Center for Inclusive Excellence Open House
By Alain Puma, Publications Intern
The Center for Inclusive Excellence hosted an open house event to inform students about the various resources they have to offer and to encourage community engagement on campus. Free popcorn and refreshments were provided, a guest speaker made a presentation, and students had an opportunity to purchase FSU merchandise while they mingled with other people at the event.
Clubs such as the Muslim Student Association, the African Student Association, The Pride Alliance, and the Student Veterans Association provided flyers and sign-up sheets for their respective clubs and the Gatepost had representatives present to engage with students who attended.
The Center itself hosts a campus ministry and has a lounge available for students. The Center also displays works from artists who are members of marginalized or underrepresented groups and have several pieces on loan from the Danforth Museum as well. The pieces are rotated each month to commemorate different months such as National Hispanic Heritage Month and Black History Month.
According to Jerome Burke, who serves as the Center’s Director of Inclusive Excellence Initiatives, the open house event was mainly intended to serve as a way to welcome students, particularly those from marginalized groups.
“This is essentially our welcome reception geared toward creating a space where LGBTQ students and students from marginalized communities can have an opportunity to meet and mingle with people,” he said.
He added, “We also really wanted to give all students an opportunity to learn about the resources on campus as well as some of the clubs and groups. We wanted to hold an open house where the clubs and groups could have a place to table and then students could pop in and have a chance to sign up for a club and ultimately build greater bonds on campus.”
Burke also underscored the resources that the Center itself provides - such as trainings and workshops centered around things like cultural competency and LGBTQ issues as well as collaborative events such as Rams Refresh, a meditation opportunity designed to give students a chance to relax and cope with any stress they may be feeling.
Burke emphasized the benefits that fostering community engagement can have for students.
“The groups and clubs on campus are really about creating community. It’s important to let students know that there is a community on campus and there are different activities for them to be involved in because it is very beneficial for them to mingle and meet with other people and to be exposed to different cultures and different ideas. We just want to create a space where that can happen,” he said.
Groups Team Up for Event During International World Cleanup Day
By Alain Puma, Publications Intern
Biology department professor and Interim Campus Sustainability Coordinator Dr. Aviva Liebert said that community cleanup events can help foster a deeper community connection, which ultimately benefits both FSU students and Framingham residents.
“From a student’s perspective, there’s a feeling of satisfaction when you take ownership of your surroundings and really see yourself as not just a student who’s coming and going, but as a part of the community. We’re part of a university but we’re also part of a city. I feel like there’s a lack of connection between the city of Framingham and the people who are a part of the University. I think this can help promote a sense of connectedness to the community at large,” she said. "The more links to the community we have, the better of everyone is. The city, the people who live in the city, and the students as well.”
Debra Caplan, who is co-chair of local organization Keep Framingham Beautiful, echoed Leibert and further emphasized the connection the university and the city shares. Caplan also praised FSU's attentiveness to trash and recycling.
Dr. Liebert also said that litter is an issue that transcends Framingham’s appearance.
“It’s not just an issue of aesthetics, it’s an ecological issue as well. If you have debris or toxic chemicals that may leech out of some of the litter - because we have a lot of wetlands nearby - we can end up with pollution,” she said.
Caplan also added that litter negatively impacts wildlife and can have pernicious effects on them.
“Litter can go down the storm drains and then it ends up in waterways and the ocean. It can also confuse wild life. Animals can eat the litter, mistaking it for food, ingest it, and eventually die. So, there are a lot of environmental and wildlife reasons why we do this,” she said.
The event, Neighborhood and Garden Cleanup, was held on Friday, Sept. 20th. It coincided with International World Cleanup Day. Volunteers walked the areas adjacent to FSU and picked up litter using grabbers. Volunteers were also asked to help harvest the herbs and vegetables in the community garden as well as clean up the area.
One of those volunteers was freshman Haylee Sullivan. She said she was inspired to go to the event because it pertains to her major.
“It relates to my major so I wanted to participate. I also wanted to meet more people who were involved with my major,” she said.
Sullivan also said that these types of events benefit the students who participate.
“I would tell other students that you never know who you meet at these events and it could be beneficial to your college career and even any goals you have after graduation,” she said.
