2023 Caritas Veritas Symposium Sessions

Location: Parmer Hall, Room 108

Presenter: Sister Peggy Ryan, OP

The Field Education Office of the School of Social Work will examine how Field and Practice offer an intersection of caritas and veritas. We will have faculty, staff, and students responding to ways their field experience enhances their classroom learning. Service and policy will be approached from a lens of anti-oppressive and anti-racist theory.

Location: Martin Recital Hall, Fine Arts Building

Presenter: William G. Zic

This workshop will explore key cultural concepts and identify ways to better understand students' cultural mindsets and learning needs in the classroom. Following a small lecture presentation, a cultural assessment survey will be provided, and guests will be aggregated into small groups for activity and ongoing discussion.

Location: Springer Suites, Rebecca Crown Library Lower Level

Presenters: Ada Cheng, Cecilia Salvatore and Anthony Dunbar

Character is a quality that brings unmistakable distinction to every human endeavor. Leading with courage is often discussed and claimed; yet is less frequently pursued and even more rarely attained with a level of character to achieve the distinction between the performative and the transformative. In this panel, three faculty members, Dr. Ada Cheng, Dr. Cecilia Salvatore, and Dr. Anthony Dunbar, will present their stories of leading with courage. What does courage look like in academia? How do their stories help illustrate the nature of courage and its character? And most importantly, why is this presentation and discussion on the nature of courage critical and urgent at this particular juncture in time for all of us working in academia?

Location: Parmer Hall, Room 005

Presenters: Christopher Allison, Melanie Dykstra and Ryan Pagelow

This panel will feature the reflections of the participants in the 2023 pilgrimage and study trip to Fanjeaux, France, focusing on the origins of the Order of Preachers and the early ministry of St. Dominic in the early 13th Century. Discussion, video, pictures, and more will be presented to the community; a question and answer time will also be planned for those interested in applying in the years to come. Spend an hour in medieval France with us.

Location: Parmer Hall, Room 107

Presenters: Amy Omi, Lisa Petrov, Emma Schmidt-Swartz, Jessica Daniels

As a small, Catholic, Liberal Arts and Hispanic Serving Institution, Dominican University must go beyond simply enrolling to more intentionally serving Latine students and doing so through an antiracist lens. Despite our location in a major metropolitan area, some of the major barriers to us becoming an antiracist HSI has been the serious lack of critical consciousness at all levels, the dearth of cultural humility in general, and an ignorance of how white supremacy culture operates on a daily basis all around us. Our predominantly white faculty, staff, and administration are moreover too socialized to “go along to get along” and are too well trained to “behave” and not disrupt the (white supremacist) status quo. For white members of any university community to become antiracist, we must first understand racism as a system built on the myth of white supremacy. To develop the tools to dismantle that system, Dominican, as a faith-based institution of higher learning, must learn to recognize white supremacy culture in order to start to actively resist the notion that it is simply “natural” for one group to have dominance over another. But that is just the beginning. We must also move past intellectualism towards a praxis of antiracism, and the move from thinking/learning to doing is a challenge in the Academy.

In this panel, facilitators will show how white accountability groups can help folks get started on fighting the inertia of white comfort. We share an approach to white accountability taking shape on Dominican University’s campus that uses the methodology developed by Dr. Kathy Obear in order to make whiteness more visible to our faculty, staff and administration. We will provide a sample curriculum for a semester series that explains to participants their internalized dominance is part of white supremacy culture as we explore together real strategies for social change on our campus. We will share resources, activities and all the valuable lessons we have learned starting white accountability groups, leading them, participating in them, and we will provide opportunities for participants to engage in self-reflection and consider the ways in which they too might dive into the deep end and get started on this critically important work at their campus.

Location: Rebecca Crown Library, Room 330

Presenter: Marwa Abdullah

This session explores the complex relationship between the spiritual and secular world and its implications for creating positive social change. By drawing on key theological sources in Islamic studies as well as other religious traditions, and social change theory, the presenter will provide a nuanced analysis of this relationship and how it can be navigated to create meaningful social change. Attendees will leave with a deeper understanding of the interdependence of these two worlds and how one might use this understanding to promote positive social change through the practice of their individual beliefs and pursuit of existential purpose.

Location: Parmer Hall, Room 002

Presenters: Kaitlyn Griffith, Hannah Thoms and Leah Kirchhoff

This interactive discussion and presentation explores the archival work done by archivists in the School of Information Studies in constructing an oral history archive of Free 'Em All Radio, a podcast created by Chairman Fred Hampton Jr. of the Black Panther Party Cubs and The Lady of Rage. This project has taken the first steps to build relationships between Dominican University and the city of Maywood, Illinois, a historically Black community next door. Presenters will discuss how this community-driven project has the potential to support and develop the already interconnected nature of Free 'Em All Radio and the podcast format more broadly, as well as how this growing archive makes the history of community activism discoverable in new ways.

Location: Lund Auditorium, Fine Arts Building

Presenters: Lindsay Bruce, Jacky Neri Arias and Dominican Students

Planning Team: Sheila Bauer-Gatsos, Ellen Alamilla, Lindsay Bruce, David Perez, Jennifer Stockdale, Tonia Triggiano

In this panel discussion, facilitated by Jacky Neri Arias, Executive Director of Student Life and Inclusion, and Lindsay Bruce, Executive Director of Retention, first-year students are invited to hear upper-class students share their experiences transitioning to college and to learn more about the opportunities, resources, and people that will help promote their success and engagement at Dominican University. Student panelists include:

• Sisi Gomez
• Bryan Gonzalez
• Mia Hitterman
• Jupiter Jones
• Bianca Leon
• Naomi Moreland

Location: Rebecca Crown Library, Room 340

Presenters: Mary Scott Simpson, Ellen McManus, Allyson West, Peter Valez

The loss of biodiversity is fast becoming one of the most perilous consequences of global climate change. In this panel, faculty and student presenters will explore the ethical as well as the natural science implications of biodiversity. Panelists will address its functions in sustaining the complex and interdependent lives within particular ecosystems such as woodlands, wetlands, farmlands, and the oceans. Relying on Pope Francis's guiding concept in Laudato Si--Integral Ecology--panelists will examine the costs to human societies of disregarding the distinctive wisdom, experiences, and cultures of marginalized human communities, costs evident not only in the suffering of members of those communities but in a "failure to thrive" of the surrounding society as a whole.

Location: Lewis Hall, Room 302

Presenters: Sarah Jones, Christine Ranieri, Alyssa Brewer, Anna Martucci, Jazmin Montez, Emily Schellhase

Students majoring in nutrition designed and implemented research projects focused on sustainability through funding from GROW, a USDA funded project. In this panel, students who participated will share the challenges, the benefits, and their “GROWth” throughout their research experience focused on this emerging area of research in nutrition.

Location: Lewis Hall, Room 301

Presenters: Khalid Razaki, Angela Borek, Anne Drougas, and Mohamed Askar

This session explores the importance of green management in creating a more sustainable and environmentally responsible business model that considers the needs of the planet, society, and future generations. During this session, the panelists will discuss explore green management from various lenses, including leadership style and values and the role gender diversity plays on the quality of environmental reporting. This session also highlights a portion of research conducted by Angela Borek, an undergraduate accounting major, who was awarded an URSCI grant to explore sustainability in accounting and finance.

Location: Parmer Hall, Room 113

Presenters: Members of the Board of Trustees

As alumni, industry leaders and professionals with a broad range of experiences, the Trustees of Dominican University bring perspective and wisdom to what it means to “meet the challenges of an increasingly interdependent world.” This panel discussion with current Trustees will explore their professional narratives and callings to serve on the Board. They will share wisdom about what it means to “lean on one other” in the context of life and work. This dialogue will present opportunities for community members to ask questions about how the Board can help the University to meet tomorrow’s challenges and best prepare students to engage an interdependent world.

Location: Lewis Hall, Room 204

Presenters: Jane Hseu, Andrea Betinis, Isabelle Buday and Edgar Vega

Students from English 341: Advanced Creative Nonfiction present their personal and profile essays about being alone for the first time in one's life, a Greek immigrant great-grandfather, and an empowering female mentor. They will also discuss the process of composing creative nonfiction, from selecting a topic, using stylistic techniques, and revising.

Location: Parmer Hall, Room 002

Presenters: Michel Harris and Students attending New Orleans service-learning trip in August 2023

During a service-learning trip to New Orleans, nutrition students and dietetic interns will explore the health disparities and inequities that are present. Join them as they share what they have learned and a proposed plan to be implemented in 2024 that intends to reduce these inequities through nutrition services.

Location: Martin Recital Hall, Fine Arts Building

Presenters: Persis Driver, John DeCostanza, Jr., Samina Hadi-Tabassum, Dean at Elmhurst University; Madilyn Wiley, District 89; Michael Romain, Village Press; Norma Hernandez, Illinois State Representative

We will share our decade long study of Maywood and explore how its schools and community came together to build coalitions across racial boundaries and borders. We will also examine the racial fault lines between the established Black community and the growing Latinx community and how both minoritized groups volley for power and representation, advocate for an equal share of resources and a voice at the table. Dominican University was a partner in this study and continues to help bridge the two communities through faith, education and engagement.

Location: Parmer Hall, Room 107

Presenters: Anjali Chaudhry, Students from MGMT490 from Fall 2023 term

Sustainability is defined as the practice of meeting present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Using a climate simulation model, we explore solutions for environmental sustainability while ensuring that these actions do not disproportionately burden marginalized communities. Participants will be able to see a road map for addressing climate crisis and thus in turn, help shape hearts and minds of a generation who whether they realize it or not, will be at the forefront of climate action.

Location: Lewis Hall, Room 204

Presenters: Stephany Baca, Maria Lobo and Lizette Martinez

Our interdependence as community members can be enhanced or limited by the linguistic skills represented and present. This presentation by recent graduates outlines the development and pilot of an advanced social work practice course in AY 22-23, utilizing dual language methodology. This leverages students’ cultural capital, fosters achievement, enhances success in the labor market, and serves the needs of the growing Latinx community in the Chicagoland area and the nation. In this session we bring the framework for dual language methodology and the development of discipline specific language together with our own graduate student testimonios of language identity, community, and future career aspirations to underscore that our interdependence always includes translanguaging, porque hablamos español también.

Location: Rebecca Crown Library, Room 340

Presenters: Ingrid Bustos, Rosa Padilla-Rincon and Jashui Zarate Torres

During the 2021-22 academic year, undergraduate student Ingrid Bustos participated in a Non-Employment Based Opportunity (NEBO) to study how undocumented and immigrant students feel supported at Dominican. As part of that work, she conducted a survey to gather qualitative data about students' experiences. In 2022-23 Ingrid and another undergraduate student, Jashui Zarate Torres, began to interview student leaders in SSE charged with assisting undocumented and immigrant students to learn about how they are resourced and supported in their roles.

Similarly, Rosa Padilla-Rincon worked on developing NEBOS for peer leaders and learned what best supported students in their projects. In this presentation Ingrid and Rosa will share some of the results of the research and provide recommendations for how Dominican University can enhance undocumented student supports through structures that will also benefit the entire student body.

Location: Lewis Hall, Room 302

Presenters: Rose Ann Mathai, Maureen Emlund, Amal Dudar, Shelly Anne Miller, Laurie Zack, Jim Scherrer, Amy de la Fuente, Elisa Buzinski, BCHS and Social Work students

Interprofessional education (IPE) collaboration is an essential component to ensuring patient/client success. Dominican University’s mission is to prepare students to pursue truth, give compassionate service and to participate in the creation of a more just and humane world. Together, students in the School of Social Work and the Borra College of Health Sciences meet annually to participate in an interprofessional simulation. Social work, nutrition, nursing and physician assistant students collaborate to provide patient centered care. The IPE faculty/staff planning committee are intentional on creating a simulation focusing on patients who have complex sociopolitical, economic, and cultural backgrounds that may face health disparities or justice disparities. In addition to the students learning about one another’s respective disciplines, the aim is to also foster an environment that promotes diversity. Simulation learning objectives stem from the IPEC Core Competencies, centered around understanding professional roles/responsibilities, building interprofessional communication skills, fostering teamwork and maintaining a climate of mutual respect and shared values. Students who have undergone this simulation exercise will present their evaluation of their experience and how it helped them become skillful in interprofessional collaboration.

Location: Springer Suites, Rebecca Crown Library Lower Level

Presenters: Mohamed Askar, Khalid Razaki and Anne Drougas

Higher Education is being subjected to several strategic challenges that range from the aftermath of a global pandemic, economic slowdown, inflation, and getting ready for a demographic cliff that will negatively impact enrollments over the coming several years. In this session, we will discuss the linkage between the University’s prestige and business realities in a changing environment where global competition is increasing, student population is dropping and new learning modalities that are changing the education landscape.

Location: Parmer Hall Atrium

Presenters: Sarah Jones, Allyson West and Anna Martucci

DU Feeds is a collaborative student-led initiative founded in 2019 that aims to ameliorate food insecurity in the campus community. Since then, and with much student, faculty, staff, administration, and alumni support, a great deal has been done to further understand and address food insecurity among DU students. This presentation will provide an update of what we know about food insecurity on campus, where DU Feeds stands in 2023, upcoming collaborations, and invite brainstorming and recommendations from our DU community.

Location: Parmer Hall, Room 108

Presenter: Debra Vinci-Minogue

In this interactive session, participants will learn about the Japanese concept of ichigo ichie, the art of making the most of every moment. Participants will be led through various mindfulness activities and will be introduced to practices that can be implemented in day-to-day living. Ichigo ichie, "in this moment, an opportunity."

Location: Lewis Hall, Room 301

Presenters: Julie Bach, students and older adults from the Guided Autobiography project

Guided autobiography is a tool for an older adult to write down their life story through life review. Many important stories are lost once a loved family member or community member is not longer with us. An intergenerational panel of Social Work students and older adults will discuss the impact of the Guided Autobiography project held as part of a gerontology class. The goal of this panel is to encourage all of us to reach out to our elders and learn from their stories.

Location: Rebecca Crown Library, Room 330

Presenters: Ellen McManus and Scott Kreher

This interactive session describes an approach to teaching that uses the topic of sustainability and the premise that forms of knowledge are interconnected in order to help students actively explore the interdependence of life. Participants are invited to describe or imagine other interdisciplinary courses that promote integrative learning.

Location: Lund Auditorium, Fine Arts Building

Presenters: Maggie Andersen and Students

Come celebrate student creativity, uniqueness, multiculturalism and our shared humanity. Please join us for the launch of Issue 7 of Stella Veritatis, Dominican University’s own literary magazine. Student editors will speak to their process, and poets and storytellers will perform. Be the first to see this very exciting issue in print—each guest receives a copy.

Readings by:
Sofia Allesandrini
Io Curtin
Dr. Maria Herrera
Mae Meimban
Saul Milla Munoz

Editorial remarks by:
Gillian Adkins
Emma Dibbern
Edgar Vega