Spring and Awards Culminate the 2016 – 2017 Academic Year

With the arrival of spring, the robins returned to Notre Dame.  High school prospects visited the campus and undergraduates basked in the sunshine between the days of liquid sunshine.  During the end of the academic year, we saw bookstore basketball games, awards ceremonies, and students partaking in academic conferences on and off-campus.

Congratulations to the 2016- 2017 Student Leadership Awards winners. The announcements at the April 10th event acknowledged the following MSPS leaders: Ms. Jessica Pedroza for her work giving a voice to the voiceless – Irish Clover and Rev. A. Leonard Collin C.S.C. Leadership Awards and Xitaly Estrada recognized as one of the outstanding Student Leaders. I would be remiss if we did not acknowledge the rectors, who supervised the winning halls, Elaine DeBassie – Farley Hall and Eric Styles- Carroll Hall. Both were humbled and mentioned their students did all the work.

 

Thank you to the student leaders for the 2016 – 2017 academic year. Your efforts in leading your respective clubs has not gone unnoticed. Your signature events continued to enrich and educate the Notre Dame community.  We applaud the efforts of the formal and informal leaders, who rose to address controversial issues and topics. You represented student activism and how it is implemented at Notre Dame from forums to demonstrations.  Seeking opportunities to hear opposing views and voice yours is paramount in the collegiate experience and one of the purposes of institutions of higher education is intellectual engagement.

MSPS is an advocate for providing leadership development opportunities for students. It is important to enhance your leadership skills. Taking advantage of professional conferences from ACC Student Leadership Conference to the National Conference on Race and Ethnicity is a beginning. The Multicultural Pre-Medical Society sent a cohort to the Student National Medical Association Conference in Atlanta, Georgia over Easter Break. The MPMS representatives attended Pre-Med track sessions focused on preparedness for the medical school application process. Student Activities Office took several ND students to the 2017 ACC Student Leadership Conference.  MSPS took Carrera Brown, Adriana Cantos, Yuko Inoue to NCORE in Fort Worth, Texas. Their reports will be featured on the MSPS website throughout the summer.

Lastly, take time to enjoy your summer break. Get some R & R, if you are attending summer school stop by in July to meet our new assistant director for Diversity Education, Outreach and Assessment, Paige Jackson.

Peace,

Ms. Iris Outlaw `90 MSA

Director, MSPS

Spring 2017

Happy New Year and Welcome back

Honoring Dr. martin Luther King, Jr. the evening  of January 16 was instrumental in establishing the tone of our reflections for the beginning of this semester. As participants in  the “Walk the walk” week activities, we ponder on the message of Associate Provost Page and words of Fr. Jenkins, who are we? and What is our role in creating an inclusive and welcoming campus? I thought this article was appropriate in considering who we are as a  community.

Stir – Fry Seminars & Consulting

JANUARY 2017

THE ART OF PEACE IN TIMES OF WAR


I wrote this article as a way to help us when we view someone else as a ‘threat’ because they differ from how we see and experience the world. We often enter into a war of words in a battle for the truth.  Each of us trying to convince the other of how wrong they are and how right we are. The art of peace is never easy in times of war, but never more needed.

My hope is that these suggestions will help in finding worlds not yet discovered – yearning to be explored, understood and embraced. For hatred, often is about fearing what we do not understand.

1. STAYING IN THE ROOM TO WORK THINGS OUT

This is not always easy, especially if we morally, spiritually, politically or religiously disagree with someone. Also, we might emotionally leave, even if we’re still physically in the room. So, the real the commitment here is our willingness to remain emotionally and physically present and open to working things out.

2. REMAINING CURIOUS

It is often convenient to stop listening when our truth is in competition with someone else’s truth. The hard part is being curious about what they mean and how their experiences impacted who they became and are today. This requires being sincerely curious about the social and personal contexts of someone’s life journey and how those experiences shaped their future life choices and perceptions.

3. TAKING NO PRISONERS

There is a Buddhist saying: “To have no enemies, is to take no prisoners.” I think that what is being implied here is to notice how withholding some part of the truth will hold another hostage. Thus, creating resentment, bitterness and distrust. It’s not easy. As someone once said: “The truth is always there. Saying it out loud, now, that’s the hard part.”

4. SELF-REFLECTION

Being in a relationship affords you the opportunity (if you’re willing to take it) to see who we are in the eyes of another. We seldom get to hear, let alone truly see, what we look like to others when we’re angry, frustrated, irritated, in love, in despair, feeling hopeless or lost. That is why reflecting on our actions/inactions and being open to hearing how others experience us is so critical to our growth and understanding of ourselves and our impact on others. As Anais Nin once wrote: “We do not see the world as it is, but rather who we are.”

5. OWNING OUR PART

There is an American Indian saying: “Today, is a good day to die.” One of the implications here is that we need to examine whether or not we are headed in the right direction and if we are harming others by our actions/inactions.

Perhaps, one of the reasons we have such a hard time apologizing and taking responsibility is because we seldom witness that quality in our leaders and from our institutions.

Maya Angelou once wrote: “I may not remember what you said or what you did, but I will l always remember how you made me feel.”

6. A WILLINGNESS TO TRANSFORM AND CHANGE

So often, change is viewed as having to lose something, rather than as an opportunity to enhance and enrich our lives. Transformation is defined as a change in nature, form or character.

To create trust and community, we must be willing to transform our goals, ourselves, our communities and our institutions when the need arises. Change is a healthy and necessary part of nature and science and in all relationships.

As Amelia Earhart once shared:  “The most difficult decision is just to act. The rest is just tenacity.”

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I have attended several of his sessions at conferences and wanted to share his perspective with the University.

If you want to participate in conversations, visit MSPS Facebook site for upcoming events. February 15, MSPS will host a panel Sports and Social Activism: Fame, Controversy , & Impact  in Montgomery Auditorium. For more information email: msps@nd.edu or call 574-631-6841

Peace,

Iris Outlaw `90 MSA

Director

 

A Reflection for Christmas Break & Rejuvenation

Interfaith prayer service

Interfaith Prayer Service – November 14, 2016 – Matt Cashore, photographer

The last final for the semester has been taken, bags packed and now you are on your way home, to friends, relatives or wherever the next four weeks will take you. B-R-E-A-T-H-E.  It seems like forever since you could just be, sit in solitude and ponder how you feel, what has occurred over the past five months. How have you evolved? Or are you the same person who stepped on campus in August?  If you are, why hasn’t there been a change? Or should there have been one?

Advent began four Sundays prior to Christmas. During Advent Season, we are called to pray and reflect. Our community has been fractured by many issues, we are called to be one and the “keepers and protectors” of our sisters and brothers.  How this is to be accomplished is the challenge. Often, it is believed that the powers that be should be the driving force to rectify the ills. In reality, everyone is charged to address the inequities, disenfranchisement and establishing an environment where every community member is felt valued, appreciated, safe and welcome.

Fr. John began the call acknowledging the divide that emerged in our community because of the contiguous election year. He stated we must work toward the common good which includes having critical dialogue that respects the dignity of all persons. During this time, I ask for each of you to determine your strategy to contribute to his request.

The 2017 Spring Semester begins on the National Holiday celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  The interfaith prayer service will be in the Main Building at 11:00 p.m Monday, January 16. The second Walk The Walk Week begins the week of January 22.  Multicultural Student Programs and Services will host RAPtivist Aisha Fukushima on January 23 and co-sponsor Citizen author Claudia Rankine on January 26. RAptism is a global hip hop project highlighting how culture contributes to the universal efforts for freedom and justice by challenging apathy with awareness, ignorance with intelligence, and oppression with expression. These of two of several events occurring for more information and listing of other activities check the 2017 Walk the Walk Week site.  Both speakers compliment the fall Solidarity for Racial Justice campaign. MSPS’ Spring 2017 MLK Study of Race speakers will continue the discussion of social activism and the various forms it can take from the kneeling of Colin Kaepernick to demonstrations on college campuses and in high schools. Information will be shared on the MSPS website and Facebook page, as well as in our weekly announcements.  Feel free to contact the office either by calling or email for more information. We hope you will take advantage of these opportunities to have the critical dialogues that Fr. Jenkins referenced during the November 14 interfaith prayer service.

Have a blessed Christmas and Happy New Year.

Peace,

Iris L. Outlaw

Iris L. Outlaw `90 MSA

Director