Winter Symposium Day 2013-14

Social Justice

Schedule overview

9-9:45 a.m.    
Advising group meetings

10-11 a.m.    
Featured speaker I/Session I

11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m.    
Featured speaker II/Session II/ lunch on your own

12:30-1:30 p.m.    
Featured speaker III/Session III/lunch on your own

1:45-2:45 p.m.    
Featured speaker IV/Session IV

3 p.m.    
All-campus reception, Center for Student Life (G?vle Room)

Volunteer opportunities

Students must register in advance to participate. Vans will transport student volunteers for one of two blocks of time, 10 a.m.-1:15 p.m. and noon-3:15 p.m., with time for reflection/snacks at the end of each block.

9-9:45 a.m. advising group meetings

Students meet with their academic advisors in assigned rooms.

10-11 a.m. Session I

Featured speaker: Robert Quinn, Executive Director, Scholars at Risk Network, New York University
Freedom to Think, Responsibility to Act: The Human Rights Responsibilities of Students, Faculty and Higher Education Institutions
Center for Student Life, G?vle Room

The presentation will emphasize the social responsibility dimension of the higher education sector as a continuation of the legacy of the civil rights movement. Specifically, the role of higher education communities in stable, prosperous societies, to argue that, at a minimum, higher education is called to be rights-respecting, while in its fullest manifestation of core values the higher education sector can be, should be and is an engine of rights-promotion that is uniquely well positioned to contribute to human well-being. Confronted with the incredible changes facing the higher ed sector today, all of us are challenged to keep the values central to what we do and learn.

Justice: Movement
Dr. Margaret France, English
ÖйúÌå²ÊÍø Center Board Room

Justice begins at home. Bringing our bodies into balance with a gentle, stress-reducing yoga and breathing practice will allow us to approach the earth and its inhabitants with greater equanimity. Whether that results in a deeper commitment to human rights or extra patience in line at Hy-Vee, cultivating justice in your own body may benefit us all.

International Women's Issues: An International Student's Perspective
Mai Anh Hoang (Daisy), Vietnam; Alexandra Sj?lin-Falk, Sweden; Lily Ramos, past US expatriate in Mexico
Hanson 109

Women's Access to Education and Skilled Jobs in Vietnam
Vietnam is a socialist country with a long history of promoting women's equality and supporting women's rights. However, a majority of women engage in unskilled or semi-skilled work, especially in the agricultural field. Women also face difficulties in gaining access to higher education and the situation is worse in remote and rural areas.

Discrimination of Spokeswomen and Activists
Female activists and journalists experience a great deal of discrimination and abuse in Sweden.

Femicide in Mexico
Femicide of young, working women has run rampant in Northern Mexico for over two decades. This issue is currently ongoing and unresolved due to a "macho" culture, lack of police involvement and accountability, and the predominance of cartel force.

The Augie Games: Catching Intersectionality
Black Student Union; Simone Roby, president; Elizabeth Perez, treasurer; Jeremy Watson-Freeman, vice president; Ladonna Miller, historian; Jalayna Walton, secretary
Hanson 305

Officers in the Black Student Union will discuss privilege and the hierarchy within intersecting social identities, as well as how these issues are experienced inside and outside the Augie Bubble.

Working for Justice: A Career Panel
Internships & Careers Office
Johnna Adam, director; Kevin Carton, Kertesha Riley and Leslie Scheck, coordinators
Olin 305

Professionals whose work advocates justice for others will participate on a panel focusing on how addressing important global and societal issues can lead to a fulfilling career. Professionals will give an overview of their work. Attendees will have an opportunities to ask questions of the panelists. Panelists: Nate Clark, vice president, John Deere Foundation; Michelle Fitzsimmons, attorney, Prairie State Legal Services; Cathy O'Keeffe, executive director, Braking Traffik; Amy Rowell, director, World Relief (Moline).

Justice per se: Plato's Answer
Dr. Emil A. Kramer, classics
Olin 307

What constitutes "social justice" is, broadly speaking, the theme of Plato's Republic. The answer Plato provides transcends issues of race, gender, and class. What seems to be a tangential discussion in the Republic regarding justice for women turns out to be an argument for a global understanding of justice. This session will provide ancient insight on a question as old as humanity itself.

Out-group Prejudice and the Brain
Dr. Ian Harrington, Dr. Rupa Gordon and Dr. Shara Stough, psychology and neuroscience
Olin Auditorium

Most of the organizational features of the brain evolved when humans were under pressures far different from those we face now. Many neural mechanisms evolved to protect our ancestors from potential out-group dangers, including other hominid groups. Unfortunately, given the nature of evolution, these ancient mechanisms have not been supplanted by more contemporary ones, but remain foundational. How do those mechanisms apply to social cognition today, particularly in the context of between-group differences? In this session, we will discuss some of the legacies of these ancient mechanisms as well as how we might have evolved, or could develop, to suppress the instinctual way we tend to respond to ¡°others¡±, whatever the nature of the perceived difference.

Social Justice: More Than "Fair Play"
Dr. Paul Olsen, English
Hanson 304
Extended session: 10 a.m.-12:15 p.m.

This session will look closely at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Letter from Birmingham Jail" and consider some scenes from contemporary literature that demonstrate the complexity of understanding justice.

11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Session II (or lunch on your own)

Featured speaker: Chad Pregracke, president and founder, Living Lands & Waters
Helping to Clean America¡¯s Rivers: From the Bottom Up
Center for Student Life, G?vle Room

Chad Pregracke, CNN¡¯s 2013 Hero of the Year, will talk about growing up along the Mississippi River and how his river experiences led to his vision to clean up America¡¯s rivers. During the past 16 years, Pregracke, his crew and nearly 70,000 volunteers have removed 7 million pounds of garbage from our nation's rivers. His story embodies the importance of setting goals (one river and one piece of garbage at a time) and illustrates how determination, hard work and persistence can pay off. 

Disability Sensitivity
Hillary Plog, head trainer and president, Quad Cities Canine Assistance Network; Mary Kiolbasa, founder and president, Viking Pups; Allie Roehrenbeck, vice president, Viking Pups
Hanson 102

This session will serve as an educational seminar on disability awareness and sensitivity with an emphasis on service dog etiquette and laws. It will include a question-and-answer portion.

Intersectionality Training: Incorporating Intersectionality into Leadership
Elyse Kurfiss, Office of Residential Life
Hanson 109

Intersectionality is a theory which seeks to examine the ways in which various socially and constructed categories interact on multiple levels to manifest themselves as inequality and privilege in society. This session will feature an activities-based intersectionality training, developed at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, and will provide practical activities and opportunities to develop a firmer understanding of intersectionality for group development and personal development of attendees. Upon completion of this activity, participants will develop an understanding of multiple social identities and how identities are constructed; be exposed to the concept of multiple identities and their overlap; and be challenged to embrace singular differences between others in new context.

Where can *I* go?
Reflecting on the ties between human mobility and social justice
Dr. Umme Al-Wazedi, English, women's and gender studies; Dr. Araceli Masterson-Algar, Spanish, women's and gender studies, Latin American studies; Dr. Chris Strunk, geography, Latin American studies
Hanson 305

Mobility is a fundamental element of human freedom, which entails the freedom to seek opportunities to improve living standards, and health and education outcomes, and/or to live in safer, and more responsive communities. However, even though we live in an era of globalization, the right to move is limited for many. How is the right to move experienced in our city? How do foreign residents experience this ¡®right¡¯? This session will raise questions about mobility and social justice by examining actions that we rarely think about: driving, traveling, and moving about our city.

What is Interfaith Understanding?
A Social Justice Movement
Dr. Cyrus Zargar; Dr. Jason Mahn
Interfaith Understanding student group
Olin 209

This session will invite members of the ÖйúÌå²ÊÍø Community to consider interfaith work as an act of social justice. Students from various backgrounds and sectors of campus will share their personal stories of how being involved in interfaith work on campus has led to deeper understandings and deeper connections with social justice work both on and off campus.

Tackling Global Justice
Urid Pacillas '16 and Selena Gonzalez '16
Olin 305

This session will begin by defining global justice and will be discuss four or five scenarios involving global justice (ex. China & U.S. involvement). Former South African president Nelson Mandela's pursuit of global justice will also be discussed. (A member of the political science faculty is expected to participate in this session, too.)

Inequality for All: How Income Inequality Effects America Today
ÖйúÌå²ÊÍø ÖйúÌå²ÊÍø Democrats
Tyler Grace '15; Megan Young '15; Margaret Richardson '15
Olin 307

This session will be an extension of the ÖйúÌå²ÊÍø Democrats' showing of the film "Inequality for All" on Dec. 17. Participants will leave with a better understanding of how income inequality impacts society.

The Drive Thru
Framers: Eric Mathis, Rowen Schussheim-Anderson, Corrine Smith, Megan Quinn and Vickie R. Phipps
Brew by the Slough

The Drive Thru is one part art installation and one part group-authored script generator. The Needs Limit Sign series will be installed along the sidewalks leading to the CSL. The Drive Thru will be open for "interactions" from 11:15-1:30.

12:30-1:30 p.m. Session III (or lunch on your own)

Featured Speaker Panel:
Bob Choquette, program director for the University of Oregon Sustainable Cities Initiative (SCI)
Jason E. Maher, program director for CityLabs at the Associated ÖйúÌå²ÊÍøs of the Twin Cities (ACTC)
Dr. Michael Reisner, director of ÖйúÌå²ÊÍø's Upper Mississippi Studies Center
Transforming Higher Education by Strengthening the Town/Gown Connection: Two Innovative Model
Hanson 102

Two experts will present a transformative and inter-disciplinary higher education model that increases student engagement and provides students opportunities to acquire practical skills for career success. The panel will discuss the award-winning University of Oregon Sustainable Cities Initiative & the Associated ÖйúÌå²ÊÍøs of the Twin Cities' City Labs programs. These programs use the tremendous, untapped potential resources of the university to engage and help communities solve real-world sustainability challenges.

Discussions will focus on how to design a program that simultaneously maximizes benefits to communities, students, and the institution. After the presentations, attendees will have an opportunity to engage in a dialogue with the panelists to discuss the potential opportunities and challenges of replicating such a program at ÖйúÌå²ÊÍø amidst the urban and rural working landscapes of the Upper Mississippi region.

America Under the Gun: Social Justice and Gun Control in the U.S.
Professor Jeff Coussens and students in Theatre 350 Play Production class
Bergendoff Hall, Potter Hall

Student actors in the theatre production of "UNDER THE GUN: A collection of short plays about gun control" will present short selections from the performance exploring various aspects of gun violence and it's impact on our culture and society. The readings will be followed by discussion focused on how the American obsession with guns impacts issues of social justice.

The Conscience of Literature:
Testimony, Historical Fiction, and Social Justice (presentation)
R. Clifton Spargo, University of Iowa Writers' Workshop
Sponsored by the departments of English and history, women's and gender studies, the Jaeke Family Life Fund, and ACHOO.
Hanson 304

R. Clifton Spargo is a blogger for The Huffington Post, author of the novel, "Beautiful Fools, The Last Affair of Zelda & Scott Fitzgerald," and the creator of The Voices and Faces Project¡¯s testimonial writing workshop, ¡°The Stories We Tell.¡± He will discuss writing ¡ª both personal accounts and historical fiction ¡ª as a public act that involves accountability to the self, others, and the past. While speaking about how testimony addresses topics ranging from the Holocaust to mental illness, from civil rights to women's roles in society, he will connect the work of literature to the work of history. He will read some excerpts from "Beautiful Fools," and will be available to sign copies afterward.

LGBTQ Safe Zone Training for Students
Kara Brant, Residential Life
Erin M. Bertram, English, women's and gender studies, Reading/Writing Center
Hanson 305

You've seen the rainbow ¡°Safe Zone¡± stickers across campus, but do you know what they stand for? In anticipation for the upcoming 2014 Winter Olympics in Russia, a country recently making headlines for its LGBTQ intolerance, this Safe Zone training will encourage advocacy for LGBTQ individuals by providing knowledge and tools for them and their allies. Participants will each receive a Safe Zone sticker with a gold star to indicate you¡¯ve attended the training, along with an ÖйúÌå²ÊÍø-specific Safe Zone manual with helpful information and resources. Everyone is welcome, even if you¡¯re not quite sure what LGBTQ stands for.

A Public Debate on Social Justice
ÖйúÌå²ÊÍø Debate Union
Olin 305

Members of the ÖйúÌå²ÊÍø Debate Union will lead a public debat+e on the efficacy of strategies used to pursuit social justice in our society. The student-debaters will begin with a brief overview of tactics available followed by a moderated discussion with the audience of these strategies. Topics for debate include social justice on campus, in the Quad Cities community, in our nation and throughout our world.

Human trafficking in the U.S.
Cathy O¡¯Keeffe, executive director, Braking Traffik
Dr. Eric Stewart, religion
Olin Auditorium

In this session, Cathy O'Keeffe from Braking Traffik will define human trafficking and its various forms. The main focus will be on sex trafficking in the United States, to include Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking, which is the sex trafficking of American children within U.S. borders. O'Keeffe will discuss how children fall victim, what happens to them when they are trafficked, the role of the Internet in trafficking, how this crime is affecting the Quad Cities and what Braking Traffik is doing to stop it.

Elementary School Physics Demonstrations
Dr. Nathan Frank, physics and astronomy
Dr. Cecilia Vogel, physics and astronomy
ÖйúÌå²ÊÍø Physics Engineering Club
Hanson 119, 120, 121
Extended session: 12:30-2:45 p.m.

The ÖйúÌå²ÊÍø Engineering Physics Club will host Rock Island elementary school students and will perform physics demonstrations involving motion, electricity and magnetism, as well as liquid nitrogen. Elementary students will have the opportunity to ask questions and interact with ÖйúÌå²ÊÍø students.

Forgotten Genius: Percy Julian, 1899-1975
Sally Burgmeier, chemistry
Olin 209
Extended session: 12:30-2:45 p.m.

This session will feature the PBS documentary on Percy Julian. The grandson of Alabama slaves, Julian broke the color barrier in American science and his community. He took on powerful, entrenched interests and overcame countless obstacles during his lifetime. He became a world class PhD chemist, a self-made millionaire and a humanitarian, yet few people know of him. His important discoveries in the field of obtaining medicinal drugs from plants, such as cortisone and birth control pills, benefited millions and changed society.

1:45-2:45 p.m. Session IV

Featured speaker: Rev. Dwight L. Ford, M.Div., Executive Director of the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center, Rock Island
The Unfinished Agenda: Building the Beloved Community
Olin Auditorium

The presentation will address today¡¯s challenge of finishing the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.¡¯s life¡¯s agenda of building the beloved community. Rev. Ford will intertwine solutions to three of the most pressing and interconnected social challenges of our day; the persistence of racial discrimination, the social degradation of mass incarceration, and the economic exploitation of the poor and impoverished communities. The presentation will incorporate lessons learned from his work to end the causes of poverty, and serving Returning Citizens (men and women returning from incarceration), and reflect upon the work of Dr. King for inspiration as he offers insightful strategies for consideration.

Transforming Higher Education by Strengthening the Town/Gown Connection: Two Innovative Model
Bob Choquette, program director for the University of Oregon Sustainable Cities Initiative (SCI)
Jason E. Maher, program director for CityLabs at the Associated ÖйúÌå²ÊÍøs of the Twin Cities (ACTC)
Dr. Michael Reisner, director of ÖйúÌå²ÊÍø's Upper Mississippi Studies Center & environmental studies program
Hanson 102

A continuation of the featured presentation in Session III ¡ª after the presentations, attendees will have an opportunity to engage in a dialogue with the panelists to discuss the potential opportunities and challenges of replicating such a program at ÖйúÌå²ÊÍø amidst the urban and rural working landscapes of the Upper Mississippi region.

Take Action
Students of Comm 454: Monet Flowers, Patrick Killean, TJ Milano, Katie Scharnagle, Moonika Spreitzer, Callie Winter, and Jackie Zamora
Brew by the Slough

Students in Comm 454 have been studying a variety of social issues and working with local organizations who address these problems. Among the areas of concern ¡ª gun culture, children in poverty, care of the elderly and domestic violence. Comm 454 students seek the support of fellow ÖйúÌå²ÊÍø students in writing congressional representatives and urging them to support relevant legislation, funding or regulation. Stop by tables in the Brew to learn more and take action. Paper, pens, stamped envelopes, suggested messages and the name and address of Congressional respresentatives will be available.

Social Justice Issues at the Intersection of Race and Gender/Sexuality
Students in WGST 303: Gender & Sexuality
Center for Student Life, fourth floor (outside G?vle Room)

Individual identities are not separated neatly into categories of race, gender, sexuality, class, religion, etc. Instead, these identity categories all intersect with one another. Often it is in these intersections that social privilege and oppression are at their greatest. In this poster session, students enrolled in Gender & Sexuality will explore social justice issues at the intersection of race and gender/sexuality.

Social Justice: Where¡¯s the Controversy?
Gregory Tapis, business administration
Mary Windeknecht, Academic Affairs
Denkmann, Wallenberg Hall

How could anyone be against social justice? This session will explore the controversies surrounding the social justice movement. What does social justice mean? What does it look like? Is social justice possible? What does it mean for our freedoms and economic prosperity? What kind of government and economic system will it require? These and other questions will be part of this discussion.

The Conscience of Literature:
Testimony, Historical Fiction, and Social Justice (discussion)
R. Clifton Spargo, University of Iowa Writers' Workshop
Sponsored by the departments of English and history, women's and gender studies, the Jaeke Family Life Fund, and ACHOO.
Hanson 304

A continuation of the Session III presenation. R. Clifton Spargo is a blogger for The Huffington Post, author of the novel, "Beautiful Fools, The Last Affair of Zelda & Scott Fitzgerald," and the creator of The Voices and Faces Project¡¯s testimonial writing workshop, ¡°The Stories We Tell.¡± He will discuss writing ¡ª both personal accounts and historical fiction ¡ª as a public act that involves accountability to the self, others, and the past. While speaking about how testimony addresses topics ranging from the Holocaust to mental illness, from civil rights to women's roles in society, he will connect the work of literature to the work of history. He will read some excerpts from "Beautiful Fools," and will be available to sign copies afterward.

More Different that We Appear: More Similar than We Think
Dr. Mark Salisbury, director, Institutional Research and Assessment
Dr. Kimberly Dyer, research analyst, Institutional Research and Assessment
Hanson 305

Students often make assumptions about the absence of differences beyond race and gender among fellow students in class or in their peer groups. However, about 25 percent of Augie students receive Pell Grant assistance (a marker of low socio-economic status) and 25 percent of Augie students are the first in their family to go to college. First, this session will concretely demonstrate these proportions among those in attendance to show that these differences exist in virtually every curricular and co-curricular situation. Second, the presenters will lead participants in a discussion of what this means and how to ensure a more inclusive environment for all students.

Jobs Equity and the 100 Ready Workers Campaign
Leslie Kilgannon, executive director, Quad Cities Interfaith
Hanson 327

How do we create a community that embraces greater diversity in our workforce? How does our community address systemic barriers to creating greater workforce diversity in trades and other areas? This session will explore a local campaign to address hiring disparities and other issues on transportation projects such as the passenger rail project coming to the Quad Cities. The campaign includes the development of the 100 Ready Workers Campaign, a jobs readiness project which seeks to create a pipeline of minorities and women ready for apprenticeship programs and for upcoming transportation projects. The session will also highlight the new Highway Construction Career Training Program to recruit more minorities and women into the highway construction field.

3 p.m. Art unveiling and reception

"Wheel of Inclusion"
Peter Xiao, art
Center for Student Life, fourth floor (outside G?vle Room)

A presentation of Xiao's acrylic on found patio umbrella. The artwork measures 88 inches by 101 inches and features the "coexist" bumper sticker image plus logos from Target, Walmart, recycling and a less-notable hammer and sickle. Artwork to be displayed through the term.