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Due to the extended break between the fall and spring semesters, Hamilton’s Arthur Levitt Public Affairs Center offered students the opportunity to spend the time conducting research. Some 39 students and 13 faculty-led groups – with an additional 40 students doing research as part of team  –  collaborated on a variety of projects that ranged from the philosophical endeavor of community-based teaching to militarized policing and political stability.  

Oneida County Sheriff Robert Maciol, Utica Chief of Police Mark Williams, and Rome Chief of Police Kevin Beach spoke in a webinar about law enforcement reform on Nov. 11. The event, which was moderated by former Syracuse Chief of Police Frank Fowler and Utica College Director of Campus Safety Musco Millner, was the final installment of an eight-part series on racial justice sponsored by the Levitt Center Law and Justice Lab.

Utica City Court Judge Ralph Eannace, marriage and family therapist Kevin Lewis, and Hamilton Director of Community Standards Catherine Berryman discussed the question “How are We Handling Domestic Violence and Mental Health Interventions?” in a webinar moderated by Hamilton Professor Frank Anechiarico on Nov. 4.

Hamilton College Professor Doran Larson, Nation of Islam representative Courtney Muhammad, and re-entry educator Lee Carr spoke in a webinar moderated by Mohawk Valley Community College Trustee Tony Colón on Oct. 28. This was the sixth installment of eight webinars in the series “Racial Justice and Criminal Justice Reform in Oneida & Herkimer Counties.”

Oneida County (N.Y.) District Attorney Scott McNamara and Save Our Streets Program Director Patrick Johnson discussed how race and poverty intersect with the criminal justice system in a webinar moderated by SUNY Polytechnic Institute Professor Ronni Tichenor on Oct. 21. This was the latest in the collaboration with Colleges and Community for Unity and Change Lecture Series sponsored by Hamilton’s Levitt Center Law and Justice Lab.

Herkimer County Community College Professor Mark Polkosnik, Utica College Professor Bernie Hyman, and Attorney Steve Lockwood discussed the use of force in policing in an October 14 webinar moderated by Hamilton Associate Professor of Government Gbemende Johnson.

For their summer research project Emnet Sisay ’22 and Mckela Kanu ’22 decided to create a podcast rather than a paper so their work would be more accessible. That’s how they discovered how hard it is to create a podcast, even with support. But it was worth it.

The Racial Justice and Criminal Justice in Oneida & Herkimer Counties Series continued on Oct. 7 with its third installment titled “Why is Diversity Not Enough?: Training and Best Practices for Policing Reform.”

Utica College Professor Anthony Baird, Hamilton Professor Todd Franklin, and SUNY Polytechnic Institute Professors Mark Montgomery and Ronni Tichenor spoke in a webinar addressing “What is Systemic, or Institutional Racism?” on Sept. 30. This event was part of an ongoing series focused on Racial Justice and Criminal Justice Reform in Oneida and Herkimer Counties.

Utica City Councilman Delvin Moody and Utica College Professors Clemmie Harris and Bernard Hyman spoke in a Zoom webinar titled “Black Lives Matter: The Movement and Its Importance to All of Us” on Sept. 23. The webinar, which was also broadcasted on WUTR, was moderated by Hamilton Professor Frank Anechiarico and sponsored in part by the Levitt Center Law and Justice Lab.