The Center for Ethnic, Racial, and Religious Understanding (CERRU) is a diversity training and education center that focuses on nonviolent communication techniques and undoing bias. We host frequent events during the year that build spaces to have divisive conversations, build collaboration, and explore identity. Our two year-long fellowships, Undoing Bias & Social Organizing, are already underway for this year but you can look out for applications in the spring for fall 2018. For those interested in getting an introduction to our trainings and tools, we have a Conversations for Engagement Certificate where students participate in 4 workshops and attend two dialogue or action based events as well as submit a short reflective piece or have an exit interview.
What to Expect in the Next Few Weeks
Monday, October 2nd 12:15-1:30pm in Powdermaker 114 – CERRU has its semi- annual Introduction to Interrogating Bias workshop which invites participants to examine self, cultural reproduction, microaggressions, behavior change, and their relationship to implicit bias.
CERRU focuses on humanizing the “other” and since this has been a particularly polarizing year for the USA, CERRU is taking action. We are starting Political Leaps of Faith to introduce individuals from across political lines to one another in order to break down stereotypes and encourage transpolitical collaboration. We will be hosting an information session on Wednesday, October 11th from 12:15-12:45pm in Powdermaker 114 for all interested parties. The theme of cross-partisan communication ties into our Innovation Exchange, Trump’s
First Year: Impressions from Across the Political Landscape (Wednesday, November 15th, 5-9pm). At this event we will host a cross-partisan examination of what has occurred thus far. A fact sheet will be created collaboratively in the Science Building on Monday, October 30th from 12-4pm and a week later, on November 5th 12:15-1:30pm, we will host an Upstander & De-escalation Techniques workshop. Due to the divisive nature of political conversations, we want to prepare attendees with tools for engaging with one another productively.
Tuesday, October 17th, 12-1:30pm is our second Lunchtime 2.0 of the semester. It is an opportunity to have a 10-15 minute conversation with a stranger about a specific topic. We provide food, questions to stimulate your conversation, and candy. The topics are meant to be responsive to current events and next month’s topic will be released next week! Lunchtime 2.0 has its own Facebook page where you can follow events and post ideas for future topics.
If you are a Harry Potter fan, make sure to check out our Annual Launch Party: Harry Potter Yule Ball on Wednesday, October 25th from 6-9pm. Student clubs will be running activities allowing attendees to gain points for their Hogwarts houses competing for house cup while enjoying dinner and dancing to DJ Izzy’s amazing mixes.
Get Involved
Take part in Conversations for Engagement Certificate. Email me at yrosenstock@cerru. org for dates and more information.
Apply to participate in the annual Social Identity Fashion show!
We are recruiting models and designers for our Social Identity Fashion Show taking place April 2018. Models walk twice, first in
what society assumes about them and then representing their current social identities. The show requires that audience members face the stereotypes the models experience regularly and juxtaposes that with the identities the models carve out and express through their second look. If interested, you can email me or fill out the model or designer or combined application. First round applications due October 2nd. If we receive enough applications, there will not be a second round.
Become a researcher or team organizer for QC Sexploration and Information Group
QC Sexploration and Information Group was created to address a gap in sex programming through creating events in response to research we collect on campus. We now have 8 working groups and encourage those interested to contact us to get involved. Our current teams include Consent & Rape Culture, Desire & Pleasure, Religion and Culture, Sexual Health, Virginity & Abstinence, Gender and Sexuality, Healthy Relationships & Violence, and our Badass Army (a co-created self- defense group). We have a Facebook as well as an email, qc.sexploration@gmail.com.
Volunteer
CERRU has a small staff and is incredibly grateful to the amazing students and alumni who serve as interns, work study students, and volunteers. Please contact me if you are interested in single day volunteer projects or longer term volunteer work or internships. Join our mailing list!
Every week we send out a weekly email with everything we have going on. Email info@ cerru.org requesting to be added to the mailing list and you will always be in the loop!
