College of Social and Behavioral Sciences

Diversity Colloquium Series

Diversity Colloquium Series

In 2016, SAC established the Diversity Colloquium Series. This series represents our efforts to do something positive, thoughtful, and visible in response to police brutality incidents nationwide as well as a student demand to offer more diversity offerings on campus. The series highlights the work of UNI faculty and students and local community organizations to build a more inclusive and diverse society.

2020-21 EVENTS

 ----All sessions held via Zoom. Advanced registration required.----

Thursday, October 15, 6 PM - Race, Social Justice and Policing: A Virtual Panel Discussion

Join us for a panel discussion that will explore the intersections of race, social justice, and policing in the United States and Cedar Valley. A moderated panel discussion will address issues related to racism, racial violence, protest, activism, police brutality, and their impact on the community. Panelists include Mr. Ryan Stevenson, who is a congressional staff member for Congresswoman Abby Finkenauer, a local social justice activist, and UNI Alum (2018), Waterloo Police Chief, Dr. Joel Fitzgerald, and Professor of Criminology, Dr. Gayle Rhineberger.  

Register: http://bit.ly/DiversityColloquiumOct2020

Thursday, February 18, 6:30 PM - Barriers to Family Prison Visitation

Dr. Alison Cox (SAC Faculty) will present her research on the often overlooked experiences of the growing number of prisoner families. Family visits are beneficial to inmates through improved institutional adjustment and the decreased likelihood that they will recidivate post-release. Families and children also benefit from visiting incarcerated relatives by maintaining family connections and allowing prisoners a part in their children’s lives. Based on recent research, this colloquium will bring the voices of family members into current prison debates and provide suggestions for programming that would encourage visitation and family connectedness.

Register: http://bit.ly/DiversityColloquiumFeb2021

Thursday, April 15, 7 PM - Health Inequalities in the Age of COVID-19

Panelists from across UNI and the Cedar Valley community to discuss their research and professional experiences related to health inequalities and the COVID-19 pandemic. Panelists include Dr. Adam Froyum Roise, physician and Black Hawk County Board of Health; Rev. Abraham Funchess, Waterloo Human Rights Commission; Francis Degnin, medical ethicist and Professor of Philosophy; and Ashleigh Kysar-Moon, Assistant Professor of Sociology.

Register: http://bit.ly/DiversityColloquiumApr2021

Past Diversity Colloquia Series Events

Prof Grey standing before a slide titled "The Latino Boom in Iowa 1993-2208"

  • March 2020 - A Visible Scar: Loss & Memory in the Works of Zarina Hashmi & Rummana Hussain (Tracy Bonfitto, Curator at the Harry Ransom Center, Univ of Texas and Anthropology Alumni)  
  • February 2020 - Refuge, Asylum, & Immigration: A Contemporary Conversation (Kamryn Warren, SAC Faculty; Lisa Munoz, CVAIRR & Hawkeye CC; Umaru Balde, CVAIRR & Univ of Iowa; Sarah Kraft, EMBARC)
  • November 2019 - Defining Diversity in a (Rapidly) Changing Iowa (Mark Grey, SAC Faculty)
  • October 2019 - Maids, Wives, and Mothers: Women and the Courts in Early Modern England (Jennifer McNabb, History Faculty)
  • April 2019 - Emotions in Crisis: The Consequences of Ceremonial Refugee Camp Visits (Kamryn Warren, SAC Faculty)
  • March 2019 - Family separation: The impact of immigration policy on children and families (Maria Alcivar, Iowa State)
  • February 2019 - Protection from Prosecution: Privilege and Illicit Substance Use in Reality TV (Kimberly M. Baker, SAC Faculty)
  • November 2018 - What Can You Do With That? Navigating Career Paths
  • ays in "Useless" Majors Through Service-Learning Partnerships (Cara Burnidge and Yasemin Sari, Philosophy & Religion Faculty)
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  • October 2018 - Myth Vs. Reality: Race, Gender, and (In)justice in the Media (Gayle Rhineberger-Dunn)
  • September 2018 - McNair Scholar Presentations (Kyla Ford & Dante Miller)
  • April 2018 - How do we end mass incarceration? (Community Panel - R. Allen Hays, Aaron Hawbaker, Sara Carter Geiger, & Dan Tallman)
  • March 2018 - Child Maltreatment, Race, & Internalizing Problems: Evidence of a Mental Health Paradox? (Ashleigh Kaysar-Moon, SAC Faculty)
  • February 2018 - The Relevance of Disability Studies in Education: A Framework for Change (Danielle Cowley, David Hernandez-Saca, & Amy Petersen, College of Education)
  • November 2017 - Education and Collaboration: Key Elements for Cultivating & Sustaining Violence Prevention Efforts (Alan Heisterkamp & Annette Lynch, UNI Center for Violence Prevention)
  • October 2017 - Social Justice in the Classroom: A Framework for Teaching and Learning (T. Elon Dancy II, University of Oklahoma)
  • September 2017 - African American Labor History in Waterloo - Niria White (History, '19 & and McNair Scholar)
  • April 2017 - Serving Our Community, While Learning: Service-Learning and Professional Development at UNI (Lazarus Adua, SAC Faculty & Students from Program and Policy Evaluation) In 2016, SAC established the Diversity Colloquium Series. This series represents our efforts to do something positive, thoughtful, and visible in response to police brutality incidents nationwide, and a student demand to offer more diversity offerings on campus. We partner with the Office of the President, the Chief Diversity Officer, the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, and the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning. The series highlights the work of UNI faculty and students and local community organizations to build a more inclusive and diverse society. 2018-19 EVENTS - All events held at the ScholarSpace in Rod Library - Monday, September 24, 7 PM - McNair Scholar Presentations The Ronald E. McNair Post Baccalaureate Achievement Program is designed to prepare high achieving scholars for doctoral studies through rigorous participation in research, seminars, conferences and other academic activities. The goal of this national program is to increase the attainment of Ph.D. degrees by students from segments of society generally underrepresented in academia. Two SAC students present their theses at the SAC Diversity Colloquium Series. Kyla Ford presents on research in September 2018 Kyla Ford (Criminology, '19) - "Evaluating School Conduct Policies in Relation to School Violence" - This presentation examines the relationship between the kinds of responses to violations in school conduct policies and the severity of violence in schools from 2016-2018 in the U.S. Dante Miller (Sociology, '18) - "Remembering Obama in the Era of Trump" - This presentation examines the idea of post-racial ideas and their relationship to U.S. history, particularly in relation to the elections of Obama and Trump. Thursday, October 25, 7 PM - Myth Vs. Reality: Race, Gender, and (In)justice in the Media Professor Gayle Rhineberger-Dunn (SAC Faculty) will discuss how the media play an important role in constructing social reality, shaping our beliefs about crime and justice and influencing criminal justice policy.This presentation focuses on the depictions of race, gender, crime and (in)justices presented in prime-time crime fictional television programs, news media and other popular culture outlets, and the significant consequences of these inaccurate media portrayals. Thursday, November 29, 7 PM - What Can You Do With That? Navigating Career Pathways in "Useless" Majors Through Service-Learning Partnerships Cara Burnidge and Yasemin Sari (Philosophy and Religion Faculty), as well as philosophy and religion students, will discuss their experiences from two critical service-learning seminars in collaboration with the Ethnic Minorities of Burma Advocacy and Resource Center in Fall 2018. Tuesday, February 19, 7 PM - Family separation: The impact of immigration policy on children and families Maria Alcivar, a doctoral student in Human Development and Family Studies at Iowa State University will present on the impact of family separation policies. A total of 5 million children in the U.S. have at least one parent who is undocumented/unauthorized, living in the U.S. without proper documentation. These families live in constant fear of detention and deportation due to archaic immigration policies that fail to reflect demographic changes over time. The last major immigration legislation in the U.S dates to 1996, and it was not intended to support families but instead create more restrictions and penalties. Nevertheless, immigrants, with or without status, have become an integral part of the U.S. as workers, families, entrepreneurs, taxpayers, and neighbors. But what do we know about the interaction between immigration policy and child welfare? What is the short- and long-term impact of archaic immigration laws on children and families? What is the overall public health impact of anti-immigrant policies? Members of CVAIRR discuss their experiences with immigration in March 2017Thursday, March 28, 7 PM - Protection from Prosecution: Privilege and Illicit Substance Use in Reality TV Kimberly M. Baker (SAC Faculty) will present on her research on reality television shows focused on substance use and treatment, or what she calls"addiction entertainment." Popular criticisms of the war on drugs have focused primarily on the consequences for poor communities and communities of color, but there has been less attention to the ways that white, middle class and wealthy users have been protected from these consequences. I argue that this exceptionalism is supported by popular media, particularly realty television shows like Intervention and Celebrity Rehab. These shows feature predominantly white, middle class and wealthy users who bypass the criminal justice system to enter expensive private treatment programs. I argue that while reality television does not affect public policy directly, it does affect how lay audiences think about substance use and social responses. Thursday, April 18, 7 PM - TBA Past Diversity Colloquia Series Events April 2018 - How do we end mass incarceration? (Community Panel - R. Allen Hays, Aaron Hawbaker, Sara Carter Geiger, & Dan Tallman) March 2018 - Child Maltreatment, Race, & Internalizing Problems: Evidence of a Mental Health Paradox? (Ashleigh Kaysar-Moon, SAC Faculty) February 2018 - The Relevance of Disability Studies in Education: A Framework for Change (Danielle Cowley, David Hernandez-Saca, & Amy Petersen, College of Education) November 2017 - Education and Collaboration: Key Elements for Cultivating & Sustaining Violence Prevention Efforts (Alan Heisterkamp & Annette Lynch, UNI Center for Violence Prevention) Members of the UNI community and the Cedar Valley attend a prevention by Joshua Canavan in Sept 2016October 2017 - Social Justice in the Classroom: A Framework for Teaching and Learning (T. Elon Dancy II, University of Oklahoma) September 2017 - African American Labor History in Waterloo - Niria White (History, '19 & and McNair Scholar) April 2017 - Serving Our Community, While Learning: Service-Learning and Professional Development at UNI (Lazarus Adua, SAC Faculty & Students from Program and Policy Evaluation) March 2017 - “Why Don’t They Just Become Citizens?"and Other Questions about Immigration and Immigrants to the US (Panel - Cedar Valley Advocates for Immigrant and Refugee Rights) February 2017 - Men of Color, Mental Health, and the Correctional System (Community Panel - Tom Eachus, David Goodson, Bill Tate, & Cora Turner) November 2016 - A War on Drugs, Or A War on People? (Kimberly M. Baker, UNI Faculty, and Students from Drugs, Crime, & Society) November 2016 - Managing Emotions in the Classroom in an Era of Inequality (Carissa Froyum, SAC Faculty) October 2016 - What You Think You Know About Politics....And Why You May Be Wrong (Donna Hoffman & Chris Larimer, Political Science) September 2016 - Race, Poverty, and the Criminal Justice System: Protecting the Rights of the Accused in the St. Louis Area (Joshua N. Canavan, ArchCity Defenders)
  • March 2017 - “Why Don’t They Just Become Citizens?"and Other Questions about Immigration and Immigrants to the US (Panel - Cedar Valley Advocates for Immigrant and Refugee Rights)
  • February 2017 - Men of Color, Mental Health, and the Correctional System (Community Panel - Tom Eachus, David Goodson, Bill Tate, & Cora Turner) 
  • November 2016 - A War on Drugs, Or A War on People? (Kimberly M. Baker, UNI Faculty, and Students from Drugs, Crime, & Society)
  • November 2016 - Managing Emotions in the Classroom in an Era of Inequality (Carissa Froyum, SAC Faculty)
  • October 2016 - What You Think You Know About Politics....And Why You May Be Wrong (Donna Hoffman & Chris Larimer, Political Science)
  • September 2016 - Race, Poverty, and the Criminal Justice System: Protecting the Rights of the Accused in the St. Louis Area (Joshua N. Canavan, ArchCity Defenders)