Sociology Newsletter - March 2024

We are excited to announce that our master’s degree program is moving online. Students interested in transforming their passion for social change into expert knowledge and actionable skills can now do so in a flexible, hybrid environment that doesn’t compromise on quality. Our faculty specialize in criminology, law, and deviance; medical sociology; urban studies; and families and social welfare. Our program allows you to MA Your Way through four different finishing options, including a traditional thesis or an applied internship experience. Students have leveraged their time with us to gain entry to leading PhD programs such as Princeton, Wisconsin, and Washington; secure jobs with innovative firms like Zayo and Transamerica; and join nonprofits and public institutions doing meaningful work in our communities, including the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless and the Colorado Department of Public Health. We hope you’ll consider joining our team!

Applications for Fall admission are requested by March 15. Students interested in more information about the program are encouraged to contact our graduate director, Dr. Adam Lippert.

The Phoenix Center—our on-campus crisis support center—is hiring a full-time survivor advocate. If you have experience supporting victims of interpersonal violence, have a bachelor’s degree in the social or behavioral sciences, and would like to pursue a career in this area, consider applying. The University of Colorado Denver provides generous leave, health plans, and retirement contributions. Preference will be given to complete applications received by March 8, 2024. Additional details are available here.

The Evaluation Center is hiring an Evaluation Specialist. The ideal candidate will have an undergraduate degree, strong quantitative skills, and an interest in working on projects related to the criminal legal system, crisis services, and mental health systems. The benefits package is competitive, including paid holidays, vacation (4 weeks per year), and sick leave (3 weeks per year); insurance covering medical, dental, and vision; and retirement plans with generous matches. Additional details available here.

Do you have an interest in making an impact against intimate partner violence? The Restorative Approach to Intimate Violence (RAIV) project has a paid internship opportunity for you. The internship involves collaboration with RAIV folks, community partners, and collateral contacts. The position requires approximately 10-15 hours per week, starting at $20.00/hour. Write deb@3storiesconsulting.com for additional details or to apply with a resume and letter of interest. 

AmeriCorps is offering a service year opportunity caring for infants and children up to age six who are at risk for abuse and neglect in Houston. Hands of Hope AmeriCorps Members serve these vulnerable children throughout a 12-month commitment, living in a private, gated community (at no cost) and receiving a living allowance. Hands of Hope AmeriCorps Members will work collaboratively with other AmeriCorps Members in the home to ensure that children’s physical, emotional, and mental needs are met. More information can be found here or from Darean Talmadge at dtalmadge@casahope.org.

Over the past several years, the Political Science Department at CU Denver has offered a Harding Hunger and Homelessness Fellowship to support a CU Denver student engaging in research and policy advocacy to address housing and food insecurity among college students. Through this fellowship, CU Denver has participated in a national survey to document the impact of basic needs insecurity among college students. This year, student fellow Levi Brower is updating past years’ results by conducting an anonymous survey of CU Denver students. Please consider supporting this work by sharing your experiences with meeting housing and food needs while a student on the Auraria campus. A link to the survey is here.

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, visit https://instituteofreadingdevelopmentteachingjobs.com/.

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, visit: https://www.usf.edu/cbcs/fmhi/research/summer-research-institute.aspx.

The Department of Health Systems, Management & Policy (HSMP) on the CU-Anschutz campus is accepting applications for the Fall 2024 cohort of its master’s degree HSMP program. The program is ranked 17^th nationally and is looking to have more Colorado students enter careers in health policy and health systems, where demand for skilled professionals is robust. Students interested in learning more about the program or the application process are encouraged reach out to Dr. Glen Mays. 

The CU Denver Writing Center is available to help you with your upcoming writing assignments. Even if you don’t have a paper due tomorrow, the Center is available to meet to talk about your ideas and how you might grow as a writer. You can meet with them in-person or online. To learn more and schedule an appointment, head 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: https://bit.ly/3nE7kQQ

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 AKD, 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. 

The Sociology Club meets every other Thursday this semester from 6PM-7PM at the Sociology Department Library (Lawrence Street Center 420). The Club has put together an exciting slate of events and activities for this semester, ranging from a Phoenix Center presentation on interpersonal violence to tie-dying club t-shirts. Check out the cool calendar that club member, Brooklynn Blue, created for the Spring events!

March is Women’s History Month. On March 8, people around the globe celebrate International Women’s Day, which celebrates the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. Throughout the month, people across the US will be doing the same.

While we take this time to recognize women’s contributions to society, leaders across the country and world are systematically dismantling women’s rights to health care, bodily autonomy, freedom from gender violence, political equality, equal compensation, and individual expression. The fight for women’s rights and equality has never been more urgent than now.

This month, CU Denver is hosting a series of events and activities on campus to celebrate Women’s History Month and empower women. These include The Body Project, a student-led program to confront unrealistic beauty standards and boost self-esteem; a Women in Entrepreneurship Workshop lead by CU Denver’s Women in Entrepreneurship Club; and a Feminist State of the Union hosted by New Era Colorado. Off campus, the Center for Colorado Women's History, a museum focusing on the lives of Colorado women, hosts exhibits, personalized tours, and special events. Take part in these events and others around the city to celebrate women and stand up for gender equality.

Danielle SeeWalker is a Húŋkpapȟa Lakȟóta citizen from the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. She is an artist, writer, and activist based in Denver, Colorado. Her art comments on the intersections of historical Native American society and modern culture. Catch her exhibition, Danielle SeeWalker: But We Have Something to Say, running through September 15 at the History Colorado Center.

“WESTAF Women's Suffrage Mural” (2021), Adrienne "Adri" Norris, Denver Public Library: Montebello Branch, Denver, CO

The Sociology Club's first event this Spring was a visit to the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. Thank you to the club officers and Dr. Jenny Vermilya for helping make this visit happen!

CU Denver faculty member, Dr. Edelina Burciaga, appeared on CBS Denver 4 to explain US Customs and Immigration Service delays in processing DACA applications. Colorado is part of a group of states fighting attempts to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) immigration program in the wake of a Texas federal court decision that deemed the program “unauthorized.” Delays in DACA Renewal are threatening the livelihood of thousands of “Dreamers” in Colorado.

On February 15, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences hosted an event celebrating the intellectual work of its faculty. Dr. Esther Sullivan was one of four CU Denver research faculty whose contributions to the campus and community were featured. Join us in congratulating Esther on her ongoing awesome work shining a light on housing inequality in the US and helping craft policy to ameliorate it.

In 1971, Simone de Beauvoir, in the Manifesto of the 343, wrote to the political leaders of her country, “You choose a fetus over a human being when that human is female.” The fight for women’s reproductive rights continues.

Alcohol production and consumption is a major part of the culture and economy of Denver and Colorado. But the region’s embrace of alcohol has a dark side. By the most conservative measures, alcohol kills as many Coloradans as drug overdoses. When counting deaths from chronic conditions aggravated by alcohol, drinking’s harms far exceed those of illicit drugs. The Denver Post ran an excellent investigative series earlier this year on the toll that alcohol is taking on Coloradans.

In a highly controversial decision, the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos can be considered "extrauterine children" under state law. The ruling came in a wrongful death lawsuit brought by couples whose frozen embryos were accidentally destroyed at a fertility clinic. The decision has raised a host of questions around the law and liability of in-vitro fertilization and heightened controversies around reproductive health in the US.  National Public Radio’s coverage of the case and its ramifications can be found here.  

Despite the efforts of the #MeToo movement and ongoing work of feminist groups to codify women’s rights into law, gender equality around the world has been in retreat. UN Women is the United Nations organization dedicated to working for gender equality and women’s empowerment. Read here their excellent statement on “Why investing in women is a human rights issue” and consider supporting their work and the work of others standing up for women’s equality.