1 p.m. to 2 p.m.

VCU's Office of Multicultural Student Affairs will present Edward Anthony Polanco, Ph.D., assistant professor of history, Virginia Tech, via Zoom. Polanco will explore the origins of mestizaje (mixed race) in Latin America and the implicit and explicit links this concept has with anti-Native sentiments. He will unearth early colonial definitions of mestizo and ladino to understand how Spaniards "created the Indian" and attempted to destroy complex and diverse Native cultures. Register at the following URL.

For more information, contact Tiana Ingram at ingramtd@vcu.edu or visit http://linktr.ee/vcuomsa.

1 p.m.

VCU's National Scholarship Office will offer an informational session about the Fulbright United Kingdom Summer Institutes, which are funded three- to four-week programs for U.S. undergraduate students who have a GPA of 3.7 or higher and very little travel experience outside North America. The session will be held in-person in Room 121,0, 701 W. Grace St. and online. Participants can explore the culture, heritage and history of the UK while experiencing higher education at a UK university. Questions: http://nso.vcu.edu. Register at the following URL.

For more information, contact Jeff Wing at jawing@vcu.edu or visit https://forms.gle/NpppoyS7vwyqTVRg9.

1:15 p.m.

VCU's Muslim Student Association will hold Jummah (Friday) Prayer in the Virginia Rooms on the second floor of the University Student Commons, 907 Floyd Ave. First Khutbah will be held at 1:15 p.m; the second will be at 2 p.m. Masks will be required.

For more information, contact MSA at VCU at vcumsa@gmail.com.

12 p.m. to 1 p.m.

Aya Mitani, Ph.D., Division of Biostatistics, University of Toronto School of Public Health, will present a seminar via Zoom titled "Analysis of Complex Multilevel Dental Data With Informative Tooth-Loss." The event will be sponsored by the Department of Biostatistics, VCU School of Medicine. Questions: https://biostatistics.vcu.edu/news/seminar/. Click on the following URL for the Zoom link. The meeting ID is 923 1735 5766. The passcode is 364454.

For more information, contact Dipankar Bandyopadhyay at dbandyop@vcu.edu or visit https://zoom.us/j/92317355766?pwd=My9Ud2dXdU44OU9WTk92SnZobEFqUT09.

12 p.m.

Would you like to feel more comfortable leading dialogue about difference? ​Nov. 19 is the deadline to a​pply​ to IExcel's new Diversity and Inclusion Facilitator Training, led by Tamisha Williams. All staff, students and faculty are invited to apply ​and learn about inclusive dialogue and practice and increase their skills in leading inclusive dialogue about diverse social identities.​ ​Participants will reflect on identity, practice deep listening and discuss ways to address tension and conflict, among other core facilitation skills. Selected facilitators who opt for the RAMmalogues Facilitator Track will earn $500 and commit to co-facilitating RAMmalogues sessions (at least once per semester through 2022). Questions: Visit https://inclusive.vcu.edu/iexcel/rammalogues/ or the RAMmalogues website. Apply at the following URL by Nov. 19.

For more information, contact Jan Altman, Ph.D., at iexcel@vcu.edu or visit https://forms.gle/wTbMXkMzvULZAA4u9.

3 p.m.

VCU's Department of Art History will present a virtual panel discussion with Christine Garnier, Kelvin Parnell and Kate Sunderlin, emerging scholars and co-founders of the Association of Scholars of American Sculpture. Register at the following URL.

For more information, contact Kat Wilson at kawilson@vcu.edu or visit https://arts.vcu.edu/event/asaspanel/.

4 p.m. to 5 p.m.

The Honors College Berglund Seminar Series will host "Unlearning History, 30 Years of Excavating in The Near East: A Ram's Perspective." Click on the following URL for the Zoom link.

For more information, contact Jared Johnson at jajohnson4@vcu.edu or visit https://honors.vcu.edu/news--events/berglund-seminars/.

6 p.m. to 7 p.m.

The ICA Shop will present an interactive session of creative collaging with writer, librarian and zine-maker Celina Nicole. In the process, participants will utilize elements of zine-making and collaborative social justice organizing. The event will be at the Institute for Contemporary Art at the Markel Center, 601 W. Broad St. RSVP at the following URL.

For more information, contact Stephanie Stanton at stantons@vcu.edu or visit https://icavcu.org/events/emergent-collaging/.

7 p.m. to 7:45 p.m.

The National Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice will hold a general body meeting via Zoom. Click on the following URL for the Zoom link.

For more information, contact Ashley Harwood at harwooda2@vcu.edu or visit https://vcu.zoom.us/j/98561562382.

Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2021 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.

The annual university-wide Holiday Open House hosted by President Michael and Mrs. Monica Rao is an opportunity for the university community to come together and celebrate the holidays prior to winter closing. It is an informal gathering, in the Commonwealth Ballroom, University Student Commons, 907 Floyd Ave., with food and drink provided. RSVP by Nov. 24 at the following URL.

For more information, contact Casey Petrizzi at perkinsc3@vcu.edu or visit https://forms.gle/XKaH2UAWrjTeM1D78.

Thursday, Dec. 9, 2021 at noon

Join VCU's Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research for its Leadership and Career Development series, in which participants will hear strategies on how to build an elevator pitch and how to disseminate and brand their message while selling their research to a varied audience (academic and non-academic). John Ryan, Ph.D., will speak. He is a professor of biology and the associate vice president in the Division of Research Development. Register at the following URL.

For more information, contact Rob DiRenzo at direnzor@vcu.edu or visit https://vcu.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJYsfuuspzoqGtOJRWsSy8RVsDobrTv_6Lqu.

VCU Police encourages everyone to lock the doors and windows of residences and offices and to take all keys during the Thanksgiving break. Valuables should be stored in a locked drawer or closet or taken home. Drivers leaving a car on campus should park in a well-lighted area, remove valuables and lock the doors; drivers staying in Richmond should park closer to residences and work sites. Cyclists should store bikes legally with a U-lock. More holiday safety tips are available at the following URL.

For more information, contact VCU Police Crime Prevention Team at crimeprevreq@vcu.edu or visit https://police.vcu.edu/stay-safe/holiday-safety/.

VCU's You First-First Generation Center works to create a more equitable environment for the thousands of VCU students who are the first in their families to attend college. Were you a first-gen student? Share your experience at the following URL.

For more information, contact Shena Crittendon at crittendons@vcu.edu or visit https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1_jj2UCpbKLcPDQqhhqHKnqCGtJFzdGl2U1JFr7aeYps/edit?ts=615b7ea5.

VCU Continuing and Professional Education offers online learning for the VCU community and members of the public. Choose from bookkeeping, computer skills, counseling and behavioral health, customer service, digital marketing, digital reporting, email promotions, event planning, Excel, Google Analytics, paralegal studies, play therapy, podcasting, remote working, supervisory and leadership, test prep and WordPress. Digital badging opportunities are also available. Register at the following URL.

For more information, contact VCU Continuing and Professional Education at ocpe@vcu.edu or (804) 828-1322 or visit https://ocpe.vcu.edu/courses/.

The All of Us Research Program at the National Institutes of Health is inviting more than a million people across the United States to help build one of the most diverse health databases of its kind. VCU has partnered with the NIH and All of Us to help patients at VCU Health contribute to that database. People who join will give information about their health, habits and where they live. By looking for patterns, researchers may learn more about what affects people’s health.

For more information, contact Leslie Bobb at allofus@vcu.edu or visit https://www.joinallofus.org/VCU.