2015 Sessions

Hope, Action, Change: 50 Years of Memories
Presenter: Richard Morrisroe, Calumet College of St. Joseph, Hammond
Location: Christopher Center for Library and Information Resources, Room 205
Description: This presenter walked and worked with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. during the period from 1964 to 1968, most prominently in Selma, Alabama in 1965. He was introduced to Jonathan Daniels by John Lewis outside the 16th St. Baptist Church on August 12, 1965, who then drove him back to Selma. He and Daniels were arrested and upon their release, Daniels was shot and killed by a Deputy Sheriff, and the presenter was seriously wounded. Since his recovery, he has continued Dr. King’s commitment to change.
Moderator: Prof. Elizabeth Gingerich
Sponsor: Journal of Values-Based Leadership, the College of Business

Hope, Action, Change: Housing the Homeless
Presenters: Paul Schreiner and Carolyn Shook, Project Neighbors, Housing Opportunities
Location: College of Arts and Sciences, Room 236
Description: Two local community representatives, Paul Schreiner and Carolyn Shook, the Directors of Project Neighbors and Housing Opportunities, respectively, will present on the communal efforts of these NGOs and Valpo students to renovate the former health clinic building into “Neighbors Place” – a home for homeless older women.
Moderator: Prof. Barb Crumpacker-Niedner, Johannah Facer
Sponsor: Department of Social Work, Valparaiso University

Hope, Action, Change: Everyone Without Borders – Translating Hope into Change in Central America
Presenters: Professors Coleen Wilder, Amy Cory, and Dan Blood
Location: Harre Union, Brown and Gold Room
Description: Mentors and students comprising the Valpo Chapter of Engineers Without Borders will discuss how, through hope, determination, and action, they can actually help communities function sustainably. Currently, using students from across the campus, the group is helping a rural village in the Rivas Political District of Nicaragua to rehabilitate its water system.
Moderator: Prof. Jiangxia Liu
Sponsors: the College of Business, the College of Nursing and Health Professions, and the College of Engineering

Hope, Action, Change: Know Your Rights – React and Cooperate with Knowledge, Not with Fear
Presenter: Luis Bahena, Valpo Student
Location: Harre Union, Gandhi-King Multipurpose Room
Description: This presenter argues that in America people of color are stereotyped and targeted by members of law enforcement. Sometimes people are stopped in their vehicles with no probable cause. During these confrontations, people are often not very knowledgeable about their rights and so they cooperate with the police out of fear. The aim of this session is to heighten awareness about these issues and to educate participants about their rights and various aspects of the system of law enforcement (e.g., probable cause, police discretion, pretext laws).
Moderator: Prof. Allison Schuette, Prof. Liz Wuerffel, Prof. Stacy Hoult-Saros
Sponsor: The Welcome Project, Department of Foreign Languages and Literature

Hope, Action, Change: Sex as a Business Model
Presenters: Tatiana Carolina Zambrano and Loren Schmidt, Athena Society
Location: College of Arts and Sciences, Room 114
Description: It is almost impossible in American society to avoid women becoming targets of objectification and sexualization. This phenomenon has ultimately become a business model, however, as reflected in marketing and advertising campaigns. For many businesses, sex sells. A discussion of gender-related topics within the context of today’s business model is imperative to the feminist movement. A conversation needs to be started about the desensitization to these problems driven by free markets in today’s business environment, and this session aims to accomplish that goal.
Moderator: Julie Maddox
Sponsor: Athena Society

Hope, Action, Change: Movements – Utilizing Technology to Find Your Voice and Create Change
Presenters: Ryan Bye and Christina Ferrari, Residential Life, Valparaiso University
Location: College of Arts and Sciences, Room 234
Description: Do you Tweet? Have you ever blogged? Are you getting your information about the world through Facebook? This session will work through how one can utilize blogging and social media as tools for engaging with the world. The presenters will discuss the differences in platforms, developing an e-portfolio, and how social media can be a way to inform yourself and others about the need for change. The session will highlight several recent world events, including the Arab Spring, the Hong Kong demonstrations, and the Occupy Movement, and the role that social media played in these events.
Moderator: Deborah Singer
Sponsor: Residential Life

Hope, Action, Change: Working Inside-Out – Change the Self, Change the World
Presenters: Haajar Shaaban and Nadia Atassi, Muslim Students Association (MSA)
Location: College of Arts and Sciences, Room 231
Description: “God does not change the condition of a people unless they change what is in themselves” (Qur’an 13:11). While many groups that advocate for change employ a top-down method, Islam promotes a grassroots approach. In times of turmoil, Muslims look inside and change themselves because one can only create change when living a good life. In this session, the Muslim Students Association (MSA) will give a short presentation on this verse and its implications, followed by a discussion.
Moderator: Prof. Joseph Trendowski
Sponsor: Muslim Students Association (MSA)

Hope, Action, Change: MLK Celebration Featured Artist – N. Davina Stewart
Presenter: N. Davina Stewart, Artist
Location: Valparaiso University Center for the Arts (VUCA), Lobby
Description: This session will examine the interstices between “intimate” personal belief and the desire for social justice by examining the Poor People’s Campaign of Dr. King in 1968 and two of his last writings: “Beyond Vietnam” and “Where Do We Go from Here?” Eight issues addressed within these writings will be represented in two conceptual forms: an interactive installation and an investigative performance. Participants will face a gauntlet of reflective panels equipped with audio and visual references related to these concerns, culminating in a dramatic narrative performed during the session.
Moderator: Tracy Rongers
Sponsor: Art Department

Hope, Action, Change: Pass the Mike Session, Civil Rights Versus Civil Wrongs
Presenters: Professors Peter J. Venturelli and Gregory Jones, Valparaiso University
Location: College of Arts and Sciences, Room 115
Description: Professor Peter Venturelli (Sociology) and Reverend and Professor Gregory Jones (Theology) plan to begin this session with a brief listing of black adolescents and black men who died from confrontations with police officers, including Tamir Rice, Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Trayvon Martin, Oscar Grant III, John Crawford, Jonathan Ferrell, and several others. As moderators of this informative session, their primary goal and emphasis is to solicit opinions and moderate an open discussion with the audience regarding the roles of crime control and civil rights.
Moderators: Professors Peter J. Venturelli and Gregory Jones