Campus Currents

March 13, 2019 at 4:30 p.m.
Heineman Ecumenical Center

Lori Gemeiner Bihler
Cities of Refuge: German Jews in London and New York, 1935-1945

In the years following Hitler’s rise to power, German Jews faced increasingly restrictive
antisemitic laws, and many responded by fleeing to more tolerant countries. Cities of
Refuge compares the experiences of Jewish refugees who immigrated to London and
New York City by analyzing letters, diaries, newspapers, organizational documents, and
oral histories. By highlighting a disparity between integration and identity formation,
Lori Gemeiner Bihler challenges traditional theories of assimilation and provides a new
framework for the study of refugees and migration.

Ani Gjika
Negative Space

Professor Ani Gjika’s translation of Negative Space, a double-volume of poetry by the
Albanian writer Luljeta Lleshanaku, is now one of five finalists shortlisted for a PEN
Poetry Translation Prize! The winners will be announced on February 26 at the 2019
PEN America American Literary Awards Ceremony, held at the New York University
Skirball Center.

By Publications intern Lizzy Stocks

Scott Langley, a photojournalist and human rights activist, discussed the “intense and barbaric” aspects of the death penalty as he presented his slideshow “Timeline of an Execution” in the McCarthy Forum on Feb. 27.

The slideshow transparently portrays the death penalty process using non-staged photos Langley has taken over many years.

The photos are from different executions that occurred in Arkansas, Texas, North Carolina, Georgia, and Europe. The presentation consists of photos taken inside and outside the prisons, crowds of protestors and supporters, as well as photos of the prisoners’ family members.

Langley recalled the first time he photographed a prison during the night of an execution, “I didn’t really know what to expect, but I knew I just wanted to go stand outside the prison, see what was happening, and take photos.”

After driving over three hours to Huntsville, Texas, with a camera in his trunk, Langley said he arrived to a “dismal” scene as no media, photographers, or film crew were in attendance.

“There were six people outside the prison during execution. That’s how much of a common, normal routine this was in Texas,” he said.

Langley said during this time in Texas, executions were happening as often as once a week as George W. Bush was the governor and oversaw more executions than any other governor. Nationally, he said, executions happened twice a week.

He said as a sociology major, he never had a personal opinion about the death penalty, but his perception changed at 6 p.m. the night he drove to Huntsville and observed the brick building where executions happen. He said he watched as the minute hand ticked closer and closer to six, the time of execution in Texas.

“Literally, across the street from where I stood, someone was dying. A prisoner was being killed by the government. And I never really thought of it in those very visceral terms,” he said.

Langley said it was from that point he knew he wanted to be an anti-death penalty activist.
During his presentation, Langley told the story of death row prisoner, Troy Davis. As a young black man, Davis was convicted of killing an off-duty white police officer. Langley said there was no weapon or DNA evidence to corroborate the conviction - only the testimony of nine eyewitnesses.

He said seven of the nine witnesses later recanted their testimony, stating they didn’t actually see Davis commit the murder. Some witnesses claimed to be forced by the police to give testimony during the trial.

“Over the course of a few years, one million people, including well-known politicians, had signed a petition calling the state of Georgia to stop the execution, to save an innocent man’s life,” he said. A judge declared the evidence was not enough to stop the execution, and a new date was set.

Langley said it took 54 minutes for the execution team and a doctor to set an IV in Davis. He said the process of putting a prisoner to death can take as long as two hours, adding to the trauma of the death penalty. He said most pharmaceutical companies now refuse to sell execution drugs to prisons which leads to other methods of execution such as firing squad, death by gassing, and electrocution.

Langley said the U.S. is the “only western democracy that retains the practice” of the death penalty. He asked, “What does the death penalty teach us? That killing is a response to killing? That retaliatory violence is an acceptable means of addressing conflict? It’s clear it’s an endless cycle.”

Late Nite Skies Presents: Undiscovered Worlds featuring Dr. Roland Vanderspek

Friday, March 15, 7 p.m.
FSU Planetarium
Register here: http://christa.org/fsuplanetarium/

Humans have long imagined alien worlds beyond our solar system. However, in recent years, science fiction has become science fact. Join us for a presentation of Undiscovered Worlds, a fulldome film produced by the Charles Hayden Planetarium at Boston’s Museum of Science. Undiscovered Worlds reveals the ingenious methods used by astronomers to identify planets orbiting stars beyond the Sun, culminating in the historic Kepler mission, which has detected thousands of these “exoplanets” over the last few years.

After the film, join us for a discussion of the latest news from Kepler’s successor: the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). We’re thrilled to welcome Roland Vanderspek, Principal Research Scientist at the MIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Science, and deputy principal investigator for TESS. TESS, launched in April 2018, is sure to reveal thousands of additional worlds, further changing the way we view our place among the stars. Dr. Vanderspek will report on the results of TESS’s first few months of observations.

New Inca Son

March 25, 2019 at 1:30 p.m.
Forum, McCarthy Center

The splendor of Andean folklore comes alive with New Inca Son. The group has performed its ancient melodies and dances in such diverse places as Red Square in Moscow, historic Teatro dal Verme in Milan and the Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, Utah.

March 26, 2019 at 7 p.m.
Dwight Performing Arts Center

Award-winning performer and playwright Melinda Lopez (Mala, Sonia Flew, Becoming Cuba) brings her uniquely powerful voice to FSU as she performs selections from her work and discusses creating work for Latin/x performers and her new adaptation/translation of Lorca’s Yerma, which opens May 31, 2019, at the Huntington Theatre.

Thursday, March 28, 2019
7 p.m. 9 p.m.
McCarthy Center Forum
Part of the Moon Landing in Context Series

Speaker: Dr. Michael Neufeld, Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum

Wernher von Braun, who led both the V-2 ballistic missile and Saturn V moon rocket projects, has often been reduced to a stereotype: either as the great pioneer of space or a Nazi villain. From Dr. Neufeld’s research, a much more ambiguous and complex figure emerges, instead.

Facilitated by: Dr. Jon Huibregtse
Sponsored by: Framingham State University Arts & Ideas Program.

Thursday, March 28, 2019 - Alumni Room, 5-7 p.m.

Is your piggy bank too big? International Reserve Accumulation in Latin America

Like most emerging economies, Latin American countries have accumulated large sums of international reserves over the last few decades. These reserves are typically seen in the literature as serving a precautionary motive—a liquidity buffer against unforeseen changes in the international trade and financial flows to the country. These resources, however, do not come cheap. In this lecture, Dr. Rosero will summarize some of his recent research findings on the effectiveness of international reserve accumulation as a method for promoting macroeconomic stability, as well as potential implications for regional integration in Latin America.

Monday, April 1, 4:30 p.m.
Alumni Room, McCarthy Center

The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, was formed in 1963 at the request of President John F. Kennedy to involve the private bar in providing legal services to address racial discrimination.They recently partnered with the Fund for Leadership, Equity, Access and Diversity (LEAD) Fund to conduct a study to better understand what is unfolding on college and university campuses; this study provides insight into the prevalence of hate and bias incidents on campuses.

In this presentation, they will discuss:

-The context of the increase in hate incidents across the country and the parallel increase in hate incidents on college campuses.

-What hate looks like, the affect that hate has on targeted communities (including the effect on the broader campus community).

-Define the differences between hate incidents and hate crimes.

-Provide an overview of federal and Massachusetts state hate crime laws, and what you should do if you experience hate.

Thursday, April 4, 4:30 p.m.
Heinemen Ecumenical Center

Join us for the annual Miriam Levine Reading, this year featuring author and poet Chen Chen. 

Chen is the author of When I Grow Up I Want to Be a List of Further Possibilities, which won the A. Poulin Jr. Poetry Prize, Thom Gunn Award for Gay Poetry, and the GLCA New Writers Award. Longlisted for the National Book Award, When I Grow Up I Want to Be a List of Further Possibilities was also a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for Gay Poetry, and was named one of the best of 2017 by The Brooklyn Rail, Entropy, Library Journal, and others.

His work has appeared in many publications, including Poetry, Tin House, Poem-a-Day, The Best American Poetry, Bettering American Poetry, and The Best American Nonrequired Reading. Recently, his work has been translated into French, Greek, Spanish, and Russian. Poets & Writers Magazine featured him in their Inspiration Issue as one of “Ten Poets Who Will Change the World.” He has received fellowships from Kundiman, Lambda Literary, and the Saltonstall Foundation.

Chen earned his MFA from Syracuse University and is pursuing a PhD in English and Creative Writing as an off-site Texas Tech University student. He lives in frequently snowy Rochester, NY with his partner, Jeff Gilbert and their pug dog, Mr. Rupert Giles.

Chen is the 2018-2020 Jacob Ziskind Poet-in-Residence at Brandeis University.

Please save the date for a special science symposium where research performed by faculty and students in connection to the Framingham State Food Study will be presented to the community!

Thursday, April 25
4-6:30 p.m.

Presentations will include:

What Did We Learn from the Framingham State Food Study?
Cara B. Ebbeling, PhD, MS
Principal Investigator, Framingham State Food Study
Co-Director New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children’s Hospital

Effects of a Low-Carbohydrate Diet on the Lipoprotein Insulin Resistance Index and Other Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Disease
Ann Johnson, PhD, MBA, RD, LD
Assistant Professor, Food and Nutrition, Framingham State University

Effects of Diets Varying in Carbohydrate on Cognitive Performance
Ruth Remington, PhD, AGPCNP-BC
Professor, Nursing, Framingham State University
Susan M. Mullaney, EdD, RN, CNE
Professor/Chair, Nursing, Framingham State University
Cynthia Francis Bechtel, PhD, RN, CNE
Professor, Nursing, Framingham State University

Weight Diet Influences on Dietary Compliance and Stress
Andrea Gorman, PhD, MS, RD, LDN
Assistant Professor/Director, Coordinated Program in Dietetics
Food and Nutrition, Framingham State University
Charles J. Sachs, PhD
Assistant Professor, Psychology and Philosophy, Framingham State University

The Academia/Industry Partnership
Ralph Eddy, Director Dining Services/Sodexo, Framingham State University
Julia Wong, PhD, RD, (FS)2 Associate Study Director
Megan Sandman, MS, RD, (FS)2 Clinical Nutrition Research Coordinator
Lauren Holmes, RD, (FS)2 Kitchen Production Leader
New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children’s Hospital

Spanish Language Table is back! We are now meeting every other Thursday at the Dining Commons (McCarthy Center), 5:30-6:30pm. This semester we have new hosts, guests, delicious recipes (Gracias, Sodexo!), and a lot to learn together. All levels of Spanish are welcome. So, keep calm and practica Español!

Take a look at our schedule below and save the dates:

March 21
April 11, 25

Spanish Language Table is possible thanks to the collaboration between the department of World Languages and Dining Services. For students, faculty and staff not on a meal plan, please RSVP contacting Everton Vargas da Costa:evargasdacosta@framingham.edu

Wednesday Employer Showcase Series, McCarthy Campus Center Lobby, 9:00AM – 5:45PM:
Employers showcase their organization every Wednesday in the McCarthy Center lobby by the
Welcome Desk. Their goal is to network with FSU students and recruit students for full time or internship opportunities. Stop by their table in order to learn about new internships and job opportunities!

3/13/19
9 a.m. to Noon: The Danforth Museum at Framingham State
Noon—3:00 p.m.: Mini Miracles Early Education & Camp Cody
3 p.m. to 6 p.m.: Corcoran Management & New England Paradigm

3/27/19
9:00 a.m.—12 Noon: Work Opportunities Unlimited
Noon—3:00 p.m.: Ashland Public Schools

4/3/19
9:00 – 3: 00 p.m.: Framingham Public Schools Career Day

4/10/19
9 a.m. to Noon: The Key Program
10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.: MetroWest YMCA

4/17/19
9:00 a.m.—Noon: Rove Pest Control
12 —3:00 p.m.: Abercrombie & Fitch and Housing Management Resources

4/24/19
Noon – 3:00 p.m.: The Leap School

Spring Job and Internship Fair, Tuesday, March 26, 2019, 4:30 p.m.– 6:00 p.m., MC Forum
Come to this great networking event! Full-time and Internship
positions available. Over 55 employers from the business, human services,
non-profit, and STEM field’s will be featured. Bring your resume.
Dress professionally.

Framingham Public Schools Career Day and On-Campus Interviews, Wednesday, April 3, 2019, 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m., MC Lobby & Foster 102 (Interviews)
Hiring for Before and After School Team. Jobs and internships available this summer and fall. On the spot interviews. Bring resumes and dress professionally.

Suitable Solutions Mocktail Mixer Networking Event & Graduation Apr 4, 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m., MC Forum
Network with employer partners while learning about proper networking techniques and etiquette while enjoying food and “mock” tails! Pre-Registration required via Ramtrack. Please call the CSER Office for more information.

YMCA Career Day and On Campus Interviews, Wednesday, April 10, 2019, 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., MC Lobby and Foster 102 (Interviews)
Paid internships and professional positions. On the spot and scheduled interviews. Pre-Registration is through the CSER Office. Call 508-626-4625 for more information and to register. Bring resumes and dress professionally.

MERC Education Fair, Thursday, April 18, 2019 , 9:00 a.m.– 2:30 p.m., at B.U.
Come to the largest education fair in New England - Over 100 school systems and agencies attend! Save the date for this annual recruiting event that brings together teaching candidates and school systems across the country for networking and job opportunities in public/private schools. Must register at: www.merccareerfair.com

On-Campus Interviews Week, May 6—May 10, 2019—Employers TBA
*Coca-Cola Summer Internship Program, Monday, May 6, 2019, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Foster 102
Pre-Registration is required for all interviews through the CSER Office. Call 508-626-4625 for more information.