over 60 students participated in the program.
“The CCSI has been working with community partners to offer a remote and hybrid learning-and-earning experience for BSC members this year,” James said.
Federal Work-Study Community Service Placements Available To Eligible Students
As part of the Federal Work-Study (FWS) program, community service positions are available to eligible students. All students who register for FWS Community Service simultaneously gain membership in 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 FWS Community Service in partnership with the Office of Financial Aid and the Office of Human Resources.
For further information, contact Brittney Morales, facilitator of FWS Community Service, at BriMorales@barry.edu.
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