麻豆视频最新最全 Today followed a group of Golden Flashes for the 2023-24 academic year chronicling their efforts and successes during the fall and spring semesters. The group included students, faculty and administrators who are in different places on their 麻豆视频最新最全 journeys.
May 4, 2024, will be Alison Caplan鈥檚 first May 4 as director of 麻豆视频最新最全鈥檚 May 4 Visitor Center. She became the center鈥檚 new director on July 18, 2023. 麻豆视频最新最全 Today has featured Caplan as part of its 鈥淵ear with a Flash鈥� series and she has provided previews and insights into the exhibitions at the center this year.
Caplan has said that in her new position, she found herself 鈥�learning through the lens of history.鈥� In this interview, Caplan shared her impressions of some of the unique and interesting things she has seen in her time as director.
The 鈥榚nergy and experience of May 4 moments鈥�
One of Caplan鈥檚 memorable May 4 experiences this year didn鈥檛 happen on campus. She had traveled to Washington, D.C., on sightseeing trip. Before she left campus, she had an idea to create a crayon rubbing of the names on the and, as the director of the May 4 Visitor Center, take it to the Vietnam War Memorial in the nation鈥檚 capital.
鈥淪o, I went there at I鈥檓 trying to figure out where May 4 is in the timeline,鈥� Caplan said. 鈥淚 found a volunteer and we were going through the book, and he said 鈥榊ou know what? One of our other volunteers is a 麻豆视频最新最全 graduate and I bet he鈥檇 love to talk with you about this.鈥欌€�
鈥淚t鈥檚 one of those, I call it 鈥楳ay 4 moments,鈥� where there is this kind of magic around May 4 when you鈥檙e working on something or doing something related to it,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 kind of an interesting energy and experience. There鈥檚 always someone who鈥檚 a Kent alum or connected to it somehow that has a story to tell.鈥�
鈥淗e came over and we had the great conversation,鈥� Caplan said. 鈥淲e talked about the commemoration and the center and his connection to Kent when he was on campus.鈥�
People Want to Share Their Stories
On another occasion, Caplan and her colleagues were taking someone from the Ohio House of Representatives on a VIP tour of the center and memorial, when she noticed a man in the Taylor Hall parking lot reading the signage there. One of her coworkers asked, 鈥淪hould we let him know there鈥檚 a museum inside?鈥�
鈥淪ometimes that happens,鈥� Caplan said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e working on signage right now to let people know that there鈥檚 a dedicated space devoted to telling this story.鈥�
鈥淲e got him in, and as I was giving the tour, he broke down crying and told us his story of his experience,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 think a lot of times there are these moments where you have students, or you have visitors, you have someone who has experienced May 4 or they鈥檝e been on campus who comes through and wants to tell and share their story with other visitors, which is always an amazing moment.鈥�
鈥楳ay 4 Is Not One Moment on Campus鈥�
When Caplan conducts student tours of the May 4 Visitors Center, she talks about the First Amendment, she talks about voting and talks to students about the importance of using their voices. Once, as she was leading a group of students on a tour, a group of students who were involved in a protest could be seen as they walked by the windows of the center.
鈥淚t was such an interesting moment,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ecause a lot of time, I鈥檒l introduce tours and say 鈥楳ay 4 is not just one moment on campus, when students were engaged politically to speak their minds and speak up. It鈥檚 something that鈥檚 part of our history, but it鈥檚 also part of what is special about 麻豆视频最新最全 that we can do in a way that鈥檚 respectful, meaningful, and safe.鈥欌€�
Inviting People to the Space
As part of her work on the May 4 Education Committee, she works on creating programs and bringing in speakers and is always thinking of ways to use the classroom space inside the center. She also works closely with the staff from the and the . Those librarians and archivists engage people to share their May 4 and 麻豆视频最新最全 stories.
She鈥檚 also thinking of ways to use the space as a place to reflect when there鈥檚 not active programming occurring.
鈥淲e鈥檙e looking at ways we collect visitor response,鈥� Caplan said. 鈥淎 lot of what we have now in the center is digital, but we鈥檝e been looking at whiteboards, Post-it notes and other ways that museums, even museums on campus like the Fashion Museum, get people to engage in a collective conversation.鈥�
鈥淚 think we may do an experiment like that to think about how our students are keeping the spirit of May 4 alive.
Engaging Students With May 4
In the fall semester, Caplan wanted to get students who were new to 麻豆视频最新最全 engaged with the story of May 4 with activities. They were invited to make things, create, think and reflect in new ways. 鈥淥ne thing I learned was that college freshmen don鈥檛 always feel comfortable doing that,鈥� she said. 鈥淭his was a new space to them, and I think they feel kind of judged and uncomfortable around their peers and professors. So, they were not the biggest customers on that.鈥�
鈥淲e had a number of high school students come through and they went to town,鈥� Caplan said. 鈥淭hey were coloring, they were creating they were making buttons. So, one of the things were going to work toward is building our field trip audience in the spring, in April and post-May 4 for middle and high school students in language and art classes to come in and engage with this topic.鈥�
