Community Week: October 14-19, 2019
Naropa University is proud to announce the theme of Community Week 2019: Just Joy! The week of free events will provide alumni, students, faculty, staff, and visitors to learn more about the university’s storied past, vibrant present, and exciting future through a variety of offerings including panel discussions, presentations, interactive workshops, contemplative practice offerings, and much more.
From October 18-19, we cordially invite parents & families to join us for Parent & Family Weekend, an opportunity to come and learn more about what your student is experiencing at Naropa University.
community week Schedule of Events*:
Monday, October 14
Beloved Community & Indigenous Peoples' Day
Mural Painting RISE; Courageous Conversations with Visiting Artist Gregg Deal
8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. // Arapaho: Green
Gregg Deal (Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe) is a provocative contemporary artist who challenges Western perceptions of Indigenous people, touching on issues of race, history and stereotypes. Through his work — paintings, murals, performance art, filmmaking and spoken word—Deal critically examines issues and tells stories of decolonization and appropriation that affect Indian country. Deal’s activism exists in his art, as well as his participation in political movements. www.greggdeal.com
Community Meal
12-1 p.m. // Arapaho: Green
Arapaho Campus Tour
1–2 p.m. // Arapaho: Lobby of Wulsin Hall
Join us for a guided tour and learn about the history of Naropa University and what’s on the horizon. Open to all.
Undergraduate Admissions Information Session
2–3 p.m. // Arapaho: Lobby of Wulsin Hall
Learn about contemplative education, the undergraduate curriculum, student life, financial aid, and much more. Open to all.
Chado: Way of Tea
3–6 p.m. // Arapaho: Tea House
Experience traditional Japanese tea ceremony in the intimate space of Naropa’s Tea House. Seating limited to six.
Tuesday, October 15
Community Practice Day
8:30 a.m-4:30 p.m. // Nalanda: various
Community Practice Day is a very special day we recognize at Naropa to engage in contemplative practice and workshops in the arts, in the spirit of honoring our roots and traditions. The morning keynote speaker will be Ringu Tulku Rinpoche at 10:30 a.m., and the day will conclude with Gregg Deal's "I Speak for Myself" at 3:30 p.m.
Alumni Luncheon
12:15–1:30 p.m. // Nalanda: 9235
Alumni are invited for a complimentary lunch to build community, make connections, and create new ways to enact positive change in the world. Open to alumni only.
Wednesday, October 16
Community Resilience Day
Living into the Work that Reconnects
12-1:20 p.m. // Arapaho: Performing Arts Center
Community Resilience Day is a celebration of humanity. Welcome the onset of Fall and live into the daily practice of co-creating regenerative community and resilience together. Come harvest tools and resources for personal and community resilience.This year, we practice gratitude in the midst of chaos. Come gather at this ritual, where we will connect to ourselves, each other and the Earth, with the extremely moving and timely work of Joanna Macy. Using storytelling, movement and art, experience a powerful introduction to the work that reconnects
"Invisible Eulogy" Performance by Visiting Artist Gregg Deal
2 p.m. // Arapaho: Performing Arts Center
Communi-Tea with Visiting Artist Gregg Deal
3 p.m. // Arapaho: Center for Culture, Identity & Social Justice
Arapaho Campus Tour
1–2 p.m. // Arapaho: Lobby of Wulsin Hall
Undergraduate Admissions Information Session
2–3 p.m. // Arapaho: Lobby of Wulsin Hall
Nalanda Campus Tour
4–5 p.m. // Nalanda: South Lobby
Join us for a guided tour of the Nalanda Campus, home of the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics, the School of the Arts, and the Naropa Community Art Studio. Open to all.
Evening meditation session: Mindfulness for Work, Life & Wellbeing
6:30-7:30 p.m. // Nalanda: Meditation Hall
Create community and strengthen your practice alongside others interested in mindfulness meditation. No experience necessary; faculty will review basic techniques during the session. Open to all.
Thursday, October 17
Keep Naropa Weird
12-4pm // Arapaho: Green
An invitation to play in a free, come-as-you-are, spontaneous, self-care, creative resistance event that will invigorate your wild Naropa fire! Silent disco DJ, Paint the Goose, Freak Flags, Mural, Spontaneous Poetry, PIZZA and more!
Arapaho Campus Tour
1–2 p.m. // Arapaho: Lobby of Wulsin Hall
Student Group Mixer
6-8 p.m. // Arapaho: Center for Culture, Identity & Social Justice
This mixer for student group leaders and members will provide opportunities for connection and collaboration, as well as support for hosting student events, fun, rejuvenation and delicious snacks!
Friday, October 18 (part of Parent & Family Weekend)
Arapaho Campus Tour
10–10:45 a.m. // Arapaho: Lobby of Wulsin Hall
Experience Naropa Open House
11 a.m-3 p.m. // Nalanda: various
Attend classes, meet with faculty and other community members, and discover the beauty and benefits of contemplative education. Prospective undergraduate students are invited to On-the-Spot Admissions! Skip the wait, apply for free, learn if you qualify for an academic scholarship, and receive an admissions decision all in one visit. Open to all.
Residence Hall Tour
3:30-4:30 p.m. // Start at Snow Lion, then to 2333 Arapaho
Parent & Family Opening Reception
6:30 p.m. // Arapaho: Pamela Krasney Pavilion & Sycamore Lounge
Mix, mingle, and learn about what’s in store for Naropa University. Light refreshments served.
ssickler@naropa.edu or 303-546-3594.
RSVP https://www.eventbrite.com/e/parent-family-weekend-2019-registration-72746431535
SparkTalks
7 p.m. // Arapaho: Performing Arts Center
Created as an invitation for alumni to come home to Naropa, SparkTalks offers a platform to showcase the wisdom of alums by sharing discoveries and applications of their education with the local community and a broader audience. Free and open to all, audience members will be treated to presentations centered around this year’s theme JustJoy – finding and maintaining joy amidst social justice activism. As a part of NU's annual Community Week, SparkTalks continues to inspire generations of mindful leaders and spark new ideas. Speaker's include: Carl Baccelleri - MA Contemplative Psychotherapy 1997, Sally Aderton - MA Creation Spirituality 2001, Regina Smith - MA Contemplative Psychotherapy & Buddhist Psychology 2012, Justin Bogardus - MA Contemplative Psychotherapy & Buddhist Psychology 2013, Leselie Grasa - MFA Contemporary Theatre Program 2016, Nora Alwah & Nic Aquino-Roithmayr - MA Somatic Counseling Psychology 2016 & MA Contemplative Psychotherapy and Buddhist Psychology, Jacenta Irlanda - Art Therapy 2017.
RSVP https://www.eventbrite.com/e/sparktalks-2019-tickets-50248397309
Breeze of Simplicity Keynote Talk: Sanity within Chaos
Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche
7-9 p.m. // Nalanda: Nalanda Events Center
Believe it or not, it is possible to dwell in a state of calmness even within the most intense periods of outer, or even inner, chaos. Fortunately for ourselves, the Buddha emphasized that we do not have to believe this; we can actually experience it for ourselves. Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche is a widely celebrated Buddhist teacher and the author of Emotional Rescue, Rebel Buddha, and other books. Rinpoche is acknowledged as one of the foremost scholars and meditation masters of his generation in the Nyingma and Kagyu schools of Tibetan Buddhism.
Tickets https://www.eventbrite.com/e/breeze-of-simplicity-sanity-within-chaos-tickets-67297830623
Saturday, October 19 - Parent & Family Weekend
Parent and Family Experiential
8:30-1:30 p.m. // Arapaho: The Learning Commons in Wulsin Hall
The Parent & Family Experiential offers parents and family of students a way to experience the uniqueness of a Naropa education. Parents and family will participate in a contemplative practice, a sample class, and engage with alumni and Naropa staff that serve students. Lunch will be provided. Open to parents and family of current Naropa students.
ssickler@naropa.edu or 303-546-3594.
RSVP https://www.eventbrite.com/e/parent-family-weekend-2019-registration-72746431535
*Naropa University welcomes participants with disabilities. Please contact Kristin Anderson-Bohan at 303-546-3593 to discuss disability accommodations needed to participate fully
in these events.