Volunteers Needed for RAPP Working Group on Five-Day Racial Justice Intensive

In 2012-13, not only will the University of Cincinnatitransition to semesters but RAPP will transition the way in which we offer intensive engagement.  This email will provide a very brief overview of that; its primary intent is seeking out a group of individuals who are interested in helping RAPP make this transition a successful one.

The Big Change

Since 2008, RAPP has run two concurrent groups of approximately 35 students through our core social justice education curriculum.  This endeavor has been a challenging and rewarding attempt at building a critical mass of inclusive leaders and social  change agents at the university. 

This model, in the big picture, has proven unsustainable with current resources as well as around student engagement.  In response to this and other identified community needs, RAPP will transition away from the two concurrent group model. 

Instead, RAPP will offer two different social justice intensives in 2012-13:

• One group of 35 in the 9-month program
• One five-day racial justice intensive in mid August

RAPP staff as well as the office of Student Activities &Leadership Development is excited to try out this new structure and looking forward to the positive benefits it will bring to our campus. 

Help Needed

In order to practice the mission of RAPP, we need to include many voices in the process of planning the transition.  In particular, we are looking to build a working group of eight to sixteen members that will guide this transition process.

Ideally, this working group will include current students, Student Life staff, faculty, and other interested community members.  Its composition will also reflect the diverse community of RAPP and within which RAPP operates.

The Working Group’s Process

Over approximately eight hours, the working group will tackle the following tasks:

• Review RAPP’s history and critical foundations
• Benchmark similar inclusive leadership & racial justice intensives
• Establish the general framework for the intensive, including:
• The big idea/purpose of the intensive (similar to goals & objectives)
• How to promote the intensive (including name and visual identity)
•  The process for accepting/selecting participants

• Refresh the RAPP recruitment process to address:
• Clarifying & communicating the differences between the 5-day intensive and the 9-month intensive
• Revising the recruitment process to ensure selection of highly-committed members for the 9-month intensive

Ideally, this will be done through three two-hour meetings during March and a fourth meeting two-thirds of the way through spring quarter.  A meal or refreshments will be provided at all working group meetings.

Get Involved!

If you are interested in participating in this working group and helping guide RAPP through this important transition, please contact Rebecca at lehmanrl@uc.edu or 513.556.6119 as soon as possible.  I am hoping to set up our first meeting some time between March 7^th and 14^th.

Please also feel free to share this call for support with people you think may be beneficial to this endeavor.

Programs & Activities Council - Seeking New Members

The UC Programs & Activities Council - the group that brings awesome campus activities like comedians, lectures, movies, and the infamous spring concert - is accepting applications for new members.

PAC is hosting two informational meetings for prospective new members next week.  At the meeting, you can learn and ask questions about PAC, membership requirements, and the application process.  You can find more information about this on their "Join PAC" page.

The informational meetings (of which you need to only attend one) are at 6PM on Wednesday, October 6th and Thursday, October 7th.  The meetings will be held in 427 TUC.

Seeking Students for the Administrative Review Committee

University Judicial Affairs is seeking student applicants - both undergraduate and graduate - for the Administrative Review Committee (ARC).

The ARC is a group of faculty, staff, and students who are selected by Judicial Affairs to participate in the review process for individuals who have allegedly violated the Student Code of Conduct.  When an allegation against a student is made, the student is invited to meet with a Procedural Hearing Administrator  to resolve the allegation.  If found responsible, the student has the option of accepting responsibility for the action and the sanction determined by the Administrator, or the student may elect to have his or her case heard by the ARC.

The role of the ARC is to listen actively and objectively to all the information presented by both the accused student and any witness or other statements.  The ARC is responsible for determining whether the accused student is responsible for violating the Student Code of Conduct, if so, administering the appropriate sanction.  The main goals of the ARC are to uphold the University's rules and protect the University community while also promoting the educational growth and development of each student.

Student members of the ARC play a very important role in shaping the University's response to student behavior, as there are twice as many students on the ARC as faculty or staff.  This creates a great opportunity for students, as peers, to understand and address and alleged violation from a similar perspective as the accused student, which ultimately makes the decisions of the ARC stronger and more influential.  

Publish Post

After training for the committee, the actual time commitment per quarter is considered minimal.

If you are interested in applying for the ARC, please contact Daniel Cummins, Director of Univ. Judicial Affairs and Assistant Dean of Students at 513.556.6814 or check out the ARC website for an application.