The second of the Hunter College “Promoting Civil Discourse and Intellectual Dialogue Series,” kicks off on Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024 when Laura Quiros discusses community healing by incorporating diversity and inclusion into trauma-informed care and anti-oppression work.
It is a homecoming for the Hunter alum, who obtained her masters at the Silberman School of Social Work in 2000, and is now an associate professor at Montclair State University and a consultant for organizations on trauma-informed diversity issues.
“We are so thrilled to engage Dr. Quiros for this important discussion,” said Hunter Interim Provost Manoj Pardasani. “Her clinical work with individuals who have suffered trauma, as well as her practice training students, leaders, and groups on diversity, gives her important insights and techniques for the Hunter community, in which many have experienced trauma and loss.”
Provost Pardasani said that the series is a valuable tool for promoting campus civility.
“It is crucial that the Hunter community have a safe, open forum for talking about these issues with each other,” he said.
The talk aligns with a campaign to foster civil discourse and tolerance across CUNY’s 25 campuses, which was announced by CUNY Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez this past August during a visit to Hunter College.
The Quiros conversation, which is open to everyone, will take place at 3 pm in the Hemmerdinger Screening Room on the seventh floor of the library.
The first was a talk on interfaith cooperation and pluralism with internationally renowned scholar and civic leader Eboo Patel, founder of Interfaith America. Patel spoke the week after the presidential election about the need to listen carefully and interact nonjudgmentally with persons of different views.
To RSVP for the event, please click here.
Other events in the series planned for the spring semester include:
“A Fairer Playing Field: Trans Rights in School and Sports”
Speaker: Lex Horwitz, a former transgender athlete who speaks and consults on transgender rights in sports.
Speaker: Bobby Hodgson, the assistant legal director of the New York Civil Liberties Union.
Moderator: Hunter Political Science Prof. Erin Mayo-Adam, director of the LGBTQ Initiative at Roosevelt House.
Date and Location: Wednesday, February 5, 2:30 pm at Roosevelt House Auditorium
“The Intersection of Identity: Growing up Palestinian American”
Speaker: Susan Muaddi Darraj, a Palestinian American author of books for adults and children, including the Farah Rocks series.
Date and Location: Thursday, February 13, 3 pm at Roosevelt House Auditorium
“Leaving the Hasidic Community: Reality Versus Popular Culture”
Speaker: Hunter Sociology Prof. Zalman Newfield, the acting Director of the Jewish Studies Program.
Speaker: Sociology Prof. Heba Gowayed.
Date and Location: Wednesday, March 5, 1 pm at Roosevelt House Auditorium
“Forum on Academic Freedom: What does it mean for Hunter College?”
Speaker: Prof. Risa Lieberwitz of the Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations. Lieberwitz is academic director of the Worker Institute at Cornell and a co-director of the Cornell University law and society minor.
Speaker: Frederick (Rick) Schaffer, former CUNY general counsel and vice chancellor for legal affairs.
Moderator: William Herbert, Hunter distinguished lecturer and executive director of the National Center for the Study of Collective Bargaining in Higher Education and the Professions at Hunter College.
Date and Location: Tuesday, March 25, 2 pm at Roosevelt House Auditorium
“The Refugee Experience in the US: Building Community Capacity and Resilience”
Speaker: Marciana Popescu, PhD
Popescu is a professor at the Fordham University Graduate School of Social Service and a member of the UN-NGO Committee on Migration. Her work focuses on global and local migration policies, particular areas of interest include forced migration and gender, forced migration and mental health, and violence against women.
Date and Location: Thursday, April 17, 3 pm at Roosevelt House.
