School of Humanities & Social Sciences
Newsletter SUMMER 2014
Event Calendar
Welcome to summer! As the seasons shift, so does SHSS. We have some wonderful new initiatives in the school designed to support students and alumni. The new SHSS student advisory council had its first meeting and provided insightful recommendations. We will set up some student meet-ups in the fall, a live-streaming career transition panel, and short workshops on APA and other topics. We will also try something unique: a MOOC-style student lounge with discipline break-out sections. Stay tuned as we work on this exciting idea.
AUGUST
Letter from the Dean
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School of Humanities and Social Science’s 2ndAnnual Shootout for Thin Blue Line Scholarship Fund 8 a.m. - Colorado Clays Shooting Park, Brighton
In conjunction with Alumni Services, we’ve launched the first ever JOOC: Jesuit Open Online Conversation. This course-like experience invites alumni and friends to discuss content from our Living Lives that Matter course. We hope to have it ready for an official launch by mid-fall.
We hope you like the new reflection on water, written by Assistant Provost Steve Jacobs, the book reviews, and updates. We look forward to your feedback so that we can be better partners with you.
Elisa Robyn Dean, School of Humanities & Social Sciences
AUGUST
Finally, we are thinking about our courses in new and deeper ways. We know adults return to school for more than just information; they come for transformation. Some of you might come back because you want to be more, do more, live your passion, and find your best self. We want to find our deep passion and let it drive our lives; something the Jewish faith refers to a Tikkun olam, which means to repair the world. We want to be better people, to find ways to transform the world through our partnership with you, our students and community.
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WC3 – Wine, Chocolate and Conversation 4:30 p.m. – Clarke Hall Atrium
Water and Counseling J. Stephen Jacobs, Assistant Provost
Water and counseling may seem an odd coupling. Yet many people used water images as they shared their experiences in the privacy of my office: “I’m drowning in work.” “My kids were swept away by the divorce.” “I’m stagnating in my career.” “My company’s failure was a perfect storm.” “My faith kept me afloat following surgery.” “Financially, I’m barely keeping my head above water.” “I love her and I’ve decided to take the plunge.” “I have so many blessings, my cup overflows.” “As I held my dying mother’s hand, I knew she was crossing to the other side.”
Water is the metaphor of our day-to-day journeys and struggles. Our lives are fluid or stagnant, deep or shallow, and, like a river, always changing. Old beliefs erode and we are carried forward into the future. As the Persian poet Rumi writes, “The seawater begs the pearl to break its shell.” Good counseling invites us to break open our shells. The good counselor often sees the pearl before the client does.
We continue this newsletter’s philosophical reflections on water, this issue focused on water and counseling. Before Regis, I was senior minister of a Presbyterian church outside New York City. Pastoring the fast-paced culture of corporate America, I shared people’s joys, personal struggles, sorrows, and the many stresses of cultural success. I heard poignant, heart-rending stories.
I have savored Eastern thought and believe it has much to teach us. Those of the East suggest the “me” that defines “myself” is not as rock-solid as we think. In fact, it is more a verb than a noun. Most want to believe we are constant, solid, unchangeable. While I say “Hi, I’m Steve,” this really isn’t true. In reality I am “Steve-ing” – an identity that is fluid, vibrant, and ever-changing. I am not now who I was when I began this sentence. I also want you to be a noun, not a verb: solid, graspable, knowable, predictable. I like you as you are. I married you because.
What often brings people into counseling is they are dried up in old ways of seeing, captive to ancient wounds, holding on to habits that no longer work. Married couples often come to counseling because they can no longer see who they are becoming, but only what they have been and what they have done to hurt each other.
Some of the world’s great spiritual guides have been profoundly influenced by water and how it informs our soul work. Ignatius, the founder of the Jesuits, saw deeply into the unity of all things as he sat on the banks of the River Cardoner in Spain. Buddha illustrated his teachings with river imagery, believing the first step of enlightenment is “entering the stream.”
So what can we conclude? It may be simpler than we think. Life’s suffering is not so much the condition as the resistance. The river of life keeps flowing and rarely takes no for an answer.
Affiliate Faculty Spotlight Hats for Ceremonies, War, and Beauty Ben Closson
Last week, Juan Carlos I of Spain abdicated the throne and his son, Felipe VI, was crowned. Using headwear as a symbol of power or regency goes back thousands of years. In Dr. Beverly Chico’s book Hats and Headwear around the World: A Cultural Encyclopedia, she details the history behind ancient hats, describing their aesthetic appeal. “Some of the most magnificent headwear ever created was designed for the royal families of ancient Egypt. Of particular note are strikingly tall pharaoh crowns.” Chico discusses how the unification of Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt was symbolized by the new dynastic rulers to wear simply a combination of both former kingdoms’ crowns (2013, p. xvii). Since before Juan Carlos was crowned in 1975, Chico has been collecting and studying the uses and symbols of hats and headwear. She lived in Spain during Franco’s dictatorship and found a variety of hats at flea markets. She later studied at Fordham University, Boston College and Johns Hopkins University. She became a history professor and continued collecting hats and headwear. She has collected more than 600 hats from more than 100 countries or cultures, spanning more than five centuries of history. There are three reasons why Chico believes everyone should Dr. Chico is thankful to Regis University for the be as excited about headpieces as this mad-hatter. Firstly, hats grants that she has received over the years! decorate the most prominent feature of the body—the head. Secondly, the head is the sole host of four of the five senses, the only way we get input from the world. Thirdly, the head is recognized as vital to life and intelligence. Chico also mentioned a fourth key reason why everyone should be interested in hats: every living person has a head.
Dr. Beverly Chico
Chico’s expertise has led her to many teaching and consulting positions, as well as a long list of presentations she has curated with her own private collection. She has taught in Maryland and Colorado, including the Metropolitan State University of Denver and Regis University, and has been a visiting professional to the Smithsonian and consultant to the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Ottawa. She has been interviewed by the BBC radio program Outlook, and has published several entries in the Oxford University Press Encyclopedia of World Dress and Fashion. She was also spotlighted in the Style section in the Halloween issue of The Denver Post last year. Chico has an exhibit at the Dayton Memorial Library throughout July. Showcased is a selection of her collection of hats and headwear.
HOUSE OF THE HEAD (Yoruba, Nigeria)
(From Collection of Dr. Beverly Chico) Photo by Jo Cole
What’s On Your Nightstand? Book Review By Dr. Marty McGovern It’s Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens It’s the new “nothing,” I guess. You remember: the answer I’m assuming most of us gave to our parents when they asked, “What did you do in school today?” or “What did you do this afternoon?” or “What are you doing now?” Us, me, maybe you: “Nothin’.” The new “nothing” for the new and networked teen is, according to Danah Boyd, “it’s complicated.” And just as the “nothing” we uttered sure meant a whole lot more than nothing, for today’s networked teens, “it’s complicated” means it—life and life on the ‘net— sure seems to be complicated. Boyd’s style is a mix of an academic study and a general-interest, upscale or upeducated magazine. She features casual conversations with teens from across the country and the socio-economic spectrum. She gets them to open up, though her frequent references to MySpace may elicit a round of teenage groans. Boyd finds a great deal, both simple and complicated. Her main discovery reflects our older generations’ fear of what a teen is up to! It’s the fear of the dark image catatonic, in the dark room, in front of the flickering television screen; it’s the older generations’ fear of what trouble a teen and her friends may be “plotting;” it’s a fear for the safety of a teen from the threats of older predators and same-age bullies. Boyd finds teens simply want to be communicating with their peers, an impossibility (without the Internet) in our current American landscape where teens live great distances from schoolmates, where parents fear for their teens’ safety and thus won’t let them walk to the park unaccompanied, where parents have so loaded up their teens with supervised activities that these kids have no time to “hang.” She discovers fascinating lengths to which teens will go to thwart adults listening to their “conversations.” Some teens taking on different names and personalities so their parents don’t know who they are but their friends do; some creating dual social network accounts; some delete all links and all cookies every night to ensure their privacy. Boyd downplays the dangers of predators and bullies over the Internet— teens, she claims, are now so highly attuned to even the idea of predators or bullies they bolt at the first hint of one. “Complicated,” in the end, is pretty simple in the context of the networked teen. Just as two teens will stop talking when an adult enters a room or one teen on the phone will stop chatting when a parent hovers to listen, “these kids with their [Internet] contraptions” simply want to bond and from bonding continue their trek into becoming socially adept and satisfied adults. They aren’t rebels; they aren’t plotting any trouble. They are trying to be who they are, and they don’t, in essence, want us in their business.
Misson Updates from Faculty, Staff, Students and Alumni
SHSS DEAN ELISA ROBYN SHOWS HER JESUIT by participating in and raising money for the Hike MS: Keystone 2014. Elisa, her husband Ric and dog Shiloh participated because Elisa’s brother passed away from a reaction to his MS medication. Money raised from this event is used to find the cause, treatment and cure for multiple sclerosis. Funds are also used to provide education, information, direct financial aid, and scholarship to individuals and families living with MS. By sponsoring Elisa, you make a difference in the lives of people living with MS.
In the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, we want to know – “ Is Your Jesuit Showing!?”
CLICK TO LEARN MORE OR DONATE.
CPS STUDENT SPOTLIGHT Ana Yelen, a CPS business management graduate, is co-founder and executive director of the Healing Warriors Program in Fort Collins. Ana hopes to expand to Denver and other areas in the near future. The clinic offers complementary healing modalities in the areas of healing touch, cranial sacral work and acupuncture to veterans and their family members. These modalities are especially helpful for those with PTSD. For more, visit HEALINGWARRIORSPROGRAM.ORG.
SCHOOL VIOLENCE SYMPOSIUM On June 6, Regis hosted the Annual Symposium for the Prevention of School Violence. Sponsorship from the CPS School of Education, CPS School of Humanities & Social Science, the Colorado Department of Safety-School Resource Center, and the Foundation for the Prevention of School Violence was well received. Participants came from all areas of the learning community. Highlights were keynote speakers Grayson Robinson, retired Arapahoe County Sheriff; John Nicoletti, Ph.D.; and officials from Rachel’s Challenge. The Symposium had more than 30 volunteer speakers/ presenters and could not have happened without the support of Regis University. A special note should be given to our volunteer staff, who devoted numerous hours in preparation for this event. Faculty, staff and friends on 5/9 volunteering at the School of Humanities and Social Science’s Quarterly Mission Day at The Food Bank of The Rockies.
Who’s New in SHSS?
NADIA DAVIS, ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Nadia was only with us for a brief time, but fit in right away! Nadia joined us in May to serve as the temporary administrative assistant to cover for Deb’s maternity leave. Unfortunately for SHSS, Nadia received an employment opportunity at her “dream job”. Here is a little something Nadia left us with:
BEN CLOSSON, ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Ben studied in Argentina for a year and in Brazil for two semesters. He graduated from Regis College in 2013 with a Bachelor’s in Iberian Studies and minor in French. He has worked for a tree nursery and garden center, an event center, a library, and an international GPS company. Ben is excited to join the team as the administrative assistant for the Global Leadership program at CPS. In his spare time, Ben likes to learn and practice foreign languages, juggle, listen to National Public Radio, and read novels, short stories and textbooks.
Even though I have not met everyone, I can unequivocally say you work in the most wonderful and nurturing environment. The people and the relationships I have developed in such a short period have become so meaningful. It has been a true honor, gift and a blessing to have had the opportunity to work for and with such an amazing department and fantastic university. Even though my time has been brief, both the people and the support here have been unparalleled and unmatched to any other environment in which I have worked. I am embarking on a new adventure to join the Boulder Police Department as an officer and hope to take with me the lessons of love, support and kindness to become a role model within the community and for young women. Thank you all for being wonderful colleagues and true new friends. Warm wishes, Nadia R. J. Davis
DENISE WALTON, ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Denise grew up in the Western United States, settling in Colorado in 1991. Her daughter completed her undergraduate studies at Regis University in the Spring of 2014 and will return to pursue a Master’s degree in Accounting. “I am so excited to be working at such a dynamic place and look forward to getting to know each and every one of you,” she said. “Thanks so much for such a warm and gracious welcome!” Congratulations to Deb Halley, administrative assistant, and her husband Nick, who welcomed their third baby girl in May.
Congratulations to the Winners of the 2014 Lambda Pi Eta Speech Contest
First Place: Christina Elmore Second Place: Bethanny Tarantino Third Place: Brandi Baker Audience Choice: Beverly Wheeler
Special thanks to our judges and volunteers Judge: Terri Scrima Judge: Dorothy Williams Judge: Barbara Kuhlke Judge: Jodi Bounds Judge: Toni Miller LPE Officer: Becki Duly LPE Officer: AnneMarie Miller LPE Officer: Rachel Heggem LPE Advisor: Karen Cordova LPE Advisor: Toni Miller
Alpha Sigma Lambda & Lambda Pi Eta Inductees
Match the photo Send your answers to cgrebenc@regis.edu. First one to send all correct answers wins a gift card!
Congratulations to the following students who were inducted into the Alpha Sigma Lambda or Lambda Pi Eta Honor Societies at a ceremony March 30. Sam Masters Amy Mendez Darla Miller Andrea Morales Selena C. Munoz Dana E. Nayler Micaela Pariselli Patricia M. Purser John Rossman Lori D. Thompson Joyce Thompson Linae Warden
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LAMBDA PI ETA INDUCTEES Shirley Chapman Ardith Duke Rachel Heggem AnneMarie Miller Janiece Rendon Wayne E. Trujillo Linae Warden Heather Mahoney Bradley Hughes Ray Bowden
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