Each Thursday, throughout the summer, the Office of College Communications will include historical facts about the college in The Dome, on Facebook and Twitter. It’s all part of our yearlong sesquicentennial celebration, which culminates in September 2020 when Canisius turns 150 years old.
Today, we flash back to May 1972 when Canisius senior Terrance R. McKnight was named the top debater in the country. McKnight placed first in a field of 108 debaters at the National Debate Tournament in Salt Lake City, UT.
He and his teammate, sophomore Mary Grace Diehl, also placed first in the National Debate Tournament of Champions held that same spring at Illinois State University. It was the fourth consecutive time the Canisius debate team finished among the top 10 in the National Tournament. In 1970, the debate team of David J. Goss ’70 and David L. Wagner ’71 took home first place in the tournament.
Canisius College President John J. Hurley discussed what the fall 2020 semester may look like in a lengthy interview with WGRZ-TV Channel 2. During the wide-ranging interview, President Hurley provided insight into how the college is planning to adapt to ensure safety and social distancing measures in the classrooms, the residence halls and in the dining areas.
Also, Economics Professors Mark Zaporowski, George Palumbo and Julie Anna Golebiewski are all quoted in today’s Buffalo News. The article, titled “As Reopening Gains Speed, Buffalo Niagara’s Recovery Will be Slow,” is written by Reporter David Robinson and can be read by clicking here.
The coronavirus pandemic has ended the 42 quarter national economic expansion that began in 2009. Advanced estimates of GDP growth for 2020 show the economy contracting by 4.8% in the first quarter and that contraction likely to continue – and be much worse – during the second quarter.
The latest edition of Western New York Economic News explores how long this economic downturn will last, and how quickly the economy can be re-opened.
The quarterly publication provides analysis and forecasts of economic trends in the Buffalo-Niagara Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area and contrasts these trends with those in New York State and the nation. The newsletter is prepared by George Palumbo, PhD , Mark Zaporowski, PhD and Julie Anna Golebiewski, PhD, of the economics and finance faculty at Canisius.
Click here to read the latest volume of WNY Economic News.
Due to loss of employment, hundreds of families in our community are without food. Through the efforts of Pastor Kinzer Pointer and the Health Equity Task Force, a food supply is available and ready for packaging and delivery. But volunteers are needed to help with this.
Please come to Mt. Olive Baptist Church, located at 701 E. Delavan Avenue in Buffalo (14215), on Tuesday, June 2 at 9:00 a.m. to help sort and package groceries for needy families. Masks and gloves will be provided for all volunteers. For more information, contact Mary Rockwell at mary.rockwell@canisius.edu.
Submitted by: Mary Rockwell, director, New Buffalo Institute
The New Buffalo Institute is once again updating its list of ways to support the larger Canisius community while recognizing the need for social distancing. Volunteering online lets you donate your virtual time to a cause that matters, which means you can make a difference even if you cannot go physically volunteer somewhere.
New opportunities for volunteering locally:
Say Yes to Education The Say Yes Buffalo Internship & Career Pathways Program is launching a certificate program to provide professional development for our scholars and engagement opportunities with our local workforce. To obtain a certificate, each scholar must complete two informational interviews with local professionals. Interviews should be 45 – 60 minutes in length and Say Yes Buffalo staff will assist with connecting students with volunteers. They will begin in June and conclude by mid-August. We are seeking volunteers to participate in these informational interviews. As a professional volunteer, you are welcome to sign-up for more than one interview if you choose. We are accepting volunteers until May 28.
City Year AmeriCorps Member Food Pantry As this period of social distancing continues, we want to find ways to offer additional support to our AmeriCorps members. While all of our AmeriCorps members are continuing to receive their healthcare and living stipend for the remainder of their term of service, we know this will place extra strain on them and their support networks. To that end, we’ve developed a wish list on Amazon to help us create a Food Pantry for any of our members to access non-perishable items during this critical time. If you are interested in purchasing any items to be distributed to our members, please click here.
Opportunities to volunteer nationally or internationally (thanks to First Lady Maureen Hurley and the Newman Center for sharing these ideas):
United Nations VolunteersIf you are looking to take your online volunteering worldwide, this is the place to start. UNV connects you with organizations working for peace and development in need of skills like research, writing, art and design. There are already over 12,000 volunteers from 187 countries lending their talents to organizations around the globe.
CatchafireThis volunteer search tool is exclusively for online volunteer projects. Each one has a timeline that can range from an hour to a few weeks. So whether you have an afternoon or several, you can help non-for-profit with tasks like writing thank you letters or editing photos.
Smithsonian Digital VolunteersThe Smithsonian Institution is the world’s largest museum, education, and research complex, but even they could use a little help sometimes. Help make their collections more accessible by volunteering online to transcribe historical documents or edit Wikipedia articles related to their artifacts and research.
Amnesty DecodersOperated by Amnesty International, this network of digital volunteers helps conduct research into global human rights violations. Volunteers have used their phones and computers to verify the location of oil spills, find evidence of drone strikes and flag abusive tweets to women politicians in India.
Translators Without BordersFor those fluent in more than one language, check out this nonprofit that combines language skills with humanitarian aid. Volunteers provide translations (10 million words a year) to international organizations that focus on crisis relief, health and education.
Crisis Text LineHere’s a perfect example of technology being used for good. Become a volunteer to help the Crisis Text Line continue to offer free, 24/7 support for those in crisis. If you are at least 18 and can commit to volunteering four hours each week, you can apply to be trained for free.
ZooniverseZooniverse is a platform for people-powered research that would not be possible (or practical) without the help of online volunteers. Spend as much or as little time as you would like identifying endangered animals, classifying galaxy systems or transcribing Shakespearean manuscripts.
Project GutenbergFounded in 1971, this may just be the virtual volunteering effort that started it all. The goal is to create the largest digital library, and so far they have amassed 59,000 free eBooks. Volunteer by donating eligible materials, transcribing books into a digital form or proofreading others’ work.
All for GoodPoints of Light’s database includes thousands of volunteer opportunities. To find virtual opportunities, enter “virtual” in your search under “more options.”
Go to the New Buffalo Institute website to find additional volunteering suggestions. Click here for more information.
Submitted by: Mary R. Rockwell, director, The New Buffalo Institute
