Messina Calendar of Events Spring 2025

Saturday, January 25th

Duckpin Bowling at Stoneleigh Lanes

Messina has rented out an entire local bowling alley for students to come and learn one of Baltimore's finest traditions, duckpin bowling! Come play and learn what makes this game a little different than regular bowling. Shoes will be provided at the bowling alley as well as all games you can play before they close. We will also be providing pizza and unlimited sodas. Bring your Messina classmates, roommates, friends or come by yourself and meet new friends!

A shuttle bus will pick-up students outside Boulder once at 7:45pm and another at 8:15pm. A bus will take students back to campus at 9:45pm and another at 10:15pm

Students need to register in advance as there is a 80 person capacity limit at the bowling alley. Students will sign-in on the Bridge when boarding the shuttle.

For more information, please email messina@loyola.edu.

Sponsored by Messina
A theme-wide event
8pm - 10pm at Stoneleigh Lanes

Monday, January 27th

MLK Convocation

Please join us on Monday, January 27th from 6:30pm-8pm in McGuire Hall as we welcome Pulitzer Prize-winning author Nikole Hannah-Jones to deliver the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Convocation address. The topic, "In Conversation about Truth, History, and The 1619 Project," will be moderated by Karsonya Wise Whitehead, Ph.D., the founding director of the Karson Institute for Race, Peace & Social Justice and a professor of Communication and African and African American Studies at Loyola, along with David Carey, Ph.D., the Doehler Chair and professor of History at Loyola.

This event is part of the Peace & Justice Bunting Speaker Series and is free and open to the public, although advance registration is encouraged.

Celebrating its 32nd year, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Convocation is an opportunity for Loyola and the Baltimore community to come together and launch the spring semester and New Year with a shared inquiry into issues of social justice, politics, spirituality, and the legacies of race and racial justice in America.

The convocation is co-sponsored by the Office of the President, Office of Equity and Inclusion, Office of Peace & Justice, the Karson Institute for Race, Peace & Social Justice, Messina, and the African and African American Studies Program.

The event will also be live-streamed on YouTube, with closed captioning provided.

A theme-wide event
6:30pm - 8:00pm, McGuire Hall

Wednesday, February 5th

Wednesday, February 12th

Major, Minors, and More Fair

Come out and meet professors and department chairs from every major and minor that Loyola has to offer. Get all your questions answered under one roof. There will be academic advisors on hand for anyone wishing to declare a major or minor that day.

Please contact odugs@loyola.edu with any questions

Sponsored by the Office of Undergraduate Studies, AASC, & Messina
A campus-wide event
11:30am - 1:30pm, McGuire Hall

TBD

An Evening with Tray Jones

Wrongfully convicted at 16, Jones spent 37 years of his life incarcerated. During that time, Jones earned a college degree, wrote a book, and is now a successful author and speaker but most importantly, free. This event is perfect for any law, political science, philosophy, or even writing majors as themes like justice and hope are explored during this talk.

Please contact messina@loyola.edu with any questions.

Sponsored by Messina and the Philosophy Department
A theme-wide event
Location TBD

Monday, March 17th

Common Text Keynote with Baltimore Activists Shashawnda Campbell and Nicole Fabricant

Dr. Fabricant is the author of Fighting to Breathe: Race, Toxicity, and the Rise of Youth Activism in Baltimore. Dr. Fabricant is Professor of Anthropology at Towson University.  Ms. Campbell is a community leader and activist for environmental justice. They will be in conversation with Dr. Kaye Whitehead of Loyola’s Karson Center for Race, Peace, and Justice. There will be plenty of time for questions from the audience as well as an opportunity to get Dr. Fabricant’s book signed.

This event will not be livestreamed. 

Contact messina@loyola.edu with any questions or concerns.

Sponsored by Messina
A Common Text event
6 p.m. - 7 p.m. in McGuire Hall
Book signing at 7 p.m. following Keynote

Tuesday, March 18th

Commitment to Justice 2024-2025 Panel: Women and Justice

Loyola University Maryland’s commitment to justice is rooted in the teachings of the Catholic Church, which proclaims that the life and dignity of the human person is the foundational principle of its social teaching. As Pope Francis has shared, this principle calls us to recognize and celebrate the dignity of all people regardless of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, talent, or birthplace. However, this vision of dignity has not been reflected in the lives of all women throughout the world. Too many women have been and continue to be marginalized economically, financially, socially, and professionally, while their gifts, intellect, and contributions have been devalued and at times disregarded. The pervasive effects of sexism have resulted in a spiritual impoverishment of humanity. How can we elevate the voices and experiences of women in ways that recognize and celebrate their inherent dignity?
   
We invite the Loyola community to listen carefully and courageously to the experience of women. The panel will bring together women to speak on intersectionality, disparities in health care, disparities in pay equity, and challenge us to be contemplatives in action. 

Please contact messina@loyola.edu with any questions.

Sponsored by ALANA, the Women’s Center, LGBTQIA Student Services, DAS, the Career Center, Campus Ministry, CCSJ, the Office of DEI, the Office of Title IX and Bias and Compliance, the Office of the Provost, Communications, Visual and Performing Arts, ODUGS, Counseling Center, Athletics, Messina, and Mission Week
A theme-wide event
4pm-5:30pm in the 4th Floor Program Room

Tuesday, March 18th

Demo Day 

Baltipreneurs Demo Day is a shark tank-style pitch event showcasing 8 - 12 ventures participating in Loyola's accelerator program for early-stage startups. Founders include Loyola students, faculty, staff, and local Baltimore community members. Ventures are from a variety of industries including social enterprises and nonprofits and founders are visionaries seeking positive change for their communities and world through innovation. This event inspires students with what is possible with an innovative and entrepreneurial approach to solving problems and creating change. We are particularly excited to welcome first-year students to this event to open their eyes to the many resources and co-curricular programs available surrounding innovation & entrepreneurship, so that they may continue to explore I&E throughout their time at Loyola and potentially pitch their innovations at a future showcase or competition! Students will hear from and connect with founders and supporters of Baltimore's dynamic entrepreneurial ecosystem and learn about opportunities to engage with local startups through the Simon Center and other Loyola organizations.

Contact messina@loyola.edu with any questions or concerns.

Sponsored by the Simon Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship, the Sellinger School of Business, & Messina
A theme-wide event
6pm -8pm in McGuire Hall

Thursday, March 27th

Phi Beta Kappa Keynote Speaker
As part of Phi Beta Kappa's ongoing visiting scholar program, Loyola will host Tammy Kernodle as she addresses topics in race, gender, and pop culture. This year's title is "All Rhythm but None of the Blues: Black Music, Black Women and the De-Mythologizing of Post-Racial America"

In the wake of Barack Obama's election in 2008, political pundits and cultural critics began declaring that the election of the first African American President was representative of America moving into a period of post-racialism. This notion of post-racialism was not simply based in political ideology, but also in the continuous globalization of black culture, especially black music. First through playlist and later through performances at the White House, Obama used music as a means of cultivating a form of nationalistic unity that was multi-ethnic, multi-racial, and intergenerational. On the surface, he had seemingly created a soundtrack for post-racial America. However, just as Obama prepared to launch his re-election campaign, a series of violent events began to undermine this notion of post-racialism. This resulted not only in the awakening of new social movements, but also new forms of protest culture. These presentation looks at four key events that occurred between 2012 and 2016 as a lens to understanding the current wave of protest and socially conscious music. It will specifically focus on the music and cultural responses of black women as a method of illuminating the long and varied history of black women musicians in shaping and promoting a public rhetoric of social change. Professor Kernodle is also the 2024-2025 Frank M. Updike Memorial Scholar.

Please register on the Bridge for more information and to guarantee you a seat at this event.

Please contact Mike Puma at mpuma@loyola.edu with any questions.

Sponsored by Phi Beta Kappa, Messina, and the Office of Undergraduate Studies
A theme-wide event
4:30pm - 6:00pm in McGuire Hall West

TBD Late March/Early April

TBD Cherry Blossom Festival DC Trip

Messina is planning on taking one to two busloads of students down to Washington DC so that they can see the gorgeous pink petals of the National Cherry Blossom festival. We will announce a date closer to the start of the spring semester but the plan would be to leave in the morning and come back around dinner time. 

Contact messina@loyola.edu with any questions or concerns.

Sponsored by Messina
A theme-wide event
TBD on date and time - we will update this once we know when 'peak bloom' is and plan accordingly

Wednesday, April 2nd

One Question

One Question is an interactive event designed to help the audience envision a world where we see ability rather than disability. The event combines a short film, "What Makes You Happy?" with a panel discussion and some additional activities that incorporate the audience, so that they become part of the event rather than passively receiving information. The event centers on our neighbors with disabilities, and our panel usually consists of four to six individuals with disabilities who share stories about their lives and answer questions from the audience. The goal is to raise awareness about our neighbors with disabilities and our relationship with them—to envision a world where we see potential and ability first. 

Please register on the Bridge to ensure a seat. Please contact messina@loyola.edu with any questions.

Sponsored by the Writing Department & Messina
A theme-wide event
7pm, 4th Floor Program Room

Friday, April 11th

Akeelah & The Bee Play at Baltimore Center Stage

Come see a childhood favorite movie in play-form at Loyola's former home (all the way back to the 1850s!) Play synopsis for those who have never seen the movie: Akeelah has a passion for words, the crazier the better! Under-challenged at school and overwhelmed by her daily life in a tough, Chicago neighborhood, Akeelah is finding it difficult to try. But with the Scripps National Spelling Bee just around the corner, her community is ready to show her she has the courage and tenacity to make her dream come true.

**Chosen showtime offers an ASL intrepreter.**

Registration assures you a seat on the bus and in the theater. To ensure a seat, students should register for Akeelah and the Bee ahead of time on The Bridge. Please contact Patrick Murnane at pmurnane@loyola.edu or messina@loyola.edu with any questions.

Sponsored by ALANA, Disability and Accessibility Services, & Messina
A theme-wide event
Showtime is 7:30pm. Bus departs at 6:45pm in front of Newman Towers and returns to campus around 10:30pm