Clarion Professor Discusses Ageism at Annual Equity Awards Dinner

| November 29, 2017

CLARION, Pa. – The Student Senate of Clarion University celebrated individuals who exemplify equity during its 23rd Annual Equity Dinner and Awards Ceremony Nov. 15 in Gemmell multi-purpose room.

Dr. Jamie Phillips, professor of philosophy, spoke about “Ageism in the Modern Era.” Phillips defined ageism as prejudicial attitudes toward older people, old age and the aging process.

“Age is a box into which we place people in order to determine how to treat them,” Phillips said. “Humans are big on using boxes. They like to label them and provide general descriptions for these labels, which we call generalizations or stereotypes.”

Phillips said we use boxes both to understand individual things and to justify our treatment of those individual things.

“But the generalizations we make about people of different ages are prone to deep falsity,” he said. “We put people into boxes based on age so that we can make generalizations about them and pretend that, as a result, we understand them and now can judge them and treat them differently.”

Boxes, however, are not good ways to understand people, and they are dangerous ways to judge, he said.

“’Understanding’ is recognizing that every human being has a story that you have not read much of,” Phillips said. “Stop with the boxes and the labels and the stereotypes. … If you want an imperative on which to act, just take care of each other and love each other.”

Awards were presented to:

Outstanding Community Award: Dr. Paul Klenowski, assistant professor and director of the criminal justice program. Klenowski was recognized for promoting the goals and principles of equity, diversity, social justice, inclusion and equality inside and outside of the classroom.

Outstanding Employee Award: Dr. Emily Aubele, assistant director of Venango Campus. Aubele was recognized for her prioritization of helping students reach their full potential and fierce dedication to improving her campus and the lives of those around her.

Outstanding Student Award: Kiara Greene, a senior from Philadelphia majoring in sociology with minors in social work and women and gender studies. Greene was recognized for demonstrating diversity, fairness, passion and equality, including bringing awareness to issues of violence through her work as president of the Clarion VDay Project.

Outstanding Group Award: Equestrian Team, since its founding in 2009, has encouraged its members to perform well academically, dedicate their time to community volunteer work and to shine during competitions. The team has given their time to numerous causes that support individuals with disabilities. Last year, they assisted an area group with providing an eight-week therapeutic riding session for an individual with special needs.

Outstanding Supporter Award: Dr. Richard Lane, associate professor of English. Lane helped to develop Clarion Community Learning Workshop, the mission of which is to provide educational opportunities to members of Clarion and surrounding communities. He selflessly invests his time and energy into helping others reach their goals, not only at the university, but in the community.

Special Equity Award: Dr. Brenda Dede, associate vice president for academic affairs. Dede has worked tirelessly toward the values of equity, diversity and inclusion, both on campus and in the Clarion community. She founded and chairs the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Breakfast, MLK Jr. Celebration and the Juneteenth program. She has assisted countless students in times of need. She has served on Clarion Borough Planning Commission, Kiwanis Club, United Way, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, SAFE Clarion County Community Choir and First Baptist Church. She is serving her second four-year term on borough council. Dede is a charter member of the American Association of Blacks in Higher Education and is a recipient of the Doctoral Student Award giving by the American Association of Education, Black Caucus.

Presidential Award: Ron Radaker, director of the Student Success Center. The fourth annual Presidential Award was designed to honor an individual or group that has superseded the award categories in the areas of research, teaching or service focusing on cultural and societal differences while exemplifying the goals of equity, diversity and inclusion. Radaker has dedicated 17 years to Clarion University. He has been a member of the Presidential Commission on LGBT+ Concerns since its inception in 2009 and assisted in the development of its mission, policy and structure. He has presented and/or been a panelist at various programs encouraging and celebrating social equity, and he serves on multiple committees. He is a leading force behind the university-wide Safe Zone training and coordinated the first Lavender Graduation.


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