Sociology Newsletter - May 2025

The WJS Keep on Truckin’ Sociology Endowed Scholarship Fund was established in 2018 to support Sociology majors with financial need to continue their studies. As you may remember, our department received a $1.07 million gift to the fund by an anonymous private individual. This generous gift allows our department to award annual scholarships covering most tuition and fees for three students majoring in sociology.

We will select next year’s scholarship recipients this Summer. Applicants must be Sociology majors who have completed at least 45 credit hours and have a 3.0 minimum GPA. The deadline for applications is June 15. Mark your calendars! Additional details for applying for the award through Scholarships Universe will follow. In the meantime, you can contact Department Chair, Dr. Keith Guzik, for more information.

Registration for the Summer and Fall is open. Take a look at our department course offerings! There are interesting courses being taught across our College as well. Like Vibe Coding by Scott Reed being offered this fall—the course empowers students with no traditional programming background to build sophisticated software using AI. And if you ever have a question about how this or that fits into your graduation plans or other big pictures, remember that Undergraduate Advisor Dr. Maren Scull is available to meet with you in person or on Zoom to talk.

The department has begun offering Qualitative Methods (SOCY3119) in person again. We expect the Spring section of Qualitative Methods to be face-to-face. So, if you would like or need to take the course online to graduate, you can plan do so in the Fall 2025 semester. If you have questions or concerns about this (or anything else related to your schedule or registration), you know who to contact! Undergraduate Advisor, Dr. Maren Scull is ready to help.

CU Denver has a 30-year relationship with International College Beijing (ICB). The program is a national model for study abroad programs with China. Studying in China is a wonderful opportunity to explore the world’s most populous country and experience its unique blend of ancient and modern civilization, scenic beauty, and bustling, cosmopolitan nightlife. And that will remain the case no matter what economic tariffs are in place! At ICB, you will take courses with local Chinese students that are taught by CU Denver faculty. The university is currently offering generous scholarships for CUD students studying in Beijing. If you want to stand out in the global job market, this is an incredible opportunity. But act fast, as Fall applications are due soon! Contact Emily Wheeler for additional details.

Boulder County Community Justice Services is seeking a student to help fill a family navigator position. While it’s unpaid, the position would provide an unique experience to support Internship credits. It would have you develop valuable skills that could be leveraged in your post-graduation career. Boulder County Community Justice Services is a national leader in justice innovation. They will be significantly expanding their work in alternative sentencing in the coming years. Please feel free to reach out to Department Chair, Dr. Keith Guzik, or to Mary Eldred at Boulder County Community Services for additional details.

The Educational Policies and Program Committee (EPCC) of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is seeking a graduate and undergraduate student for the 2025-26 academic year. The EPCC is responsible for reviewing course, curriculum, and academic policy proposals originating from College departments and programs. Serving on the EPCC is an opportunity to learn more about curriculum development and educational administration. Applications for this position recently closed, but contact Department Chair, Dr. Keith Guzik, if you are interested in the role.

The CU Denver Writing Center is available to help you with your upcoming writing assignments. With final papers coming due, the Center is available to meet to talk about your ideas and how you might express them most effectively. 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.

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. 

We are excited to invite you to an end-of-the-year departmental keynote conversation on community reintegration and criminal justice reform featuring Johanna Leal and Dr. Alexandra Walker of Alliance for Criminal Justice Innovation (ACJI). They will be discussing their experiences in this field, what is happening now around the country and in Colorado, and how sociologists can help. This event will also provide us time to celebrate student and faculty achievements and reflect on the challenges ahead. We look forward to seeing you on Thursday, May 8, 3:30-5:30PM, in Student Commons 1401! Food and beverages will be provided

Each year, a select group of sociology majors engages in year-long research projects putting their sociological knowledge to work to unravel the mysteries of the social world. This year, Isabella Luna will be presenting her honors research, “Exploring the Social Identities of First-Born Latinas” (mentor: Dr. Edelina Burciaga) on Friday, May 9, from 11:00AM-12:00PM in the Fourth Floor Conference Room (LSC450) at Lawrence Street Center. Please come to hear about Isabella’s excellent research and celebrate her work!

May is Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month. Throughout this month, we reflect on and celebrate the important role that Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders have played and continue to play in our society. This is also a chance to acquaint yourself with the work CU Denver has been doing as an AANAPISI institution. There are excellent events in the community to take part in as well, including the 2025 AAPI Culture Fest & Night Market taking place on Friday, May 16th, 2025, from 5PM-10PM at Civic Center Park (101 14th Ave, Denver, CO). RTD, yes, RTD again somehow, has information on additional events and AANHPI history.

Ice cream!!! Need more be said?

Well, the Sociology Club will add that they are hosting a study night filled with treats and social support for finals week. They are putting together an ice cream bar with toppings and other snacks. Come on down to Lawrence Street Center, Room 450, on Tuesday, May 6, at 6:00PM for ice cream and stay for the conversation and community.

“Untitled (Chinatown remembrance mural” (2023), Nalye Lor, Denver Fire Station 4 near Sakura Square, Denver, CO.

The department would like to give a big shout out to Madison Fetterolf, Adrienne Montague, Renna Munson, and Shenyu (Miles) Zhang, who successfully defended their master's projects this past month. Great work Madison, Adrienne, Renna, and Miles! Good luck on the next steps of your professional journey and remember to stay in touch!

The department also loudly shouts out Brianna Nigl, Wendell Daniels, Faith Solter, Lydia Stalcup, and Audrey Barrett, our newest inductees to the CU Denver chapter of Alpha Kappa Delta, the International Sociology Honor Society. Induction into AKD is reserved to undergraduate and graduate students in sociology who have maintained a record of high academic achievement. Excellent work all!

Alpha Kappa Delta Society was founded in 1920. The name, Alpha Kappa Delta, represents the first three letters of three Greek words: anthropon (mankind), katamanthanein (to investigate thoroughly or to conduct research) and diakonesein (for the purpose of service). The name, freely interpreted, signifies social research for the purpose of service. If you would like to join AKD, please contact Dr. Jenny Vermilya for details.

Congratulations are in order for Isabella Luna, who was selected to take part in the American Sociological Association’s (ASA) 2025 Honors Program. The Honors Program provides exceptional undergraduate sociology students with a rich introduction to the professional life of the discipline through participation in special activities at the ASA Annual Meeting. Honors Program students develop long-lasting networks with other sociologists while their sponsoring departments get to showcase their most outstanding majors. The Program will take place during the ASA Annual Meeting in Chicago in August. Awesome job Isabella, and happy travels!

In 1943, Marion Konishi was her high school class’s valedictorian. She gave her valedictorian address at the Camp Amache internment camp, located on Colorado’s high plains near the town of Granada, where she and fellow Japanese Americans were confined during World War II. Her words read, “Sometimes America failed and suffered…Sometimes she made mistakes, great mistakes…Her history is full of errors, but with each mistake she has learned….Can we the graduating class of Amache Senior High School believe that America still means freedom, equality, security, and justice? Do I believe this? Do my classmates believe this? Yes, with all our hearts, because in the faith, in that hope, is my future, and the world’s future.”

In late April, the State of Colorado joined its 15^th lawsuit against the Trump Administration’s dismantling of federal programs and funds promised to the state. The latest action targets the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) efforts to cut AmeriCorps, the federal agency for national service and volunteerism. Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser has been leading these efforts. Regarding the latest lawsuit, Weiser comments, ““A thousand people in Colorado are part of AmeriCorps. We get millions of dollars in grants. All of that is going to be shut down unilaterally by the executive branch in violation of the law, and that’s why we’re in court.” The Colorado Sun has more on the story.  

In late April, Harvard University filed a lawsuit against the Trump Administration to block its freezing of federal grants worth billions of dollars. Harvard President Alan Garber announced the action in a letter to the university community, which said the funding freeze would hamper critical disease research. President Donald Trump has justified funding cuts to universities who he claims failed to protect Jewish students during last year's campus protests against US support for Israel’s war in Gaza. The Harvard Crimson has coverage of the ongoing court case.

As we head off to what can be expected to be another hot summer, we are reminded that climate change will remain a social challenge for for the rest of our lives. But for people living on Pacific Islands, the threat is greater and more immediate. The Pacific Regional Environment Program (SPREP) is a regional organization established by the Governments and Administrations of the Pacific that protects the environment and natural resources of the Pacific. The group’s “Our Ancestors Speak” video brings poetry, oratory, ancient prophecy, and indigenous languages of Oceania together to teach about sustainability, survival, love, and ways of being in and with the world at a critical historical moment.