On April 16, Polis took part in the Welcome Campus Conference which showcases the many collaborative projects in process on campus. The Welcome Campus Initiative at IU Indianapolis aims to strengthen the sense of community at IUPUI so that students, faculty, staff, alumni, and others feel welcomed and inspired. Three sessions featured Polis projects, noted below:
» Stephen Towne, IU Indianapolis University Library archivist, and Beth Van Allen, managing editor for the Digital Encyclopedia of Indianapolis, presented “Forging an Identity: An Interactive Timeline of IU Indianapolis’ Growth and Development.” We are developing a web‐based, interactive, and extensible timeline that will note milestones and key events in the growth of IU Indianapolis.
» The Spirit & Place team—Erin Kelley, Pam Blevins Hinkle, and LaShawnda Crowe Storm—shared “A Powerful Conversations on Race.” This monthly community discussion series used the arts and humanities in distinctive ways to provoke constructive dialogue and explored the themes set out in the text, Charleston Syllabus: Readings on Race, Racism and Racial Violence.
» Sharon Kandris and Jennifer Boehm, Assistant Vice Chancellor in the IU Indianapolis Office of Community Engagement, described “Building a Data-Informed Approach to Community Engagement.” This collaboration developed a Community Engagement Map that integrates and displays IU Indianapolis community engagement activities with data on neighborhood socio-economic conditions, demographics, and community resources.