Sociology Newsletter - May 2026

The Phoenix Center at Auraria is offering paid academic internships and work-study employment for the 2026-2027 academic school year. The PCA’s Violence Prevention Education (VPE) Team facilitates workshops about partner violence, healthy relationships, and bystander intervention; represents the PCA at outreach events; plans PCA-sponsored and co-sponsored campus events; and creates prevention education content for Instagram, podcasts, blogs, and campus signage. To join the Team, interns and work-study student employees will complete a 36-hour victim advocacy training, finish a 16-hour VPE-specific training one month before the Fall semester, and work a minimum of 12 hours per week. You can learn more about this excellent opportunity to make a difference here.

Registration for the Summer and Fall is open. Take a look at our department course offerings! We encourage you to check out the interesting courses across our College as well. Like Red and Blue America with Dr. Chris Agree (see photo)—the course delves into our polarized political present by exploring cultural phenomena like Jaws, MTV, and Oprah; the social impact of the AIDS Crisis, the War on Drugs, the Cold War, and the War on Terror; and the political ascendance of Reagan, Obama, and Trump. Also, if you ever have questions about how this or other courses fit into your graduation plans, remember that Undergraduate Advisor Dr. Maren Scull is available to meet with you. 

The University of Colorado Denver’s Department of Sociology has partnered with the Alliance for Community and Justice Innovation (ACJI) to offer the Community Care Practitioner microcredential— a practical, evidence-based program for professionals and students interested in community justice, social work, behavioral health, and human services. The microcredential is a 2-course, 4-credit sequence that has you build real-world skills in mental health support, ethics, cultural responsivity, peer support, health boundaries, and self-care. You'll learn to provide non-clinical assistance, foster hope, and model recovery, while adhering to confidentiality and professional guidelines for peer support. The training is based on the most up-to-date, evidence-based knowledge, tools, and strategies, including both theoretical and practical instruction. Participants completing the program become credentialed Community Care Practitioners, receive Credly badges, and earn credits towards graduation. Click here or contact Dr. Keith Guzik for more details.  

Stata is a statistical software package used by social scientists for data manipulation, visualization, statistics, and reporting. Stata offers free trainings for people interested in using the software. Attending these sessions can help you stand out in the job market as a junior professional who can learn new technical skills and who pursues learning independently. Dr. Adam Lippert, Associate Professor of Sociology, notes that, “whether you decide to do one/a few of these [trainings] or not, I encourage you to look for the 'quick wins' in building up your resume. They say there is no such thing as low-hanging fruit, but this is about as low as it gets!”. You can register here, and feel free to contact Dr. Lippert for more information on getting up to speed with Stata. Stata is available to students in the Sociology office suite and in the North Classroom computer lab on the first floor.

Urban Peak is a Denver-based organization providing a range of services focused on one of the most vulnerable populations in our community: youth ages 12 through 24 who are experiencing homelessness. To move from homelessness to safety and stability, youth require intensive, strengths-based case management; access to physical, mental, and behavioral health care; education and employment opportunities; 24/7 crisis support; and a place to call home. Urban Peak meets youth where they are at and ignites a spark that puts them on a path toward self-determined, fulfilled lives. Urban Peak also offers volunteer opportunities. You can check out the different ways to help here. This includes donating deodorant, combs, hair picks, sunscreen, dishwasher pods, grocery carts, mattresses, and bedframes through Amazon.

May is Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month. Throughout this month, we celebrate and reflect on the important role that Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders play in our society. This time also provides a chance to recognize the work CU Denver has been doing as an AANAPISI institution. There are excellent events in the community to participate in, including the 2026 AAPI Culture Fest & Night Market taking place on Friday, May 22 from 5PM-10PM at Civic Center Park (101 14th Ave, Denver, CO). RTD has its usual excellent information on additional events and AANHPI history.

The Steadman Group is a health care and social services consulting company dedicated to advancing health and community well-being. The group helps communities turn opioid settlement funds into sustainable solutions that improve health and resilience by bringing together governments, coalitions, providers, and people with lived experience to create inclusive governance, evidence-based strategies, and transparent evaluation. Steadman will be hosting a first-of-its-kind National Opioid Settlement Conference on June 17-19 in Denver. This convening is dedicated to ensuring the equitable, transparent, and effective use of opioid settlement funds. Through the thoughtful efforts of CU Denver Lecturer and Sociology MA graduate, Professor Courtney Lange, the Steadman Group and the Department of Sociology are able to offer free admission to students interested in attending the conference. For details, please contact Dr. Keith Guzik, Chair of the Sociology Department.

Mark your calendars for the CU Inclusive Excellence Summit: Belonging by Design: Creating Meaningful Work in All We Do. Belonging by Design will take place on Friday, October 2, from 9 AM to 4 PM on the CU Denver/Auraria Campus. Faculty, staff, and students from the system and all four campuses are invited to come together to design and share strategies on how CU can foster an inclusive community in which belonging and meaningful work contribute to the success and well-being of all. You are invited to submit proposals to share your wisdom on this critical topic. Please submit proposals here before Monday, June 22.

“Mastery” (2023), Casey Kawaguchi, Cherry Creek Trail (between Lawrence and Larimer streets), Denver, CO.

The CU Denver Department of Sociology is thrilled to announce Gregory Carpenter, Allison Lynch, and Derek McCurdy as this year’s recipients of Keep on Truckin’ Scholarships. The WJS Keep on Truckin’ Scholarship Fund, made possible through the remarkable generosity of a private individual, allows the department to award multiple annual scholarships covering most tuition and fees. Inspired by the donor’s deep love for CU Denver and the discipline of sociology, KoT scholarships reflect the department’s commitment to empowering students and advancing the study of social dynamics.

After receiving her award, Allison shared: “I cannot even begin to express my gratitude for this scholarship. Coming back to school was one of the biggest decisions I've ever made, and it is honors like these that keep me motivated and remind me that I had made the right choice.” Congratulations Gregory, Allison, and Derek! And keep on truckin’!

The department would like to give a big shout out to all of our master’s students who successfully defended their theses and portfolios this past month. Join us in celebrating the excellent work of the following students:

Drew Barrett (thesis: “Contesting the Medical Meaning of Body Weight in Weight Loss Treatment Decision-Making"; committee chair: Dr. Jennifer Reich)

Shannon Bucci (MA report: “The Destabilizing Socioeconomic Impacts of Wealth-Based Detention”; committee chair: Dr. Edelina Burciaga)

Adriana Davis 

Emily Grant (applied project: “Addressing Gaps in IPV Education and Response”; committee chair: Dr. Jennifer Reich)

Bergen Johnson

Isabella Luna (thesis: "Having to Carry the World: Toward Intersectional Support Frameworks for Latina Eldest Daughters"; committee chair: Dr. Edelina Burciaga)

The department also sends loud shouts out to Edward Blake, Calayne Eleazer, Allison Lynch, and Olena Simutkina, 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.

Our department is thrilled to announce that Dr. Jennifer Reich has been selected as a CU President’s Teaching Scholar. Dr. Reich received this honor in recognition of her internationally renowned research program and deep commitment to innovative teaching. She will join a cohort of tenured faculty teaching scholars from the four CU campuses whose work reflects excellence in teaching, research, and creative works. Congratulations Jennifer on this richly deserved honor!

We shouted out faculty members Dr. Adam Lippert, Dr. Esther Sullivan, and Dr. Jenny Vermilya earlier this year for receiving awards for excellence from the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences (CLAS). Dr. Lippert received the 2026 CLAS Award for Excellence in Teaching by tenure-track faculty, Dr. Sullivan the 2026 CLAS Award for Excellence in Research by tenure-track faculty, and Dr. Vermilya the 2026 CLAS Award for Excellence in Teaching by IRC Faculty. But we’re going to shout them out again since they were celebrated at the CLAS Dean’s Awards Reception on May 1. Here’s a photo of Dr. Vermilya receiving her award! Congratulations again Adam, Esther, and Jenny for this recognition!

Wong Chin Foo (Wáng Qīngfú, 1847–1898) was a Chinese American activist and journalist. Born in China, Wong was naturalized as a U.S. citizen in the early 1870s. Wong fought passionately against anti-Chinese sentiment in the US and the passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882 and the Gehry Act in 1892. He helped found the Chinese Equal Rights League to advocate for equal rights for Chinese-Americans. Writing on civil rights for America’s Chinese, he noted, “As residents of the United States, we claim a common manhood with all other nationalities, and believe we should have that manhood recognized according to the principles of common humanity and American freedom. We, therefore, appeal for an equal chance in the race of life in this our adopted home – a large number of us have spent almost all our lives in this country and claim no other but this as ours. Our motto is: 'Character and fitness should be the requirement of all who are desirous of becoming citizens of the American Republic.’”

The Office of Undergraduate Research & Creative Activities (URCA) is your connection to research opportunities at CU Denver. URCA is here to help students jump-start their research careers. Its Education through Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities program, or EURēCA, has research assistantship and grant opportunities that fund undergraduate students for doing research. Explore opportunities on their webpage and schedule an appointment with their office to put your ideas into action.

The Learning Resources Center (LRC) at CU Denver is committed to student academic success, retention, and graduation by promoting and fostering independent learning and critical thinking skills. The LRC strives to cultivate effective learning strategies, skills, and study habits while empowering students to be lifelong learners in a collaborative, supportive, and inclusive learning environment. The office offers a bevy of services to help students meet their academic and personal goals. These include peer tutoring, a writing center, supplemental learning, individual coaching, study skills workshops, and more. Visit their website for more information and schedule a session!

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.

Milo’s Market is CU Denver’s grocery spot. It’s a hub for students, staff, and faculty to access free food and hygiene items. Milo’s Market embodies CU Denver’s belief that every person deserves to live free of food insecurity. All students are allocated various goods each week, whether it's a snack for the day or ingredients for a meal. All you need is your LynxCard and a reusable bag! Milo’s Market is located on the 3rd floor of the Wellness Center.

The Office of Equity (OE) is dedicated to advancing an inclusive environment free from sexual misconduct and discrimination based on age, color, creed, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, marital status, national origin, political affiliation, political philosophy, pregnancy or related conditions, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, and veteran status. The OE strives to foster a community where all identities are respected, and every individual has equitable access to education and employment opportunities. More information on OE offerings and a link for making an equity report can be found here.

Colfax Avenue is famously known as the longest street in the US, stretching over 50 miles from Aurora to Golden. For local residents who rely on Colfax to get around or to get by, the past two years have been made difficult by the $280 million-plus East Colfax Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project, which aims to transform Colfax into a modern, high-frequency route featuring two bus-only lanes in the middle of the street. The project promises to boost the speed and desirability of public transportation in Denver. The challenges and possibilities of the construction project offer a glimpse into the range of interests involved in making urban space more livable. Denverite caught up with local residents to learn about their experiences with this important, ongoing effort.  

On April 29, the United States Supreme Court (SCOTUS) issued a landmark decision in Louisiana v. Callais, holding that voters must prove an intent to discriminate on the basis of race to sustain a claim that an election district violates Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act (1965). The decision substantially weakens the Section 2 protections, which had provided a pathway to fair representation for voters of color. The decision promises to have vast repercussions for elections across the country and how votes and voters get counted. The Brennan Center for Justice, The Atlantic, The Washington Post, and others have critical reads of the decision and its likely impacts.  

The World Cup is the world's biggest sporting event, and it is being co-hosted by Canada, Mexico, and the United States this summer. FIFA, the global governing body of soccer that organizes the Cup, maintains a strict policy against political displays, messages, or actions during its tournaments with the aim of keeping the sport neutral and separate from geopolitics. Yet, politics consistently infuses the tournament. President Trump has unsuccessfully asked FIFA to replace the Iranian national team with the Italian national team. Iran unsuccessfully asked that its games be located outside the US. Larger concerns surround FIFA itself. The organization is frequently accused of operating in a corrupt, unaccountable manner. The exorbitant costs of tickets and transportation to games this summer have further tarnished FIFA. The Guardian and The Wall Street Journal are just two of the news outlets covering the issue.