CUER

In the Face of Violence: Students of Color Speak Out Dessert & Discussion Series

Thursday, November 9th, 2006, from 7:30 to 10 PM
Intercultural Resource Center
552 West 114th Street

Anger, rage, anxiety, depression, paranoia, hopelessness, irritability-does this sound like you? Please join a group of panelists including Columbia students, representatives from the Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Program, and Counseling and Psychological Services as they share stories of triumph and struggle in their efforts to address the impact of recent incidents of violence in their lives and in communities of color. Violence in our communities is a topic that is often taboo and rarely discussed, but has impacted most of us in intimate ways and has had devastating consequences for our communities. In light of recent events surrounding the Minute Men’s visit to campus, issues of violence have come to the forefront of many of our conversations as we struggle as a community to heal from its impacts. Our goal is to provide a safe and supportive space where folks can come together and discuss these sensitive issues.

While physical violence is often the most obvious, we will address multiple forms of violence that can be just as harmful. These forms may include but are not limited to relationship violence, street violence, institutional violence, and emotional violence. From this discussion, we hope to empower each other to critically examine these issues and heal as a community. If you would like to learn more about this particular Dessert & Discussion, or the Dessert & Discussion series, please contact Asena Tui’one at alt2106@columbia.edu.

The Office of Multicultural Affairs invites you to attend its Queer Awareness Month Opening Reception featuring Keynote Speaker Keith Boykin, co-host of the BET series “My Two Cents” and author of “Beyond the Down Low: Sex, Lies and Denial in Black America”:

Tuesday, October 3rd, 2006, 6 to 8 PM
Alfred Lerner Hall Party Space
Dinner will be provided

For more information or to RSVP, please contact the Office of Multicultural Affairs by phone (212) 854-1388 or via email: multicultural@columbia.edu.

The 2006 Latino Heritage Month Committee cordially invites you to attend its Latino Heritage Month Opening Reception entitled “Cosechando Nuestras Raíces, Cultivando Nuestro Futuro” (Harvesting Our Roots, Cultivating Our Future) featuring keynote speaker Maria Hinojosa, senior correspondent for the Emmy Award-winning PBS newsmagazine NOW.

Wednesday, September 27th, 2006
6:30 to 8:30 PM
Roone Arledge Auditorium
Dinner will be provided

For more information or to RSVP, please contact the Office of Multicultural Affairs by phone at (212) 854-1388 or via email at multicultural@columbia.edu.

Peaceful Tomorrows, a non-profit organization made up of family members of September 11th victims, is hosting an international conference between September 4th to 12th, 2006. The attendees are from all over the world; each has been affected by violence and uses his or her experiences to encourage peace.  

If interested please contact stephanie@peacefultomorrows.org or sign up online. You can also read its mission statement here.

Lincoln Center’s Midsummer Night Swing Festival features Afro-Brazilian Music and Dance! Details:

Friday, July 21st, 2006
Optional dance lesson from 6:30 to 7:30 PM
Live Music from 7:30 to 10 PM

Come and enjoy a night of Afro-Brazilian music with a mix of Brazilian pop, samba, funk, hip-hop, reggae, salsa and merengue. Also showcasing Afro-Brazilian martial arts dances like capoeira and maculele. It’s free to listen to music and dance on the plaza. You can also choose to purchase $15 tickets for lessons and access to the dance floor.

Read more about Midsummer Night Swing here!

From Policy Debate and Advocay in NYC:

As some of you may know I am the curriculum director at the Women’s Debate Institute. The Women’s Debate Institute is a four day workshop for high school girls. It is a chance for high school girls to develop friendships with other female debaters from around the country, while learning debate and college prep skills.

One of the camp’s focuses is college preparation. We teach girls about the application process, scholarship opportunities, and try to connect them with college debate coaches. For more information on The Women’s Debate Institute see: http://www.womensdebateinstitute.org.

How You Can Help:
Ideally we would like to take the time to talk with each girl about her thoughts and needs when it comes to college, yet four days does award us that time. I would like to give each camper a female college mentor. This mentor could be a coach, graduate assistant or debater of any type.

What Type of Commitment You Would Be Making:
Being a mentor would occupy less than 5 hours of this upcoming school year. You would contact your mentee (either by phone or email) and talk to her about college debate, maybe give her advice about debate arguments, college applications and/or connect her with college coaches she may be too intimated to contact herself.

How to be a Mentor:
If this important service is something you would like to be a part of, all you have to do is send me an email with the following information:

1. Name
2. Institution of affiliation
3. Institution location (Miami, Santa Clara etc.)
4. Place you call home if different then above
5. Relationship to debate (coach, 2 year debater, director etc.)
6. Types of debate you are affiliated or familiar with (LD, policy etc.)
7. Best way to contact you in mid to late august (cell phone, email etc)
8. Any other information that might help me match you with a mentee

In mid to late August I will contact you with the name and some information about your mentee.

On behalf of the Women’s Debate Institute thank you for taking the time to consider being a mentor. If you have any questions please feel free to
contact me.

Rae Lynn Schwartz-DuPre
The University of Western Washington