VCU’s Staff Diversity

In late 2006 VCU conducted the Climate Survey to determine how pleased the staff, faculty and administration is with diversity among their colleagues.

Over all the survey was quite positive, but there were outliers within minority groups and the staff.

To get a better understanding of these outliers, the Equity and Diversity Committee conducted a series of three focus groups. The first was made up of faculty and staff, the second, black faculty and staff, and the third was full time staff.

The findings were startling.

The study found that adjunct faculty feels unappreciated, women aren’t as easily promoted as men, and black faculty feels that the university discriminates.

The EDC realizes that this could be a few upset staff members, but they want to address these issues to make sure they know why someone would feel this way and to insure that no one else does in the future.

They are developing a five-year diversity plan in the hopes to attract more minority administration and therefore more staff.

Commercialization of Easter

If you’re a Richmond native, you’ve probably heard of or visited the Easter On Parade held annually on scenic Monument Avenue. It focuses on the “fun” rather than religious aspect of Easter by showcasing lots of activities, food, music, and contests throughout the day. Though the Easter On Parade has become a staple event in the heart of downtown Richmond, some might point out that this sort of celebration is part of the commercialization of Easter.

According to www.dictionary.com, “commercialization” means “to make commercial in character, methods, or spirit; to emphasize the profitable aspects of, especially at the expense of quality.” In other words, the meaning of Easter today seems to supercede the religious story that we learned about about as a child. Marketing efforts indulge in profits earned through candy, toys, decorations, etc. at Easter time. According to recent reports, over a billion dollars is spent at Easter time.

How did Easter turn into a gift giving holiday or a reason for children to believe in the “Easter Bunny”?

How many people, Christian and non-Christian, actually know the story behind Easter?

Do today’s celebratory efforts influence you and your beliefs about Easter?

Do advertisements make you feel like you should go out and buy Easter products?

http://www.allaboutjesuschrist.org/origin-of-easter.htm

http://www.venturerichmond.com/events/vrevents.html

Your chance to dance

Every Friday, VCU’s Swing Club gets down. Free and open to the public the club usually draws in about 30 members ready to dance.  The club teaches different skill levels of swing, so everyone can learn something new.

Sara Reynolds is the vice president of the club and helps teach. She has been swing dancing for almost three years.  She even showed us a few moves; watch and you’ll see it’s really not that hard.

Welcome to MASC 464 – PM

Each of you will be posting your stories on this blog as we go throughout the semester.  Together, we will be learning what’s possible on this site from a multimedia standpoint.

You each have your own category, so as you add blog entries, be sure to put a check by your name in the “Categories” column to the right of the post.

The “Frequently Asked Questions” link at the bottom of each post page will become your friend – use it wisely and often!