ALAMOSA –The Adams State University Department of Sociology hosted students and faculty from Fort Lewis College and Western State Colorado University for the 11th Annual Undergraduate Sociology Conference, on April 7 and 8.

The event began on Friday evening at Calvillo’s Mexican Restaurant where the marimba band Espíritu Maya welcomed students and faculty with lively music. Following dinner, a presentation about the Rio Grande Farm Park took place. Director of the SLV Local Foods Coalition Liza Marron spoke about the history of the park. Director of the Rio Grande Farm Park Julie Mordecai updated the group about the park’s current projects, and board members Francisco Lucas and Lucia Nicolas expressed their deep commitment to growing food at the park site.

On Saturday, April 8, students from the three schools presented their original research. Among the eleven varied research projects presented were “Investigating Invisible Privilege,” by Rebecca Bay and Kirsten Salazar of ASU; “Alternative Embodiments: Bodybuilding, Ethics and the Hierarchization of Drives for Bodily Integrity,” by Doss Ramsey of Fort Lewis College; and “Local Narratives About the ‘War on Drugs’: Perspectives Among Gunnison Valley Residents,” by Veronica Wilde of Western State Colorado University.

The conference concluded with students and faculty engaged in stimulating discussions about the sociological implications of the research.

Caption: Students and faculty from Adams State, Fort Lewis College and Western State Colorado University, attended for the 11 Annual Undergraduate Sociology Conference. Courtesy photo