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2012 Diversity Conference Proposals
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AM Session: 11:00 -12:15 pm
Session Title: Degrees of Separation
Abstract. Keynote Speaker Arsalan Iftikar will join local religious and political leaders to
discuss a variety of perspectives on the intersection of politics and religion. The
conversation will focus on how social and political systems are influenced by religious
beliefs and institutions. They will examine questions such as marriage rights,
separation of church and state, and stereotypes.
Panelists:
Arsalan Iftikar, Rev. James Callan
AM Session: 11 am- 12:15 pm
Session Title: Restoring Dignity
Abstract: Federal policies have had a devastating effect on Native American families.
One of the policies scooped Native American children from their homes and sent them
to residential or boarding schools, which led to generations of dysfunctional individuals.
Several Native American organizations are working to provide services which allow
individuals to cope with the Historical trauma caused by this. Neto Hatinakwe
Onkwehowe (Neto) provides such a service through the arts by engaging community
members in traditional workshops which are led by Native Americans who have found
through spirituality a process to encourage healing. The mission of Neto is “To promote
the arts and culture of the indigenous people of the America’s.” This leads us to find
venues and partners to fulfill our mission. By this we are creating awareness of the
ways in which artistic expressions provide an outlet and way to help heal some of the
wounds of historical trauma.
Presenter Name/Title/Agency
Allan Jamieson, Director, Neto Hatinakwe Onkwehowe
AM Session: 11 am- 12:15 pm
Session Title: Same-Sex Marriage and Spirituality: Our Area's
Rich History and Resources
Abstract: New York became the sixth state to legalize same-sex marriage with the
affirmative vote by the state senate on June 24, 2011. However, grass roots efforts to
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pass such a law began many years earlier. In fact, it could be said that Upstate NY and
the City of Rochester played a key part, and had a unique leadership role in advocacy
and inclusion efforts for GLBT people at the levels of both church and state. This talk
will review the Rochester area’s history of gay and lesbian rights groups and worship
communities, and present information on current organizations and individuals whose
efforts have united diverse community members in support of civil and religious equality
for same-sex couples. Special attention will be paid to the interrelationship between
advocacy for civil rights, and advocacy for acceptance of same-sex relationships within
religious organizations.
Presenter Name/Title/Agency
Jan Gillespie, PhD, Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology, The College
at Brockport
AM Session 11 am- 12:15 pm
Session Title: Religion in the Workplace 101
Abstract: Some employers are very cautious when it comes to religion in the
workplace. Not only do they want to avoid the appearance of mixing faith with business,
but they also want to preempt lawsuits. Lawsuits should be prevented on both sides of
the spectrum. And it is important for employers and their workers to know the law
concerning religion and religious accommodations.
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits workplace discrimination based on
religion, ethnicity, country of origin, race and color. Such discrimination is prohibited in
any aspect of employment, including recruitment, hiring, promotion, benefits, training,
job duties, and termination. In addition, an employer must provide a reasonable
accommodation for religious practices unless doing so would result in an undue
hardship. Title VII prohibits retaliation against someone who complains about a
discriminatory practice, files a charge, or assists in an investigation of discrimination in
any way. Employers with 15 or more employees are required to comply with Title VII.
Religious discrimination involves treating a person unfavorably because of his or her
religious beliefs. The law protects not only people who belong to traditional, organized
religions, such as Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism, but also others
who have sincerely held religious, ethical or moral beliefs.
Presenter Name/Title/Agency:
Leah Smiley, President, The Society for Diversity
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AM Session: 11 am – 12:15 pm
Session Title: The Contemplative in Today’s World
Abstract: The mind is a busy place. How can one be in the world and at the same time,
find contact with the quieted mind, contemplate our current condition? Why is it
important?
Perhaps one fundamental problem in the world is that we don’t talk about what is
missing and what we may wish for; a connection to something greater than ourselves; a
sense of the commonality that we all share. This effort might lead to a truer sense of
compassion. Without it, we see ourselves as separate — the only one, or the best.
State and politics do not speak to the difficulty, nor offer the possibility of another reality.
We will never be able to listen to others, to solve world and local problems, until we first
find a way to listen to ourselves; find out who we really are or aren’t.
This workshop will explore ideas from the presenter’s background in the Gurdjieff Work.
Participants will be given an opportunity to work with a beginning exercise. One form
that Gurdjieff used to teach his students was called Sacred Dance or Movements. We
will watch a short film showing some of these dances.
Presenter Name/Title/Agency
Nancy Berlove, President, Sign Language Connection, Inc.
AM Session: 11 am – 12:15 pm
Session Title: The Dynamics of Culture, Faith and Family among
Hispanics
Abstract
The United States is currently one of the largest Spanish-speaking countries in the
world. According to the Pew Research Center, the Hispanic population in the US will
triple by 2050 becoming the largest Spanish-speaking country (Passel, J.S. & Cohn, D.,
2008). Because one in five Americans will soon be foreign-born and their children and
grandchildren will account for most of the population growth, it is imperative at we
understand the dynamics that take place as these individuals and families adapt to the
US culture. The process of adaptation and developing cultural competence in a new
cultural setting may follow one of four different patterns: biculturalism, assimilation,
separation or marginalization (Cabassa, L., 2003). These patterns become more
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complex for the children of immigrants and for children who migrated with their families
to a new culture at a young age (Johnson-Mondragon, K., 2008). These generational
differences are a major source of conflict within Hispanic families especially concerning
ethnic identity, values and spirituality. Recognizing these patterns of acculturation is an
important skill for anyone providing services to this diverse population.
Presenter Name/Title/Agency
Lynette Saenz, Director of Cultural Diversity, Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester
PM Session I: 2:00-3:15 pm
Session Title: Coexistence: Learning about each other from
each other; an Interactive Seminar and Discussion
Abstract: Through thought provoking exercises and activities, this session empowers
students to overcome fears based on stereotypes and misperceptions by listening to
and learning from others.
In life, we will come face to face with someone that thinks differently than ourselves. It is
at this critical moment when we are faced with a choice: do we let our preconceived
notions of this person, due to race, gender, or religion, dictate the way we interact with
him or her? Or do we cast aside biases and openly embrace the other for his or her
beliefs, while sharing our own? The latter is a skill that can be achieved through guided
training and practice which encourages probing the inner self in order to overcome the
barriers we set up, the barriers that prevent us from recognizing and sharing each
other’s humanity. In this day and age, learning to embrace differing views is not only a
skill necessary for our current leaders, but also a must-have for the students that will
become tomorrow’s leaders.
The first part of this session gives participants exposure to the art of dialogue through a
group breakout session focused on listening and learning. The second component
centers on presenting the salient points of establishing effective moderated discussion
regarding issues of spirituality. The final aspect of this session invites participants to
overcome misconceptions or fears they may have about others through a unique
introspection exercise.
Presenter Name/Title/Agency
Richard DeJesús-Rueff, EdD, Vice President for Student Affairs & Diversity Initiatives,
St. John Fisher College
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Co-Presenter/Title/Agency
George Payne, Program Coordinator and Peace Educator, M.K. Gandhi Institute for
Nonviolence at the University of Rochester.
Co-Presenter/Title/Agency
Mohammad Husain Bawany, Dual major in Biology and Religious Studies, St. John
Fisher College
PM Session I: 2:00-3:15 pm
Session Title: Emma Lazarus: Voice of Liberty
Abstract: Emma Lazarus is best remembered for her poem, “The New Colossus.”
However, in a recent touring exhibit the visited Drake Memorial Library, her fascinating
life and experiences as a Jewish immigrant highlight the late 19th century immigrant
experience, much of which is still relevant today. Many groups sought entrance to the
United States during Emma’s lifetime for a variety of reasons, from escaping war and
famine, to religious persecution, to abject poverty. The outcome for our country was
incredibly positive, as these immigrants or their descendants made immeasurable
advances for the country in arts, politics and sciences.
The United States today continues to be a magnet for those seeking a better life, and as
these new immigrants are assimilated into our society, it can have only positive
outcomes for our culture as a whole. We must keep in mind that most of us came of
immigrant stock, and rather than isolating ourselves or the newcomers, embrace the
fresh ideas and news customs they bring with them.
Presenter Name/Title/Agency
Pam O'Sullivan, Head of Integrated Public Services, The College at Brockport
PM Session I: 2:00-3:15 pm
Session Title: Understanding Islam and cultural and religious
tolerance: A soldier's perspective
Abstract
“America does not fight for freedom, we fight over resources.” This is a somewhat
oversimplified vision of our involvement in Afghanistan, Iraq and other areas in the
Middle East and around the world. In my travels as a soldier in Europe, the Middle East
and around the United States, I have had a lot of experience with various aspects of the
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spiritual, religious, economic and cultural clashes that often lead our country into conflict
with others. Through this session, I will attempt to illustrate the cultural and religious
biases and economic stimuli that are often the real reason for conflict but is masked with
religious or political overtones with severe social and environmental consequences.
Presenter Name/Title/Agency
Major Dan Fletcher, Enrollment and Scholarship Office for Army ROTC, The College at
Brockport
PM Session I: 2:00-3:15 pm
Session Title: Where do You Stand: Critical Conversations about
Religion in Schools
Abstract
Separation of church and state within the public school system has always been a “hot
button” issue. The United States of America prides itself on being a melting pot of a
plethora of different cultures and religions but when students want to practice their
religion in public schools, are the schools prepared to cater to their students needs or
even accept their request to practice in the first place? This session will discuss the
controversy surrounding these issues and the implications that schools are portraying
through these decisions.
Reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, namely the phrase “one nation under God,” in public
schools is also a religious and political controversy that many Americans have a strong
opinion towards. Should God be mentioned in a public school setting and what
message is America sending towards students who are asked to recite the Pledge who
are not Christian?
Presenter Name/Title/Agency
Sara Kelly, Assistant Director of Residential Life/Learning Communities, The College at
Brockport
Co- Presenter Name/Title/Agency
Jessica Newby, Resident Assistant and Mathematics Major, The College at Brockport
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PM Session I: 2:00-3:15 pm
Session Title: Honoring Our Proximity and the Spaces Between
us Through Mindful Service
Abstract
This presentation will highlight at least four things: a touch of information about brain
chemistry to illustrate the mind-body connection; to speak of that connection in the
spiritual sense; to show how the integration of mind, body, spirit and relationships is
enhanced through mindfulness; and, to demonstrate some options for practice.
Attendees will have opportunity to experience interconnectedness, to recognize the
possibility of living in the moment in Oneness in a state of non-duality, the possibility of
healing themselves and others — for their own sake; that of their professional and
personal relationships and that of the local and global community — and to live and love
compassionately in joy and generosity.
Neuroplasticity and the interaction between the right and left hemispheres of the brain
as well as the integration of the limbic system and cortex will be discussed in relation to
groundedness and spirituality and one’s ability to relate openly to others and from a
stance of curiosity and welcome as opposed to judgment.
An exercise based on the Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Program, as developed
by Jon Kabbat Zin and Saki Santorelli, will have individual and interactive components.
We shall discuss how self awareness influences strategies to address to specific
situations of conflict and inclusion.
Presenter Name/Title/Agency
Gail Ferraioli, Founder, Clarity Mediations
PM Session I: 2:00 - 3:15 pm
Session Title: Creating Diverse Communities: Religion and
Power
Abstract
This workshop provides an overview of frameworks that serves as a tool for
understanding the dynamics of diversity, interpreting how these dynamics impact the
community and lays the foundation for growth and change.
Spirituality is personal, and the impact of religious systems on the US and our
educational systems is critical to building healthy, diverse communities. We all want to
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create inclusion, but getting there is the hard part. In this interactive workshop,
participants will receive a framework for building the inclusive vision of partnership
present in all of our goals and mission statements
Participants will be introduced to two frameworks for understanding power, privilege and
difference. The group will then engage in an interactive process of imagining and
creating a vision for what can be with a focus on local activism to increase spiritual
acceptance and promote. We will explore the personal skills necessary for being an
effective leader and change agent with colleagues and students. This workshop will be
a combination of presentation and small group activities. Participants will leave with
resources to support their efforts on campus.
Presenter Name/Title/Agency
Betty Garcia Mathewson, Program Director, Opening Doors Diversity Project/Research
Foundation of SUNY
PM Session I: 2:00 – 3:15 pm
Session Title: Religion and Diversity: An Anthropological
Perspective
Abstract: Religion (however difficult it may be to define) is obviously an important social
force in the 21st century, but the academic study of religion continues to be relatively
absent from mainstream American college campuses, relative to, say, the study of
economics and politics. This workshop will explore the problems and promises of
academic religious studies from a comparative and cross-cultural perspective. The
presentation of this perspective will be followed by discussion, small group exercise,
and concluding recommendations.
consider Durkheim’s argument that religion is the soul of society, in light of the 21st
century global system today; and explore how religion is thoroughly entangled with
government and business, and what this implies for the future of human diversity.
Presenter: Neal Keating. Asst Professor, Dept. of Anthropology, The College at
Brockport, SUNY
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PM Session II: 3:30 – 4:45 pm
Session Title: Cultural Diversity and Public Memory in Poland
and Central Europe
Student and faculty participants in the “Experiencing the New Europe” 2012 summer
study abroad program will share their research on the diversity of ethnic culture in the
region that lies in between Germany and Russia, a place where a history of pogroms,
war, occupation and shifting borders has resulted in complex issues regarding collective
identity and the preservation of public memory. The attempted erasure of Jewish and
Roma people and culture, the displacement and relocation of Poles, the repatriation of
once German cities as Polish, and the period of Soviet occupation are among the
complex circumstances of Poland and Central European history and culture. This
presentation will showcase our research and personal experiences investigating
collective identity and public memory in this part of the world, and will argue for the
necessity of memorializing a complicated, painful, and, in some cases, hidden past. A
photography display will illustrate the multiple layers of ethnic heritage
Presenters Name/Title/Agency :
Erica Buck (Undergraduate student, Nazareth College)
Amy Burgett (Undergraduate student, The College at Brockport)
Elizabeth Cramer (Undergraduate student, The College at Brockport)
Nicole Fuller (Undergraduate student, The College at Brockport)
Nicholas Kinney (Undergraduate student, The College at Brockport)
Donna Kowal (Faculty, The College at Brockport)
PM Session II 3:30 – 4:45 pm
Session Title: Freedom of Religion and Indigenous Peoples
Abstract: This workshop builds upon the first workshop, and focuses on how the
political guarantees of religious freedom have historically been denied to American
Indians in the US and Canada, and how these denials continue to have negative
outcomes in Native communities today, not only in terms of religion per se, but also in
terms of health, human rights, and general well-being. The presentation of this
perspective will be followed by discussion, small group exercise, and concluding
recommendations.
Presenter: Neal Keating. Asst Professor, Dept. of Anthropology, The College at
Brockport, SUNY
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PM Session II: PM Session II: 3:30 - 4:45 pm
Session Title: The Persecution of Christians in the 21st Century
Abstract
Christianity has the most diverse collection of adherents throughout the world. Rich and
poor alike are found among Christianity’s numbers, and so are Africans, Asians,
Europeans and North and South Americans. Christianity is completely inclusive and
attractive to the peoples of the world.
Yet an ominous trend, rarely covered in the major American news outlets, is at work.
Christians around the world are being harassed, imprisoned, killed or deprived of
possessions or liberties because of their witness. Coptic Christians in Egypt are being
forced from homes and businesses. Amnesty International has recently protested the
persecution that Christians have faced in Iraq, Iran, and throughout the Middle East and
Northern Africa. In Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia, China, North Korea, India, Pakistan and
Indonesia, government policy or practice severely inhibits Christian faith and practice.
The persecution facing Christians is the largest “human rights” violation issue in today’s
world. It is important for Americans to understand the scope and severity of this
underreported phenomena. Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) is one organization devoted to
the tasks of assisting those affected by persecution and informing the world of the
present level of persecution towards Christians. During this presentation, these facts will
be highlighted.
Presenter Name/Title/Agency
Joseff Smith, History Major, The College at Brockport
Co-Presenter Name/Title/Agency
Thomas Brennan, Representative, Voice of the Martyrs
PM Session II 3:30-4:45 pm
Session Title: The Bible and Politics
Abstract
This session will involve reading sample biblical texts and discussing how people who
view the Bible as authoritative may translate them into political positions. The format will
be guided group discussion. The texts sampled will include both those privileged by
liberal and conservative believers. The problem of misinterpretation will also be
discussed and when appropriate cultural and historical context will be addressed.
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Presenter Name/Title/Agency
Austin Busch, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Department of English, The College at
Brockport
Co-Presenter Name/Title/Agency
Brooke Conti, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Department of English, The College at
Brockport
PM Session II: 3:30 - 4:45 pm
Session Title: A Multiethnic Panel Discusses Christianity on
Campus
Abstract
Community through diversity incorporates all voices of the community. In our efforts to
diversify, voices perceived as traditional are often silenced. Such silencing gives rise to
misconceptions and stereotypes about what it means to be Christian, the perceived
traditional American religion.
Many members of the community have believed the myth that Christians do not
promote accessibility, inclusiveness, and understanding. This panel of diverse
individuals, including people of Asian, African American, Native American, and
Caucasian descent, students, graduates, and faculty, women and men, would like to
suggest otherwise.
Additionally, we would like to address the myth that Christians think they are perfect. In
truth, Christians recognize themselves as imperfect beings in need of a Savior.
Recognizing our own limitations, we are guided by two basic commands: to love God
and to love our neighbors. Individually, we have shown such love through working in
medical clinics, youth meetings, literacy outreaches, and with families affected by
autism. In every instance, some domestic and some international, our services have
been offered freely and inclusively without question.
Like other groups who have been represented at earlier Diversity Conferences, we
request opportunity to allow our voices to be heard. Christianity is monotheistic, but the
panel will show our voices are not always monolithic.
In this presentation, we will seek to present Christianity in a coherent, academic
manner. We will discuss the basic tenets of Christianity, the popular misconceptions,
and the core beliefs Christians share.
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Presenter Name/Title/Agency
Carole Pelttari, EdD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Education and Human
Development, The College at Brockport
Co-Presenter Name/Title/Agency
Jie Zhang, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Education and Human
Development, The College at Brockport
PM Session II: 3:30-4:45 pm
Session Title: “Pariah” (2007): Race, Gender, and Sexual Identity
Abstract
This presentation will consider sexual identity as a space written on by self, family,
culture, religion, and sate, and also examine ways heteronormative and conservative
ideologies complicate and compromise LGBTQ identities. This session captures the
Diversity Conference theme of spirituality, state, and politics with a particular focus on
ways race, religion, and sexuality, intersect and inform personal and public freedoms.
Through screening and discussion, the session aims to facilitate dialogue that promotes
sensitivity to difference as we reach for equity across local and national spaces.
Audience members will have the occasion consider lesbian identity within a larger
subtext of GLBTQ rights and to question ways patriarchy as an extension of state,
nation, and religion, reproduce and sanction white, herteronormative hegemony.
Presenter Name/Title/Agency
Barbara LeSavoy, PhD, Director of the Women and Gender Studies Program, The
College at Brockport
Pandora Brinkley, Graduate Student, McNair Scholar, The College at Brockport