This portion of NSU’s entry into the co-curricular competition at the 2006 meeting of
ADP-South is organized in accordance with the organization’s suggested guidelines,
addressing each of the guidelines in turn.
1.
Faculty/Staff Involvement
As with the 1st Civil Rights Conference of 2005, the chief organizers of the 2006
conference were Dr. Alexis Aichinger, Professor of Political Science, and Ms. Stacy
Fontenot, Projects Coordinator, both in the NSU School of Social Sciences. In addition,
Dr. Bill Housel, Assistant Professor of Sociology in the School of Social Sciences
assisted with marketing the conference in the community, as well as participating in a
unique panel at the conference titled “The Constitution, The People, and Comedy.”
Furthermore, this year’s conference involved in a far more institutionalized manner than
last year’s the participation of key staff members from across campus. The NSU Office
of Cultural Diversity was listed as a co-sponsor of the conference, and the Director of
Student Activities and NSU’s Watson Library were also each instrumental in supporting
the conference. The School of Social Sciences provided funds to hold the conference at
the new Natchitoches Events Center. From the Department of Language and
Communication, Dr. Nate Pritts and his poetry students contributed artistic elements to
the conference proceedings. The conference also benefited greatly from the support of
NSU President Randall J. Webb.
2.
Well coordinated efforts
The coordination of the multiple elements of this conference was eased by the enthusiasm
shown by each participating individual and office. Organizations both on and off campus
were instrumental to the conference’s success, and each demonstrated patience with a
conference schedule that was altered several times as new participants volunteered their
support and participation. Coordinating this conference was a daunting challenge, as the
participants included such entities as Pinecrest Developmental Center in Alexandria, LA
(50 miles away from Natchitoches) and representatives from the state government in
Baton Rouge (180 miles away). In addition, students were more involved in this year’s
conference than in the past (see below) as were more university offices.
3.
Resolve to overcome obstacles
As stated above, this year’s conference included greater participation by university, nonprofit, and state government representatives, creating organizational challenges to the
conference organizers who continued their normal duties as academics all the while.
Additionally, with Louisiana state budgetary problems still plaguing public institutions in
the wake of last year’s hurricane disasters, the conference organizers cast a wider net to
ensure proper funding of the conference. The New York Times supported the conference
with a donation of $500, the Student Government Association contributed $300, and the
Louisiana Department of Social Services has pledged $500 in support, though as of this
writing we are still awaiting those funds, which will partly reimburse the School of Social
Sciences for its contribution totally approximately $1400 for rental of the Natchitoches
Events Center and for catering. These multiple sources of funding helped tremendously
in the face of a state budgetary crisis, and allowed the organizers to hold the conference
with no registration costs to the participants outside of their travel and accommodations.
4.
Student leadership
The conference organizers were determined to improve this element of the conference
over last year, and while more can and will be done in the future, there were significant
improvements in this regard at the 2006 conference. The Student Government
Association President was a vocal supporter of the conference, and led the way to the
SGA’s financial contribution to the conference. Two graduate students in the M.A.
program in Heritage Resources presented papers on the role of artistic expressionism and
of historic and cultural preservation in the empowerment of a community. One
undergraduate also served on a panel on disabilities, and additional undergraduate
students acted as volunteers throughout the conference. Dr. Nate Pritts of the Department
of Languages and Communication led his students in the writing and a public reading of
poems inspired by artwork from patients/students at the Pinecrest Developmental Center.
5.
Moral, social, economic impact
This is arguably a category that best defines the purpose and philosophy of the
conference, that is, that empowered individuals comprising an empowered community
make for a moral, social, and economic foundation for preserving civil rights in an open
society. The wide variety of topics covered by panelists representing academia, state
government and civil society testifies to this approach. How a society treats the disabled,
how a state government disseminates information to the benefit of its citizens regarding
education, health care and business development, and how non-profit organizations
contribute to society are all factors presented at the conference. Audience members,
especially those from the community, were allowed ample opportunity to voice
questions, ideas and problems in the context of each panel. Indeed, the final panel of the
conference, titled “Empowerment: What’s it Going to Take?”
6.
Significance of the original mission
As the twenty-first century progresses during a time of international unrest and national
insecurity due to global terrorism and related factors, there has arisen nationwide a
heightened concern for maintaining Constitutional rights in a time of national crisis. Few
if any issues are as important to maintaining a vibrant civil society as a basis for
sustaining democracy than civil rights. Additionally, while matters of discrimination
remain highly significant to large numbers of Americans, the conference organizers were
determined to demonstrate that there are matters beyond discrimination that are equally
vital to the sustenance of our democratic values. This is why they chose Empowerment
as the central concept of the conference, that is, because (1) civil rights are defined
broadly to encompass many areas of life and society that are often lacking in scholarship
and policies dealing with civil rights, and (2) civil rights are about citizens engaging in
societal issues for the betterment of their own lives and the livelihood of the democratic
political culture in which we live. That is to say, civil rights are not only about what
government can do for the populace, but what individuals and organizations in society
can do for one another. A democratic system based on the preservation of civil rights
requires an engaged public, and that was the guiding mission of the conference. We
strongly believe the mission was successfully accomplished, though of course there is
always more to be done, which is why NSU-ADP also participates in an annual Human
Rights Film festival and other such civic engagement activities.
7.
Outcomes achieved or superseded goals
While the conference organizers were unsure of how many participants/visitors to expect,
we were all very pleased with a registration roster over approximately 200 people as
either direct participants or audience members. The enthusiastic participation of the state
Department of Social Services and a paper presented by the General Counsel to the
Louisiana Lieutenant Governor were greatly appreciated by the organizers. With the
success of a second conference under our belt, we are looking forward to meeting public
calls for continuing such meetings, at minimum on an annual basis. During the
organization of the conference, the organizers and supporters (namely the Student
Government Association) became increasingly committed to the idea of civic
engagement and service learning, and are working to integrate these concepts into
curricular activities.
8.
Demonstration of learning connections made by those involved
There are several clear examples that this year’s conference successfully built upon last
year’s in creating a network of individuals and organizations dedicated to the concept of
civil rights as broadly defined by the organizers. One such example involves a new art
institute that is soon opening in Natchitoches; the art institute founders attended the
conference and were pleased to note that our broad definition of civil rights included the
contributions of cultural and artistic endeavors to a vibrant civil society. There are plans
in motion that will continue the connections made between students interested in this
aspect of our mission, the Morrison Art Institute (opening soon), and the state Lt
Governor’s office) which is responsible for state supported cultural activities).
Furthermore, participants from non-profit organizations expressed great pleasure from
meeting one another and getting exposed to what one another’s organizations are doing in
the field of civic engagement. We are working to develop such connections into
internship and service learning opportunities for NSU students.
9.
Originality/creativity of the project
While one may say there’s nothing “original or creative” about a conference on civil
rights, we feel that several aspects of the 2006 Civil Rights Conference stand out in this
regard. One aspect is the broad definition of civil rights and in particular the focus on
individual and community empowerment as a strategy for protecting and enhancing civil
rights. This aspect allowed for another unique quality of the conference, that is, the
combination of academic and community participation in the conference; with traditional
academic papers – however, some on non-traditional topics such as how the portrayal of
race in television comedies has evolved over the years and how cultural and historic
preservation are important topics in sustaining a vibrant civil society – combined with
presentations by state officials and representatives of non-profit organizations. An
additional element to this year’s conference was very special – the power of artistic
expressionism to inspire and motivate a community. Specifically, artwork created by
patient-students of the Pinecrest Developmental Center in Alexandria, LA was featured in
an exhibit at our university library during the week of the conference. An unexpected
addition came when students and their instructor in an English class on poetry decided to
write poems, each inspired by one or two of the paintings. A public reception was held in
which Dr. Nate Pritts and his students celebrated the art through readings of the poems
written by both the instructor and the students. In sum, the conference was a virtual
gumbo of ingredients, each of great importance alone and each contributing to a unique
final product.
10.
Credibility boost for future American Democracy Project efforts
The success of the 2nd Civil Rights Conference is truly inspirational. Members of the
NSU academic community are increasingly buying into the power of civic engagement as
an educational strategy. Not only are we planning a 3rd Civil Rights Conference for
2007, in the meantime several topics discussed at the conference, and connections made
through the conference, will serve as the bases for increasing the role of civic
engagement and service learning in our curricular design. We are convinced that the
university leadership saw the conference as an excellent example of what can be
accomplished, which is vital to the success of any civic engagement and service learning
endeavors. We strongly feel that the design and execution of the conference resulted in
heightened awareness in all parties of the power of networking for the purposes of civic
engagement and civil rights.