Multicultural Student Programs and Services // Multicultural Student Programs and Services

Is our Language of Empowerment destroying Race Relations?

2012-04-30T12:00:00-04:00

Posted: April 28, 2012 by Mike in RACE

"There’s a word commonly used in racial dialogue nowadays that I think is actually detrimental to race relations: power. “Self-empowerment.” “I am a powerful Filipina.” “Society has taken power away from us, and we must fight to take it back.”

To be sure, the use of the word “power” recognizes and uncovers many underlying unfortunate realities that plague our society – injustice, apathy, suffering. And to a certain extent, it might even be beneficial for a person: Someone who has felt worthless may finally feel like she can control her life if she believes that she is powerful."

Read the rest of MIke's post at Convos of Color...

Playing with Fire: Race and Sport in American Culture

2012-02-17T10:00:00-05:00

Left to Right: Keith Embray, Dr. Richard Lapchick, Tobias Blake, Ms. Iris Outlaw, Dr. Earl Smith, Prof. Oliver Jenkins, Ms. Pam Oliver.

Wednesday, February 15, 2012.

Playing with Fire: Meet Dr. Richard Lapchick

2012-02-10T09:55:00-05:00

Meet Dr. Richard Lapchick, Director for The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports (TIDES), and Director of the DeVos Sport Business Management Program at the University of Central Florida, and the President and CEO of the National Consortium for Academics and Sports (NCAS).

Dr. Lapchick has written a very many articles and books on a variety of social justice and human rights issues in American sports and athletics. From the TIDES website:

“Human rights activist, pioneer for racial equality, internationally recognized expert on sports issues, scholar and author Richard E. Lapchick is often described as ‘the racial conscience of sport.’”

Dr. Lapchick joins our discussion this coming Wednesday, February 15^th at Legends at 7:30p.m. for the final part of our four-part exploration of race and sports in America, Playing with Fire: Race and Sport in American Culture.

Dr. Lapchick joins on stage Pam Oliver, popular analyst and reporter for FOX Sports, and Dr. Earl Smith, Professor of Sociology and Director of American Ethnic Studies at Wake Forest University.

For updates and more information, check out our blog, check us out on Facebook, and follow MSPS on Twitter.

Playing with Fire: Meet Pam Oliver

2012-02-09T14:00:00-05:00

Meet Pam Oliver, veteran and popular sportscaster and analyst for FOX Sports.

Pam Oliver joins our discussion this coming Wednesday, February 15^th at Legends at 7:30p.m. for the final part of our four-part exploration of race and sports in America, Playing with Fire: Race and Sport in American Culture.

Pam joins on stage Dr. Earl Smith, Professor of Sociology and Director of American Ethnic Studies at Wake Forest University, and Dr. Richard Lapchick, the director of The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports (TIDES).

For updates and more information, check out our blog, check us out on Facebook, and follow MSPS on Twitter.

Playing with Fire: Meet Professor Earl Smith

2012-02-09T10:00:00-05:00

Meet Dr. Earl Smith, Professor of Sociology and Director of American Ethnic Studies at Wake Forest University.

Professor Smith specializes in Urban Sociology, Criminology, Race & Ethnic Relations, and the Sociology of Sport, for which subject he has written the award-winning Race, Sport, and the American Dream.

Professor Smith joins our discussion this coming Wednesday, February 15^th at Legends at 7:30p.m. for the final part of our four-part exploration of race and sports in America, Playing with Fire: Race and Sport in American Culture.

Professor Smith joins on stage at Legends nightlcub Dr. Richard Lapchick, the director of The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports (TIDES); and Pam Oliver, popular analyst and reporter for FOX Sports.

For updates and more information, check out our blog, check us out on Facebook, and follow MSPS on Twitter.

SHOW ME THE MONEY!!

2012-02-08T11:00:00-05:00

Wednesday, February 1, 2012 officially marked the first day of black history month, which segmented perfectly into this week’s continuation of the “Playing with Fire: Race and Sport in American Culture.” This week, Dr. Richard Pierce, Professor of History at Notre Dame, sat down with Jay Alexander, head coach of the Eastern Michigan University Eagles baseball team; Bill Lewis, former football head coach at Wyoming, East Carolina, and Georgia Tech, and former assistant coach for Miami Dolphins and Notre Dame; and Alan Turner, three-time All-American at Indiana University and current Assistant Coach of Sprints and Hurdles at Notre Dame.

Last week, I gave the examples of these prejudices and discriminations where I discussed how Michael Jordan is the only black majority owner in the four major professional sports, disparities in coaching salaries by race, and lastly the gap in graduation rates by race. The coaches touched bases on each of these topics and highlighted many insights that explain the notion behind these subjects. But on the other hand, there was one topic that was discussed by Jay Alexander, which really caught my attention and pretty much explains the overarching decline of blacks in baseball.

According to Alexander, the real reasons behind the decline have more to do with money; particularly focusing on socioeconomic issues in the U.S.

Alexander also alluded that it takes a certain amount of economic resources for a baseball player to go to college and whites, on average, have higher incomes than blacks in the U.S. So for a black athlete that needs financial assistance to attend college, it makes more sense to try for a football or basketball scholarship. This is a big reason why college baseball teams have even a lower percentage of black players than does the major league.

Therefore, if you’re an African American kid and you need help to go to school, do the math!

Read the article in its entirety at CONVOS OF COLOR.com

Race and Sports, a Personal Commitment

2012-01-31T12:10:00-05:00

Last week we gave away free t-shirts (V-Necks!!) to the first 100 folks in the door at Playing with Fire: Race and Sport in American Culture. Notre Dame students who attend all four discussions will be entered into a drawing to win a free new Kindle Fire. The location of the four events is warm and comfortable: Legends nightclub, conveniently located just on the edge between the south side of Notre Dame’s campus and the city of South Bend. There is finger food and hot chocolate at each discussion; the events all begin in the evening after classes and practices are over; and each discussion lasts about an hour and a half. Following each program there are chances to meet the guests, which last week meant pictures with and autographs from the likes of Briann January, Doc Gooden, and Rocket Ismail.

Let it not be said that MSPS didn’t make every effort to create a fun, welcoming, safe environment to talk about how race and sports intersect in this country and about how we might be inspired to understand these intersects better in the future.

But here’s another reason why you should consider attending this program:

Because you are committed to the efforts of learning about and responding to racial inequity in American sports particularly and in American society generally.

Read the rest of this post at Convos of Color...

Why Race and Sports?

2012-01-24T09:00:00-05:00

In the words of Professor Tim Davis of Wake Forest University School of Law, one the country’s best known sports law scholars, “Although sport is one of the dominating cultural practices in the social life of the United States, it traditionally was viewed as a discrete social phenomenon largely untouched by the problems of American society. In challenging this traditional portrayal, scholars often characterize sport as a “microcosm of society.” As such, sport has revealed the dominant attitudes and practices regarding race relations in the United States throughout the country’s history.”

Twenty-five years after Martin Luther King Jr.’s life was first honored with a national holiday and nearly 50 years after the civil rights leader’s “I Have a Dream” speech, black and white sports fans alike view the sports world as far more racially progressive and unifying than the rest of society...

Read the rest of Armani's blog post on Convos of Color...

MSPS Study Abroad Experience -- Crystal Love in Brazil!

2012-01-23T13:00:00-05:00

Crystal Love

Salvador da Bahia, Brasil

The last six months have been the experience of a lifetime. I was blessed enough to be able to study abroad in Salvador da Bahia, Brasil. At times I loved it, other times I hated it, but above all I have learned so much from this experience. It didn’t come without challenges, but the challenges made the experience more meaningful. I learned a lot about myself as I tried to adjust to a culture and language entirely different from my own.

All in all, I think the best thing that I learned about this trip is what it is like to be a foreigner in a different country. I know what it feels like to be lonely even when surrounded by people. Not knowing how to speak the local language, not understanding local norms and being so far from my family are really tough things to deal with especially when it is for such a long time, and when there is no way out. I couldn’t call a timeout when I got frustrated and tired of speaking Portuguese or when I didn’t agree with a cultural difference. I was “baiana” for six months; I lived the reality of a Bahian, not a tourist and quite frankly, I wouldn’t change that experience.

I lived with a great host family for the six months that I was there and I really created a bond with them. I still keep in contact with my host family. However, it was a little hard at first to get used to not having the freedom that I have when I live here. Even more so, it was tough to try and find my place in some other family but they were really supportive of me and were committed to making sure that I had a really great time. I spent a lot of time with my host family and I was always invited to do things around town with them. They really wanted me to learn Portuguese and to experience a Brazilian lifestyle. I made a great network of lifelong friends through my family!

The city of Salvador was so different than anything I was used to; many natives describe it as “disorganized and dirty” (couldn’t be more true!) but there’s something so charming about Salvador. It’s a big city but it feels very cozy because you can walk everywhere and public transportation is the best. Salvador is very warm and inviting, you can find anything you need at a street vendor, it has great food and restaurants, there’s always something fun to do, and best of all: the people are probably the friendliest people I’ve ever met. Bahians are very open, very welcoming and they are always willing to chat with you and help any way they can. They are very laid-back, and endearing. I made so many great friends there that I will never forget. Case in point: I was lost and a native that I met on the bus not only walked me to where I needed to go, but invited me to her house to meet her family and have cake.

Not only was the city the complete opposite of what I am used to, but the Soteropolitano (Salvador) lifestyle in general. It was a complete culture shock. One of the things that shocked me the most is that young adults live with their parents indefinitely; usually until they get married. It is completely normal for someone to live with their parents at the age of 30 and above. The university experience was a huge culture shock too. Classes were really long, but they were only once a week and very laid-back. There was no such thing as being “late” to class, it was expected that people would arrive one hour into a four-hour class. It was also expected that people would leave early or just step outside the classroom to take a phone call. It was impossible to contact professors outside of class time and the grading system was very casual- to say the least. The grading system is pretty much just a pass/fail situation so my professors could not understand why I was so concerned with grades. I think the most interesting things about the classes were the mix of people and also the willingness to stray a little from the syllabus. None of my classes were solely one major, or one age group. The thing about the universities there is that there is no age division. In all of my classes there were students over the age of 30, even 50-somethings in “undergrad” classes. I think the mix of students brought different perspectives to discussions. Second, the professors were very willing to stray from the syllabus for the sake of a good open discussion. The syllabus was like a guideline to start the day and the classes could take their own direction each day. The universities there were absolutely nothing like Notre Dame, or any schooling that I’ve had. Studying here gave me a chance to experience a different style of learning and I can find the good and the bad in both my school’s style and in the Brazilian style.

A large part of my experience in Salvador was the poor neighborhood that I volunteered in (called a “favela”). Every week I looked forward to going there to play with the kids and help them with their homework. Although, I honestly think they did more for me than I did for them. I learned how to just live in each moment and enjoy life as it is. They were such happy kids, full of energy and I always felt so much better at the end of the day from just being around them. It was heartbreaking to leave them because I could see how much they appreciated someone who cared about them and gave them attention even if just for a few hours a day. This experience also made me realize how blessed I am simply because of the fact that I had the ability to leave the neighborhood: at the end of the day, I was taking the bus back up to the “rich” part of town. Often I felt guilty for even being there. I would think: “I can’t just drop in on their life when it is convenient for me and then leave to go back to my comfortable apartment. Its just not fair”. There I was, blessed enough to be studying in another country, learning another language, attending the city’s most prestigious universities and those kids don’t even have decent primary schooling. But, the kids didn’t see it that way; they let me in with open arms as if we were on a level playing field. I learned that I didn’t need to feel guilty because spending my time there was not about me trying to save them or patronize them, it was about spending time with friends who enjoyed my company and I genuinely enjoyed theirs.

Outside of school and volunteering, I had a lot of free time to explore Salvador and Brazilian culture. I went to a lot of cultural events including movies, plays concerts, and even carnaval “bloco” (band) rehearsals. Of course I ate plenty of Brazilian food. I traveled a lot; I went on several weekend trips to other cities in Bahia. For example, I went to a historic slave trade and tobacco port city called Cachoeira and I toured a cigar factory. I spent a weekend on a friend’s farm in the middle of an island right off the coast of Salvador. I also visited Rio de Janeiro and a fisherman’s village about 4 hours away from the city of Rio. There’s a reason why Rio is called the “cidade maravilhosa” (the marvelous city)- the natural beauty is breathtaking. My last trip while I was there was to São Paulo, very much a westernized city. Each place I visited was like it’s own world and none of them was like another.

All said and done, I’m glad I chose the Salvador site to study. I got to live a completely different life for six months and I learned more Portuguese than I ever thought I would. I think that living there has changed my perspective on a lot of things and I feel that I have grown up so much in those six months. It was definitely a life-changing experience. I would love to go back to Brasil in the future thanks to my Salvador experience!

Martin Luther King Jr. Series for the Study of Race to begin Jan. 25

2012-01-17T12:00:00-05:00

The University of Notre Dame’s 2012 Martin Luther King Jr. Series for the Study of Race will feature four consecutive Wednesday night discussions led by prominent athletes, coaches, university athletic directors and sports scholars.

All the conference discussions, collectively entitled “Playing with Fire: Race and Sport in American Culture,” will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Legends nightclub each Wednesday night from Jan. 25 through Feb. 15. The series is open to the public.

Now in its third year, the Martin Luther King Jr. Series is hosted by the University’s Multicultural Student Programs and Services to encourage conversation and scholarship about the historical, cultural and psychological impact of race in social life in America and at Notre Dame.

On Jan. 25, the discussion leaders will be Raghib “Rocket” Ismail, former Notre Dame All-American and professional football player; Dwight “Doc” Gooden, former major league pitcher; and Briann January, former Arizona State University and current WNBA Indiana Fever basketball player.

On Feb.1, the discussion leader will be Jay Alexander, head coach of the Eastern Michigan University Eagles baseball team.

On Feb. 8, the discussion leaders will be David Williams, vice chancellor for university affairs and athletics, at Vanderbilt University; Ingrid Wicker-McCree, director of athletics at North Carolina Central University; and Kathy Beauregard, director of athletics at Western Michigan University.

On Feb. 15, the discussion leaders will be Pam Oliver, Fox Sports reporter; Dr. Richard Lapchick, director of the National Consortium for Academics and Sports and of the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports; and Earl Smith, professor of sociology and director of the American Ethnic Studies Program at Wake Forest University.

Contact: Tobias Blake, 574-631-8503, tblake@nd.edu

Originally published by Michael O. Garvey at newsinfo.nd.edu on January 16, 2012.

The challenge and blessing of Latino Catholicism

2012-01-12T09:00:00-05:00

Statisticians quibble, but it is widely agreed that most Americans identify themselves as Christians, and it is inarguable that the Catholic Church is the largest of the Christian churches in the nation. More than half of the Catholics in the United States who are under the age of 25 are Latinos, and, due to birthrates and immigration, a majority of American Catholics will be Latinos by the year 2050. As Peter Steinfels, former religion writer for the New York Times summarized, “Latino Catholics will not just have a place at the table, they are likely to be the hosts at the table.”

Timothy Matovina, professor of theology and director of the Cushwa Center for the Study of American Catholicism at the University of Notre Dame, has for years had a scholarly interest in this swelling and, as yet, uncrested current of Catholic and American history. His new book, “Latino Catholicism: Transformation in America’s Largest Church,” published by Princeton University Press, closely considers the five-century-long history of Latino Catholics in America and how that history has affected them and their Church. “It’s an important story because Latino Catholics are changing the Church and the Church is changing them,” Matovina says.

Matovina’s study itself is changing, or at least challenging, the conventional narratives of American Catholic history, which tend to concentrate on the experiences of the European Catholic immigrants of the 19th century and the gradual assimilation of their descendants into middle class American life. The predominance of these “Euro-Americans,” not only in the history, but also in the contemporary leadership of the Catholic Church—its bishops, priests, ministers, educators, and active laity—can obscure the facts that large numbers of Spanish-speaking Catholics have lived within today’s national borders for twice as long as United States history, and that Catholic dioceses had been established and Marian shrines were attracting pilgrims here long before the landing of the Mayflower and the establishment of the colony at Plymouth Rock.

In addition to its assessment of the Latino Catholic past in America, Matovina’s book concerns Latinos’ contemporary efforts in living out and celebrating their faith, and the nationwide effects that these efforts have had in Catholic parishes and ministries as well as on social movements, politics and voting patterns. As an expanding and largely working class Latino population makes its presence increasingly palpable and its voice increasingly audible in the life of the Catholic Church in America, the familiar disagreements between “progressive” and “traditionalist” Catholics will be given a new context. According to Matovina, the concerns of Latino Catholics “reveal that in addition to the widely discussed split between the right and the left, another prominent divergence in U.S. Catholicism is one along class and cultural lines…From perspectives on the Catholic past, to current ecclesial life, to faith-formation for the Catholic adults of tomorrow, Hispanics’ viewpoints are more akin to those of European immigrants of yesteryear than to present day Euro-Americans.”

Matovina nevertheless notes that Latino Catholics are themselves affected by such current issues as the pressure of a secularized American culture, the rising popularity of Pentecostal and evangelical religion, the national controversies over immigration and the ongoing scandal of clergy sex abuse. He insists that these challenges merely underline the crucial responsibility of the Catholic Church to strengthen its Hispanic pastoral ministries, arguing that “ongoing support and development of such ministries is indispensable for the future of U.S. Catholicism.”

Rev. Joseph Corpora, C.S.C., who directs Notre Dame’s Catholic School Advantage campaign, an effort to increase the percentage of Latino children enrolled in Catholic schools, has jokingly suggested that Latino Catholics, “might even be God’s last-ditch effort to keep the American Catholic Church truly catholic, sacramental and diverse.”

Matovina would likely agree. “Latinos have much to offer U.S. Catholicism,” he writes. “Their youthfulness is a source of revitalization for Catholic faith communities. Their leadership has extended Catholic involvement in faith-based community organizing and activist efforts that expand grassroots participation in civil society. Their ritual and devotional traditions incite embodied prayer and faith.”

Matovina’s account emphasizes that the rise of Latino Catholics confronts the Catholic Church in America with a profound and tumultuous challenge, but it also illuminates that challenge and reveals it as a blessing.

Contact: Timothy M. Matovina, 574-631-3841, Matovina.1@nd.edu

Originally published by Michael O. Garvey at newsinfo.nd.edu on January 11, 2012.

Visiting Professor Offers Critical Look at Native American Studies

2012-01-11T17:00:00-05:00

Students in Notre Dame’s Department of American Studies recently got an inside perspective on the complexities of creating and maintaining Native American museum collections in a course called Collecting Indians.

The fall 2011 class was taught by Scott Stevens, a member of the Akwesasne Mohawk Tribe and the director of the D’Arcy McNickle Center for American Indian and Indigenous Studies at the Newberry Library in Chicago. Founded in 1972, the McNickle Center works to improve the quality of research about Native American culture, as well as provide a forum for historians, professors, and scholars in the field.

“We are delighted to have Scott Stevens teaching this unique class,” says Professor Erika Doss, chair of the Department of American Studies. “Museums, archives, and the history and management of cultural heritage collections is a large area of interest among many of our students.”

Stevens, a visiting adjunct professor, says he wanted to offer students a set of tools for analyzing how Native Americans are represented in museum collections.

“In order to do that, we need to be aware of the history of museums and their intended purposes,” he says. “Once we learn to discern the key differences between different types of museums, we can better assess their respective engagement with indigenous cultures.”

Understanding the philosophy behind museum curatorship, Stevens says, is key to an American Studies education.

“The past is always contested territory,” he says. “We hear it invoked in everything from politics to marketing. Museums are often showcases of competing notions of the past. For that reason, we should all learn to engage museums critically—we need to ask who founded these institutions and for what purpose, but also should be aware of what we want from such institutions.

“American Studies seems to me the best place for such investigations because of its genuinely interdisciplinary nature,” he says.

Students have responded to Stevens’ course with great enthusiasm, Doss says. “Indeed, several of our American Studies majors are planning to pursue post-graduate studies in museum studies—and we are hoping to be able to offer the course again.”

Learn More >

Originally published by Chris Milazzo at al.nd.edu on December 13, 2011.

Notre Dame hosts Mexican political leaders to discuss nation's future

2012-01-06T15:00:00-05:00

The University of Notre Dame will host an event Jan. 12 (Thursday) in Chicago that will bring together the presidents of Mexico’s seven major political parties to share their visions for that country’s future in dialogue with leading experts from area universities. Topics on the agenda will include the economy, security, education and democracy.

Sponsored by Mexico’s Federal Electoral Institute (IFE)—the autonomous public organization that runs Mexico’s federal elections—participants will speak on the challenges that face Mexico on the eve of the 2012 elections. The first-ever event of its kind will take place at the University’s satellite campus in Chicago (Santa Fe Building, Notre Dame Executive MBA Offices, 224 South Michigan Ave., Chicago).

The event, titled “Constructing Mexican Democracy,” was organized by Notre Dame’s Kellogg Institute for International Studies and Institute for Latino Studies (ILS). Known for its expertise on democratization in Latin America, the Kellogg Institute has a long-standing interest in the evolution of Mexican democracy. The ILS specializes in immigration issues.

“Discussions of this type lead to the transparency that is so essential to democracy,” says Kellogg Institute director and political scientist Scott Mainwaring.

IFE council member Benito Nacif Hernández, who chairs the effort to engage Mexican citizens living abroad and is a former Kellogg visiting fellow, agrees.

“The fact that representatives of political parties will take part in this forum is evidence of an underlying shift in Mexican politics, whereby important actors no longer shy away from international scrutiny and exposure,” he says.

“This is only the second election in which Mexicans living abroad have been able to cast absentee votes. IFE is sponsoring this event in part to promote participation in elections in Mexico and abroad,” points out Kellogg Institute Faculty Fellow Allert Brown-Gort, one of the event’s organizers. The associate director of the Institute for Latino Studies, Brown-Gort studies the political views of fellow Mexican nationals living in the United States.

“This is an unmatched opportunity for those of us who are interested in modern Mexico to capture the full range of political opinion,” says Notre Dame historian Jaime Pensado, who co-chairs the Kellogg Mexico Working Group. The group took the lead in bringing the IFE to Chicago.

The Kellogg Institute plays a vital role in Notre Dame’s efforts to increase its international profile through research, collaborative projects and strategic relationships with global partners. The ILS, which maintains a Center for Metropolitan Chicago Initiatives, recently released “The State of Latino Chicago 2010,” based on the latest census data.

Collaborating on the event are the Katz Center for Mexican Studies at the University of Chicago, the Center for Latino Research at DePaul University, the Latino/a Studies Program at Northwestern University, the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, and the Consulate General of Mexico in Chicago.

Click here for event schedule.

Contact: Allert Brown-Gort, 574-631-3787, abrowngo@nd.edu

Originally published by Esther Terry at newsinfo.nd.edu on January 06, 2012.

CLAP Week of Action

2011-11-15T14:00:00-05:00

Campus Labor Action Project (CLAP), in collaboration with MEChA de ND, Progressive Student Alliance, and Peace Fellowship, will be holding numerous events this week to mark a Week of Action in solidarity with HEI hotel workers across the country who are fighting for union representation in hotels funded by the University of Notre Dame. We believe we have an obligation as Catholics and students of this University to be aware of these issues and play our part in ensuring that Notre Dame is the face for the fight against injustice during these hard economic times.

****CLAP WEEK OF ACTION****

Monday: Showing of "Newsies", starring Robert Duvall and Christian Bale. A Disney movie/musical about the Newsboys strike of 1899.
- Geddes Hall B034 7:30pm

Tuesday: Student Discussion - Activism at ND: Challenges and Solutions
-Geddes B036 5:30pm

Wednesday: HEI Teach-In Geddes B034 4:30pm
Prayer Service in honor of HEI workers Grotto 8pm

Thursday: Student Delegation to the Office of the President, regarding ND's investment in HEI 3pm

****JOIN US IN SOLIDARITY WITH WORKERS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY!****

Letter from the Director

2011-11-03T15:00:00-04:00

After a restful Fall Break, the second half of the semester began with a series of events to provide a holistic development opportunities. Kudos to MSPS Intern Chris Klein for introducing the Breaking Through Barriers participants and other ND students to Speed Networking in La Fortune. Attendees had the opportunity to speak intimately with representatives from Gonzaga and Notre Dame Law Schools, Google, Inc. GE Energy Services and The Women’s Only Clinic at Elkhart General Hospital. Faculty and staff from ACE, Career Center, CUSE, FTT, and MBA provided tips on how to take advantage of their programs. The graduate students present conversed on the application process and navigating graduate programs. MSPS would like to give a big thank you to the representatives who came and offered guidance and inspirations to the students!

November offers a variety of lectures and cultural events to enhance your intellect and cultural immersive experiences. The Asian American Association is hosting Asian Allure 2011 Timeless Friday, November 4 and Saturday, November 5. The history of Asian Pacific Islanders will be depicted and a collection for their time capsule will occur. Tickets are available at the La Fortune Box Office and Washington Hall the day of the show. The celebration of Native American Heritage Month includes lectures by film director, Sterlin Harjo, and Sam McCracken, general manager for Nike 7 November 15 and 16, respectively. The Black Cultural Arts Council is sponsoring their annual variety show, Black Images on November 19 at 9:00 p.m. in Washington Hall. 2011 Black Images: One Night Only! will highlight the talents of ND and St. Mary’s students from vocal styling to African traditional dances. As many students state their desire to study abroad during their tenure at Notre Dame, I strongly encourage you to begin your exposure to other cultures by attending the aforementioned activities.

The MSPS, Target and Procter & Gamble Study Abroad and Research Scholarship Applications were sent electronically during Fall Break. The applications are due Friday, November 18, 2011. The application packets must be complete for consideration. Letters of recommendation may be submitted electronically to msps@nd.edu with the respective Notre Dame Study Abroad program and your name in the subject line. Good luck.

As the holiday season rapidly approaches, begin to reflect on the blessings that you have received and how we can share them with those less fortunate. Express thankfulness for the small things and the opportunity to pursue your dreams. Be supportive of your peers and remember the World is larger than you or I.

Be Blessed,

Iris L. Outlaw `90 MSA

Summer Service Opportunity!

2011-10-27T15:00:00-04:00

Be the change you want to see in the world

Apply Today: International Summer Service Learning Program (ISSLP) 2012

Application and additional information http://www.nd.edu/~socconcn/academic/summer/ISSLP.shtml

Application deadline: Midnight, October 30

The ISSLP of the Center for Social Concerns is an eight-week service-learning immersion that takes place during the summer with academic course work in the spring and fall semesters. The program provides airfare; room and board; $1,000.00 travel award; 4.0 credits in Theology, Catholic Social Tradition, or Poverty Studies; preparation and re-entry classes; and service-learning placements with faith-based or non-governmental organizations throughout 19 developing countries around the world. The two courses that comprise the ISSLP include THEO/CSC 33970: Int'l Issues Seminar (1.0 credit/spring) and THEO 33938: Confronting Social Issues: Summer Service Learning: International (3.0 credits/summer & fall).

You are welcome to visit the McNeill Library (Geddes Hall) for more information on ISSLP site placements. ISSLP site binders are located next to fireplace.

Please direct inquiries to ISSLP Assistant, Suzanne Wilson, at swilson7@nd.edu or 1-9403.

New multicultural scholarship for women strives to increase diversity in medicine

2011-10-26T19:00:00-04:00

Deadline to apply for the Go Red™ Multicultural Scholarship Fund is November 30, 2011.

According to MinorityNurse, only 1.7 percent of nurses are Latino/Latina. That percentage translates into a whopping 48,009 Latina/Latino nurses.

Another dismal statistic, as reported by the Association of American Medical Colleges, is that only 7.5 percent of Hispanics made up the total number of medical school graduates last year.

Too often, the quest for a nursing or medical degree, as any other degree, by a Latino/Latina student is derailed by the cost of tuition and books. Understanding that it is imperative that more Latinas and Latinos become nurses and doctors to help treat the swelling Latino population, a new multicultural scholarship to promote diversity and cultural competence in medicine has been launched by Macy's department store and the American Heart Association.

The Go Red™ Multicultural Scholarship Fund will award 16 women $2,500 each, to help with school.

The criteria for the scholarship are:

Female of Hispanic, African-American, Asian/Pacific Islander or American Indian/Alaskan Native heritage.
U.S. citizen/permanent resident of the U.S.
Attending an accredited college or university in the U.S. and currently in her freshman or sophomore year
Pursuing a career in healthcare (nursing, biology, etc.)
Minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA

"Health care is always in need of talented people. If we can get more deserving, diverse females into the medical pipeline through the Go Red Multicultural Scholarship Fund, then it helps our industry and it helps society," said Karol Watson, M.D., associate professor of cardiology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Vice President of the Association of Black Cardiologists and American Heart Association spokesperson.

The American Heart Association is in a unique position to be a leader in helping to eradicate cardiovascular disease and health disparities by providing scholarships to increase the number of underrepresented minorities in medicine," said Icilma Fergus, M.D., director of the Cardiovascular Disparities Center at Mount Sinai Hospital and chair of community programming for the Association of Black Cardiologists. "Moreover, the scholarship offers a window of opportunity to those who believe medical or nursing school is unattainable."

Deadline to apply for the Go Red™ Multicultural Scholarship Fund is November 30, 2011.

Scholarship Opportunity for African-American Males

2011-10-26T19:00:00-04:00

The Institute for Responsible Citizenship is now accepting applications for 2012.

The Institute is a two-summer leadership program for high-achieving black male college sophomores. Students receive high-level internships, participate in rigorous academic seminars, and meet influential leaders.

Admitted students join a network of talented leaders. Please share the news with anyone interested in applying.

Questions? Contact John Saunders at (202) 659-2831 or jsaunders@i4rc.org

Please visit our website for more info: www.i4rc.org.

"Race Management in U.S. History"

2011-09-20T11:00:00-04:00

David Roediger, renowned historian of race and labor in the United States, will visit Notre Dame next week to deliver an exciting public lecture. Roediger, who teaches History and African American Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, is the author of many books, including The Wages of Whiteness, How Race Survived U.S. History, and Colored White. Here are the specifics of his talk:

Thursday, September 29, 2011
Professor David Roediger—University of Illinois
“Race Management: Production and the Production of Difference in U.S. History”
Annenberg Auditorium, Snite Museum of Art
Light Refreshments at 4:30, Talk at 5pm

http://www.davidroediger.org/

This is the second in a four-part series dedicated to RACE: Critical Reflections on Culture, Power, and Change. This series is co-sponsored by the Henkels Lecture funds from the Institute for Scholarship in the Liberal Arts, Multicultural Student Programs and Services, the Institute for Latino Studies, and the Department of American Studies. For more information please contact series organizer Jason Ruiz at jason.ruiz@nd.edu.

Interrace Forum: 9/11 Reflections

2011-09-11T09:00:00-04:00

9/11 is a subject that immediately fills one with feelings pain, confusion, shock, anger, and emotion. It has been 10 years since the attacks and at this month's interrace forum we reflected on how those years have affected and touched us, our family, muslim americans, and our nation. We opened up with a student reflection on how life changed dramatically during middle school and high school after the attacks and how these experiences he witnessed and lived have mirrored the plights of many ethnic groups throughout our nation's history. He concluded that the current hostile climate toward muslims even ten years after the fact will eventually pass with time.

For the rest of the discussion, each member in attendance reflected on and shared their own personal 9/11 story. Notre Dame is special in that everyone is from different places. Hearing the stories of shared experience from different perspectives, locations, ages, and viewpoints was extremely powerful and moving. Out of a random collection of people it was amazing to hear how people reacted to the news and how many actually had connections to victims of the tragedy. This September 11th, please share your 9/11 story with those around you. Your story is not insignificant and has the power to help others cope with the aftermath of the attacks and remember the victims.

Mark Easley is a senior majoring in computer science. He is a member of the Interrace Forum committee.