The Office of the Provost set aside funding for spring, summer and Fall 2016 to support activities that help Fredonia fulfill its mission to engage students, the community, and one another in respectful, peaceful, and informed discussion on the urgent matters of the time.
In the description of the series, it was noted that, Fredonia, as a public university, should act as a “public square” for open, informed discussion and debate on timely issues.
Events planned as part of the series include:
Take Back the VOTE: A Community Conversation
An event sponsored by Dunkirk Public Library, students in Fredonia’s ENGL 340: Black Women Writers course, and the Office of the Provost, on Monday, Oct. 24 at 7 p.m. at the Dunkirk Public Library, 236 Central Ave. Students from the class will share how black women throughout American history have contributed to ideas of freedom and democracy through their innovative writing and activism. Refreshments will be served, and copies of prize-winning poet Claudia Rankine’s collection “Citizen” will be given away. The event organizers are Dr. Jeanette McVicker of the Department of English and Master of Arts in English degree candidate Margaret Drzewiecki.
Panel Discussion: Equal Access to Justice and Education for Undocumented Youth and DACA recipients
Hundreds of thousands of young people across the U.S. are not given equal access to education because of immigration status. A panel slated for Tuesday, Oct. 25 at 3 p.m., in Williams Center Room S204 features presenters including Antonio Alarcón, a student at Queens College and youth organizer and activist for the Make The Road organization; Florence Weinberg, an immigration lawyer from San Diego, Calif.; and Yatziri Tovar Campos, a student adviser at Queens College. The panel will address a variety of topics, ranging from a general overview of the immigration issues that are currently in the national mainstream discussion, to the specific educational challenges and struggles for higher education faced by undocumented youth and Deferred Action for Children Arrivals (DACA) status recipients. The panelists hope to address the issues as well as open up the talk for questions and comments. The event organizers include Associate Dean Carmen S. Rivera and Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Director Bill Boerner.
“Who Run the World?” Black Women's Perspectives on Participatory Democracy
A presentation/conversation is slated for Wednesday, Oct. 26, at 3 p.m., in Fenton Hall Room 127. Students in Fredonia’s ENGL 340: Black Women Writers course have invited Cassadaga Job Corps Academy students to join them for the event. Refreshments will be served, and copies of prize-winning poet Claudia Rankine’s collection “Citizen” will be provided to participants. The event organizers are Dr. McVicker and Ms. Drzewiecki.
