The College’s International Student Activist Organization (ISAO) will be holding a 27-minute march from at Noon on Tuesday, April 2, beginning at the post office in Downtown Canton. The March will conclude at SUNY Canton. Students said the 27-timeframe represented the estimated 27 million individuals illegally trafficked annually.

Members of SUNY Canton’s Student International Student Activist Organization during a recent trip to New York City.

The organization is also bringing Gabriel Bol Deng, the founder of HOPE for Ariang, a not-for-profit foundation, to the College. There will be a screening of Deng’s documentary “Rebuilding Hope” at 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 3, in SUNY Canton’s Kingston Theater, followed by a presentation by the former child soldier.

“The ISAO was founded last year as a student club,” said Sabel Bong, the club’s advisor and an EOP counselor at the College. “The club members invited Gabriel because child soldiers are another form of human trafficking. He delivers a very positive message about overcoming all odds.”

Deng was 10 years old when a North Sudanese Murahileen militia led an attack on his village of Ariang in South Sudan in 1987. He embarked on a dangerous four-month long journey, crossing the Nile River, and untold miles of desert. He survived famine and disease during his perilous journey to a refugee camp in Ethiopia.

Deng moved to Syracuse in 2001 as part of the Refugee Resettlement Program and attended Onondaga Community College and Lemoyne College. Upon returning to Africa, he founded the HOPE for Ariang Foundation as a vehicle to help rebuild Ariang after years of devastating conflict.

All events during the Human Trafficking Awareness week are free and open to the public.

Events listed for Human Trafficking Awareness Week 

Caption Gabriel Bol Deng

Presentations on Monday, April 1:

• Human trafficking in Canada at 6 p.m.
• Criminal enterprises and human trafficking at 7 p.m. with Dr. David Bugg from SUNY Potsdam
• Stopping human trafficking through fair trade products 7:30 p.m. with Sister Bethany Fitzgerald
• Dr. Peter Ladd from St. Lawrence University will discuss severe trauma counseling at 8:00p.m.
• Human trafficking prevention through awareness and education 8:30 p.m. with Sabel Bong.

All presentations will be held in the Kingston Theater.

Events for Tuesday, April 2:

• A 27-minute march from the post office in Downtown Canton to SUNY Canton. Twenty-seven minutes represents the 27 million individuals trafficked globally.
• Human Trafficking Identification Strategies at 6 p.m. with Dr. Brian Harte of SUNY Canton.
• Law enforcement training and trafficking in the North Country with Sgt. William Hall of Fort Drum at 7 p.m. in the Kingston Theater.
• A report from the ISAO on their recent trip to the United Nations in New York City at 8 p.m. in the Kingston Theater.

Presentations on Thursday, April 4:

• The Student written and directed play “Dehumanized” at 5:30 p.m.
• Songs by the SUNY Canton Gospel Choir at 6:30
• Spoken word by Eli Rinchere at 6:45
• Poetry by Takeya Campbell, Kenny’s Lawson, and others at 7 p.m.

All events will be held in the Kingston Theater.

The cofounder and CEO of Inforgence America LLC, will give a presentation “In Pursuit of Dreams in a Curved and Flat World,” at 4:30 p.m. Monday, April 18, in the Richard W. Miller Campus Center’s Kingston Theater. The event is free and open to the public.

“Our business education and legal studies programs place a great emphasis on international entrepreneurship and relations,” said SUNY Canton President Joseph L. Kennedy. “Yang Ni has had phenomenal success launching and maintaining businesses that rely on international partnerships between the United States, Europe and China. There is much to be learned from his success.”

Inforgence America is a digital publishing platform technology company that provides services to deliver magazines, books, newspapers, and other traditionally printed media on mobile devices, including Apple’s iPads and iPhones. The company pushes the boundaries of the technology to integrate video and audio effects within a well-designed user interface. Ni founded the company in 2010, and has launched more than 30 unique apps in both Chinese and American marketplaces.

Ni is the founder and chairman of several other companies, including CALNY Ventures, Inc., which helps entrepreneurs capitalize on international technology opportunities. “The world economy is rapidly becoming unified,” Kennedy said. “Startups in the United States rapidly must reach overseas to succeed. Each of Yang Ni’s businesses integrates and capitalizes upon the one-world economy.”

Among the other companies that Ni is involved with are Pacific Life Sciences Co. Ltd, which provides research and development testing for multinational pharmaceutical conglomerates, including Pfizer, Inc., and Merck and Co. He’s the general manager of the clean energy solution company Qiaoyang Technology Development Co., Ltd. and was the co-founder and president of Pharmaneer Holdings, Inc. In the past, he was executive vice president of Transnational Ventures, LLC, where he worked to advise both American and Chinese clients.

He has several major publications in the areas of globalization, law, and international relations and has previously presented to the New York State Bar Association on international law, among many other business, legal, and societal topics for a variety of audiences.

Ni earned his Juris Doctorate from Syracuse University College of Law and is a Ph.D. Candidate at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.

Media inquiries should be directed to Gregory Kie, Media Relations Coordinator, or call 315/386-7528.

SUNY Shakespeare

SUNY Canton Director of Residence Life Courtney B. Bish is making a special guest appearance in an upcoming Shakespearean comedic play.

Curtain time for the New England Shakespeare Festival’s presentation of “Taming of the Shrew,” and Bish’s debut, will be at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 1, in the Richard W. Miller Campus Center’s Kingston Theater.

“Taming of the Shrew” is a love story crafted in a comedy. The young and demure Bianca can marry any man she wants, but not until her elder sister Kate has found a husband. Unfortunately for Bianca, Kate is so obnoxious that no man wants anything to do with her. Kate’s generous dowry tempts the blustering suitor Petruchio, who is certain he can “tame” the wild Kate. Sparks fly as marriage and mayhem take center stage in the classic play.

“From what I’ve seen of this production company, they tend to make everything really fun and approachable,” Bish explains. “It’s very much Shakespeare for everyone, rather than just targeting an elite audience.”

New England Shakespeare, a touring company based in Deerfield, N.H., is dedicated to telling Shakespeare’s stories by staging his plays in the original Elizabethan style. “Taming of the Shrew” features a cast of veteran Shakespeare performers. The production is directed by Demitra Papadinis, New England Shakespeare’s founder and Artistic Director.

“What I enjoy most about this show is that it’s just good fun,” Papadinis said. “It’s easy to get hung up on the Chauvinism, but I think the story is not only extremely funny but also very touching. We’re excited to stage ‘Shrew’ as what it is: a light-hearted comedy about two people setting aside their differences and coming together.”

Media inquiries should be directed to Gregory Kie, Media Relations Coordinator, or call 315/386-7528.

Christopher tours the United States, educating civilians and military personnel on the issues faced by women in the military. She will be presenting at 7 p.m. Thursday Nov. 19 in the Richard W. Miller Campus Center’s Kingston Theater.

Christopher is a disabled veteran who served in the U.S. Navy. She now works with the non-profit organization Swords to Plowshares with the title of women veteran’s coordinator.

“Swords created my position to respond to the specific needs of the fastest growing cohort of the U.S. veteran population: Women,” Christopher said in a prepared statement to U.S. Senate’s Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. “My experiences have given me the passion and perseverance to do advocacy work on behalf of Swords to Plowshares. I mention this to illustrate that I am a VA consumer as well as a community avenue for my peers to seek and access care.”

Christopher will cover topics including:

• The history of women in the military.
• Current issues facing women veterans and women in the military.
• Current research and pending legislation regarding women associated with the military.
• Women veterans and military in the media.
• Women veterans’ stories and art.

This event is co-sponsored by the SUNY Canton Veteran’s Association, which helps maintain SUNY Canton as one of the premiere military friendly colleges in the North Country.

SUNY Canton offers a wide variety of career-driven bachelor’s, associate, and certificate programs. Most of SUNY Canton’s new four-year programs are designed so students can take them on-campus, online, or both. SUNY Canton OnLine features more than 100 courses online each semester. The College’s athletic teams belong to the NAIA’s Sunrise Conference, enabling students to compete in their respective sports for four years. Construction is now underway for the College’s new Convocation, Athletic, and Recreation Center.

Media arrangements should be made in advance by contacting SUNY Canton Public Relations at 315-386-7300, or email kie@canton.edu.

O’Donoghue said she has searched for, and found, a peaceful solution to the everlasting conflict between science and religion in her own life and has described that journey in her book. “The Sky is NOT a Ceiling.” She details a rich mix of science, spirituality, and mysticism that goes beyond religion to a universe without limits.

The award-winning astronomer and associate professor of physics at St. Lawrence University will be presenting her findings from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 28, and from 4 to 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 29, in the Richard W. Miller Campus Center’s Kingston Theater. Both events are free and open to the public.

O’Donoghue is a regular guest on National Public Radio and her work has been featured in national periodicals. She writes for Living Faith, and holds retreats and workshops across the country.

This is one of several college wellness programs offered during the fall semester. For more information, and for ways to get fit and live well, visit www.canton.edu/wellness.

SUNY Canton offers a wide variety of career-driven bachelor’s, associate, and certificate programs. Most of SUNY Canton’s new four-year programs are designed so students can take them on-campus, online, or both. SUNY Canton OnLine features more than 100 courses online each semester. The College’s athletic teams belong to the NAIA’s Sunrise Conference, enabling students to compete in their respective sports for four years. Construction is now underway for the College’s new Convocation, Athletic, and Recreation Center.