20th Annual URI Diversity Week
Thursday, September 22—Friday, September 30, 2016
Highlights of the Week
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) Diversity Institutes for
Students and Faculty
One Minute Plays: Our Response
Mississippi Freedom Summer Documentary Interviews
The U. S. Presidential Campaign in 2016: The Politics of Inequality
URI Diversity Week/Honors Colloquium Speaker: Prof. Kimberlé Crenshaw
Lifespan’s College of Nursing Diversity Day: Reducing Health Disparities
“My Story” - Changing the Heartbeat of Our Communities, One Story at a Time
The Movement for Black Lives: The Emergence of a 21st Century Civil Rights
Movement
Sponsored by the Multicultural Student Services Center, Lifespan, Inc., the Office of Community,
Equity, and Diversity, the College of Nursing, the Honors Colloquium, URI101, and Trinity
Repertory Theatre
Final Edition
Workshop attendees can pre-register at web.uri.edu/mcc/
74 Lower College Rd.  Kingston, RI 02881  401-874-2851  [email protected]  web.uri.edu/mcc/
2016 URI Diversity Week Keynote Lecturer
Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw
Critical Race Theorist and Feminist Scholar
Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw (born 1959) is an American civil rights advocate and leading
scholar of critical race theory. She is a full professor at the UCLA School of Law and Columbia
Law School, where she specializes in race and gender issues. She is known for the
introduction and development of intersectional theory, the study of how overlapping or
intersecting social identities, particularly minority identities, relate to systems and structures
of oppression, domination, or discrimination. She received a bachelor's degree in
government and Africana studies from Cornell University in 1981, where she was a member
of the Quill and Dagger senior honors society. She received a J.D. from Harvard Law School
in 1984. In 1985, she received an LL.M. from the University of Wisconsin Law School. She is a
founder of the field of critical race theory, and a lecturer on civil rights, critical race studies,
and constitutional law. In 1991 and 1994, she was elected professor of the year by
matriculating students. In 1995, Crenshaw was appointed as full professor at Columbia Law
School, where she is the founder and director of the Center for Intersectionality & Social
Policy Studies, established in 2011. In 1996, she co-founded and is the executive director of
the nonprofit think tank and information clearinghouse, The African American Policy Forum,
which focuses on issues of gender and diversity. Its mission is to build bridges between
scholarly research and public discourse in addressing structural inequality and
discrimination. Crenshaw has been awarded the Fulbright Chair for Latin America in Brazil,
and in 2008, she was awarded an in-residence fellowship at the Center of Advanced Behavioral Studies at Stanford. In 1991,
Crenshaw assisted the legal team representing Anita Hill at the U.S. Senate confirmation hearings for Supreme Court Justice
Clarence Thomas.
Thank you to the following:
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Campus Recreation
Chaplains Association
College of Arts and Sciences
Department of Computer Science
Department of Education
Department of Journalism
Department of Theatre
External Relations and Communications
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Feinstein Civic Engagement Program
Graduate School
Greek Affairs
Multicultural Unity and Student Involvement
Council (M.U.S.I.C.)
Publications and Creative Services
Rhode Island Hospital
STEM Diversity Institute Planning Committee
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Student Senate
University Events
URI Foundation
Women in Science
Special Thanks to Lifespan
Attendee Pre-Registration for Diversity Week Workshops
Please instruct your students to pre-register so that they may ensure a seat for the workshop. Walk-ins will be permitted after pre
-registered attendees have been admitted.
Students can pre-register at web.uri.edu/mcc/
If you would like to bring your entire class to a workshop, please contact Vanes Beaubrun, [email protected]
Disability Accommodations
If you have a disability and require an accommodation, please contact the Multicultural Student Services Center office AT LEAST
three business days in advance. Interpreter requests may require more lead time. You may reach us at 74 Lower College Road,
Kingston RI 02881; Phone 401-874-2851 (relay 711); Fax 401-874-5952; email [email protected]
2
T h u rs d a y, S e p t e m b e r 2 2 n d
Overco mi ng Ine q ua l i ty T hro ug h th e S ci e nces , Tec h no l o g y, E ng i n eer i ng ,
a nd M a the mati cs
9:30am
–
12:00
noon
2:30pm
–
3:50pm
4:00pm
–
6:00 pm
URI STEM Diversity Institute for Students
Multicultural Center, Hardge Forum (Rm. 101)
Facilitated by Catalina Martinez, National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Michelle FontesBarros, College of the Environment and Life Sciences
URI STEM Diversity Institute for Faculty
Carothers Library, Galanti Lounge, 3rd Floor
Facilitated by Dr. Bryan Dewsbury, Biological
Sciences, and Joshua Caulkins, Learning and
Teaching Center, and Collaboration for Exploration
in Mathematics and Science (CEMS)
Leveling the Playing Field: Promoting Access through
Special Academic Opportunities and Prestigious Awards
Multicultural Center, Hardge Forum (Rm. 101)
Facilitated by Kathleen Maher, Honors Program
Interfaith Student Gathering
President Dooley’s House
Facilitated by URI Chaplains Association
3
F r i d ay, S e p te m b e r 2 3 rd
Overco mi ng Ine q ual i ty T hro ug h th e S ci e nces , Tec h no l o g y, E ng i n eer i ng ,
a nd M a the mati cs
1:00pm
1:50pm
Women in STEM: A Kaleidoscope of Opportunity
Multicultural Student Services Center, Hardge Forum
(Rm. 101)
Facilitated by Dr. Faye Boudreaux-Bartels, Electrical,
Computer, and Biomedical Engineering; Dr. Joan
Peckham, Computer Science; and Dr. Barbara Silver,
Schmidt Labor Research Center
Student Tours of the BIOACTIVE BOTANICAL
LABORATORY
Pharmacy Building, Lab Module 440, Level 4
Facilitated by Dr. Navindra Seeram, Pharmacy
2:00pm
2:50pm
3:00pm
4:45pm
Big Data and No-Boundary Thinking: Cluster Hire
Kickoff Lightning Talks and Networking
Multicultural Student Services Center,
Hardge Forum (Rm. 101)
Facilitated by Dr. Joan Peckham, Computer Science and
Dr. Marta Gomez Chiarri, College of the Environment and
Life Sciences-FAVS
S u n day, S e p te m b e r 2 5 t h
Overco mi ng Ine q ua l i ty T hro ug h T heatre a n d S o ci a l Justi c e
1:00pm
–
5:00pm
4
One Minute Plays: Our Response
Memorial Union, Ballroom
Facilitated by Dominic D’Andrea, Producing Artistic Director & Founder of the One Minute Play Festival, and Joe Wilson Jr.,
Trinity Repertory Company
M o n d ay, S e p te m b e r 2 6 t h
Overco mi ng Ine q ual i ty T hro ug h Li berati ng the H u ma n S pi r i t
Screening of Freedom Summer Part 1
Multicultural Student Services Center, Hardge Forum (Rm.
101)
Facilitated by Earl Smith III, Arts and Sciences, and Barry
O’Connor, Jr., Africana Studies
Undeclared – Just a Step on the Career
Development Ladder!
Multicultural Student Services Center, Computer
Classroom (Rm. 005)
Facilitated by Kim White, Center for Career and
Experiential Education
Screening of Freedom Summer Part 2
Multicultural Student Services Center, Hardge Forum (Rm.
101)
Facilitated by Earl Smith III, Arts and Sciences, and Barry
O’Connor, Jr., Africana Studies
Cannabis Culture: An Emerging Medical and
Recreational Industry with a Legacy of Bias
Multicultural Student Services Center, Computer
Classroom (Rm. 005)
Facilitated by Professor W. Michael Sullivan, College
of the Environment and Life Sciences
Freedom Summer/ Selma - Conversation Between
Freedom Summer Veterans and High School Students
Multicultural Student Services Center, Hardge Forum (Rm.
101)
Facilitated by Earl Smith III, Arts and Sciences, and Barry
O’Connor, Jr., Africana Studies
Veterans: Past, Present and Future
Multicultural Student Services Center, Computer
Classroom (Rm. 005)
Facilitated by Christine P. Dolan, Education, and Jeff
Johnson, Veteran Affairs
Frederick Douglass, Photography, and Abolitionism
Multicultural Student Services Center, Hardge Forum (Rm.
101)
Facilitated by Dr. James Haile III, Philosophy
Freedom Summer Interview of Professor Ekwueme
Michael Thelwell, University of Massachusetts Amherst (Emeritus) (Part 1)
Chafee Hall, TV Studio, (Rm. 217)
Facilitated by Professor Kendall Moore,
Journalism
2:00pm
–
2:50pm
Frederick Douglass on Petit Marronage in Antebellum
Forced Labor Camps as Resistance to Slavery
Multicultural Student Services Center, Hardge Forum,
(Rm. 101)
Facilitated by Dr. Marcus Nevius, History
Freedom Summer Interview of Professor Ekwueme
Michael Thelwell, University of Massachusetts Amherst (Emeritus) (Part 2)
Chafee Hall, TV Studio, (Rm. 217)
Facilitated by Professor Kendall Moore,
Journalism
3:00pm
–
3:50pm
The U.S. Presidential Campaign in 2016: The Politics of
Inequality
Multicultural Student Services Center, Hardge Forum (Rm.
101)
Facilitated by Dr. Ric McIntyre, Economics
Freedom Summer Interview of Gloria Clark,
Greater New Bedford (MA)
Location TBA
Facilitated by Professor Kendall Moore,
Journalism
Race and the Current Polarized Discourse in the United
States
Multicultural Student Services Center, Hardge Forum (Rm.
101)
Facilitated by Professor Ekwueme Michael Thelwell,
University of Massachusetts, Amherst (Emeritus)
Freedom Summer Interview of Gloria Clark,
Greater New Bedford (MA)
Location TBA
Facilitated by Professor Kendall Moore,
Journalism
10:00am
10:50am
11:00am
11:50am
12:00
noon
1:00 pm
1:00pm
1:50pm
4:00pm
5:00pm
7:00pm
9:00pm
Cultural Show
Multicultural Student Services Center, Hardge Forum (Rm. 101)
Facilitated by Tiffany Chheuy, ‘17, Health Studies, and Blessing Oyedokun, ‘17, Biological Sciences
5
Tu e s d ay, S e p te m b e r 2 7 t h
Understandi ng t h e Effec ts o f Ine q ua l i ty o n th e H u ma n S pi r i t
9:30am
–
10:45am
The Digital Divide: One More Barrier to Equality
Multicultural Student Services Center, Hardge
Forum (Rm. 101)
Facilitated by Professors Peter Larsen and Amanda
Izenstark, University Libraries
Who Milks the Cows? The Dreams and Realities of Immigrant
Dairy Workers from Mexico
Multicultural Student Services Center, Computer Classroom
(Rm. 005)
Facilitated by Dr. Julie C. Keller, Sociology & Anthropology
11:00am
–
12:15pm
Identity and Solidarity: Why Black Lives Should
Matter to South Asians Throughout the Diaspora?
Multicultural Student Services Center, Hardge
Forum (Rm. 101)
Facilitated by Dr. Sunil Bhatia, Connecticut College
“Rule Yourself:” Tom Brady, Donald Trump,, the Disturbing
Banality of American Militarization, and the “Law and Order”
Impulse of 2016
Multicultural Student Services Center, Computer Classroom
(Rm. 005)
Facilitated by Dr. Kyle Kusz, Kinesiology and Gender &
Women’s Studies
12:30pm
–
1:45pm
Connecting Body, Mind, and Spirit: Protecting
Against Experiences of Inequality
Multicultural Student Services Center, Hardge
Forum (Rm. 101)
Facilitated by Dr. Celina Pereira, Health Services,
and Clare Sartori, Licensed Marriage and Family
Therapist
The Christian Faith, the Civil Rights Movement, and the
Campaign for Affordable Housing (Film and Discussion)
Multicultural Student Services Center, Computer Classroom
(Rm. 005)
Facilitated by Sarah Miller, Feinstein Center for Service
Learning
2:00pm
–
3:15pm
Surviving the Rape: Black Women, Sexual
Exploitation and Resistance in the U.S.
Multicultural Student Services Center, Hardge
Forum (Rm. 101)
Facilitated by Dr. Donna M. Hughes, Gender &
Women’s Studies and Sociology & Anthropology,
and Racine Amos, Women’s Center
Peacebuilding and Diversity in the Tamil Nadu and Nagaland
States of India
Multicultural Student Services Center, Computer Classroom
(Rm. 005)
Facilitated by Dr. Paul Bueno de Mesquita, Psychology, and
Center for Nonviolence & Peace Studies; and Kay Johnson,
Education
3:15pm
4:45pm
Blacklisted: Racial Bias in Schools Today and
What YOU Can Do About It
Multicultural Student Services Center, Hardge
Forum (Rm. 101)
Facilitated by Dr. Diane Kern, URI School of
Education, and URI Student Activists
The Politics of Fat
Multicultural Student Services Center, Hardge Forum (Rm.
101)
Facilitated by Racine Amos, Women’s Center
5:00pm
–
6:45pm
Does Dr. Martin Luther King’s Message Matter?
King’s Relevance to the Economic and Social
Unrest in Today’s World (Documentary Film and
Discussion)
Multicultural Student Services Center, Hardge
Forum (Rm. 101)
Facilitated by Dr. Paul Bueno de Mesquita, Center
for Nonviolence and Peace Studies, and Kay
Johnson, Education
7:00pm
8:30pm
6
URI Diversity Week/ Honors Colloquium Speaker
Edwards Hall, Auditorium
Keynote by Professor Kimberlé Crenshaw
Co-sponsored by the Diversity Week Planning Committee and the Honors Colloquium Committee
Book signing to follow
We d n e s d ay, S e p te m b e r 2 8 t h
Li fes pan ’s Co l l eg e o f N urs i ng D i ve rs i ty D ay :
Reduci n g H ea l t h D i s pa r i ti es
9:00am
–
9:50am
10:00am
10:50am
11:00am
11:50am
12:00
noon
–
12:45pm
Enhancing Health Equity through Diversity in
Nursing: How are we Doing?
Multicultural Student Services Center, Hardge
Forum (Rm. 101)
Facilitated by Dr. Barbara E. Wolfe, Dean, College
of Nursing
The Economics of Healthy Food Choices
Multicultural Student Services Center, Computer Classroom
(Rm. 005)
Facilitated by Dr. Kathleen Gorman, Feinstein Center for
Hunger
Diversity in Nursing Programs: Strategies for
Increasing and Retaining Diverse Students and
Faculty
Multicultural Student Services Center, Hardge
Forum (Rm. 101)
Facilitated by Valerie Almeida-Monroe, Clinica
Esperanza
Working Towards Reducing Health Disparities: From the
Trenches
Multicultural Student Services Center, Computer Classroom
(Rm. 005)
Facilitated by Janelle Amoako, '15; Darilina Firpo, '14; and
Bintou Marong, '15
The Clinical Global Experience
Multicultural Student Services Center, Hardge
Forum (Rm. 101)
Facilitated by Michelle Palmer, College of
Nursing, and Nursing Students
It’s Not Me, It’s My Background: Improving the Patient
Experience by Understanding Our Differences
Multicultural Student Services Center, Computer Classroom
(Rm. 005)
Facilitated by Dr. Ruth Dapaah-Afriyie, Rhode Island Hospital
Addressing Health Disparities and Promoting Health Equity in Rhode Island
Multicultural Student Services Center, Hardge Forum (Rm. 101)
Facilitated by Dr. Nicole Alexander Scott, RI Department of Health
Caring for the Same Sex Family
Multicultural Student Services Center, Hardge
Forum (Rm. 101)
Facilitated by Dr. Diane Thulier, College of
Nursing
LGBT Aging: Back in the Closet?
Multicultural Student Services Center, Computer Classroom
(Rm. 005)
Facilitated by Dr. Patricia Burbank, College of Nursing
2:00pm
–
2:50pm
Health Literacy in Health Care
Multicultural Student Services Center, Hardge
Forum (Rm. 101)
Facilitated by Dr. Diane Martins, College of
Nursing
Handicap Accessible Healthcare
Multicultural Student Services Center, Computer Classroom
(Rm. 005)
Facilitated by Janice Wray, College of Nursing
3:00pm
–
3:50pm
Health Care of Pregnant Women in U.S. State
Prisons
Multicultural Student Services Center, Hardge
Forum (Rm. 101)
Facilitated by Joyce Hickey, College of Nursing
Military Nursing: the U.S. Army Nurse Corps
Multicultural Student Services Center, Computer Classroom
(Rm. 005)
Facilitated by Wiley Dassie, College of Nursing
1:00pm
–
1:50pm
4:00pm
–
4:50pm
The Invisibility of Indigenous
Peoples: Environmental Justice and Health
Inequities Narragansett Health Panel
Multicultural Student Services Center, Hardge
Forum (Rm. 101)
Facilitated by Dr. Marcella Thompson, College of
Nursing; Dinalyn Spears, Narragansett Tribe; and
Dr. Elizabeth Hoover, Brown University
7
We d n e s d ay, S e p te m b e r 2 8 t h
(Co nti nue d)
5:00pm
—
6:30pm
6:30pm
8:00pm
8
Exhibition of Tribal Dancing and Drumming
Multicultural Center, Hardge Forum (Rm. 101)
Facilitated by Dr. Marcella Thompson, College of
Nursing; Dinalyn Spears, Narragansett Tribe; and
Dr. Elizabeth Hoover, Brown University
Woven in Time: The Narragansett Salt Pond
Preserve (Documentary Film and Discussion by
Panel of Narragnsett Tribal Members)
Multicultural Center, Hardge Forum (Rm. 101)
Facilitated by Dr. Marcella Thompson, College of
Nursing; Dinalyn Spears, Narragansett Tribe; and
Dr. Elizabeth Hoover, Brown University
The Experience of Transgender and Gender NonConforming Teens (Documentary Trailer and Discussion).
Multicultural Student Services Center, Computer Classroom
(Rm. 005)
Facilitated by Jessica Brand, ‘15; Dr. Michelle Forcier, Rhode
Island Adolescent Healthcare Center; and Dr. Susan Trostle
Brand, Education
T h u rs d a y, S e p t e m b e r 2 9 t h
Overco mi ng Ine q ual i ty T hro ug h th e A r ts a n d Cul t ure
9:30am
–
10:45am
Social Critique & Social Progress: Norman
Lear’s Groundbreaking Comedies
Multicultural Student Services Center,
Hardge Forum (Rm. 101)
Facilitated by Dr. Justin Wyatt,
Communication Studies, Film & Media
11:00am
–
12:15pm
One Sun, One Ground, One Sky Together:
Revisiting Richard Blanco’s 2012
Presidential Inauguration Ceremony Poem
Multicultural Student Services Center,
Hardge Forum (Rm. 101)
Facilitated by Dr. Rosaria Pisa, Gender and
Women’s Studies
12:30pm
–
1:45pm
New Bodies for Old: New Age Colonialism in
the Context of Manjula Padmanabhan’s
play Harvest
Multicultural Student Services Center,
Hardge Forum (Rm. 101)
Facilitated by Manjula Padmanabhan,
Playwright, Journalist, and Cartoonist
2:00pm
–
3:30pm
Philosophy of the Encounter (Documentary
Film and Discussion)
Multicultural Student Services Center,
Hardge Forum (Rm. 101)
Facilitated by Prof. Kendall Moore,
Journalism
9:30am
–
10:45am
11:00am
–
12:15am
2:00pm
–
3:15pm
3:30pm
4:45pm
Can Everyone Fit?
Fascitelli Fitness and Wellness Seminar Room
Facilitated by Leticia Orozco, Campus Recreation;
Christina Antonelli-Savoie, Campus Recreation; and
Denise Robbin, Campus Recreation
Drum Circle
Fascitelli Group Exercise Studio
Facilitated by Leticia Orozco, Campus Recreation
The Eight Limbs of Yoga, Meditation, and SelfActualization
Fascitelli Fitness & Wellness Center, Seminar Room
Facilitated by Laura Creese, Campus Recreation
Participation is limited to the first 25 individuals to
register online.
African Dance and Other World Dances
Fascitelli Mind/Body Studio
Facilitated by Courtney Mackey, Providence College
4:00pm
–
5:00pm
Introduction to T'ai Chi: Solo Form, Push
Hands, and Martial Arts Application
Multicultural Student Services Center,
Hardge Forum (Rm. 101)
Facilitated by Dr. Clifford Katz, Office of the
Provost.
5:30pm
–
7:00pm
Scenes from the Fall Production of the Play
Good People by David Lindsay–Abaire. Cosponsored by URI Theatre and The Honors
Colloquium
Multicultural Student Services Center,
Hardge Forum (Rm. 101)
Facilitated by Prof. Bryna Wortman, Theatre
7:30pm
8:30pm
“My Story” — Changing the Heartbeat of our Communities, One Story at a Time! Making a Connection through Story
Telling!
Multicultural Student Services Center, Hardge Forum (Rm. 101)
Facilitated by Cheryl Trudel, University Events, and Len Cabral, Rhode Island Black Storytellers
9
F r i d ay, S e p te m b e r 3 0 t h
Ine qual i ty an d T he Purs ui t o f S o c i a l Justi c e
10:00am
–
10:50am
11:00am
–
11:50am
Catching Waves for Health: A Parent’s Perspective
Multicultural Student Services Center, Hardge Forum
(Rm. 101)
Facilitated by Dr. Emily Clapham, Kinesiology; Annie
Babineau, PURE Haven Essentials; Dr. Theresa Deeney,
Education; Dr. Adam Moore, Education; and
Kinesiology and Health & Physical Education Students
Intersectionality: Its Application in HIED and a Critical
Analysis of Scholarly History
Multicultural Student Services Center, Computer
Classroom (Rm. 005)
Facilitated by Dr. Annie Russell, Director, LGBTQ Center
Can We Really Talk about Race?
Multicultural Student Services Center, Hardge Forum
(Rm. 101)
Facilitated by Dr. Kayon Murray-Johnson, Education
Taking a Closer Look at Diversity: Overcoming Privilege
and Building Community
Multicultural Student Services Center, Computer
Classroom (Rm. 005)
Facilitated by Brittany Kraft, Student Senate
12:00
noon
–
12:50pm
Leading for Social Change: A Critical Race Analysis of
Leadership Perspectives from Diverse Undergraduates
Multicultural Student Services Center, Hardge Forum
(Rm. 101)
Facilitated by Dr. Annemarie Vaccaro, Human
Development and Family Studies, and Melissa CambaKelsay, Center for Student Leadership Development .
1:00pm
–
1:50pm
The Movement for Black Lives: Emergence of a New
Civil Rights Movement in the U.S.
Multicultural Student Services Center, Hardge Forum
(Rm. 101)
Facilitated by Dr. Marcus Nevius, History; Dr. Julia
Jordan-Zachery, Providence College; Reza Clifton, ‘03,
Digital Storyteller and Teacher; and P.J. Fox, Providence
Institute for Nonviolence
The Undervalued Contributions of Multicultural Student
Organizations to the Institutional Cultures of
Predominantly White Universities
Multicultural Student Services Center, Computer
Classroom (Rm. 005)
Facilitated by Marlin Da Cruz, ‘17, B.O.N.D., and Melody
Francisco, ‘17, P.I.N.K.
2:00pm
–
2:50pm
Redefining the American Dream: The Undocumented
Immigrant Dream and the Dreamers
Multicultural Student Services Center, Hardge Forum
(Rm. 101)
Facilitated by Yaruska Ordinola.’16, Olneyville
Neighborhood Association
Social Justice in Islam: A Case Study from the Prophetic
Period
Multicultural Student Services Center, Computer
Classroom (Rm. 005)
Facilitated by Dr. Katrin Jomaa, Political Science
3:00pm
–
3:50pm
Creating a Productive Environment for Diverse
Entrepreneurs
Multicultural Student Services Center, Hardge Forum
(Rm. 101)
Facilitated by Dr. Michael Katz, Research and Economic
Development
Cultivating Mind and Body in the Modern World
Multicultural Student Services Center, Computer
Classroom (Rm. 005)
Facilitated by Jinyun Wang, Falun Dafa Association of RI
4:00 pm
4:50 pm
4:00 pm
6:30 pm
10
Oxfam Hunger Banquet with Screening of A Place at the Table and Discussion
Memorial Union, Ballroom
Facilitated by Sarah Miller, Feinstein Civic Engagement Program
A bs t ra c t s
A
talks from a cluster of eight new faculty hires about their
interdisciplinary Big Data research priorities, and to learn of networking
Addressing Health Disparities and Promoting Health Equity in Rhode
and collaboration possibilities. In 2012, the National Institutes of Health
Island. Dr. Nicole Alexander Scott, Director, RI Department of Health. NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) launched funding
Nicole Alexander-Scott, MD, MPH, Director of the Rhode Island
priorities that supported the derivation of knowledge from the
Department of Health (RIDOH), envisions a state in which people in
mathematical and computational analysis of large and/or complex sets
every zip code have equal opportunity to be as healthy as possible. This of data. It was envisioned that access to Big Data would quickly open
means working to promote health equity by addressing health
pathways to new analytical insights, new cures for human disease, and
disparities. In addition to tackling the stubborn health disparities that
solutions to some of the most important problems of our time.
persist in Rhode Island based on geography, RIDOH also works to
However, the practical benefits of the Big Data approach have not yet
address health disparities based on race, ethnicity, sexual orientation,
realized their full potential. With the intent of realizing this promise,
gender orientation, income level, and education level. This is done
(senior scholars in multiple disciplines are urging greater attention to
through aligning RIDOH’s Divisions and Centers so that they are all
the redesign of scientific experiments based on no-boundary thinking
addressing health disparities and promoting health equity, and through (no disciplinary boundaries). The agenda of no-boundary thinking
innovative undertakings, such as the nearly created Health Equity
encourages (a) the incorporation of human infrastructure; (b) reliance
Institute, and Rhode Island’s Health Equity Zones. Health Equity Zones
on more multi-trans- and interdisciplinary approaches; and
are ten areas in Rhode Island in which work plans are being
collaboration from scholars in multiple disciplines leading to more coimplemented to address inequality, prevent chronic diseases, improve
designing and co-solving of research problems. Feminist and
birth outcomes, and improve the social and environmental conditions in multicultural theorist Gloria Anzaldua anticipated many of the
neighborhoods throughout the state. Wed, 9/28 @ 12 noon
assumptions of no-boundary thinking in her seminal work La Frontera
(1987, 2012), conceiving the interface as a Borderlands, where one
African Dance and Other World Dances. Courtney Mackey, Assistant
shifted away from “convergent thinking, analytical reasoning that
Director of Fitness & Programming, Providence College. Let go of any
tends....to move toward a single goal...to divergent thinking,
preconceived notions of what it means to be “a dancer,” and enter a
characterized by movement away from set patterns and goals toward a
culture where dance is a holistic activity that integrates physical,
more whole perspective.” Being situated at the border between
emotional, ideological, and spiritual aspects of one’s own life and
cultures, disciplines, and problems enables one to develop “the capacity
community. Explore grounded, rhythmic movements to West African
to see in surface phenomena the meaning of deeper realities to the
Drum music. Let the beat of the drums move your body and soul. You
deep structure below the surface”. Join us in welcoming our new Big
will learn basic technique, isolations, & movement phrases while
Data and no-boundary hires, and investigate the collaborative
building stamina, core strength, and flexibility. All levels welcome!
possibilities that they bring to URI. Fri, 9/23 @ 3pm
Please wear athletic clothing and bring water. Thu, 9/29 @ 3:30pm
C
B
Can Everyone Fit? Leticia Orozco, Coordinator, Campus Recreation;
Blacklisted: Racial Bias in Schools Today and What YOU Can Do About Christina Antonelli-Savoie, Specialist, Campus Recreation; and Denise
It. Dr. Diane Kern, Associate Professor, Education. Alarmed by
Robbin, Specialist, Campus Recreation. We all come in different shapes,
perceived increases in weapons, drugs, and gang activity in the 1980’s, sizes, able-bodied and non-able bodied, with disabilities, various
educators began incorporating zero tolerance policies to send a
statures, and abilities. This workshop will discuss accessibility of health
message that certain behaviors would not be tolerated. Implicitly
and fitness for a broad range of individuals. Learn, experience and
targeted at certain groups, zero tolerance in the schools continue to
understand what it takes to be healthy in today’s society. Explore the
punish major and minor infractions through the disproportionate use of barriers that must be overcome to maintain a healthy lifestyle in order
out-of-class suspensions. Nationally, research indicates that blacks and to maintain good quality of life. This workshop is inclusive and is
Latinos receive considerably more out-of-class suspensions than whites designed to make you think differently about how you “fit” into the
at all levels from preschool to high school; tend to be judged more
health continuum. Thu, 9/29 @ 9:30am
severely for the same class of infractions; and are more likely to be
Can We Really Talk about Race?. Dr. Kayon Murray-Johnson, Assistant
impacted by policies that funnel children from school to prison. Yet
research also demonstrates that zero tolerance policies do not increase Professor, Education. Many college faculty and administrators shy away
school safety. In Rhode Island, black and Latino students comprised 30% from authentic race talk with students and peers, out of fear or
frustration. Consequently, despite ever increasing multi-ethnic
of the student population in 2013, but received over 50% of the
suspensions. White students were inclined to be suspended for serious campuses, and ongoing racial conflict, a much needed dialogue is often
averted, and opportunities for mutual understanding missed. But what
infractions, whereas students of color were subjectively suspended for
if there were a set of personal and powerful tools that we could use to
excessive noise, insubordination, disrespect, and disorderly conduct.
gauge ourselves as we talk? This interactive workshop is aimed at
This workshop presents activist perspectives on the racial disparities in
sharing seven tools we can use to engage in the sometimes difficult
the school system and proposes strategies for correction. Tu, 9/27@
conversations surrounding race. Participants will also have a unique
3:15pm
look at real life cases, and the solutions both faculty and students found
over time. Fri, 9/30 @ 11am
Big Data and No-Boundary Thinking: Cluster Hire Kickoff Lightning
Talks and Networking. Dr. Joan Peckham, Chair and Professor,
Cannabis Culture: An Emerging Medical and Recreational Industry
Computer Science; and Dr. Marta Gomez Chiarri, Chair and Professor,
with a Legacy of Bias. Professor W. Michael Sullivan, College of the
College of the Environment and Life Sciences-FAVS. This event enables
faculty and other members of the campus community to hear lightning Environment and Life Sciences. This workshop will expose students to
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contemporary social, health and policy issues relevant to cannabis.
Topics covered will include the legalization of marijuana, gender, class,
and racial equity issues, and health effects of marijuana use, and
regulatory policies covering the production, retailing, and consumption
of marijuana. Mon, 9/26 @ 10am
Caring for the Same Sex Family. Diane Thulier, Assistant Professor,
College of Nursing. It is presently estimated that anywhere from 5.2 to
9.5 million adults in the United States identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual
or transgender (LGBT) and as many as 2 to 3.7 million children in the
U.S. have a LGBT parent. It is essential that health care workers learn to
develop a sense of tolerance, respect and understanding for their
unique differences and needs. The objective of this presentation is to
provide information and guidance to individuals caring for same sex
families. Social and political changes that have transpired over the last
decade and the impact of these changes on same sex families will be
discussed. The unique and complex challenges faced by these families
will be reviewed. Finally, specific strategies to improve the quality of
care for same sex families will be provided. Wed, 9/28 @ 1pm
Catching Waves for Health: A Parent’s Perspective. Dr. Emily Clapham,
Associate Professor, Kinesiology; Annie Babineau, Executive Team
Leader PURE Haven Essentials; Dr. Theresa Deeney, Professor,
Education; Dr. Adam Moore, Assistant Professor, Education; and
Kinesiology, and Health & Physical Education Students. The purpose of
this presentation is to share the results of a study completed during the
summer of 2015, assessing the effectiveness of an eight-week surfing
intervention from the viewpoint of 7 parents of children with
disabilities. The assessment procedure consisted of parental interviews
to determine the benefits of this intervention. The parents were
interviewed using thirteen open-ended questions. This research
demonstrates mental/emotional, physical, and affective benefits of surf
therapy from a parent’s perspective on children with a range of
disabilities. Implications of this research will also be discussed including
the creation of unique physical activity opportunities for individuals
with disabilities. Fri 9/30 @ 10am
The Christian Faith, the Civil Rights Movement, and the Campaign for
Affordable Housing (Film and Discussion). Sarah Miller, Coordinator,
Feinstein Center for Service Learning. Addressing members of the
Montgomery Improvement Association at the end of the bus boycott in
1956, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., reflected that their common goal
transcended the elimination of race-based, society-sanctioned
segregation; it was the creation of the beloved community through
reconciliation and redemption. These sentiments must have been
anticipated by white, Baptist preacher Clarence Jordan when he, his
wife, and their two Christian colleagues purchased 400 acres of land in
rural southeast Georgia in 1942 to launch an interracial faith-based and
agricultural community where whites and blacks could live and work
together in peace and harmony. Deriving its name from the Greek word
translated as "divine fellowship", Koinonia (ko-in-ON-ya) Farms was
envisioned as a utopia in which members pooled their resources into a
common treasury which was allocated according to need. After periods
of prosperity, the community was targeted by the Ku Klux Klan, local
churches and schools, local veterans, and the local government and
businesses for their pacifism, communalism, and violation of the
prevailing racial mores. As Koinonia Farms teetered on the brink of
extinction, civil rights organizations - the Student Nonviolent
Coordinating Committee (SNCC), the Southern Christial Leadership
Conference (SCLC), and the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) from
1962-65 conducted a campaign in nearby Albany, seeking to
desegregate an entire local community. Activists discovered Koinonia
Farms, relying on it as a retreat, and converting it into a hive of activity.
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After the Albany Project eventually closed, the search for identity at
Koinonia Farms attracted Millard and Linda Fuller - a successful attorney
and his wife - in 1969. Intrigued by the potential of a low-cost, interestfree building initiative at Koinonia, the Fullers, with the approval of
Clarence Jordan, engaged in a series of exploratory meetings that led in
1976 to the founding of Habitat for Humanity International, now the
world's largest provider of affordable housing for low-income
households. Their affiliation with former President Jimmy Carter has
given the organization worldwide visibility, resulting in the construction
of more than 500,000 houses in over 100 countries. In addition,
Koinonia has helped to build momentum for the development of
agricultural cooperatives or community land trusts. Thu 9/27 @
12:30pm
The Clinical Global Experience. Michelle Palmer, Assistant Clinical
Professor, College of Nursing, and Nursing Students. Global experiences
can open perspectives both culturally and clinically. They offer an
opportunity to grow flexibility and outside of the box thinking in clinical
practice. Many different options exist from moving and immersing
yourself for an extended period of time or the shorter ambassador or
service trips. The objective of this presentation will center on
discovering the global experience that is right for you. Wed, 9/28 @
11am
Connecting Body, Mind, and Spirit: Protecting Against the Stories of
Inequality. Dr. Celina Pereira, University Affiliate, Health Services,
Clare Sartori, Marriage and Family Therapist. According to
epidemiologists Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett in The Spirit Level:
Why Greater Equality Makes Societies Stronger (2011), societies with
heightened levels of inequality pose the greatest threat to the health of
their citizens. While the United States is among the nations with the
highest income per person, it also is among the developed nations with
the highest rates of violence and incarceration and the lowest longevity
rates. Grounded in the assumptions of holistic psychology, this
workshop empowers participants to respond effectively to the stress
caused by inequality. It provides resources and strategies that balance
the flow of vital energies connecting body, mind, and spirit while
moving toward the integration of relationships with others. Tue, 9/27
@ 12:30pm
Creating a Productive Environment for Diverse Entrepreneurs. Dr.
Michael Katz, Associate Vice President, Research and Economic
Development. You could launch the next Pinterest or SpaceX! If you have
an idea for a business or if you think you might like to join a team that
wants to start a business, come and learn about the support services
available through the University. We’ll talk about entrepreneurship
classes you can take, about free business counseling and about how you
can take science and engineering discoveries and turn them into
products and services that just might change the world. Fri, 9/30 @
3pm
Cultivating Mind and Body in the Modern World. Jinyun Wang, ‘17,
Falun Dafa Association of RI. This presentation discusses the topic of self
-cultivation in daily life through the practice of Falun Gong. First
introduced in China, Falun Gong is an ancient body-and- mind practice
based on the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Tolerance.
Besides five sets of gentle exercises, this practice stresses cultivation of
the spirit and refinement of the character, promoting positivity,
harmony, inner strength, and wisdom. The physical and spiritual
aspects of this practice help one to reach a state of “true health.” Falun
Gong has now been practiced in over 100 cities, benefiting over one
hundred million people. An exercise demonstration will follow the
presentation. Fri, 9/30 @ 3pm
Cultural Show. Tiffany Chheuy, ‘17, Health Studies, and Blessing
Oyedokun, ‘17, Biological Sciences. Culture shows enable student
organizations to enhance their ties of common identity within the
group, while promoting awareness and displaying knowledge and
creativeness to those of other groups. Student organizations showcase
their cultural resources through diverse performances ranging from
traditional to modern acts as seen through dance, music, fashion,
cuisines, and spoken word. Mon, 9/26 @ 7pm
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The Digital Divide: One More Barrier to Equality. Peter Larsen,
Associate Professor Librarian, and Amanda Izenstark, Associate
Professor Librarian, University Libraries. Technological access strongly
divides society along racial, gender, age, economic, and regional lines.
In an age of increasing reliance on technology, early and easy access to
computers and the internet is critical to social success and economic
advancement. This program will look at the various populations in the
US left behind by advances in information access, especially the many
resources of the internet, and consider practical responses for each
community. Professors Larsen and Izenstark will uncover the hidden
issues of the digital divide so the community can think more deeply
about this complex problem. Tue, 9/27 @ 9:30am
Diversity in Nursing Programs: Strategies for Increasing and Retaining
Diverse Students and Faculty. Valerie Almeida-Monroe, Nurse
Manager, Clinica Esperanza. The nursing shortage is continuing to
increase. A 2009 report projects that by 2025 the nursing shortage
could be almost 500,000 (Buerhaus, Auerbach, Staiger, 2009). As the
patient population becomes increasingly diverse and health disparities
more prominent, diversity in the nursing workforce is essential.
Increasing diversity in nursing programs will lead to an increase of
diversity in the nursing workforce. Nursing programs around the
country are looking into strategies to engage more diverse student
populations, including improving marketing materials, targeted
outreach, and creating mentorship programs. There has been research
to suggest that nurses from underrepresented groups are less likely to
enter academia (Fraher, Richmond & Gaul, 2015). Diversity in
nursing programs should be embraced and sustained. There ought to
be an effort and open dialogue to confront any biases that promote
injustices and act as an impediment to achieve diversity in nursing and
nursing faculty. Wed, 9/28 @ 10am
Does Dr. King’s Message Matter? King’s Relevance to the Economic
and Social Unrest in Today’s World (Documentary Film & Discussion).
Dr. Paul Bueno de Mesquita, Center for Nonviolence and Peace Studies,
and Kay Johnson, Adjunct Faculty, Education. The Center for
Nonviolence & Peace Studies will present the documentary film “King”
with interactive discussion to follow focusing on the power and
relevance of Dr. King’s vision for achieving economic and social justice,
in the context of recent community unrest and violence. Nearly five
decades after Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination the film digs deeper
than his well-known dream speech. Viewers are led through the
extraordinary life and times of America’s civil rights visionary, from his
early influences, and his almost accidental assumption of leadership in
the struggle for racial justice in the South, to his adoption of
nonviolence protest methods, through his campaigns for civil and
economic rights in urban cities, and opposition to the Vietnam War and
militarism, finally concluding with his tragic assassination and the
influence of his lasting legacy. “King” moves beyond the legend to
portray the man, the questions, the myths, and most importantly, the
relevance of Dr. King’s message of nonviolence social change in today’s
world. Tue, 9/27 @ 5pm
Drum Circle. Leticia Orozco, Coordinator, Campus Recreation. This is a
spiritual, communal, and therapeutic experience in which participants
create a sense of community while joining together and moving to the
pulse of voices, physio balls, small drums, and other percussion
instruments. Drum circles are believed to reduce stress, anxiety, and
blood pressure, and to increase immune system function. Come and
experience a ceremonial exercise used by indigenous people for a
personal, communal and spiritual connection meant to celebrate the
connection with the Earth, one another, and traditions. Thu, 9/29 @
11am
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The Economics of Healthy Food Choices. Dr. Kathleen Gorman,
Director, Feinstein Center for Hunger. The focus of this presentation will
be to provide participants with an understanding of the degree to
which low-income populations struggle to have enough money to
purchase food and an appreciation of the challenges and choices they
face in trying to access healthy foods for themselves and their families.
Wed, 9/28 @ 9am
The Eight Limbs of Yoga, Meditation, and Self-Actualization. Laura
Creese, ‘17, Medical Laboratory Science, Campus Recreation. The
practice of yoga is often perceived as only a physical activity when in
fact it is so much more; there are eight “limbs” that encompass all of
what the complete practice of yoga truly means. Yoga is not only a way
to physically destress and become at peace with oneself, but is actually
much more that has the potential to inspire and help guide college
students (and stressed out humans everywhere) to a lifestyle of less
stress, less toxic lifestyles, and potential self-actualization. This
workshop will focus on educating the audience of the complete practice
of yoga, how they can apply it in their lives, and become healthier,
more well-rounded individuals. Thu, 9/27 @ 2pm
Enhancing Health Equity through Diversity in Nursing: How are we
Doing? Dr. Barbara E. Wolfe, Dean, College of Nursing. The U.S. is
encountering a rapid growth in the racial/ethnic minority population,
such that it is predicted to be the majority group in the not too distant
future. This unprecedented growth coupled with persistent disparities
among minority groups in access to health care, health care itself, and
health related outcomes emphasizes the importance of a diverse
nursing workforce to achieve health equity. This presentation reviews
the trends in a growing diverse U.S. population, evaluates the current
state of diversity in the nursing workforce, and reports on national
recommendations for promoting workforce diversity in nursing to
achieve health equity. Wed, 9/28 @ 9am
The Experience of Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming Teens
(Documentary Trailer and Discussion). Jessica Brand, ‘15; Dr. Michelle
Forcier, Pediatrician, Rhode Island Adolescent Healthcare Center; and
Dr. Susan Trostle Brand, Professor, Education. Five trans and gender
non-conforming youth in Providence, Rhode Island, have stepped
forward to put their lives on film—to tell the world “What I’m Made
Of.” Their coming of age stories reveal the universals of adolescence.
However, these teens face a unique task: to challenge the meaning of
“boyhood” and “girlhood” itself. This documentary follows their paths
as they realize their authentic identities and discover how to be healthy
adults. From doctor’s appointments and surgeries to proms and
birthdays, What I’m Made Of is committed to telling the stories of
adolescents who identify not only as male and female, but also
between and beyond those conventional boundaries. They push our
fixed assumptions about gender and our narrow perceptions of physical
bodies. With the assistance of doctors, mental health providers, social
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workers, and LGBTQ allies, each participant entered this project with a
personalized, comprehensive plan to ensure that their stories are told
and shared safely. Wed, 9/28 @ 5pm
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Frederick Douglass on Petit Marronage in Antebellum Forced Labor
Camps as Resistance to Slavery. Dr. Marcus Nevius, Assistant
Professor, History. During the 1840’s and 1850’s the erudite AfricanAmerican author, editor, and former slave turned abolitionist Frederick
Douglass frequently reprinted local stories of incidents in the lives of
slaves who worked in labor camps in the region of the Great Dismal
Swamp – a vast wetland extending from southern Virginia to
northeastern South Carolina. Describing them as “a city of refuge in the
midst of slavery”, Douglass viewed the camps in Virginia, the South’s
leading slaveholding state, and North Carolina, a developing backwater
by comparison, as affording slave workers greater agency over their
lives. Blurring the boundaries of the most brutal forms of slavery, local
companies sometimes hired blacks to complete infrastructure projects,
such as the Dismal Swamp Canal. This workshop provides contact for
antebellum initiatives by blacks to leverage the value of their labor
acting as entrepreneurs, and to increase their options related to pay,
travel, and work. Mon, 9/26 @ 2pm
Frederick Douglass, Photography, and Abolitionism. Dr. James Haile
III, Post-Doctoral Fellow, Philosophy. In focusing on Frederick Douglass'
speeches on photography and the role he saw for photography in
abolitionism, this talk will reveal the ways in which aesthetics was, and
is, crucial for political activism. In addition, this talk will discuss the
relationship between Douglass' views on abolitionism and his views on
constitutionalism--in particular, the relationship between the Law itself,
the United States Constitution as the document of the Law, law officials,
constitutional abolitionism, and photography. Lastly, this talk will relate
how Douglass' views can be used today to understand the critical link
between police brutality, law enforcement, the question of the 'rogue'
officer versus institutional discrimination, and the ways in which our
new technology (snapchat, periscope) of representation shapes our
contemporary narrative and debate as the advent of photography came
to shape the national discussion of slavery within Douglass' own
lifetime. Fri, 9/30 @ 12 noon
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Handicap Accessible Healthcare. Janice Wray, Graduate Student,
College of Nursing. Janice Wray is currently in the URI College of
Nursing Nursing Education graduate program. After becoming
paralyzed her junior year, Janice Wray completed her undergraduate
nursing degree at URI. She will share her story and what it means to be
a nurse with a disability. She will also discuss how the healthcare
world is not as handicap accessible as one may think and will discuss
important modifications that can be made to increase disability
awareness in the healthcare field. Wed, 9/28 @ 2pm
Health Care of Pregnant Women in U.S. State Prisons. Joyce Hickey,
Graduate Assistant, College of Nursing. Background. Although
standards for pregnancy-related health care in correctional facilities
have been established, there is no mandatory accreditation that
requires adherence to these standards. Furthermore, this information
has been difficult to access from correctional facilities across the
country. Methods. To examine the health care practices of pregnant
women in state prisons, a survey with 62 multiple choice questions and
four open-ended questions was developed. Wardens of 50 women
state correctional facilities were contacted to describe the study and
request participation. Nineteen facilities completed the survey, for a
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38% response rate. Results. The findings of this study provide further
evidence of the substandard care that pregnant incarcerated woman
receive in correctional facilities. In many state prisons, nutritional
recommendations for healthy pregnancy are not met, adequate rest is
compromised and lower bunks are not required. Psychosocial support
and education are minimal at best. The use of restraints, which can
compromise the health and safety of the woman and her baby,
continue as a matter of procedure in many facilities even during labor
and delivery. Conclusions. The providers of health care for pregnant
women fail to use best practices and established standards in many
women’s state prisons. A concerted effort is urgently needed to address
the unmet health care needs of this marginalized population and
support legislation to limit the use of restraints with pregnant
incarcerated woman in all states. Wed, 9/28 @ 3pm
Health Literacy in Health Care. Dr. Diane Martins, Professor, College of
Nursing. Health literacy is the degree to which individuals have the
capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information
and services needed to make appropriate health decisions. This
presentation will address strategies that can be used to provide
effective, equitable, understandable, and respectful healthcare that is
responsive to health literacy and communication needs. Wed, 9/28 @
2pm
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Identity and Solidarity: Why Black Lives Should Matter to South Asians
Throughout the Diaspora? Dr. Sunil Bhatia, Professor of Human
Development, Connecticut College. This workshop will review and
discuss implications and feedback about an online intergenerational
letter initiated and circulated by a contingent of Asian-Americans and
Canadians to support and promote the message of Black Lives Matter
and its other allies against racial injustice and police-community
conflict. Seeking to build an international connection, the letter has
been translated into at least 30 languages. Addressing the influence of
the conscious and unconscious bias embedded in American institutions,
the letter traces the origins of that bias to African slavery. While some
would see the impulse toward political freedom as the prime factor in
the founding of the nation, others assert that the political and
economic foundations of the United States were created for and by
slaveholders. The American experience cannot be understood without
reference to slavery. Negative stereotypes of those who are the
descendants of slaves permeate American society and cast light on the
ever-present danger of being black. Of the more than 500 people killed
by police this year, 25% have been black - nearly twice their numbers in
the American population. It is rare for police or other members of the
criminal justice system to face institutional consequences for assuming
guilty until proven innocent - even when video evidence is present. The
letter posits that "it is in the interests of South Asians to stand with
Black Lives Matter". First, negative stereotypes undermine the wellness
and tranquility of South Asians because they too are profiled, often as
terrorists or non-patriots on the basis of religion, wardrobe, or other
aspects of culture. Second, dark-complexioned South Asians are
sometimes adjudged to be black, and become targets of anti-black
prejudice. Third, the protest marches and civil disobedience tactics of
the Civil Rights movement during the 1960's helped to overturn laws
that unfairly restricted the immigration of South Asians in comparison
to other groups. Finally, there is long tradition of support for racial
justice by South Asian leaders. Religious figures from India and Sri
Lanka, such as Paramahansa Yogananda, spoke in support of AfricanAmericans during the early 20th century. In the 1950's, Indian
spiritualists, such as Mohandas Gandhi, shared their knowledge of
nonviolence and civil disobedience with civil rights activists, such as Dr.
Martin Luther King and James Lawson. Tue, 9/27 @ 11am
Interfaith Student Gathering. URI Chaplains Association. According to
the Interfaith Youth Care, institutions of higher education are well
positioned to equip a new generation of leaders with the skills to
constructively engage religious diversity to advance a movement of
interfaith cooperation. This positive engagement of religious diversity
can build what is known as religious pluralism both on campus and
beyond. Professor Diana Eck, director of Harvard University’s Pluralism
Project, defines religious pluralism as the “active engagement of
diversity” toward a positive end. From this perspective, campuses
should not just acknowledge religious diversity exists but equip
students from different religious and non-religious backgrounds to work
together in cooperation. All interested students are invited to meet
fellow students for diverse faith traditions and share in some fun
activities at the President’s House. Shoot pool, eat popcorn and ice
cream, and enjoy games, conversation and karaoke. Thu, 9/22 @ 4pm
Intersectionality: Its Application in HIED and a Critical Analysis of
Scholarly History. Dr. Annie Russell, Director, LGBTQ Center.
Intersectionality has become a popular theoretical model in higher
education, particularly in scholarly research. This session will offer
participants a glimpse of how intersectionality has developed over time
as a theory and approach to scholarship and practice in higher
education. Additionally, participants will be invited to engage in critical
analysis of how intersectionality has developed over time and is
currently being employed in HIED and scholarly research. Fri, 9/30 @
10am
social interactions that would have occurred during preparing of
traditional tools and the gathering of culturally important food
resources; and 5. Explain how community-engaged environmental
health research will assist Native people to make informed decisions
about their environment and health. Wed, 9/28 @ 4pm
It’s Not Me, It’s My Background! Improving the Patient Experience by
Understanding Our Differences. Dr. Ruth Dapaah-Afriyie, Program
Director, Ambulatory Care Pharmacy Residency Program. The landscape
of healthcare is rapidly changing with emphasis on improved quality of
care and patient satisfaction, commonly referred to as "The Patient
Experience". The patient experience can be defined as "the sum of all
interactions, shaped by an organization's culture that influence patient
perceptions across the continuum of care". Perceptions vary based on
individual experiences such as beliefs, values and cultural background,
among many others. Improving the patient experience can be tough,
especially with a diverse population. Overlooking the background of a
patient can affect the quality of care provided. This presentation is
intended to identify common causes of disparity in care resulting from a
lack of comprehension of a patient's background and provide keys to
bridge the disparity gap. Wed, 9/28 @ 11am
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Leading for Social Change: A Critical Race Analysis of Leadership
Perspectives from Diverse Undergraduates. Dr. Annemarie Vaccaro,
Associate Professor, Human Development & Family Studies , and
Melissa Camba-Kelsay, Coordinator, Center for Student Leadership
Development. What does it mean to be an effective and inclusive
leader? For decades, scholars and practitioners have wrestled with this
question. In this session, we share findings from a 5-year study of more
Introduction to T’ai Chi: Solo Form, Push Hands, and Martial Arts
Application. Dr. Clifford Katz, Assistant Provost, Finance and Personnel. than 50 diverse students in one undergraduate leadership course. Using
direct quotations from study participants, we showthat students of
T’ai Chi (Ch’uan) can be directly translated as “grand ultimate energy
that manifests when balance and harmony are achieved.” The concept color described leadership as: knowing and loving yourself, inclusively
of t’ai chi is described in the ancient Chinese philosophical text, the I
engaging others, being empowered to make change, and role modeling
Ching (Book of Changes). In Chinese legend, a monk originated the
inclusive leadership. Moreover, as a result of the leadership course,
practice after watching a snake defeat a crane by diverting the
students began enacting positive change within their spheres of
adversary’s momentum. In Chinese philosophy, t’ai chi derives from the influence by using their voice to challenge others with grace, educate
eternal cycle of birth and fusion of two opposite but complementary
people about inequality, and role model inclusion. Throughout the
forces in the universe – the yin (feminine) and the yang (masculine).
diversity week session, we infuse traditional and critical race
Practitioners of t’ai chi use movement to direct the yin and yang forces
scholarship about leadership to connect student quotes to the diversity
so as to connect to chi, or life energy. Popular in the West since the
week theme of social inequality. Fri, 9/20 @ 12 noon
1980’s, the practice employs flowing, rhythmic, deliberate, often
circular movements, with control of the breath, and ritualized stances
Leveling the Playing Field: Promoting Access through Special Academic
and positions. In China, T’ai chi is believed to integrate body, mind, and
Opportunities and Prestigious Awards. Kathleen Maher, Assistant
spirit; reduce stress; promote longevity; and enhance balance and
flexibility. This workshop presents an orientation to the practice of this Director, National Fellowships, Honors Program. Attendees will learn
about external academic opportunities (e.g. enrichment programs,
ancient Chinese discipline, teaching participants to move and breathe
internships, scholarships and fellowships), which are meant to serve as
with awareness. Thu, 9/29 @4:00pm
springboards to assist high achieving students from disadvantaged
The Invisibility of Indigenous Peoples: Environmental Justice and
backgrounds in realizing their full academic and professional potential.
Health Inequities Narragansett Health Panel. Dr. Marcella Thompson, Information on other prestigious awards requiring institutional
Assistant Professor, College of Nursing; Dr. Elizabeth Hoover, Manning
nomination will also be shared, and tips on how to become a strong
Assistant Professor, American Studies, Brown University; and Dinalyn
applicant will be presented. Thu, 9/22 @ 2:30pm
Spears, Director, Natural Resources/Tribal Planning, Narragansett Tribe.
After attending this workshop, participants will be able to: 1. Discuss
LGBT Aging: Back in the Closet? Dr. Patricia Burbank, Professor,
how environmental contamination impacts Native tribes’ ability to
College of Nursing. The older adult population is our fastest growing age
govern their own land and protect their people; 2. Summarize the
group with a quarter of the US population at the age 60 or older by the
impacts on indigenous peoples’ health due to contamination of their
year 2040. The LGBT older population mirrors this growth. Over 90% of
traditional foods and the sequential health impacts due to replacing
the older people have one or more chronic conditions, increasing their
healthy traditional food with cheap, processed foods; 3. Outline the
needs for health care and causing increased vulnerability. For LGBT
sociocultural impacts on tribal communities when cultural continuance older adults, fear of discrimination and abuse increases as vulnerability
is disrupted by contaminated environments; 4. Describe how this
becomes more prevalent. The wide range of issues facing LGBT seniors
disruption of tradition impacts indigenous language transferal and the
will be described in this presentation and strategies for LGBT people,
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their families and friends, and health care providers will be discussed.
Wed, 9/28 @ 1pm
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community conflict has been exposed.
Fri, 9/30 @ 1pm
“My Story” — Changing the Heartbeat of our Communities, One Story
at a Time! Making a Connection through Story Telling! Led by Cheryl
Military Nursing: The U.S. Army Nurse Corps. Wiley Dassie, Assistant
Trudel, Executive Assistant, University Events, and award winning and
Professor Clinical, College of Nursing. The Army Medical Department
internationally known Storyteller, Len Cabral. Everyone may have a
has various specialties within the U.S. Army health care team. What is
personal story around racism, prejudice, social injustice and/or
military nursing? A brief overview of Army Nursing will be given as well inequality of some kind. And, everyone wants to be heard. Through
as the basic requirements for active duty and reserve service. The
sharing of personal stories, we find common ground and connection.
Soldier vs. the Nurse: Work environment, duties/responsibilities and
We are vulnerable -- it is this vulnerability that creates trust and
training requirements will be discussed. The focus will be on the
understanding for one another. Join Len and Cheryl for an evening of
Medical Surgical ( 66H) and Mental Health /combat Stress (66R) nursing
meaningful storytelling and connection. Len will grace us with one of his
within the Combat Support Hospital ( CSH) on the Forward Operating
magnificent stories dealing with injustice, and we will share our stories
Base (FOS). Some aspects of the nursing/health care field will be
avoided because the United States is actively at war and various topics together helping to raise awareness around social change and
inequality in America, "one story at a time." Sign-up in advance to tell
may fall under classified information. Wed, 9/28 @ 3pm
your story by emailing [email protected], or Attend this URI
Diversity Week sponsored event. We hope you will consider telling your
The Movement for Black Lives: Emergence of a New Civil Rights
Movement in the U.S. Dr. Marcus Nevius, Assistant Professor, History; story. Note: This is an evening of kindness and compassion; all stories
Dr. Julia Jordan-Zachery, Professor, Director, Providence College Black
shared will be received without judgment. To learn more about Len
Studies Program; P. J. Fox, Interim Executive Director, Providence
Cabral go to his website at: http://www.lencabral.com/. Thu, 9/29 @
Institute for Nonviolence; Reza Clifton, ‘03, Nowell Leadership Academy; 7:30pm
A plethora of recent killings, especially those of Trayvon Martin in
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Florida and Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, have brought to the
nation’s consciousness a new generation of millennial Civil Rights
Exhibition of Tribal Dancing and Drumming. Dr. Marcella Thompson,
activists. Diverging from its twentieth-century predecessor, these
Assistant Professor, College of Nursing; Dr. Elizabeth Hoover, Manning
activists have initiated a new Civil Rights movement that pursues a
Assistant Professor, American Studies, Brown University; and Dinalyn
broad political agenda. This generation of young people have brought
proven organizational skills and experience to the new movement, skills Spears, Director, Natural Resources/Tribal Planning, Narragansett Tribe.
sets that support the likelihood that the new movement could succeed. Powwows are intertribal gatherings during which Native people come
together to build and share their culture through singing, drumming,
Informed by race- and legal scholar Kimberle Crenshaw’s theory of
and dancing. This event will provide a small demonstration of what
intersectionality, by which the elements of identity, such as race,
gender, sexuality, class, and physical ability, are recognized as multiple occurs at powwows involving hundreds of participants. Local Native
people including members of the Narragansett Tribe will demonstrate
and mutually influencing, the new civil rights movement to draw a
variety of diverse communities and organizations into a shared project. dancing and drumming. At the conclusion of this narrated
demonstration, attendees will be able to discuss the history and
This project advocates against police-community conflict, school
sociocultural importance of these gatherings. This exhibition will give
resegregation, discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual,
transgender, and queer people, and the school-to- prison pipeline, and students and faculty an opportunity to learn more about contemporary
and traditional Native culture, including regional and intertribal styles of
for civilian oversight of police, and criminal justice and immigration
music and dance as well as the methods of craftsmanship that go into
reform, among other platform issues. Their voice has been articulated
constructing the regalia worn at these events. Rather than highlight
through the slogan “Black Lives Matter,” which has generated a
powerful social media community. Yet, the new Civil Rights movement inequality, this exhibition celebrates tribal unity in dance and the drum
as the heartbeat of the tribe. Wed, 9/28 @ 5pm
faces struggles not unlike those faced by activists of its 20th century
predecessor. This workshop helps participants to understand the
New Bodies for Old: New Age Colonialism in the Context of Manjula
phrase “Black Lives Matter” as an expression of existing inequality in
Padmanabhan’s play Harvest. Manjula Padmanabhan, Playwright,
the nation, as an invitation to join in the work against implicit bias to
Journalist, and Cartoonist. Set in the modern world in the near future,
improve the state of democracy in the United States. Our panelists will
Harvest is a play that uses the international trade in human organs as a
share their perspectives of the new Civil Rights movement, and invite
metaphor for other forms of human transactions. In the play, an
audience members to join in the conversation. Under the banner of
impoverished young man agrees to sell his body-parts to a wealthy
“Black Lives Matter,” the new Civil Rights movement has a new vehicle
foreign patron in exchange for a clean and healthy environment for his
through which it seeks to bring about tangible change. Taking
family. A variation of the transaction occurs when the citizens of the
advantage of social media, activists of the new generation seek to
developing world are employed at subsistence wages and in subhuman
change implicit bias through the effective use of platforms including
working conditions, to provide clothes, consumer goods and services to
Facebook, Snapchat, and Twitter, unified by hashtags that spread the
the developed world. New forms of trade, made possible by
influence of “Black Lives Matter.” Like the veterans of the 20th century
telecommunications and the internet, are really only a speeded up
generations, a core principle of the new generation’s work is the
version of old-style colonialism. In the past, colonizers used
recognition that media representations can systematically change
technological advances such as firearms and ships to grab the land and
public policy. As the major policy victories of the prior civil rights
assets of other nations. Today, multiple forms of international trade are
movement - Brown vs. Topeka (KS) Board of Education (1954), the Civil
being used to transform goods, services, ideas, and even people into
Rights Act (1964), the Voting Rights Act (1965), and the Fair Housing Act
commodities, and to control the lives and bodies of people too poor to
(1968) - fall under siege by present legislative acts, schools and
make informed choices. In Harvest, we see that the transaction
neighborhoods are resegregating, employment remains high in
between the wealthy patron and the impoverished “donor” is mirrored
communities of color, restrictions on voting are increasing, and policein the transactions within the family: when comfort and security are
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threatened then the very bonds that hold a family together come
undone. Similarly, in the world today, we see the global mass culture
overwhelm local and traditional patterns of life until the fabric of
society dissolves. A passage from the play and an interactive exercise
involving cartoon will augment the workshop.. Thu, 9/29 @ 12:30pm
Peacebuilding and Diversity in the Tamil Nadu and Nagaland States of
India. Dr. Paul Bueno de Mesquita, Center for Nonviolence and Peace
Studies, and Kay Johnson, Adjunct Faculty, Education. Tamil Nadu?
Nagaland? Where is that? Naga people? Who are they? Come find out
when Paul & Kay Bueno de Mesquita, URI faculty working with the
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Center for Nonviolence & Peace Studies, will discuss their recent work
with peace activists, educators, social workers, and missionaries in the
One Minute Plays: Our Response. Dominic D’Andrea, Producing Artistic south and northeast regions of India. Travel off the beaten tourist
tracks into the southern Tamil Nadu and the northeast tribal Nagaland
Director and Founder, One Minute Play Festival; and Joe Wilson Jr.,
regions. A multi-media presentation documenting the experiences of a
Resident Artist, Trinity Repertory Company. “One Minute Plays: Our
recent peacebuilding and nonviolence training trip to rarely traveled
Response”, is related to the national Every 28 Hours movement that
regions of India. The important role of youth and women in the
Providence joined last year. Artists from around the country, including
Joe Wilson Jr, gathered in St. Louis from Oct 18-25, 2015 engaging with economic and social future of these two culturally and ethnically
diverse regions of India will be highlighted. Future opportunities for
the Ferguson, MO community to engage dialogue and storytelling about
collaborative partnerships and travel with faculty and students will be
the events that happened in 2014. The assembled artists generated a
described. Tue, 9/27 @ 2pm
body of one-minute plays and then cast, rehearsed, and performed
them as a rapid response to what they experienced. On October 16,
Philosophy of the Encounter (Documentary Film and Discussion).
2015, a group of approximately 100 readers from all walks of life
Kendall Moore, Associate Professor, Journalism. In his eleventh "Theses
performed the plays to a packed house at Trinity Rep. As a strategy to
on Feuerbach" Karl Marx posits that "Philosophers have hitherto only
sustain the conversation, URI will join Brown University, Community
interpreted the world in various ways; the point, however, is to change
College of Rhode Island, Wheaton College, and the South Side Cultural
it." Kendall Moore's Philosophy of the Encounter (2016) aims to
validate Marx's thesis on the role of philosophy and praxis. An African
Center in replicating the process applied in Ferguson to develop a
film/theory professor at an American university has African-descended
repertoire of one minute plays addressing diversity, inclusion, and
and other students whose lack of understanding of the history of
equity. On October 18th, 2016, Trinity Rep will host the collection of
colonialism and slavery leaves them with little idea of the forces that
plays written in Providence with all readers who volunteered to take
part. Theatres across the country will host similar events. The plays will have shaped their identities. The professor challenges the students to
research their history and critique the education they are receiving. The
be livestreamed and archived on HowlRoundTV. Sun, 9/25 @ 1pm
university perceives the professor's teaching approach as a "threat,"
but the students, now energized, persist in their questioning, with
One Sun, One Ground, One Sky Together: Revisiting Richard Blanco’s
surprising results. Philosophy of the Encounter is thus a critique of
2012 Presidential Inauguration Ceremony Poem. Dr. Rosaria Pisa,
Director, Gender and Women’s Studies. The workshop will begin with a Eurocentric programs in the areas of history, philosophy, ideology, and
pedagogy. Thu, 9/29 @ 2pm
reading of the English and Spanish version of Richard Blanco's 2012
Inaugural Poem, "One Today." Followed by a discussion on what this
poem teaches us today as we confront divisions among us that raise
The Politics of Fat. Racine Amos, Interim Director, Women’s Center.
troubling sentiments and questions. Forming groups of 3, each group
This workshop explores body diversity, its inequality, assumptions, and
will analyze one stanza and share their interpretations and applications
politics. During this session participants will engage in activities and
for the present. How can we feel "together" under one sun, ground
dialogue that will challenge assumptions on obesity, debate its
and sky beyond an inaugural address? What can we do every day to
causative effects in a social and complex systems theoretical
contribute to togetherness? The workshop will conclude with a list of
framework, examine bias based on body size and engage in a critical
actions for promoting unity at URI. Thu, 9/29 @ 11am
reframing of the future perceptions of body diversity. Fri, 9/30 @ 4pm
Oxfam Hunger Banquet. Sarah Miller, Coordinator, Feinstein Center for
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Service Learning. Based on the model originated by Oxfam Inc., the
Hunger Banquet is an event that simulates the existence of unequal
Race and the Current Polarized Discourse in the United States.
food distribution leading to food insecurity in the Unites States and
Ekwueme Michael Thelwell, Professor, University of Massachusetts,
around the world. Included in the event will be a screening and
Amherst (Emeritus). The election of Barack Obama, the nation’s first
discussion of A Place at the Table (2012), which presents perspectives
African American president has exposed deep thought lines in American
on the domestic occurrence of hunger. During this interactive
society around issues such as race, immigration, and the role of the
“banquet”, participants will have the opportunity to reflect on the life
United States in a post-9/11 world. “Scholars have uncovered a range of
challenges that many people experience on a daily basis, and to learn
discursive strategies intended to disguise and deploy racialist ideology”.
about ways they can volunteer in their community. Each participant is
This workshop explores those strategies, such as the emergence of
asked to dress casually, and to bring a $2 cash donation or a non“whiteness” as an endangered identity, requiring the protection of a
perishable food donation. The donations will be equally shared
“wall”; The revival of a “law and order” trope, leading to polarizes
between Oxfam America and the URI Rhody Outpost Emergency Food
Pantry. The purpose of the banquet is to increase campus awareness of perspectives on the school-to-prison pipeline, and policy, community
conflicts; and the reliance on coded or “dog whistle” political
hunger and poverty as major local, national, and global issues faced
messaging. Mon, 9/26 @ 4pm
today. “I have the audacity to believe that peoples everywhere can
have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their
Redefining the American Dream: The Undocumented Immigrant
minds, and dignity, equality, and freedom for their spirits.” (Dr. Martin
Dream and the Dreamers. Yaruska Ordinola.’16, Olneyville
Luther King, Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech, 1964) Fri, 9:30 @
Neighborhood Association. The American Dream is often referred to
5pm
achieving the “fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and
be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous
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circumstance of birth or position.”(James Truslow Adams, 1931). The
experience of the American Dream has changed throughout the
decades, along with its contributing immigrants from around the globe
who are redefining American citizenship. The American Dream for
undocumented immigrants, instead of one prosperity, has transformed
one of survival that includes fighting to be recognized as individuals
who contribute to American society. This workshop will intend to
create an interactive environment where students and other
participants at University of Rhode Island will be able to critically think
and learn about undocumented individuals. These identities will
include a specific focus on undocumented students, and what it means
to live the undocumented experience. Fri, 9/30 @ 2pm
“Rule Yourself”: Tom Brady, Donald Trump, the Disturbing Banality of
Militarization, and the “Law and Order” Impulse of 2015-2016.`Dr.
Kyle Kusz, Associate Professor, Kinesiology and Gender and Women’s
Studies. A plethora of social forces and conditions – changing
demographics and immigration; the attacks on 9/11/2001; the
mythicization of the Wild West; the controversy around unresolved
wars; the idealization of guys; the infallibility of the law and order
code; the rise of the Tea Party; the persistence and extension of the
Confederate ideology; the expansion of the wealth gap between
groups; the perception of white males as losing ground and privilege;
and the ascendancy of Barack Obama to the presidency of the United
States- have generated a groundswell of white resentment and the
lionization of white masculinity and white militarization as metonymic
images for the nation. This workshop examines whether and how these
social forces and the values and vision upon which they are immensely
based have become normalized. Do they explain Republican
presidential nominee Trump’s popular appeal to white, uneducated
males? Do both the “Make America Great Again” campaign of Donald
Trump and other more normalized media messages, such as the 2015
heavily militarized Under Armor commercial featuring famed New
England Patriots’ quarterback and sports idol Tom Brady help to
normalize themes of militarization, xenophobia, restoration of a
glorious racial past, and white nationalism. Tue, 9/27 @ 11am
S
Scenes from the Fall Production of the Play Good People by David
Lindsay–Abaire. Co-sponsored by URI Theatre and The Honors
Colloquium. Bryna Wortman, Professor, Theatre. She needs a job!
“Good People” – a commentary on social class in the United States – is
the story of Margaret Walsh, an unfulfilled single mother from South
Boston, who seeks to crash the birthday party of a former boyfriend
from high school who escaped from the struggling, blue- collar
neighborhood, became a doctor and lives in the posh suburb of
Chestnut Mill. While he distances himself from her to avoid
embarrassment, she personifies identification with the neighborhood.
She was born there, and expects to remain there through the cycle of
her life. She will never escape the forces that are beyond her control
and limit her life chances. It is “where she comes from, who escapes
and who doesn’t, and why this has to be” that is the conundrum that
motivates “Good People”. Thu, 9/29 @ 5:30pm
Screening of Freedom Summer. Earl Smith III, Assistant Dean, Arts and
Sciences, and Barry O’Connor, Jr., Adjunct Faculty, Africana Studies. In
1964, less than 7% of Mississippi’s African Americans were registered to
vote, compared to between 50 and 70% in other southern states. In
many rural counties, African Americans made up the majority of the
population and the segregationist white establishment was prepared to
use any means necessary to keep them away from the polls and out of
elected office. For years, local civil rights workers had tried
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unsuccessfully to increase voter registration amongst African
American having to overcome loss of jobs, threat of violence and
arcane testing policies. In 1964, a new plan was conceived by
Bob Moses, a local secretary for the Student Nonviolent
Coordinating Committee (SNCC). For 10 weeks, white students
from the North would join activists on the ground for a massive
effort that would do what had been impossible so far: force the
media and the country to take notice of the shocking violence
and massive injustice taking place in Mississippi. Word of the coming
intervention spread and Mississippi officials geared up for the
newcomers by increasing police forces, passing new ordinances, and
purchasing riot gear and weapons. After being trained, the volunteers
learned that three members of their group -- Mickey Schwerner,
Andrew Goodman, and James Chaney -- had been murdered by the
clan. Undaunted, Freedom Summer volunteers went down to
Mississippi, fanning out across the state, embedding themselves with
local families, and setting up Freedom Schools for children where
African American history and culture were taught -- subjects forbidden
in their regular public schools. Mon, 9/26 @ 10am
Social Critique & Social Progress: Norman Lear’s Groundbreaking
Comedies. Dr. Justin Wyatt, Assistant Professor, Communication
Studies, Film & Media. This workshop investigates the transformative
work of television producer Norman Lear, and his commitment to
address inequality and exclusion in a range of pioneering TV situation
comedies. Starting with All in the Family in 1971 and continuing with
Maude, Good Times, The Jeffersons and other shows, Lear was able to
create a national dialogue around issues of race, gender, and inequality.
In the context of the half hour comedy, Lear was able to illustrate how
certain members of society have been disenfranchised and cut off from
the possibility of the American Dream. In this workshop, I will briefly
introduce the work – and social critique – of Lear’s shows, and then
moderate a group discussion on the value of these shows to address
contemporary issues and concerns, particularly connected to race,
gender identity, and sexual orientation. Thu, 9/29 @ 9:30am
Social Justice in Islam: A Case Study from the Prophetic Period. Katrin
Jomaa, Assistant Professor, Political Science and Philosophy. In dealing
with cultural diversity, the liberal model tolerates difference as long as
it is confined to private practice, while one secular law dominates the
legal and public dealings. One criticism of this model is the constant
need for people to demonstrate a public identity different from their
private one, for acceptance and assimilation. To avoid conflict,
Liberalism suggests public interaction behind a “veil of ignorance”
where commonalities are discussed publicly whereas differences should
be confined privately. The problem with this practice is the weakening
of community, lack of social cohesion, and injustices against
disenfranchised communities. This workshop discusses a historical
example of Islamic social justice where differences were publicly
manifested without jeopardizing social harmony. Prophet Muhammad
organized an umma of Muslims and Jews through a constitution. The
public legal document mirrored private differences in a way that not
only preserved the civil rights of both communities but also
strengthened their obligations towards each other. Fri, 9/20 @ 2pm
Student Tours of the BIOACTIVE BOTANICAL LABORATORY. Dr.
Navindra Seeram, Associate Professor, College of Pharmacy. When
going on a lab tour, students can see first-hand how scientific research
is advancing treatments and cures for disorders, and how disease
research is occurring on their own campus. Inside URI’s Bioactive
Botanical Research Lab, Dr. Seeram is regularly sought after by science
and news publications around the globe for his expertise in the healing
properties of medical plants. He and his team of students and
researchers are studying these bioactive compounds in native New
England berries for the treatment of cancer, and curcumin, resveratrol
to prevent Alzheimer’s; and pomegranates and other “superfoods” to
improve cognition and memory. Fri, 9/23 @ 2pm
Surviving the Rape: Black Women, Sexual Exploitation and Resistance
in the U.S. Dr. Donna Hughes, Professor, Gender and Women’s
Studies; and Sociology-Anthropology; and Racine Amos, Interim
Director, Women’s Center. This workshop discusses the rape and sexual
exploitation of black women in the United States during slavery, the
civil rights movement, and in contemporary society. Excerpts from the
film No! A Rape Documentary will be shown. Tue, 9/27 @ 2pm
T
Taking a Closer Look at Diversity: Overcoming Privilege and Building
Community
Brittany Kraft, Cultural Affairs Chair, Student Senate. What is privilege?
How have you personally benefitted from privilege? These complex
questions are important in understanding each person’s ability to reach
their own “American Dream” and embracing diversity on-campus. The
workshop will be centered around discussions of privilege within
college campuses. The workshop will be interactive including video
resources, games, and hopefully a guest-speaker. Fri, 9/20 @ 11am
U
Undeclared – Just a Step on the Career Development Ladder! Kim
White, Academic Advisor. Nationwide as many as 1/3 of incoming
freshmen are exploring or undeclared and nearly half of all declared
students change their majors at least once before graduation. While
unsettling for some, this is simply a process of evolving awareness that
each of us must experience in our own individual ways and at different
rates. It is just a small piece of the career development puzzle.
Workshop content will explore the personal experience of being
undeclared, address the potential pressures and pitfalls of being in
“academic limbo,” and briefly review career development theory as it
relates to major selection. The majority of workshop content highlights
practical strategies and campus resources for determining a suitable
major and developing career connections and direction. Mon, 9/26 @
10am
educating majority students about the subcultures and counter-cultures
esteemed by students of color. Fri, 9/30 @ 1:00pm
URI STEM Diversity Institute for Faculty. Dr. Bryan Dewsbury,
Assistant Professor, Biological Sciences, and Joshua Caulkins, Assistant
Director, Learning and Teaching Center, and Coordinator, Collaboration
for Exploration in Mathematics and Science (CEMS). In order for the
United States to maintain primacy in a global economy, our universities
and colleges must be more intentional about increasing and diversifying
the presence and persistence of faculty, staff, and students in the STEM
fields. Universities that embrace this challenge will be best positioned
to meet the needs of society and to respond to the demographic shifts
and identity transformations of the 21st century. The goals of this
institute are to heighten awareness of diversity as a core challenge and
a core opportunity within the STEM fields. We will discuss pedagogy as
a tool that can enhance institutional diversity both in and out of the
classroom, innovative programs and practices utilized by other
institutions of higher education and specific ways in which we can
consider diversity at URI. Thu, 9/22 @ 9am
URI STEM Diversity Institute for Students. Catalina Martinez, Regional
Program Manager, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA) and Michelle Fontes-Barros, Assistant Director, College of the
Environment and Life Sciences. The purpose of this workshop is to
create a safe place for conversation, introspection, and learning, and to
help students enhance their resiliency skills through gaining new tools
and knowledge. As a result of this workshop, participants will: 1. Gain
clarity about inherent inequities and the need to bridge them through
actions to change outcomes; 2. Investigate how affinity, implicit, and
explicit biases lead to exclusionary behaviors that result in
environments with decreased potential for success for
underrepresented groups; 3.Use self-awareness activities to uncover
personal blind spots that can result in snap judgments; 4.Understand
that many biases are learned, and thus can be unlearned through
deliberate thought and actions; and 5.Through breakout groups and
larger discussions, gain knowledge and skills for success by learning
how others have turned obstacles of inequity into detours instead of
outright barriers. Thu, 9/22 @ 9:00am
The U.S. Presidential Campaign in 2016: The Politics of Inequality. Dr.
Ric McIntyre, Chair and Professor, Economics. According to the
Journalist’s Resource, income inequality in the United States has been a
major flashpoint during the 2016 presidential election, with much
debate focused on whether America is divided between “the 1 percent”
The Undervalued Contributions of Multicultural Student Organizations who make up the wealthy elite and the lagging middle and working
to the Institutional Cultures of Predominantly White Universities .
classes. The top 20 percent of US households own more than 84
Marlin Da Cruz, ‘17, B.O.N.D., and Melody Francisco, ‘17, P.I.N.K.
percent of the wealth, and the bottom 40 percent combine for a paltry
Research indicates that students persistence to graduation is positively 0.3 percent. Statistics show that U.S. economic inequality has
correlated with their ability to establish membership and achieves a
been increasing for decades and in 2013 reached its highest since the
sense of belonging in the cultures, subcultures, and countercultures of Great Depression of 1928, according to the Pew Research Center.
universities. Predominately white universities pose a unique set of
Americans are bothered by the increasingly unequal distribution of
challenges for the affiliation needs of students of color. Museus (2008)
wealth in the U.S., according to several surveys. U.S. Senator Bernie
finds that multicultural students organizations play crucial roles in
Sanders effectively built his campaign on the rising level of inequality in
facilitating the adjustment and integration of students to the university
the U.S. That is that 62 people own the same amount of wealth as the
and in shaping the experiences and outcomes of their active
bottom half of the global population– 3.6 billion people. Of those 62
constituents. Often students of color at predominately white
ultra-billionaires, more than 40 are U.S. citizens. A central tenet of
universities experience isolation and even alienation. Multicultural
democracy is that government policy should reflect the preferences of
student organizations (a) provide venues for students of color to
the governed. This ideal of political equality is perhaps impossible to
connect with peers from similar cultural backgrounds; (b) enable
students to express their own cultural identities and advocate for their fully achieve in the face of economic inequality—in every democracy,
own communities; and (c) insulate them in a context in which they feel citizens with greater resources are better able to shape government
accepted, validated, and supported. Often multicultural student
policy to their liking. But the degree of political inequality in a society,
organizations also perform a valuable function in orienting and
and the conditions which exacerbate or ameliorate it, tell us much
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about the quality of its democracy. In the U.S, the extent of
"representational inequality" is staggering: when preferences of low or
middle income Americans diverge from those of the affluent, there is
virtually no relationship between policy outcomes and the desires of
these less advantaged groups. Those with higher incomes are more
likely to vote, more likely to volunteer on political campaigns or
participate in party organizations, more likely to contact their elected
representatives, and more likely to donate money to candidates,
parties, and interest organizations that lobby the government. Most of
the money donated to political candidates, parties, and interest
organizations comes from Americans at the top of the economic
ladder. The disproportionate political influence of the affluent (who
tend, naturally enough, to favor policies that enhance their interests)
may further reinforce their economic advantages leading to even
greater representational inequality. Reducing political inequality will be
difficult as long as economic inequality continues to increase. Mon,
9/26 @ 3pm
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Veterans: Past, Present and Future. Christine P. Dolan, Specialist II,
Education & Social Policy & Programs, Education, and Jeff Johnson,
Transition Patient Advocate, Veteran Affairs. According to the
Department of Defense, and in part as a result of the new Post-911 GI
Bill, the number of veterans enrolled in colleges and universities
increased 40% between 2009 and 2011. Each year, between 300,000400,000 veterans discharge from the military and approximately 30% of
those veterans will enroll in higher education. By 2015, it is projected
that over a million veterans will be in our classrooms, and it’s important
to recognize that these man and women, a diverse group of often first
generation college students, understand military service as not only an
opportunity to serve their country, but as a gateway to expanded life
experiences, educational opportunities, and improved employability.
Yet the transition from active duty to student status can be daunting for
veterans. According to a 2010 NASPA report, student-veterans often
report a sense of isolation on campus and frustration with traditional
students: they express concern about entering into a potentially liberal
college culture that may conflate anti-war sentiment with anti-military
sentiment, and they can face difficulty finding mentors amongst faculty
whose values may differ significantly from their own. Not only are many
student-veterans struggling with financial pressures and dealing with
physical and mental health disabilities (including the “signature
wounds” of TBI and PTSD), they also share the challenges many
nontraditional students face, “relearning” study skills and meeting
academic expectations. This workshop assists campus communities in
becoming better informed about military culture, and better prepared
to support the personal and academic success of student veterans.
Mon, 9/26 @ 12 noon
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Who Milks the Cows? The Dreams and Realities of Immigrant Dairy
Workers from Mexico. Dr. Julie C. Keller, Assistant Professor,
Sociology & Anthropology. Learn about the dreams and struggles of
undocumented immigrants who work every day to provide the U.S.
with fresh milk. This presentation will describe the stories of immigrants
from Veracruz, Mexico who travel north to work on dairy farms in
Wisconsin and Minnesota. You will see photos from both sides of the
Mexico-U.S. border and videos made by activists working to improve
labor conditions on U.S. dairy farms. Tue, 9/27 @ 9:30am
Women in STEM: A Kaleidoscope of Opportunity. Dr. Faye BoudreauxBartels, Professor, Electrical, Computer, and Biomedical Engineering; Dr.
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Joan Peckham, Chair and Professor, Computer Science; and Dr. Barbara
Silver, Assistant Research Professor, Schmidt Labor Research Center.
Following a brief overview of the 8 different engineering majors at URI,
a panel of female engineers will answer questions regarding career
options. Each panelist will be asked to describe her reasons for
choosing an engineering career, her career trajectory, her current job
and a typical work week. Panelists will be asked for advice on increasing
the number of women engineers, maintaining work-life balance, and
handling gender stereotypes in the workplace. Subsequent discussion
will focus on the surprising variety of career options for engineers, as
well as 19 examples of how engineering applications have made a
positive impact on both technology and society. Fri, 9/23 @ 1pm
Working Towards Reducing Health Disparities: From the Trenches.
Janelle Amoako, '15; Darilina Firpo, '14; and Bintou Marong, '15. Among
URI’s distinguished alumni is Dr. Josepha Campinha-Bacote, ’14, a
graduated of the College of Nursing who is widely regarded as the
nation’s preeminent consultant on cultural competence in health care.
Nursing alumni can play a crucial role in the success of students in
nursing as role models, as mentors, and as conduits of career
information. Wed. 9/28 @ 10am
Woven in Time: The Narragansett Salt Pond Preserve (Documentary
Film and Discussion by Panel of Narragnsett Tribal Members). Dr.
Marcella Thompson, Assistant Professor, College of Nursing; Dr.
Elizabeth Hoover, Manning Assistant Professor, American Studies,
Brown University; and Dinalyn Spears, Director, Natural Resources/
Tribal Planning, Narragansett Tribe. This session will entail a viewing of
the movie, Woven in Time: The Narragansett Salt Pond Preserve
followed by a discussion by a panel of Native people. This is a
documentary about the only surviving and recently preserved precontact (1100-1400) Native village on the New England coast. The site is
located at the head of Point Judith Pond in Narragansett. A film of
extraordinary beauty and poetry, Woven in Time is a story of ‘place’ –
how land and spirit are interwoven. The site became the center of an
almost 30-year battle between the state of Rhode Island, rights of
property owners, and the importance of preserving Narragansett
history, tradition and spiritual practice. This movie and the discussion
will add another dimension to earlier panel presentations. This site of a
buried Narragansett tribal village may date back to pre-colonial times,
but the controversy about the rights of the People of the Small Point,
land developers and the state of Rhode Island is a social commentary
on inequality – sociocultural, socioeconomic and political – and the
invisibility or indigenous peoples. Wed, 9/28 @ 6:30pm