Remembering The Start of WWII
UHD College of Humanities & Social Sciences hosted the traveling display, “First to Fight,” which commemorates the 80^th year since the start of World War II. Sponsored by the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Houston, the collection featured over a half-dozen panels explaining some of the ideological motivations that led to war though the legacy of Soviet occupation. The opening, sponsored by the Dr. William Brigman Endowment, also included two presentations on the geopolitical and military history of Poland given by UHD’s Dr. John Linantud, associate professor of political science and Dr. Alexander Bielakowski, assistant professor of history. Robert Rusieki, with the General Consul of the Republic of Poland in Houston, provided insight into contemporary Poland and the painful legacy the war left in Europe as well as the importance of remembering the catastrophe of war as a way to recall the importance of serious analysis and discussion of international affairs. 

Back To The Sources
The third annual “Back to the Sources” Student Research Conference hosted by the Department of History, Humanities, and Languages featured 31 students from UHD and other Houston area institutions. The students presented original research on a variety of topics ranging from the rise and fall of Gilley’s honkytonk in Houston to tradition and modernism in the paintings of Velazquez to the Czech-Slovak Legion after World War II to the ethical pitfalls of using Virtual Reality for therapeutic purposes. Four UHD students (Andrea Casas, Angela Galvez, Minerva Rodriguez, Ryan Chandler) were recognized for the quality of their research. The keynote address was presented by Dr. Iana Konstantinova, professor of Spanish at Southern Virginia University, who encouraged student researchers to take risks, to learn from failures, and to find their passion and let it guide them into the future.

Adopt-A-Family Thanksgiving Presentation
Members of the University of Houston-Downtown Police Department (UHDPD) delivered items for Thanksgiving dinners to seven local families thanks funds raised as part of the Adopt-A-Family program, sponsored by the UHD Staff Council and UHDPD. This is the fourth year the event has been held.

Latinas Acheive Attend Community Changemakers Event
UHD's Latinas Acheive students attended the Community Changemakers Breakfast at the Holocaust Museum Houston recently. The event featured keynote speaker Dolores Huerta. At 89 years of age, she is known for being one of the most influential labor activists of the 20th century and a civil rights icon. In addition, the program included a panel of Houston area leaders sharing how they are striving to make a difference in the community. The panel included Lina Hidalgo, Harris County Judge; Cyndy Garza,Comcast director of community impact/external affairs; Dr. Laura Murillo, CEO of the Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce; Laura Jaramillo, senior vice president/community developement manager for Wells Fargo and Karina Gonzalez Edwards, principal, Houston Ballet.

Third Annual Men of Color Symposium
More than 500 guests were in attendance for the third annual Men of Color Greater Houston Area Collegiate Symposium at the University of Houston-Downtown (UHD). This year’s symposium continued its support of the “Houston Area Collegiate Corridor” to create opportunities to build a framework to increase collegiate enrollment for men of color in Houston. The keynote address was given by Dr. Jerrod Henderson, assistant professor of Engineering at the University of Houston. Featured speakers also included:

• Dr. Cesar Maldonado, Chancellor of HCC
• Dr. Muddassir Siddiqi, President of HCC-Central
• Dr. Kenneth Davis, Assistant Superintendent of Equity and Outreach for HISD
• Mr. Tyrone Smith, former NFL San Francisco 49er and founder of First and Goal
• Dr. Cecelia Martin, Principal Industry Liaison, Gulf Coast Workforce Board – Workforce Solutions
• First Officer, Xavier Samuels, US Navy Aviator, and Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals
• Dr. Jobi Martinez, Special Assistant to the President, UHD
• Attorney Carl Moore, Co-owner of Sugar Rush Too North Bakery

The event was hosted by Houston Community College’s Men of Honor; UHD’s Men of L.E.G.A.C.I; Houston Independent School District’s Ascending To Men Project; and The University of Texas and Texas A&M University’s Texas Education consortium for Male Students of Color.

UHD Students Tour Marine Unit
The Houston Police Department’s Marine Unit hosted UHD students as part of UHD Adjunct Professor Nhatthien “Nathan” Nguyen’s criminal justice class, Criminal Investigation. The Marine Unit is responsible for maritime response on all waterways within the Port of Houston/Ship Channel and its connecting waterways, providing boater safety, search and recovery, and security patrols of critical infrastructure. The students, along with Nguyen (also an HPD commander), were met by four Marine Unit officers via a patrol boat at Allen’s Landing where they received a brief history of the Unit, training/safety protocol, operational procedures, especially its role in high-water rescue during the floods.