| Title | Date | Start Time | End Time | Location | Session Description | Presenter Bio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Doing our Own Work: Understanding Power and Privilege as a Faculty/Staff Member at CSU | 9/24/2009 | 8:30:00 AM | 10:30:00 AM | Room 203-205 | As faculty and staff, we are often engaged in challenging students to understand power, privilege, and oppression and to become critical thinkers around issues of diversity. When was the last time we took a step back and did some of this work for ourselves? We know that understanding the dynamics of oppression is an on-going process and our experiences change over time and in various contexts. This interactive session is designed for faculty and staff members who have been previously engaged in social justice work and who want to spend some time doing some personal and critical reflection. Join us, prepared to be an active, engaged participant around your own identities. | Carmen Rivera is the Associate Director for the Center for Educational Access & Outreach, Upward Bound at Colorado State University. Chris Linder is the Director of the Office of Women’s Programs and Studies and a PhD student at the University of Northern Colorado. |
| The UW Dream Project: An Innovative Model for Outreach, Service Learning, and College Student Retention | 9/24/2009 | 8:30:00 AM | 9:30:00 AM | Room 214-216 | The UW Dream Project is a student-created initiative that combines service learning, outreach and advocacy to address issues of opportunity and access in college admission and success. Student leaders will discuss the philosophy of the Dream Project, how the Dream Project operates, the programs successes, and how universities can create a similar program on their own campuses. Founded entirely by University of Washington undergraduates in 2005, the UW Dream Project is a student-run high school outreach program that partners current UW students with first-generation and low-income students in Seattle area high schools to holistically assist then in the college admissions process. During the 2008 fall semester, similar programmatic interests were sparked within students at CSU. Reach Out, CSU is currently working in partnership with these students to make the Dream Project a reality at CSU. As profiled in the Chronicle of Higher Education in December 2007, the UW Dream Project is a great model for college student retention and student-lead advocacy efforts that can be adapted for many other colleges around the country. For more information, please visit www.dreamproject.washington.edu. |
Samson Lim has been an active member of the Washington Dream Project since 2006 and is currently a member of the Steering Committee that oversees the day-to-day operations. Sam is currently pursuing a degree in International Studies. Jenee Myers Twitchell, student, Washington Dream Project Member. Michelle Wellman is the assistant director of Reach Out, CSU – a university pipeline program that advances learning opportunities of CSU students and Colorado’s historically underserved secondary students by providing a platform for educational outreach. Andrea Bloomquist is a Program Aide for residence Life at CSU. Through her career path, she is dedicated to addressing the individual systematic barriers that prevent low-income, first-generation, and minority students from achieving their educational goals. |
| Unearthing Biases: Art and Environmental Action in Post-Katrina New Orleans and Mel Chin’s FUNdred Project | 9/24/2009 | 9:30:00 AM | 10:30:00 AM | Room 224-226 | Visionary artist Mel Chin was summoned to New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Known for his landmark interdisciplinary environmental art projects, Chin was asked to offer creative strategies for addressing the environmental and human devastation. Chin was initially overcome by the scope of the disaster but returned later on to continue his research. Hurricane Katrina is now widely understood to have impacted a disadvantaged and marginalized population. Chin’s research unearthed a deeper problem, one that pre-dated the hurricane – toxic levels of lead in the soil and that also impacted the most poverty stricken populations of the city. Chin’s innovative project Paydirt/FUNdred, is a nationwide collaborative endeavor, focused on lead contamination in New Orleans and environmentally responsible re-building of the city in the wake of Katrina. The project unearths both a hidden environmental scourge and the hidden effects of environmental racism. This presentation will introduce Chin’s project, place it within the context of his body of work, and allow session attendees to participate in the FUNdred project. | Linny Frickman, Director, University Art Museum; Jean Lehmann, Associate Dean, College of Applied Human Sciences |
| MeDLi Online: A Collaborative Environment for Thinking, Learning and Talking about Media and Diversity | 9/24/2009 | 10:30:00 AM | 12:00:00 PM | Room 213-215 | One of the most powerful ways we learn about and respond to notions of our identity is through the media. Movies, television, magazines, and websites show people like us – and different from us – in a variety of ways: some are empowering and illuminating, some are not. Instructors, staff, students, campus organizations, and community groups seeking to foster understanding and open dialog about identity often turn to the media for examples, starting points, and evidence about the challenges and successes faced by different groups. This presentation introduces MeDLi, an online collaborative space that encourages the exchange of ideas, resources, and conversation around media and diversity in a truly 21st century way. A multi-media presentation including videos, images, and music will demonstrate features of MeDLi, including its library of resources and its social networking tools such as live chat and user-generated content. Two examples of images in the media will be presented to the audience to open a discussion about the implications of those portrayals on how we think, learn, and talk about diversity. Designed, developed, and published by ten CSU undergraduates under the guidance of faculty, MeDLi is a space where we all can start learning, thinking, and talking about diversity. |
Rosa Mikeal Martey is an assistant professor in CSU’s Department of Journalism & Communication, and affiliate faculty in the Women’s Studies department. Her work focuses on the intersection between digital communication and identity. Recent work includes studies of how identity and norms influence us in online collaborative and interactive spaces. One current project examines perceptions and conversations around ethnic, sexual, and gender identity in online games. Martey also spent several years in the advertising industry, where she focused on understanding and communicating with consumers through research and strategic planning. She also currently designs and develops websites and other communication media for academic and non-profit institutions. Student presenters: Leslie Groves is an undergraduate JTC major in the honors track whose studies focus on independent media, computer-mediated communication, and outreach and activism, Carol Noon is an undergraduate JTC major with a minor in ethnic studies who served for several years as a dorm RA. Leslie Stinson graduated from the JTC department in spring 2009. Her studies included interactive computer programming and computer-mediated communication. |
| Media Use and University Adjustment of Chinese Students | 9/24/2009 | 10:30:00 AM | 11:30:00 AM | Room 220-222 | This study examined the relationships among motives for English-language media use, the time and attention spent on English-language media use, and university adjustment of Chinese students in America. The focus of the study was to determine (1) What do Chinese students use English-language media for? (2) Is there a relationship between motives for English-language media use and the time and the attention spent on English-language media use of Chinese students? (3) Is there a relationship between English-language media use and university adjustment of Chinese students? (4) Is there a relationship between motives for English-language media use and university adjustment of Chinese students? (5) Is there a relationship between Chinese-language media use and university adjustment of Chinese students? Significant positive relationships were found between students’ levels of attention to English-language television and several motives. However, what students use English-language Internet for is positively related not only to their levels of attention to the Internet, but also to the amount of time they spend on the Internet. Those who pay more attention to English-language media have better social and university adjustment. The attention to Chinese-language websites does not affect university adjustment, but the amount of time spent on Chinese-language websites negatively affects academic adjustment. The findings of the research lent to understanding of how international students use media and how that use affects their university adjustment. |
Jessica Gu came to Fort Collins for her master studying at Journalism and Technical Communication Department at Colorado State University in 2006 and focused her research on the media use of Asian students and their university adjustment. She is originally from China, where she worked as a public relations practitioner for six years after graduating from East China University of Science and Technology in 1998. In 2001, Jessica established her own public relations company in Shanghai, China. She is currently the Interim Assistant Director for Asian/Pacific American Student Services at CSU. |
| University Performance Data for Diversity in 2008-2009, CSU Research Findings for Student Success, Student Perceptions, and Program Evaluation Information | 9/24/2009 | 12:00:00 PM | 1:30:00 PM | Room 214-216 | This presentation shares the past year’s diversity performance findings for the areas of student success, student perceptions, and program evaluation. During a typical academic year, the University gathers diversity-related data from three main sources. They include: 1) Success findings using institutional research, such as retention or graduation rates; 2) Student perception findings using a wide variety of survey information, such as the 2009 CSU Campus Climate Survey, the national freshman Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP), and local program level surveys (e.g., advocacy offices); and 3) Information from annual program planning documents and recent program reviews. The University is attempting to provide more visibility of and access to these data as an accountability feature showing external audiences CSU’s performance on diversity. Features of this site will be demonstrated. Presenters will engage participants for feedback on ideas for future diversity data generation and access. |
Paul Thayer is the Associate Vice President for Student Affairs and Special Advisor to the Provost for Retention. David McKelfresh is on a joint-appointment as the Executive Director of Assessment and Research for the Division of Student Affairs, and the Program Chair for the Student Affairs in Higher Education Graduate Program. Kim Bender is the Director of Assessment (Office of the Provost) and works with the University’s continuous improvement processes. |
| Linguistic diversity and the heritage Spanish speaker: CSU-Community Partnerships | 9/24/2009 | 12:30:00 PM | 1:30:00 PM | Room 203-205 | Valuing diversity and ensuring that individuals in diverse groups attain their full potential requires that we “talk about diversity;” but most importantly, and since diversity is often marked by, and is sometimes housed in, linguistic differences, that we recognize the need of “talking diversely”. Our proposal deals with two related projects designed to strengthen the linguistic heritage of the CSU Hispanic student population and that of the local Hispanic community: 1) a series of Spanish courses designed to enhance the ethnic and cultural identity of heritage Spanish language learners and to promote and advocate for the maintenance and linguistic vitality of the heritage language in the local Hispanic community; 2) Rincón de Cuentos, a community-based, multi-generational literature appreciation project that seeks to promote the pleasure of reading children’s literature using books written in Spanish. This project involves CSU faculty and students, the public library, the CORE center and other community organizations. Both projects address the uneasiness of “talking diversely” in the midst of the uncomfortable political dynamics that surround the history of language maintenance and loss for ethnic groups within the dominant society. The presentation will involve CSU students and faculty, and community members who have participated in both projects. |
Dr. Maura Velázquez-Castillo, at CSU since 1998, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Foreign Languages. She has a B.A. in Languages and Literatures, Universidad Nacional de Asunción, Paraguay; a M.A. in Linguistics, University of Kansas; and a Ph.D. in Linguistics, University of California, San Diego. She has supervised her department’s basic language program, teaches Spanish language and linguistics, and is a faculty member of the Joint M.A. with the English Department. Her research centers on Spanish and Guarani linguistics, the contact and interference between these two languages, as well as second language pedagogy. She has published several articles in these areas. Her book, The Grammar of Possession, was published by John Benjamins in 1996. |
| Creating Success for Students of Color with Disabilities in Higher Education | 9/24/2009 | 1:30:00 PM | 2:30:00 PM | Room 220-222 | The passage of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 has established mandates for universities and colleges to provide accommodations and access for students with disabilities. At the same time, higher education has focused on students of color to ensure their success. But what about the students of color with disabilities? Combining cultural issues with disability needs may create tension in the support system for a student of color who is also disabled. This workshop will present some of the challenges facing this student population and some key strategies to support the retention of students of color with disabilities in higher education. | Rosemary Kreston has served as the director of Resources for Disabled Students at Colorado State University for the past 29 years. In addition, she teaches a course related to the disability experience. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Wayne State University and a Master’s degree in Rehabilitation Counseling from the University of Northern Colorado. She is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Sociology and hopes to contribute to the field of Disability Studies. Her primary interests are in examining the intersection of higher education and disability as well as the intersection of diversity and disability. S. Mikiko Kumasaka, currently serves as the Director of the Office of Asian/Pacific American Student Services at Colorado State University, a position she has held since 2003. Ms. Kumasaka earned her Bachelor of Arts Degree from San Diego State University in Liberal Arts and a Master of Divinity in Theology from Fuller Theological Seminary. She has worked with college students for over ten years focused on student development and support services. Due to her multicultural background, her passion has been to educate herself and others about the unique histories, experiences, and contributions provided by diverse individuals in the United States. |
| Designing Training in Higher Education Research Settings that is Culturally Competent | 9/24/2009 | 1:30:00 PM | 2:30:00 PM | Room 213-215 | Colorado State University is gearing up to teach about research and scholarly integrity, as a campus-wide initiative, to undergraduate and graduate students as well as postdoctoral fellows. Topics include authorship rights and responsibilities, data fabrication or falsification, plagiarism, mentor and training, protection of human and animal subjects for research, data handling and manipulation, collaborations and interdisciplinary work, and intellectual property rights. To some, this instills fear that the institution will now be teaching “morality,” a term some use synonymously with “integrity.” It is important we develop training so that it is inclusive of the many identities our campus community members possess including age, gender, disability, religion, and many others. How do we define research and scholarly integrity on this campus, and how do we teach it in a culturally-competent manner? The purpose of this workshop is to demonstrate how we can develop training materials that are relevant and inclusive of different cultures on campus. We will discuss specific areas of training, resources for ensuring inclusive research teaching and practices, and use active-learning methods to demonstrate how the topics can be facilitated in a culturally-competent manner. | Molly Gutilla currently works in the Research Integrity & Compliance Review Office at CSU. Molly has worked in laboratories utilizing both human and animal research subjects, as well as earned BS and MS degrees in physiology from Ohio State University. Chris Linder is the Director of the Office of Women’s Programs and Studies and a PhD student at the University of Northern Colorado in the Higher Education and Student Affairs Leadership program. Chris earned her MA in Higher Education Administration and a BS in Business Administration from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. |
| Diversity Through Service-Learning: CSU Students Sharing World Cultures with Children | 9/24/2009 | 1:30:00 PM | 2:30:00 PM | Room 224-226 | What does “diversity” mean in the foreign language classroom? Presentations of different countries? Of different belief systems? Of historic monuments? Of foods? All these are a great way for teachers to share cultural diversity with their students; however, these skills are often more receptive and passive. Encouraging students to be active learners has been shown to have positive outcomes on the acquisition of second languages. Service-learning gives the opportunity to become, not only active learners, but also messengers of diversity. Indeed, being involved in the community puts the individuals in the center of the action, from the learning to the teaching aspects of cultural diversity. Service-learning is defined as “a pedagogy and an activity in which students perform a community service as part of their academic coursework” (Gascoigne, 2001). This talk will present how service-learning can help students acquire a deeper understanding and knowledge of diversity, while sharing it with others in the community, in particularly with children. The French service-learning program at CSU is organized around a group of college students who teach the French language and the Francophone cultures to children in local preschools and elementary schools. Testimonials from students and ideas for implementation will complete this presentation. |
Dr. Frédérique Grim is an Assistant Professor of French in the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures. She is particularly involved with Foreign Language GTA and pre-service teacher training. Her research interests focus on 1) the integration of grammar within cultural content, 2) the study of teachers’ linguistic choice in the classroom and 3) the impact of service-learning on learners of French. |
| University Dialogue: Working Together to Improve Conversations at CSU | 9/24/2009 | 2:30:00 PM | 4:00:00 PM | Cherokee Park Ballroom | Based on our discussions in the first day of dialogues, we will be considering some of the following questions: If we were to envision an ideal community of rich diversity here at Colorado State University, what would it look like, what would it feel like? What would it be like? These are the questions that will help us to gather the wisdom in the room through small group discussions. Come and be a part of shaping the future that we want to realize, together as fellow community members with an investment in one another. | Center for Public Deliberation |