As I write this note, “relaxing” during the fall break and after the nationwide Thanksgiving celebrations, I want to be particularly mindful when being grateful for the many things in my life today; having a job is top on the list given our current situation at MIIS.

By Pushpa Iyer and Jason Buchanan

A sincere thanks to those who participated in our poll from our interactive section “Reflection and Response” last issue on safe spaces. We truly enjoy reading all of the responses and hope this leads to stimulating conversations with your peers. 

For this issue, we are highlighting events held by student organizations Queers and Allies at MIIS, Dinner with Friends, International Cultural Gathering. We also hear about a restorative practice training held for faculty and staff.

This section presents personal stories and experiences of some of our community members. In this issue, we highlight Valentina Bianco Hormaechea, Bryan Weiner, Naomi Braswell, and Tsuneo Akaha.

Over the course of the semester, Allies has continued to open up its study group sessions to invited faculty and staff guests. This has resulted in some lively discussions that have offered unique and diverse points of view.

By Pushpa Iyer

After teaching in graduate school for over twelve years, I feel summarizing some of what I have seen and heard from students on the goal of having work-life balance might be useful.

The buzzword in both academic and professional life is self-care. Never before has the term been popularized, used and overused as it is done today through social media and even through academia. It has created a climate where paying attention to ourselves, our mental and emotional state is considered to be the first step in being able to serve others and create a better world. As a natural fall-out, self-care has become a business.

By Danika Robison

News coming out of other higher education institutions is interesting for our work on diversity, equity, and inclusion. This issue, we are looking at the University of North Carolina’s decision to provide a controversial statue and $2.5 million to a Confederate group and an ICE operation targeting international students.

We’re recommending two books this issue. If you have any suggestions for any books, movies, TV shows, etc. that you would like to recommend, feel free to let us know!