MU Diversity News
Announcement, Center for Religion and the Professions
Finkelstein, who is Jewish, supports the Palestinian cause. Amid criticism from attorney and commentator Alan Dershowitz, a supporter of Israel, Finkelstein was denied tenure at DePaul in 2007. He sued and received a settlement. Finkelstein is the author of five books. Champagne/cider toast follows lecture. Sponsored by the MU Peace Studies Program. March 3, 2008 – 7 p.m.
Old Alumni Center, 1105 Carrie Francke Drive, Columbia
Emily Roman, The Maneater
This week the National Pan-Hellenic Council is holding its second NPHC week of the school year. NPHC is the governing body of five historically black sororities and fraternities at MU: Kappa Alpha Psi, Omega Psi Phi and Alpha Phi Alpha fraternities and Zeta Phi Beta and Delta Sigma Theta sororities.
Campbell Massie, The Maneater
Hip-hop doesn’t deserve its bad rap, said a group of panelists in a lecture Wednesday. The panel, made up of entertainers, hip-hop fans and scholars, gathered Wednesday night at the Gaines/Oldham Black Culture Center to discuss the early history and the sociology of hip-hop from its roots to its popularity on the airwaves.
Mara Rose Williams, Kansas City Star
On Monday, former Sprint executive Gary Forsee will take over as the 22nd president of the University of Missouri system. He replaces Elson Floyd, who left to become president of Washington State University. Forsee, 57, sat down with The Kansas City Star on Friday on the University of Missouri-Kansas City campus. Following is that interview, which has been edited for length and clarity.
Julie Heidbreder, The Maneater
More than 250 members of the community gathered in December to discuss an increase in violent crime, and the city Human Rights Commission wants to keep the conversation going.
Andrew Denney, The Maneater
This week, as a part of Black History Month, Oklahoma State University’s Multicultural Student Center will host the 31st annual Big 12 Conference on Black Student Government.
Peter Fleisher, The Maneater
Though he has to stand on his tiptoes to wash his hands in the sink, 10-year-old student Elliot McGlew is a pottery master. “We have fun here a lot,” McGlew said, wringing a pile of clay in his hands.
T.J. Greaney, Columbia Tribune
Michael Eric Dyson kicked off Black History Month at the University of Missouri with a lecture Thursday that resembled a one-man show. He infused his speech with rap lyrics, stand-up comedy and rapid-fire references ranging from the rapper Soulja Boy to the ancient Greek historian Herodotus and seemingly everything in between.
Furqaan Sadiq, Columbia Missourian
The Lebanese poet and composer Marcel Khalife sat in MU’s Waters Auditorium on Saturday to indulge an admiring and, at times, teary-eyed audience. Khalife, who influenced an entire generation of Arabs, was hosted by the Columbia Peace Coalition and Columbia radio station KOPN/89.5 FM.
Lisa Bruce, Mizzou Wire
Michael Eric Dyson describes himself as a P.I.M.P. — a Public Intellectual with Moral Principles. It’s the perfect example of how the renowned scholar, social critic and author darts between academic and pop culture with the agility of an Olympic athlete.
Zak Quiggle
A hotly debated bill that promises to promote ideologically diverse campuses across Missouri is making its second round in Jefferson City this year.
Alex Lundy, Columbia Missourian
JEFFERSON CITY — Intellectual diversity won’t be a statute just yet. During a one-hour discussion of the issue on Tuesday, the House Higher Education Committee heard multiple witnesses’ opinions of the controversial House Bill 1315, known as the Emily Brooker Higher Education Sunshine Act.
Announcement
The first annual summit on human trafficking will focus on how to be involved in efforts to combat trafficking in persons. Panels and workshops will include current topics in, legislative actions against, and volunteering for anti-human trafficking efforts, as well as how to write a grant/fundraise, and how to raise awareness.
Announcement
The International Teaching Assistant Program (ITAP) is looking for MU undergraduates to meet with international students for cross-cultural conversation hours.
Kerri Urban-International Center, News Bureau
A group of University of Missouri students, faculty and staff will travel to Jefferson City Tuesday evening in support of a concurrent resolution being considered by state legislators that would acknowledge the importance of international education to the state of Missouri.
Emily Smith, News Bureau
The University of Missouri will host a series of events for Black History Month 2008. This year’s theme is “Carter G. Woodson and the Origins of Multiculturalism.” Events will include lectures, art exhibits, musical performances, films and panel discussions.
Announcement, Chancellor's Diversity Initiative
Dr. Stephen C. Jeanetta Presents "Circles of Hope: A Model Development Process for Creating Voice and Engaging Women in Community Change" at noon on February 5. This series of research-based presentations id designed to inform scholars, students, and practitioners of diversity-related research at Mizzou
LGBT support group formed
Kelly Nelson, The Maneater
A group of MU students wants to recruit allies in support of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. As president of the newly formed Allies in Action, Lance Pierce said he hopes to establish a group on campus that works to support and take part in the LGBT community at MU in order to make the campus more LGBT-friendly.
Sorority sponsors forum on colorism in society
Becky Legal, The Maneater
Campus community members came together Thursday night to discuss how skin color leads to discrimination within minority communities.
Ettie Berneking, The Maneater
Student veterans attending college in Missouri would see a drop in their tuition costs if things go as Mizzou Student Veterans Association President Gerald Caetano said he hopes.
Annie Nelson, Columbia Tribune
Three University of Missouri students plan on spending their spring break encouraging teenagers in one of the African nations hardest hit by AIDS - South Africa - to abstain from sex until marriage in the hopes it will protect them from the epidemic.
Announcement
David Raibon, an actor as well as a talented stand-up comedian, who has made appearances on such television shows as, "NCIS," "Las Vegas," "Six Feet Under'" "My Name is Earl," "Without A Trace'" "NYPD Blue," and "Jimmy Kimmel Live," will Speak Friday, February 1, 2008 at Memorial Union to our MU Community.
Announcement, City of Columbia
Since 2001 hundreds of Columbians and mid-Missourians, teens and adults, have met for candid dialog on tough issues of diversity through the Human Rights Commission Study Circles Program. They came to understand themselves and others better and made new friends. This Year's annual event, a collaboration of many local organizations, offers an exciting new theme: Inter-Generational Participation.
Off Campus Diversity News
Casey Smith
Laura Ann Schwarb was pregnant with the Schwarb’s fourth child when she and her husband Allan moved to Missouri. When the Schwarbs lived in Florida and Virginia, midwives assisted Laura in giving home births to all of the couple’s children, services for which Allan’s insurance paid in full. The couple did not expect the situation in which their next child entered into the world to be any different.
Chad Day, Columbia Missourian
For Hindus, the Upanishads explain the basic tenets of human existence. Literally meaning “sitting near a teacher,” the Upanishads are collections of parables and scholarly discussions between teachers and students about the basic questions of human existence and life: Who are we? Why do we suffer? How are we connected?
Brian D. Pellot, Columbia Missourian
Before they began taking Japanese in school, Brent Head and Jacob Abbott tried to write the language themselves. Fans of anime, a type of Japanese cartoon, the boys copied the hiragana characters as best they could — not knowing what they meant but utterly captivated by their mystery.
Mu Li, Columbia Missourian
Dozens of sixth-graders at Smithton Middle School experienced the Chinese New Year Thursday by pronouncing their Chinese names, speaking Chinese congratulations, eating Chinese dumplings with chopsticks and learning Chinese traditions.
Chad Day, Columbia
For many Christians around the world, Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, a 40-day period of fasting and penance in preparation for the celebration of Jesus’ resurrection on Easter.
Bill Clark, Columbia Tribune
Before the Civil War, black churches were essentially nonexistent. Slave owners had long ago learned that illiteracy was a major tool of ownership and that religion could be a unifying factor for slaves and a problem for slave owners.
At a New York or Los Angeles cocktail party, few would dare make a pejorative comment about Barack Obama’s race or Hillary Clinton’s sex. Yet it would be easy to get away with deriding Mike Huckabee’s religious faith. Liberals believe deeply in tolerance and over the last century have led the battles against prejudices of all kinds, but we have a blind spot about Christian evangelicals. They constitute one of the few minorities that, on the American coasts or university campuses, it remains fashionable to mock.
Kathryn Darnell, Columbia Missourian
In the midst of a landmark Democratic primary that features a woman and a black man as the top contenders for the party’s nomination, perhaps the most interesting voter demographic is that of black women.
T.J. Greaney, Columbia Tribune
Interfaith dialogues, where people of different religions meet to learn about one another, are often designed to accentuate common ground between the world’s largest monotheistic religions, inviting comparisons to a campfire scene where children hold hands and sing "Kumbaya."
Rachel Smeda
Almost everyone has an opinion on who Jesus was, and on Friday, Karis Community Church will host a forum to discuss answers to that question.“Jesus... Who?” will be held at 7 p.m. at The Tiger hotel ballroom and featuring a panelist from each of the Baptist, Islamic and Unitarian Universalist religious traditions.
