Co-authored by Emilia Intili and Courtney Gosse

The Social Work Society and School of Social Work hosted their 15th Annual Teach-in via Zoom on November 7, 2021. The event was co-sponsored by the Institute for Global Understanding. The teach-in’s theme was “Quarantine Confessions: How it took a global pandemic to shed light on some of the most pressing societal issues in the United States.” The teach-in was not limited to Social Work students; it was open to anyone interested and available to attend, which resulted in a remarkably successful turnout of local and national students and community members. The virtual conference’s keynote speaker, Senator Vin Gopal, discussed the state of affairs and provided insights on what he has been working on from a policy perspective around COVID-19 and the continued struggles New Jersey faces. The teach-in also consisted of panel discussions on the economic, health, and educational aspects of COVID-19, which were hosted by members of the Social Work Society’s Executive Board.

The Economic Panel consisted of Christina Tello from Affordable Housing Alliance (Neptune, NJ), Paola Marin from Community Affairs & Resources Center (Asbury Park, NJ), and Debbie Keszler from Reformation Food Pantry (West Long Branch, NJ). The moderators of this panel where Olivia Monahan (Vice President) and Jamie Terrone (Co-President). Tello informed participants about the increased risk of homelessness among Americans, amidst COVID-19, due to the increased rate of unemployment. Because of this, Tello called for increased access to affordable housing to reduce homelessness throughout the county. Marin discussed the variety of services that CARC provides for the local community, focusing on the importance of the multilingual and multicultural aspects. Due to the increased immigrant and refugee populations within the community, CARC discussed the issues surrounding the lack of access to these services. Also, due to the pandemic, Kreszler noted that community organizations have encountered more issues as a result of the significant loss of volunteers, which has impacted organizations’ abilities to serve their communities. Overall, this discussion allowed students to become aware of the community resources that are available and the contacts that were able to be made throughout this event.

The Health Panel consisted of Dr. Rose Knapp from Family Urgent Care (Oakhurst, NJ); John Koufos, the National Director of Reentry Initiatives at Right on Crime and the Executive Director of Safe Streets & Second Chances; and Janet Lee from 180 Turning Lives Around. This panel was moderated by Brianna Rudolph (Treasurer) and Brittany Macaluso (Co-President). Regardless of the setting, whether a hospital, prison, or unsafe environment, the speakers stressed the importance of coming together during these times to support and protect each other from the violence and chaos in the world today. The speakers emphasized the need to support one another’s mental and physical health in these challenging times and how self-care should be a priority in everyone’s activities.

The Education Panel consisted of Suzanne Keller from The SOURCE at Red Bank Regional High School, Jenai Bacote (student), Diana Robles (student), and Brittany Dein (student). The moderator of this event was Marissa Henderson (Event Chair). Education has changed dramatically, with the rise of virtual learning, whereby teaching and learning have become challenging and burdensome to all participants involved. Teachers are now required to innovate their lesson plans and students are forced to focus in unusual environments for extended periods. Despite these persistent challenges, both sides are encouraged to come together to help and support each other.

Although most participants have been exhausted with the topic of COVID-19, the event addressed ways in which we can continue to move forward, living our lives while coexisting with the pandemic. It is also important for individuals to continue educating themselves and remain open to learning new things. We are all powerful in what we can do; however, our lifelong learning and adapting can enable us to be powerful in a positive way. Therefore, the call to action for all participants of this event is to consider the information provided and implement new and innovative solutions to the ongoing issues related to COVID-19.

In 2010, Courtney Deacon Lalotra made a last-minute decision to join a group of fellow alumni and professors on a trip to India. Courtney fell in love with the country and the people. One month later, Courtney did not return to the USA with the rest of the group. During this time in India, Courtney moved into a slum in Delhi and developed relationships with the children of the slum and had a vision for them. Courtney then decided to take a step of faith and open a home for abandoned and orphaned children with social needs. In 2014, with the support of family, friends, and her hometown church, “One Life to Love” opened its doors and began rescuing children from the streets and slums.

Diwali is a five-day festival of lights, celebrated by millions of Indians across the world. One of the most popular festivals of Hinduism, Diwali symbolizes the spiritual “victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance.”

On November 14, 2020, “One Life to Love” virtually celebrated Diwali, co-sponsored by INDspire Tours, Senator Vin Gopal, and the IGU. The event started with a message from the founder and President Courtney Lalotra, followed by the meaning of Diwali.

The children from the “One Life to Love” orphanage performed a Happy Diwali dance that was a ray of hope for all Indian orphans and children with special needs. The children also performed a thank you song for the event. The event truly captured the festival of lights and reminded us how vibrant Indian culture and its children are.

You can view the children’s Diwali dance here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIOosxYX4Ms

Dr. Mihaela Moscaliuc, Ph.D., Associate Professor of English, co-hosted a virtual poetry reading along with Kathy Engel, MFA chair and Associate Arts Professor at New York University’s Tisch School of Arts on Sunday, November 15, 2020.

The reading from Border Lines: Poems of Migration (eds Moscaliuc & Waters, Knopf 2020) was a truly magical event. The poems in the collection detail contemporary immigration experiences such as assimilation into American culture, conflicting identities, and the shifting of language. The event was particularly well attended with over 80 participants, yet also felt very intimate.

The thirteen poets were: Kaveh Akbar, Lory Bedikian, Andrei Codrescu, Kimiko Hahn, Esther Lin, Shara McCallum, Yesenia Montilla, Dzvinia Orlowsky, Alicia Ostriker, Ira Sadoff, Adrienne Su, Mai Der Vang, and Sholeh Wolpé. They read their own anthologized piece along with another Border Lines poem by another contributor. The poems illuminated some of the richness and diversity of contemporary immigration experiences in the U.S. and around the world.

“Readings like this bring people together and create or renew a sense of community we desperately need right now…I truly believe poetry can make things happen.” — Mihaela Moscaliuc, Ph.D., Associate Professor of English

Monmouth University’s Institute for Global Understanding (IGU) and Urban Coast Institute (UCI) will co-host the second Global Ocean Governance lecture series event on November 5 from 2:30 p.m.- 3:30 p.m. The event features Prof. Cymie Payne, Associate Professor at Rutgers University, and Guillermo Ortuño Crespo, postdoctoral researcher at the Stockholm Resilience Center and coordinator of early career professional engagement for the UN Decade of Ocean Science. The event will be hosted via Zoom and is free and open to the public, but registration is required. A link will be provided upon registration.

Human exploitation of the open ocean has increased rapidly over the past few decades. Years of negotiation are coming to fruition with a new treaty to manage conservation and sustainable use of life in the connected, dynamic global ocean. The challenge for governments is to prioritize long-term health over short-term sectoral interests with an effective treaty for biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ). It will be pivotal for ensuring the health and well-being of U.S. ecosystems and coastal communities.

Cymie R. Payne is an associate professor at Rutgers University. She holds a joint appointment in the Department of Human Ecology and at Rutgers Law School. Currently, she is legal advisor to the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s delegation to the intergovernmental conference for a legally binding agreement on conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction and chair of the IUCN World Commission on Environmental, Ocean, Coasts, and Coral Reefs Specialist Group.

Dr. Guillermo Ortuño Crespo is a marine ecologist with a master of science from the University of St. Andrews in ecosystem-based management of marine systems and a doctorate in marine science and conservation from Duke University. Throughout his postdoc at the Stockholm Resilience Centre he will be working on a novel spatial management study in collaboration with the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) to develop the first ever tuna-RFMO dynamic spatial management strategy. He is also a part of the UN Decade of Ocean Science and is facilitating conversation on corporate sustainability.