Nielsen Events for the Spring Semester
Todd May | Feb. 3, 2026
We are super excited about the upcoming events this spring funded by the donation of the estate of Helmar Nielsen. There will be three major events this semester.
First, on Thursday, Feb. 26, from 11:50 a.m. - 12:40 p.m., the third Nielsen luncheon features Alysia Sawchyn discussing her new book, “I Have This Thing for Flowers.” A free lunch will be provided in Canon Lounge, where Sawchyn will offer a short presentation followed by open discussion. Fortify yourself with tacos and join the event!
Second, on March 26 from 7 - 8:30 p.m., we are hosting a panel discussion, “The Struggle Against Solitary Confinement,” in Canon Lounge. The three speakers are Jules Lobel, Jack Morris and Dolores Canales. Lobel was the lead attorney on the Pelican Bay case, which succeeded in gaining the release of prisoners from the largest solitary confinement facility in the country. Morris was one of his clients and an activist in Pelican Bay, where he had been incarcerated in solitary confinement for 35 years. Canales is also a prison activist whose son was incarcerated. Those who remember Chenjerai Kumanyika’s fall talk will not want to miss this one.
Finally, the third Nielsen student/faculty/staff panel on “What is Race?” will be held in the library mezzanine on April 16 from 5:30 - 6:30 p.m. Faculty members Susan Ortiz and Delicia Daniels and students Marcus Andrews and Mia Veteto will address the question of what race is, followed by audience discussion. The previous two panels on “What is Democracy?” and “What Makes a Meaningful Life” were hotbeds of discussion. This panel promises to be just as exciting.