Community Engagement News

Distinguished NYU professor discusses “Sunbelt Blues”

President Allen welcomes and introduces Dr. Andrew Ross at the forum, and Dr. Ross outlines the findings of his research for “Sunbelt Blues: The Failure of American Housing.”

The issue of unaffordable housing in Florida and elsewhere is critical and urgent, participants in a faculty forum have emphasized.

A distinguished writer and social activist came to campus recently to talk about the failure of American housing. Then a panel of affordable housing advocates weighed in, shining a spotlight on the worsening situation, especially in South Florida, and discussing what should be done about it.

Dr. Andrew Ross, professor of social and cultural analysis at New York University, discussed the findings of his research for his latest book, “Sunbelt Blues: The Failure of American Housing.”

Reporting research conducted in Central Florida’s Osceola County, Dr. Ross shared stark contrasts—at one end, lavish vacation homes for affluent visitors; at the other, displaced families in encampments in the woods. Longtime county residents had become victims of foreclosures; among them were elderly people subsisting on government checks. People who could not afford a decent home ended up either in tent camps or in dilapidated budget motels along the commercial strip of County Route 192, in Disney World’s backyard.

“It basically has to do with cash flow,” Dr. Ross explained. “They just don’t have that disposable lump of cash that would get them into [an] apartment.”

He reported that there were “thousands of vacant rooms and houses in the vacation home cluster at the western end of the county”—a county that is marketed as the “vacation home capital of the world.”

During his research, Dr. Ross saw some “panhandling or scavenging [and work] in some aspect of the informal economy.” He said there were also “people who, because of their addictions or mental ailments, are unemployable.” Those who worked at Disney World experienced the disparity between the joy they felt in their everyday work and their resentment that their wages were not enough to get them into their own homes.

As part of his “scholarly reporting”—a blend of investigative journalism and ethnography—Dr. Ross said the communities created by displaced homeowners were run according to a principle of mutual aid, with much sharing of resources and information.

One of the major challenges of our time

Barry University President, Dr. Mike Allen, called access to housing “one of the major challenges of our time,” noting that the housing crisis has been accelerated by the current pandemic.

“One recent report found that Florida leads the nation in housing unaffordability, with metropolitan areas like Miami among the most impacted,” Dr. Allen said. “These challenges affect lives; they impact families; and, like so many of our great challenges right now, they don’t have simple solutions. But we continue to push forward.”

The affordable housing crisis is now an emergency, declared Dr. Ross, who focused on “the human experience” for his 2021 book.

The author pointed out that solutions to the housing crisis had been categorized as “market fixes,” “planning fixes,” “social fixes,” and “nonmarket fixes.” He mentioned the housing justice movement, which he said was active in Miami and New York.

He would later emphasize that the federal government should provide comprehensive solutions to the problem of unaffordable housing, with its many components.

President Allen thanked Dr. Ross for “dedicating his professional life to making our communities better.”

The work being done by Dr. Ross aligns well with Barry University’s mission and core commitments, Dr. Allen also said. The president noted that the “core commitments call upon us to draw on our expertise and our resources to not just educate on the challenges of the day but to drive change and to make an impact by fostering inclusion and advancing social justice at every opportunity.”

Rob Collins, education and outreach coordinator for Miami-Dade at HOPE, Inc., participates in the discussion of the housing crisis in South Florida. In the foreground, from right, are Dr. Ross; Adrian Madriz, executive director of SMASH; and Dr. Sheila McMahon, who facilitated the panel discussion.

Dr. Ross is the author or editor of 25 books and more than 250 articles on a variety of topics, including urbanism, politics, environmental justice, and alternative economics. He is a co-founder of several organizations, including the Coalition for Fair Labor, and an organizer of the American Association of University Professors.

During the post-presentation panel discussion, Rob Collins, education and outreach coordinator for Miami-Dade at HOPE (Housing Opportunities Project for Excellence), said housing discrimination prevailed largely because of ignorance and tolerance. He explained that many people simply do not know their rights.

“A lot of people with mental and physical challenges don’t know that they can force that housing provider to make exceptions for them, give them reasonable accommodations and modifications,” Mr. Collins said. He said the restrictions landlords were placing on families did not have to be tolerated.

Others on the panel were Adrian Madriz, executive director of SMASH (Struggle for Miami’s Affordable and Sustainable Housing); Sabrina Velarde, vice president of public policy at Miami Homes for All; and Ahmed Mori, vice president of community economic development at Catalyst Miami. They described their organizations’ advocacy and other efforts to address the problem of housing unaffordability in the Miami area.

Jorge Damian de la Paz, the senior strategist for government innovation in the Office of the Mayor of Miami-Dade County, participated in the forum.

The hybrid event was cosponsored by Barry’s Faculty Senate and the Center for Community Service Initiatives on behalf of the Faculty Learning Community for Engaged Scholarship.

Dr. Sheila McMahon, a co-chair of the Faculty Senate’s Welfare Committee, facilitated the panel discussion in Weber Grand Hall and online, with support from Dr. Celeste Landeros, the Faculty Senate chair.

At the end of the forum, Dr. John Murray, Barry’s provost, thanked Dr. Ross, the panelists, and all participants. He referred to the multiple, interconnected factors affecting affordable housing and said the problem required the will to embrace change, new ideas, and new ways of thinking.

Community Engagement Awards: Deadline for Submitting Nominations is Next Monday

The nomination submission deadline for Barry University’s Ninth Annual Community Engagement Awards has been extended to Monday, February 7.

The primary purpose of the Community Engagement Awards is to publicly recognize students, faculty, staff/administrators, departments, and community partners for their participation, contributions, and achievements in various areas of community engagement. Each award is designed to encourage excellence in university–community collaboration and to inspire similar achievements by others.

Nominations are being accepted in seven categories: Community Impact, Community Partnership, Community-Based Research, Community-Engaged Scholarship, Community Engagement Educator, Service-Learning Faculty, and Engaged Department.

• The Community Impact Award is presented to individual students and student organizations for exemplary civic engagement—including service, research, and advocacy—that has a measurable impact on the community.
• The Community Partnership Award recognizes exemplary partnerships between university and community constituencies that produce measurable improvements in people’s lives while enhancing higher education.
• The Community-Based Research Award is presented to scholars (faculty members and/or students) who conduct rigorous research with community partners in response to community concerns, issues, or needs.
• The Community-Engaged Scholarship Award is given to faculty members in recognition of significant scholarly work across the faculty roles of teaching, research, and service that addresses community issues.
• The Community Engagement Educator Award honors administrators and faculty members for significant contributions to the institutionalization or enhancement of community engagement at Barry University.
• The Service-Learning Faculty Award goes to faculty members for exemplary integration of community-based or community-focused collaborative service into the curriculum.
• The Engaged Department Award is presented to departments for achievements in advancing the community engagement goals of the university, educating students for civic and social responsibility, and improving community life.

Dr. Manuel Tejeda, then interim dean, shows off the Community Engagement Award plaque presented to the Andreas School of Business last year.

The Ninth Annual Community Engagement Awards Ceremony is currently scheduled for the last Wednesday of March. The nomination forms are available at the CCSI website.

Community Engagement Symposium: Deadline for Submitting Proposals is February 7

The deadline for submitting presentation proposals for Barry’s Eighth Annual Community Engagement Symposium has been extended to Monday, February 7.

Proposals should address the theme of the Symposium, “Effectively Balancing Community Impact with Student Learning Outcomes.”

• Presentation Format: The presentation must be either audiovisual or in a poster format.
• Student Learning Outcomes: The learning outcomes of the course, program, or project must be listed in the proposal.
• Community Impact: The impact of the course, program, or project on the community—community partner, agency clients, and/or residents—must be described.
• Participant Engagement: A brief statement of how the presentation will engage attendees must be included.
• Abstract: An abstract of approximately 80 words must be included in the proposal.
• Submission Deadline: Proposals for 50-minute presentations should be submitted by Monday, February 7.

All proposals for session presentations at the Symposium will be evaluated by peer reviewers.

The session proposal form is available at the CCSI website.

Student Leader Named Co-chair of Campus Democracy Project Committee

The Campus Democracy Project (CDP) Committee has a new co-chair. She is Skylar Smith, a student leader in the Barry Service Corps (BSC).

A political science major, Ms. Smith serves on the BSC Fellows Civic Health Team and is a leader of BucsVote, a CDP initiative.

As a CDP Committee co-chair, she will serve alongside Dr. Sean Foreman, professor of political science.

The CDP is a nonpartisan project focused on civic learning and democratic engagement. The committee consists of students, faculty, and staff from academic and administrative units throughout the university.

Schedule for Next Month’s College Brides Walk Consists of Five Virtual Events

College Brides Walk is organized to honor the memory of Gladys Ricart as well as other victims of domestic and dating violence. Ms. Ricart was murdered by her ex-boyfriend shortly after the photo above (at right) was taken.

Next month’s College Brides Walk will consist of five virtual events, the organizers have announced. The events are designed to build awareness of dating and domestic violence.

The first event, on February 7, is a Performing Arts Night; the final event, on February 18, is a presentation and discussion focused on healthy relationships. The full list of events is below.

• Performing Arts Night—with spoken word, music, and skits: February 7, 6:30–8:00 p.m.
• Survivor Panel—with stories of survivors showcasing their resilience: February 15, 6:30–8:00 p.m.
• Legal Issues Panel—covering policing, prosecution, and victim advocacy. February 17, 6:30–8:00 p.m.
• College Brides Walk Opening Session and Walk—featuring survivors, advocates, and performers: February 18, 10:00–11:00 a.m.
• Presentation and Discussion—“Consent and Boundaries in Healthy Relationships”: February 18, Noon–1:00 p.m.

College Brides Walk is organized to honor the memory of Gladys Ricart as well as other victims of domestic and dating violence. Ms. Ricart, 38, was murdered by her jealous ex-boyfriend on her wedding day in September 1999.

The sponsors of the College Brides Walk are Barry University, No More Tears, The Humanity Project, and the Peace and Justice Studies Association.

For additional information on next month’s event, contact Dr. Laura Finley, professor of sociology and criminology, via email at lfinley@barry.edu.

Barry University Represented Among Presenters at National Conference

Barry University was represented among the presenters at a national conference earlier this month.

Dr. Glenn A. Bowen, executive director of the CCSI, was the lead presenter of a virtual session of the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) Annual Meeting. The session title was “Responding to Sociopolitical and Racial Challenges Facing American Society Through Democratic and Antiracism Initiatives.”

Roni Bennett, executive director of South Florida People of Color—a Barry community partner—was one of the five co-presenters. Two co-presenters were from the Pennsylvania State University and one was from the University of Iowa.

AAC&U is a Washington, DC-based global membership organization dedicated to advancing the vitality and democratic purposes of undergraduate liberal education. The theme of the hybrid Annual Meeting was “Educating for Democracy.”

Contact Emmanuel Ikpuri, Federal Work-Study Community Service Program facilitator, in the CCSI at service@barry.edu.

Copies of BarryEngage are available from the CCSI.

GivePulse is the community engagement platform that supports service-learning courses at Barry.

LEGISLATIVE FORUM: A state legislator takes part in a forum hosted by the Campus Democracy Project Committee.

BLACK HISTORY MONTH: The university will be represented at a Black History Month event organized by the City of Hollywood African American Advisory Council on February 17.

POSITIVE MESSAGES: Volunteers share positive messages in the Barry Urban Garden.

Community Engagement News is a publication of the Center for Community Service Initiatives.

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