From the Chair
My return to the department, after having been away for eight years engaged in other administrative roles, reminded me why it was so hard to leave in the first place. Its people—students, staff, and faculty. That is what makes this place so great, to work, to learn…to make a difference.
I am also excited for the future of the department. Our enrollments continue to grow, and our students, staff, faculty, and alums continue to make incredible contributions. I want to keep this intro short, so your attention can focus on the information below. But I do wish to foreground a couple bits, under the guise of “transitions.” Transition #1: This is the first semester in decades where Dr. Prabha Unnithan is not among our “regular” faculty. A big THANKS to him for his years of service. Transition #2: welcome Vanessa Centelles (starting August 2024), Dr. Erin O'Callaghan (started August 2023), and Dr. Janelle Viera (started August 2023). And Transition #3: I am honored to be working alongside Dr. Tara Opsal this year as she prepares to assume the role of Chair next summer.
Michael Carolan
Professor of Sociology
Co-Director, Food Systems Institute for Research, Engagement and Learning
Engagement and Extension Food Systems Specialist
Interim Department Chair
News In This Issue
Department Happenings
Welcome
Dr. Erin O'Callaghan, Assistant Professor of Sociology
Dr. Janelle Viera, Assistant Professor of Sociology
Zhao Zhong, Founder & Director of Green Camel Bell, Visiting Scholar
Dr. Anne Mook, IRISS Senior Team Scientist, Sociology Faculty Affiliate
93 incoming SOC majors including 15 transfers and 23 First Gen students
Shawna Bendeck, Instructor, Ph.D. Candidate, Graduate Research Assistant and now Sociology Internship Coordinator!
Incoming M.A. Students:
Feyla Buss
Michael Cahill
Chad Canfield
Kennedy Dalager
Rykr Ramirez
Rebecca Whitten
Maddie Zvalo
Incoming Ph.D. Students:
Owen Braswell
Jacob DeBruin
Georgia Plotkin
Jessica Thrasher
Jessie Xie
Our Graduate Student Meet & Greet was held August 16 at the LSC. Thanks to the many Department members who attended and helped welcome our incoming cohort!
Undergrad RamWelcome was held August 18 and hosted by Tara Opsal, Jessie Luna, Elena Windsong, Mark Shuey, Matt VanderMeulen, Julie Pinkston, Sara Winter and Carmen Hardy. "Thank you so much for participating in Ram Welcome today. I am always just a little prouder to be part of this department when we come together in events like this and share our love for sociology, the program, and the work we do together." – Tara Opsal
Collective Effervescence Continues
SOCIOLOGY COMMUNITY GATHERINGS
Our annual fall picnic potluck was September 8 at Rolland Moore Park. Department members brought their partners, families, children, babies, pets, and fabulous fall fare!
Drs. Shawn Bingham and Steve Dandaneau kindly discussed the "Sociology of Disabilities” on October 2 at the LSC and on Zoom for Sociology's October Community Gathering, "Getting to Know Our Colleagues."
To celebrate the semester and last week of classes, our final gathering was a Coffee & Cookies Open House on December 8 – Clark B252's last holiday hurrah!
CANDIDATE VISITS – Critical Criminology
Vanessa Centelles, Ph.D. Candidate, University of South Florida, visited October 17 & 18 and presented “Examining the role of sociocultural factors in women's definitions and experiences of violence and victimization” for her Job Talk. Vanessa will join us next fall as an Assistant Professor!
"Her decision reflects the work of all of you. From the hard work and leadership of the members of the search committee (KuoRay, Kellie, Lynn, Mike), to the dedication of our staff (Julie, Carmen, Sara), and—finally—to all of you for bringing your full selves to the search—each piece was absolutely formative in Vanessa’s decision. Vanessa mentioned many times how critical it was for her to see the culture of our academic community—one defined by a commitment to our academic mission but also by people who work from a place of kindness oriented towards community." – Tara Opsal
CO-SPONSOR OF CAMPUS EVENTS
Pradip Swarnakar visited campus August 25 for the Center for Environmental Justice's “Java & Justice: Stakeholder Perspectives on Just Transition in India.” Dr. Swarnakar is sociologist and professor in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, India where he is the founder and lead of the Just Transition Research Center there.
Sociology sponsored the “Politics, Transgender Rights, and Democratic Health” panel held October 25 on campus as part of CSU's Symposium for Inclusive Excellence (formerly the Diversity Symposium). Panelists included Erin Reed, journalist & author, and Zooey Zephyr, Montana State Representative.
CSU's Year of Democracy & Civic Engagement
THEMATIC YEAR LAUNCH
KuoRay Mao kindly agreed to be a panelist for CLA/CSU’s “Democracy Around the World” event on September 14 held as part of the thematic year's kickoff event, "International Day of Democracy on the Plaza."
GAMA'S ART EXHIBIT
Josh Sbicca answered the call for faculty to select course-relevant artwork for this fall's Demonstrating Democracy exhibition at CSU's Gregory Allicar Museum of Art (GAMA).
GUEST SPEAKERS
Dr. Cynthia Idriss-Miller visited campus October 17 for a student-only lunch followed by an evening talk to discuss her recent book, “Hate in the Homeland: Far Right Threats to Democracy and What We Can Do.” Over 175 community and campus members attended. Josh Sbicca secured Year of Democracy funding and CLA co-sponsorships from Ethnic Studies, Comm Studies, Poli Sci and the Center for Engaged Humanities. AKD also co-sponsored, and officers Miranda Needham, Bree Lamutt, and Sophie Russell helped plan, promote, and setup the event along with Elena Windsong, Sara Winter, and Carmen Hardy. Pat Mahoney and Jacob DeBruin kindly transported the author.
Dr. David Sonnenfeld, Emeritus Professor of Sociology and Environmental Policy at State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY-ESF) visited campus October 23 to give a talk, "Environmental Advocacy in a Contentious World." Pete Taylor secured Year of Democracy funding for the event and reported back to the committee that "We had an impressively high attendance (about 40 individuals) at this event...the audience included faculty and researchers, graduate and undergraduate students, and administrators and staff from across campus, including Liberal Arts academic departments, the Vet School, OVPR, and others."
Sociology's contributions to CSU's democracy initiative continue this spring. KuoRay Mao has secured Year of Democracy funding for Dr. Thung-Hong Lin to visit in February and present "The Art of iWar: Censorship, Disinformation, and Democracy under Attacks." CLA/CSU is hosting a democracy summit April 8–12 and flying in W. Kamau Bell...details coming soon!
Undergraduate Happenings
Education Abroad in Prague
Fifteen undergraduate students from Sociology and Psychology joined Mike Hogan, Prabha Unnithan, and teaching assistant Anne Uhlman for six weeks in Prague this summer for our Criminology and Criminal Justice study abroad program.
"Getting to go to Prague was the most amazing experience and I am so grateful that I got to have the opportunity to do this program! Learning in Prague was so unique and the knowledge, experiences, and education that you gain from this trip is something that cannot be done on campus. We got to see so much amazing architecture and history in the most beautiful country including Terezin, Kutna Hora, multiple cathedrals, and much more! The friends I made through this program are some of my best friends and it was amazing to bond with the professors, teaching assistants, and peers that went on this journey with me!" – Taylor Green, senior SOC student
“The study abroad program in Prague is, without a doubt, the highlight of my time at CSU so far. Prague is beautiful and there are more sights to see and things to do than you could ever hope to check off your list. The insider look we got at the Czech criminal-legal system gave me a whole new perspective to bring into my research, but I was just as inspired by the amazing group of students who made this trip unforgettable.” – Anne Uhlman, Ph.D. student
Mentoring Modules Making Impact Near & Far
SOC’s undergraduate mentoring program integrates specific professional development opportunities into our classes to better meet the evolving needs of our students—especially those who are first-generation and represent other historically marginalized identities. Much of this occurs formally in our required courses as noted by Tara Opsal, Elena Windsong, and Ph.D. student Laurence Pedroni in their article “From Here to There: Using Required Courses to Expand First-Generation Mentorship Accessibility” that ASA’s Teaching Sociology recently published in its special issue “A Class of Our Own: Teaching Sociology by, for, and about First-Generation and Working-Class People.”
Our mentoring program’s "memorable messages” are also being emphasized in SOC’s electives. Faculty and GTIs help students make connections between course content and the transferrable skills. These are valuable for students as they prepare for the job market, participate in democratic civic engagement, and develop their personal and professional identities. This can all be reinforced via connections with our “invested alumni” – folks who want to serve as resources to our undergraduates and faculty. Please let Tara, Sara, or Carmen know what connections would be helpful or if you know alumni to add!
Refreshed Catalog Pages and Flyers!
Through conversations near & far, we learned that Admissions, advisors across campus, and prospective students & families rely heavily on SOC's catalog pages and checksheets. We've updated them with learning outcomes, career paths & such!
General Sociology Concentration
Criminology & Criminal Justice Concentration
Expanded Degree Opportunities for Students
Students can now earn their B.A. in Sociology and their M.A. in Public Policy and Administration through CLA's Accelerated Master's Program. AMP allows students earn both degrees in five years.
Our online General Sociology concentration launched this fall to serve students seeking their B.A. through CSU Online.
STUDENT ORG UPDATES
Criminal Justice Organization (CJO) has expanded from 30 members last spring to over 145 this fall! In addition to recruiting new members, CJO president Jacob Glance organized a field trip for 30 students to tour the Larimer County Jail this fall.
Alpha Kappa Delta (AKD) co-sponsored Dr. Idriss-Miller's visit this fall (mentioned above), and officers Miranda Needham, Bree Lamutt, and Sophie Russell were instrumental in the day's success!
SOC Courses & Students
Intro to SOC and Environment, Food & Social Justice
SOC 100 and SOC 220 students help fill shelves and raise awareness for CSU's Rams Against Hunger. Inspired by coursework addressing inequality, poverty, and stratification, Jason Downing’s students come together each semester to carry on this 10+ year tradition of service learning. Participation for extra credit is optional, and students may choose to write a paper instead.
Contemporary Sociological Theory
SOC 302 students from Business, HDFS, Poli Sci, Psychology, Sociology, and Women’s & Gender Studies majors created an in-class collaborative learning project.
“Together we imagined a plan for interstellar travel and one ‘thing’ that each of us would take along that would be fundamental in building an ideal dream community for everyone," describes GTI Yue Xu.
Intersectionality
SOC 334 students think critically about the term "ally," then respond to Elena Windsong's prompts "I wish I had an ally who..." and "Direct actions you can take to be an ally..."
Elena has conducted this exercise the past several semesters. Stop by her office if you'd like to see students' responses and ideas.
Social Movements
SOC 474 students hosted an open house the last week of classes to showcase their final projects. These visual sociology projects include posters and zines connected to Josh Sbicca's ongoing pedagogical endeavor called Right to the Choice City?
Students addressed a wide variety of local social justice issues and offered ways for readers to get involved in creating change.
Remember what it was like to first learn about sociology?
Elena Windsong, thank you for sharing these SOC 100 reflections...
"This course has shown me that sociology can be used to assess almost any part of society. Almost every single topic you can think of can be assessed through a sociological lens."
"A lot of societal problems come from something bigger than just one individual but from the system in power."
"I actually really enjoyed this class, as it gave names and theories to go with common things I see on a day-to-day basis."
"Coming into this course I had no clue what sociology was at all but with this course I have developed a deep understanding and love for it. I never really acknowledged that there was an actual science studying human interaction with each other and within society."
"Another concept was how the health of one person depends on where they come from and how they grow up, it could affect their entire life, and seeing that made me look at life from a different perspective and see that not everyone gets the same benefits. [. . .] This class has shed so much light on my life and made me learn so many things about people around me, it was an amazing course to take."
"Delving into gender, race, and stratification unveiled the pervasive inequalities embedded in our society, prompting me to question the status quo and consider ways to promote social justice. This course has ignited a passion for understanding the social world and empowered me to critically analyse and engage with the complexities of society."
Congratulations & Best Wishes
Graduate Student Happenings
CSU Graduate Student Showcase Winners!
Raymond Appiah, Emilia Ravetta and Katherine Stevich were awarded Global Impact prizes at the annual Grad Student Showcase held November 15 at the LSC. These awards are given by CSU's Office of International Programs to honor three graduate students who demonstrate an active commitment to making a Global Impact through research.
Katherine's project was titled, "'Still Sitting in the Dark:' Living with Bumbuna Dam."
Emilia and Ray collaborated on "Authoritarian Environmentalism’s Global Expansion: Analyzing Belt and Road Initiative’s Legitimizing Discourses on Environmental Impact in Latin America and West Africa’s Mining Sector." They created the poster together, and Raymond presented it.
Defenses
I am pleased to announce Jacob DeBruin successfully defended his thesis project, “International Trade of Electric Vehicle Batteries and Lithium: A Network Approach to Trade Structure and Structural Inequality”. Jacob’s project was dedicated to examining structural dependence in the global trade of lithium compounds and batteries using network analysis and modeling. I would like to especially thank Jacob’s committee, Drs. Jessie Luna & Dimitris Stevis, for their help with the project. Please join me in congratulating Jacob! – Tony Roberts, June 14
Exams
Please join me, and her department committee members KuoRay Mao and Lynn Hempel, in congratulating Yue Xu who has passed her Social Change exam. In her exam Yue demonstrated her expertise in the areas of Medical Sociology, Agro-food Studies, and Rural Development. We are excited that Yue has completed this phase of her program and is now moving on to preparing her dissertation proposal. Congratulations Yue! – Laura Raynolds, July 18
It is with great pleasure that I announce that Bria Willert has passed her Social Change Exam! In her exam, she explored the history of crack cocaine sentencing in the United States while integrating the moral panic and focal concerns perspectives to help explain the disparities that occur in these outcomes. Special thanks to Dr. Tara Opsal, Dr. Prabha Unnithan, and Dr. Anne Williford (Social Work) for serving on her committee. Congratulations, Bria! – Jeff Nowacki, Sept. 20
Please join me in congratulating Verena Knerich for passing the Comprehensive Methods Exam this semester. Great job, Verena! – Tony Roberts, Nov. 20
Please join me in congratulating Milagro Nunez-Solis, Azmal Hossan, Anne Uhlman, and Adam Snitker who successfully passed their Theory Comprehensive Exam. Wonderful to see our graduate students making such great progress! – Laura Raynolds, Nov. 27
Congratulations
India Luxton received the Rural Sociological Society's (RSS) Lawrence Busch Student Research Award for her dissertation, "COVID-19 and the Slaughterhouse." This award supports student research with a strong and demonstrable focus on social issues related to food and agriculture.
Azmal Hossan was selected as one of ten fellows for the 2030 Climate Champions: Young Leaders for a Brighter U.S.-China Future program. Azmal is attending ongoing virtual training sessions and an in-person Climate Champions Forum in April 2024 in San Francisco.
Sneha Kadyan received an award for her work in establishing the first Fairtrade University in India at Jindal Global Business School where she is employed as a Lecturer in Sociology. Hear from her directly in this video. Sneha was honored at the first Fairtrade Conference held in India in October, and an announcement of Fairtrade's launch was published by Business Wire India. (pictured below)
Publications
Sneha Kadyan published "Applying a Sociological Lens for a Gender Inclusive Pedagogical Approach in Education" in Impaakt in October.
Austin Luzbatek published an essay "Extreme Heat in Mississippi Prisons: A Case of Environmental Injustice" in the ASA Environmental Sociology Section's fall newsletter.
Azmal Hossan's interdisciplinary research team published "A Mixed-Methods Approach to the Development of a Disaster Food Security Framework" in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Read more about this USDA-funded project.
Laurence Pedroni, Micaela Truslove, and Nefratiri Weeks recently published with faculty – please see that section below.
Presentations
Shawna Bendeck presented at the 48th Annual Natural Hazards Workshop, Researchers Meeting in July. Her presentation was called, "Children with Disabilities and Social Vulnerability during Pandemic School Closures." This was part of my dissertation and focused on the results from interviews with parents of children with disabilities who experienced school closures and virtual learning during the pandemic. The presentation highlighted inequitable educational practices that impacted children's educational, physical, psychological, and socio-emotional development.
Emilia Ravetta and Raymond Appiah along with Dr. KuoRay Mao presented "Authoritarian Environmentalism’s Global Expansion: Analyzing Belt and Road Initiative’s Legitimizing Discourses on Environmental Impact in Latin America and West Africa’s Mining Sector" at the Africa and Latin America: Dialogues and Connections LASA Conference. Ray also chaired the "Sustainability Across Continents" roundtable.
American Society of Criminology (ASC)
Emily Haberlack presented "Settler-Colonialism and the Role of Military-Government Relationships in Environmental Crises: Comparative Case Study" (pictured below) and hosted a roundtable.
Alex Hagan presented "U.S. Immigration Detention Facilities (IDF) and Their Proximity to Superfund Sites." (pictured below – thank you, Doc Erin for both photos!)
In the Community
Azmal Hossan has been appointed to the Air Quality Monitoring Advisory Committee, a platform organized jointly by the City of Fort Collins, Larimer County, and CSU. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is funding this 3-year air quality study, and CSU's Center for Environmental Justice (CEJ) will organize public engagement events.
Centers & Teams
Food Systems Institute
James Hale is the lead author of a large interdisciplinary effort titled "A systematic review of cultural capital in U.S. community development research" that has been published in the Journal of Rural Studies. Co-authors include Michael Carolan, Becca Jablonski, and colleagues from Ohio State University and the University of Missouri.
Prison Agriculture Lab
The Prison Agriculture Lab has published a list of educational modules as tools for educators, organizers, and individuals interested in teaching others via structured exercises that help to read official criminal punishment narratives against the grain.
Center for Environmental Justice
CEJ, the Student Sustainability Association, and Defend our Future hosted another Climate Grief to Active Hope workshop in October. It was held at CSU's Hatton Gallery in connection with the exhibition Sama Alshaibi: Silsila as part of the Environmental Justice Thru the Arts series.
Congratulations
At the 16th International Global Studies conference held this summer in Oxford, Pat Mahoney was awarded the Rafal Mazanek Award and prize for outstanding conference paper for his work on generative AI titled "When They Came for Me: Artificial Intelligence and Worker Displacement."
Service
Jeni Cross is the new Co-Chair of the Environmental Health Matters Initiative (EHMI) Committee with the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine.
Jessie Luna is joining the Journal of Agrarian Change as an editor. She is the first person from the U.S. to serve as an editor of this leading journal in agrarian political economy.
Contributing Near & Far
Pat Hastings presented "What's a Parent to Do? Socioeconomic Variation in Parenting Logics Measured with Computational Text Analysis" at the International Sociological Association's (ISA) Research Committee 28 on Social Stratification and Mobility (RC28) conference held at Sciences Po in Paris this summer.
At the American Sociological Association (ASA) meeting held in Philadelphia in August, Pat Hastings presented the “Gendered Effects of Income Loss on Parental Investments: Relational Preservation and Downscaling in U.S. Families” (co-authored with CSU undergraduate Mary Grace Goettler) and "The Pandemic Effects on Parental Investments."
KuoRay Mao was an invited panelist for the “Democracy Around the World” event held in September as the launch of CSU's Year of Democracy.
Stephanie Malin talked environmental justice at CSU's TedX event this fall. (on her birthday – thanks, Steph!)
Jeff Nowacki presented his and Ph.D. student Bria Willert's work "Early Disposition Departures and Social Context" as part of "The Social Context of Sentencing" panel at the American Society of Criminology (ASC) annual meeting held in Philadelphia in November. He also served as a discussant for the panel "Fifty Years of Police Organizational Theory: The State of the Art, Population Ecology, and Contingency Environments."
Jessie Luna co-organized the Food and Environment sessions at the African Studies Association Conference held in November in San Francisco.
KuoRay Mao along with Ph.D. student Emilia Ravetta and M.A. student Raymond Appiah presented "Authoritarian Environmentalism’s Global Expansion: Analyzing Belt and Road Initiative’s Legitimizing Discourses on Environmental Impact in Latin America and West Africa’s Mining Sector" at the Africa and Latin America: Dialogues and Connections LASA Conference in November.
Stephanie Malin was a CLA Insights panelist for November's engaged scholarship and artistry event.
Honors
In June, Prahba Unnithan received notice of approved emerit status from CSU's Office of the Provost.
CSU's Indian Students Association honored Prabha Unnithan as a special guest at India Nite 2023, an event that has been enlightening CSU and the Fort Collins community about rich Indian culture and heritage for over 20 years. It was held in October at the Lincoln Center.
Funding
Stephanie Malin’s team received a $2 million U.S. Department of Energy award to study spent nuclear fuel storage. Details here.
Books
Janis Johnston (Ph.D. '06) and Kenneth Berry, Emeritus Professor (2021), released four new books on quantitative research methods.
- Permutation Statistical Methods with R with Kenneth Kvamme and Paul Mielke – Springer-Verlag
- Applying Benford’s Law for Assessing the Validity of Social Science Data with Michael Long, Paul Stretesky, and Michael Lynch – Cambridge University Press
- Essentials of Permutation Statistical Methods for Criminology and Criminal Justice with Michael Long, Paul Stretesky, and Michael Lynch – Springer-Verlag (link coming soon)
- Statistical Methods: Connections, Equivalencies, and Relationships – Springer-Verlag
Book Chapter
KuoRay Mao, Qian Zhang, and Micaela Truslove published “Grassland Conservation and Environmental Inequality in Inner Mongolia, China” in the Handbook of Inequality and the Environment.
Publications
Ph.D student Kellie Alexander, Jeffrey Nowacki, Tara Opsal, and Shelby Sims (M.A. '22) (listed alphabetically) published a manuscript "Agency Directors’ Reflections on 'Success' in Community Corrections: The Role of Traditional and Alternative Measures” in Criminal Justice Policy Review.
Steve Dandaneau published “The remarkable efficacy of organisational change networks” in University World News.
Pat Hastings and Joe Labriloa published "The Summer Parental Investment Gap? Socioeconomic Gaps in the Seasonality of Parental Expenditures and Time with School-age Children” in Research in Social Stratification and Mobility.
KuoRay Mao, Ph.D. student Nefratiri Weeks, and co-authors published “Environmental Conservation or the Treadmill of Law: A Case Study of the Post-2014 Husbandry Waste Regulations in China” in the International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology.
Tara Opsal, Elena Windsong and Ph.D. student Laurence Pedroni published “From Here to There: Using Required Courses to Expand First-Generation Mentorship Accessibility” in Teaching Sociology.
In the News
Jeni Cross and her interdisciplinary team's research was featured in CSU SOURCE's “Residents healthier, happier when living in Denver’s wellness-designed building.”
Pat Mahoney kindly answered MarComm's sociology-specific call for “CSU experts: AI is empowering, disruptive and will bring benefits along with costs” as part of their special report on AI published on SOURCE this fall.
Zack Golditch launches scholarship fund
“I know what it feels like to be on the other side of the 9-1-1 call,” Golditch told CSU's AlumLine in June. “To be afraid and uncertain and to just want someone to help.”
A survivor of the 2012 Aurora theatre shooting, Zach went on to play football at CSU and double major in Ethnic Studies & Sociology with a concentration in criminal justice. Now a firefighter for South Metro Fire Rescue, Zach helped launch the Hero’s Journey 5K that funded a $10,000 scholarship for the Aurora Public Schools Foundation.
Isabella Wells ensures animal welfare
“When it came to animal welfare, I really wanted a different perspective. That’s why I chose criminology/criminal justice as a minor,” Wells told CSU's AlumLine in August. “It may look different, but there is a lot of overlap between the two – how animals and crime relate, how you prosecute animal abuse, and how you can advocate for animals through policy and legislation.”
"The wizard professors are conversing"
It's no secret that Jason Downing and Mark Shuey have a magical effect on students, but now it’s official. Thank you, Storm, for catching this awesomeness that someone posted online in a CSU chat group!
Grad students participate in CSUnity
Cassandra Olivarez, Raymond Appiah, Lauren Fosbenner, Kathryn Stevick, Amber Obermaier, Anne Uhlman, and Juliet Siebel helped an elderly “neighbor” with yardwork as part of CSUnity 2023.
Clark's Revitalization
By the time spring semester begins, significant changes will have occurred to sidewalks, bike racks, parking, and the Monfort Quad. Fencing will also surround much of Clark. Renderings of the new & improved Clark are available here.
Many thanks to Tara Opsal and Julie Pinkston for serving on the space committee, and also to Julie for doing the literal heavy lifting throughout our hallway!
Pat Hastings runs 100 miles in one day
Congratulations to Pat Hastings who ran the Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run in June. The world’s oldest 100 mile trail race starts in Olympic Valley, California, near the site of the 1960 Winter Olympics, and ends 100.2 miles later in Auburn, California.
Looking ahead...
Elena Windsong is the incoming Director of Undergraduate Studies. "As you all know, Elena is deeply committed to the department and its students. We are deeply grateful to have her serve in this role, given her vast experience with undergraduate programming and curriculum." – Michael Carolan
Tara Opsal is officially transitioning fully into the Associate Chair role this spring and will assume the Chair role in July.
Thank You For All You Do!
Please continue to send news and ideas to Carmen Ruyle Hardy, Sociology Communications Coordinator.