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Undergraduate
Student Excellence (Leadership/Service) Award Recipients:
Patricia L. Dos Santos
was selected for leadership and service as a Ronald E.
McNair Undergraduate Scholar; President, Vice-President,
Multicultural Liaison and Public Relations Chair of
the Cape Verdean Student Association. Assistant Instructor
and Secretary of the URI Capoeira Martial Arts Club; undergraduate
intern for the Rhode Island Select Commission on Race
and Police-Community Relations, and the Committee for
a Smoke-Free URI; and membership in the URI Psychology
Club and the Higher Calling Gospel Choir. A senior majoring
in Psychology, Patricia is the winner of the William
Gould Award for Outstanding Achievement. As a McNair
Scholar she conducted a research study on “Ethnic Differences
in Child Rearing Attitudes,?nbsp; and presented papers
at two scholarly conferences. A trained Kingian Nonviolence Advocate,
she has also been active with the URI Health Promotions
Partnership. Her outstanding record of accomplishment
has earned Patricia an assistantship to study Political
Science at Rutgers University.
Carlos J. Pena was selected for his leadership and
service as a member of the URI Student Senate Chair
of the Multicultural and Equal Opportunity Committee of
Student Senate and as hermano of Lambda Upsilon Lambda
(La Unidad Latinos). A sophomore majoring in Management
Information Systems, Carlos exhibited poise and balance
when running in the most closely contested Student
Senate presidential election in URI’s history. Carlos has
been a leading advocate for the establishment of the Multicultural
Alliance, an umbrella group of multicultural and social
justice student organizations.
Undergraduate
Student Excellence (Academic/Service) Award Recipients:
Vannou Nhem was selected
for academic excellence, and for service as President of
the URI Fashion Merchandising Society, Vice-President
of the Asian Students Association, Public Relations Chair
of the Cape Verdean Student Association, and Liaison to
the Multicultural Student Council. A senior majoring in
Psychology, Vannou has designed her own clothing lines.
Currently, the Manager of Two- Lips Flower shop in the URI
Memorial Union, she loves working with children and has
been a mentor with the Rhode Island Children’s Crusade.
Mavis Nimoh was selected for academic excellence
and for service as a student staff member at the URI Women’s
Center, Treasurer and Public Relations Chair for the African
Awareness Association, Student Mentor for the URI South
County Mentors Program, and a member of the steering
committee of the inaugural President’s Commission on the
Status of Women at URI. A junior majoring in Political
Science, Mavis currently serves as an Undergraduate Teaching
Assistant for the URI South County Mentors Program. Having
previously served as a lead organizer for the Women
of Color Conference and the Women’s Leadership Summit, she
is also a Resident Assistant at Coddington Hall, and a member
of the Student Alumni Association.
Lawrence Perry was selected for academic excellence,
and for service as Resident Assistant for Rainbow Diversity
House, Student Organization Consultant for the URI Center
for Student Leadership, Executive Board Member for the Student
Alumni Association, and Orientation Team Leader for University
College. In addition, Larry has been active with Bridges,
Unity Weekend and the URI Hunger Center. A senior majoring
in Marketing, Larry is a 2001 winner of the E. Robert
Rainville Award for Student Leadership.
Undergraduate
Student Excellence (Artistic/Cultural) Award Recipients:
Pedro J. Malave was selected for his artistic
expertise and cultural leadership on campus. Known as
“AKUWRIT,?he practices an inclusive form of hip-hop culture
that is idealistic, seeks authenticity, and advocates
for youth issues. Active in Brothers United for
Action, Pedro helped to organize an open mic against arming
the URI campus police, and participated in the Multicultural
Center Poetry Slams, the URI Annual Talent Show,
the Uhuru SaSa Culture Fest, and the Artists Against Racism
Rally. He is the performer featured in the commercial
advertisement developed by the Committee for A Smoke
Free URI. A sophomore majoring in Psychology, Pedro
has brought excellent publicity to the state and university
through his youth leadership and advocacy. Sponsored
by the Carriage House Center for the Arts, he attended
the American Legacy Foundation’s inaugural youth conference
against tobacco. Recognized for his leadership he was
asked to extend his stay in Washington D.C. to hone
his skills as a trainer and media spokesperson, and to
help lead a national youth movement against tobacco.
Subsequently he attended the Truth Summit in Seattle,
Washington and took part in a six-week, 27-city caravan
to combat teen smoking.
Student
Organization Excellence (Leadership/Service) Award Recipients:
The Psychology Club
was selected for leadership and service because of
their efforts to include students across lines of identity
and discipline. Skillfully advised by Dr. Su Boatright-Horowitz
of the Psychology Department, members presented scholarly
papers on multicultural issues at conferences such
as the Eastern Psychological Association and the Greater
New York Conference of Psychological Research; and events,
such as the URI Undergraduate Research Colloquium.
Open to students from all departments, the Psychology Club
has afforded interested students the opportunity to learn
research methods and to present research papers.
Diverse students have served in leadership positions.
Among their programs are the Faculty Coffee Hour,
various symposia, poster presentations, recruiting events, graduate
school workshops, and award ceremonies. Students from
the Psychology Club were instrumental in organizing
the recent Candlelight Vigil in support of a gay student
at URI.
National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) and the Society of Hispanic
Professional Engineers (SHPE) were selected because of the quality
and quantity of their collaboration with each other. The competitive behaviors that
inhibit collaboration between many student organizations have been largely transcended
by SHPE and NSBE. During February 2001, NSBE organized a high-quality series
of weekly learning experiences in commemoration of Black History Month. SHPE
members attended about as frequently as NSBE members. The highlight of the series
was the lecture, “What Prospective Engineers Need To Know About Changes In
The Profession Caused By The New Economy? presented by Dr. Wole Soboyejo, Princeton
University’s only tenured and full professor of color. After meeting Dr. Soboyejo at
the national NSBE convention, Igor Garcia and Ben Wesley of NSBE asked that
he come to campus and he did! In addition, NSBE and SHPE have represented the
university effectively at regional workshops sponsored by the New England
Board of Higher Education. The collaboration between the two reflects the
multicultural model for student organizations in the 21st
Staff/Administrative
Excellence (Leadership/Service) Award Recipients: N/A
Lifetime
Acheivement Award: N/A
Graduate
Student Excellence (Academic/Service) Award Recipients:
Christine F. Volpe was selected for her
leadership and service in developing links between the
URI Writing Center and students from Special Programs
for Talent Development, and for her academic research
on multiple intelligences. Responsible for hiring work-study student
staff, she chose to diversify her hires by recruiting
TD students. The result has been a more welcoming
environment at the Writing Center, and a diverse, expanded
client base. A graduate student in English, Christine
is participating in a research study designed by the Writing
Center and funded by the URI Foundation. Countering the
deficit model of learning that underlies much research
on underrepresented students, she seeks to improve writing skills
by incorporating new tutoring strategies based on the
learning styles of students whose intelligences are often
non-linguistic. In both her service and her dissertation
research, Christine has demonstrated inclusivity
and creativity.
Silas O. Pinto was selected because of his leadership
and service in teaching and promoting the practice
of Capoeira, a Brazilian martial arts form of African
origin. Under Silas?leadership, the URI Capoeira
Club, which he founded, has experienced explosive
growth. Founded on September 13, 1996, the Capoeira Club
was recognized by the URI Student Senate in October
1997. Since 1996, 175 students have participated in
the weekly rehearsals. Capoeira has staged performances
in Providence, Pawtucket, and South Kingston. On
April 28, 2001, Capoeira will host a Martial Arts Fest
in Edwards Auditorium, featuring students from universities
in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. A graduate
student majoring in Psychology, Silas is a previous winner
of a Diversity Award for his undergraduate activities.
Currently, he is a Residence Hall Assistant Director for
Heathman Hall, and teaches Capoeira classes at the New
Wave Karate School in Providence. He is engaged in
training for the Cape Verdean Karate Team for the
2004 Olympics.
Faculty Excellence
(Academic/Service) Award Recipients:
Dr. Alfred G. Killilea
was selected for his leadership and service in founding
and
implementing the innovative URI South County Mentors Program,
and in chairing the
Truman Scholarship Committee. One of the most successful
strategies for improving
local town-gown relations, the Mentors Program provides
URI students the opportunities to exercise and enhance
interpersonal and leadership skills in interacting with
high school youth. A professor of Political Science, and
Co-Director of the John Hazen White Center, Dr. Killilea
has also chaired the Truman Scholarship Committee since 1990.
Under his leadership, a number of diverse students have
won the $30,000 awards to encourage study and commitment
to public service, including Elise Mussington, URI¡¯s
first African-American winner; Daryl Finizio, URI¡¯s first
openly gay student body president; Shelly Costa, a Portuguese-American
now studying math education for girls in a PhD program;
and John Di Muro, who led a campaign to protect a local
AIDS house from destruction, and who currently leads the
all-male Grace Church Choir in Providence. In addition,
Al Killilea was a 1999 Multicultural Center Faculty
Associate.
Dean Ruth Waldman was selected for her leadership
and service in coordinating a health care and education
outreach program to the Dominican Republic; and in nominating
and sponsoring Nursing students for the Ronald E. McNair
Scholars Program. An Assistant Dean in the College of
Nursing, she received a grant to develop the outreach
program to the Dominican Republic and enable students
to utilize it as a practicum for their required senior
clinical experiences. In addition, she has advised outstanding
students, such as Keisha Gallagher-Smith, Belinda
Bracey, and Anilda Pena in their success as McNair Scholars.
Ruth Waldman has also striven to increase diversity as
Chair of the College of Nursing Diversity Committee,
Chair of various Nursing search committees, and a 1999 Multicultural
Center Faculty Associate.
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