October 26, 2020

IN THIS ISSUE

• Second Annual Founders’ Day of Service Set for November 7
• Redesigned Website Emphasizes Comprehensiveness of Community Engagement at Barry
• Campus Democracy Project Committee Schedules Walk to the Polls
• Students to Attend Coalition Meeting to Hear Responses to Gun Violence, Affordable Housing Issues
• Community Partnership is One of Seven Categories of Awards for Community Engagement
• Faculty Learning Community for Engaged Scholarship to Meet November 5

Second Annual Founders’ Day Of Service Set For November 7

Projects Will Be Implemented On-Site And Online

By Glenn Bowen

“Healthy Communities” is the theme of Barry University’s second annual Founders’ Day of Service. Collaborative service projects will be implemented on-site and online on November 7.

The three sites for in-person projects are the Barry Urban Garden (BUG) on campus, La Paloma neighborhood, and Hubert O. Sibley K–8 Academy. 

On campus, volunteers will contribute to the maintenance and improvement of the garden spaces and to the preparation of plots for seasonal planting.

Across the street, in La Paloma and at Sibley School, volunteers will take part in cleanup/beautification projects. At Sibley, some volunteers will give an indoor area a fresh coat of paint while others will spruce up the landscaping.

Students and others participating remotely will support Bread for the World’s efforts to decrease hunger in the United States by advocating support of federal hunger programs such as SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Participants will also contact legislators to request the provision of coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) relief assistance.

President Mike Allen and Provost John Murray are expected to participate in the Day of Service activities, beginning at 9 a.m.

Kicking off Founders’ Week, the Day of Service is organized as part of the celebration of Barry’s Adrian Dominican values. Following the inaugural Founders’ Day of Service last year, this year’s event signals that a new tradition is in the making. 

Commitment to Collaborative Service 

The event also further advances Barry’s commitment to collaborative service, as declared in the institutional mission statement. 

“Both the online and onsite service projects will start with an interactive orientation,” said Courtney Berrien, associate director of the Center for Community Service Initiatives (CCSI). The orientation will include a presentation by a permaculture expert from Adrian, Michigan.

“From there, participants will break into groups, with some engaging in onsite service projects and others serving through virtual activities,” Berrien explained. “The group connecting virtually will participate in a simulation that highlights economic and health disparities in the United States. This interactive simulation will be followed by a letter-writing and social media campaign.”

Students, faculty, and staff are required to register online for next Saturday’s four-hour event.

Last year, for the first time, a day of service marked the start of Barry Founders’ Week. On November 6, President Allen served alongside students, faculty, staff, alumni, and family members at Historic Virginia Key Beach Park. They created nature trails, restored a nursery, assembled picnic tables, and removed litter from the beach. 

Both Allen and Guy Forchion, executive director of the Virginia Key Beach Park Trust, pointed to the mutual benefits of the partnership between Barry and his organization, which manages a historic site in Miami.

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Redesigned Website Emphasizes Comprehensiveness Of Community Engagement At Barry

The Center for Community Service Initiatives (CCSI) has a new-look website. Launched today (Oct. 26), the redesigned site emphasizes the comprehensiveness of community engagement at Barry.

From curricular offerings to volunteer opportunities, from community partnerships to faculty development programs, the information contained at the site reflects attention to the major elements of a successful community engagement strategy.

Barry is a Carnegie-classified community-engaged university, and the CCSI is its community engagement clearinghouse.

Programs and projects showcased at the site include Alternative Breaks, the Barry Service Corps, the Barry Urban Garden, and the Campus Democracy Project. The site also highlights annual events such as the Community Engagement Awards, Community Engagement Fair, Community Engagement Symposium, and Deliberative Dialogue Series.

An Alumni page has been added to the site. That page currently features a former Barry Service Corps Fellow and students contributing to community impact.

Videos, fact sheets, newsletters, and a list of community engagement publications and presentations are available at the site.

The revamped website has a link to the GivePulse platform, which the CCSI will use for volunteer management and for providing access to civic engagement opportunities offered by Barry’s community partners. 

Miguel Ramirez, director of marketing for product development and design, executed the website design based on discussions with the CCSI.

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Campus Democracy Project Committee Schedules Walk To The Polls

“Walk to the Polls: Exercise Your Right … Exercise Yourself.” That’s the final get-out-the-vote activity on this year’s Campus Democracy Project (CDP) calendar.

Next Tuesday, Election Day, residential students will walk together from the main campus to the nearest polling place—Hubert O. Sibley K–8 Academy.

The CDP is a nonpartisan project designed to promote civic learning and democratic engagement through voter registration, education, and mobilization. CDP Committee members Dr. Jalane Meloun and Judisha Williams are coordinating the event.

“Many people are voting early this year, either by mail or in person, and we encourage those options,” said Dr. Sean Foreman, professor of political science and co-chair of the CDP Committee. “But there is something special about voting on Election Day.”

Foreman said students registered to vote with their Barry address can enjoy the South Florida weather while exercising their civic right and responsibility to vote.

The committee is inviting other students, as well as faculty and staff, to stop by the courtyard of the Landon student union, between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Tuesday, for some refreshments and to share in civic dialogue. 

“This is a way for people to observe the U.S. democratic process in action … and to enjoy the environment and spirit of American participatory democracy,” Foreman added. 

The CDP is implemented with support from the Campus Election Engagement Project (CEEP), the Students Learn Students Vote Coalition (SLSV), Ask Every Student, and ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge.

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Students To Attend Coalition Meeting To Hear Responses To Gun Violence, Affordable Housing Issues

Barry students will be among Miami-Dade residents attending the PACT (People Acting for Community Together) Annual Meeting this evening (Oct. 26). The students, who are taking service-learning courses, are concentrating on urban gun violence and affordable housing issues and interventions. 

Gun violence and affordable housing are key issues on PACT’s current agenda. Committee leaders will report on efforts to expand the implementation of the Group Violence Intervention strategy and to secure “large-scale solutions” to the county’s affordable housing crisis primarily through the Affordable Housing Trust Fund. 

County and city officials are expected to affirm their positions and report on their commitments regarding policy-based actions to address the identified issues.

PACT is an inter-faith coalition of 40 congregations in Miami-Dade County. The CCSI’s experiential learning coordinator, Liz James, organizes Barry’s participation in PACT work.

The CCSI is providing service-learning and other civic engagement opportunities through seven modules, including ones focused on urban gun violence and fair housing. 

At this evening’s meeting, PACT members will vote on “problem areas” on which to focus throughout the ensuing year. Congregational team leaders have narrowed down the list to policing, mental health, and the environment.

As part of its extensive “Listening Process” in the run-up to the Annual Meeting, nearly 400 people attended 49 house meetings, held virtually for the first time because of the coronavirus pandemic. 

“The Annual Meeting will usher in the next PACT process: Research to Action,” James noted. “During this phase, participants will work in focus-area committees to gain expertise on these issues and identify proposed solutions.”

For additional information on PACT, the Annual Meeting, and the service-learning/civic engagement modules, contact James at ljames@barry.edu.

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Community Partnership Is One Of Seven Categories Of Awards For Community Engagement

Community Partnership is one of seven categories of community engagement awards in which nominations are being accepted. The nomination deadline is January 29.

The Community Partnership Award is presented in recognition of “exemplary partnerships between university and community constituencies that produce measurable improvements in people’s lives while enhancing higher education.” Special consideration is given to partnerships that aim to achieve the systems and policy changes needed to address the root causes of social, economic, health, and environmental disparities in the community.

The award winners in the Community Partnership category in 2020 are New Florida Majority and PACT: People Acting for Community Together.

New Florida Majority is a racial justice organization serving as the leader of Dignity Florida, which stands up for the rights of incarcerated and released women. PACT promotes systemic change, justice, and democracy in Miami-Dade County. Both organizations provide opportunities for Barry students to engage in addressing issues that affect populations who are usually marginalized.

The other categories of awards are Community Impact, Community-Based Research, Community-Engaged Scholarship, Community Engagement Educator, Service-Learning Faculty, and Engaged Department.

The Center for Community Service Initiatives (CCSI) has issued a call for nominations for the 2021 Community Engagement Awards. Students, faculty, and staff members, as well as community partners, are invited to submit nominations by the deadline.

The CCSI will host Barry’s eighth annual Community Engagement Awards Ceremony on March 31, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. It is likely that the 2021 event will be held remotely, the organizers say.

The nomination forms are available at the CCSI website. For additional information, contact the CCSI at service@barry.edu.

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Faculty Learning Community For Engaged Scholarship To Meet November 5

The Faculty Learning Community for Engaged Scholarship (FLC) will have only meeting for the fall semester on November 5 from noon to 2:00 p.m.

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.

All FLC members and prospective members are urged to attend the November 5 meeting, which will be held remotely. 

For additional information on the FLC, contact any of the facilitators—Drs. Laura Finley, Pamela Hall, and Celeste Landeros—or the CCSI.

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Contact Brittney Morales, Barry Service Corps program facilitator, at BriMorales@barry.edu.

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