Christy Morris has spent the last few months working with the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition and Charity’s House Ministries to address the challenging topic of recidivism reduction.
The senior at the Women’s College — the only all-women’s higher education program in the Rocky Mountain region — was inspired by her personal involvement with an incarcerated family member. She completed her internships as part of the capstone project required of all students in the college’s law and society program — a liberal arts, interdisciplinary major that focuses on how social institutions shape and are shaped by law.
Because of their community involvement, Morris and three other students have been invited to lead a roundtable discussion at the annual conference of the national Law and Society Association, May 28–31.
Morris, Mary Nichols, Marianne LeBois and Bonnie-Jean Jenkins will discuss how the college’s weekend format and dynamic learning environment have significantly impacted their scholarship and inspired their individual commitment to social change.
Morris believes courses such as Urban Poverty, Civic Engagement and Public Policy and Advocacy, combined with the experience of other students and the expertise of the instructors, has created a safe and respectful learning environment for students.
“The safety element allows each student to express her values, beliefs, opinions and views without criticism or judgment,” she says.
Mary Nichols agrees.
“The Women’s College has provided a safe and experiential learning community for me,” Nichols says, who worked with the Metropolitan Organizations for People education committee for her capstone experience. “The instructors contribute to that by encouraging and expecting that you can and will learn. They have a desire to see you succeed.”
The students’ presentation will include an overview of the Women’s College’s environment, a slide show depicting the experience of nontraditional female undergraduates, an overview of the students’ work, and audience dialogue. The roundtable will be 2:30–4:15 p.m. on May 30 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Denver.