Campus Currents

The Arthur Nolletti Jr. Film Series: The Breadwinner
April 11, 2022, 7 p.m., In-Person - McCarthy Center Forum

After young Parvana's father is imprisoned, she bravely finds a way to support her family despite Taliban restrictions on women. This 2017 animated film will hold you spellbound! The movie will play in the Forum. FSU and MetroWest communities are welcome to join the movie viewing and discussion.

Monday, April 11, Stop by any time between 7:30PM - 8:30PM
Outside in O’Connor Lot by Maynard Road
Cloud Date: Tuesday, April 12

Participants of all ages are invited to join us for stargazing!

Outside in the O’Connor Parking Lot, use telescopes to observe the Moon, Pleiades, Orion Nebula, Andromeda Galaxy, and Beehive Cluster while McAuliffe Center staff are available to answer your questions about telescopes and our Universe.

Framingham Earth Day Festival Celebrates with an Actionable and Interactive Event for the Whole Family!
Tenth Annual Event Comes To Center Common on April 23rd
(Rain date Saturday, April 30th)

The 2022 Framingham Earth Day Festival will offer an entertaining, educational, and family-friendly environment where participants can learn about living a more sustainable, earth-friendly lifestyle. This year’s festival will showcase the diverse organizations that embrace the vibrant environmental community in the city of Framingham.

The festivities run from 11AM until 3PM on Saturday, April 23rd, on the Framingham Centre Common, situated between Edgell Rd and Vernon St. Join us to learn about ways to make sustainable choices, conserve energy, support local businesses, and of course, reduce, reuse and recycle, all while having a great time with your friends and neighbors!

In addition to a variety of environmentally focused exhibitors, this year’s festival will include:

• HANDS ON LEARNING for all Ages: Local organizations will be offering educational and actionable take-aways empowering all attendees to living a more sustainable lifestyle! Kids activities too!
• RECYCLING: On The Common: Bring: Cell phones,CDs, Batteries (all kinds), inkjet and toner cartridges, eyeglasses, contact lenses, Fluorescent light bulbs and other Mercury products and single use plastic bags! At First Parish Church parking lot : Drop off: Electronics Recycling (various fees)
• ART: Participate in an interactive, environmental art exhibit from local artist, Karen Alzayer, for all ages to experience.
• ENTERTAINMENT: Enjoy live music and presentations from local bands and environmental experts.
• BYO FOOD!: This year, we are encouraging everyone to either purchase food from the local restaurants near the common, or bring their own meals in reusable containers. We will have a community gathering area to sit, eat and connect with neighbors. There will be an opportunity to share your favorite picnic recipes and to be a part of our 2022 Framingham Earth Day cookbook (post-event).
• FREE MWRTA transportation To/From Downtown and the Common.

More details on exhibitors, entertainment, recycling, and free transportation will be updated regularly at our website: www.framinghamearthday.org

By Branden LaCroix, publications intern

In 2017, right-wing provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos was invited to speak at UC Berkeley when violent protests caused the university to cancel the event.

The invitation of Yiannopoulos – whose speeches many consider to be racist, sexist, and xenophobic – sparked conversations across the country concerning free speech.

“The constitutional right to free speech has essentially been used as a scapegoat to justify the overwhelming presence of hate speech,” said Sy Stokes, a postdoctoral fellow at the National Center for Institutional Diversity at the University of Michigan.

The Center of Inclusive Excellence hosted a speech by Stokes March 30 discussing incidents of hate speech on college campuses, and ways colleges and universities can respond to them more effectively.

Stokes explained the history of challenges to free speech on campuses and the “slippery-slope” arguments from people he refers to as “free-speech purists.”

He said about 350 colleges and universities have attempted to adopt regulations to stymie hate speech on their campuses, but courts have repeatedly struck them down as being unconstitutional.

The main argument is the language used in potential hate speech regulations are too broad which can lead to them being weaponized against marginalized groups.

However, Stokes said, “Those who defend free speech at all cost, either downplay or completely disregard the dynamic of power that surrounds these conversations.”

This “dynamic of power,” Stokes said, assumes hate speech and anti-hate speech are equal, but ignores the real effects bigoted language has on marginalized students.

Quoting Mari Mitsuda, law professor at the University of Hawaii, Stokes said the “victims of hate speech experience physiological symptoms and emotional distress."

“Victims have to quit their jobs, forego education, leave their homes, avoid certain public spaces, curtail their own exercising of speech rights, and otherwise modify their behavior and demeanor,” he said.

While Stokes said college education should be open to differing perspectives, “Any and all speech that is an affront to one's dignity and humanity should not be legitimized or ideologically sponsored.”

Stokes outlined several ways public institutions should respond to incidents of hate speech.

He said colleges should directly reach out and support the specific marginalized groups who are targeted, and to avoid “All Students Matter discourse,” which he calls a “largely symbolic gesture.”

He added students and groups affected by hate speech should be involved in discussions about “the next step” following an incident. “If you want to know how to most effectively support students, ask your students.”

Stokes also stressed the importance of hiring more staff and faculty of color, especially around mental health counseling. “The majority of mental health professionals are white, and research has shown time and time again that students of color are often reluctant to utilize counseling services when they don't feel represented.”

Finally, he said an institution’s values “must explicitly center the humanity of marginalized students.

“You have to demonstrate to your students that you know the historical context underlying these incidents and that you understand why they are not isolated to any degree.”

Fresh Check Day is an uplifting mental health fair with therapy dogs, fun booths, free giveaways, grand prizes and more. It will be held on Wednesday, April 13 from noon to 1:30 p.m. in the McCarthy Forum.

Questions ? Contact Pam Lehmberg at plehmberg@framingham.edu

Tuesday, April 19, 4:30 p.m.
Heineman Ecumenical Center

The FSU English Department is excited to invite back to campus our talented alumnus, Enzo Silon Surin '00! Enzo is a Haitian-born award-winning writer, poet, educator, publisher, and social advocate. He is the author of three collections of poetry, including When My Body Was A Clinched Fist (Black Lawrence Press, 2020), winner of the 21st Annual Massachusetts Book Award for Poetry, and the chapbook, A Letter of Resignation: An American Libretto (Central Square Press 2017), as well as the co-editor of Where We Stand: Poems of Black Resilience (Cherry Castle Publishing, 2022).

Enzo's work gives voice to experiences that take place in what he calls "broken spaces."

Co-sponsored by the FSU English Department, the Office of Development & Alumni Relations, and the Center for Inclusive Excellence, this year's event is made possible in part through a grant from the University's Council on Diversity & Inclusion.

Contact Dr. Lisa Eck for more information: leck@framingham.edu

Thursday, April 21, 4:30 p.m., DPAC

We follow FSU Professor Audrey Kali as she visits farms and slaughterhouses and meets with experts to reveal the ambiguous moral underbelly of humane animal slaughter. But what starts out as a concern for animals becomes a story about people. What she once saw as senseless acts of violence, she understands as a complicated agricultural system, pursued by decent people fully cognizant of the contradictions and complexity of their actions.

Click here for more information.

Directed by Audrey Kali and David Tamés
Edited by David Tamés
Animation by Lauren Looney
Graphic Design by Lee Seaman
Featuring Temple Grandin

Discussion Panelists
Audrey Kali, Professor
Department of Communication, Media, and Performance
Framingham State University

David Tamés
Associate Teaching Professor
College of Arts, Media, and Design
Northeastern University

Jennifer Hashley, Director
New Entry Sustainable Farming Project
Tufts University

Megan Mayer, Assistant Professor
Campus Sustainability Coordinator
Department of Nutrition and Health Studies
Framingham State University

Ira Silver, Professor
Department of Sociology
Framingham State University

Capstone Exhibitions

Exhibition Two: April 21 - 27 with a reception April 26th, 4:30-6:00pm

Exhibition Three: May 2 - 8 with a reception May 3rd, 4:30-6:00pm

Studio Art and Graphic Design majors in The Department of Art & Music at Framingham State University are immersed in a collaborative, innovative and interdisciplinary learning environment, which focuses on academic excellence in the areas of visual art, design, and art history. The Capstone Experience is designed to support students to work intensively on creating a cohesive body of work in their chosen concentration. Throughout their final year of study students receive feedback on this work from their peers, faculty, and professionals in the field. The degree culminates with a public exhibition in Mazmanian Gallery.

Suitable Solutions Career Professionalism Program
Ongoing—Spring 2022 Semester
The Suitable Solutions Career Professionalism Program is a multi-part professional career development series designed to prepare students for the internship & job search and the interview process. Students are educated about career professionalism, soft skills, social awareness, professional dress, and networking techniques to enhance their career opportunities. Upon completion of the series students will be awarded a Macy’s Gift card to purchase a professional outfit ($100 limit). This initiative will benefit ALL students for all majors. Learn the professional skills that employers want.

Suitable Solutions Career Advice Professionalism Panel Event
Tuesday, April 12, 12 noon– 1:30 p.m., MC Forum
OPEN TO ALL STUDENTS -As part of the Spring 2022 Suitable Solutions
Program, all students are invited to come to this event to help prepare for the world of professional work. Learn about the soft skills that employers say are imperative for emerging professionals. The goal of the Career Advice Professionalism Panel is to give the students a current and accurate picture of local labor market and hiring considerations across multiple industries.

Enterprise On-Campus Interview Day
Tuesday, April 12, 9:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m. & 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., MC 412
Pre-Registration is required for all interviews through HANDSHAKE for:
Enterprise Rent-A-Car Management Trainee - Cape Cod area

Enterprise Rent-A-Car Management Trainee - Greater Worcester area

Enterprise Rent-A-Car Management Trainee - Greater Boston Area

For more information, call the CSER Office at 508-626-4625.

MERC Education Fair
Thursday, April 21, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., at Boston University
Come to the largest education fair in New England. Over 120 school
systems and agencies attend! This annual recruiting event brings together teaching candidates and school systems from across the country for networking and job opportunities in public/private schools. The 2022 MERC Education Career Fair is FREE and open to candidates in education and related fields (teaching, administration, school counseling/psychology, occupational therapy, social work, speech-language, etc). Licensure is not required to participate.

Must register at: www.merccareerfair.com.

-History Professor Joseph M. Adelman wrote a review of a new documentary by Ken Burns on Benjamin Franklin which is airing on PBS, as well as on a new book about the founding father. The review appeared in Slate: https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2022/04/ben-franklin-ken-burns-review-michael-meyer-philanthropy.html