Community Engagement and Public Service Activities

The ongoing Spring Hill public archaeology project brings together UA students, Spring Hill staff and volunteers, and the interested public to the Spring Hill Historic Home. During public archaeology events experienced UA students lead the excavation while volunteers of all ages actively engage in doing archaeology. 

The Cummings Center's Sexology: Science & Sensationalism exhibit explores the long-running Sexology magazine (1933-1983), which brough research and information about sexuality to the American public. With over 80 original magazines on display, the exhibit examines coverage of key topics that remain deeply relevant in 21st century society, including gender identity, reproductive health, and sexual orientation. The exhibit was designed and installed by students in the Museums and Archives Studies and Public Humanities Certificate Programs.

In support of the exhibit, the Cummings Center leveraged partnerships across campus to create unique programming. Speakers from the Women's Studies Program, Department of Psychology, Department of Sociology, and Hope & Healing Survivor Resource Center participated in a free panel discussion connected to the exhibit.

Additionally, a student intern from the Northeast Ohio Master of Fine Arts (NEOMFA) Program, itself a collaborative effort between four Northeast Ohio universities, spent the Spring 2024 semester researching transgender representation in Sexology. Her research will culminate in an interactive presentation and workshop to be hosted in April 2024.

In the “Spring Reproductive Justice Series,” Dr. Mary Triece and Dr. Daniela Jauk-Ajamie collaborated in innovative ways to bring together students and multiple community partners. The starting point was a book circle in Elizabeth’s, a Black Queer-owned bookstore. The design intended to engage a community that is new to UA but also bring students out into the community to enhance a sense of belonging beyond campus confines. The transformational, fully booked (25 registrants) event produced a student-led, generative and deep discussion of Dr. Zakiya Luna’s book Reproductive Rights as Human Rights: Women of Color and the Fight for Reproductive Justice. Dr.Luna, Associate Professor of Sociology and Dean’s Distinguished Professorial Scholar at Washington University in St. Louis, chose to be present for both book circle and activist networking lunch that preceded the keynote the following day in the UA student Union. The lunch created a space for community organizations to share about their work, for many it was the first time on campus. Panelists included Preterm Abortion Clinic, Equitas HIV services, Planned Parenthood, Northeast Ohio Women’s Center abortion escorts, as well as Hope & Healing. This event went beyond information and allowed participants to share very personal stories about their paths to reproductive justice activism and allowed students to directly connect with these stories and potential internship providers. They keynote drew participants from other universities and we see this as a start of series of community-engaged reciprocal learning spaces we will grow over the next years.