Congresswoman Slaughter Meets with Nazareth College Students Attending Clinton Global Initiative University

Congresswoman Louise Slaughter (D-NY) and Nazareth College President Daan Braveman  met with students on Monday, March 17, as they prepare to leave for the seventh annual Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U) meeting.  Nazareth College students submitted 10 Commitments to Action to CGI U. Of those 10 projects, six have been accepted to CGI U 2014 and 11 Nazareth College students will attend the CGI U meeting from March 21-23, 2014 at Arizona State University.

"It is inspiring to sit with these future leaders and social entrepreneurs at Nazareth College to hear about their plans to enact change. The CGI U is the platform many of these students needed to make their ideas become a reality and I am proud that President Clinton and his family are engaging college students through the CGI,” said Rep. Slaughter.  “Many of the Commitments to Action these students are working on stem from their life experiences, because of that I know that they are affecting real change and will make our world a better place for future generations.”

"Our students are ready to travel to Arizona for CGI U, where they will be in the company of the entire Clinton family. Nazareth is honored that Congresswoman Slaughter is sitting down with our students to hear more about their commitments to action," said Nazareth President Daan Braveman.  "To have 11 students attending CGI U is an outstanding accomplishment. Nazareth is proud to prepare these students both academically and professionally, with strong connections in the classroom and with dedicated partners in the Rochester community."

Over 1,000 college students from more than 300 universities, all 50 states, more than 80 different countries will come together at the 2014 Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U) meeting March 21-23 with the goal to enact change and discuss ways to improve the world. CGI U focuses on five areas: Education, Environment and Climate Change, Poverty Alleviation, Peace and Human Rights and Public Health. In order to apply to attend the CGI U meeting, each student or student group must develop and submit a Commitment to Action that addresses a specific challenge from the five focus areas. More than $750,000 is already available to CGI U 2014 students to help them turn their ideas into action.
 
Nazareth College CGI U Commitments to Action:
 
1) Project Title: Supporting Safe Birthing Practices in Panrieng, South Sudan
Students: Kumba Tachequee '16G, Kaelen Austin '15G, Jacqueline Lindsey '15G (social work graduate program)
Advisors: Dr. Jed Metzger and Dr. Carol Brownstein-Evans
Project Summary: The group seeks to access community resources and form a partnership in Rochester, N.Y. with the South Sudan Village Care project to support and sustain the maternal child health clinic in Panrieng. This will involve capacity building at a community level to provide information and contacts on birthing kits, medications, and  training resources for staff  regarding safe birthing practices.
 
 2) Project Title: Earth Step Initiative
Student: Nicholas Gerbino '17 (anthropology)
Project Summary: This commitment to action will involve community lectures designed to educate people on the widespread effects of the consumer goods they purchase everyday. For instance, the Unilever Corporation consumes 1.6 million tons of palm oil annually that are harvested through the use of deforestation; 90% of the worlds palm oil comes from Malaysia and Indonesia whose natural rainforests, have been almost completely destroyed. By having monthly lectures, this CGIU commitment can educate consumers on the effects that their goods are having on the other side of the globe.
 
3) Project Title: Social Change Through Intergenerational Dialogue
Student: Danielle Mensing '15 (psychology)
Advisor:  Dr. David Steitz (psychology/gerontology)
Project Summary: This commitment is an innovative movement to enhance awareness and responsiveness to issues faced by older adults and to strengthen services in long and short term health care for all present and future generations. Through Intergenerational Dialogue, youth and older populations will come together to share their hopes and challenges, while developing new methods to increase understanding and influence. At Intergenerational Dialogue events attendees will learn about current issues and brainstorm solutions. These solutions will be transformed into action steps with each participant taking responsibility to move their ideas forward.
 
4) Project Title: Sickle the Cycle
Student: Omonike Oyelola '17 (social work)
Advisor: Ms. Mary Dahl Maher (nursing)
Project Summary: Oyelola’s commitment is to raise awareness about the chronic and debilitating effects of the genetic condition sickle cell disease  in order to better educate the community about the risks affiliated with the disease.  She hopes to lessen the  diseases’ world-wide impact on the children and minority groups it primarily affects by improving the quality of health care the patients receive. Oyelola plans to begin locally to identify carriers by making the screening process more accessible to prevent the inheritance of sickle cell and by promoting online resources that can be used internationally for healthcare providers and those with the disease.
 
5) Project Title: Voices of Youth: Parental Incarceration
Students: Danielle Ashton ‘15 and Alyson Durant ‘15 (social work/community youth development)
Advisors: Dr. Estella Norwood Evans, Dr. Marie Watkins (social work)
Project Summary: This Commitment will work to empower children of incarcerated parents by promoting healthy life skills, educational aspirations, and positive self-value. It also reduces the risk of stigmatization, criminal offenses, and future incarceration. The commitment will work with Nazareth College Community Youth Development, and other community organizations to cultivate and deliver effective workshops.
 
6) Project Title: Yoga Empowerment Partnership (YEP)
Students: Gina Bessing ‘14 (inclusive childhood education/psychology), Olivia Harrigan ‘15 (communication sciences and disorders), Brianna Miller ‘14 (music therapy and music education/psychology minor)
Advisors:  Lynne Staropoli-Boucher/Center for Spirituality and  Cara Beslin/Mary’s Place Refugee Outreach
Project Summary: The Yoga Empowerment Partnership (YEP) will engage with high school girls to promote health and wellness, realization of self worth, strengthening of self-esteem, and the development of self-advocacy. It will bring together college student leaders with youth from the Rochester area, specifically girls from the Young Women’s College Prep Charter School of Rochester (YWCP), through a series of ongoing programs and special events. In order to create a specialized experience for each partnership, YEP plans accommodate the individual needs and desires of the organizations and the youth that YEP will serve.
 
Clinton Global Initiative University
The Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U) brings together college students to address global challenges with practical, innovative solutions. CGI U participants do more than simply discuss problems – they take concrete steps to solve them by creating action plans, building relationships, participating in hands-on workshops, and following up with CGI U as they complete their projects. Previous CGI U meetings have taken place at Tulane University, the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Miami, the University of California at San Diego, the George Washington University, and Washington University in St. Louis, and have convened more than 5,500 students from over 800 schools and 135 countries. Since its inaugural meeting in 2008, CGI U has brought together more than 5,500 student leaders from 135 countries and more than 800 schools. Past speakers include Madeleine Albright, Jack Dorsey, Muhammad Yunus, Hawa Abdi Diblawe, and Jon Stewart.

Nazareth University is an inclusive community of inspired learners, educators, and changemakers who for nearly 100 years have been driven by a bold commitment to action, empathy, equity, and leading innovation for the common good. Impact experiences are at the heart of a Nazareth education, preparing each student to discover within themselves the potential to cultivate positive change in their life's work, in any career field, and in a world that is constantly evolving and infinitely interconnected.

Our broad academic offerings present a range of study options typical of larger universities, yet achieved in our supportive campus culture. Nearly 2,100 undergrad and 600 graduate students enroll in degree and certificate programs and engage in collaborative, transformative learning experiences, preparing for the professions and society of today and tomorrow. In a learning community that purposefully integrates liberal arts and professional programs, Nazareth University graduates are able to launch a lifetime of impactful leadership in communities and workplaces near and far.

• published: 2014 March
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