Sociology Newsletter - February 2025

The new US Presidential Administration has brought a wave of federal actions affecting immigrants, universities, companies and agencies prioritizing DEI, and many other matters connected to our daily lives. To discuss current events and their impacts on society, our department is hosting a community event, where students and faculty can share their concerns and questions and dialogue about steps forward. Organized by the Sociology Club, the event will take place in Lawrence Street Center, Room 450 on Tuesday, February 11, 6-7PM. Food and beverages will be provided. Attendance via Zoom will be available as well. We look forward to seeing you there.

The Sociology Club is soliciting nominations for officers. The Club’s current President, Vice President, and Treasurer—Adriana Davis, Maddie Fetterolf, and Brooklyn Blue—are all graduating! Congratulations and thank you Adriana, Maddie, and Brooklyn for all your hard work! That awesome news means we are looking for new officers to help keep the Club vibrant and growing. Do you want a unique opportunity to grow professionally, build leadership skills, and potentially earn Honors Scholar credit, all while positively impacting the community around you? Then serving as a Club Officer is for you! Contact Dr. Jenny Vermilya, Sociology Club Advisor, for more details.

CHOW is an organization dedicated to providing wellness support within the hospitality industry through shared stories, skills, and resources. The group is seeking applicants for ExPOS positions (Experience Peer Offering Support) to facilitate peer group meetings. These peer support positions require 5 hours per week and are compensated at $30-35 per hour. One year of work experience in the hospitality field is required. Applicants should be empathetic and possess exceptional interpersonal communication skills. For more details, contact admin@chowco.org.

Do you love teaching, working with young people, and promoting change? If so, check out the award-winning Generation Teach AmeriCorps Summer Teaching Fellowship. Fellows earn a living allowance of $3,234.92 and an AmeriCorps Education Award of $1,565.08 while gaining leadership and teaching experience. Fellowships include pre-summer preparation, 7 days of in-person training, and 24 days of teaching Denver middle-school students. Serving as a teaching fellow offers a unique chance to grow as a leader and teacher and develop skills for your future career. And as a fellow, you will join a loving community of 32 undergraduate and high-school students. The upcoming application deadlines are January 15, February 15, and March 15. Learn more through this flier and video. Applications can be found here!

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 using this link.

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 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. 

February is Black History Month. During this month, we honor the achievements and contributions of African Americans to our country. At a time when political leaders in Washington D.C. are prohibiting the teaching of diversity, equity, and inclusion, 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 include art exhibitions at the Denver Art Museum and History Colorado Center, The Museum for Black Girls at the 16^th Street Mall Pavilions, and Five Point Jazz Roots performances. Get information about 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 hits keep coming from CLAS MixTape. MixTape features presentations from CLAS students, staff, and faculty about their research and creative activities. It’s a great opportunity to learn what your peers and professors work on outside the classroom. This Spring’s event, A Chorus of Knowledge, celebrates the research and creative works of CLAS faculty, staff, and students. MixTape will be rocking on Wednesday, February 12th, from 3–5:00pm, in the Jake Jabs Event Center at the CU Denver Business School. Join us there to celebrate the creativity and accomplishments of our community!

The change in federal government is having a significant impact on higher education and our communities. Students, staff, and faculty have questions and concerns about what it means for our Auraria Community and how we might continue to uphold our values as a safe and dignified learning space for all. Join us for an open discussion on the current political environment and what it means for CU Denver. The event will be held on Thursday, February 13^th, from 4:30-6:00 at Student Commons, Room 1600.

William Edward Burghardt (W.E.B.) Du Bois (1868-1963) was an American sociologist, historian, political activist, Pan-Africanist, and co-founder of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Reflecting on the challenges facing African Americans in the US, Du Bois wrote that “the bright ideals of the past,--physical freedom, political power, the trainings of brains and the training of hands,--all these…have waxed and waned”. Where do we find ourselves today as a society?

On Thursday, March 13, from 12:00 to 3:00 at the Lawrence Street Center Second Floor Terrace, the University of Colorado Denver will honor the life and legacy of Dr. Du Bois through keynote presentations and interactive activities. The keynotes will feature Dr. Reiland Rabaka, a prominent Du Bois scholar at CU Boulder, and Arthur McFarlane, the great-grandson of Du Bois and chair of the Denver Black Reparations Council. Please mark your calendars and join us for this unique opportunity to build connection across the Denver community in celebration of Du Bois’s extraordinary life.

The Sociology Club has begun a new semester! This Spring, the Club meets every other Tuesday from 6-7:30 at the Sociology Department (Lawrence Street Center, Suite 420). The Club is hosting our community gathering on Tuesday, February 11, from 6-7:30 (details are above). Watch your emails and social media for information on future meetings.

“Untitled” (2004), Karlee Mariel and Armina Jusufagic (photo by Armina Jusufagic), removed from Denver Sports Castle, Denver, CO

Congratulations to all our Sociology majors who made the Dean’s List last Fall! You know who you are. And now others know who you are too! Keep up the great work!

Ban Alobaidi, Brooklynn Blue, Carina Brizzard, Shannon Butch, Bianca Campos, Caitlin Churchville, Wendell Daniels, Luz Florentino Avila, Kailey Franchi, Ryan Fulda, Naomi Gastelum Lopez, Jorren Grzesiak, Virginia Guerrero De Munoz, Chaeli Hobbs, Olivia Johnson, Victoria Johnson, Adelle Jordan, Debby Lim, Isabella Luna, Derek McCurdy, Maria Reyna, Amber Reynolds, Erin Ruiz, Faith Solter, Gena Villarreal, Mirakle Wright

The Department of Sociology would like to give a big, loud shout out to all our graduate students who successfully defended their master’s projects and graduated with their MA degrees last Fall. These are Sulastri Carr, Madison Higgins, Kerry-Anne Laing, Brianna Nigl, Alexis Olson, Javier Soto, and Alexia Thompson. Congratulations to all of you. Good luck with the next steps of your lives and please stay in touch!

In his book, The World and Africa: An Inquiry into the Part Which Africa Has Played in World History (1947), W.E.B. Du Bois wrote, “...I dream of a world of infinitive and valuable variety; not in the laws of gravity or atomic weights, but in human variety in height and weight, color and skin, hair and nose and lip. But more especially and far above and beyond this, is a realm of true freedom: in thought and dream, fantasy and imagination; in gift, aptitude, and genius—all possible manner of difference, topped with freedom of soul to do and be, and freedom of thought to give to a world and build into it, all wealth of inborn individuality. Each effort to stop this freedom of being is a blow at democracy—that real democracy which is reservoir and opportunity . . . There can be no perfect democracy curtailed by color, race, or poverty. But with all we accomplish all, even Peace.” May your words help guide us through our current times, Dr. Du Bois.

President Trump’s executive order directing federal agencies to end DEI preferences, policies, and activities has had a chilling effect on college campuses across the country. Higher education institutions are preparing for funding disruptions and heightened scrutiny of research or programming related to DEI. KUNC reports on how schools in the Mountain West region are reacting.  

Communities across the country are preparing for federal crackdowns on immigration. Chicago has been one of the first cities targeted by the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency in this new wave of enforcement. The Spanish newspaper, El País, has English-language coverage on how residents and businesses in Chicago are being affected.

President Trump has ordered officials to build a massive migrant detention facility at the Guantánamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba that would house 30,000 detained migrants. Flights with immigrant deportees have reportedly begun. The plan is hugely controversial, given the base’s history and legal status. The Washington Post reports on the administration’s plans here.