AES Good News |
Congratulations to Nancy Dimock, assistant director Office of Faculty Recruitment. She is one of seven community leaders recently elected by WXXI’s Board of Trustees to serve on the Community Advisory Board. Members will help identify and share issues in the region to assist WXXI and The Little Theatre in creating programming responsive to those needs.
It’s been a busy start to the academic year for Aubrey Hillman, coordinator for Community and Education, Department of Community and Education. She co-leads Into the Roc: People’s Track, a collaboration between AES and the Center for Leadership and Civic Engagement. She recently planned two big events. The first, called “The Community Dinner” was part of Hispanic/Latine Heritage Month programming and focused on how food connects people and supports culture and community. It included a trip to Carmen’s Cooking in Brighton where the owner, along with the owner of Livie’s Jamaican Restaurant shared their personal experiences running their own businesses. Hillman also organized another trip in October, just prior to Banned Books Week. Seventeen RIT student took part in “The Book Store Crawl.” Students visited three area bookstores and had a chance to talk with owners about the impact of book banning in the U.S and the impact on public and school libraries.
The AES Community and Education team launched the MOSAIC Leadership Bootcamp; a new leadership initiative aimed at student employees and leaders as well as the broader student population. On September 26, facilitators and 24 student participants gathered in the Joseph M. Lobozzo Alumni House for morning and afternoon sessions focused on topics to develop their social emotional learning skills and enhance their ability to lead others. Topics included how to handle microaggressions or how to prevent and resolve conflict. In addition, students could participate in sessions around inclusive event planning or how student organizations can effectively participate in political engagement while on campus. Guest facilitators from campus partners such as the Center for Leadership and Civic Engagement, Center for Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution, Spirituality and Religious Life. and the Ombuds Office. Feedback from students included some of the following comments:
“I learned how to handle/manage some things I've been struggling with lately.”
“This was very helpful! I learned about future ways to deal with microaggressions and conflict. I can't wait to use what I've learned.”
“The speakers were engaging and I learned a lot about the resources RIT has available to students. CLCE and Ombuds are great offices for me to work with.”