The ALANA Student Center and the Office of Diversity & Inclusion will be sponsoring a day of events recognizing National Truth & Reconciliation day also know as Orange Shirt Day on Monday, October 2 from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. in the ALANA Student Center.
Orange Shirt Day is a legacy of the St. Joseph Mission (SJM) Residential School (1891-1981) Commemoration Project and Reunion events that took place in Williams Lake, BC, Canada, in May 2013.
Throughout the day, students, faculty, and staff will be able to receive information, watch educational documentaries, and receive a free orange t-shirt (while supplies last). Please be on the look out for the run down of events throughout the day. There will be many opportunities where you can answer trivia questions and win educational prizes.
If you have any questions or concerns, please email asc@canisius.edu.
Submitted by: Bennie D. Williams, Assistant Dean of Students, ALANA Student Center
The Animal Behavior, Conservation & Ecology Department (ABEC) in partnership with Buffalo Toronto Public Media, present a screening and discussion of “Wild Hope” on Wednesday, October 4, 2023 from 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. in the Science HallCommons.
At a time when news about the environment is filled with doom and people around the world feel fearful about the future, “Wild Hope” is changing the narrative with surprising stories that show we can still change course. Each 30-minute episode highlights the intrepid changemakers working to restore and protect our planet and inspires audiences with stories of bold interventions, unexpected alliances, and nature’s resilience.
The screening will be followed by a panel discussion and audience Q&A. Sue Margulis, PhD, ABEC professor, will serve as moderator. Panelists include: Genevieve Fontana ’24, ABEC and digital media arts major, Robin L. Foster, PhD, assistant professor of ABEC and Jon O’Brien, PhD, associate professor of Biology.
Submitted by: Malini Suchak, PhD, chair and professor, ABEC
The Archives Speaker Series, presented by Archives and Special Collections, continues its tradition of hosting a lecture during October in commemoration of American Archives Month and Banned Book Week. This year’s theme, Let Freedom Read, addresses choice, tolerance and education as librarians and archivists confront a growing worldwide effort to challenge, censor or ban books and historic collections from their institutions.
Professor emeritus, Larry Eugene Jones, PhD, department of History, will deliver his lecture John LaFarge, S.J., and the Secret Encyclical on Racism and Antisemitism, 1938-39, on Tuesday, October 3, 2023, at 2:30 p.m. in the Andrew L. Bouwhuis Library.
LaFarge, comfortably raised in Rhode Island among an artistic family, entered the Jesuit seminary in Innsbruck, Austria in 1901. He studied theology after a successful completion of classical studies in Greek and Latin at Harvard. Upon ordination, he returned to the U.S., and in 1907 earned his first teaching post in philosophy at Canisius.
Jesuits transferred him to Loyola University Maryland, where he earned a master’s degree in philosophy at Woodstock College. There, his life transformed when his health redirected him from academics to pastoral work. Over fifteen years, Father LaFarge worked and ministered in the St. Mary’s County, Maryland, where desperately impoverished populations of black and immigrant communities endured extreme socioeconomic discrimination. LaFarge found the appalling conditions and treatment of the people “sinful” and regularly spoke out about these inhumanities. He wrote articles and encouraged social activism throughout his life, especially in his 30-year career as the editor of AMERICA magazine, a Jesuit publication.
After his enlightenment in Maryland, LaFarge transferred to the Vatican where he regularly interfaced with the curia. His gifted scholarship led to a challenging assignment that placed him directly with Pope Pius XI. That assignment–developing and writing an encyclical on social justice– would haunt him. This document, and the controversy over its mysterious disappearance, is the focus of Dr. Jones’ lecture.
Submitted by: Kathleen Delaney, archivist and special collections librarian
Associate Professor of Economics and Finance Julie Anna Golebiewski, PhD, spoke with The Buffalo News for two stories related to Buffalo Niagara’s unemployment rate increases due to loss of summer jobs. Read the September 16 story here and the September 19 story here.
The Human Resources Department is pleased to invite faculty and staff to support and celebrate all honorees for their service to Canisius University at the 2023 Celebration of Service on Thursday, September 28 at 3:00 p.m. in Grupp Fireside Lounge. Please RSVP hereby Thursday, September 21 if you would like to attend. We hope you can make it!
The Canisius University Contemporary Writers Series will welcome bestselling author, poet and scholar Clint Smith to campus on Tuesday, October 17. The event, which is free and open to the public, will take place at 7:00 p.m. in the Montante Cultural Center. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and seating is first come, first served. A question-and-answer session and reception will follow the reading.
Smith was born and raised in New Orleans, and earned a BA in English from Davidson College and a PhD in education from Harvard University. He is the author of How the World is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America, a #1 New York Times bestseller and 2021 National Book Critics Circle Award-winner for nonfiction. Smith is also the author of two poetry collections: Counting Descent and Above Ground. His essays, poems and scholarly writings have been published in The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, The New Republic and the Paris Review. He is currently a staff writer at The Atlantic.
For more information or to watch a live stream of the event, Email Mick Cochrane, professor of English and coordinator of the Contemporary Writers Series, at cochrane@canisius.edu.
Submitted by: Mick Cochrane, professor, English; coordinator, Contemporary Writers Series