Community Engagement News

Students, Faculty, and Staff Encourage Potential Voters to Obtain Acceptable Forms of Identification

Eli Garcia, the Florida organizer for VoteRiders, speaks about her organization’s voter ID education and assistance efforts. (Photo by Glenn Bowen)

Students, faculty, and staff members attending last Wednesday’s Florida Ballot Forum wrote letters to potential voters, encouraging them to ensure that they have acceptable forms of identification.

The participants supported the work of a nonpartisan organization named VoteRiders, whose mission is “to ensure that all citizens are able to exercise their freedom to vote.”

VoteRiders informs and helps citizens to secure their voter ID, said Eli Garcia, the Florida organizer for the nonprofit. The organization provides voter ID assistance, she said, “to ensure that no eligible voter is prevented from casting a ballot that counts due to voter ID laws, either directly from lack of acceptable ID or indirectly because of voter confusion.”

Participants in VoteRiders’ letter-writing campaign reminded potential voters that the last day to register to vote is October 11. Their letters contained a list of acceptable IDs and other voter information.

In her presentation, Ms. Garcia noted that more than 25 million Americans of voting age did not have a current, government-issued photo ID. She said voter ID laws were often difficult to understand and were constantly changing. Even poll workers could be confused by these laws and unclear about what ID is required, she added.

Ms. Garcia pointed out that voter ID laws “disproportionately impact” several groups, including Black voters, Latinx voters, women, and voters with disabilities.

She also mentioned that last year, over 90 bills to restrict voting were introduced in 30 states, including Florida.

Amanda Gonzalez Garcia, an ACLU Florida Justice Voter Fellow, was an organizer of the VoteRiders’ letter-writing campaign as a component of the Florida Ballot Forum on Barry’s main campus. 

The Florida Ballot Forum, Barry University’s major event for National Voter Education Week (Oct. 3–7), was aimed at helping students and other voters make informed choices in the midterm elections. Organized as part of the Campus Democracy Project (CDP), the hour-long forum was an occasion to help eligible voters bridge the gap between registering to vote and actually casting a ballot.

Midterm Races and Constitutional Amendments

Monica Bustinza, the senior program manager of voter engagement at Engage Miami, summarizes the three constitutional amendments on the November 8 ballot in Florida. (Photo by Glenn Bowen)

On hand to share information about the federal, state, and county/municipal races was Monica A. Bustinza, the senior program manager of voter engagement at Engage Miami and a board member of the League of Women Voters of Miami-Dade County.

During this midterm election year, all 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 35 of the 100 seats in the Senate will be contested.

Ms. Bustinza also summarized the three constitutional amendments on the November 8 ballot in Florida. Proposed by the Florida Legislature, Amendment 1 concerns limiting the assessment of real property used for residential purposes; Amendment 2 calls for abolishing the Constitution Revision Commission; and Amendment 3 deals with an additional homestead property tax exemption for specified critical public service workforce.

The Engage Miami representative reminded students, faculty, and staff from Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties in attendance about the early-voting, vote-by-mail, and Election Day in-person voting options. Additionally, she told them about a voter information website hosted by the League of Women Voters. Vote 411 provides information that will help voters make informed decisions about the candidates and issues on their ballot.

Engage Miami is a young people’s organization that “builds equity and power through voter engagement, civic education, [and] leadership development.” The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan organization that “encourages the informed and active participation of citizens in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy.”

Dr. Sean Foreman, professor of political science and a co-chair of the Campus Democracy Project (CDP) Committee, welcomed the representatives from VoteRiders and the League of Women Voters. He also thanked them for the work they do and the resources they provide to encourage voting.

Barry Professor Ruth Ban Among Recipients of Changemaking Education Award from South Florida Organization

Dr. Ruth Ban, a professor of education (second from right), is among the winners of the Changemaking Education Award from Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of South Florida.

Story and photos by Heather Johnson Desiral

A professor in Barry’s Adrian Dominican School of Education, Leadership, and Human Development is among the recipients of an award that recognizes educators as community changemakers.

Dr. Ruth Ban received the Changemaking Education Award from Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of South Florida (RPCVSF) at an event earlier this month in Miami Springs. The cash award was presented in recognition of her work primarily benefiting Afghan refugee families as well as various community agencies in Miami-Dade County.

Dr. Ban guided graduate students in responding to current educational and social challenges faced by resettled refugees from war-torn Afghanistan. She also supported students as they interviewed Miami-Dade community members and then used the information gathered to create and share oral histories of major events dating as far back as Segregation.

She worked closely with Church World Service (CWS) Miami, a local refugee resettlement agency. Leaders from CWS Miami and other organizations such as the Virginia Key Beach Park Trust, South Florida People of Color, and the local YWCA acted as gatekeepers, providing contact information for the community-based participants.

Dr. Ban reflects on the experiences of her students, who translated theory into practice and gained a deep insight into intercultural communication and social justice.

The Changemaking Education Award replaces the Spirit of Service-Learning Award, which was presented annually for several years by Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of South Florida in partnership with the Miami-Dade County Teacher of the Year Coalition and the Armando Alejandre Jr. Memorial Foundation.

The new award “recognizes K–12 and college/university educators who are building a new generation of informed and engaged citizens through changemaking education.”

Dr. Ban is one eight higher education faculty members presented with the Changemaking Education Award from the sponsors of the previous award. The winners came from Barry University, Florida International University, Miami-Dade College, and the University of Miami.

RPCVSF Changemaking Education Committee representatives Linda Whitmyre and Josh Young made the presentations to the awardees, including four K–12 teachers.

In his congratulatory letter, RPCVSF President David Garcia said that “high quality community engaged experiences reflect Peace Corps values by increasing student empowerment, ownership in outcomes, and commitment to meaningful civic engagement while building a better local and global community.”

In her comments at the event, Dr. Ban reflected on the experiences of her students, who translated theory studied in class into practice in the community. She noted that her students got a deep insight into the meaning of intercultural communication and social justice through their interactions with community members. Because of that engagement, she suggested, the students might become more reflective and intentional practitioners.  

Barry’s Center for Community Service Initiatives nominated Dr. Ban for the Changemaking Education Award. Together with other award recipients, she participated in a panel discussion at the event, which took place at the Miami Springs Women’s Club on October 1.

Second Forum in Deliberative Dialogue Series to Address Post-COVID ‘Learning Losses’

The academic year’s Deliberative Dialogue Series will continue this month with a forum focused “learning losses” in the aftermath of COVID-19.

Titled “The COVID Slide and Digital Divide: How Do We Help Students Recover Learning Losses?” the forum will take place on October 27 from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. in the Andreas Building on Barry’s main campus. 

The forum will explore the topic from diverse perspectives, considering issues of equity and access in K–12 education and the role remote instruction plays.

Deliberative Dialogue is a series of facilitated forums eliciting “voices and views from campus and community.” Students, alumni, faculty, staff, and community partners take part in each of the 90-minute forums.

The theme of the 2022–2023 Deliberative Dialogue Series is “Fostering Resiliency in Times of Uncertainty.” The series began last month with a forum on the situation in Haiti.

For further information on the Deliberative Dialogue Series, contact Courtney Berrien, CCSI associate director, at cberrien@barry.edu.

New Community Partner Seeking After-School Program Tutors and Fundraising Volunteers

Teen Upward Bound, a recently registered Barry community partner, is looking for volunteers for its after-school program.

The nonprofit organization, which serves disadvantaged youth from Opa-locka and surrounding communities, manages a Youth Enrichment Camp as an afterschool program. The program is focused on the improvement of student learning and achievement in reading, science, technology, and mathematics.

“Our after-school youth participants are K–5, and our program is open Monday through Friday, from 2 to 6 p.m.,” said Jillian McAdory, administrative assistant at Teen Upward Bound. “We do not request that college students volunteer full-time. The ideal tutor’s schedule would be three times a week for two to three hours. However, any help a college student can provide that works best with their schedule would be greatly appreciated.”

The details of this opportunity have been posted in the GivePulse community engagement management system.

Teen Upward Bound is also seeking volunteer help to reach out to the public for donation pledges on Give Miami Day, November 17.

Give Miami Day is “an annual giving movement uniting nonprofits—big and small, new and established—to celebrate and increase generosity in Greater Miami through online giving.” The 24 hours of online giving will benefit Greater Miami’s nonprofit organizations. According to the organizers, “the event helps raise awareness about the critical role Miami's nonprofits play in our community and inspires all of us to give to causes we care about.”

The Teen Upward Bound phone volunteers may make calls from the organization’s home base in Opa-locka or from elsewhere. Students interested in volunteering are asked to register via GivePulse.

Community Service Placements Still Available to Students Eligible for Federal Work-Study

Community service positions are still available to students who are eligible for Federal Work-Study. Students who accept such positions are enrolled in the Barry Service Corps, a civic engagement program.

The Barry Service Corps supports students in applying civic and academic learning to real-world problems. While serving the community through nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, and local government agencies, members develop interpersonal, teamwork, and other career-related skills.

The CCSI manages FWS Community Service in partnership with the Office of Financial Aid and the Department of Human Resources. The CCSI’s approach to the program is based on interdivisional and campus–community collaboration and involves the full integration of FWS Community Service into Barry’s strategic plan for community engagement. As part of the plan, the CCSI enrolls all participating students in the Barry Service Corps.

For further information, contact Emmanuel Ikpuri, program facilitator for FWS Community Service, via email: bsc@barry.edu.

HURRICANE RELIEF: The university is encouraging employees to support relief and recovery efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT RESOURCES: The CCSI has a collection of books, journal articles, and fact sheets to support the work of community-engaged faculty, staff, and students.