2013 Conference Schedule

Friday, February 22, 2013

Saturday, February 24, 2013

2013 Workshops will include:

Friday, February 22, 2013
Session I
4:00 – 4:50p

Unequal Childhoods: A Roadmap for Change |Gary Morgan- Oaks 106
This interactive session will examine the ideal of cultural capital set forth by sociologist Pierre Bourdieu. These non-financial assets determine one's ability to effectively maneuver in various social arenas. This presentation outlines the process of social reproduction and displays points of potential interventions. The audience will be asked to debate and discuss how these interventions should be made. 

Coming to America: United We Stand, Divided We Fall | Latin American Student Association – Oaks 207
Immigration is one of the most divisive issues in our country today. Come join us as we explore exactly what "illegal" immigration means, the current immigration policies, and how immigration displays the continual struggle to achieve social justice

Session II
5:00p – 5:50p

Celebrating & Connecting the African/African American & Latino Diaspora| Jada Drew & Jorge Zeballos  - Oaks 106

Knowledge is the first step toward diversity, inclusion, and equity. Join an interactive lecture to learn more about the contributions of the Africana Diaspora, Black global connectivity, social movements, legal decisions, and innovations by this community.    

America's Incarcerated: The Forgotten Population | Yasmine Arrington- Oaks 207
The incarcerated in our nation are often a forgotten population, but have you ever stopped to think how mass incarceration affects our nation, our lives, and even our families? Factors such as race, socioeconomic status, and gender can serve as either advantages or disadvantages when dealing within the parameters of our social justice system. Come to this session to learn about the astonishing statistics and discover how we can potentially reverse this negative cycle. 

Saturday, February 23, 2012

Session I
10:00a – 10:50a

Check Your Burberry at the Door: How to Unpack the Baggage You Bring (and May Not Realize) when Practicing Civic Engagement in the Community | Lizzy Appleby, Jessica Elizondo, Will Brummett  - Lindner 102
Often when college students go to serve, there are unchecked assumptions, language, and actions that students bring with them that hinder the relationship-building necessary for effective community partnerships. Come to this short, interactive presentation to learn how the phrases you use, the clothes you wear, and the approach you take to service in the community can reinforce privilege you bring instead of dismantling the system of injustice that create need in the community. Led by the Kernodle Center for Service Learning and Community Engagement, come to this conversation about how we can better check our baggage at the door and better serve our communities.

Privilege? What Privilege? | Elizabeth Nelson- Lindner 106
Are you uncertain what privilege means? Do you ever feel blamed or threatened by discussions of privilege that include elements of your identity beyond your control? Are you uncertain how to use your privilege to support larger social justice missions? Do you feel frustrated when you try to discuss privilege and find others unwilling to engage the issue(s)? If you want to improve your ability to define, discuss, deploy and dismantle privilege then come join this discussion. We will discuss what privilege is, how it can function and how engaging it can be a tool in your social justice toolbox.

Life After College: The Role of Mentoring in Graduate Studies for Students of Color | Cherrel Miller Dyce, Jalonda Thompson, Dandre Johnson- Lindner 204
This workshop is designed for students of color who are thinking about or have applied to graduate school.  Workshop attendees will learn about the graduate school process from admission to graduation. More specifically, the role of mentoring will be highlighted as a catalyst for retention and graduation

Non-verbal Communication | Kenn Gaither- Lindner 208
Research indicates that up to three-quarters of communication is non-verbal.  In this interactive workshop, participants will learn practical tips to leverage non-verbal communication into the powerful presence of a leader and an enhanced ability intersect with others.  Topics ranging from body posture, eye contact, and other cues will be discussed to help participants understand the dimensionality of leadership as an inclusive process that is both communicative and non-communicative.

Session II
11:00a – 11:50a

Intercultural Competence|  Angela Ansah – Lindner 102
The two part session will include an interactive activity to promote a fundamental and meaningful approach to interacting with people of different cultures. The second part will be a lecture and a discussion on a cultural participatory research conducted to generate or uncover knowledge of the interactions among minority-and majority-students at a primarily majority-university campus. It aims to provide college students (faculty & staff) with knowledge or a tool to interpret cultural variances at a level more profound than the merely behavioral one. 

Creating Sustainable Change Within Your Organization| Dr. Leupold- Lindner 106
Looking to create sustainable change within your organizations? Participants will spend time learning about the different stages of organizational change and walk through these stages using real life examples.

Social Justice in Action | Brenna Humphries- Lindner 204
Want to support a social cause, but don’t know where to start? Do you have great ideas but feel overwhelmed about the process of starting a nonprofit or organization?  This interactive workshop will help you discover which social cause you want to pursue, and assist in brainstorming creative ways in which you can support a social cause.   

Do You Know Your Organization’s Identity? | Mark Brumfield – Lindner 208
Many organizations struggle with success, either it’s through membership, programming or being seen on campus. Most of the time organizations try to increase their programming in hopes that it will help them be more successful, or they grab anybody who will join, or do things to be seen on campus, but in the end they ultimately fail. It is usually because the organization has failed to find their identity. If an organization wants to succeed they must first figure out who they are and then build from there. Through this workshop students will begin to look at their organization and how to maximize results through capitalizing on their Organizations Identity

Lunch & Learn Session
12:00p – 1:15p

Why Organizations Need to Invest in Women | Stacie Berdan -Lindner 102
Stacie Nevadomski Berdan, successful internationalist and award-winning author, will discuss women in international business - as leaders, employees, consumers, market builders, and contributors to economic growth. In the context of the global marketplace, she will explain the direct career benefits and showcase the depth and variety of international careers across sectors and geographic regions; talk about the various ways in which women make a difference in lives around the world; examine issues relevant to women internationalists, both personal and professional; offer perspectives on how and why public, private, and government organizations should invest more in women; and share personal stories, professional tips, and practical advice.

Critical Storytelling | Katherine Edwards- Lindner 106
In this interactive workshop we will use critical storytelling to reflect on, share, and make new sense of our lived experiences and the stories by which we learn and live. Grounded in a belief that individual stories are simultaneously specific, personal, and unique, while also reflecting power, privilege, and oppression, critical storytelling assists us in understanding what life is like for others. Using embodied and arts-based methods, we will examine our personal opinions, attitudes, and positionalities, and bridge our day-to-day lives to broader social change efforts.

Using Theater Techniques for Transformation and Social Justice | Dr. Silvia Bettez - Lindner 204
How might performance help us work through issues of power, privilege, and oppression in ways that provide tools for action? Participants in this workshop will engage in and simultaneously learn about the use of theater techniques as vehicles for personal and social transformation.  Anyone can do this, only a willingness to work with others in respectful, embodied ways is needed.

Women of Color Leadership | Maria Erb & Monique Swaby – Lindner 208
Throughout history, women of color have been asked to define ourselves through a certain lens to participate in society. We will examine the different roles women of color have played in traditional and non-traditional spaces; ways we have overcome or transformed those spaces by our very presence, shifting of culture, or reframing the social structure. Join us for story sharing, media clips, and explore ways to fully be ourselves as women of color when walking into spaces of leadership such as the home, classroom, places of worship, the workplace, or society in general. Please share in this circle of reflection with us.

Session III
1:30p – 2:20p  

Navigating Cross Cultural Conflict and Dialogue | Jerry Staples & Shayla Herndon – Lindner 102
Engaging in effective dialogue is challenging to most individuals because dialogue, by definition, is having conversation for the sole purpose of understanding someone better; whereas, debate is defined as having a conversation for the sole purpose of winning. Participants will learn about barriers to effective communication and practice dialogue skills.

Contact Theory proposes that equal-status contact between antagonistic groups should lower tension and breed greater harmony. Allport wrote that “contact must reach below the surface in order to be effective in altering prejudice. Only the type of contact that leads people to do things together is likely to result in changed attitudes” (Allport, 1958). If you are interested in learning more about Contact Theory and effective practices for navigating cultural conflict this presentation is for you.

Who Can Say What? | Lucia Vidable-Lindner 106
Ever hear someone refer to something as "ghetto", "retarded" or "ratchet"? Ever heard a black person use the n-word in conversation with another black person? Can someone say “that’s so gay” as long as they don’t mean to offend gay people? In this forum we will discuss the significance of words connected to different social identities such as sexual orientation, race, religion and gender. We will engage in a dialogue about the effect of language on our everyday experiences. The impact of censorship and political correctness will be considered. Finally, we will collectively attempt to promote ways that students can find common language to discuss diversity issues on campus and in their communities.

Ready to Act | Rebecca Bishopric- Lindner 204
In this workshop participants will engage in conversations about bias and identity-based discrimination and violence. Participants will discuss barriers they face when wanting to take action in social situations. Throughout this interactive and multimedia workshop students will develop techniques and skills to safely intervene in situations of bias and/or harassment on campus.

The “Missed” Education of the Negro | Leon Williams – Lindner 208
The seat of the problem is that Dr. Carter G. Woodson’s Mis-Education of the Negro failed to penetrate the ideals of American education resulting in a less-informed Black community.  Research argues that failure to interpret the plight of Blackness in America, while embracing diversity and multiculturalism, has perpetuated a less conscientious Black community.  This session is designed to discuss the complexities of preserving Blackness while being educated in America!