Campus Currents

The bulk of the 2020-2021 Arts & Ideas Program is scheduled for the spring semester, which means we still have many exciting events to look forward to! As with the fall semester, all events will be held virtually. Registration information will appear on the Arts & Ideas website as events approach.

Visit www.framingham.edu/artsandideas for more information.

Events during the first few weeks of the spring semester include:

Reconfiguring the Light: On Poetic Re-Imagination, with Porsha Olayiwola
February 4, 2021, 12:30-1:30 p.m., Webinar Session - Register Here

Oftentimes, the world feels like a dark place, scarier than we could have ever imagined, tougher than we know to navigate. More often than not, however, conquering requires us to take a route contrasting our horror. For example, in order to slay Medusa, Perseus did not look directly into the monster’s eyes, but instead, used a mirror and reflection to map his triumph. As writers, we often engage traumatic or troubling experiences that require us to dig close to the bone, dive directly into the dark. In this writing workshop, participants will explore lightness as a tool, framework and pedagogy. Inspired by a lecture from Italo Calvino and using the work of Natalie Diaz and Chrysanthemum Tran, participants in this generative workshop will write poems that use lightness as an imaginative tool to enter and exit the poem. In doing so, we’ll discover what happens when we reconfigure lightness as a lens into our dystopia.

I Shimmer Sometimes, Too: A Poetry Performance by Porsha Olayiwola
February 4, 2021, 4:30-6 p.m., Webinar Session - Register Here.

Porsha Olayiwola, is a writer, performer, educator and curator who uses afro-futurism and surrealism to examine historical and current issues in the Black, woman, and queer diaspora. Her poetry and performances as well as her activist work around poetry and art has earned her position as the poet laureate of Boston. She will be performing poetry from her book, I Shimmer Sometimes, Too.

(Un)Documents: A Solo Theater Performance by Jesús Valles
February 24, 2021, 4:30-6 p.m., Webinar Session

In their acclaimed solo show, (Un)Documents, award-winning actor and poet Jesús I. Valles journeys across both sides of a river with two names, moving between languages to find their place in a nation that demands sacrifice at the altar of citizenship. In doing so, they create a new kind of documentation written with anger and fierce love.

Always Faithful ... to What? A Woman Veteran Writes about Coming of Age in the Marine Corps
March 1, 2021, 4:30-6 p.m., Webinar Session

In her memoir Fidelis, Teresa Fazio chronicles her deployment to Iraq as a young Marine officer and homecoming as a veteran of an ongoing war. She will explore how she processed her experiences through writing and her work to explore the role of women in the military and public life.

CHALLENGER: Soaring with Christa McAuliffe
March 11, 2021, 5:30-7:30, Webinar Session

Who is America's favorite teacher? Ask anyone old enough about Christa McAuliffe and they will tell you exactly where they were when the Challenger shuttle launched; however, few people understand who Mrs. McAuliffe really was. America's Teacher in Space was an educational pioneer and her goals and accomplishments are explored in this performance.

For the complete spring schedule, visit www.framingham.edu/artsandideas.

Please join us in congratulating the winners of the Fall 2020 Study Abroad Photo Contest!

First Place - Corinne Vailliant
Interlaken, Switzerland - Click Here to See Image
Junior, Hospitality & Tourism Management Major

Second Place - Melany Landaverde
Venice, Italy - Click Here to See Image
Senior, Global Studies Major, Computer Science Minor

Third Place - Taylor Anderson
Seville, Spain - Click Here to See Image
Senior, English – Creative Writing Major, Communication Arts Minor

Friday, December 18, 2020 at 7 p.m.

https://cm-center.org/events/astronights13

There’s no place like home for Holiday Skies! Light the Yule Log, put on your favorite ugly sweater, and join us for a virtual version of Holiday Skies, the live, astronomical "variety show” inspired by the science and cultural traditions of the Winter Solstice. Holiday Skies has delighted audiences at the Framingham State University Planetarium for the past four years. This year, we hope to bring even more of you into this planetarium family tradition, from the warmth and comfort of our own homes.

Europa Encounter
December 29th, 2:30

Register here

Calling all family adventurers! Join the McAuliffe Center's first-ever winter break expedition: Europa Encounter virtual mission! This holiday season, take a trip to Jupiter’s icy moon, Europa, from the comfort of your own home!

Parents and their children, siblings, and other family members will be able to work in teams and join a remote crew of Mission Controllers to explore the icy oceans of Europa.

Imagine you have been chosen as part of the remote Mission Control crew to explore the oceans under the ice sheets of Europa. From navigating spacecraft to preventing radiation emergencies, you will play a key role in keeping our astronauts safe and ensuring the success of our mission.

You will keep the astronaut safe from dangers such as radiation, guide them to the proper location, determine the impact location for the probe, to launch the probe into its depths, and analyze data from the probe. What is hidden in the ocean? Life? It is your job to find out!

The Solar System Explorers 
December 30th, 2:30 p.m.

Register here

Reserve a spot for each member of your family today!

Need a break from Earth? In this live, interactive journey through our Solar System, you'll head into space in search of another place like our planet. Using the same professional software that powers the Framingham State University Planetarium, one of our experienced educators will be your family's guide as we start at Earth and then head off towards the planet or moon of your choice! You and your family can choose their own adventure through polls and interactive chat, and they can join in guided discussions with educators and fellow participants.

The Chris Walsh Center for Educators and Families of MetroWest is cosponsoring two events in the spring with The Diverse Scholars Program. Both events feature award-winning filmmaker Dan Habib.

The first is a free film screening of Intelligent Lives followed by a question-and-answer session with filmmaker, Dan Habib. The event will be held remotely over zoom on Thursday, February 25 from 7:00-9:00 pm.

Intelligent Lives stars three pioneering young American adults with intellectual disabilities—Micah, Naieer, and Naomie—who challenge perceptions of intelligence as they navigate high school, college, and the workforce. Academy Award-winning actor and narrator Chris Cooper contextualizes the lives of these central characters through the emotional personal story of his son Jesse, as the film unpacks the shameful and ongoing track record of intelligence testing in the U.S. 

Register at:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/free-film-screening-of-intelligent-lives-registration-131735890595

The second event is a free film screening of "Opening Doors to College." This will be followed by a panel discussion facilitated by filmmaker, Dab Habib. The event will be held over zoom on Thursday, March 25 from 7:00-8:30 pm.

Hundreds of colleges across the US are opening doors to higher education for students with intellectual disability. “Opening Doors to College” shows how students like Curtis, Janet, Fudia, and Missy are leading this inclusion revolution as they immerse themselves in classes, residential life, extracurricular activities, and the entire college experience at Millersville and Temple Universities.

Register at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/free-film-screening-of-opening-doors-to-college-registration-131735706043

9th Annual Virtual Campus Professional Development Series: “Let’s Go The Whole 9 Yards Together”

The Campus Professional Development Steering Committee is pleased to announce that the 9th Annual Campus Professional Development Days will be held on Thursday, January 7th and Friday, January 8th, 2021.

For more information, please contact the Office of Human Resources at 508-626-4530 or humanresources@framingham.edu. These are virtual events with limited on-campus activity.

Wednesday, Dec. 16th, 7 p.m.

Sponsored by the Framingham Public Library: e-mail framinghamlibraryevents@gmail.com for an invitation and Zoom link.

This reading has become an annual tradition of Framingham Public Library, featuring Framingham State University President Emerita Dr. Helen Heineman. Don't miss the opportunity to see Charles Dickens' masterpiece come to life! Dickens prepared a special reading version of A Christmas Carol that he used during reading tours in England and America, ending in Boston. Dr. Heineman will perform a dramatized reading of this version, enhanced by a slideshow of over 250 illustrations.