May 6, 2002

COMMUNITY NEWSLETTER FOR
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF INTEGRAL STUDIES

Rapping for Social Justice
Student Drew Dellinger Brings Artistry to Activism

Like many students at CIIS, Drew Dellinger (Philosophy, Cosmology, and Consciousness) is much more than a student working toward a degree. His activities outside CIIS are closely tied to his passions--social justice, ecology, and cosmology. As a poet, teacher, rap artist, and activist, Drew speaks, writes, and sings about these topics around the country. In recent months he has performed at the following conferences: Empowering Democracy (Dallas, TX); Earth Spirit Rising (Louisville, KY); Democracy Summer (Tallahassee, FL); Militarism and the Planet (San Francisco, CA); Campus Greens Founding Convention (Chicago, IL); Bioneers Conference (San Rafael, CA). He has taught college courses on the new cosmology, radical feminism, the civil rights movement,and confronting racism and sexism. The politically outspoken rap group Drew founded, Sweet Acidophilus, also addresses these issues.

A close friend and student of author and 'ecologian' Thomas Berry, Drew has given more than one hundred presentations on Berry's understanding of ourselves as part of the story of the universe. In fact, Drew was drawn to CIIS because Brian Swimme, who co-authored The Universe Story with Berry, is a faculty member here. Building on their work, Drew created The Center of the Universe, a cosmology resource center. Thomas Berry says, "Drew is a leader among his peers. . . . A creative thinker, he has identified ecology as a needed central focus for his generation."

Drew is a winner of Common Boundary magazine's national Green Dove Award "for innovative work integrating ecology and spirituality." His poetry, essays, and lyrics have appeared in various books and magazines, including YES!, EarthLight, Creation Spirituality, and In Context, as well as the anthologies Writing from the Red Zone: Voices of the Anti-Globalization Movement, and Global Uprising—Confronting the Tyrannies of the 21st Century: Stories from a New Generation of Activists. He currently works with the activist group Art and Revolution and serves on the faculty of the Master of Arts Program at Prescott College.

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Alumna Runs for Mayor in Iceland

Valgerdur H. Bjarnadottir '02, M.A., Women's Spirituality, regrets that she will not be present at her commencement ceremony at CIIS, but she says, "I'm running for mayor in my home town of Akureyof, Iceland for the left Green Party, and the runoff is May 25. It is intriguing to think that the mayor of Akureyof may have a degree in women's spirituality! Whatever comes out of my political adventure, I am planning to come for a visit this fall, because I need a ritual to finish this part of my life, and I really miss you all."

News You Can Use

Attention Job Seekers

Contact the Field Placement Office to sign up for listservs that allow you to network with fellow students and alumni and search for jobs. Contact Kim Rusher, Room 401, or e-mail kimr@ciis.edu, indicating which listserv(s) you would like to sign up for:

SCTgrad—Networking forum for SCT graduates and current
students interested in finding out what life's like after graduation

SPPgrad—Networking forum for SPP graduates and current students

Psymajob—Job listings of interest to graduates of Psychology Masters Level programs

PsyDjob—Job listings of interest to graduates of Psychology Doctorate Level programs

SCTjob--Job listings of interest to graduates of SCT programs

Open CIIS positions are posted on the bulletin board outside the Human Resources Office on the fourth floor.

Affordable Counseling Services Available

Psychological Services Center 415.575.6200

Clement Street Counseling Center 415.221.9227

Pierce Street Counseling Center 415.776.3109

Church Street Counseling Center 415.678.2644

Center for Psychological & Spiritual Health (formerly the Spiritual Emergence Network) located at Church Street 415.648.2610

Financial Aid:
Exit Interview Required

All students who are borrowing Federal Loans at CIIS are required to complete an exit interview prior to graduating, or if you fall below half-time status. You may complete this requirement online at www.educaid.com (click on 'students,' click on 'exit,' read the information, take the quiz, and print out confirmation of completion).

Summer Abroad
Academic or Continuing Education Credits Available

Costa Rica, May 11-18
Yoga with Lili Tom, chanting with Berkeley singer/songwriter Jennifer Berezan; visit Tortuguero National Park.

The Florida Keys, July 6-14
With Marina Alzugaray, water healer, ceremonialist, and midwife, and CIIS Professor Arisika Razak, midwife, healer, and spiritual dancer.

Call the Women's Spirituality Program, 415.575.6255 or email wsdesk@ciis.edu.

CIIS Stands Out in Discussion of
Spirituality and Learning

The Spirituality and Learning Conference, which CIIS co-sponsored with the Association of American Colleges and Universities, was a rousing success. More than 204 participants from both secular and sectarian institutions alike were eager to engage in the discussion of spirituality on campus--and gratified that a subject so often sidelined was being given the floor.

Keynote speaker Alexander Astin, Director of the Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA, opened the conference with his address, Is Spirituality a Legitimate Concern for Higher Education? According to Astin, "While 'spirituality' can be a loaded word for many academics, its relevance to higher education becomes obvious when used in its broadest sense to refer to the individual's sense of self, purpose, and the personal meaning that one makes out of one's work...If such issues can be given a more central place in the curriculum and in academic discourse in general, higher education, its students, and the larger community it serves all stand to benefit." This point, one that is at the heart of the distinction CIIS brings to the academic world, resonated with conference attendees, who explored the issues in sessions such as Spirituality and the Religious Traditions; Authenticity in the Classroom; and Education as Transformation. CIIS faculty and staff, both as presenters and attendees, were a strong presence at the conference, raising the bar for the discussion of spirituality and learning, a conference initiated by CIIS President Joseph Subbiondo.