Fairfield University students speak up about activism at Communities in Action Summit | Press Releases

Fairfield University students and faculty will host a "Communities in Action Summit" which will consist of performances, panels, presentations, and posters promoting social justice, activism, and diversity on Friday, April 16 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the John A. Barone Campus Center. With a slogan of "Dare to Act - Act to Change," the summit marks the culmination of the University's Year of Activism theme.

Featured during the summit are 23 presentations by students, faculty, and staff who will share their experiences with and perspectives on activism and justice.

Samples of the student presentations are:

10 a.m.-2 p.m.

"Dirty Laundry" - Barone Campus Center (BCC) Lower Level
Invites members of the campus community to consider social taboos that most of us feel uncomfortable about or choose to ignore.

10 a.m.-10:45 a.m. - BBC 200

A Carousel From the Sun - Courtney Dumais & Michael Leavitt
Highlights our work exploring alternative energy sources at the Beardsley Zoo.

Creating a Sustainable Change in Education in Haiti
Deidre Forrest, Melissa Hannequin, Andrea LaRosa, & Marena Wisniewski
Information session about the education system in Haiti and a planned project to provide school children with education supplies.

Is There Hope for Sudan: Fairfield Women for Others - Julie Whittaker
Learn from the Just-Us Residential College about the issues of social justice in Sudan and fundraising efforts for Hope for Ariang.

11 a.m.-11:45 a.m.

Volunteerism, Service, and Academic Experiences for Social Justice in Latin America - Gisela Gil-Egui, Ph.D., Melissa Martinez, Jennifer Zocco, Steve Bottari, & John Haskins - BCC Lower Level
Multimedia presentation (in a PowerPoint loop) combines oral testimonies and images from Fairfield University students who have participated in internships, service trips, semesters abroad, and research experiences in Latin America.

A dopt-a-City Initiative and Letter Writing Campaign
Dana Paice, Jennifer Lance, Christina Dunne, Mike Callahan, Carlin O'Donnell, Grace Neubauer, Chandler Oliphant, Meghan Sullivan - BCC 206
A partnership with Pierre d'Haiti and Bridgeport's Haiti Relief Resources Office focuses on sustainable relief and proactive action.

Public Forum on the He Said/ She Said Controversy
Shawne Lomauro - BCC Lower Level
Open conversation between members of the community, Mirror staff, and community activists regarding the controversy that took place this year around the He Said/She Said Column.

Noon-12:20 p.m.

Keynote address by Renée White, Ph.D., professor of sociology, director of Black Studies, and academic coordinator of Diversity and Global Citizenship, and Fr. Gerald Blaszczak, S.J., Ph.D., university chaplain.

12:45 p.m.-1:15 p.m.

Poetry for Peace
Prof. Nels Pearson, Prof. Jerelyn Johnson, Brittany Hill, & Stefana Cambanis
BCC Lower Level
"Poetry for Peace" discusses the relationship between the imaginative language of poetry and the imaginative thinking required to work for peace. A poetry contest for K-8th grade students from Bridgeport and Fairfield schools on the theme of peace resulted in over 700 submissions..

Take Back the Night
Alicia Bissonnette, Mikaela Tierney, & Nicole Fogliano - BCC Lower Level
A reading of the monologue from the vigil for "Take Back the Night."

1:15 p.m.-2 p.m.

Ever Think About Who Picks Your Tomatoes: Fairfield for Fair Wages
Julie Whittaker, Kim Ruoff, & Melissa Hannequin, joined by members of Students for Social Justice and participants in the Florida Spring Break Service Trip - BCC 206
90% of tomatoes produced in the US come from Florida, where farm workers face sub-poverty wages, lack the right to unionize and to overtime pay, and in the most extreme cases have been subjected to modern day slavery. Learn how you can fight for justice through Students for Social Justice's "Fairfield for Fair Wages" campaign.

Agricultural Sustainability in Haiti
Lauren DiBartolomeo, Megan Solomon, Kelly Williams, Muller Gomes, & Jackie Brimley- BCC 200
Action research project with Organization Rehabilitation for the Environment with goal to introduce better agricultural practices and alternative fuel to the Haitian countryside.

Invisible Children - The war in Northern Uganda
Nicole Shagoury , Laura Gilmartin, & Sheila McCarthy - BCC 200
Aims to educate students on campus about the 23-year and ways for people to get involved and help bring this war to an end.

The event is sponsored by the Peace & Justice Studies Program and co-sponsored by: The Humanities Institute of Fairfield University, Center for Catholic Studies, Office of Academic Engagement, Women's Studies, Black Studies, Just-us Residential College, Politics Department, History Department, Visual and Performing Arts Theater Program, Project Peg, JUHAN, Office of Service Learning, Students for Social Justice.