Campus Currents

The 13th Annual CELTSS Student Conference for Research and Creative Practice, a celebration of student scholarly work and faculty support, will be held on Friday, May 3, 2024. Student work will be presented in a variety of formats including several live in-person oral presentations and poster presentations in the Forum. We hope you can join us and support the students' work on campus!

Alumni Room
Monday, April 29 and Wednesday, May 1
11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Come relax with therapy dogs before your finals! FSU SEALS Peer Health Educators will give you free resources to help lower your stress and feel better.

PUBLIC PLANETARIUM FILM:
Fly Me to the Moon
SHOWTIMES AT 5:30PM and 7:00pm

https://cm-center.org/event/may3films

An elaborate 3D-animated film offering big adventure and comedy, set against the real story of our first visit to another world. Follow three young flies as they inadvertently stowaway aboard Apollo 11 and join Neil, Buzz, and Michael on their mission to pull off the very first moon landing!

Recommended for: Families and all ages
Length: 49 minutes
All Tickets are open seating

Framingham State University's Danforth Museum and School has three upcoming events in Portuguese! At all of the events, The Danforth will have any written materials in Portuguese as well as English; and there will be Portuguese-speaking people to welcome guests, make their visit to a new place as comfortable as possible, guide them if needed, and answer any questions.

We are really excited to pilot this bilingual programming with our consistently well-attended Drop into Art and our Community Conversations through Art. The Brazilian artists who are speaking at this year's Community Conversations through Art are fabulous artists and wonderful people.

Learn more by clicking on the links below!

Bilingual Drop into Art – May 12, 2024: Museum Blooms

Bilingual Community Conversations through Art - June 1, 2024

Join us this spring for a fun evening of creativity in the museum. Inspired by several artworks depicting faces, profiles, and silhouettes, participants will have their portrait traced onto black paper. This silhouette will be cut out and mounted on a background which can be highlighted with various patterns and designs. Enjoy music and a signature cocktail or mocktail as you meet new friends and create together.

Complimentary assortment of cheeses, crackers, savory bites, and fruit will be served. Cash bar available to those over 21.

Admission is $25 for non-members, $15 for members. Advanced registration is required as only a limited number of spaces are available. Click here to reserve your spot!

From Challenges to Opportunities: Innovative Housing Solutions For Economic Prosperity IN GREATER METROWEST

Thursday, May 30th, Forum, McCarthy Center
Framingham State University
Register HERE

TIME:
11:00 a.m. Program
11:30 a.m. Keynote Address
12:35 p.m. MERC Update
12:55 p.m. Panel Presentation
2:00 p.m. Adjourn

Keynote Speaker: ED AUGUSTUS
Secretary of Housing and Livable Communities, Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Secretary Ed Augustus leads the newly created Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities. The office is dedicated to housing and driving solutions to create more homes and lower costs. It is focused on the urgent need to build places to live that are affordable and closer to public transit - giving residents access to jobs, medical care, groceries, and other essential services. Before joining the Healey administration, Secretary Augustus served as City Manager of Worcester, functioning as the gateway city’s chief administrative and executive officer of more than 200,000 people. As City Manager, Augustus spearheaded the $240 million landmark redevelopment of Worcester’s canal district, including leading the complex negotiation to relocate the Boston Red  Sox AAA affiliate (now the WooSox) to the city and constructing the multi-use Polar Park Stadium.

By Kaitlin Carman Publications Intern

Three shiny red and yellow-fringed lions dance to steady rhythmic drumming while the roars of student cheers, clapping, and the mouth-watering smell of Asian food stimulated the senses.

Supported by a pair of dancers – one seated on top of the other’s shoulder – the mighty beasts reached for the ceilings in the Dining Hall Annex.

On April 17, the Framingham State community came together to celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month during a Taste of Culture event hosted by the CIE (Center for Inclusive Excellence).

Director of the Center for Inclusive Excellence Jerome Burke said the center aims to “celebrate the rich tapestry of human diversity through food.” Dishes including lo mien noodles, ginger chicken, and baby bok choy were offered to students to try.

“Food is a great way for many people … to go across all barriers it’s one of those things that we would like to use to really unite the different cultural identities on campus - It's a great way to learn about the person who we’re sitting next to,” added Burke.

The Lion Dance was performed by members of the Wah Lum Kung Fu & Tai Chi Academy in Malden. An academy representative said in “traditional Asian American culture, we celebrate with the Lion Dance, and the lion dances to bring luck to the event and the New Year.”

As part of the performance, the lions gave oranges to select lucky students. The representative said because of their gold-like color, oranges are associated with wealth. She added “lettuce in Chinese is choy - and that’s another word for money. So … [the lions] will throw it on you and then with that, you get lots of money!”

Taimoor Kahn, diversity peer influencer for the CIE, said, “we're hoping to bring, students of different backgrounds together so that they can learn more about each other, have fun in the process.

“It's important the campus has events like this because I think campus should be a place where students feel included,” Kahn added.

Senior Jack McLaughlin said he went to the event to learn more about different cultures. “I’m hoping to broaden my horizons a bit and learn a little more about cultures that are not mine and just have a good time while doing it,” said McLaughlin.

He added that it was important the campus hosts events like this to unify the community.

He said it is “not only [important] to make this type of culture known to other students who don't know about it, but also to have those students who identify with this kind of culture feel better connected to the University and feel better represented.”