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Alabama Poverty Project Presents: BluePrints College Access Program Logo Contest

The Alabama Poverty Project has an exciting new program called Blueprints, which helps low-income and first generation students connect with college-aged mentors to design a "blueprint" for their post-high school years.

APP is sponsoring a logo contest for BluePrints and we want you to be involved. The winner will receive a $50 gift certificate from Alabama Art Supply and a $50 gift certificate from Forstall Art Supply. All other entrants will be entered into a drawing for two $25 gift certificates from Forstall Art Supply.

For more details about the contest and how to get involved, see the flyer.

All entries must be submitted by 5 p.m. on Friday, December 4.

If you have any questions, please email or call

Haley Heckman
Alabama Poverty Project
Americorps*VISTA
205.939.1408
hheckman@alabamapoverty.org
www.alabamapossible.org

Tips and Rsources for Single Parents

Allison Croysdale and Kelly Schleismann, graduate students in the clinical psychology doctoral program, will offer a free presentation, "Tips and Resources for Single Parents: Helping Kids to Show Good Behavior," at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 28, at the Auburn Public Library. While the presentation is geared toward single parents, all parents are welcome to attend.

Harvard Professor to Present "I Like Ike, but I Love Lucy: Women in 1956"

Alice Jardine, professor at Harvard University, will present the lecture "I Like Ike, but I Love Lucy: Women in 1956" on Tuesday, Oct. 27, at 4 p.m. in the Jule Collins Smith Museum. Jardine teaches the courses "Romance Languages and Literatures" and "Studies of Women, Gender and Sexuality" at Harvard Universtiy. Her interests include 20th- and 21st-century French and Francophone literature; feminist theory; culture, arts and politics; postmodern and transmodern theories of culture and society; and the American 1950s. She has authored books, including "Gynesis: Configurations of Women and Modernity," "Men in Feminism," "Social Control and the Arts" and "Living Attention: On Teresa Brennan." This lecture series is sponsored by the Alabama Humanities Foundation. Jardine's lecture is cosponsored by Auburn University's Special Lectures Committee and Women's Studies.

Nomination Deadline for WLI Leadership Training Program

A World of Infinite Possibilities for Women

The Women's Leadership Institute is currently seeking nominations of outstanding students who are currently enrolled in an institution of higher education for our May 24-28, 2010 intensive five day leadership training program.

Held on the campus of Auburn University, the Women's Leadership Institute five day program is designed to prepare the next generation of women leaders to participate effectively in the decision-making spheres and to contribute to the achievement of a truly representative democracy.

The deadline for nominated students to apply for the program is November 30, 2009. The website for nomination information and description of the program is www.auburn.edu/womensleadership. People should contact Dr. Barbara A. Baker, Director, at barbara.baker@auburn.edu.

The Women's Leadership Institute is an affiliate of the National netowkr of NEW Leadership Institutes, the Center for American Women and Politics of Rutgers University.

Zaczek speaking as part of National Italian American Heritage Month

Barbara Zaczek, renowned author and professor of Italian and chair of the Department of Foreign Languages at Clemson University, will present a lecture, "Resisting Bodies: Narratives of Italian Partisan Women," Wednesday, Oct. 21, from 4-5 p.m. in 2370 Haley Center. The event is free and open to the public. It is cosponsored by the Italian Studies Department and the University Special Lecture Series and is part of Auburn's annual celebration for National Italian American Heritage Month.

WLI's Inaugural Extraordinary Women Lecture

Lieutenant General Leslie F. Kenne, Air Force (retired) will deliver the Women's Leadership Institute's Inaugural Extraordinary Women Lecture in the Telfair Peet Theater on the campus of Auburn University on November 3, 2009 from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm. Open to students, members of the university community and the general public, Lt. General Kenne's talk, "Making the Most of Your Leadership Potential," will reflect on a lifetime of gold standard, real-world leadership experience. The talk will be followed immediately by a reception in which the audience is invited to meet the Lt. General and join the Women's Leadership Institute's network.

Sponsored by the Women's Leadership Institute in the College of Liberal Arts at Auburn University, this event will provide an opportunity to meet and interact with an impressive leader whose accomplishments speak to the infinite possibility of women to achieve extraordinary success in any arena in which they choose to excel. The talk and light-lunch reception are free and open to all.

Kenne, a distinguished graduate of Auburn University's ROTC program, served 32 years in active military service. During her tenure with the United States Air Force, she directed several major programs and held a variety of Pentagon staff positions including Deputy Director of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition and Deputy Chief of Staff for Warfighting Integration. She is currently the President of the Kenne Group and serves on three corporate boards as well as the Air Force Studies Board, an organization under the National Academy of Sciences which performs studies on topics selected by Air Force leadership.

For more information, contact: Dr. Barbara A. Baker, Director, Auburn University's Women's Leadership Institute, 334-844-6169; barbara.baker@auburn.edu

History Professor to Speak on Civil Rights and Johnson Administration

David CarterDavid Carter, associate professor of history, will appear in the Department of Special Collections and Archives in the Ralph Brown Draughon Library at 3 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 24, to discuss his recent book, "The Music Has Gone Out of the Movement: Civil Rights and the Johnson Administration, 1965-1968." The department is located on the ground floor of the library. Copies of Carter's book will be available for purchase and autograph. The event is open to the public and is sponsored by Auburn University Libraries, the Caroline Marshall Draughon Center for the Arts and Humanities in the College of Liberal Arts and the Auburn University Bookstore.

College of Liberal Arts Civic Engagement Efforts Highlighted at Statewide Conference

Lifetime of Learning LogoSeveral faculty and staff from the College of Liberal Arts will serve as session leaders for the upcoming statewide conference "Lifetime of Learning: A Conference on Service-Learning, Civic Responsibility & Higher Education" to be held at Birmingham-Southern College on September 25, 2009.

CLA Engaged Scholars Dr. Carole Zugazaga, associate professor of social work, and Barb Bondy, associate professor of art, will discuss CLA's Community and Civic Engagement Summer Academy, which provides training to faculty interested in incorporating the pedagogy of service-learning into new and existing courses. CLA's Dr. Mark Wilson and Ruthanna Payne from Educational Support Services at Auburn University will present on the incorporation of service-learning in AU freshmen Learning Communities. Kyes Stevens and Barb Bondy will present on the work of CLA's Alabama Prison Arts + Education Project, which provides unique educational opportunities for prison communities.

The conference, sponsored by the Alabama Poverty Project, Auburn University, and Birmingham-Southern College, will feature keynote addresses from nationally recognized leaders in university public engagement, including Dr. Peter Levine of the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement. For more information on the conference, go to this link (http://lifetimeoflearning.eventbrite.com/). For more information on CLA's Communty and Civic Enagement Initiative go to this link (www.auburn.edu/cce), or contact: Mark Wilson, mwilson@auburn.edu, 334-844-6198

 

 

Leadership Training Opportunity for Outstanding Women

The Women's Leadership Institute is currently seeking nominations of outstanding students who are currently enrolled in an institution of higher education for our May 24-28, 2010 intensive five day leadership training program.

Held on the campus of Auburn University, the Women's Leadership Institute five day program is designed to prepare the next generation of women leaders to participate effectively in the decision-making spheres and to contribute to the achievement of a truly representative democracy.

The deadline for nominated students to apply for the program is November 30, 2009. The website for nomination information and description of the program is www.auburn.edu/womensleadership. People should contact Dr. Barbara A. Baker, Director, at barbara.baker@auburn.edu.

The Women's Leadership Institute is an affiliate of the National netowkr of NEW Leadership Institutes, the Center for American Women and Politics of Rutgers University.

Philosophy at the Gnu's Room

The philosophy club (the philosophy department's students organization) is launching a new outreach program for the Auburn community at large. The program will consist of a series of monthly meetings about broad philosophical topics that are likely to be of interest to non-philosophers. All the meetings will take place on the second Wednesday of each month in the Gnu's Room Cafe (at the intersection of Sanford and Gay). Our first meeting will take place this coming Wednesday, September 9th, at 5 at the Gnu's Room Cafe.

The topic of the first meeting is "Philosophy, Art and Beauty." The meeting will start with a panel of philosophy faculty members and students. The participants on the panel are: Dr. James Shelley, Dr. Guy Rohrbaugh, Dr. Arata Hamawaki, Ben Pierce, Andy Bass and Rob Wallis. The meeting will continue and conclude with an open discussion of the panel participants and the audience. You are all welcome!

New Course: New Religions in America

HIST 3970 NEW RELIGIONS IN AMERICA

Dr. Adam Jortner, new faculty in the history department

This course will examine the development of religious communities and movements created or incorporated in the United States after the American Revolution. Why has the United States produced such a variety of novel religions? Why do some of these sects and "cults" succeed and some fail? How has the presence of small, innovative religious groups affected the history of the United States and the history of world religion? The course will particularly chart the history of Shakerism, Mormonism, Spiritualism, Pentecostalism, conjure, the New Age movement, and modern paganism, among others.

History Department to present Constitution Day Lecture

On Thursday, Sept. 17, Dr. Kelly M. Kennington, the Law & Society Postdoctoral Fellow at the Institute for Legal Studies, University of Wisconsin Law School, will be on Auburn's campus to give a lecture entitled, "We the People? Slavery and the U.S. Constitution." The lecture will be held in room 2222 of the new student center at 3:30 p.m. and will be followed by a reception.

This lecture is free and open to everyone.

In this talk, Dr. Kennington will examine the key constitutional articles relating to the institution of slavery and the interpretation of these elements by the Supreme Court during the seventy-five years from the birth of the United States to the American Civil War.

The lecture is sponsored by the Auburn University Provost Office, Department of History and the Caroline Marshall Draughon Center for the Arts and Humanities, both located in the College of Liberal Arts.

For more information, contact:
Charles A. Israel
Chair, Department of History
Auburn University
310 Thach Hall
334-844-6768
cisrael@auburn.edu

CLA Dean's Office Moving to Tichenor

The CLA Student Services Center (this includes all Advisor and Administrative offices) is moving to 321 Tichenor Hall. We hope to be open for advising in our new offices on Aug. 26. We will be closed on the afternoon of Aug. 21 and all day Aug. 24 and Aug. 25 in order to make the move. Please keep checking your email for updates--as with all moves, there may be some last minute changes to the schedule.

The Department of Communication and Journalism will also be moving back to Tichenor. Please look for more information from the Department.

Nominate a deserving Auburn Professor or Staff Member

The Auburn Alumni Association is seeking nominations from alumni and current students for faculty members who deserve recognition for excellent teaching. Nominations are also being accepted for potential recipients of the Minority Achievement Award, which honors faculty who have done the most to recruit minority students to the university and/or improve race relations in the university community. The Alumni Undergraduate Teaching Excellence Awards and the Alumni Minority Achievement Award each carry an honorarium of $1,000. Recipients will be recognized at a ceremony this fall.

A description and link to the nomination form follows:

Deadline for nominations is August 28th.

Research Bootcamp a Success!

SISTERS OF THE ACADEMY UNDERTAKES LITERACY PROJECT

Members collect and donate more than 150 books to help students in the Black Belt of Alabama

(Pictured above: Social Work Professor Dr. Denise Davis-Maye with best-selling author ReShonda Tate Billingsly at the SOTA program in Auburn)

Auburn, AL-Third grade students attending George Washington Carver Elementary School in Tuskegee, AL, will return to school in September with more than 150 new books. Members of the Sisters of the Academy (SOTA) collected and presented the books to school officials during their week-long Research BootCamp, Aug. 2-8 at Auburn University.

"We know that literacy dictates outcome," said Rema Reynolds , Chair of Outreach Committee, "Indeed, prison officials make projections using the reading scores of third and fourth graders. Our goal is to offset those projections and ensure academic success for these students."

The literacy project is one of activities during the Sisters of the Academy third Research BootCamp. The BootCamp, which is offered biennially, is an intensive weeklong experience that provides useful tools to support the development of graduate students' dissertation research and helps junior faculty further the preparation of manuscripts for submission to peer-reviewed journals. SOTA implemented the first BootCamp at Auburn University in 2005. The College of Liberal Arts offers financial support of this program.

"We know that literacy is the vehicle to educational attainment-an ideal to which we as academics are personally committed," explained Reynolds.

For more information on the Research BootCamp or the literacy project, contact Denise Davis-Maye at (334) 844-2822 or davisd4@auburn.edu .

Sisters of the Academy (SOTA) Institute was founded on March 7, 2001 by the authors of Sisters of the Academy: Emergent Black Women Scholars in Higher Education" (Stylus Publishing, 2001). Designed to address many of the issues raised in the book, the mission of SOTA is to facilitate the success of Black women in the academy by fostering research and scholarship collaboration. Numbering more than 100 Black women representing three countries, our members are Master's and Doctoral students, junior and senior faculty, administrators in higher education, and practicing professionals in the fields of business, medicine, law, and government.

 

 

 

 

For more information on the Research BootCamp or the literacy project, contact Denise Davis-Maye at (334) 844-2822 or davisd4@auburn.edu .

 

 

 

 

 

Sisters of the Academy (SOTA) Institute was founded on March 7, 2001 by the authors of Sisters of the Academy: Emergent Black Women Scholars in Higher Education" (Stylus Publishing, 2001). Designed to address many of the issues raised in the book, the mission of SOTA is to facilitate the success of Black women in the academy by fostering research and scholarship collaboration. Numbering more than 100 Black women representing three countries, our members are Master's and Doctoral students, junior and senior faculty, administrators in higher education, and practicing professionals in the fields of business, medicine, law, and government.

Two CLA Faculty Receive AU Outreach Scholarship Grants

Two faculty members from the College of Liberal Arts (CLA) recently received competitive Outreach Scholarship Grants from Auburn University's Office of the Vice President for Outreach.

Dr. Sandra Clark-Lewis, clinical professor of audiology in the Department of Communication Disorders, was awarded $14,749 from the University for her project, "Auburn Audiology Outreach in Guatemala," which will provide hearing and middle ear screening to impoverished children attending three inner city schools in Guatemala City. CLA provided an additional $3,800 in matching funds to support the project. Six audiology doctoral students will join Clark-Lewis for the August trip to Guatemala and fit up to forty children diagnosed with significant hearing loss with digital hearing aids. For more information and live updates from Guatemala, click here.

Dr. Elizabeth Brestan-Knight, CLA Engaged Scholar and associate professor of psychology, received a $15,149 grant for her project, "An Evaluation of Attachment Training for Mentoring Effectiveness." Shalonda Brooks, a psychology doctoral candidate, will serve as co-investigator. The project will apply the principles of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy to help Project Uplift mentors build a warm relationship with their mentees and increase the overall effectiveness of the local mentoring program.

For information on these and other community and civic engagement projects in the College of Liberal Arts, visit www.auburn.edu/cce.

For more information, contact: Mark Wilson, Ph.D. Community and Civic Engagement College of Liberal Arts 2046 Haley Center Auburn University, AL 36849 334-844-6198 Email: wilsom3@auburn.edu

"Intimate Apparel" First Play of the Sesaon

Lynn Nottage's Intimate Apparel won the 2004 New York Drama Critics Circle and the Outer Critics Circle Awards and will be the first production of the Auburn University's Department of Theatre's mainstage season. The production will be directed by Dr. Heather May, Assistant Professor of Theatre and director of last season's The America Play and this summer's Still Life with Iris. Dr. May welcomes actors from all areas of Auburn University's community and encourages you to audition for the production on August 18, 2009 between 6:30 and 11 p.m. in the Telfair Peet Theatre. Information about the play, cast of characters, auditions, and the production can be found on this page.

Set in New York City in 1905, Intimate Apparel examines the strains that human-created boundaries (class, racial, ethnic, and religious) place on love through the quest of the central character, Esther, to find love and fulfillment. As a 35-year-old African American seamstress known for sewing exquisite corsets, Esther moves fluidly between many different worlds: the boudoirs of both a wealthy white woman and an African American musician who relies on prostitution to pay the bills; the tenement storefront of a Jewish fabric merchant; and the boardinghouse for unmarried women in which she lives. She finds tenderness and anguish in unlikely places, marrying a Carribean man sight-unseen after exchanging a year's worth of correspondence -- revealed by the end of the play to have been a fraud on both sides. Esther loses her American dream of owning her own spa for black women when her husband absconds with all of her savings, but she gains confidence and pride in realizing her own beauty and power along the way.

Cast of characters:
Esther - 35-year-old African American seamstress
Mayme - African American musician and prostitute in her 30s
Mrs. Dickson - African American owner of boardinghouse for unmarried
women in her 50s
Mrs. Van Buren - Wealthy White woman in her 30s
George - Immigrant from Barbados in his 30s
Mr. Marks - Romanian Jewish fabric merchant in his 30s

Production Dates and Information:
Rehearsals begin on Thursday, August 20. Rehearsals will be held from 6:30-10:00 p.m. M-F and 2-6 p.m. on Sundays. Although there is some ability to schedule around other obligations, actors must be free
during the majority of these periods. Technical rehearsals begin on Thursday, September 17. ALL actors must be available for ALL technical rehearsals and performances from September 17-October 4.

Theatre Majors are required to audition with 1 non-realistic monologue and 1 dramatic contemporary monologue.

If you are not a Theatre Major then you can read from a selection of provided monologues. Everyone is encouraged to have a monologue prepared, but it is not mandatory.

Performances in the Auburn University Telfair Peet Theatre at the corner of Samford and Duncan:

  • 7:30 p.m. September 24-25, September 29-October 3
  • 2:30 p.m. September 27

Tickets available at the Telfair Peet Theatre and by calling (334) 844-4154. Tickets are free to students with a valid Auburn ID and are $15 for the general public.

Intimate Apparel contains adult situations and mature themes and is not suitable for children.

INFORMATION ABOUT THE FRONT-TO-BACKS: THE FRONT: "Threading The Needle" Preceding the Wednesday, September 30th production of Intimate Apparel there will be a panel discussion from 6-7pm entitled "Threading the Needle" in the Theatre Upstairs (TU) providing a snap shot of life in 1905 New York City. The panel is intended to contextualize the performance and provide audience members an opportunity to engage more specifically with the time period of the play and the many issues surrounding its characters. Participants will include:

  • Dr. Ruth Crocker, Professor of History
  • Dr. John Pittari, Professor of Architecture
  • Prof. Tracy Oleinick, Costume Designer and Professor of Theatre
  • Dr. Sunny Stalter, Assistant Professor of English

THE BACKS: "Sewing Things Up" The Department of Theatre will host two talkbacks - entitled "Sewing Things Up" - in the Telfair B. Peet Theatre immediately following both the Sunday Sept. 27th 2:30 performance and the Wednesday, September 30th 7:30 performance. These talkbacks will provide the audience the opportunity to ask questions and engage in discussion with various members of the production team including the directors, actors, and dramaturg. All are welcome.

Auburn University professor awarded Fulbright Scholar grant to study in Macedonia

George Mitrevski, an associate professor in Auburn University's Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures, has been awarded a Fulbright Scholar grant to study in Macedonia.

Mitrevski, who leaves in August, received a nine-month appointment and will be conducting research on an electronic collection of Macedonian texts at the Academy of Sciences and the Arts and at the Macedonian Language Institute in the Republic of Macedonia. He will also be working at the Pedagogical Faculty in the city of Bitola where he will teach English essay-writing and American literature.

At Auburn since 1983, Mitrevski teaches courses on Russian language and culture and an introductory World Literature course through the English department. He recently developed a set of distance learning courses for Russian. He obtained his doctorate and master's degree in Russian/Slavic from Ohio State University and received his bachelor's degree from Stony Brook University.

Originally from Macedonia, Mitrevski was born in the village of Podmochani in the Prespa region. "My family emigrated from there in 1966 when I was 15 and I've traveled there quite often," he said.

In 1997, Mitrevski was awarded a Fulbright scholar grant to study in Macedonia at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, and he was given a Fulbright-Hayes grant to conduct research in the country in 2002-03.

"It is always rewarding to work in Macedonia," he said.

For this trip, Mitrevski said he was also contacted by the rector, or president, of a new university that is being built in the city of Ohrid to help design some of their academic programs. "What is so unique about this new school is that the language of instruction will be English and at least half of the faculty will be from other countries," he said.

The Fulbright Scholar program is governed by the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board, a 12-member board appointed by the president of the United States that is responsible for establishing worldwide policies for the program and for the selection of Fulbright recipients.

The award is given by the Council for International Exchange of Scholars in cooperation with the United States Department of State and is provided through funds that are appropriated annually by the U.S. Congress, and in many cases, by contributions from partner countries and the private sector.

The mission of Fulbright recipients is to increase the mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of the more than 150 countries that currently participate in the Fulbright program.

Powell Releases CD of African-American Spirituals

Rosephanye PowellAfter more than 15 years of researching African-American spirituals, Auburn University music professor and professional singer Rosephanye Powell has released a CD titled "Motherless Child."

Powell, a professor in Auburn's College of Liberal Arts, said African-American spirituals, songs that enabled slaves to develop a sense of community, are considered by many anthropologists to be the first true American folksong. However, Powell's collection has been updated with a more contemporary sound. She has taken traditional spirituals and given them a mix of R&B, urban, gospel and jazz feel.

The project grew out of her concern that, because of its association with slavery, many African-Americans "do not embrace the spiritual or do not consider it relevant to the times in which they live; others are ashamed of it; and still others just see it as 'old music.'"

By updating the sound, Powell says she hopes to spark a renewed interest in the African-American spiritual in mainstream America so that this part of black history is not lost. She notes the success of Wynton Marsalis in reviving jazz music as part of her inspiration.

Powell says she hopes to reach out to young people, especially young African-Americans, with the contemporary sound of her spirituals.

"While they're enjoying the musical flavors, I want to be speaking to their minds," she said. "I want to encourage young people to look back to history for the strength to succeed and achieve in today's society. I believe that the African-American community can move forward as we appreciate our heritage and pass on to our children all of the wonderful accomplishments of our forefathers - including the strength and courage to overcome slavery."

"Motherless Child" takes the listener on a musical journey into American slavery - from Africa to America. The 10 tracks are a tapestry of music, narratives and drama that provide insight into the heartaches, pains, joys and hopes of the slave community. The title track, "Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child," depicts the feelings slaves had when their loved ones were sold away, something to which every slave could relate.

"This song was a shared expression of heartache that provided a sense of community for slaves," she said. "So, I felt that it was the perfect theme for the project."

Other well-known spirituals that Powell has transformed on her CD include "Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho," "Balm in Gilead," "Deep River" and "Soon-a-Will Be Done," among others.

The songs, which feature Powell's classically trained, yet soulful, soprano voice combined with passionate narratives and engaging harmonies, are meant to provide both entertainment and enlightenment.

"My goal was to produce a multi-faceted project that would serve as a tool for music educators, a means for outreach to diverse cultures, and, of course, artistic entertainment," she said.

"Motherless Child" CDs and mp3 downloads are available online at cdbaby.com, iTunes, Rhapsody and Amazon.com. For more information or to view music videos, visit www.inkhornmusic.com or www.rosephanyepowell.com.

Powell is an internationally acclaimed composer and arranger of choral music. She has over 100 published works, including some for the Hal Leonard Corporation, the nation's leading music publisher. As one of the country's premier women composers of choral music, her works are in great demand at schools, churches and choral festivals around the world.

(Contributed by Lisa Marshall.)

Contact: Rosephanye Powell, (334) 844-3163 (dunnprt@auburn.edu), or
Mike Clardy, (334) 844-9999 (clardch@auburn.edu)

Brown to Receive Distinguished Diversity Researcher Award

Mitchell Brown Mitchell Brown, assistant professor of political science in the College of Liberal Arts, has been selected by Auburn University to receive one of the 2009 Distinguished Diversity Researcher Awards. The awards are given by the Research Initiative for the Study of Diversity and the Office of the Vice President for Research at Auburn University. As a component of this award, Brown will give a lecture on her research during the Celebration of Diversity Research conference in late October. She will also be presented with a $2,000 check and a plaque during the conference. Brown's broad research agenda focuses on the empowerment efforts of marginalized communities. Currently she is working on a book about national level advocacy organizations that work on behalf of women, African Americans and the homeless, teasing out their successes and what contributes to those successes in the post-Civil Rights era.

Diversity Research Award given to Poli. Sci. Prof.

Dr. Mitchell Brown, Assistant Professor of Political Science in the College of Liberal Arts, has been selected by Auburn University to receive one of the 2009 Distinguished Diversity Researcher Awards.

The awards are given by the Research Initiative for the Study of Diversity and the Office of the Vice President for Research at Auburn University. As a component of this award, Dr. Brown will give a lecture on her research during the celebration of Diversity Research conference in late October. She will also be presented with a $2,000 check and a plaque during the conference.

Call for Papers: "Understanding Differences that Matter"

Call for Papers, Posters, Roundtables for AU's Research Initiative for the Study of Diversity's Conference "Understanding Differences that Matter"

CLA Announces its 2009 YouTube Contest Winners

The College of Liberal Arts at Auburn University is proud to announce the winners of the 2009 Community and Civic Engagement YouTube Contest.

This year's first place video, and winner of $500 in prize money, is "Auburn Social Work Students" submitted by Ashley Nunn, Amanda Taylor, and Beyondai Hall. "Reading is Fun," submitted by John Anderson, secured second place and a prize of $250, and "Ummm...," submitted by Amanda Morris, won the third place prize and $150. All three of the videos are available for viewing at: http://media.cla.auburn.edu/cla/youTube_contest.cfm.

Sponsored by Auburn University's College of Liberal Arts, the 2009 YouTube contest invited contestants to grab a video camera and document instances of Auburn students demonstrating their commitment to civic responsibility by transforming public education into public good. The videos were judged on creativity, originality, relevance to the contest theme, potential to provoke discussion regarding civic engagement at Auburn University, and the number of votes received from Auburn University students and staff.

Of all the entries, the judges thought that the three winning videos offered the most creative, compelling, and thought-provoking glimpses of how community and civic engagement is a prominent part of learning and living at Auburn University and beyond.

The judges said that they were looking for videos that would prompt the Auburn community to reflect on, talk about, and even take a critical perspective of civic responsibility as a key feature of what the College of Liberal Arts and its students do. The judges were pleased that the three winning videos clearly met those criteria.

Nunn, Taylor, and Hall's "Auburn Social Work Students" proved to be the best of the best. Featuring students and faculty in Auburn University's Social Work program describing the numerous contributions they make to local, national, and global communities, the video boldly underscores the need for civic engagement as a cornerstone of higher education.

dAUnce VII Performance

Included in this year's Dance Theatre concert is the work of Duane I Lee Holland, a company member of Rennie Harris Pure Movement, a respected hip hop dance company. Duane has set a piece for the students and is performing as well.

New Summer Foreign Film Classes

April 2009 Untitled Document

By Morgan Stashick

Do you love watching movies? Are you interested in learning about a foreign culture? Do you want to get college credit for watching foreign films?
A chance to do all of the above is being offered during this summer's first mini-mester. The Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures is offering two new courses: horror foreign films (FLSP 3970: Special Topics in Hispanic Film) and romantic foreign films (FLSP 3970, section 002.) Both classes will be taught by Spanish professor Jorge Munoz.

Munoz, an English major from the University of Seville, has a master's and a doctorate in contemporary Spanish film and novel from UNC Chapel Hill. He said he wanted to offer summer film courses simply for his love of films, and for his knowledge and appreciation of different cultures.

"I'm excited about the class because watching movies has always been a hobby of mine and mixing learning with a hobby is a great idea," said Rodrigo Quintanilla, a senior Spanish major.

Deidre Long, a junior majoring in political science and Spanish, said she wants to take the romantic film class because she is interested in seeing how love is portrayed in other countries.

"Spending some of last summer in Cuernavaca, Mexico has exposed me to the Hispanic culture that embraces the concept of 'love' in a way that not only attracted my attention but also in a way that may me envy it as well as the passion that comes with it," Long said.

"Now as far as the horror film class, I am taking it because it is something different. I would like to see how Hispanic countries display horror and if it is contrary to the way American films illustrate it."

Films scheduled for viewing in the romantic film class include those from Canada, Spain, Germany, Italy, France, China and Korea. The horror film class will view films from Spain, Norway, France/Romania, Sweden, Germany and the United Kingdom. Each class will discuss the difference between love or horror in American films versus how the themes are represented in different cultures after each film presentation.
Classes will be taught in English and are open to all students on campus. Liberal arts and film studies students are especially encouraged to enroll.

Please note that if you are a Spanish major enrolled in both of these classes, only one of them will count towards your major; the other will count for a general elective.
If interested in enrolling, contact Jorge Munoz at jjm0001@auburn.edu .

Liberal Arts Announces Faculty Research Award Recipients

The College of Liberal Arts has announced the 2009 Faculty Research Awards recipients. These individuals are being recognized in a ceremony on Friday, April 10, from 4-5 p.m. at the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art for their contributions to academic excellence through their research and creative work in the humanities, social sciences, fine arts and communications. The 2009 Competitive Professional Improvement Leave Award recipients are Brigitta Brunner, assistant professor in the Department of Communication and Journalism, and Chris Keirstead, assistant professor in the Department of English. This award provides an opportunity for professional growth by giving its recipients one semester paid leave at full salary. Recipients of the college's 2009 Competitive Summer Research and Humanities Grants are Morris Bian, Department of History, Denise Davis-Maye, Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Social Work, Hollie Lavenstein, Department of Communication and Journalism, Debra Worthington, Department of Communication and Journalism, and Hilary Wyss, Department of English. Each of these recipients will receive a $10,000 summer salary to support their research.

Events Planned for April '09 -- National Sexual Awareness Month

The Red Flag Campaign: April 13 & 14. 10 a.m. until 3:30 p.m., Cater Lawn
A display of 200 small red flags will be a physical reminder to watch for "red flags" in one's own or their friends' relationships. (Visit: www.TheRedFlagCampaign.org )

Theatre Production: April 14, 6:30 pm - 8 p.m., Foy Hall Ball Room
Dr. Heather May's Fundamentals of Directing Class will present 'Scenes not Screams' - an evening of short scenes to kick off the annual Clothes Line Project and Take Back the Night Events.
Free Admission & Free Pizza
(Attendance vouchers will be provided.

The Clothesline Project: April 15 & 16, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., Cater Lawn
The CLP is a clothesline display of several hundred T-Shirts painted by survivors and supporters.

Take Back the Night: April 16, 6 p.m. - 9 p.m., March in Town and Rally, Cater Lawn
TBTN will provide a venue for survivors, supporters and advocates to have a voice.
(Attendance vouchers will be provided)

Sponsored by:
Safe Harbor, College of Liberal Arts and the Women's Resource Center
For Information or to Volunteer, Call 844-4452

Rain-Out Locations for all Cater Lawn Events will be in the Student Center, 2nd Floor

Visiting Artist Talk: Mark Alice Durant

The Department of Communication and Journalism announces a Visiting Artist Talk by Jay Sanders Film Festival guest judge Mark Alice Durant, Professor in the Department of Visual Arts at UMBC. Mark Alice Durant will present a lecture in 005 Biggin Hall on Friday, April 3 at 1:00 p.m.

Mark Alice DurantMark Alice Durant, Professor in the Department of Visual Arts at UMBC. His photographs, installations and performances have been presented internationally including the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago and Artist's Space in New York. He has written extensively on the nexus of photography, performance and cultural phenomena with essays appearing in such journals as Art in America, Art on Paper, ArtUS and Art Journal.

Professor Durant is author of "McDermott and McGough: A History of Photography," "Robert Heinecken: A Material History" and co-author of "Vik Muniz: Seeing is Believing." In 2005, Durant co-curated and co-authored "Blur of the Otherworldly: Contemporary Art, Technology and the Paranormal" and in 2008 curated "Notes on Monumentality" at the Baltimore Museum of Art.

The Jay Sanders Film Festival hosts the Movie Gallery Student Film Competition each year and provides high school and college film makers from around the world the opportunity to have their work professionally judged and viewed by an audience.

Discussion of The America Play

For The America Play. Patience Essah, Rod Steward, and David Carter of AU's History Department are all participating in a pre-performance discussion of the play and certain historical themes it references at 6pm on Thursday evening, April 2. Rumor has it Dr. Essah and Dr. Steward are going to be brilliant.

It's a fascinating and powerful play, and for an enriched experience, hear four podcasts about it if you access AU iTunes U . Go to http://itunes.auburn.edu/ and if you have iTunes installed on your computer, you should be able to click on "open AU iTunes," then navigate to iTunes U / Auburn University / Liberal Arts / The America Play Podcast - Audio and hear four fascinating podcasts.

An Evening of Scenes

Dr. Heather May's Fundamentals of Directing Class in the College of Liberal Arts' Department of Theatre presents an evening of scenes on Tuesday, April 14 at 6:30 p.m. in the Foy Ballroom. This performance is part of Auburn University's week dedicated to heightening awareness about abuse. Auburn University students direct and perform the scenes, which deal creatively with issues of emotional, sexual, physical, and verbal abuse, attempting to give voice and power to those who have been silenced over the years. The performance is free and open to the public and will be followed over the next few days by the Clothesline Project and the Take Back The Night rally. For more information, contact Dr. Heather May (334-844-6614 or hemay@auburn.edu).

Auburn University Professor Wins National Competition/ Sheds Light on Health Reporting

April 2009

Some consumer news media do not accuratelyreport on the results of medical research, and significant differencesin accuracy exist between media outlets. These are the surprising results of a new study conducted by professors at Auburn University and the University of North Carolina/Charlotte, which will be presented at the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Health Academy Conference, May 13-15 in Washington, D.C. The theme of the conference is "Leveraging Social Media in Health Care Public Relations."

Dr. Brigitta Brunner, an associate professor in the Department of Communication and Journalism located in the College of Liberal Arts at Auburn University, co-authored the paper, "101 Ways to Improve Health Reporting," with Larissa Brunner Huber, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences, University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

The paper is the winner of the first annual PRSA Health Academy/Quinnipiac University Paper Competition. The competition is designed to encourage research that enhances the practice of health care public relations. Held in conjunction with Quinnipiac University, the competition invited professors, doctoral students and doctoral candidates to submit papers on a variety of topics including health care management, hospital public relations and pharmaceutical public relations.

"Although the news media are an important source of health information, there are concerns about the way the popular press disseminates this information," Dr. Brunner said. "For the media outlets we studied, this was certainly the case. The study demonstrates that there are huge opportunities for public relations professionals to help journalists better report on health and medicine."

"The PRSA Health Academy/Quinnipiac University Paper Competition is an effort to provide added value for our members," said Garland Stansell, MPPM, 2009 PRSA Health Academy chair and chief communications officer, Children's Health System, Birmingham, Ala. "We hope that this is the first of many efforts to bridge public relations practice and research."

"All too often, there is little interaction between public relations professionals and academics," said Kurt Wise, Ph.D., APR, chair, Public Relations Department, Quinnipiac University and Executive Committee member, PRSA Health Academy. "This competition is an effort to bring applied research to the attention of those who practice public relations on a daily basis. From our perspective at Quinnipiac, the Health Academy annual gathering is an ideal opportunity for public relations professors to share their insights with practitioners, and vice versa."

Dr. Brigitta Brunner has published in scholarly journals focusing on public relations such as the Journal of Public Relations Research and Public Relations Review. Dr. Larissa Brunner Huber has published in health journals including the Journal of Women's Health and the American Journal of Epidemiology.

Full results of the study will be released by Dr. Brunner at the conference. For more information, please go to: http://healthacademy.prsa.org/2009conference.html.

About Quinnipiac University
Quinnipiac University is a private, coeducational university with more than 5,000 undergraduate and 2,000 graduate students. Quinnipiac is located in Hamden, Connecticut, 90 minutes from New York City and two hours from Boston.

About the PRSA Health Academy
The Health Academy is the largest Professional Interest Section within PRSA. Through the convergence of health care and public relations, the Academy promotes excellence in communications and an educational dialogue across the entire health care industry for the professional enhancement of its members. For more information, visit www.healthacademy.prsa.org.

About the Public Relations Society of America
The Public Relations Society of America (www.prsa.org), headquartered in New York City, is the world's largest organization for public relations professionals with nearly 32,000 professional and student members. PRSA is organized into 109 Chapters and 10 Districts nationwide, and 20 Professional Interest Sections and Affinity Groups, which represent business and industry, counseling firms, independent practitioners, military, government, associations, hospitals, schools, professional services firms and nonprofit organizations. The Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) has 302 Chapters at colleges and universities throughout the United States, and one Chapter in Argentina.

Africana Studies Lecture on Land Restitution in South Africa

The Africana Studies Program in the College of Liberal Arts is pleased to announce that Bernadette Atuahene, a professor of International Law at Chicago-Kent College of Law, will present a lecture, "Getting Back What's Ours: Land Restitution in South Africa," on February 23, 2009 at 3:00 p.m. in 2223 New Student Center. For additional information, contact Dr. Patience Essah at essahpa@auburn.edu.

CLA Civic Engagement YouTube Contest Guidelines

Civic Engagement YouTube Contest

Any undergraduate or graduate student enrolled at Auburn University is eligible to submit a video. Only one video may be entered per person or group.

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$500 will be awarded to the creator(s) of the video selected as the first place winner. The creator(s) of the second and third place videos will receive $250 and $150, respectively. Prize money is sponsored by Auburn University's College of Liberal Arts.
The three winning videos will also be showcased on the CLA website.

To submit a video, upload your video on YouTube and then email its url to Christa Slaton, Associate Dean of the College of Liberal Arts at ccepc@auburn.edu. Emails must be sent from an Auburn University email account. Please type "CLA YouTube Contest" in the subject line of your email, and include in the body of the email the names of the person, persons, or group submitting the video. The College of Liberal Arts will make your video available for viewing on the contest website. You will receive confirmation email from the College of Liberal Arts indicating that your video entry has been received.

In the event that you are unfamiliar with how to upload a video to YouTube, directions are available at http://www.google.com/support/youtube/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=57931.

Videos need to be between one and five minutes in length.

The deadline for submitting videos is March 27, 2009. Videos received after the deadline cannot be considered.

Between April 1 and April 5, students are invited to vote for their favorite contest video by sending an email to Christa Slaton, Associate Dean of the College of Liberal Arts at ccepc@auburn.edu. Emails must be sent from an Auburn University email account. Please type "Vote CLA YouTube" in the subject line of your email and indicate the title of the favorite video in the email's body. Only one vote per person will be tallied.

Videos will be judged by members of the College of Liberal Art's Civic Engagement Planning Committee. Videos will be judged based on the five criteria outlined below:

  • Relevance to the contest theme
  • Extent to which the video provokes productive reflection, discussion, debate, and/or critique regarding civic responsibility as a feature of learning and living at Auburn University
  • Creativity
  • Originality
  • Number of student votes

Contest winners will be notified via email on April 10, 2009.

View the Video Entries

Professor to Speak on 'The Role of the Griot in Africana Literature'

Susana MorrisSusana Morris will present a lecture titled "Bearing Witness: The Role of the Griot in Africana Literature," on Thursday, Feb. 19, at 3 p.m. in the Special Collections and Archives Department of the Ralph Brown Draughon Library as part of the Discover Auburn series. Morris is an associate professor in English. She teaches contemporary African American literature, Women's Studies and world literature. A reception will follow the program. The Discover Auburn series is cosponsored by
the Caroline Marshall Draughon Center for the Arts and Humanities in the College of Liberal Arts and the Auburn University Libraries. For more information on the program and the series, contact the Caroline Marshall Draughon Center at 844-4946.

Eesha Pandit Leads Discussion and Workshop

Eesha Pandit, director of advocacy for MERGER WATCH, a New York based non-profit, will present two programs on Auburn's campus on Wednesday, February 11. Both are in room 2107 of the new Student Center at Auburn University. From 10:30 to 11:30 a.m., Pandit will lead a discussion, "NATIONAL HEALTH CARE REFORM: WILL WOMEN'S NEEDS BE FORGOTTEN?"

At 1:00 p.m., Pandit will lead a workshop geared towards COMMUNITY ORGANIZING STRATEGIES AND TRAINING. The focus will be on getting young people involved in health care reform. The workshop will be informal and
collaborative.

Lunch will be served at 11:45. Participants are encouraged to attend both events, but you can choose to attend only one event.

Both events are free and open to everyone. Students are especially invited to attend. Both events will be held in room 2107 of the new Student Center, Auburn University.

Town Hall Meeting for MLK Celebration

"From Dr. King to Mr. President: The African-American Journey from Civil Rights to the White House" was the topic of a Town Hall Meeting on Thursday, Jan. 15, in the AU Student Center

The discussion featured AU experts guiding a dialogue on the significance and symbolism of the election of President-elect Barack Obama in relation to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s vision for America. Dr. David C. Carter, associate professor of history at AU, moderated.

"We want to examine what Barack Obama's election as President means for African-Americans," said the Rev. Dr. Wells Warren, Episcopal Chaplain to Auburn University. "Dr. King gave his 'I Have a Dream' speech in the nation's capitol almost fifty years ago, and we want to talk about that dream of equality and opportunity for all Americans."

The event is part of the 10th annual celebration of the Life and Ministry of Dr. King sponsored by St. Dunstan's Episcopal Church in downtown Auburn. The Town Hall Meeting is being co-sponsored by the AU College of Liberal Arts Diversity Officers Team.

Please view the town hall meeting in two parts at http://media.cla.auburn.edu/cla/podcasts/index.cfm.

CMJN Professor's Film Accepted to International Film Festival

Hollie Lavenstein's film "Just Act Normal" has been accepted to the 31st annual Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival. The festival is Jan. 30 to Feb. 7 in Clermont-Ferrand, France.

The film is about a man's descent into disorientation.

The festival by the numbers:
More than 4,000: Number of films submitted
76: Total number of films accepted
4: U.S. Films accepted
1: Amazing filmmaker!!

Hollie Lavenstein, Assitant Professor in Communication and Journalism, makes short films in both the experimental and narrative traditions. Her films have screened and won awards at various festivals and venues including: The Chicago International Film Festival, Slamdance, The Seattle International Film Festival, AFI Fest, South By Southwest Film Festival, The Black Maria Film Festival, The Sundance Channel, and The Corcoran Museum of Art. Her current project, Directions to the Peace Pagoda, is a short narrative film based on poems by Pulitzer Prize winning poet James Tate.

Panel Discussion Looks at "Fanning the Flames of Passion and Propriety"

The College of Liberal Arts and the Department of Theatre will present the second Front-to-Back panel discussion of the 2008-09 season Thursday, Nov. 20, at 6 p.m. in connection with the Auburn University Theatre production of Oscar Wilde's "Lady Windermere's Fan." The panel discussion will feature scholars from a variety of disciplines and is titled "Fanning the Flames of Passion and Propriety" with Professor Ruth Crocker (History and Women's Studies), Professor Marc Silverstein (English), and Professor Daydrie Hague (Theatre) all contributing. Professor Heather May (Theatre) organized the panel and will moderate the discussion which examines Victorian attitudes about women's roles and sexuality and the ways Oscar Wilde portrayed those attitudes in his plays. The discussion will be presented in the Theatre Upstairs. Theatre patrons are encouraged to attend this discussion prior to enjoying the 7:30 p.m. performance of "Lady Windermere's Fan" in the Telfair Peet Theatre. For more information, contact May at 844-6614.

Election Watch Party a Success

The Department of Political Science held an election watch party in the Student Center ballroom, where students, faculty, and friends gathered together to track the progress of the election as the results rolled in throughout the night on November 4, 2008.

"Watching the election results at the student union was exciting not only because we were witnessing history, but because I feel like our vote and age group had actually made a difference in the outcome," said Liz Hollis, a second-year master's student in the English Department.

Andrew Lyons, a sophomore in horticulture, added, "I haven't felt more proud to be a citizen of this country in quite some time. And it was more than just Obama winning. To me, McCain's somewhat early concession shows how greatly he respected his opponent."

Gerry Gryski, head of the political science department, was pleased with the number of students who came out to watch the election results, play electoral college bingo, and enjoy the food, beverages, and camaraderie of the evening.
The department partnered with the International Student Association, Black Student Union, Latino Student Association, Asian American Student Association and Student Life to bring this event to campus.

Election Party
More Pictures

Election Watch Party

The Department of Political Science in the College of Liberal Arts is having an election watch party Tuesday, Nov. 4, with free refreshments in the Student Center ballroom from 7 p.m. until there's a concession speech. The department is partnering with the International Student Association, Black Student Union, Latino Student Association, Asian American Student Association and Student Life to bring this event to campus. Everyone is welcome. There will also be contests, prizes and surprises.

Panel Discussion on Stanley Fish's "Save the World On Your Own Time"

Save the World on Your Own TimePlease join us for a panel discussion of Stanley Fish's controversial new book, Save the World on Your Own Time.

In this provocative look at higher edcation, Fish argues that thre is but one proper role for the academe in society: to advance bodies of knowledge and equip students for doig the same. When teachers offer themselves as moralists, political activists, or agents of social change, rather than credentialed experts in a particular subject they abdicate their true pupose.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008, 3pm, Broun Hall 239

Link to Poster

Dr. Davis-Maye Selected for New Connections Program

Denise Davis-MayeDenise Davis-Maye, associate professor in the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Social Work in the College of Liberal Arts, has been selected to participate in the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation New Connections Research and Coaching Clinic. The New Connections program is designed to expand the diversity of perspectives that inform foundation programming and introduce new researchers and scholars to the foundation, while simultaneously helping to meet staff needs for data analysis that measures progress toward program objectives. The clinic will be held during the 2008 American Public Health Association conference in San Diego Oct. 25-26. Davis-Maye's program of research focuses on the psychosocial and physical health attributes and concerns of African-American females.

Art History Lecture: "Art from the Periphery: Africa, Brazil, and Afro-Brazilian Art"

The College of Liberal Arts Department of Art is pleased to announce an art history lecture, "Art from the Periphery: Africa, Brazil, and Afro-Brazilian Art," presented by Dr. Kimberly Cleveland, Assistant Professor of Art History at Georgia State University. The talk will be Wednesday 22 October 2008 at 4 p.m. in Biggin Hall room 005. The event is free, and everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend.

For more information please contact Dr. Joyce de Vries, Assistant Professor of Art History, 844-3484.

Understanding Differences that Matter: Diversity Research at Auburn University

This fall the Research Initiative for the Study of Diversity will hold its first conference, "Understanding Differences that Matter: Diversity Research at Auburn University," uniting national scholars and Auburn University faculty in generating and sharing research that is cutting-edge and diversity-focused. The conference will be October 29-30, 2008.

Featured Auburn University faculty will include the recipients of the first Distinguished Diversity Researcher awards: Toni Alexander, Department of Geology and Geography, "'Welcome to Old Times': Reinserting the Okie Past into California's San Joaquin Valley Present"; Conner Bailey, Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology; Michael Clay, School of Architecture, "Inclusive, Democratic, Urban Planning Through Broad Access to Sophisticated Forecasting and Policy Analysis Tools"; Juan Gilbert, Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering, "Redefining Affirmative Action in the 21st Century"; Robin Sabino, Department of English, "Language, Linguistics, and Hubristic Eurocentrism"; and Marilyn Strutchens, Department of Curriculum and Teaching, "Striving for Equitable Practices in Mathematics Education: Moving Beyond Gap Gazing."

For more information, visit the conference's web site at: https://fp.auburn.edu/researchdiversity/UnderstandingDifferencesThatMatter.aspx

Academic Positions in the College of Liberal Arts

The College of Liberal Arts is seeking applications for various positions in a number of its twelve departments. As an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer, Auburn University is encouraging women and minorities to apply. For more information on departmental searches, go to http://media.cla.auburn.edu/cla/faculty/administration/jobopportunities.cfm.

FLL Hispanic Film Series 2008

The Hispanic Film Series present titles (both from Spain and Latin America) that are usually hard to find in the US and that may generate an interesting discussion after their viewing. All genres are included in the series and most films are subtitled. Everybody is welcomed to attend these showings. The movies will be introduced by Dr. Pedro Cebollero and/or Dr. Jorge Muñoz. A brief Q&A session will follow each showing.

Flyer with schedule .pdf

Fall Chinese Film Series

The Chinese Film Series presents Chinese movies that may generate an interesting discussion after their viewing. All genres are included in the series and all films are subtitled. Everybody is welcome to attend these showings. The movies will be hosted by Professor Carolyn Fitzgerald. A brief Q&A session will follow each showing.

Flyer with schedule .pdf

High School Students Attend 6th Annual Journalism Workshop

Students attending the 2008 Workshop were selected in a competitive application process. The workshop, held June 9-13, was funded by the Alabama Press Association Foundation and the AU College of Liberal Arts with additional scholarship support from the Mobile Press-Register.

The workshop co-directors are Professor Nan Fairley and Dr. Jennifer Wood Adams.

The workshop newspaper reflects the diversity of activities and opinions that made the June 2008 Summer Journalism Workshop a valuable learning experience for the participants.

"I'm sure the lessons this special group of students take home will have a positive impact at their respective high schools," said Fairley, who founded the workshop in 2003. "The students got a real crash course in journalism basics."

The high school students were treated like professional journalists. Not only did they participate in a wide-range of journalism seminars, they had to write stories about their experiences for the workshop newspaper - on a tight deadline.

They wrote stories about environmental issues, community journalism, The Auburn Plainsman newspaper, photojournalism and multicultural issues.

The students participated in a mock news conference with the AU sports information staff and defensive tackle Sen'Derrick Marks. They did their research on Marks the day before the news conference and were ready to ask him their questions.

Their final assignment was to write a column about what topics they would like to see covered in their hometown newspaper, tackle an issue that is impacting high school students or offer their reflections on their journalism workshop experiences.

During the concluding awards ceremony on Friday, June 13, six of the top participants in the workshop received $1,000 scholarship offers funded by the Mobile Press- Register. "It was amazing to see the participants' confidence as journalists grow as the week progressed," Adams said. "Many of them left with a deeper understanding of the craft and an interest in pursuing journalism or communication at the collegiate level. That's what this workshop is all about."

For more information on future workshops, contact Fairley at the AU Department of Communication and Journalism, 217 Tichenor Hall, Auburn University, AL 36849, (334) 844-4593 or e-mail at: fairlln@auburn.edu.
Application forms for the 2009 workshop and additional information will be posted on the Department's Web site at: http://media.cla.auburn.edu/ cmjn/.

Camp Kemet's Summer Celebration

This year's joint Summer Celebration of Camp Kemet took place June 6, 2008, in the Foy Student Union.

Camp Kemet

Opportunities in Diversity Research

A workshop, Opportunities in Diversity Research, led by the committee for the Research Institute for the Study of Diversity, Monday, January 28, from 3-5:45 in McMillan Auditorium, Ross Hall. Please help us publicize this presentation and workshop. The topics to be covered are exploration of kinds of diversity research, taking advantage of funding opportunities, developing collaborative research, and identifying and writing for diversity publications. Dr. Juan Gilbert, who has published and received funding for diversity research will lead the event, and he will be assisted by other members of the committee.

For information about the Research Institute, please see our website, www.auburn.edu\researchdiversity

Diversity Student Ambassador Program

The Office of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs is currently seeking applications for the 2008-2009 Diversity Student Ambassador Program. We would love for you to forward this information to the students you serve. The information will be on our main website www.auburn.edu/diversity/dsa.html. The job description, qualifications, and application are all located there. The deadline for applications is Friday, March 28th.

Dr. Florence M. Holland
Special Assistant to the Associate Provost for Diversity and Multicultural Affairs
GK-12 Project Coordinator
103 M. White Smith Hall
Auburn, Alabama 36849-5168
(334) 844-4184


CLAC! AU (College of Liberal Arts Camp! AU)

The Auburn University College of Liberal Arts hosted a mini-camp July 20-22 for 24 area students ages 9-13 for an introduction to the humanities. AU faculty and College of Liberal Arts student counselors will interact with camp attendees as they experience art, theater, music, Photoshop and other enrichment activities in a college campus environment. This diverse group of students was selected through nominations by regional and local programs including Auburn CityKids, The Boys and Girls Club, the Auburn University International Student Body, Knowledge and Excellence in Mathematics, Equilibrium and Technology (KEMET) and the community at large.

  • CLA faculty from the humanities teach age appropriate Humanities courses
  • CLA students get hired as counselors
  • Students get orientated to campus life and University facilities
  • Students participate in additional enrichment activities (visiting the Jule Collins Smith Museum, Telfair Peet)

For more information, please call Chichi Lovett at 844-3375 or lovetgl@auburn.edu.

 

Department of Psychology Hosts Undergraduate Students from HBCU, April 4, 2008

Steve Shapiro talks to students from Oakwood UniversityOn April 4th, the Department of Psychology hosted 21 psychology undergraduate students and faculty from HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities). A group of students from Oakwood University in Huntsville, Alabama, accompanied by three of their professors, were invited to visit Auburn by Dr. Barry Burkhart, Chair of the Psychology department. Another group of students -mostly from South Carolina State University- were invited by the Graduate School as part of its campaign to recruit more students from HBCU.

Professor Chichi Lovett, Diversity Officer of the CLA welcomed the visitors and engaged them in a lively Dan Svyantek talks to students from Oakwood UniversityQ&A session about Auburn's commitment to increase minority enrollment at the graduate level. Faculty from each of the areas of specialization within the Psychology Department (Clinical, Experimental, Industrial/Organizational, and Applied Behavioral Analysis) introduced the visitors to the training and research possibilities that can be pursued in Auburn. During lunch the visitors had the opportunity to interact further with Auburn psychology students as well as faculty. Finally, the visiting students toured both animal and human research labs in the Thach and RFB buildings.

According to Dr. Alejandro Lazarte from the Psychology Diversity Committee, who organized the visit, this visit has provided an unusual opportunity to develop a productive contact between the Department of Psychology at Auburn and HBCU in our state and region.

Take Back the Night and Clothesline Project, April 2008

Take Back The NightCHANTS—LOUDLY!!!
1.) WE HAVE THE POWER/WE HAVE THE MIGHT/THE STREETS ARE OURS/TAKE BACK THE NIGHT
2.) OUT OF THE HOUSES/INTO THE STREETS/WE WON’T BE RAPED WE WON’T BE BEAT
3.) JOIN TOGETHER/FREE OUR LIVES/WE WILL NOT BE VICTIMIZED
4.) HEY-HEY, HO-HO/SEXUAL ASSAULT/HAS GOT TO GO
5.) 2-4-6-8/NO MORE VIOLENCE/NO MORE RAPE
6.) HOWEVER WE DRESS/WHEREVER WE GO/YES MEANS YES/ AND NO MEANS NO
7.) SAY IT ONCE/SAY IT AGAIN/NO EXCUSE FOR/ VIOLENT MEN
8.) WOMEN’S BODIES/WOMEN’S LIVES/WE WILL NOT BE/TERRORIZED
9.) MOTHER, DAUGHTER,/ SISTER, FRIEND/HELP MAKE THE NIGHT/SAFE AGAIN
10.) WOMEN UNITE/TAKE BACK THE NIGHT

clothesline project 2008

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Last updated April 29, 2008