2024 Schedule of Events - NMU United

Mental Illness and Trauma in Teens’ Lives: What Can We Learn from Young Adult Literature: Kia Richmond and Nicolette Visciano. This presentation will feature research on mental illness in young adult literature, with special attention paid to novels focused on characters with trauma-related, obsessive-compulsive, and anxiety disorders. The speaker will share some relevant statistics related to young adult mental health and an analysis of several teen novels focused on characters with mental illness (e.g., The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson, Turtles All the Way Down by John Green, We Are All So Good at Smiling by Amber McBride). Participants will be invited to consider how reading young adult literature can help us make connections to other types of literature and to build empathy for friends and neighbors living with mental illness.

Suggested for students, educators, social workers, readers, and all who would like to better understand mental illness.

9:00-9:50 Peninsula I

Observe with Curiosity and Proceed Skillfully (All are Welcome Here): Lynne Vedin believes that trauma disconnects; healing reconnects.  In order to connect, we must feel regulated first. Lynne humbly invites your exquisite presence to this brave space to discuss key elements to creating psychological safety. In 50 minutes, Lynne will cover some principles of trauma-informed care; key elements of trauma-informed organizational structures; and strategies for calming the threat response system in ourselves and others so that we can engage effectively and further our collective healing as a community.

Suggested for therapists, counselors, healthcare professionals, resident assistants and resident directors, students, and all who support brave spaces on campus. 

NMU CARE Team Panel: Join representatives from NMU Housing, Police, the Dean of Students Office, Counseling and Consultation Services, and Case Management Services to learn about the campus-wide team responsible for identifying, assessing, and responding to concerns about students who struggle academically, emotionally, or psychologically, or who present a risk to the health or safety of the university or its members.

Suggested for students, faculty, staff, and the greater NMU community. 

Social and Emotional Learning In and Out of the Classroom: Melissa Hronkin will share her journey and how she uses Mindfulness and Social Emotional Learning strategies in and out of the classroom. Essential coping skills for educators and educators-to-be! 

Suggested for students, educators, and those interested in social emotional learning. 

Enhancing Wellbeing through Motivational Interviewing: Join Jessica Olson for this presentation about using Motivational Interviewing (MI) techniques to promote equity and inclusion within diverse populations. Participants will learn practical strategies for applying MI principles to empower individuals from different backgrounds to navigate personal challenges, set achievable goals, and cultivate overall well-being. 

Suggested for resident assistants, resident directors, advisors, counselors, and students studying legal, healthcare, educational, and/or social/psychological fields.   

10:00-10:50 Peninsula II

Culturally Responsive Learning Spaces: Join this session to learn more around centering students. This session’s approach connects with lifting strategies for creating learning environments that enhance cultural competencies and cultural understandings. Dr. Clyde Barnett, Ph.D. (Wayne State University College of Education, Senior Research Associate) is featured and will share perspectives about how to create culturally responsive learning spaces/communities. In addition, this learning experience will create discussion in the room around why building community first is absolutely priority to center student experiences and competencies.  Jill "Dr. J." Griffin and Scott Koenig, consultants from the Michigan Department of Education, and Chris Standerford will also share perspectives. 

Suggested for educators and those studying to be educators or educational administrators.  

Mindful Movement: Melissa Hronkin will be your guide in this presentation and participation workshop. She will lead some chair yoga, mindful movement, and quick resets for your nervous system. Breathing techniques, visualizations, and other helpful tools that you can use anywhere will also be shared.  

Suggested for everyone.  

International Faculty Mentoring Program: Join Weronika Kusek, the Provost Fellow tasked with developing a mentorship program to support NMU's goal to recruit and retain a more diverse faculty body. A diverse faculty body brings different perspectives that can enhance teaching, scholarship, clinical practice, and engagement.

Suggested for NMU faculty, professional educators, and those interested in worldviews and workplace culture.   

Cooking Demonstration of a “Three Sisters and One Cousin” bowl: Join Pamela Valdez for a cooking demonstration of “Three Sisters and One Cousin" bowl of corn, beans, and squash on a bed of wild rice, topped with a traditional wojapi (berry sauce). During the demonstration Pamela will discuss the importance of Maanoomin (wild rice), the basic tools for gathering, and a description of the method of harvesting and processing rice. 

Suggested for everyone.

Writing and Wellbeing: Shawnrece Campbell will present an interactive workshop, guiding participants to learn to explore, define, and refine their internal experiences through journaling exercises that can help achieve and maintain wellbeing.  

Suggested for everyone.

Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM): This session is a panel presentation with representatives from law enforcement, EMS, fire, dispatch, and mental health providers to discuss the need for stable resources for first responders after traumatic events occur, and how providing trained peer support strengthens our community and the wellbeing of these heroes. The discussion will include information about incorporating CISM into a university setting. 

Suggested for law enforcement, EMS, fire, dispatch, healthcare professionals, and all students studying in these fields. 

Extending Observation: Practices of Looking: Emily Lanctot invites participants to this session at the DeVos Art Museum. This session examines how we look and provides participants with art-centered techniques to improve observation in their everyday experience.

Suggested for everyone. 

12:00-12:50

Keynote Ballroom I

Keynote: Patrick Yankee from Corktown Health will present "LGBTQ Health Services in Michigan: Past, Present and Future" 

LGBT individuals and families have the same basic health needs as everyone else. Yet, their heightened risk of exposure to micro-and macro-level discrimination by people ranging from close family members to their healthcare teams underscores existing gaps in healthcare. Additionally, LGBT individuals are underrepresented in the medical field, creating a healthcare environment in which the LGBT patients often become the teachers for the very providers who should already be their healthcare experts. Join Patrick Yankee as he talks about the LGBT patient experience, affirmative care, and Corktown's goal of training a new generation health providers. 

Suggested for healthcare professionals, those studying healthcare, and all who are a part of or connected to our LGBTQ+ communities. 

1:00-1:50 Peninsula IV

Complex PTSD Conversations: Sharon Bohjanen and Dana Hinckley explore the dimensions of complex-PTSD, highlighting its profound impact on students and educators. By deepening our understanding of trauma and complex-PTSD, we may be able to elevate conversations surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Suggested for educators, students, and anyone who works with persons who have experienced trauma. 

1:00-1:50 Peninsula I

Mindfulness & Burnout: Angie Stebbins, Director and Department Head from NMU Counseling and Consultation Services will give a presentation on what mindfulness actually is, and some ways to incorporate mindfulness into your daily worklife to reduce burnout. 

Suggested for all. 

1:00-1:50 Peninsula II

Internationalizing Your Classroom: Join this panel of NMU current and former faculty, including Dwight Brady, Tom Isaacson, Rick Mengyan, Weronika Kusek, and Carol Steinhaus to discuss best practices and past experiences in internationalization of the classroom.

Suggested for NMU faculty and other educators, as well as education students. 

Mindful Movement: Melissa Hronkin will be your guide for chair yoga, mindful movement, and quick resets for your nervous system. Breathing techniques, visualizations, and other helpful tools that you can use anywhere will also be shared.  

Suggested for all. 

2:00-2:50 Peninsula I

Enhancing Wellbeing through Motivational Interviewing: Join Jessica Olson for this presentation about using Motivational Interviewing (MI) techniques to promote equity and inclusion within diverse populations. Participants will learn practical strategies for applying MI principles to empower individuals from different backgrounds to navigate personal challenges, set achievable goals, and cultivate overall well-being. 

Suggested for resident assistants, resident directors, advisors, counselors, and students studying legal, healthcare, educational, and/or social/psychological fields. 

2:00-2:50 Peninsula IV

Nutrition for Athlete Wellbeing: Join Kari Getschow from Elevate Athletic Training for a discussion about setting long-lasting goals to improve health, athletic performance, and wellbeing. Kari encourages clients to celebrate food, as she educates them on proper nutrition to fuel for activities of daily living and sport.

Suggested for athletes, healthcare providers, and students of nursing, other healthcare, and exercise science. 

2:00-2:50 Peninsula II

Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM): This session is a panel presentation with representatives from law enforcement, EMS, fire, dispatch, and mental health providers to discuss the need for stable resources for first responders after traumatic events occur, and how providing trained peer support strengthens our community and the wellbeing of these heroes. The discussion will include information about incorporating CISM into a university setting. 

Suggested for law enforcement, EMS, fire, dispatch, healthcare professionals, and all students studying in these fields.

2:00-2:50 Ballroom 2

Social and Emotional Learning In and Out of the Classroom: Melissa Hronkin will share her journey and how she uses Mindfulness and Social Emotional Learning strategies in and out of the classroom. Essential coping skills for educators and educators-to-be! 

Suggested for students, educators, and those interested in social emotional learning. 

3:00-3:50 Peninsula I

Extended Adolescence, COVID and Mental Health - The Perfect Storm?: Chris Greer will guide us through some important questions about adolescent development. For instance, do today’s 18 year olds look like the 13 year olds of yore? Has COVID affected students academically? Is the mental health of college students (undergrad and grad) at an all time low? Chris will take us through some research results which seem to tell us the answers are yes, yes, and yes. 

Suggested for all who work with and parent this cohort of young people. 

3:00-3:50 Ballroom 2

Cooking Demonstration of a “Three Sisters and One Cousin” bowl: Join Pamela Valdez for a cooking demonstration of “Three Sisters and One Cousin" bowl of corn, beans, and squash on a bed of wild rice, topped with a traditional wojapi (berry sauce). During the demonstration Pam will discuss the importance of Maanoomin (wild rice), the basic tools for gathering, and a description of the method of harvesting and processing rice.

Suggested for all. 

3:00-3:50 Peninsula II

Join the student organization "Diversity in Disability" as they participate in a panel discussion to offer firsthand accounts of navigating academia and life with disabilities. Gain valuable insights from their experiences as they share the challenges, triumphs, and unique perspectives gained along their journeys. 

Suggested for educators, students, and really, our whole NMU community. 

3:00-3:50 Founders Room

ASAHI: A Simple And Healthy Idea: Join Jill M. Bevins in this presentation and participation workshop in this activity that some refer to as "Finnish Tai Chi." Jill will describe ASAHI and its origins, its scientific base, and the benefits. We will then do a participating demo of the three sequences for attendees. All of the movements are done standing in the space of about an arms length around each person. Chairs will also be offered as the activities can also be done sitting when a person's mobility is compromised.

Suggested for all. 

4:00-4:50 Peninsula II

Fifty Years Apart: Community Comparison: April Lindala believes documentary film has the potential to be a dynamic teaching tool when learning about people different from ourselves and communities distinct from our own. This presentation will be an exercise in documentary film analysis, comparing two documentary shorts that were shot in the same community fifty years apart.  

Suggested for all. 

4:00-4:50 Peninsula IV

Revolutionary Love: Engaging in Anti-Oppressive Teaching Practices: Sharon Bohjanen and Michelle Grace-Williams. This workshop is designed to promote critical talk around gender, race, disability in higher education classrooms. Attendees will learn how instructors at NMU are using critical literacy works framed by Sealey-Ruiz’s (2021), Paulo Freire’s (2020), and Cardin & Novak (2021) to encourage critical reflection and to develop anti-oppressive tools in their own personal and professional lives.

Suggested for educators and education students.  

4:00-4:50 Peninsula I

Equity in grading practices: Michael Letts will present research in learning assessment that will help educators go beyond the quantitative letter grades and, instead, provide true feedback.

Suggested for educators and education students but also for anyone who is interested in constructive feedback. 

5:30-6:45 Ballroom 2

Poetry Without Borders
Join Anna Zimmer and area poets and presenters to celebrate the beautiful linguistic diversity of the NMU community. Students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community members will present poems in languages other than English. But don't worry, English translations will be provided. 

Suggested for all. 

Keynote: Stephanie Foo is the author of 
"What My Bones Know: A Memoir Of Healing From Complex Trauma" 
Stephanie Foo is a storyteller. She is the author of “What My Bones Know: A Memoir Of Healing From Complex Trauma,” the first literary memoir to tackle the science and psychology of complex PTSD. Previously, she was a producer at “This American Life” and helped create the national radio show “Snap Judgment.” She was a 2019-2020 Rosalynn Carter Mental Health Fellow and has had work in The New York Times, Vox, 99% Invisible and Reply All. 

Suggested for all.