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Warhawk Weekly 1–28: Southern Studies Conference opens Friday; Recapping the MLK Reflections Breakfast; Swimming with the ‘shark’

NEWS

From a photographic exhibit to poster presentations by AUM students to keynote speakers exploring history and the politics of slavery, the two-day Southern Studies Conference will serve as a one-stop shop for expertise on the region’s sociology, literature, art, music, and more.

The international interdisciplinary conference will bring faculty, students and historians from universities nationwide to the AUM campus Friday and Saturday. The conference’s Friday keynote lecture featuring historian Dan T. Carter on “The Future of Southern Studies: Reflections of a Native Historian,” and Saturday’s session featuring University of Mississippi associate professor Jodi Skipper on “Beyond the Big House: The Politics of Interpreting Slavery in the South,” are open to the general public and campus community.

Learn more about the conference and the schedule of events.

Sex-trafficked as young teen, convicted of murdering a 43-year-old john at age 16, sentenced to life imprisonment and, eventually, granted clemency and released after 15 years. Cyntoia Brown-Long has made the most of her second chance, earning a college degree, writing a memoir about her search for redemption in the American prison system, and serving as an advocate for restorative justice. She recently spoke at our Martin Luther King Jr. Reflections Breakfast, drawing the largest crowd in the event’s history. If you missed it, check out the highlights from the program.

Graduate students – apply for the Alumni Association scholarship today!

The AUM Alumni Association is accepting applications for its 2020-2021 Graduate Study Merit Scholarships through March 1. To be eligible for the scholarship, students must be fully admitted to an AUM graduate program, must have completed at least nine hours of graduate study, and have a current GPA of 3.4 or higher on a 4.0 scale.

Interested students may email [email protected] for an application, or they can find the application online. A completed application needs to include, among other things, two letters of support – preferably from AUM faculty or staff­, a 250-word essay on career objectives, and a current resume. Applicants will be notified of their award status by mail.

For more information, please email [email protected] or call 334-244-3369.

Trying to navigate the shark-infested waters of the business world? Why not learn from an original shark?

AUM’s 2020 Chancellor’s Business Breakfast Series will open on Thursday at 7:30 a.m. at Wynlakes Golf and Country Club with a visit from entrepreneur and angel investor Kevin Harrington, one of the first panelists on the hit TV show “Shark Tank.” Harrington launched the successful “As Seen on TV” product line and is widely credited as the inventor of the infomercial.

Tickets are $35 for general admission, but $30 for AUM students and employees. You can register online today!

Tables of 8 can be sponsored for a single breakfast event or for the annual series of breakfasts. For more sponsorship details, reference http://www.aum.edu/chancellor-business-breakfast.

For more information, or questions, please contact Sherry Stearns-Boles at [email protected] or 334-244-3018. Read more about the Chancellor’s Business Breakfast in the AUM Pressroom.

Kevin Harrington posing for the camera

Get ready for another semester of exciting films in the Political Film Series, sponsored by the AUM College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences. All films will begin at 7 p.m. in Goodwyn Hall 109 with an introduction to the film delivered by an AUM faculty member. Audience discussion follows the screening. The events are all free and open to the public; free popcorn and soda will be served.

February 13: Good Hair (2009; PG-13) – Black History Month feature with introduction by Dr. Nicole Whitehead and Breuna Baine (Fine Arts)

Throughout history, hair has played an important role in African American culture. In this funny and entertaining documentary, Chris Rock explores the wonders of African-American hairstyles by traveling the country to find out how Black Americans define “good hair” and to shed some light on the industry behind Black hair. Rock talks to ordinary people and celebrities (including Nia Long and Maya Angelou), visits a barber shop, a hair show, a factory that produces chemical hair relaxers, and India known for its hair trading industry. Watch the trailer here.

March 12: Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am (2019; PG-13) – Women’s History Month feature with introduction by Dr. Shirley Toland-Dix (English)

This intimate portrayal of the late Toni Morrison provides the audience with deep insights into her career as a writer and as an editor and the personal experiences that shaped her career, starting with her childhood in a working class neighborhood in Lorain, Ohio. In 1993, she won the Nobel Prize for literature, an honor that has never been bestowed on an African American writer. “’Pieces’ is not a traditional biography, but instead tracks an evolution: from literary iconoclast to stateswoman,” according to the Washington Post. Watch the trailer here.

April 12: Denial: (2016; PG-13) – International Holocaust Remembrance Day feature with introduction by Dr. Eric Sterling (English)

In 1993, Deborah Lipstadt (portrayed by Rachael Weisz), a professors of Jewish Studies at Emory, published Denying the Holocaust in which she identified renowned World War II historian David Irving as “one of the most dangerous spokespersons” of the Holocaust denial movement. Irving sues Lipstadt for libel in the United Kingdom where the legal system dictates that the accused has the burden of proof. Therefore, Lipstadt and her lawyers have to prove that the Holocaust actually occurred. The film uses official trial records verbatim in the court scenes and Rachel Weisz together with a small film crew received permission to film at Auschwitz-Birkenau, where at least one millions Jews died. Watch the trailer here.

a close up of Rachel Weisz

EVENTS

Internship Showcase Week is January 27–31. There will be different employers in the Taylor Center Breezeway in front of the AUMazing Bean to speak with students interested in internship opportunities from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. each day.

Networking Night will be this evening from 6–8 p.m. in Taylor Center 230. Employers will have the opportunity to network with students of all majors in a formal setting and may have the chance to be hired on the spot. Students are encouraged to dress professionally for this event and should bring copies of their resume.

There will be a Lunch-and-Learn workshop for F-1 international students presented by Ayush Taneja, Director of Global Initiatives on Wed., Jan. 29 from 12–1 p.m. in Warhawk Alley Learn all about CPT & OPT!

The Walt Disney College Program is a national paid program at the happiest place on earth! Come learn about the program from Christin LeJeune, Academic Advisor in Central Advising and Disney College Program Alumnus on Thurs., Jan. 30 from 12–1 p.m. in Warhawk Alley.

Jan. 27–31 | 8 a.m. | Taylor Center 221–223

Faculty and staff are invited to honor Wanda Faust and celebrate her 16 years of service to AUM at a retirement ceremony. The event will be held in the Hospitality Suite at the AUM Athletics Complex, which is located on the second floor of the arena.

Fri., Jan. 31 | 1–3 p.m. | AUM Athletics Complex, Hospitality Suite

Mark your calendars and show your love for projects that evoke your passion on AUM Day of Giving. The 24-hour crowd-funding initiative will offer opportunities to support the College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences Career Clothing Closet, the Department of Fine Arts, the AUM Honors Program, the Veteran and Military Information Center, the AUM Library, Counseling & Health Promotion Services and the College of Nursing & Health Sciences. Learn more at http://www.aum.edu/dayofgiving/.

Fri., Feb. 14 | 12 a.m.–11:59 p.m.

Save the date! Alumni, join us for a memorable night of dinner, drinks, live music by Tim Tyler, and our annual tradition of a fireworks show.

Fri., Feb. 28 | 6:30–9 p.m. | AUM Library Tower, 10th floor

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