The CAS Student Engagement Team supplied free snacks and free dog hugs to students at the Spring quarter Ready, SET, You've Got This! event this week.

Dear College Faculty and Staff,

Here we are, at the end of Week 5, halfway through Spring Quarter, and therefore very close to the end of the academic year, unbelievably. This is a time of intense work, especially by our seniors, who are working hard to stave off their senioritis and also think through their next steps after June. It's also a time to celebrate and showcase the work we've done during the academic year, so I look forward to seeing a lot of faculty, staff and students at upcoming end of year events.

As we approach the end of the academic year, I want to acknowledge the faculty and staff members who are or have retired this year. Big thanks go to each and every one of them for their work and dedication to our students, the College, and the University. These individuals have worked at Santa Clara for periods ranging from 9 to 46 years, and collectively, they have contributed more than 310 years of service to the University! How lucky we are to have all of them as part of our community. Congratulations on your retirements!

Marie Brancati, Dean’s Office
Irene Bubula-Phillips, Modern Languages and Literatures
Michelle Burnham. English
Jane Curry, Political Science
Kirk Glaser, English
Katy Korsmeyer, Biology, Student Engagement Team
Claudia McIsaac, English
Tim Myers, English
Nancy Wait-Kromm, Music
Gordon Young, Communication

The application deadline for our Arts for Social Justice (ASJ) program is approaching. Please submit your proposals for projects that explore the intersection of artistic expression and social justice by May 10. We encourage CAS students, faculty, and staff from all backgrounds, as well as CAS organizations, departments, and units, to apply. We particularly welcome ideas that reach across multiple curricula or explore topics outside of your primary major or department. Questions? Email ASJ@scu.edu.

This week’s poem is by Tracy K. Smith, who was the U.S. Poet Laureate from 2017 to 2019.

Sincerely,

Daniel

Song
By Tracy K. Smith

I think of your hands all those years ago
Learning to maneuver a pencil, or struggling
To fasten a coat. The hands you’d sit on in class,
The nails you chewed absently. The clumsy authority
With which they’d sail to the air when they knew
You knew the answer. I think of them lying empty
At night, of the fingers wrangling something
From your nose, or buried in the cave of your ear.
All the things they did cautiously, pointedly,
Obedient to the suddenest whim. Their shames.
How they failed. What they won’t forget year after year.
Or now. Resting on the wheel or the edge of your knee.
I am trying to decide what they feel when they wake up
And discover my body is near. Before touch.
Pushing off the ledge of the easy quiet dancing between us.

Highlights

SCU’s Model United Nations delegates at the 75th Model United Nations Far West Conference. (L-R) Nihaal Bhullar ’27 (Political Science, History), Liam Putnam ’27 (Mathematics), Aarush Zarabi ’29 (Environmental Studies), Anna Holtz ’29 (Biology), Grace Ford ’26 (Political Science), Jade Haddad, Rachel Alonzo, Bella Rene ’26 (Public Health Science, Political Science), Laura Da Costa Locatelli ’27 (Political Science, Psychology), MJ Kaspura ’26 (Anthropology), Sofia Parodi ’28 (Economics, Political Science), Evan Clegg ’28 (Political Science), Lucas Licker ’29 (Finance), and Theo Beavan ’29 (Political Science).

Santa Clara University’s Model United Nations SRO and Political Science 116A/B class participated in the 75th Session of the Model United Nations Far West Conference held April 17-22, with over 300 students and 15 universities and colleges attending. This year, the conference was held at the San Francisco Marriott Hotel in Burlingame, California, and covered issues such as “Achieving Gender Equality and the Empowerment of All Women and Girls,” “The Responsibility to Protect (R2P) and Preventing Atrocities,” and “Displaced Children and the Right to Education,” among others. SCU represented Argentina, Panama, Poland, and Saudi Arabia. Noted students included Itay Volk, who co-chaired the United Nations Human Rights Council; Rachel Alonzo '28 (Political Science, Economics), who was selected by her peers as her committee’s Rapporteur, the delegate selected to report on her committee’s outcomes and achievements; and Jade Haddad '26 (Political Science, Philosophy), who, along with her fellow United Nations Security Council members, was awarded the “Mike McBride Outstanding Resolution Certificate.” In addition to these achievements, SCU’s Poland delegation was well received for its firm positions against the Russian delegation.

(L-R) Audrey Mei-Lin Backof, Malia Garcia, and Sophie Copple with faculty advisor Maria Judnick.

Three of SCU’s Sigma Tau Delta (English Honors Society) seniors presented at the annual convention held this year from March 29 – April 1 in New Orleans, Louisiana, accompanied by co-moderator Maria Judnick (English). (Former moderator and English Emerita Simone J. Billings also presented at the conference.) Sophie Copple '26 (English, French and Francophone Studies) and Malia Garcia '26 (English) both read their papers during Multicultural Literature panels – Sophie on “Cultural Symbolism: Xiao Hong’s Field of Life and Death and Expanding the Modernist Literary Canon” and Malia on “Colonial Construction of the Ideal Filipina.”

Audrey Mei-Lin Backof '26 (English) read her short fiction piece “How to Bury Barn Owls” for the panel “Stories of Becoming.” She was later honored with 2nd place and a cash prize in the Isabel Sparks President’s Award for Original Prose. Maria Judnick moderated a panel focused on American Literature that corresponded to the convention’s theme “Second Lines and New Beginnings.” Despite the rain, the SCU contingent enjoyed attending many talks at the convention (including that of the keynote speaker Jesmyn Ward) but also some sightseeing, particularly a stop for some delicious beignets!

Ruha Benjamin speaking in the St. Clare Room.

SCU Black Justice Studies Collaborative and the Silicon Valley Studies Initiative presented Ruha Benjamin: Race, Technology, and Social Justice on April 10. Speaker Ruha Benjamin is the Alexander Stewart 1886 Professor of African American studies at Princeton University, where she specializes in the interdisciplinary study of science, medicine, and technology with a focus on the relationship between innovation and social inequity. Her talk invited audience members to unlearn what we thought we knew and imagine a more inclusive and equitable application of technology.

In April, Brita A. Bookser (Child Studies) and Emma Williams ’26 (Child Studies, Psychology) presented research at the American Educational Research Association’s Annual Meeting in Los Angeles, in a symposium entitled, “Aliveness, Abolition, and Affirmation: Actualizing Audre Lorde’s Commitment to a ‘Livable Future’ in Early Education.”
   
Emma’s presentation, “Centering Children of Incarcerated Caregivers: A Critical Content Analysis of Children’s Emotions in Picture Books,” described her original study of children’s literature that affirms the experiences of children of incarcerated caregivers. Emma’s research is valuable because it assesses the qualities and contents of picture books about children and families impacted by the carceral system, uplifting their experiences, emotions, and humanity. Emma has worked on this project under Brita's mentorship since 2024, with support from a Hackworth Grant, 2FURS, and Brett Solomon's (Child Studies) guidance in senior capstone.
   
Brita's presentation, “Teaching to Eradicate Carceral-Educational Entanglements: Introducing Dispositions of Womanist Anti-Carceral Praxis in Early Childhood Education,” described her research on womanist anti-carceral praxis as a teaching methodology. The manuscript associated with this presentation was recently published in the International Critical Childhood Policy Studies Journal.

Image: Emma Williams and Brita A. Bookser at the symposium.

Tim Urdan (Psychology) and co-editor Eleftheria Gonida (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece) are pleased to announce the latest volume in their book series Advances in Motivation and Achievement. This volume, in a set of 12 chapters, examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the motivation and achievement of students and teachers in several countries.

Erick Jose Ramirez (Philosophy) has published an article, "Rethinking XR inclusivity means rethinking embodiment" in the journal Ethics and Information Technology.
   
Erick argues that the psychology of embodiment in extended reality will require us (legislators, moralizers, and scholars) to rethink current norms about how we design inclusive spaces. Ramirez concludes that if "XR bodies are rightfully a component of a person’s self then if we want to create more inclusive and enabling environments we need to revisit the legal and social norms around bodies." Current norms about bodies, identity, representation, and embodiment were created to protect purely physical bodies. As a result they will not apply well in future contexts where XR embodiment is prevalent.

Nancy C. Unger (History, emeritus) was presented with The Roger D. Bridges Distinguished Service Award by the Society for Historians of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era. The presentation was held at the Society's luncheon at the annual meeting of the Organization of American Historians, held this year in Philadelphia on April 17. The award is given to members of the Society who have contributed especially valuable and distinguished service. In Nancy's case, this included a term as the Society's president, the introduction of some innovative community-building online opportunities during COVID, and 8 years as the editor of the book review section of Journal of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era.

Image: Stacy Cordery, President of the Society for Historians of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era, presents Nancy Unger with the Roger D. Bridges Distinguished Service Award.

Victor Quiroz (Modern Languages and Literatures) moderated a session of the tUrn Climate Crisis Awareness & Action Conference at SCU. The session centered on the talk “Glaciers and Glacial Melting,” delivered by Pedro Andrés Sánchez Gutiérrez, a hydrologist and climate reality leader based in Mexico. The presentation revolved around the impacts of glacial melting on water systems, climate change, and communities worldwide. The subsequent discussion focused on glacial melting in the Andes and the Southern Cone, as well as the impact of Arctic deglaciation on Atlantic Ocean currents. Victor was invited to participate in this session by Kristin Kusanovich (Theater and Dance, Child Studies), Director of tUrn Climate Action Project at SCU. The session took place on April 20 via Zoom and was conducted in Spanish.

Benjamin Gillespie (Theatre and Dance) presented at the 2026 Tennessee Williams Scholars Conference, held at the Historical New Orleans Collection in the French Quarter on March 27. He participated on the roundtable "Writers and Directors Influenced by Tennessee Williams" and presented on the work of Pulitzer-Prize-winning playwrights Branden Jacobs-Jenkins and Paula Vogel, showcasing how their recent memory plays Purpose and Mother Play were directly influenced by Williams's "The Glass Menagerie."
   
Benjamin also published an extended review essay in the 2026 issue of the Tennessee Williams Annual Review on the 2024 queer film "In the Room Where He Waits" directed by Australian filmmaker Timothy Despina Marshall as a filmic adaptation of The Glass Menagerie set during the COVID-19 pandemic.

High school students from California’s Central Valley with Francisco Jiménez in the SCU California Mission Room.

In April, Francisco Jiménez (Modern Languages and Literatures, emeritus) gave a presentation at Santa Clara University to more than one hundred high school students from California’s Central Valley on the value and transformative power of a college education.

The event was sponsored by the Youth 2 Leadership Education Foundation, a Bakersfield-based nonprofit whose mission is to provide students with opportunities to visit college campuses beyond their hometowns and inspire them to pursue higher education. Each student received a complimentary copy of Francisco’s book Breaking Through.

In addition, he was invited to speak about his work at Bishop O’Dowd High School in Oakland. During his presentation, Francisco emphasized the need for more writers, educators, and filmmakers to recover, examine, and share the stories of the diverse cultural and linguistic communities that make up our society. He highlighted the importance of preserving these voices and experiences so that future generations may better understand the richness, complexity, and interconnected history of our communities.

His presentation included a screening of The Unbroken Sky, a 24-minute dramatic film adapted from his memoirs, followed by a question-and-answer session with the film’s director and executive producer, and Francisco.

On April 16 and 17, Classics and Premodern Studies hosted a Homer-athon reading of the Odyssey in anticipation of Christopher Nolan’s upcoming film. We were joined by more than 50 members of the SCU community who volunteered as readers, including students, faculty, and staff from the College, the School of Engineering, Leavey School of Business, the School of Law, the University Library, and various administrative organizations. The readings were accompanied by a slideshow of art inspired by the Odyssey, assembled by Grace Martinez ’26 (Political Science, History, Classical Studies), which included student and faculty submissions to our art contest, won by Rini Saha ’29 (Mechanical Engineering).

After the fourteen-hour(!) reading session, Daniel Turkeltaub (Classics) gave a short presentation and answered many questions on the importance of “Returnings and Retellings” in the Odyssey, as the audience celebrated with tasty Greek food. To highlight the event, there is an ongoing Odyssey-themed display on the second floor of the Learning Commons that we encourage everyone to visit. Special thanks to Leanna Goodwater (SCU Library), Caitlin Flynn (Faculty Development), Monica Keane (SCU Library), Suzie Kim (SCU Library), Jackie Hendricks (Premodern Studies), and Lissa Crofton-Sleigh (Classics) for organizing this epic event.

Image: Provost James Glaser reading at the Homer-athon.

Iris Stewart (Environmental Studies and Sciences, Environmental Justice & the Common Good Initiative), Qiuwen Li (Art and Art History) with Ed Maurer and Allan Baez Morales (Civil, Environmental, and Sustainable, Engineering,  Frugal Innovation Hub) and students Bri Guingona ’25 (Environmental Studies) and Arturo Torres Torres Landa ’26 (Computer Science, Mathematics) published work on “Challenges and opportunities in building community-driven adaptive capacity under climate change for smallholder farmers in the Global South” in the International Journal of Climate Change Strategies and Management.

This study responded to the disproportionate impacts of climate extremes on smallholder farmers by developing frugal innovation tools and strategies to support climate resilience and agricultural decision-making through community-academic partnerships.

One outcome from this work is the NicaAgua mobile app, which integrates real-time weather data, forecasts, and climate trends, with user-friendly visuals and interpretive guidance. This study highlights a frugal, community-driven approach to localizing global climate science for vulnerable farming communities. It proposes effective strategies for designing equitable, accessible digital tools to support climate adaptation, offers lessons on fostering transboundary academic-community collaboration, and contributes to building smallholder farmers’ capacity to manage climate risks in Central America.

Image: Testing the NicaAgua mobile app in the field.

Yujie Ge (Modern Languages and Literatures) presented at the Chinese Teachers Association of California spring conference in March. Her presentation focused on how to incorporate AI into class project design and language practice to enrich students' learning of Chinese language and culture. She used her elementary classes as an example, in which students were tasked with creating a storybook using the tool Google Gemini Storybook as a final project. Students created their books using acquired vocabulary and grammar structures in the target language, along with cultural components, based on a provided prompt. They not only practiced their speaking skills by presenting their books, but also used the generated storybooks as listening resources and for assessments. In addition, she introduced some AI tools that assist students with handwriting and character recognition, as Chinese character writing can be challenging for learners, especially beginners. The incorporation of AI tools in teaching and learning is still experimental for many educators. One issue is the instability and discontinuity of tools. However, effectively using technology innovations can lead to positive learning outcomes and increase students' motivation for learning.

(L-R): Anita Varma, Subramaniam Vincent (Director for Journalism and Media Ethics, Markkula Center for Applied Ethics), Mythri Jegathesan, and Don Heider (Executive Director, Markkula Center for Applied Ethics) following Varma's book signing.

Mythri Jegathesan (Anthropology) and Lisa Davis (Communication) partnered with the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics to host a book talk with Anita Varma, Ph.D., Assistant Professor in the School of Journalism and Media at UT Austin, on April 22. Varma was assistant director of Journalism & Media Ethics at the Markkula Center until 2021. Her book, Solidarity in Journalism: How Ethical Reporting Fights for Social Justice, was published in April 2026 by Columbia University Press and examines reporting for social justice using archival and ethnographic analysis of reporting and newsroom practices in the United States. Following Varma's presentation, students from Anthropology and Communication and faculty, staff, alumni, and community members engaged Varma in a timely Q&A about the current landscape of journalism and truth reporting.

Anna Sampaio (Ethnic Studies) recently presented her work entitled “Fracturing Latinidad: Examining Racialized and Gendered Divisions in Voting, Mobilization, Messaging, and Outcomes Among the Latiné/x Electorate,” at the annual meeting of the Western Political Science Association (WPSA) in San Diego, California. The paper examines Latina and Latino political participation in the 2024 Presidential election, highlighting gendered divisions in voting behavior (along with key discrepancies in how those differences were measured and reported in national polling), the weaponization of race and gender in campaign messaging, and the targeted mobilization of young men of color by the Trump and surrogates for his campaign. Finally, the paper examines the decline of Latina congressional candidates in 2024, how that disrupts significant gains in gender parity, and what it portends for the future of national elections.

In addition to presenting on the research panel, Anna also served as chair for a panel on Gender, Race, and Intersectionality and was elected to the Executive Council of the Western Political Science Association starting in 2027, where she will begin serving a three-year term as Representative of the Northern California region.

On Wednesday, April 15, the French & Francophone Studies program in the Department of Modern Languages & Literatures hosted Mario Del Pero, Ph.D., for a discussion on the evolving dynamics of U.S.–European relations in the era of Donald Trump. The conversation offered valuable insights into the ways transatlantic ties—and the broader global order—are being tested and reshaped by shifting political priorities, economic uncertainty, and complex security challenges.

Del Pero is Professor of International History at the Centre d’Histoire at Sciences Po, Paris, where he teaches courses on U.S. history, twentieth- and twenty-first-century global history, and transatlantic relations. He is also a Senior Research Fellow at the Istituto per gli Studi di Politica Internazionale (ISPI) in Milan. He has been named the 2026/27 Kissinger Chair at the John W. Kluge Center of the Library of Congress.

The event was well attended, drawing approximately 120 students, faculty, staff, and community members.

Lawrence Nelson (Philosophy) will teach “Bioethics, the Law, and Medical Aid in Dying (aka The Right to Die).” He will discuss the moral and legal difference between actively ending a person’s life and allowing someone to die, identify relevant central ethical principles, and comment on key concepts such as patient autonomy, informed consent, euthanasia, and assisted suicide. The course will consider the State interests that the law has historically used when weighing an individual's right to refuse life-sustaining treatment or seeking active means to die. He will also cover medical decision-making for minors and mentally incompetent adults. Lastly, the course will examine legal and practical issues concerning living wills, laws permitting physician assistance in dying, durable powers of attorney for health care, and the constitutional right to assistance in dying. International perspectives on euthanasia and assisted suicide may also be examined.
   
OLLI@SCU will be featuring notable instructors periodically in the College Notes. The average course ranges from 4 to 10 hours of instruction per quarter. We hope this will inspire you to stay updated on OLLI news and possibly teach a class for our members. OLLI instructors are compensated for their time and knowledge; to learn more about the joy of teaching adult learners, contact olli@scu.edu.

College of Arts and Sciences Calendar

Accessibility Compliance

Accessibility Resources

• Accessibility website
• Accessible Word Documents
• Accessible Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides with Grackle
• Accessibility Tips for Canva
• Convert Files into Alternative Formats
• Register for one-on-one support for Web Accessibility
• More campus resources to make content accessible

Faculty Development

Got IT Questions or Issues?

Stop by the virtual IT drop-in sessions with Charles Deleon! These sessions are designed to provide faculty and staff in the College of Arts and Sciences a friendly and casual setting for addressing general IT questions and concerns. Feel free to drop in and out at any time during the scheduled session, whether you have a quick question, need assistance with something and don't know where to start, or simply want to learn more about our IT resources.

Biweekly. Next session: Friday, May 8, 11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.

Zoom link