Blog

This past fall semester, the Liberal Arts Action Lab welcomed new community partners, an interim director, and a postdoctoral fellow. The new energy contributed to the Action Lab's continued work, where Trinity and Capital Community College students partake in an Action Research Methods in Hartford course (LAAL 200) and a Hartford Research Project (LAAL 201) each semester. Professor Atalay taught Action Research Methods in Hartford and led one of the three Hartford research projects. Professor Minor led the other two projects. Each team worked with a community partner who posed a pressing question about the city.

Students in Professor Elise Castillo’s Race, Class, and Education Policy course worked with the Anti-Racist Teaching and Learning Collective this fall to contribute to the Collective’s ongoing research on anti-racist teaching in schools across Connecticut. Students conducted ten interviews with CT teachers on how they define anti-racism, how they implement anti-racist practices in their classrooms, and what support they need to do this work.

In spring 2020, the Black Heritage Project at the Liberal Arts Action Lab (LAAL) took on the task of investigating and telling the story of the historic Talcott Street Congregational Church. The church was the first Black church and school in Hartford and was home to prominent abolitionists, notably the Reverend James W.C. Pennington, who led the church in the 1840s and 50s. I participated in the project as a student at Capital Community College (CCC).

Voces de la migracion, over 30 years of Halloween on Vernon, and more

Halloween on Vernon Street has been a beloved campus and community tradition since 1990. Each year, children from the Hartford community are invited to Vernon Street on the Trinity campus for trick-or-treating, activities, and games hosted by the Greek and cultural houses on Vernon Street.

This past summer, 5 teams of students, faculty, and community partners explored stories in the public humanities. Teams spent the summer researching, reflecting, and connecting. Learn more about each team and their final projects.

Do It Day, Finding a Home at Trinfo, and more

We asked student leaders in the Office of Community Service and Civic Engagement to tell us more about their community engagement work and why new students should get involved. Learn more about the leaders and student organizations.

Ozlem Atalay joined the CHER team as postdoctoral fellow in the Liberal Arts Action Lab in early August. Ozlem is a Ph.D. candidate in Urban and Regional Planning at Florida State. Their research focuses on queer spaces and LGBTQ involvement in local planning. They have experience with community engaged research in the US and Turkey. Learn more about Ozlem.

Laura Minor joined the CHER team as Interim Director of the Liberal Arts Action Lab at the beginning of August. Dr. Minor most recently served as assistant director of undergraduate advisement and coordinator of a Community and Civic Engagement minor at Central Connecticut State University (CCSU). She holds a Ph.D. from Clemson and conducts research on how community engagement programs shape student outcomes. Learn more about Dr. Minor and her new role.