Category: Social justice

Applications Open for the 2023 FACE Program Summer Fellowship @RU

The Mansfield Institute’s Fellowship for Activism and Community Engagement (FACE) program will support 15 undergraduate Fellows over Summer 2023. This cohort-based summer fellowship includes funding for a 3-credit Social Justice in Action internship-based course in May 2022. In addition to tuition for this course, Fellows will receive a stipend of $2,500.

Following their course work in late May, Fellows will work in a social justice–focused community-based organization in or around Chicago for 9 weeks (11 hours/week) over the summer starting in early June. Fellows will have an opportunity to meet and work with past Fellows, attend University events together, and potentially present work at conferences. Applicants should have sophomore or junior standing with an interest in social justice and at least a 2.0 GPA (see below). Students receive a $2,500 stipend and 3 credits tuition-free for this experiential social justice-focused, cohort-based Fellowship.

Apply for the Fellowship by March 13, 2023

Eligibility

  • Open to all Roosevelt University students in any college or major
  • Students must have between 45 and 72 credit hours completed on March 13, 2023 (sophomore or junior standing)
  • GPA of at least a 2.0
  • Have an interest in Social Justice

What Fellows Can Expect To Do

  • Work with program faculty to select and secure a paid summer internship
  • Participate in a 3-full day seminar at the end of May 2023
  • Work in a community-based organization (100 hours over the summer)
  • Develop networks and build friendships
  • Earn $2500 and 3 credits toward graduation

Application Info

Apply here for the Mansfield Fellowship for Activism and Community Engagement (deadline is March 13th, 2023)

Progress Report on RU’s Fall 2022 Sustainability Planning: Student Presentation at the Loundy Human Rights Symposium

Three students from SUST 350 Service & Sustainability — Kiera Carpenter, Sophia Gallo, and Kayla Nelson — presented a Progress Report on our 2022 Sustainability Strategic Planning efforts this fall at the Joseph Loundy Human Rights Project Symposium & Luncheon on Wed 11/30/22 at the Chicago Campus. View their slideshow here: SUST 350 Loundy Symposium Slide Presentation 2022-11-30 (pdf)

Thank you, Mr. Loundy, for your longtime support of the College of Arts & Sciences, and for making this special symposium possible!

The Joseph Loundy 2022 Human Rights Symposium @RU: History, Health, & Sustainability (this Wed 11/30)

When we look to history, there is much to be learned about human rights. We may find that local and global movements were born from particular events — often traumatic, and with great political, health and environmental impacts. Can the past inspire change for the future through activism and advocacy?

Please join the Roosevelt University community for the Joseph Loundy Human Rights Project’s 2022 Symposium and Luncheon on Wed 11/30 from 11am to 1pm in WB 418 at RU’s Chicago Campus. Distinguished guest panelists will explore the intersection of history, health policy and environmental sustainability, and how each individually and collectively can promote human rights and social justice.

Students will also present work from three related courses in RU’s College of Arts & Sciences: Public Health Issues and Ideas, taught by professor La Vonne Downey; Service and Sustainability, led by professor Mike Bryson; and Transatlantic Perspectives: Representing History and Trauma, co-taught by professors Margaret Rung (RU) and Arnoud-Jan Bijsterveld (Tilburg University, the Netherlands).

Featured Distinguished Panelists:

  • Mike Beard, global health director for the Better World Campaign
  • Diana Sierra Becerra, assistant professor of history at University of Massachusetts Amhurst
  • Gina Ramirez, Midwest outreach leader for the Natural Resources Defense Council, board president of the Southeast Environmental Task Force, and RU alum (MA Sociology ’14)

SUST 350 Service & Sustainability Student Team: “2022 Strategic Sustainability Planning @RooseveltU”

  • Kiera Carpenter, SUST junior
  • Sophia Gallo, SOC senior
  • Kayla Nelson, PSYC senior

This event is free! RSVP here for the symposium and lunch: https://alumni-giving.roosevelt.edu/loundy-project-2022-symposium

Can’t attend in person? Join in the conversation on the livestream via Zoom!

ESC Meets Tonight 11/16 at 7pm on Zoom

The Environmental Sustainability Committee @RooseveltU has its next virtual meeting of the 2022-23 academic year tonight 11/16/22 from 7-8:30pm CST (Zoom info below). Everyone in the RU community — students, alumni, faculty, staff, admin, and trustees — is invited and encouraged to attend!

This important meeting will focus on (1) reviewing feedback from our two rounds of campus planning workshops as well as the ongoing surveys of current students and employees/alumni. In addition, we will start the process of (2) developing consensus on goals for the next five years and (3) prioritizing concrete initiatives that will achieve said goals. Please note: if you cannot make the meeting, you can still provide input via the above survey links as well as review the slides and notes from the meeting after they are posted.

The ESC is an open committee est. in 2010 that welcomes participation and encourages collaboration across colleges and departments from all members of the RU community: students, faculty, staff, administration, alumni, trustees, and friends. Our key task this fall is updating our 2015-20 Strategic Sustainability Plan with assistance by students from Prof. Mike Bryson’s SUST 350 Service & Sustainability class.

Please see the Fall 2022 Campus Sustainability Planning webpage for notes, slides, and other updates and resources related to this effort. Your input, ideas, and perspectives are needed and valued! Also note that Roosevelt’s membership in the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) provides anyone with an active RU email address full access to AASHE’s many useful online resources. Take advantage and avail yourself!

Questions? Email the ESC chair Mike Bryson (mbryson@roosevelt.edu), professor & director of Sustainability Studies, chair of the Dept of Sociology & Sustainability, College of Arts & Sciences.

Zoom Info:

Topic: ESC Meeting 2022-11-16
Time: Nov 16, 2022 07:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://roosevelt.zoom.us/j/92494972769

Meeting ID: 924 9497 2769

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Find your local number: https://roosevelt.zoom.us/u/aiUwMI3YZ

Sustainability Planning Workshop Sessions Today 11/1 & Wed 11/2: Goals & Initiatives for RU

Planning Workshop 2: Sustainability Goals & Initiatives – This second round of RU Strategic Sustainability Planning interactive workshops will review and analyze past goals, projects, and accomplishments; and then strategize and prioritize new campus sustainability goals and initiatives for 2023-28.

All RU community members are invited to participate in either one of these identical sessions, whichever best fits your schedule. Light food refreshments will be provided; just bring your own beverage!

  • Tue 11/1 from 12:00-1:30pm CST in AUD 720 and Zoom
  • Wed 11/2 from 5:00-6:30pm CST in AUD 720 and Zoom

Previous Events

Planning Workshop 1: Sustainability @RU Crash Course – This first round of RU Strategic Sustainability planning workshops was designed to get participants up to speed on what sustainability is, why it’s important, and what we can do to make a change at RU. If you’re wondering what sustainability entails at RU, this is a great place to start!

  • Tue 10/11 from 12:30-1:30pm CST  in AUD 720 and online (Zoom recording)
  • Wed 10/12 from 6:30-7:30pm CST online (Zoom recording)
  • Slide presentation from Workshop 1 (pdf)

RU’s 2022 American Dream Reconsidered Conference — Panelists Yessenia Balcazar (BA ’17 alum), Kiera Carpenter (BA ’24), and Dan Lyvers (BA ’21 alum) of the Sustainability Studies Program @RooseveltU were featured in the Oct. 18 Tuesday online discussion at 7pm CST on the topic, “Is the American Dream Sustainable?” with a special focus on Chicago as a city. The panel was recorded live on Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

Useful Resources on Campus Sustainability @RU

Detailed Zoom Info for Workshop 2 Sessions

Topic: Sustainability Planning Workshop 2A (Tue 11/1 session)
Time: Nov 1, 2022 12:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://roosevelt.zoom.us/j/94697760195

Meeting ID: 946 9776 0195

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Meeting ID: 946 9776 0195
Find your local number: https://roosevelt.zoom.us/u/adJBXkM143

Topic: Sustainability Planning Workshop 2B (Wed 11/2 session)
Time: Nov 2, 2022 05:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://roosevelt.zoom.us/j/93253117596

Meeting ID: 932 5311 7596

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Find your local number: https://roosevelt.zoom.us/u/ahx56GVaA

Please RSVP for events and/or submit any questions, ideas, or suggestions to Dr. Mike Bryson (mbryson@roosevelt.edu), SUST 350 Instructor and Professor of Sustainability Studies, College of Arts & Sciences, Roosevelt University. Additional contact info here. Be sure to check the RU Strategic Sustainability Planning webpage for updates!

SUST Alumni & Student Panel Next Tues 10/18 @RooseveltU

Next week Roosevelt University kicks off its 2022 American Dream Reconsidered Conference at its Chicago Campus as well as online. The theme of this year’s conference is “The City and the American Dream,” and many exciting and thought-provoking talks, panel discussions, and events are planned throughout the week.

Alumni, students, and faculty of the Sustainability Studies Program @RooseveltU are featured in the Oct. 18 Tuesday online panel discussion at 7pm CST on the topic, “Is the American Dream Sustainable?” with a special focus on Chicago as a city. The panel will be broadcast live on Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube — links to those social media sites are below.

Is the American Dream Sustainable?

The science of urban ecology demonstrates that cities are not mere technological constructions, distinct from and diametrically opposed to nature, but complex ecosystems. As laboratories for sustainable innovation, such as green rooftops, cities offer a unique vantage point for re-imagining the sustainability of the American Dream. Using Chicago as a prime exemplar, our panel consisting of students and alumni will explore how urban sustainability advancements and environmental justice activism are redefining how we think about and work toward the American Dream.

Featured Panelists

Yesenia Balcazar (BA ’18) — Senior Resilient Community Planning Manager at the Southeast Environmental Task Force; MA in urban planning and policy (UIC ’21)

Kiera Carpenter (BA ’24) — SUST Student Associate, College of Arts & Sciences; RU Student Steward for 2022-23 in the Resilience Studies Consortium

Dan Lyvers (BA ’21) — Chief Operating Engineer at the Stickney wastewater treatment plant (the world’s largest such facility), Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicagoland

Moderator

Mike Bryson, Professor of Sustainability Studies, College of Arts & Sciences; RU Faculty Steward, Resilience Studies Consortium; Scientific Affiliate, Field Museum of Natural History

Viewing Information (So Many Options!)

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/678320980097230

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/video/event

/urn:li:ugcPost:6985981931213504512/

YouTube: 

Donate to the Winter Clothing Drive @RooseveltU 3/14-3/21

Students are hosting a (winter) clothing drive in collaboration with Roosevelt’s BSU, ALAS, RU Proud, and RU Generation Action. We encourage you to donate winter items but will also be accepting other types of clothing as well. This is a great opportunity to go through your closets and do some Spring cleaning in order to benefit both the environment and Chicago’s queer Black and Brown populations. Below you’ll find more info about the drive.

When: March 14-March 21

Where to drop: AUD/WB Entrances, WB 2nd Floor Cafeteria, WB 14th Floor Res Halls, AUD 2nd Floor Fainman Lounge, AUD 10th Floor Library, and AUD 526 Sust Office

Why: Donating to Brave Space Alliance’s winter closet and QT shop in partnership with Casa Al-Fatiha provides clothing for Black, Brown, Asian, and Indigenous people and/or members of the LGBTIA+ community in need

What can be donated: Pre washed, gently used, free of stains/rips winter coats (plus sizes in high need), scarves, hats, gloves/hand warmers, long johns/warm underwear, sweaters/sweatshirts/t-shirts, pants, shorts, skirts, dresses

Questions: Contact Sophia Gall0, RU Green President (rugreenclub45@gmail.com)

Apply for the Mansfield’s 2022 Fellowship for Activism and Community Engagement (thru 3/2/22)

The Mansfield Institute Fellowship for Activism and Community Engagement (FACE) will fund a second cohort of 15 Roosevelt University undergraduate students from any college or discipline. The cohort-based summer fellowship includes funding for a 3-credit Social Justice in Action internship-based course in May 2022. In addition to tuition, fellows will receive a stipend of $2,500.

Following their course work in late May, Fellows will work in a social justice–focused community-based organization in Chicago for 10 hours per week, for 10 weeks over the summer starting in early June. Fellows will have an opportunity to work with past Fellows, attend University events together, and have opportunities to present work at conferences.

Eligibility:

  • Open to all Roosevelt University undergraduate students in any college or major
  • Students must have between 45 and 72 credit hours completed on March 2, 2022
  • GPA of at least a 2.0
  • Be able to participate fully in fellowship activities including course work, internship work, and ongoing cohort activities throughout the year

Deadlines:

  • The application process opens on February 1 and closes on March 2, 2022.
  • Applicants will be notified by March 16, 2022.

To apply, visit the Mansfield Institute Fellowship for Activism and Community Engagement (FACE) webpage. For questions or more information, please contact Prof. Heather Dalmage (hdalmage@roosevelt.edu), Director of the Mansfield Institute.

Mansfield Institute Kickoff Event on 2/1: Fellowship for Activism and Community Engagement

Join Roosevelt’s Mansfield Institute on 2/1/22 to recognize our current Fellows for Activism and Community Engagement and community partners. Attendees will hear about the program experience of current fellows, learn about the 2022 program, and meet our community partners. Register here! All Roosevelt students from any college or major with at least 45 credits are eligible to apply for the fellowship program. The selected 2022 fellows will take part in the Social Justice in Action internship-based course, a three-day seminar, and work with a social justice-focused, community-based organization for which they will receive a summer stipend. For more information, contact Prof. Heather Dalmage, Director of the Mansfield Institute (hdalmage@roosevelt.edu).

Eden Place Founder Michael Howard Addresses the Resilience Studies Consortium on Environmental Justice

Mr. Michael Howard, CEO and co-founder of Eden Place Farms and Nature Center in Chicago IL, will address the Roosevelt and Resilience Studies Consortium (RSC) communities on Tuesday, 26 Oct 2021, at 11am CST on the topic of “Sustaining Environmental Justice in a Pandemic.” Please join the faculty and students of SUST 350 Service & Sustainability at Roosevelt University and ENVS 397 Environmental Justice at Western Colorado University as they host Mr. Howard’s virtual presentation and a Q&A session. This presentation is made possible by the generous funding of the RSC — thank you!

Michael Howard’s life passion is to improve the quality of life for the citizens of the Fuller Park community on Chicago’s South Side, both financially and environmentally. As Founder and CEO of the Fuller Park Community Development (FPCD) organization in the 1990s, he has worked to address housing, education, and environmental issues that have kept this generally African American and low-income community in poverty and disrepair.

In the late 1990s, Michael and his wife Amelia Howard led the effort to clean up a three-acre vacant lot near their Fuller Park residence that was piled two stories high with illegally dumped waste. With help from many in the community, the site was cleared of debris and restored into a thriving green space called Eden Place — still the only nature center on the entire South Side of Chicago. In the early 2010s, Eden Place opened its farm operation about a half-mile south of the nature center. They host community events, market their produce to local restaurants and farmers markets, and provide ecology, urban farming, and nutrition workshops to citizens of Fuller Park and beyond.

Since 2014, students in Roosevelt University’s SUST 350 Service & Sustainability class have volunteered one morning a week in a multi-year service project at Eden Place, helping with farm chores, repairing and painting structures, building trails, planting and harvesting crops, and organizing events to support the organization’s mission. In return, Eden Place has taught them much about the process and importance of community organizing, the rigors of urban environmental conservation and farming, and the challenges of fostering sustainability and community resilience in this era of social and economic stress.

Zoom Login Info:

Topic: Michael Howard on Environmental Justice for RSC
Time: Oct 26, 2021 11:00 AM Central Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://roosevelt.zoom.us/j/97714968242
Meeting ID: 977 1496 8242

For More Information:

Contact Mike Bryson (mbryson@roosevelt.edu), Professor & Director of Sustainability Studies, Roosevelt University

The Resilience Studies Consortium, of which Roosevelt is a charter member, is a network of small liberal arts Institutions dedicated to sustainability and community resilience, place-based educational experiences, and shared academic and co-curricular offerings in ways that empower students with the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in a rapidly evolving world.