Sociology Newsletter - February 2024

The Sociology Department is now accepting applications for the WJS Keep on Truckin’ Scholarship. The WJS Keep on Truckin’ award is made possible by the generous giving of a CU Denver Sociology alumnus. It assists students majoring in Sociology and with financial need to further their studies. This scholarship is for Sociology majors only who have completed 45 credit hours or more (preference is given to students with more credit hours) and have a 3.0 minimum GPA. The award this year will be at least $1,500.

You can apply at Scholarships Universe by clicking here. To apply, provide your number of completed credit hours and a 500-word statement describing your financial need and how the scholarship would positively impact your education. Applications are due by February 15.

Alpha Kappa Delta is continuing its workshop series for sociology graduate students: The Graduate Student Lounge. The AKD Grad Student Lounge is an initiative sponsored by Alpha Kappa Delta to support and foster graduate students’ professionalization, well-being, and peer networking. It meets monthly to discuss various topics of interest to graduate students in sociology and offers a grad-only safe space to share tips, ideas, and recommendations. Graduate students are welcome to sign up to be invited by clicking here.

Alpha Kappa Delta currently provides funding to AKD student members who present at regional sociology conferences. Awards are up to $500/student, although no more than $1,500 may be awarded per chapter. This is another great reason to join sociology’s honor society. For more information about the chapter, contact Dr. Jenny Vermilya.

The CU Conference for Interdisciplinary Drug and Alcohol Research (CU CIDAR) will take place on May 17^th and 18^th (Friday and Saturday) on the UCCS Main Campus in Colorado Springs. The conference is focused on contemporary approaches to interdisciplinary substance research. It looks to build a collaborative environment where scholars from different fields can come to together to discuss their work.

Topics might include: What is the potentials of your research to communicate with disciplines outside your own? What methods/theories might benefit disciplines outside of your own? How can qualitative and quantitative data sets work in concert? What are the limitations created by disciplinary silos and blindspots?

This conference has no registration fee. But participants need to be affiliated with the CU system. Scholars of all stripes and career levels are welcome, including undergraduates, graduate students, and trainees. Information regarding the conference, locations, schedule, and accommodations is available here. The deadline to submit proposals for the conference is February 23rd.

The CU Denver Lynx Food Pantry responds to the need of CU Denver students for resources to fight food insecurity. CU Denver students have access to free food and hygiene products. All students are allocated 10 points each week to use on items from the pantry, whether it's just to grab a snack for the day or to help out with a meal. Bring your student ID when you visit. The Lynx Food Pantry is located on the 3rd floor of the Wellness Center. 

The Institute of Reading Development is now hiring summer teachers for its reading programs for students of all ages. The Institute’s mission is to inspire a lifelong love of reading. Their reading programs combine skills instruction with the experience of reading and discussing really good books. This is a great opportunity to do challenging and meaningful work in a supportive environment. Teaching experience is valuable but not necessary, and teaching certification is not required. The Institute welcomes applications whether you are an upcoming or recent college grad, a graduate student, a current teacher, or looking to make a career switch into education.

Teachers work with students in both online and in-person classrooms; earn between $600-$700 per week; receive comprehensive paid training and ongoing support; and gain over 200 hours of experience teaching their own classes to students from 4-year-olds to adults. To learn more and to apply, click here. 

The Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute (FMHI) at the University of South Floria invites undergraduate students interested in substance use and co-occurring disorders to apply for a highly selective Summer Research Institute (SRI) funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). This program is designed for students interested in building their research skills within the context of substance use and co-occurring disorders to prepare for a Senior Thesis and/or graduate school. The SRI@FMHI is an 11-week in-person program taking place from May 23, 2024, to August 1, 2024. The application deadline is March 10, 2024. For more information and access to our application, click here.

February is Black History Month. During this month, we honor the achievements and contributions of African Americans to our country. At a time when teaching diversity, equity, and inclusion is being deemed unlawful by reactionary political leaders, recognizing and celebrating the work of African Americans is more vital than ever. Denver and Colorado have a number of events throughout the month to observe Black History. These range from art exhibitions featuring Black artists and jazz performances in Five Points to Black History Live Tours dedicated to Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. Get information on upcoming events at Denver.org and the Denver Public Library and learn more about Black History in the city and state at the Black American West Museum and Heritage Center and History Colorado.

“The African American Spirit of the West” (2004), Jay Warren, Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library, Denver, CO

Kayla Ahr successfully defended her master’s portfolio on December 5, and Jay Pecenka successfully defended his master’s thesis, titled “Development on Decline: Enterprise Zone Policy, Austerity Governance, and Employment Outcomes” in December. Excellent job Kayla and Jay! Good luck with the next steps of your academic careers and stay in touch!

CU Denver graduate students Kayla Ahr (again!) and Sulastri Carr presented their research on food insecurity on US college campuses at the Fourteenth International Conference on Food Studies in Guadalajara, Mexico. Their poster presentation was titled “The Culture of Being a College Student and Food Insecure.” Their travel was supported by funds from the CU Denver Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Office of Graduate Education, and the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences. Great work Kayla and Sulastri!

Many thanks to everyone who supported the toy drive ahead of the holidays. A special thanks to Ruby Freyre Perez, an undergraduate student in our department who helped organize the drive with the Atzlan Recreation Center. As the photo shows, the event was a big success. Thank you!!!

Anna Julia Cooper taught us that “The cause of freedom is not the cause of a race or a sect, a party or a class - it is the cause of human kind, the very birthright of humanity.” Thank you Professor Cooper.

The large number of migrants seeking refuge in the United States continues to be a major challenge facing the country. Denver is very much part of this story. Read the Colorado Sun’s reporting on the efforts of volunteers to help migrants in the city survive the winter.

Who’s afraid of being ‘woke’? Apparently the state of Florida. The Florida Board of Governors Wednesday recently approved new rules that prohibit diversity, equity, and inclusion spending and remove sociology from the general education core at the state's public universities. Sociology clearly matters to the national debate. You can find local coverage of the story from the Tallahassee Democrat here. 

Mali is Africa’s third largest producer of gold. And gold is Mali’s most important export, helping feed the lucrative global gold market. In January, more than 70 people died in the southwest of the country after an informal mine collapsed. Al Jazeera has coverage of the tragedy here as well as background on gold mining in the region.