University of Colorado Denver College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

On Tuesday, the Department of Modern Languages along with their student interns, faculty sponsor Professor Andrés Lema-Hincapié, and family and friends celebrated the graduation of twenty Auraria Housekeepers from a new program. The housekeepers successfully participated in a pilot project designed to improve their literacy in computing basics. Steve King, MA student and one of the project’s instructors said the project itself morphed as the semester went on, responding to the needs of the students.  He said many participants were a little scared of computers at the start of the term, but that that all changed as their confidence with technology grew.  Said King, “We want to give them a leg-up and entrance into the digital world.”  Participants in the new class talked about how much they learned and how their new knowledge makes them want to learn more. This project was made possible thanks to a Diversity & Excellence Grant from the University of Colorado President’s Office, and hopes to continue next semester.

After carefully weighing all the feedback received, Provoist Narin has decided to immediately initiate a national search for the next Dean of CLAS. Nominations for individuals to serve on the search committee can be sent to Provost.Nairn@ucdenver.edu no later than 5PM on Friday, November 22, 2013. Provost Narin will be in touch at a later date to announce the committee chair, membership and the process for the search.

On November 8th, over seventy social activists, academics, students, and members of Native American tribes throughout the United States gathered at the Tivoli to remember and honor the legendary Native Rights activist, Russell Means.  The event hosted three panels: The Life and Times – The Good, The Bad, and the Real; Gender Issues, Matrilinearity, and Indigenous Liberation; and The Legacy of the Vision & Work of Russell Means.  The panelists included George (Tink) Tinker – Professor of American Indian Cultures and Religious Traditions at Iliff School of Theology and member of the Osage Nation, Ward Churchill former ethnic studies professor at CU Boulder, Glenn Morris – Professor of Political Science at CU Denver, and John Thomas – member of the American Indian Movement. Other event speakers included Russell Means’ wife, Pearl Daniel-Means, Dr. Richard Zephier, and Tessa McLean.  The event was sponsored by the CU Denver Political Science department and the Fourth World Center of Indigenous Study.

For more information, please see http://russellmeanshonoring-denver.com/

Application opens Friday, November 22 and closes Friday, November 29

In October of 2012, Hurricane Sandy caused major flooding to the islands of New York City and surrounding coastal areas.  Hurricane Sandy became the second costliest recorded storm to hit the United States.  This coming spring, CU Denver students, faculty and staff will have the opportunity to coordinate relief efforts in the New York area. For application and additional information click here.

Faculty, staff and students came together on Friday, November 15, at St. Cajetan’s Church, to learn more about the University’s sustainability efforts. CU Denver is conducting operations to improve energy efficiency, implement processes that support the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment and Governor Bill Ritter’s Greening of State Government executive order and actively pursue academic, research and facilities goals in support of a sustainable campus.  The Sustainability Summit was convened by the Chancellor’s Task Force on Sustainability to review CU Denver sustainability activities of the last five years and gather support for new goals for sustainability for the next five years.

Political Science is proud to announce the publication of the inaugural edition of Praxis—a department journal featuring student scholarship. The journal serves as a venue for student authors in the department, both graduate and undergraduate, to disseminate their research and creative work. The journal highlights the department’s commitment to an engaged political science, committed to advancing the public good through accessible scholarship, relevant to a broader civic dialogue.  The first edition of Praxis will be focused on social movement scholarship, and the first copies of the journal will be available through the Auraria campus library, or through the department.

For more information contact Elly Steinmetz at (303) 556-5859 or Eleanore.steinmetz@ucdenver.edu

Dr. Cornel West visited campus Friday, November 1, to give a lecture on education, poverty, and gender and racial equality. After his thought-provoking lecture, he engaged in an extensive Q&A session with all who attended.  He was only scheduled for the lecture and the Q&A, but he went above and beyond the call by staying late to speak with students in the political science department and taking photos with them.

One of the political science MA students who got the chance to meet Dr. West, Matthew Walker, said, “Dr. Cornel West is one of the prominent public intellectuals of our time, and one often doubts the sincerity of his studies based off his celebrity; however, upon hearing him speak, and sharing his atmosphere, there is little doubt of his integrity and commitment. Any social scientist should work to emulate the passion displayed in all elements of Dr. West’s life.”

Supported in part by a CLAS Dean’s Fund for Excellence grant, the department of communication has released the eleventh volume of Captured Words/Free Thoughts. Working under the assumption that reducing crime and reclaiming our neighborhoods depends in part on enabling a generation of abandoned Americans to experience different modes of citizenship, self-reflection, and personal expression, Captured Words/Free Thoughts aspires to empower its contributors and enlighten its readers. To fulfill these goals, Captured Words/Free Thoughts offers testimony from America’s prisons and prison-impacted communities. This issue includes poems, stories, letters, essays, and art made by men and women incarcerated or formerly incarcerated in Colorado, Arizona, Illinois, and Texas. To expand the scope of the project, this issue also includes works made by folks on the “free” side of the prison walls (in Colorado, Florida, Oregon, and Texas) who have been impacted by crime, violence, and the prison industrial-complex.

If you would like to receive hard copies, please email Stephen John Hartnett, professor and chair of communication, at Stephen.hartnett@ucdenver.edu.