Southeastern Massachusetts University - Scrimshaw Yearbook (North Dartmouth, MA)

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H UMAN RIGHTS WEEK Being a cultural center, SMU is looked upon by the community as a harbinger for civil and human rights. Recognizing this responsibility, SMU acknowledges February as Black Awareness Month and chooses this month in which to hold its own Human Rights Week from the 14th to the 18th of February. Organizers referred to Human Rights Week as a celebration of the unique similarities and differences of human kind. The affair featured a variety of lectures, films, workshops and performances intended to expose some of human kind's similarities and differences. One of the week 's highlights was a lecture on Human Rights in the 198O's by John G. Healy, executive director of Amnesty international. Amnesty International was the recipient of the 1977 Nobel Peace Prize. The group is a world wide human rights movement which works impartially for the release of prisoners of conscience who have neither used or advocated violence. The feature highlight of the week was a lecture by Pulitzer Prize winning author Alex Haley. lVlr. Haley's book, Roots, was the biggest best seller in U.S. publishing history. His lecture was centered on The Family and Human Rights. He discussed the origin of prejudice in children, all alike in innocence, who receive impressions from society. He told of how children learn names for people and attach adjectives and nicknames that they hear other people use, we tend, so many of us, without ever really thinking about it, to grow up and become adults and go across the whole of our lives, very often entertaining some entirely erroneous, fallacious impression of a whole group or groups of people who we never know really, for ourselves, anything about. What we need so desperately to know above everything else at all is, we need so desperately to know about each other. In this country, the various groupings that we have, we spend so much time, so much energy, pointing out the differences between us that we 're almost obscured to how alike we are. W f . . 1 P 51. Below left: John Healy, left and below: Black Student Union members present Alex Haley with a token of their love, admiration and appreciation.

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SOUTHEASTEBN MASSACHUSETTS REGIONAL ECONIVIIC DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE WTHEASTERN XSSACHUSETTS REGKDNAL ECONOMSC EVELGPMENT iONFE RENCE SMU plays a vital role in the economic life of the region through its colleges and facilities which make professional and teaching services available to commerce and industry. For this reason, the University proudly hosted the first Southeastern Massachusetts Regional Economic Development Conference on January 2O. Present at the conference were: Governor Michael Dukakis and his cabinet, Lt. Governor John Kerry,' U.S. Representative Barney Frank, regional mayors, local labor and civic leadersg university members: and concerned citizens. All had come to discuss the area's oppressive problems candidly in the first open forum of such magnitude ever held in southeastern Massachusetts. Beginning with speeches, the conference soon broke up into four separate workshops consisting of the Governor's cabinet. VVithin these workshops, questions were fielded, issues debated and plans formulated by the cabinet and the conference attendees. Such recognition from the state house made it a big day for SMU. Governor Dukakis stated that SMU will play a critical role in fabricating a regional strategy to encourage economic development in the area. Being the only university in the region, Dukakis states that SMU should serve as the centerpiece for any economic development. The governor said he will seek to encourage the location of high tech firms in the area by building up SMU. This university is an absolutely indespensible ingredient to the future of this region as a place where knowledge based economic growth can occur. lt's a good university now, and we're going to work together to make it a great university - a center for computer literary training, a home for co-operative research and development programs with knowledge- based industries, and a symbol that this region is ready for its economic future, stated Governor Dukakis. SMU was chosen as the conference site not only because of its location and facilities but also in recognition of its expanding partnership with the region in solving its economic problems. SMU has involved itself not only in serving the existing business community, it also played a major role in the effort to bring new high-tech industry to the area. This conference placed SMU at the start of a new and irrevocable relationship with the region of southeastern Massachusetts that is fully backed by the state government.

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COMMUNITY AWARENESS WEEK f 1 .4 ' A' ' 43.4. In an effort to promote public awareness of the various activities and services SMU makes available to the community, SMU Community Awareness Week was organized as an annual event. Running from April 23 to lVlay 7, the week is a condensed version of what takes place at the University year round and gives the community a taste of what SMU is all about. Student organizations play a major role in the event by sponsoring and organizing the different activities throughout the week. The week of events began with the SMU Veterans' Club sponsored Special Olympics. The word special not only describes the Olympicsg the dozens of athletes who participated in the games, the many students who volunteered their time, effort, and love,' it also describes the unforgettable feeling of satisfaction experienced by everyone there. The first ever Special Olympics at SMU was a monumental success because of excellent planning and volunteer work by SMU students. . H. 5, t if . 5 g,fi.fM ' f' 4 ffl, '+ '. 1 C' ' ., . T 5 W' A . T Q X R C Y.: .-dvi' 4 .- jx 4 ug . 4 hp. ug , Jvz v. Q ., ' . . f a I ve u f,- y f . wi .wx ,viz .,9,a2fii4W - ' 1 f ,' 41- f fi- .4 '- 4 T' ,. ., .mf I., id, ., 6 ,..., 2 sti ' . ea '.,' nf 'W V Y ff f gl' f M GA , , ? 1, ff A 4 Z 'YWAW77 ff gf! ft Sy , ,. , W' z . U ff mff - gg, - s-J...M- J .L --1 .1 A. Q- L- .. LZ, i A , X' Pl v .1 M-W' ., 2 V, - is 'i 4 - ,I W- -1- z' . Elf s A ., Z V , V fr. ,, fleet' ly f , f X I I I V? f ,J Throughout the week, the campus was open to all visitors to come and enjoy themselves. There was plenty of activity for people of all ages. A Space Colloquium featured a full day of movies, talks, and exhibits about space. The SMU Micro Computer Expo exhibited computer graphics by SMU students,' demonstrations and workshops by faculty members and displays of computer packages. The first annual Faculty and Student Research Exposition brought more