Upcoming events look at culture, education and ethics 
Indiana University Northwest is proud to announce the lineup of diversity programming events taking place on campus during the Fall 2010 semester and early Spring 2011 semester.
Several of the events occurring involve nationally known and recognized presenters and cover topics anchored in diversity, current events, culture, education, and ethics. IU Northwest has long been recognized as a regional university with strong diversity values, and the campus is pleased to invite the Northwest Indiana and Chicagoland communities to these exciting events.
Sept. 21: ‘Fugitive Slaves and Undocumented Aliens’
The first diversity-programming event of the semester will take place on Tuesday, Sept. 21 at 5 p.m. in the Bruce W. Bergland Auditorium, located in the Savannah Center. The presentation, entitled ‘Fugitive Slaves and Undocumented Aliens: Is the Arizona Immigration a Replay of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850?’, will include a lecture and Q&A session by Paul Finkelman, Ph.D., who is the President William McKinley Distinguished Professor of Law and Public Policy, and Senior Fellow at Albany Law School.
Finkelman is a nationally recognized author and expert on such diverse topics as baseball and the law, ethnic diversity and immigration, religious liberty, and the Founding Fathers, among others. He was a key witness in the lawsuit over ownership of Barry Bonds’ 73rd home run ball, and he was featured in Ken Burns’ PBS documentary “Thomas Jefferson.” Finkelman was also the chief expert witness in the Alabama Ten Commandments monument case, and his scholarship on religious monuments in public space was cited by the U.S. Supreme Court in Van Orden v. Perry (2005).
Finkelman has written more than 20 books, and has authored more than 100 articles and other publications. Finkelman was also a Fellow in Law and the Humanities at Harvard Law School and received his Ph.D. and M.A. from the University of Chicago. His work on legal history and constitutional law has been cited by numerous courts and in many appellate briefs.
Finkelman’s IU Northwest lecture, which is sponsored by the Office of Diversity Programming, the Department of History, Philosophy and Political Science, and the Center for Urban and Regional Excellence, will address the question of how the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 compares with Arizona’s new laws pertaining to undocumented workers. The Fugitive Slave Act required that escaped slaves who fled north had to be returned to slave owners, and further stated that law-enforcement officials were obligated to arrest any person they believed might be an escaped slave.
The public is invited and encouraged to attend this timely and provocative presentation by one of America’s foremost legal historians.
The Bruce W. Bergland Auditorium is located in the Savannah Center on the southeast corner of the main campus parking lot at 33rd Avenue and Broadway in Gary.
Sept. 30: Asia Day
An annual campus favorite, the Asia Day festival, will be sponsored once again by the IU Northwest School of Business and Economics and the Office of Diversity Programming on Thursday, Sept. 30, at the Moraine Student Center. Students, local citizens and visiting guests will entertain the campus with music and dances inspired by various Asian cultures. The event runs from noon until 1:30 p.m. New this year, the event will incorporate a quiz on Asian culture, geography, history and foods.
Asia Day is a popular cultural event that features Asian delicacies, performances from Asian dancers and musicians, colorful and traditional ethnic dress, and other attractions. The campus and community are invited to come out and join in this festive celebration.
The Moraine Student Center, connected to the Savannah Center, is located on the south end of the main campus parking lot at 33rd Avenue and Broadway in Gary.
Oct. 26: Diversity and Education Celebration
IU Northwest School of Education and the Office of Diversity Programming is proud to announce Roger Cleveland, Ph.D., as the guest presenter for an upcoming campus event held Tuesday, Oct. 26, in the Library Conference Center (Room 105 ABC). The event is entitled, “‘Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?’ Creating Culturally Competent Education in the 21st Century.” The lecture and Q&A will focus on the idea of creating environments that are responsive to the needs of diverse learners.
Individuals attending the event will discuss how cultural competency has implications for policy, programming, perspectives, personnel and practices in the field of higher education.
Registration begins at 8 a.m.; breakfast will be served at 8:30 a.m. The lecture will start promptly at 9 a.m. The event is free, but all interested individuals must pre-register. Only the first 100 individuals will be accepted.
Teachers who attend this presentation can gain professional growth points for license renewal.
Cleveland is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Education at Eastern Kentucky University (EKU). Prior to joining EKU, he served as an Assistant Professor at Morehead State University. He is credited with enhancing opportunities for pre-service teachers through culturally responsive program initiatives and modeled practices.
He served as Director of the Division of Federal Programs and Instructional Equity in the Kentucky Department of Education. Cleveland has also worked with inner city youth as an academic and social intervention counselor with the Cincinnati Youth Collaborative in Cincinnati Public Schools. He held the position of academic advisor for Middle Tennessee State University.
Cleveland’s research interests include the academic performance of African American students, African Americans in rural Appalachian schools, urban Appalachians and teacher expectations
Register for the event by contacting Karen Downing in the IU Northwest School of Education at (219) 980-6689 or downingk@iun.edu.
The Library Conference Center is located on the southeast corner of campus at 35th Avenue and Broadway in Gary.
October 27: Disabilities Awareness Month
The IU Northwest Office of Diversity Programming and the Office of Student Support Services will host a one-day conference on Wednesday, Oct. 27 from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m., in the Library Conference Center, to raise awareness for Disabilities Awareness Month, which is recognized during the month of October. The event will include panel discussions, a featured speaker, special entertainment and exhibitors.
Additional details regarding the conference will be forthcoming as they become available.
January 13: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Celebration
Mark your calendars for a monumental event honoring the life and achievements of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Held on Thursday, Jan. 13, at 6 p.m., this year’s program will feature the Brown Sisters, of “Brown vs. the Board of Education” fame, as keynote speakers for the event. Cheryl Brown Henderson and Linda Brown Thompson will recount their role in the historic case that led to the Supreme Court’s decision allowing equal access to education for minorities in the United States.
Henderson and Thompson are two of the three children of the late Rev. Oliver L. Brown. They are dedicated to preserving the historic legacy of the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision of 1954, Brown v. the Board of Education of Topeka, Kan. This milestone in American history declared state laws establishing separate public schools for African American and Caucasian students to be unconstitutional. The law also made it legal to allow minority children equal educational opportunities.
This IU Northwest event, sponsored by the Office of Diversity Programming, will take place in the Bruce W. Bergland Auditorium, located in the Savannah Center. Additional events details will be forthcoming.
Henderson has been a sixth grade teacher, university guest lecturer, school guidance counselor, state educational administrator, and is currently President and CEO of The Brown Foundation for Educational Equality, Excellence and Research. The Foundation has provided scholarships to more than 100 minority students, presented awards to local, state and national leaders, and established libraries for children in low-income communities. Henderson also has extensive background in education, business and civic leadership, having served on and chaired various local, state and national boards.
Thompson has been a Head Start teacher and has taught private piano lessons. She is currently a program associate with the Brown Foundation. Linda serves as a member of the music department at a Methodist church in Topeka, where she has chaired several project committees.
The campus and the regional community are invited to this event. The Bruce W. Bergland Auditorium is located in the Savannah Center on the southeast corner of the main campus parking lot at 33rd Avenue and Broadway in Gary.