Wednesday, February 27, 2008. 9:00AM – 3:15PM
University of Dayton Law School (Keller Hall): Courtroom

Supported by: United Way of the Greater Dayton Area, University of Dayton’s Office of the President, National Conference for Community and Justice (NCCJ), University of Dayton’s Law School

Southwest Ohio, like much of the rest of the nation, has seen an increase in the number of foreign-born residents during the past decade, and Census projections are for this increase to continue.  Across the nation, community responses to increased immigration have varied.  Some have sought to restrict immigrant access to jobs, housing, and services, while others have accepted the newcomers and try to assist their adaptation to our society.  The kinds of responses communities undertake are likely to impact not only immigrants themselves but their children, many of whom are U.S. citizens by virtue of being born in the United States.

This forum will focus on the achievements and obstacles that immigrants in the Miami Valley have had as they try to become incorporated into our communities, specifically by utilizing a variety of services, from health care to public education.  The conference intends to bring together human service providers, health care professionals, member and leaders of local and regional organizations representing different immigrant populations, government officials, leaders in education, academics, and others to explore these issues and discuss how improvements can be made.  The conference will also be open to University of Dayton faculty, students, and staff.

Topics covered will include:

• Immigration categories and issues
• Access to health care and education
• Language issues and availability of interpreters for those not yet fluent in English
• Psychological and mental health needs
• Jobs and employment issues
• Statuses and needs of refugees
• Advocacy issues
• Immigrant human rights

Speakers will represent a variety of organizations, including Miami Valley Hospital, Catholic Social Services of the Miami Valley, Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services, Patterson-Kennedy School (Dayton), Catholic Social Action, Wright State University, and the University of Dayton.

There will be afternoon workshops organized around topics of interest (health care, education, etc.) where participants will talk about their practices, explore commonalities and effective strategies, and plan achievable goals through working together.

The Forum has been planned to complement The James J. Gilvary Symposium on Law, Religion, and Social Justice which will begin at the end of the Forum and continue the next day, Thursday, February 28.  The Gilvary Symposium will revolve around two themes: 1) the broad policy choices the United States faces in its re-evaluation of immigration policies, including the possibility of guest-worker programs; 2) tools and information legal practitioners need to best represent and counsel non-citizen clients.

Registration for the Miami Valley Forum on Immigration is through the Gilvary Symposium website (see below).

Registration Cost (will cover a catered lunch):
Included in the registration fee with meals ($40) for the Gilvary Symposium.
$12 if only attending the Miami Valley Forum on Immigration.

Registration for the Gilvary Symposium itself is free, but is $40 if meals are included.  There is also an option to purchase photocopies of handouts, etc. for the Gilvary that are available on their registration website.

To find out more about the Gilvary Symposium and its schedule, and to register for one or both conferences, go to: http://law.udayton.edu/GilvarySymposium

Alternatively, go to: http://law.udayton.edu. Under “News and Events,” click on 2008 Gilvary Symposium. You can register for either or both conferences by clicking: Click here to Register On-line. 

First Miami Valley Forum on Immigration:
Challenges and Opportunities for Immigrants in the Dayton Area

Wednesday, February 27, 2008
9:00AM – 3:15PM
University of Dayton Law School (Keller Hall): Courtroom

Introduction.  9:00 – 9:30am

Welcome and opening remarks. 
Marc Levy, President and CEO, United Way of the Greater Dayton Area.

Recent research on institutional accessibility for immigrants in the Miami Valley.
Dr. Theo Majka, Professor of Sociology, University of Dayton and Chair, Ethnic and Cultural Diversity Caucus.

Immigrant Issues Panel. Morning Session #1.  9:30 – 10:45am

Immigration categories/statuses and issues. Marilyn Zayas-Davis, immigration lawyer, Cincinnati.
Refugees. Pio Ngilik and Media Jyawook, Catholic Social Services of the Miami Valley.
Jobs & Employment. Maria Gosser, Clark County.
Immigrant Human Rights. Professor Mark Ensalaco, Political Science Department and head of University of Dayton’s Human Rights Program.
Advocacy and Lobbying. Cori Thibodeau, Catholic Social Action.

Human Services Panel. Morning Session #2. 11:00am – 12:15pm

Health care. Dr. Richard Wyderski M.D., Associate Clinical Professor and Associate Residency Program Director, Wright State University, Department of Medicine and Chair of the Continuing Medical Education at Miami Valley Hospital.
Education. Maria Rivera, teacher, Patterson-Kennedy School.
Mental Health. Erendira Lopez-Garcia, Clinical Psychologist, WSU, Office of Disability Services
Language issues/Interpreters. Julia Arbini Carbonell, Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services, Bureau of Civil Rights’ Cultural Diversity & LEP (Limited English Proficiency) section.

Lunch. 12:15-1:15pm (networking and a talk). Will be in the Atrium of the Law School.

Luncheon speaker: Charleston Cheng-Kung Wang, Cincinnati attorney specializing in immigration law. http://wanglaw.net/

Afternoon Session #1. 1:15-2:30pm. Workshops. Four or more concurrent sessions.

The sessions will be divided according to the issues and topics discussed in the morning sessions, e.g. health care, education, housing, refugees, advocacy/lobbying, etc.  People from different organizations will talk about their practices, explore commonalities, set goals, and plan for working together.  Each will have a facilitator and a reporter.

Afternoon Session #2. 2:30-3:15pm. Workshop report-backs and Forum wrap up.

The various sessions come back together, report on their conversations (the reporter takes the lead for each session), and discuss on possible achievable goals for the year.

The University of Dayton Law School’s Gilvary Symposium begins at 3:30 and continues the next day.  Their schedule for the rest of Wednesday:

3:30-5:00. Faith and the Immigration Debate
5:00-6:30. Dinner
6:30-7:15. Immigration Policy: A History and Overview of Current Issues
7:15-8:00. Guestworker Programs: The Moral and Legal Debate