The third and final installment of the “Dean’s Series on University and Society” was held on Thursday, Nov. 7, at the Hartford Public Library. The conversation was regarding post-election actions. Many questions were asked, such as how this election impacted people, their families and communities.
Mark Overmyer-Velázquez, UConn Hartford’s dean and chief administrative officer, spoke on the event and his reasoning for organizing the “Dean’s Series” sessions, “With the student protests and encampment in Storrs, there was a lot of concern, energy, and interest around the student voice, student activism, student rights, and people were starting to wonder what we can do as a community.” He said, “I realized that as an educational institution, one thing we can do is convene meetings and create spaces for learning.”
Overmyer-Velázquez added, “As a university, we are part of the city and part of democratic higher education institutions that are part of a higher democratic society. We must think about our space and what we can do.”
The event began with a sound healing session with Kelvin Young, a certified sound healer who wanted to create a calming and healing environment for the conversation to follow. “I know that many of us are dealing with heaviness from this election, and I want you to know that you are not alone,” said Young. “These crystal healing bowls will help us calm our minds, our bodies, and our souls. It is important for us to feel before we heal. We must take time out of our day and simply be.”
After the session, Frankie Graziano from Connecticut Public Radio (CT Public) gave his remarks on the election in Connecticut. “I work for the public; I work for you,” said Graziano. “Bringing politics to the people means we cover policy, and we ran a survey to get to the people. We asked: what are items that local media are not covering that you want them to, and what issues do you care about?”
He continued to describe the CT Public’s work and how they explained certain issues that have come up, such as reproductive rights, immigration and economic policies.
“We had interviews with each of the congressional candidates and were able to talk to them and discuss important issues,” said Graziano. “We were live on election night, to provide people with access to the election and to election issues. The most important part to us was to be live on election night and the morning after. This is about giving the people a voice; it is important especially now. The Secretary of State still hasn’t given us the final numbers, but voter turnout has been lower than the 2020 election.”
After Graziano spoke, there was a 15-minute session at each table. Each had a spokesperson from organizations, such as CT Public and the Urban League, facilitating a conversation on the election and how their organization supports the community. Afterward, participants rotated to a different table to engage in conversations with new groups.
Overmyer-Velázquez stopped by one table, which was with Graziano, and asked how he (Graziano) imagines journalism changing as a field under the new administration.
“I am still trying to figure it out,” he said. “I think that we need space to be able to talk about this, a lot of people are going to be upset. I want people to share who they are, I am going to be in the phase where I need to figure this out. While we are funded a little bit by the federal government, we work for the people, and we are working on discussing the things people care about.”
Guests then rotated and spoke with Maria Cortes and Anghy Idrovo from CT Students for a Dream. On its website, they state that “Connecticut Students for a DREAM is a statewide organization of DREAMers and allies that seek to empower undocumented students and their families by advocating for their rights and raising awareness about issues they face.” Idrovo and Cortes shared more about their work and how important it is for them to fight for undocumented youth.
“The work that I do is important for me because of my experience,” said Cortes. “My institution had no way to support me, but now I have the chance to support the people who come to us.”
They spoke about preparing for the new presidency. “We are hosting many ‘Know Your Rights’ sessions to help undocumented immigrants know what to do and understand their rights if they interact with the law,” said Cortes. “And we are relying on each other, raising more funds, and collaborating with legal services.”
The event ended with some of the speakers and attendees sharing their thoughts. Jordan Chambers, a fifth-year UConn student, shared his feelings with the room.
“Before coming to this conversation, I kind of felt the results of the election,” he said.” You know, a bit of fear, a lot of uncertainty about the future. But after leaving here, and talking to people, I feel like it just reinforced the idea that chance is inevitable, growth is inevitable, but it is just about being the vehicle for that and putting yourself out there.”