Campus Currents

October 19, 2020

Celebrate STEM Week

Third annual STEM Week focuses on diversity and inclusion

By Jared Graf, publications intern

This week marks the state's third annual STEM Week, and a new public awareness campaign is being launched to highlight the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion in all STEM fields.

“See Yourself in STEM” is a series beginning on Oct. 24 and continuing for the following months, meant to highlight the need for diversity of identities and expertise in the STEM fields. (Click Here for a full list of events being offered by the McAuliffe Center this week at part of STEM Week).

“With the speaker series, we want to promote representation in emerging, important fields of STEM,” said Dr. Irene Porro, director of the McAuliffe Center at FSU.

Porro said as an event organizer, she noticed the diversity among the student population is “rarely mirrored” by educators and speakers who are called on to present.

“I am committed to make a difference in this respect,” Porro said. “I know that it is important for all our students to hear from a diverse group of accomplished scientists and engineers, about both their work and their resilience and determination.”

In addition to the “See Yourself in STEM” series, there will be daily virtual lessons, speaker panels, and design challenges held between Oct. 19-23. All of these events have been adapted for online school and work environments, Porro said.

Since all events this week are being held virtually due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Porro said she’s looking forward to them being more accessible. “This offers us the opportunity to reach much larger audiences - and from all over the state,” she said. “We are looking forward to welcoming everyone to our events.”

Porro said high school and college students are especially encouraged to attend the week’s events, as the theme for this year’s STEM Week is “See Yourself in STEM,” with a special focus on the importance of mentoring.

STEM Week is a collaborative effort between the Executive Office of Education, the STEM Advisory Council, and the commonwealth’s nine Regional STEM Networks - which plan and coordinate activities with local schools, community leaders, and business partners.

FSU has served as the hub for one of the state’s Regional STEM Networks - The Metrowest Stem Education Network (MSEN) - for more than 10 years. Since 2016, the McAuliffe Center has managed MSEN, which helped coordinate the events and activities for STEM Week.

For a complete list of this week’s event dates and details, visit the McAuliffe Center’s website here.

The Alan Feldman Week of Poetry

The English Department's Alan Feldman Week of Poetry will be held during the week of Oct. 19-23 and feature a special reading and Q&A with Poet January Gill O'Neil.

January Gill O'Neil, Tuesday, Oct. 20th, 7 p.m.

Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/poetry-reading-by-january-gill-oneil-alan-feldman-week-of-poetry-fsu-tickets-123391209429

January Gill O'Neil is an associate professor at Salem State University, and the author of Rewilding, Misery Islands, and Underlife all published by CavanKerry Press. From 2012-2018, she served as the executive director of the Massachusetts Poetry Festival, and currently serves on the boards of AWP, Mass Poetry, and Montserrat College of Art. The recipient of fellowships from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, Cave Canem, and the Barbara Deming Memorial Fund, O'Neil was the 2019-2020 John and Renée Grisham Writer-in-Residence at the University of Mississippi, Oxford. She lives with her two children in Beverly, MA.

In June, she was chosen as one of six guest curators for the Academy of American Poet’s Poem-a-Day series. In solidarity with the June 2020 protests and the Black Lives Matter movement, she edited the work of 10 Black poets throughout the summer.

Poetry Reading with Poets from the English Department, Thursday, Oct. 22, 4:30 p.m.

Zoom link: https://zoom.us/j/98801035203

Open Mic with FSU Student Poets, Friday, Oct. 23, 7 p.m.

Zoom link: https://zoom.us/j/92651265852

The National Day of Writing

Framngham State University's English Department will celebrate the National Day of Writing on Tuesday, Oct. 20, from noon to 4 p.m.

Learn more here: https://fsuramswrite.wordpress.com/

Events will include:

Six-word memoir on Jamboard

Chalkboard Acronym on Jamboard

"Where I Write" photos on Instagram

Photo captioning contest on Instagram

Flu Vaccine Clinics

This year the Governor has mandated that all college students must receive the flu vaccine. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s more important than ever to protect yourself from the flu.

To make it easier for students we are providing 5 days of flu vaccine clinics on campus, October 19, 20, 21, 22 and 27 in the small gym in the Athletic Center.

For more information on the clinics, including required documentation, click here.

Linda Vaden-Goad Authors and Artists Series

Thursday, Oct. 22, 2020, 4:30 p.m.

Zoom Link: https://zoom.us/j/91985576178

Dr. Nicholas Racheotes (History, Emeritus) will discuss is book, The Life & Thought of Filaret Drozdov, 1782-1867 The Thorny Path to Sainthood, and Dr. Xavier Guadalupe-Diaz (Sociology) will discuss his book, Transgressed.

Virtual Discussion on Domestic Violence

Dating Violence - Hosted by the Framingham State Police Department
Friday, Oct. 23, 4 p.m.

Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4460803722?pwd=d0t3TmUwLzhYY2kvRmJqSmE1Zkt2Zz09#success

Meeting ID: 446 080 3722 Passcode: 6akj1x

Rams, join us for a virtual discussion on domestic violence. Together, we will explore the dynamics of unhealthy and abusive relationships.

Questions or concerns? Please contact:

Monicka Jean-Baptiste, Community Resource Police Officer: mjeanbaptiste@framingham.edu
Rachel Matos, Outreach and Prevention Manager: Rmatos@smoc.org

Building A Civic Community

Programs sponsored by Henry Whittemore Library and the Civic Engagement Center.

Zoom RSVP: https://forms.gle/9Bqe2UaCRa9iVCfb6


Unraveling the Truth: Fake News and the Election Monday, October 19 at 1:30 p.m.

What is Fake News? How can you tell what you are reading is not false information and what is a trusted news source? How does this relate to the upcoming presidential election and how you make your voting decisions? Journalist Emily Sweeney from the Boston Globe and Professor Laura Saunders from Simmons University will address these issues. Moderator: Sandra Rothenberg is Senior Librarian and Coordinator of Library Instruction at Framingham State University.

Democracy in Crisis Tuesday, October 27 at 5 p.m.

Dr. John Ambacher, Professor Emeritus of Framingham State University, will present on the current state of democracy. Dr. Ambacher argues that America was in crisis well before the presidential election of 2016. The crisis centered on the state of our democracy itself. A representative democracy should guarantee that every citizen has equal worth. That can only be accomplished if every citizen is guaranteed an equal freedom to vote. This is no longer the case. Dr. Ambacher will explore how we arrived at this state of affairs and what we can do to restore a representative democracy.

Federal funds provided by the Institute of Museum and Library Services and administered by the Mass. Board of Library Commissioners supported these programs, which are sponsored by the Henry Whittemore Library and the Civic Engagement Center.

Careers in Nutrition and Wellness: Virtual Speaker Series

Monday, Oct. 19th, 5-6:30 p.m.
Register Here

Vivien Morris, MS, RD, MPH, LDN is a registered dietitian and public health professional with extensive work in Boston’s communities. She has been a community activist throughout her life and gets the greatest joy from seeing the coming together of community members of all ages to strengthen relationships and use their collective power to improve our village. She is a founder and chair of the Mattapan Food and Fitness Coalition, an organization that she is most proud of. She is a founder of the Boston Organization of Nutritionists and Dietitians of Color (BOND of Color), which is a professional organization devoted to increasing the number of African American and Afro Caribbean nutritionists and dietitians and providing nutrition education in the community. Vivien coordinates the Kennedy Community Garden and Edgewater Neighborhood Association, serves on the steering committee of the Massachusetts Food System Collaborative, and is Community Relations Manager – Mattapan for the Boston College Corcoran Center for Real Estate and Urban Action. All of this work is fueled by her passion to make her local community and the state of Massachusetts a healthy and wonderful place to live.

Pink Patch Project

Partner with Framingham State University Police in the fight against Breast Cancer! The Pink Patch Project raises awareness and funding during the month of October, which is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Learn more and purchase your Pink Patch Here.

Why Pink Patches?

Breast cancer affects both men and women.

We have the simple goal of increasing awareness about the life-saving benefits of early detection and early intervention in the fight against breast cancer. In addition to our public education efforts, we have the added goal of raising funds from the sale of Pink Patch Project patches and other items to go directly to fund the research, treatment and education needed to help find a cure.

To learn more about breast cancer, breast cancer symptoms, breast cancer risk factors and diagnosis, breast cancer research and breast cancer in men, click here.

The program centers on vibrant pink versions of the public safety employee's uniform patch. These bright pink patches have been specially designed by each participating agency specifically for their Pink Patch Project participation. Public safety employees at each of the participating agencies wear their pink patches on their regular duty uniforms each year for the entire month of October during “Breast Cancer Awareness Month.”

The pink patches are intended to stimulate conversation with the community and to encourage public awareness about the importance of early detection and the on-going fight against this disease.

Career Services Virtual Events

Virtual Employer Showcase Series, every Wednesday, on Zoom, 12:30-2:30pm, through 11/18/20.
The CSER Office traditional Wednesday Employer Showcase is currently a “virtual networking” platform, for hosting our Showcases on Zoom, through the end of the fall 2020 semester. As we are socially distancing and staying home, networking has never been more important. The Virtual Showcase gives students an opportunity to informally network with local employers who are hiring for full-time and/or internship opportunities, and also provides insight into the spotlighted company, offering advice on the trends in their market and industry.


Major/Minor Fair, Tuesday, 10/27, on Ramlink from 11:30am – 1:00pm
On Ramlink: https://ramlink.framingham.edu/event/6518901
Undergraduate students are invited to explore the many majors and minors FSU offers. The Major Minor Fair provides all undecided, re-deciding, and exploring students the opportunity to speak with faculty and student representatives from all academic programs and campus resources and learn about specific requirements for majors, minors and career options.

Suitable Solutions Career Professionalism Virtual Program Mock Interviews, in October, with assigned mentors, on Zoom or by phone
Practice and receive feedback from professionals remotely. Zoom link provided by employer mentor.

Suitable Solutions Virtual Program Networking & Mocktail Mixer Graduation Ceremony, Thursday, 12/3, on Zoom, 4:00pm-5:00pm
Network virtually with employer partners while learning about proper networking techniques that help you stand out, from our Networking Navigator. Discover how to start and wrap up a conversation, or keep a conversation going, and more! https://zoom.us/j/963892238 - Register on Handshake or Ramlink to get the required password.

Notable Accomplishments

-Education Professor Kelly Kolodny recently published a new book, Moments that Matter in the Learning and Development of Children: Reflections from Educators, which explores the significant moments that unfold for young people in their schooling from the perspectives of teachers and school staff. This is Dr. Kolodny's second book, following the publication of Normalites
The First Professionally Prepared Teachers in the United States, in 2014.

More information on the book can be found at: https://www.infoagepub.com/products/Moments-that-Matter-in-the-Learning-and-Development-of-Children

-Professor Ani Gjika, visiting lecturer in FSU's English Department, was a student protégé
of Louise Glück, this year's recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature. Professor Gjika wrote a tribute to her former teacher "Swerving to Arrive at Truth," which was published by World Literature Today as well as the L.A. Times Weekly. The original article is linked below.

https://www.worldliteraturetoday.org/blog/essay/swerving-arrive-truth-louise-gluck-my-teacher-ani-gjika

Upcoming events

Women's Lacrosse vs Fitchburg State

Saturday, March 30, 2024

12:00 pm - 2:00 pm

Maple Street Field

Organized by: Athletics

Baseball vs Albertus Magnus

Monday, April 1, 2024

3:00 pm - 6:00 pm

Bowditch Field Athletic & Cultural Complex

Organized by: Athletics

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