Eastern Student Alexandra Cross of Watertown Gives Oral Presentation at CREATE Conference

2016 May 5

More than 250 talented students at Eastern Connecticut State University presented research and creative work at the university's second annual CREATE conference this past April. CREATE stands for Celebrating Research Excellence and Artistic Talent at Eastern, and is the university's premier, academic year-end showcase. At the culminating event, students of all majors presented professional posters, live music, dance performances, artwork, photography, documentaries and panel discussions.

Alexandra Cross '16 of Watertown, who majors in Political Science, gave an oral presentation at the event. Cross' two oral presentations were titled "Straightening Out the Russian Mold: How Russian Nationalism Ostracizes the LGBT Community" and "Stepping Out: Creating a Safe Space for Minority Identities in Writing Centers."

"In light of the 2014 Olympics that casted a global eye on the Russian Federation and Orthodox Church, as well as the anti-LGBT policies that coincided, this research investigates and challenges the current ideals surrounding Russian nationalism and homophobia," said Cross. "Hyper-nationalistic tools, such as the Russian Orthodox Church, are currently being used to pit the heterosexual majority against the LGBT minority. This is an attempt to create a strong sense of social cohesion, state support, and nationalism throughout Russia's expansive land mass. The use of the LGBT community as a scapegoat is not unprecedented, either in global or Russian history, and this research argues that these anti-LGBT policies are an attempt to internally 'Russify' the ethnically diverse population. This research will investigate, through the use of World Values Surveys (WVS) data and conversations with key informants, these ideas. In order to identify this as a phenomenon unique to Russia, comparative WVS data will also be collected from Georgia and the United States."

The second presentation was presented alongside classmate Laura Perez-Handler. "Through the lens of LGBT and cultural-racial theories, we will examine how minority identities do not fit conventional master narratives of both the stereotypical university and Writing Center, and how Writing Centers must break out of an oppressive state of neutrality to become a safe space for all identities," said the students in a joint statement. "We will address real-life applications of safe spaces for minority identities in Writing Centers. This presentation will include interactive sections that help the audience understand how they can work with the Writing Center on campus and how they can queer or deracialize their own interactions and spaces."

Remarking on the variety of presentations, Professor Dickson Cunningham, conference co-chair, said, "CREATE encapsulates the essence of the liberal arts in one afternoon. It is an intellectual smorgasbord."

Speaking to the value of CREATE, Eastern President Elsa Nunez said, "It takes a very strong and dedicated student to produce this quality of work, and it's important for other students to see this output." Praising the faculty, she added, "It takes a committed and skillful mentor to guide students to the work that is on display. Mentorship is such an integral part of undergraduate research."

During the one-day conference, the Student Center crawled with artistic and scholarly activity. Students in professional attire addressed their peers, faculty and family. In the cafe, ensembles performed; in the theatre, student-produced documentaries were shown; in the Betty R. Tipton Room, aisles of posters depicting scientific research were displayed; across the hall, a gallery-worth of paintings lined the walls; and on the ground floor, panel discussions and oral presentations about the humanities took place.