Bridging the Gap

1
Bridging the Gap

• BTG Executive Board
• February 18, 2008

2
How Bridging the Gap got started..

• Michael Mungai Nyambura
• In response to the social divisions, apathy on
  diversity and poorinteraction in our school,
  students got together and came up with
  acampaign, Bridging the Gap.
• Bridging the Gap will promote interaction and
  communication to confront these issues.
• This group of students, all coming from diverse
  backgrounds, proposed various activities and
  programs that will offer a platform to reach
  these objectives.
• The campaign has been well received by the
  school, although majorchallenges lie ahead
  because ignorance and apathy call for
  relentlessefforts if they are to be triumphed
  over.

3
Mission Statement

• Bridging the Gap is a progressive campaign
  against ignorance and avoidance, factors that
  have plagued Saint Josephs University for far
  too long. It has been developed to strengthen
  awareness, community, and camaraderie on the
  campus of Saint Josephs University amongst the
  student body, faculty, and Administration.
  Bridging the Gap will work to spread the message
  of unity and embrace the beauty of diversity on
  the campus of Saint Josephs University with spot
  advertisement throughout campus. With the help
  of fellow students, Bridging the Gap will raise
  awareness of difference issues here at SJU, as
  well as increase consciousness of the need for
  the celebration of all the diversity that makes
  up the population of SJU. As an efficient,
  peaceful campaign, Bridging the Gap will work to
  enhance the culture of Saint Josephs University.

4
SJU Faces

• Michael, Liz, Megan, Chris, and Dom
• Poster series that will go around campus
• Quotes
• Coming soon!

5
Survey

• Kataney Couamin
• Survey development
• Representative of Student Body
• IRB
• Student Voice
• WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT
• methods to get more students to take survey
• Any additional advice is welcomed!

6
Mock Funeral

• Kelly Babis
• Mock funeral procession burying ignorance
• Metaphorical way of putting to rest the various
  isms and phobias that plague the university
  community.
• Moving forward to heal the community and make a
  new life as a university
• Tentative plans
• Gather a group of participants as free period is
  starting to carry a coffin across campus in a
  mock funeral procession
• Supporters wear black and dress as if they were
  coming to a funeral
• Mock procession would make its way through campus
  and proceed into the Chapel

7
Mock Funeral Continued

• Eulogies will be delivered basically telling
  stories or making statements about how various
  isms have affected their lives
• To increase participation and relevance of the
  event for the university community wed invite
  those in attendance to come up and say what they
  would like (ala the Speak Out led by S.T.O.P. or
  the Take Back the Night event.)
• At the end of the event wed have a symbolic
  closing of the coffin. The committee was thinking
  we could put written letters or prayers or
  flowers inside the casket and then at the end
  wed close the lid of the coffin and symbolically
  close the lid on these isms and phobias
• Potentially have a reception afterwards with some
  refreshments

8
Forums

• Hollyanne Pronko
• Open forums for discussion
• Outlet for frustrations, conversation
• ALL are welcome
• Potential Topic Selection OR Completely Free
• Feedback, please?
• Dates
• Thursday, Mar. 20 _at_ 5pm in the North Lounge
• Thursday, Apr. 17 _at_ 5pm in the Presidents' Lounge

9
Literary Magazine

• Mike Fath Jen Oyler
• Our SJU
• Part of process to increase awareness of
  difference
• Students, faculty, workers, and Administration
  share experiences
• Poems, testimonials, lyrics, creative stories,
  art?
• Costs ? Approx. 1,023
• Color Cover, 48 pages, black and white text,
  staple binding
• Need ? literary magazine email acct.  (drop box)

10
Literary Magazine Continued

• Timeline
• Brainstorming -- week of 2-24 (next week)
• Peer review critique hopefully with assistance
  with English majors/Writing Fellows/Professor?
• Submission to SJU Press/Final drafts due first
  week of March (before Spring Break)
• Editing March 10-18th
• We ok SJU Press draft March 18th-20th
• Tentative publication date April 1 (early April)

11
T-Shirts, Banners

• Reginald Alberto
• Create an easily recognizable Bridging the Gap
  design that will be used for the T-shirt Banner
• Funding to provide free shirts campus wide? (e.g.
  With Faith and Strength to Dare T-shirts)
• Funding to create high quality banner?
• Do you know anyone or are you good with Adobe
  Photoshop, drawing, or sketching?
• reginald.alberto_at_gmail.com

12
Action Committee

• Charlie Wester
• Designed to provide a voice for all University
  members who feel targeted, harassed, or
  ostracized by peers, officials, or school policy.
• There are two aspects of the proposed Action
  Committee
• A resource panel that serves as an institutional
  outlet for students to express concerns about
  policies or behavior perceived to be
  discriminatory by a member(s) of the University
  and to empower University members with the
  resources needed to alleviate their situation.
• A research committee that actively engages in
  University policy to identify areas of
  institutional discrimination and take positive
  action to amend these institutional gaps.

13
Action Committee Continued

• In order to achieve this, we need to address the
  following two issues
• Securing legitimacy, authority, and recognition
  within the University especially among faculty,
  staff, and other school officials so that
  action taken by the committee will be respected
  as a voice of the institution and be seen as a
  serious step toward diversity.
• Maximizing visibility and accessibility,
  especially (but not only) among the student body,
  so that should an instance of discrimination or
  intolerance arise, aggrieved parties will know
  that such a committee exists and offers the
  resources necessary to address their concerns.

14
Feedback!

• Please let us know if you have any questions,
  comments or concerns about the proposed program
  plans.
• The Student Senate is representative of the
  entire student body, so give input now!