UNews - David Gregory

Home sweet home?

trevor.kenney — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 22:30:57 +0000

That's why an interdisciplinary group of researchers at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge has teamed up to study the NIMBY phenomenon, its impact on home renters and homebuyers in Lethbridge, and ultimately, how to combat the problem.

Kim Smith* (*Kim Smith is a pseudonym) is well acquainted with racism, especially when it comes to the Not In My Backyard (NIMBY) phenomenon. For most of her adult life, the long-time Lethbridge resident has encountered landlords who wouldn't rent to her because she is First Nations. Those who would accept her were often slumlords that didn't maintain their properties or respect their tenants.

Smith's story isn't uncommon. Dr. Yale Belanger, a professor of Native American Studies at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, says NIMBY is happening in Lethbridge. That's why he's working with his U of L colleagues, Dr. Jo-Anne Fiske (Women's Studies) and Dr. David Gregory (Health Sciences), to study the phenomenon.

(L-R) Drs. Jo-Anne Fiske, Yale Belanger and David Gregory.

The team has interviewed dozens of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people in Lethbridge to better understand how NIMBY works, its impact on First Nations people and what can be done to eradicate the problem.

"Wherever people feel there might be social changes or impacts on the value of their home, or encounter people with whom they're not familiar, you'll find NIMBY," explains Fiske.

For victims, NIMBY means more than struggling to find a place to live.

"The sense of exclusion, marginalization and discrimination has a major impact on a citizen's well-being," she says.

The effects of the phenomenon are harsh, and as Gregory notes, this kind of discrimination has psychological consequences.

"It undermines one's self-worth and self-value," he says.

NIMBY has a long history in Lethbridge. Belanger, who's trained as a political historian and is the project's principal investigator, points out that until the 1860s and '70s, many Americans came to the Lethbridge area thinking they could set up homesteads, farms and ranches free of any interaction with First Nations people.

"They brought with them the notion that native people were a scourge of the frontier," says Belanger. "Not everyone exercised those ideas outright, but because they were in place, there was a strong disconnect between the first white settlers and the First Nations people."

Over time, the area's First Nations people were forced onto reserves by the government, further dividing people. Even after the government stopped monitoring and controlling their movements, most of them continued to stay on the reserve, only coming into town to do errands.

The first urbanization of Aboriginal people in Lethbridge happened in the 1970s. Now 40 years later, there are about 5,000 Aboriginal people living in the city. After close to a century of segregation, two groups that have traditionally had little interaction are now living next door to each other, explains Belanger. In many cases, frustrations have reached a boiling point, resulting in some residents being openly hostile to their First Nations neighbours.

But Belanger is quick to point out that the First Nations people weren't the only ones to be openly marginalized in Lethbridge. Around 1911, for example, a town council proclamation led to the consolidation of the Chinese business owners working in Lethbridge onto Second Ave. South where Chinatown is located today.

This "history of ghettoization," as Belanger puts it, is alive and well today with NIMBY. The discrimination comes in many variations and degrees. During interviews with the researchers, some people openly admitted that they didn't want Aboriginal people living next to them, but in many cases, prejudice was far subtler.

"Some people actually considered themselves supportive of First Nations groups, even though they didn't want them living nearby," says Belanger. "The stereotypes are entrenched, and people may not realize they're projecting a racist or discriminatory attitude," says Belanger.

Fiske agrees.

"Attitudes run deep," she says, and often these attitudes are rooted in fear. In the case of a native women's transition centre slated to be built in Lethbridge's Stafford area a couple of years ago, protesters expressed concern for neighbourhood safety, operating under the assumption "that native women posed a threat to the city," says Fiske.

She and the other researchers are actively working to bring their research to the community in the hopes of stimulating social change. In the last year or so, they've presented their work at academic conferences, community groups and city council.

While NIMBY is a phenomenon many Aboriginal people experience, there's been precious little research on it. In fact, urban Aboriginal people are often overlooked by researchers.

"In Canada, the majority of research with respect to First Nations people focuses on reserves," says Gregory. "But, with increasing numbers of Aboriginal people moving to the cities, there's a misalignment."

He'd like to see more work on urban Aboriginal people and is working with his two colleagues to establish the Regional Centre for Urban Aboriginal Research.

"We have been networking with the local First Nations and Aboriginal communities in an effort to establish working relationships to enhance the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge's research capital within the local urban context," Gregory explains.

In addition to doing work with, about and for Aboriginal people, the research centre would bring together researchers from different disciplines, much like the NIMBY project.

"It's more comprehensive, with multiple perspectives coming to bear on a phenomenon," he says.

All of the researchers stress that the research isn't about pointing fingers at Lethbridge's citizens and painting the city as a racist place.

"We've all chosen Lethbridge; it's our home. It's not simply a research project – we're pursuing this research for the betterment of the community," says Belanger.

For more information on the Regional Centre for Urban Aboriginal Research, visit: www.urbanaboriginalresearch.com

For a look at the full issue of SAM in a flipbook format, follow this link.

2010 faculty research awards

trevor.kenney — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 21:36:52 +0000

External SSHRC Grants
(Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council)

Paul Vasey and Martin Lalumiere (Aid to Research Workshops and Conferences in Canada) $23,663
Claudia Malacrida is a co-applicant on a $1 million CURA through the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta

Independent Foundational Grants

Fangfang Li $4,800
Duane Rockerbie $4,000
Ed Wasiak $3,000
David Gregory $11,780
Malla Stavroula $11,500

CREDO Applications
(Community of Research Excellence Development Opportunities)

Kiki Benzon
Robin Bright
Lynn Kennedy
Kevin McGeough
Janice Newberry
Claudia Steinke/Helen Kelley
Wei Xu

CIHR
(Canadian Institutes of Health Research)

Ute Kothe
Igor Kovalchuk
Gerlinde Metz
Paul Vasey
H.-J. Wieden
Kelley Williams-Whitt

AGRI
(Alberta Gaming Research Institute)

Noella Piquette-Tomei, $10,000
Robert Williams, $44,000

Alberta Innovates-Health Solutions
(formerly AHFMR)

Igor Kovalchuk

ARDN
(Alberta Rural Development Network)

Noella Piquette Tomei
Steve Ferzacca

NIH
(National Institutes of Health)

Bruce McNaughton (2 grants awarded by NIH to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Arizona were successfully transferred to the U of L)

Alberta Cancer Research Institute

Roy Golsteyn

Sport Science Association of Alberta

Jennifer Copeland

Alberta Family Wellness Initiative
(Norlien Foundation)

Noella Piquette-Tomei

NSERC CREATE Grant

Phil Teillet, Physics $1.5 Million over 6 years

NSERC Discovery Grants
(Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada)

Robert Laird, Biological Sciences (Developing and testing the evolutionary reliability theory of senescence) $24,000
Rene Boere, Chemistry & Biochemistry (Redox-generated free radicals: basic science to nanomaterials) $40,000
Paul Hayes, Chemistry & Biochemistry (Organometallic complexes of new pincer ligands: Structure, reactivity and catalysis) $61,000
Steven Mosimann, Chemistry & Biochemistry (Structure and function of PTP like inositol polyphosphatases) $31,000
Nathan Ng, Mathematics & Computer Science (Prime numbers and L-functions) $15,000
Aaron Gruber, Neuroscience (Dopamine modulation of neural dynamics and behavioral flexibility) $27,000
Brian Kolb, Neuroscience (Brain plasticity and behaviour) $105,000
Artur Luczak, Neuroscience (Neuronal population patterns - studying interactions among hundreds of neurons) $26,000
Deborah Saucier, Neuroscience (Neural and hormonal bases of sex differences in spatial ability) $42,000)
Masami Tatsuno, Neuroscience (Quiescent dependent memory consolidation: memory-trace replay during REM sleep) $23,000
David Euston, Psychology (Neural mechanisms of decision making in frontal cortex) $23,000
Martin Lalumiere, Psychology (The nature and functions of genital sexual arousal) $27,000
Paul Vasey, Psychology (The comparative biopsychology of non-conceptive sexuality) $30,000

NSERC Equipment Grants

Aaron Gruber, Neuroscience $96,373
Rene Boere, Chemistry $22,024

* We are unable to post SSHRC winners at this time as SSHRC has not officially announced its award recipients. They will be published once they are made available.

Events Calendar

trevor.kenney — Thu, 14 May 2009 15:31:15 +0000

Convocation
(May 28-29)

Degrees, diplomas, and certificates will be awarded at Spring 2009 Convocation as follows:

Ceremony I
Thursday, May 28, 9:30 a.m.

Conferral of Honorary Degrees
Robert Samuel Best, Doctor of Laws, honoris causa
Ralph Eugene Himsl, Doctor of Laws, honoris causa

Doctor of Philosophy
Post-Master's Certificate in Counselling
Master of Arts
Master of Science
Master of Education
Master of Science (Management)
Master of Counselling
Post-Graduate Certificate in Counselling

Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts and Science

Ceremony II
Thursday, May 28, 2:30 p.m.

Conferral of Honorary Degree
Samantha Joan Nutt, Doctor of Laws, honoris causa

Bachelor of Science

Bachelor of Health Sciences
Bachelor of Nursing

Ceremony III
Friday, May 29, 9:30 a.m.

Conferral of Honorary Degrees
Mobina Sherali Bandali Jaffer, Doctor of Laws, honoris causa
Joan Marie Stebbins, Doctor of Fine Arts, honoris causa

Professional Diploma in Education
Bachelor of Education

Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Education
Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Education
Bachelor of Management and Bachelor of Education
Bachelor of Fine Arts (Art) and Bachelor of Education
Bachelor of Fine Arts (Dramatic Arts) and Bachelor of Education
Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Education

Bachelor of Fine Arts (Art)
Bachelor of Fine Arts (Dramatic Arts)
Bachelor of Fine Arts (Multidisciplinary)
Bachelor of Fine Arts (New Media)
Bachelor of Music

Ceremony IV
Friday, May 29, 2:30 p.m.

Conferral of Honorary Degree
Ross Wade Watson, Doctor of Laws, honoris causa

Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Accounting
Bachelor of Management
Certificate in Management
Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Management
Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Management

Lectures

May 14
Brenda Milner Lecture Series
What's Eating Your Brain, presented by Dr. Timothy Schallert, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Texas at Austin | 1 p.m., AH100

May 15
Prentice Dialogue Session
Inevitable Surprises: Demographics and Economics in a Global Context
Dr. David K. Foot, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Toronto | 3 p.m., ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Theatre

Performances

May 28
Windy Mountain Music Festival
Pre-concert talk, 7:15 p.m.
Concert, 8 p.m., ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Recital Hall, W570

Miscellaneous

May 12
Office of Research Services Workshop
Panel Discussion on SSHRC Standard Research Grant Applications
Dr. Bryson Brown, Dr. Jo-Anne Fiske and Dr. David Gregory
9 a.m., Room B543

May 12
Alberta Introductory Biology Association Conference
Dealing With Change in Introductory Biology

June 12
John Gill Memorial Golf Tournament
Shotgun start, 1 p.m. Picture Butte Golf Club
Register by calling 403-317-2825 or e-mail Jaime.morasch@uleth.ca

Kick-starting a new campaign

trevor.kenney — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 16:34:40 +0000

As Co-Chairs for the 2009 Supporting Our Students campaign, Laurel Corbiere, director for the International Centre for Students, and Dr. David Gregory, graduate program and research coordinator for the Faculty of Health Sciences, are gearing up for a new year.

Since its inception, Supporting Our Students, an internal annual campaign to raise money for student awards, has raised just more than $750,000. Bringing new ideas, the two new Co-Chairs are striving to make that number $1 million before the end of the year.

Recently Corbiere and Gregory sat down with the Legend to share their vision and thoughts on the coming year.

What are your goals for the 2009 campaign?

Laurel: I would like to see 100 per cent participation from faculty and staff members. I know that's quite lofty, but I want to see how far we can take it. It doesn't matter how much you give, if we can get everybody on board.

At the end of the campaign, it would be great to say that faculty and staff at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ have contributed $1 million through Supporting Our Students – what an amazing message that would be.

David: I would also add that the journey to reach these fundraising goals matters. This whole campaign is about connecting with members of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, and what I really like is that it's positioned as the whole community; we're all in this for the benefit of our students. As it has in the past, this campaign will continue fostering that sense of community.

What role do the volunteers play?

Laurel: The volunteers play a significant role in getting the word out.

David: Their personal contact with colleagues and co-workers makes a big difference – they're the human face for the campaign.

The immediate response from every single person I asked to volunteer was 'yes, I'll do it'; not, 'I'll call you back later' or 'give me a second to think about it.' I thought it was amazing that people were willing to fully commit without hesitation.

How have you seen the experiences of students change?

Laurel: We all know it's not easy being a student; many of us have been there. What hits home for me is when I look at the cost of tuition compared to what I paid. It's a huge difference – it's actually more than tripled, and I still graduated with student loans.

David: I think there are many more financial pressures than when I was in school. Everything is extraordinarily more expensive from textbooks to transportation to housing. Many students graduate with a heavy debt load.

Laurel: One value the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ has is to be accessible – Supporting Our Students helps with that.

David: I would say that most of the people who work at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ are privileged in the sense that we have the financial means to live a very good life. Part of the reason I have contributed to the campaign in the past, is that I recognize my privilege, financially and otherwise, and I want to pay it forward.

Laurel, at the Supporting Our Students launch on March 26, you shared that the International Centre for Students is going to see 100 per cent participation from its staff in the campaign this year. How did that come about?

Laurel: I brought up the topic of contributing as a group at our staff meeting. I didn't know what the responses would be, but I simply explained that this was an excellent opportunity to show our students we care. And you know, everyone was very excited about it. We ended up brainstorming some really creative ways we could contribute as a group.

We're going to put a challenge out to some of the other offices and have some fun with it.

In regards to contributing, you sometimes hear people say something along the lines of "I already work here and am giving of time." What's your response to that?

David: I do think we work hard. Everybody pulls their weight here at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, and people are very committed as employees. So yes, in a way people are already giving. But this is a different kind of giving; this is an act of kindness.

Receiving a student award has the potential to touch students and make a positive change in their lives that has long-term consequences well past the degree they may receive or their formal learning.

When students receive a gift, whether it's a bursary or a scholarship or money directed towards a program, it changes them. Later in life, they look back on their alma mater and reflect fondly on how well they were treated.

Laurel: Again, it's really about building that community, and I think contributing makes a difference in going over and above just doing our jobs. After all, we wouldn't be here if it wasn't for our students.

David: I'm going to use a phrase that's probably not used too much in 2009, but it's a noble thing to extend an act of kindness, and who better to extend that to than our students.

And also, as a final note, may I suggest the adage: "Charity begins at home."

To make a contribution or to find out more about Supporting Our Students, visit:
www.uleth.ca/giving

UNews - David Gregory

Home sweet home?

Related Topics

2010 faculty research awards

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Events Calendar

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Kick-starting a new campaign

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