This program is an opportunity to participate in table
discussions of “Sustainable Transformation.” Each table is a
discussion of applied research in the Vincentian tradition with the
aim of poverty alleviation and the promotion of social justice by
St. John’s University Faculty, Graduate Students and Alumni.
Agenda
5 p.m. - Gathering and Welcome
5:15 p.m. - Roundtable Session I
5:45 p.m. - Roundtable Session II
6:15 p.m. - Roundtable Session III
6:45 p.m. - Closing Remarks, Informal Networking and
Refreshments
Roundtable 1
Transforming Law Students into Legal Advocates for the
Marginalized, One Child at a Time
Jennifer Baum, J.D., Assistant Professor of
Clinical Legal Education,
School of Law
This roundtable will discuss the role of the SJU School of Law
Child Advocacy Clinic in familiarizing law students with
marginalized populations, and increasing student motivation to work
in poverty law related fields. The goal of the clinic, apart
from teaching lawyering skills, is to demystify poverty and poverty
law, and encourage participation in public interest or pro bono
activities post-graduation. The clinic achieves this by
placing law students in one-on-one relationships with clients,
humanizing the effects of poverty and enhancing student motivation
and self-confidence.
Roundtable 2
Achieving the Right to Food and Sustainable Programs for Ending
Hunger
Barrett Brenton, Ph.D., Associate Professor of
Anthropology, St. John’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences,
Vincentian Research Fellow
Sue Ford, Ph.D., Associate Professor of
Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Vincentian Research Fellow
Without question hunger is a violation of human dignity. To end
hunger we must stress that access to adequate and nutritious food
is a fundamental human right. This Roundtable will begin with an
overview of fieldwork on world hunger. It will then highlight local
ongoing interdisciplinary community-based research that seeks to
alleviate hunger and diet-related chronic disease as part of a
program for sustainable and integral development, the Bed-Stuy
Provider Network Nutrition Improvement Project.
Roundtable 3
What Assistance Might We Provide To The Indigent Elderly In Areas
Of Life Planning And Other Legal Assistance?
Linda T. Chin, J.D., Assistant Professor, Legal
Studies, College of Professional Studies
There are few organizations that help prepare life-planning
documents or offer free legal service to the indigent elderly. I
will discuss my research on life planning documents executed by the
elderly and the consequences of the failure to have advance
directives. I will also discuss my monthly service project at a
senior citizen center and will identify the common legal problems
that the elderly have encountered. I hope to seek other ways to
assist the elderly with their legal needs at this round table
discussion.
Roundtable 4
Health Care for the Poor: Experiences of a Service-Learning Course
for Pharmacy Students
John M. Conry, Pharm.D., BCPS, Associate Clinical
Professor, College of Pharmacy & Allied Health Professions,
Senior Vincentian Research Fellow
Disparities in health and inequities in access to medical care
among the indigent have challenged the health professions. It is
critical that health profession students learn the unique
challenges in serving the underserved and methods to address their
needs. Through a partnership between the College and Project
Renewal (organization dedicated to serving the homeless of NYC) a
service-learning course was developed for pharmacy students. This
roundtable will provide a forum for discussion of this
course.
Roundtable 5
Forgiveness: The Essential Element in the Healing of Wounds
Andrew Ferdinandi, Ed.D. ’91, Assistant Professor,
The School of Education
The first step in reconciliation is the acknowledgement of hurt and
the request to be forgiven. When this request is made with a
sincere heart, it creates the possibility for the victim to forgive
the offender and opens the door to opportunities previously clouded
by pain. This presentation will explore the concept of forgiveness
through a case example of how this act can change people’s
lives.
Roundtable 6
Conflict Resolution as a Value and Practice
Elayne E. Greenberg, J.D., Director of ADR
Programs, School of Law
Paul Kirgis, J.D., Professor of Law, School of
Law
Conflict is an inevitable part of our everyday life. However, how
we handle conflict is about choice. Participants will develop a
deeper understanding about how they react to conflict in their
personal and professional lives and learn strategies to more
effectively address conflict.
Roundtable 7
Empowering Persons with Disabilities in Nicaragua
Peggy Jacobson, Ph.D., Associate Professor,
Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, College of
Liberal Arts and Sciences, Vincentian Research Fellow
This discussion will focus on a global service project that has
been ongoing for the past 7-8 years. The project aims to improve
the lives of persons with disabilities. It began and continues to
receive support from Project Nicaragua at Our Lady Queen of Martyrs
Church in Centerport, NY. It has expanded to include rehabilitation
specialists outside of the parish community as well as students and
faculty from the Department of Communication Sciences and
Disorders.
Roundtable 8
Project PACES: Supporting Catholic School Teachers
Athena Lentini, Ph.D., Human Services and
Counseling, The School of Education
E. Fran Guastello, Ph.D., Associate Professor,
Graduate Literacy Division, The School of Education
Project PACES seeks to support teacher development in eight local
Catholic schools in the areas of literacy and mathematics. The
model of professional development will be presented, including
unique challenges associated with this type of partnership with
Catholic schools.
Roundtable 9
Fostering Equity through Electronic Portfolios: Turning to the
Literature for Implementation Models
Brenda I. López Ortiz, Ed.D., Assistant Professor
of Educational Technology
The School of Education, Vincentian Research Fellow
Aliya Holmes, Ed.D., Assistant Professor of
Educational Technology, The School of Education
Reine M. Nyirenda, Doctoral Student, The School of
Education
The purpose of this roundtable discussion is to highlight
electronic portfolios as tools to help ensure equity, to discuss
findings of literature as it highlights important factors to
consider when implementing ePortfolio projects and to foster a
conversation around these issues as it becomes relevant for the
various schools and colleges around the university who are
interested in the benefits of this technology for their
students.
Roundtable 10
Virtual Presence and Sustainable Learning Communities: Information
Technology at the Service of the Mission
Rev. Jean-Pierre Ruiz, S.T.D., Director, Masters
of Liberal Studies, Concentration in Global Development and Social
Justice, Associate Professor of Theology, College of Liberal Arts
and Sciences, Vincentian Research Fellow
Beginning in July 2006, St. John’s launched an initiative that puts
the University’s academic computing initiative at the service of
realizing the University’s vision ”to be known world-wide for
addressing issues of poverty and social justice”. With an
interdisplinary faculty and students from around the world who are
professionally committed to sustainable global development, the
Master’s Concentration in Global Development and Social Justice
challenges us to rethink what it means and what it takes to form
and sustain learning communities. This roundtable will showcase
this initiative together with the challenges and the opportunities
it presents and as a model at the national and international
levels.
Roundtable 11
The Clothesline Project: Catalyst for Individual Healing and Social
Justice
Judith Ryder, Ph.D., Assistant Professor,
Department of Sociology & Anthropology, College of Liberal Arts
and Sciences
The Clothesline Project is an interactive project designed to raise
awareness of violence against women. It consists of decorating and
hanging T-shirts that display sentiments about such violence.
Decorating helps the healing process of those who have suffered;
collectively, the shirts demonstrate the nature and extent of
violence in our communities. Providing comfort, promoting
awareness, and seeking social justice, the Project is a critical
teaching tool consistent with Vincentian values of respect and
human solidarity.
Roundtable 12
Community Based Participatory Research: A tool for engaging
and empowering vulnerable populations
Scyatta Wallace, Ph.D., Associate Professor,
Department of Psychology, College of Liberal Arts and
Sciences
Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) is a collaborative
process with university researchers and community representatives.
The research team of the BEATS project is using CBPR to develop
educational materials that promote HIV testing among young adult
African American men with a history of incarceration. During the
proposed roundtable, we will summarize the techniques used to
engage our community partners, identify the strengths and weakness
of using CBPR, and discuss lessons learned thus far.
Roundtable 13
Increasing Diversity in the Legal Profession
Leonard Baynes, J.D., Professor of Law and
Director of the Ronald H. Brown Center
Between 2000-2007, the percentage of Puerto Ricans attending the
fifteen New York State law schools dropped 33%; there has also been
a 22% drop in African Americans attending these same schools. The
Ronald H. Brown Center for Civil Rights and Economic Development
has continued to expand the pool of students of color going to law
school. There are now nine graduates of the Program attending law
schools across the country and ten students so far in this
admission cycle with acceptances to law schools. This Roundtable
will discuss the criteria and success of this pipe-line educational
mentoring program.
University Vincentian Mission
Council
Founder’s Week Graduate Forum Committee: Professor Gina Calabrese,
Dr. Joseph Brocavich, Dr. Charles Clark, Dr. Antoinette
Collarini-Schlossberg, Dr. Nancy McGarr, Dr. Jeffery Olson, Dr.
Joanne Robertson