Roxboro House Roundtables

Discussion about sucralose (Splenda), which is chlorinated table sugar. Information will be shared about how bad this additive can be, as it promotes a "quasi-diabetic" state by increasing time to reduce the glucose level in blood. However, being tied to big money in industry - what can be done? Also, with new dietary guidelines promoting "reduced calorie" sodas and baked goods - most manufacturers are swapping in sucralose for sugar. This provides reduced calories, but at what cost to health?

The Arlen Specter Center will be hosting their second annual “Gift of Grief” Roundtable, where we discussed how grief has impacted our lives, both negatively and positively. The participants of the table shared their stories, in the presence of professionals, with the hope that all can learn from these profound experiences. To promote sharing of life experiences, a writing contest, featuring a $250 award, was established by Community and Trauma Counseling (CTC) faculty member, Fran Gerstein, and her husband, Stuart Gerstein. Their son, Daniel, died suddenly in 2014. The writing competition, which focused on our student’s experiences with grief had 47 students enter, and the quality was so high, that in addition to the winner, 10 other students received honorable mention awards. The table was moderated by professors Fran Gerstein, LCSW, BCD and Christine Kennedy, PH.D., LCPC, ACS.

New York Times best seller Leslie Jamison hosted "The Empathy Exams" roundtable at Philadelphia University where she discussed her novel and reflected on relations to her personal life and experiences. Leslie Jamison held an engaged discussion between faculty, students, and friends that was captivating and extremely informative on the reality of empathy and the distinction between it and sympathy.

Panel discussion with: Members of Career Services at Philadelphia University (Tracy DePedro, Patrick Ryan, Laura Bickert Ciarlello), Residence Life (Dillon Eppenstein), and Student Engagement (Ali Stefanik). The staff presented and facilitated discussion along with representatives from the transgender community (Joanna Kindt and Kameron Winters) and shared their individual experiences in their own job searches and personal experiences.

Roe v. Wade is a 1973 landmark decision by the United State Supreme Court on the issue of abortion. Today, this decision has been hailed as “the case that legalized abortion nationwide.” Under the current political climate, many women’s rights advocates are worried that Roe v. Wade maybe overturned by the Supreme Court. During this roundtable, we will explore the impact of this important case from legal, historic, and cultural perspectives. The panelists for this roundtable were Professor Evan Laine, Director of the Law and Society program, Dr. Barbara Kimmelman, Academic Dean of C-SHLA and an historian of science, and Dr. Brian Yust, Visiting Assistant Professor of Physics who was born and raised in a conservative part of Texas.

The largely unexpected election of Donald Trump has raised a number of questions over the past several months. How and why did it happen? What does it mean (for various communities, the country, and the world)? What types of analysis and response does it demand? In this roundtable, a panel of faculty and students from across the political spectrum will lead a conversation that will address the lessons of the election, the meaning and significance of Trump and Trumpism, and possible responses to them. We will discuss what the election means for our broader understanding of political norms, organizing and activism, and national identity, among other issues. The roundtable will also serve as an introduction to the range of topics that will be discussed in more detail in the Trump Transition series throughout the semester.

Do you feel safe on campus or at off campus parties or bars? Are students and the University doing enough to increase safety. Are assaults sometimes not reported, and if so, why not. Philadelphia University hosted a roundtable and discussed the importance of this difficult subject with each other to increase safety and awareness both on and off our campus.

The panel discussed prevailing theories of why climate change is controversial in the United States. Within this framework, we offered our thoughts on how to engage with citizens about climate change in a productive and progress-driven way. We discussed how messaging and communication can best be aimed toward the most vulnerable groups who will likely feel the stresses (both economically and physically) of a changing climate sooner and more significantly than most. We also highlighted on-going projects of PhilaU students that strive to address communication and engagement around climate change education.

Engaged in a relaxed discussion of the latest information on the Zika Virus outbreak. How can something so small wreak such havoc on humanity? Could this virus bring about the end of the world as we know it!

PhilaU Professor and Hip Hop Artist/Author Tim Welbeck performed and lectured on how hip-hop communicates the lived experiences of those who live in urban centers across the nation, particularly African American men living in major cities. He examined such phenomena such as abject poverty, drug culture, the school-to-prison pipeline, mass incarceration, police brutality, et cetera. The primary focus of the lecture and performance was to provide a foundation for understanding how urban policy initiatives shape the lives of people living in urban centers across the nation, particularly, but not limited to African American men. A significant portion of the lecture/performance focused on the relevance of hip-hop’s role in expressing the modern African American experience.

Extremism has many forms and many fathers. What creates extremism? Why does a seemingly normal person turn into a very dangerous threat to their society? Is it all about benefits, power, religion, oil, and money? It is necessary for us to dig into the causes that create and continue radicalism and find solutions for this dangerous cancer. It is the time to take a step forward and do something more than sharing posts on our Facebook account!

This Roundtable discusses the rhetoric of the Trump campaign and how he successfully was able to use fear and exclusion to his best benefit to ensure his victory.

The panel explored the actual costs of menstruation, nationally and globally. We discussed period panties, menstrual cups, tampons, and ‘sanitary’ pads. What does access to affordable menstrual care products means for women? What are the social and economic costs of being a woman specific to menstruation (a la Megyn Kelly, or fears about an employer, or a president, having PMS, or states revising tax laws for menstrual products, for example). And how do we erase the stigma of a normal healthy body function?

While the 2016 presidential campaign seems to resemble the Theater of the Absurd, it is very real and consequential! Donald J. Trump has certainly left his mark, but rather than ridicule and dismiss, how can we best make sense of and come to some understanding of him and those who support him? Listen to our roundtable discussion to gain some insight into Trump and Trumpism from a variety of perspectives. Hosted by: Philip Gibbon, Adjunct Professor of History Guests: Henry Beuhner, Adjunct Professor of History Joshua Smicker, Visiting Assistant Professor and Interim Director of Communications

When and where you go online, when you talk on your phone, when and what you shop, when you walk outside and what your ideas, tastes and affiliations are, are all being watched, saved, listened to. Do you even care? Hosted by: Jeff Cepull, Philadelphia University V.P. of Information Resources & CIO Joshua Smicker, Philadelphia University Interim Director of Communication