Monthly Archives: September 2022

Power can be intoxicating.

In a nation of indigenous and immigrant people, both voluntary and involuntary, we must recognize how our different lived experiences shape views of our nation. But when one group is willing to forgo fellow citizens freedoms in order to maintain its own power, we must call that group out and hold accountable those who behave nefariously.

Although some would rather not discuss the topic because it makes them uncomfortable, our nation has always had violent, racist tendencies. From the Trail of Tears and a Civil War to maintain states rights to own or displace humans through reconstruction, Jim Crow and the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, there has always been a force pushing for the marginalization of indigenous and other people ofcolor.

However, to the chagrin of some, there have been enough brave people in the majority to push down those dark tendencies in order to keep Americas promise to all its citizens.

No longer called the Ku Klux Klan or White Citizens Council, this latest iteration of that darkness is now called MAGA Republicans and is formed in groups called the Proud Boys, Exodus/Americanus and the Oath Keepers. Terrorizing fellow Americans with night rides and cross-burning to prevent voting has been replaced with cyber-bullying and election-integrity legislationfrom gerrymandered elected officialsdesigned to limit who has access tovoting.

While some would like to pretend these are individuals on the political fringes, we know following the release of the Anti-Defamation Leagues report on leaked Oath Keepers data that they are police officers, military personnel, first responders and, yes, elected officials.

With the ADLs report, you dont have to wonder why some law enforcement personnel were taking selfies with the insurrectionists on Jan. 6. But more important, elected officials who are charged with being caretakers for their communities are in positions of power to do the opposite. Being an American patriot is more than just loving those who look like you or have a similar ancestry. It is having love for those who are nothing like you, because we all contribute to our society. It also means recognizing every eligible voters right to cast a ballot.

Furthermore, you dont have to like how someone lives their life. As long as they are not harming anyone, we all should be working to help protect one anothers personal liberties. But as of late, we are seeing the opposite at all levels and branches of our government. The level of duplicity achieved by those who wish to limit the rights of fellow Americans is astonishing. Its evident that, if theres a perceptionor a lie cultivating a perceptionthat their rights are being infringed upon, some are willing to commit violence to protect what they believe.

President Biden was bold and unwavering in calling out what threatens our democracy, and this November, we need to be intentional about whom we elect to public office. These folks will write and execute policiespolicies that will have a direct impact on everyday lives.

We should desire elected officials nuanced enough to understand diversity and display integrity. Those seeking office should want to be public servants, not simply self-serving. To protect our democracy, its time to push down the darkness again.

__________

Black is former deputy chairwoman for engagement for the Indiana Democratic Party and a former candidate for the Indiana House. Send comments to ibjedit@ibj.com.

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Dana Black: We must be intentional about whom we elect Indianapolis Business Journal - Indianapolis Business Journal

The year 2040 might seem a long way off, but for decision-makers in Greenville, nows the time to make the GVL2040 plan a reality.

GVL2040 is the citys comprehensive plan to shape its growth and evolution over the coming years. After years of stagnation, the citys population has grown by nearly 14,000 people over the past decade (from 58,409 in 2010 to 72,095 estimated July 2021), according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The population of Greenville could reach more than 110,000 by 2040, according to the citys estimates.

Central to this forward thinking plan is the concept of nodes.

A node is a compact, walkable and mixed-use activity center or hub where an increased concentration of residential, employment, retail, transit and other uses are located.

Nodes, according to Mayor Knox White, may have different rules that may cap the height of buildings to different sizes in different nodes to match the surrounding neighborhoods. White said while a neighborhood like the area around Pendleton Street can develop into a node, it will have much different character from what he calls the ultimate center downtown Greenville.

The 2040 plan its an attempt to be intentional about how we grow, White said, noting that the existing GVL2040 plan is merely a guide as leaders look to rewrite the zoning codes for the coming years.

The city council has yet to finish rewriting the citys land management ordinance. The city is still working with neighborhood stakeholders to finalize the zoning code that comes from the GVL2040 plan and hasnt yet taken any votes on the GVL2040 plan.

I think theyll benefit every district, said Councilwoman Lillian Brock-Flemming.

In an effort to combat sprawl and unplanned development across the city, leaders have reexamined how to make the community more livable and more functional through nodes and corridors. Corridors connect the nodes through a multi-modal transportation route through the city that provides a range of convenient connections between nodes and link existing neighborhoods to opportunities in nodes.

Greenville City Councilman Russell Stall said the node/corridor model is a very new concept in thinking about development. Stall, whos also studying for his doctorate in planning, design, and built environment at Clemson University, said the node concept is a way of dealing with rapid growth that concentrates it in smaller areas while preserving the nature of existing communities.

Other cities and other communities are going to use this, Stall said, adding that he believesthis type of development will guide other cities in writing zoning guidelines.

As nodes develop, they will move toward form-based code, meaning retail, homes and more could be grouped into the same node, making for a more walkable environment that will reduce dependence on vehicular traffic and foster better neighbor interactions.

Greenville is always a place thats willing to be innovative and creative, Stall said.

*Note: Downtown Greenville is considered an existing node per the GVL2040 plan.

Source: City of Greenville

Originally posted here:

GVL2040: Nodes and corridors pave the way for future growth - Greenville Journal

Wilson, senior vice president of human resources at dormakaba Americas, discusses hiring trends and best practices for diversity, and more in this months SECURE Perspectives.

SECURE Perspectives is a monthly column by theSecurity Industry Association(SIA) profiling women in the security industry. This column is part of SIAsWomen in Security Forum(WISF), an initiative to support the participation of women in the security field through programs, networking and professional growth events and thought leadership opportunities.

For this edition ofSECURE Perspectives, SIA spoke with Sabrina Wilson, senior vice president of human resources at dormakaba Americas. Earlier this year, Wilson was named to the inaugural SIA WISF Power 100, recognizing 100 women in the security industry who are role models for actively advancing diversity, inclusion, innovation and leadership in the community, and she also spoke earlier this month at SIAs 2022AcceleRISE conferencefor young security industry professionals.

Sabrina Wilson: Being part of the security industry wasnt intentional for me. I was looking for the next opportunity after a sabbatical and trying to be strategic about what to do next. My criteria included: getting back into a manufacturing environment, returning to the Midwest to be closer to family, being part of a global organization and serving as an HR leader to continue my career path. With experience in a variety of industries, I did not target a specific industry.

A recruiter brought the dormakaba opportunity to me. Prior to that, this company and this industry were not on my radar. Two things attracted me to dormakaba. First, I saw new opportunities for me, as well as a role for HR to support overall business growth both of which excited me. What sold me on dormakaba, however, was its strong purpose in making the world safe and secure so people can move about seamlessly. The companys commitment to its purpose was clearly evident. I wanted to help advance that.

dormakaba services the security industry by remaining laser-focused on our commitment to make access in life smart, safe and secure for every place that matters. We are a trusted partner for access products, solutions and services. In addition, we are active participants in industry events and trade associations and frequent contributors to media and educational programs. On the human side, we integrate and innovate best practices to attract, develop and retain top talent across the organization.

Youll find women in all roles within dormakaba. We have women in nontraditional roles such as engineering, technology, manufacturing and supply chain. We also have women in functions they have gravitated to historically such as finance, HR, marketing and customer service. We need to attract more diversity and acknowledge that diversity can mean many different things. This isnt limited to gender, ethnic or cultural diversity it must include diverse thinking and recruiting from different industries to attract and retain top talent.

There are many new opportunities if we choose to think differently about our approach. Our industry has a strong sense of purpose making the world more secure. While the gender lines are blurring a bit here and men are more vocal about this perspective, women are attracted to companies with a strong purpose.

Heres one example. When we look at security products used in schools and hospitals two large, purpose-driven market segments for our industry we see that many of the gatekeepers to sales are women. Having women who are selling, training and working with these decisionmakers adds to dormakabas ability to relate to its customers.

The security industry in general is not well-known as a career path. At dormakaba, our products are not household names. People drive by our factories and offices and dont know who we are or what we do through name recognition alone. We need to be active in communities like universities and high schools to let people know about internships, apprenticeships and career options.

For midlevel professionals looking to change jobs, we need to brand and market our industry overall and engage with associations and chambers where candidates may be looking for career information. We typically dont use words like branding and marketing in HR, but its our job to sell this industry to prospects.

The biggest industry trend I see is a hunger for data. Security is becoming less about having a key and more about the data available with electronic access-driven security devices. Products still allow or deny entry, but they also track time, location, biometrics and other data that provides information and solves problems.

The impact on HR of this industry trend toward technology is compelling, and were seeing a generational change in work styles. Baby boomers are retiring. Newer workers are more tech-savvy (which aligns with the security marketplace shifts) and are used to having research and feedback intelligence at their fingertips (again, similar to the data drive in our industry).

In HR, this means that these newer employees want information about their performance and career opportunities more frequently. If an organization cant provide this, then the worker is likely to leave. If we are going to attract and retain top talent, we must change our processes for career development and performance feedback using automation and technology. Id like to say this is an evolution of our best HR practices, rather than a revolution, but with the volume of boomers exiting and new workers coming in, we have to move quickly.

If we define HR leadership in terms of years of service, were losing an experienced workforce more quickly than we can replace them. COVID accelerated this even more people are deciding to get out of the workforce completely, pursue gig economy roles and generally reevaluate whether they need to go to work. We must act now.

First, like everyone else, weve seen the convergence of social and world of work issues from the global pandemic, employee turnover and inflation. The human element of the workplace has never been more important. In fact, Ive been in HR for 30 years, and I havent heard the word care as much as I have in recent years. In the past few years, weve brought life to work, so to speak.

Weve had to navigate the very real issues of absence due to illness, quarantine and even death as well as significant employee turnover. This affects all levels of any organization not just dormakaba. The workload redistribution that results adds stress. Higher costs due to inflation add wage pressures to the organization in order to attract and retain top talent.

Second, we must address the knowledge gap resulting from experienced employees leaving the workforce. Its a fine line. The knowledge of these workers cant be replaced item for item, and the knowledge base of new employees represents a complete paradigm shift in terms of how experience is defined due to the fact that they are digital natives. Theyre bringing in new knowledge and skills that werent present before and will have a positive impact on our business.

How do we navigate these issues? dormakaba has adopted a continuous improvement mindset. Were doing a better job of knowledge transfer from exiting workers to both remaining staff and new hires. Were also trying to take an active approach to retention and engagement by identifying pain points and concerns and figuring out how to address them.

Finally, were not just making transactional replacements of one new person for one who departs. Were reevaluating each role. What did it look like? What does it need to look like? Does each role need to be replaced with the exact same skills? Replacement roles may look different.

Externally, the No. 1 opportunity is to attract people to the security industry as a career path. Were not well known. At dormakaba, were using career development to help address this. We started our Rising Talent program in 2021 with 27 interns working on meaningful projects. In 2022, that number grew to 40.

Internally, were working to improve internal programs for people development across our employee experience spectrum from early talent to existing talent to experienced talent. Some HR statistics show that younger generations want to take on new jobs or roles every 2.3 years. We need to show that this type of career progression can occur within dormakaba.

Ultimately, I hope there isnt a need for the Women in Security Forum because our industry is reflective of a 50/50 balance ratio of women to men workers. To do this, we need to make our industry attractive to women in all functions and disciplines and at all levels of the organizational chart.

Get engaged with different trade organizations, like SIA, that align with your career path. For me, this step has allowed me to get to know others in industry and connect on challenges, network and receive and provide mentorship. That engagement creates community, and a sense of community makes you feel like you belong.

There have been so many! Ive had mentors in different stages who have said the thing I needed to hear the most. For example, I was with an organization that challenged me to make a complete mind shift in how to deliver HR. Im passionate about the role of HR as a business partner to the organization. I was asked to take on an internal HR role where I would oversee and develop 35 HR business partners across the Americas, which I interpreted as a functional HR role. I didnt want to be internally focused.

The chief HR officer, who is still a mentor today, told me to go do this for 18-24 months, after which I would be put back into a more traditional HR business partner role. It ended up being one highlight of my career. By changing my mindset, I had chance to shape the future of so many HR business partners. We morphed from a company of HR generalists to one of true business partners with the ability to lead.

Sometimes you have to do something you dont think you want to do. My mentor saw something in me that I couldnt see in myself at that time. I wouldnt have discovered it if he hadnt pushed me.

This is a hard question for me as an overachiever! Being functionally focused, I define success as improving the employee experience from candidate to retiree. Its an incredible opportunity to touch people with a positive experience and good benefits, help with a personal situation and create a work environment they want to be part of.

As a business partner, Im successful when HR can influence a business decision that meets the needs of employees and the business at the same time. Balance is not always easy, and how we deliver tough messages is very important. Not every experience will be positive, but we have a huge opportunity to demonstrate respect for humanity.

I still consider myself new to this industry since Ive been here less than two years. My advice? Embrace the challenges. This is a great industry with a strong purpose. There are so many ways we can make a difference in the lives of others through new product development, exploring new markets and solving problems.

One of things I truly believe is that we must be our authentic selves. Dont try to be what you think others and your employers or the industry want you to be. Be your authentic self. When I first entered the workforce at a manufacturing company, I was the only woman in the room and I tried to be one of the guys by wearing dark pants, a white shirt and a scarf (my version of a tie). When I broke that mold and added color and jewelry, I started being who I am. Its exhausting to be anything other than yourself.

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dormakaba's Sabrina Wilson Shares an HR Perspective of the Security Industry - Security Sales & Integration

In a new article (posted before peer review on preprint website PsyArXiv), psychologist Mvikeli Ncube of the University of Arden in the United Kingdom calls for the decolonization of psychological knowledge to address the epistemic violence done unto indigenous and local communities in the Global South. Ncube writes that the field of psychology must be decolonized and resituated in local contexts to ensure that meaning-making occurs within ones own lived experience rather than that of the situatedness and power of the Global North, suggesting that indigenous researchers and ways of knowing offer an important alternative to the colonizing status quo.

The Global North has exported its concept of psychology and psychiatry across the world, under the assumption that findings of how people behave in WEIRD (Western, educated, industrialized, rich and democratic) samples, such as US college students, are universally true. This includes specific psychiatric disorders, medication, language, and ways of knowing. Ncube, in his essay, encourages indigenous and local researchers, academics, and thinkers in the Global South to recognize the epistemic violence innate to Western ways of knowing and conduct their own research to counteract its many harms.

Ncube articulates this argument via a brief philosophical and historical analysis of psychology. He premises his paper on the social constructionist epistemological position (meaning that his underlying assumption is that knowledge is created, rather than inherent and objective). Through this premise Ncube argues that the decolonization of psychology is best done through Fanonian epistemic decolonization.

He understands that the knowledge that is created in psychology is a kind of knowledge created and propagated by white researchers in the Global North. And this specific way of knowing and meaning-making will never be able to fully encapsulate or understand the true experience of indigenous people and locals in the Global South because it is designed to doubt and question other ways of knowing not founded in the scientific method. Ncube puts it simply: the Global Norths current psychology was created, not only without the appreciation for texts and methodologies grounded in the Global South, but with the specific intention to undermine them.

However, the psychology of the Global North can be challenged by the academics the Global South, advancing the cause of liberation. Ncube asks that academics embrace their situated ways of knowing and conduct research that exposes and counteracts what much of the world considers to be both natural and neutral concepts to highlight the failures of a discipline created with intentional neglect for other ways of knowing and meaning-making.

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Ncube, M. (2022). Epistemic violence in psychological science. Issues of knowledge, meaning making and power: A critical historical and philosophical perspective. Accessed September 21, 2022. https://psyarxiv.com/a5nxs/

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Academics in the Global South, This Is Your Sign to Decolonize Psychology - Mad In America - Mad in America

UW and the community | UW Notebook

September 15, 2022

The New Directions in Public Gardens speaker series started in May and will conclude with the final speaker on Sept. 20.University of Washington

Botanical gardens historically are exclusive spaces, but the University of Washington is working to change that.

Many gardens originated as private spaces for predominantly white and wealthy individuals, said UW Botanic Gardens director Christina Owen. The collections were often curated through a process of stealing and renaming before the gardens were gifted as land to cities and universities.

Theres a history of colonialism in many botanic gardens, said Owen. That is the bedrock on which were standing. Plants and collections that exist throughout the world were collected in ways that did not honor the people and did not honor the plants themselves. Theyre driven by the colonial age. Thats a history that all gardens must grapple with.

Thats the challenge for the UW Botanic Gardens, which includes both the Washington Park Arboretum and the Center for Urban Horticulture. When Owen was hired in July 2021, UWBG already had an Equity and Justice Committee and was organizing an ongoing speaker series, New Directions in Public Gardens, which explores how public gardens can evolve to meet the needs of local communities.

Owen is shifting the focus from bottom-up initiatives to work that is supported with and through leadership.

Part of what were looking at is having regular updates with our leadership team, Owen said, and having the leadership team get more engaged in equity and social justice work and developing better onboarding. One of my big long-term goals is to see an increase in the diversity of staff. I think that starts with us and making sure that our culture is supportive for candidates of color and for employees of color.

That is a major barrier for public gardens, according to a national needs assessment recently published by the IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility) Center for Public Gardens, an initiative housed at Denver Botanic Gardens that helps public gardens become more accessible spaces. The upcoming report found that lack of institutional diversification could be addressed through adjustments to hiring processes and procedures.

The other piece is the need for training and professional development, said Mae Lin Plummer, director of the IDEA Center and a speaker in UWBGs New Directions series. The way to support intuitional diversification is through training. The other part is organizational culture and leadership the awareness that there needs to be an internal culture shift as a key step.

Theres a lot of fear, a lack of buy-in or resistance to change. You can do all the training and all the changes you want, but its basically superficial unless theres a culture change.

A new direction

The New Directions speaker series started in May, with past guests addressing topics like engaging with local Indigenous populations, youth leadership development, job training programs and opportunities for public land to support urban food systems and engage with BIPOC communities.

Sean M. Watts, principal of SM Watts Consulting and co-founder of Community Land Conservancy, will give the final talk on Sept. 20. Watts lecture will explore how public gardens can support the work to drive environmental and land use policy and help white-led organizations act on diversity, equity and inclusion.

I think were learning a lot about the priorities of the communities that we want to connect with, said Jessica Farmer adult education supervisor for UWBG. Im realizing that if were going to build relationships, we need to be addressing the priorities of those communities.

Plummer suggested ending the speaker series with a town hall, which is now scheduled for Sept. 21. The half-day, co-creative workshop will help create an action plan to address community challenges.

We invite people from within the region, said Plummer, who plans to use the town hall as a prototype, and we start by saying, What were some of the big things that really resonated from the lecture series? What do we want to change? Can we set some actions?

UWBGs outreach will continue on October with the Urban Forest Symposium. This years event will focus on bridging the gap between tribal practices and local government. The Coast Salish people have been included in the planning.

Were going to be looking at Indigenous peoples access to and role in the management of the local urban forests, Farmer said. Were looking at an identity shift for our organization, but we need to hear from others in the community and not have it be an insular conversation.

Growing gardens

UWBG has collections from around the world. In the Pacific Connections Garden alone, visitors can view plants from Cascadia, Australia, China, Chile and New Zealand.

Its important to be intentional and thoughtful about these plants and places, how theyre collected and grown and the meaning to the people that are from there, Owen said.

The history of how corrected were curated has factored into the explicit and implicit exclusion from botanical gardens, said Farmer. UWBG is working to undo a perception of exclusivity by hosting programs like the speaker series and holding a summer camp that offers scholarships and is otherwise filled through a lottery system.

UWBG also launched Conversations with Staff. Each meeting is centered around a single topic examples include the colonial past of botanical gardens, segregation in Seattle and problematic plant names and Equity and Justice Committee members distribute resources and materials for staff to view before attending the discussion.

Its really helped establish some common goals and common identity around this work, Farmer said. Previously, some on our staff felt like diversity, equity and inclusion work was the role of our education and outreach team but didnt see how it fit into their work with facilities or horticulture. Its really helped the gardeners see how much of an ambassador they are to the public when theyre out on the grounds.

For more information, contact Owen at crowen@uw.edu or Farmer at jsfarmer@uw.edu.

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New direction for UW Botanic Gardens focuses on diversity, equity and inclusion - University of Washington

The Chicago Jazz Philharmonic returns to the Kehrein Center for the Arts this Saturday at 7 p.m. Tickets will again be just $1.

The Philharmonic will be performing Havana Blue, an ensemble created by co-founder Orbert Davis that highlights the similarities between African and Cuban cultures. It is inspired by a decade-long relationship between the Philharmonic and Cuban music students. Four Cuban alumni will be performing at the show.

When I work with them, it blows my mind because there is such a high level of virtuosity. Its absolutely stunning, Davis said.

Their first performance in June drew over 300 attendees. Once again, there will be an intermission discussion between Davis, Vee Stokes and Reesheda Graham-Washington.

Students from Austins Circle Rock Charter School will be performing with the Philharmonics Jazz Academy in the lobby before the show.

The Circle Rock Charter School students participate in the Sistema Ravinia program, which has a strong connection to the Kehrein Center. The students practice every day after school there, said Isaac Sinnett, senior associate director of Ravinias education programs.

These programs are designed to go into spaces that dont have resources or access and help provide that bridge, Sinnett said.

The program led to the hiring of a full-time music teacher at Circle Rock Charter School.

The Sistema Ravinia program is also available at Austins George Rogers Clark Elementary School.

Having students from different backgrounds collaborate together is an intentional action, said Elena Petrovich, Chicago Philharmonic communications coordinator.

So many of those themes and experiences along the lines of Cuba: the idea of reciprocity and relationships and art transcending prejudice in connection with people that literally dont speak the same language but are able to through art, Petrovich said.

Davis said the presentation of Havana Blue in Austin is meant to be symbolic and bring communities together.

We have to put aside what we think we know about ourselves and give ourselves the chance to grow, the chance to change, and then let that happen in the moment, Davis said. Thats really what jazz is all about.

This show is the second of three the Chicago Jazz Philharmonic will have at the Kehrein Center. The third will be held in February during Black History Month.

People should bring their dancing shoes, Davis said.

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West Siders invited to nearly free concert in Austin - AustinTalks

Since its completion in fall 2020, the tall, grassy landscaping at Buddy Holly Hall of Performing Arts and Sciences has drawn a few critics for its prairie-like aesthetic. Some, including a few local radio stations, have evoked the city's tall weeds ordinance in criticizing the landscaping.

With the landscaping often mistaken for overgrown weeds, the leaders of the project want it known that this appearance was very much intentional.

"Really, this landscape was a really unique opportunity, because the vision for the Buddy Holly Hall was that it was going to celebrate everything about who we are as Texans on the High Plains," said Chad Davis, the landscape architect who led the project outside what's become one of Lubbock's most prominent buildings.

Davis said the hall had hoped to represent the communities in which it receives its greatest supporters.

Made up of more than 11,000 plants, seeded wildflowers and grasses, the landscaping consists of only plants that are native to the High Plains, Trans-Pecos and Rolling Plains, Davis said.

"Culturally, we really wanted to celebrate who we were," Davis said. "We felt like this celebrated the landscapes where visitors would be coming from."

Additionally, a product of the xeriscaping concept the name coined for the form of landscaping that reduces natural resources Davis noted that it was intentional to use hardy, drought-tolerant plants, because they save on irrigation and can better withstand Lubbock's unpredictable climate.

During the harsh winter storm in February 2021, Davis said the hall only lost about 5% of its plants when others with non-native plants lost between 50% and 80% of their landscaping.

"We were nervous, but the beauty of our natives is that the natives can withstand the highs up to 105 and withstand lows to minus-5 for several days at a time," Davis noted.

"Not to mention, right in the middle of an asphalt jungle, we're already seeing songbirds populate the site; migrating hummingbirds are visiting; bees are there; and the butterflies are there on their migration," he added.

Texas Tech Greenhouse and Horticulture Garden Manager Vikram Baliga known on social media as the Plant Prof said there's a "certain charm" to the landscaping at Buddy Holly Hall.

"I think their hearts were in the right place," Baliga said. "(When implementing xeriscaping), there's got to be the balance of using native plants, but using them in a way that people want to look at them and it's especially challenging in such a high-profile place. "

While he doesn't criticize it in the same way that some Lubbock residents have, he said he personally would've created a really dense, lush landscape that incorporated more trees, such as desert willows and crepe myrtles.

Plus, xeriscaping takes time to establish, he said, so it's important to recognize that it's not yet in its final phase.

"I see what they're going for, and I think long-term, it'll turn into a really nice landscape," Baliga said.

The rest is here:

Why the landscaping at Buddy Holly Hall looks like that - LubbockOnline.com

Monday, Sept. 19, at 5:00 p.m., members of Sunrise Corvallis, a youth-led hub of organizers committed to fighting for climate justice at the city level, along with other environmental activists, protested in front of the downtown Corvallis Fire Department to demand rapid action from the Corvallis City Council to address the compounding climate and housing crises.

Among these demands were for the city to pass the Corvallis Green New Deal for Climate and Housing Justice (CGND), a resolution which identifies ongoing camp sweeps; lack of accessible, affordable, and emergency housing; and the criminalization of houselessness, mental illness, poverty, and addiction as urgent climate-related injustices.

People in our community are being treated with an incredible amount of indignity and cruelty, said Carly Werdel, an organizer with Sunrise Corvallis. When we talk about sweeps, this is not a nice little broom clean-up. Were talking about bulldozers bulldozers that are coming through and destroying the tents and the things that people are using to stay alive. So what we mean when we say Stop the Sweeps, is we mean stop the criminalization of homelessness, because housing is a human right, and to have our local or state governments unjustly denying people the right to take actions that they need to take to survive in a capitalist world where people are not able to access the housing that they need is inhumane.

Sunrise Corvallis members have stated that when it comes to concern about the local impacts of climate change, historically marginalized communities including and especially those facing constant displacement and dispossession as a result of the sweeps who are at higher risk of exposure to and being harmed by these impacts must be centered in any decision-making.

We need to make sure that we are prioritizing those who are most vulnerable in our community, and people without housing are extremely vulnerable to the climate crisis, said Werdel. At the same time, the climate crisis is making all of us vulnerable to being without housing, because a wildfire or a flood could wipe out any of our houses in a day.

A lot of people are under the assumption that it can never be you, said Adrian Cercy, a queer, disabled community member and activist. And a lot of us working-class folks are just one really crummy year or situation from being in those tents, and not having a reliable source of income or a place to stay. It can be you, and we need to stand up for our unhoused neighbors, because a lot of times theyre busy working on how to survive and not how to [testify before] government officials.

City Council was originally supposed to vote on whether to pass the CGND at yesterdays meeting, but have pushed this out to their Oct. 3 meeting.

Connect with Pride and SOL: This week, the Oregon State University Pride Center, in collaboration with the SOL LGBTQ+ Multicultural Support Network, an organization that focuses on providing support to Queer, Trans, and Intersex Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (QTIBIPOC), will be hosting two welcome week events: LGBTQIA2S+ Connect, and Sol & Pride Open House. The former will be a small tabling event with information and resources to introduce incoming OSU students to the Pride Center and SOL, as well as ways to get involved.

We try to table with resources when possible, because a lot of the time students dont even know that we exist, and thats especially the case with SOL LGBTQIA2S+ Multicultural Support Network, wrote Kailea Warouw, a student employee of SOL, in an email. More often than not, many Queer and Trans BIPOC didnt even know there was a space for them. The Connect event is a chance for them to meet some of our staff, use our resources, and ultimately decide whether or not they would like to be in community with us in the future.

For the Connect event, Warouw said the title was very much intentional.

Were always striving to uplift identities in our community that are often overlooked or forgotten in conversations, she wrote. Here at SOL, we value intersectionality and acknowledge that many people in our community may identify with more than one label. We use LGBTQIA2S+ in hopes of not only uplifting asexual-spec, intersex, and Two-Spirit folks, but also letting them know that they belong here in our spaces.

While the Pride Center building will be undergoing renovations during the academic year, Warouw said that staff have been working very hard over the summer to make the centers new, temporary space feel welcoming and comfortable for the communities they serve.

Being in a more accessible part of campus will only benefit us right now especially since its around where a lot of peoples classes are, wrote Warouw. SOLs goal right now is to create a comforting place for QTIBIPOC while the new Pride Center undergoes renovation The old Pride Center made it really hard for us to hold large gatherings because of how small it was, but now that were in a bigger space weve been planning to have more events in-center!

The LGBTQIA2S+ Connect event will take place on Thursday, Sept. 22, from 1:00 4:00 p.m. at the Memorial Union (MU) Brick Mall; the SOL & Pride Open House event will take place on Friday, Sept. 23, from 1:00 5:00 p.m. in room 112 of the Student Experience Center (SEC). Accommodation requests related to a disability can be made to Pride Center Director Cindy Konrad by sending an email to konrad@oregonstate.edu or by calling 541-737-9969.

Black Womens Equal Pay Day Trivia: On Wednesday, Sept. 21, the Center Against Rape and Domest Violence (CARDV) and the Linn-Benton NAACP branch are co-hosting Black Womens Equal Pay Day Trivia, an event intended to untangle the concept of pay equity and increase local awareness of wage gaps experienced by Black women.

Equal Pay Day, which was observed this year on March 15, originated in 1996 as a national public awareness event to highlight the gender wage gap however, it has historically been an acknowledgement of the gaps experienced by cisgender white women, not recognizing that women of color, disabled women, and queer and trans women are paid even less. Because of the various pay disparities that exist between Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian and Pacific Islander women in the U.S., Equal Pay Days are observed annually for each demographic; this year, Black Womens Pay Day is Sept. 21.

It is imperative we demand pay equity for Black women, reads a statement from the Equal Pay Today project, many of whom are leading their communities in organizing against police violence and systemic anti-Black racism including where it shows up in the workplace.

Food will be provided by Terras Tastee Treats, a local, Black woman-owned homestyle southern desserts, soul food, and BBQ food truck. Registration and attendance is free, though a $5 donation is suggested per person. All proceeds from the event will go toward CARDV and the Linn-Benton NAACP, which will provide prizes for the winning teams of each round of trivia.

The event will take place at Beer Place, located on 401 SW Jefferson Ave., from 6:30 8:00 p.m. To register and learn more, click here.

Put It on The Tab: Kinetic Bagel Institute, located on 250 NW 1st St., recently launched The Tab, a program that allows people who are low on funds to have a free bagel with a spread of their choice and/or a cup of coffee when they place an order.

Weve always had an unspoken policy that if someone asked, we would give them food and coffee, said Greg Alpert, the owner of Kinetic Bagel.

As for the inspiration behind The Tab, Alpert said that one of the shops customers had recently traveled to Missouri, where they encountered a bagel shop in the city of Columbia Goldies Bagels that offered free bagels and coffee to anyone who couldnt afford it by charging the orders to the restaurants Neighbors Account.

The idea was that someone could come to the counter and say, Id like a bagel with cream cheese; my neighbor is going to pick it up, or Its on my neighbor, he said. I think part of the problem is people have a hard time asking; so even saying, My neighbor is going to pay for it, I felt might still have been hard for some people. So we came up with The Tab, and someone can come in and just say, Id like a bagel with cream cheese or spread and/or a cup of coffee please put it on the tab.

Alpert believes having this language available will help relieve some of the social as well as personal shame and stigma experienced by those in poverty which may otherwise prevent folks from asking for a free meal when they need one.

I dont think anyone really wants to be in a position where they have to rely financially on other people, let alone verbalize it, he said. So if we can take that out of the equation entirely with a term like The Tab, I think that will encourage more people to want to use it. On top of that, if people want to pay it forward by putting money into the tab fund, its kind of a twofold win in that people who need a meal can get it pretty simply, and the community can also contribute in a way that they know where their support is directly going.

Thus far, Alpert said there has been a large outpouring of support including financially from the Corvallis community for the concept, and that the shop is now waiting for more people to use it. Employees have been distributing flyers in places around Corvallis they believe would be helpful, including Room at the Inn, an emergency shelter for women, and the South Corvallis Food Bank.

Were trying to get the word out now to people who need it, he said. We have enough flyers right now to the point where if someone wanted to take one and put it up somewhere, they could do that. I dont doubt that almost everyone thats commented on [this project] has someplace in mind that they would like to see targeted, and thats great; thats the whole idea. Ultimately, I would love to see this getting to anyone who needs it, but families in particular would really be ideal in my mind.

Kinetic Bagel is open Wednesdays through Sundays from 8:00 a.m. 2:00 p.m. For those interested in contributing to The Tab, let staff know with your next order; theyll pay down the balance with any amount youd like to give.

By Emilie Ratcliff

Link:

Corvallis Social Justice: Rallying for Housing & Climate Justice, Connect with Pride & SOL, Black Women's Equal Pay Day Trivia, Kinetic...

A new estimate by the U.S. Census Bureau asserts Hispanics make up a larger segment of the Texas population than any other groupa demographic reality particularly significant to Texas Baptists.

The Texas Tribune reported new population figures, based on the American Community Survey, revealing Hispanics made up 40.2 percent of the Texas population in 2021, while Anglos made up 39.4 percent.

Abe Jaquez, president of Baptist University of the Amricas, compares the exponential growth of Hispanics to a tsunami.

Tsunamis literally transform the landscape that they affect. With the winds of a continued population shift, organizations will need to consider how they will address the coming tsunami that is the growing Hispanic/Latino population, Jaquez said.

Those organizations include Baptist churches, as well as the educational institutions they support. Currently, of the 5,302 churches affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas, 1,06620 percentare Hispanic-majority congregations.

Membership figures are more difficult to obtain, since not all churches complete the Annual Church Profile. However, the total membership of Hispanic Texas Baptist churches is estimated at about 135,0007 percent of the 1.9 million in all BGCT-affiliated churches.

Historically, BUA and its predecessor institutions have trained 7 out of 10 pastors who served Hispanic Texas Baptist congregations.

BUA is not the only solution, but it is a big part of the equation in responding to the tsunami that already has arrived, Jaquez said.

One piece of the puzzle is representation. Currently, 14 Hispanic individuals serve on the BGCT Executive Board, and 16 percent of the staff employed by the BGCT is Hispanic. The newly elected Executive Board chair for 2023 is Bobby Contreras from Alamo Heights Baptist Church in San Antonio, and Julio Guarneri from Calvary Baptist Church in McAllen is first vice president of the BGCT.

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The BGCT reports more than 200 Hispanic churches have affiliated with Texas Baptists in the past 10 years. Since 2011, Texas Baptists have helped start 185 Hispanic churches and 237 multi-cultural congregations.

Josue Valerio, director of Texas Baptists Center for Missional Engagement, noted the census estimates indicate Texas may have passed a long-awaited milestone.

These new estimates are the first to reflect the foreseeable culmination of decades of demographic shifts steadily transforming the state, Valerio said.

Texas Baptists Center for Missional Engagement seeks to develop programs, initiatives and ministries to help churches reach newly arrived Spanish-speaking immigrants, as well as first-, second- and third-generation Hispanics, Valerio said.

That reflects a change in approach from earlier decades, since Baptists in Texas historically focused on starting churches to reach first-generation Spanish-speaking Hispanics, said Jesse Rincones, executive director of the Hispanic Baptist Convention of Texas.

These churches were never taught, trained or exhorted to minister to, retain and incorporate the second- and third-generation English-speaking Hispanics, Rincones said.

Ive seen this scenario play out in rural communities and evolving urban areas. The predominantly Anglo First Baptist Church has the language, staff and other resources to minister to second generations. However, they havent historically made intentional efforts to reach them and continue to have a cultural disconnect with the group.

The Hispanic congregation on the other side of townalmost always literallyhas the cultural connection but has not developed ministries in English that minister to and retain the English-speaking children and grandchildren. They also dont often incorporate the next generation into service or leadership positions.

When that happens, English-speaking Hispanics who are assimilated into what has been the dominant culture in Texas fall through the cracks of Baptist outreach, he observed.

Victor Rodriguez, Texas Baptists Hispanic evangelism director and discipleship specialist, said the BGCT is seeking to make an impact through Hispanic churches by emphasizing local, strategic evangelism and discipleship training.

Since many of these Hispanic churches are surrounded by different communities, this yearlong training approach comes with a demographic study, selecting the best outreach effort, developing an evangelism community event and monthly coaching, Rodriguez said.

From the Convencin perspective, Rincones points to strategies he considers effective in reaching Texas Hispanics with the gospel.

Onestrategy that seems to be effective is the shift from having Hispanic churches isolated as mission churches to becoming holistically integrated ministries of the English-speaking church, he said. These en Espaol models put the Spanish pastor on par with the rest of the church staff. The Spanish ministry is in the general budget and shares all the support systems in the church.

The first-generation Spanish speakers have a ministry 100 percent in their language, while their children and grandchildren can be ministered to by the existing nursery, childrens and youth ministries of the congregation.

A similar effective strategy is for Hispanic congregations to offer both Spanish and English services and ministries. These are less common but can be equally effective.

New approaches for the BGCT Texas Baptists en Espaol initiative include regional training centers, developing a personal growth plan for pastors and helping the 200-plus Hispanic churches that are without pastors to move through the search process.

Rincones believes church health among Hispanic congregations is crucial for Baptists in Texas to respond to demographic changes.

Ive always told our Hispanic congregations that I dont get that excited about Hispanics becoming the majority in Texas. Sure, we bring our culture, food and many strengths. And we also bring our challenges. That requires, more than ever, for Hispanic congregations to be healthy and vibrant, he said.

Whether you are collecting taxes or tithes in Texas, we need the Hispanic majority in Texas to know Jesus and to be educated. Baptists in Texas are capable of meeting that challenge.

Texas Baptists launched a Hispanic Education Initiative about a dozen years ago to reduce the Hispanic high school dropout rate and make higher education more accessible to Hispanic students.

Next year, Texas Baptists are planning a church revitalization training event in Spanish that not only will involve Spanish-speaking pastors from across Texas, but also pastors of churches in Latin American countries where the BGCT works. Its stated purpose is to train pastors in principles and strategies of church health, so that they may return to their communities, implement those concepts and train other local pastors in their local context.

Valerio believes Texas Baptists should view demographic change as a prime opportunity to influence the states future.

We, as Texas Baptists, have a unique opportunity to shape what the future of Texas and the U.S. will look like, Valerio said. We need to continue to practice the Great Commission and the Great Commandment. We need to continue to do a better job in the development of missional leaders who will multiply and start new churches and new ministries.

We are currently working with college students, their parents and other workers who are Hispanic immigrants and are serving God in missions and church planting in every major city in Texas.

Immigrants that we are reaching today will come to know Christ, and their children will attend our universities and respond to the Great Commission by going to serve in missions in our state, the U.S. and the world.

Original post:

Hispanics believed to be largest group in Texas now - Baptist Standard

Not everyone is sold on the idea that virtual reality technology could or should bring higher education into a future of avatars and holograms.

But separate from that hype, virtual reality is already being used at colleges in ways that seem more mainstream, as a tool that has the potential to enhance teaching and learning. For example, at Columbia University, professors are creating and using virtual reality tools to help students gain empathy across racial lines, learn dentistry techniques and examine molecules in 3D.

Virtual reality could also create new career opportunities for students. As the industry that develops VR grows, it will need workers who are trained in how to build and apply this technology. A few institutions have degree programs dedicated to that kind of training, such as Husson University in Maine, which integrates classes in coding, design, math and communications.

But what will ensure that these opportunities for making the most of virtual reality arent limited to a select few educational institutionsor to the same groups of people who have made out best during past cycles of technology development?

Thats the question a team of researchers at the think tank Brookings Institution are asking, through a new project that will probe the opportunities and barriers virtual reality offers in higher education. For their first installment, the group published a report based on a roundtable discussion held with leaders from community colleges, Hispanic-Serving Institutions and historically Black colleges and universities.

Concerns about equity in virtual reality are especially salient now that corporations and colleges are racing to stake claims in the so-called metaversean interconnected virtual space where some digital prospectors believe they will strike it rich.

The universities that get on board with this quickest are going to have some of the biggest payoffs, says Rashawn Ray, a professor at the University of Maryland and a senior fellow at Brookings who is co-leading the research project.

A virtual reality headset costs hundreds of dollars. Thats a big price tag for the many students who already cant afford up-to-date computers or internet connections adequate for completing their college coursework. If the use of virtual reality in higher education grows without careful planning, it could make this digital divide even more severe.

Additionally, the same types of students who find themselves on the wrong side of the digital divide enroll disproportionately at colleges that tend to have fewer financial resources, like community colleges, historically Black universities and other minority-serving institutions. And these colleges have been slower to adopt virtual reality technology because of the high upfront costs of investing in it, according to the Brookings report.

However, although virtual reality and simulation tools can indeed be costly, they also have the potential to be especially useful at the very same institutions that lack resources for traditional teaching equipment that is even more expensive, like advanced science labs or workforce-training technology.

Virtual reality tools also hypothetically could increase access to higher education by making it more possible to teach students who cant necessarily make it to a college classroom. For example, Finger Lakes Community College in New York offers an advanced manufacturing class that uses virtual reality welding tools, which enables students in rural areas to participate without having to travel to the main campus, as Open Campus recently reported.

So whether the spread of virtual reality edtech worsens or alleviates inequities depends on whether it followsor breaks withhistorical patterns. Because the technology is in its early stages, Ray argues its not too late to disrupt old habits.

We have a chance to correct it, he says.

Doing so could give a boost to Black, Latino and women students, groups who havent benefited as much from previous waves of tech evolution, Ray adds. And that could help employers hungry for more workers who have the advanced tech skills needed to build and use virtual reality tools.

You have to build a pipeline, a labor force, that has the skill set to be able to do this, Ray says. Community colleges are central to this.

At the University of Maryland, Ray runs the Lab for Applied Social Science Research, which uses virtual reality simulations to train police officers how to handle tough situations. The room has VR goggles, a large TV screen, a VR camera, enough open space for someone to walk around in while participating in an immersive experience, and what Ray calls suped-up computers that can handle advanced software.

Its the kind of setupworth many thousands of dollarsthat not every college can afford.

Thats why Ray believes universities that have the capacity for high-tech research should share their resources with other collegesalthough he adds that this kind of cross-institutional partnership is unlikely to emerge without intentional effort. So Ray argues that science grant-makers could create more incentives for well-resourced colleges to build authentic relationships with community colleges and minority-serving institutions that support joint research programs using immersive technology. As a model for how this might look, he points to the MPower program, which supports collaborations between two different branches of the University of Maryland system, as well as the social justice alliance that the University of Maryland has established with Bowie State University, a nearby HBCU.

Ray also would like to see more research incentives nudging colleges to invite members of local communities to engage with the virtual reality studies happening on campus. He says that might mean setting up summer programs for youthand getting someone with strong local ties to administer the program.

Or it might mean taking research off campus. Members of Rays lab take mobile VR tech tools into K-12 schools, where students and police participate together in simulations and conversations about how law enforcement officers interact with the public. Even students accustomed to using smartphones are often surprised and excited to try the immersive technology, Ray says.

That encounter just might be the spark that sets a student on a path toward a technology career.

To expose them to this, Ray adds, is a huge win for what were doing.

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Is There Still Time to Build Equity into Virtual Reality Edtech? - EdSurge