XCIT+Meetings+(2015-2016)

Over the 2015-2016 academic year, the inaugural Xavier Contemplative Inquiry Team met on alternating Mondays, 12:00pm – 12:50pm, in the Mellon Seminar Room (LRC 532B). These notes are provided to document the work of the team.

Participants

 * 1) Rene Akbar
 * 2) Bart Everson (facilitator)
 * 3) Wendy Gaudin
 * 4) Donna Gould
 * 5) Nicole Greene
 * 6) MaPó Kinnord
 * 7) Ross Louis (sabbatical)
 * 8) Herb McGuin
 * 9) Robin Runia
 * 10) Lisa Schulte
 * 11) Jason Todd

Agenda

 * 1) Three bell meditation
 * 2) Report on "Foundations of Mindfulness" workshop (Wendy)
 * 3) Report on yoga sessions (Robin)
 * 4) Report on OLC Innovate 2016 (Bart)
 * 5) Final practice: phone meditation
 * 6) Review of personal practice
 * 7) Discussion: Chapter 5 of //CP in HE//
 * 8) Call for participation, 2016-2017
 * 9) Collecting evidence: survey on effectiveness and impact of participation in XCIT
 * 10) Restorative Justice in Motion, Theatre for Solidarity
 * 11) Summer meditations

Agenda

 * 1) Three bell meditation
 * 2) Gratitude practice with Lisa Schulte
 * 3) Review of personal practice
 * 4) Discussion: Chapter 4 of //CP in HE//
 * 5) Call for participation, 2016-2017
 * 6) Collecting evidence

Agenda

 * 1) Three bell meditation
 * 2) Breath practice with Robin Runia
 * 3) Review of personal practice
 * 4) Discussion: Chapter 3 of //CP in HE//
 * 5) Webinar 29 March: [|The Science of Contemplative Practice and the Practice of Contemplative Science]
 * 6) Call for participation, 2016-2017

Agenda

 * 1) Three bell meditation
 * 2) Review of personal goals
 * 3) Discussion: Chapter 2 of //CP in HE//
 * 4) Call for participation, 2016-2017

Agenda

 * 1) Three bell meditation
 * 2) Special guest: Sr. Consulata

Notes
Sr. Consulata spoke to us about the spirituality of the Laguna people, covering much ground from landforms to cornmeal to fetishes to salt to the Prayer of the Four Directions.

Agenda

 * 1) Discussion: Chapter 1 of //CP in HE//
 * 2) Exercise: pinch pots (MaPó Kinnord)

Notes
So much fun.

Agenda

 * 1) Three bell meditation
 * 2) Exercise: walking meditation (Wendy Gaudin)
 * 3) Inviting guests for future meetings
 * 4) Reading plan for // Contemplative Practices in Higher Education //

Notes
Our next meeting (15 Feb.) will take place in the Art Village, and our practice will involve working with clay under the tutelage of MaPó. Reading for next time will be chapter one of our book, //Contemplative Practices in Higher Education//. Bart will price cushions and look into purchasing some for the meditation room of the chapel. Sr. Donna will reach out to a Laguna Pueblo practitioner who is coming to Xavier to see if she might be available to speak to us. Herb apprised us of the availability of Films on Demand through the library. Bart will craft an invitation to next year's XCIT and run it by the group electronically. Finally, Wendy led us in a walking meditation after a brief discussion of our reading, which came from //[|Awakening of the Heart]// by Thích Nhất Hạnh.

Agenda

 * 1) Three bell meditation
 * 2) Presentation: Mindfulness for You and Your Students

Notes
Bart gave a presentation on mindfulness which included a brief practice session. Copies of //Contemplative Practices in Higher Education// were distributed.

Agenda

 * 1) Three bell meditation
 * 2) Presentation: Mindfulness for You and Your Students (deferred)
 * 3) Semester update: personal and group
 * 4) Looking ahead to next semester

Notes
In this meeting participants shared updates on how the semester had developed, and we discussed what we'd like to get out of the group in the coming semester. Participants also confirmed their commitment to continuing with the group next semester. A clear consensus emerged, and in the spring we will aim for a more consistently structured approach consisting of three elements: readings, practice, and dialog. In each meeting we will engage in a practice, led by participants on a rotating basis. Each facilitator may recommend a short reading; in addition we will be reading selections from //Contemplative Practices in Higher Education//, copies of which will be purchased for all participants. We will reserve time in each meeting for dialog which may pertain to the practice, the readings, or other salient matters. We may also change it up once or twice with outside speakers or a trip to the art village. Participants were also invited to nominate team members for travel support to the Summer Session on Contemplative Pedagogy.

Agenda

 * 1) Three bell meditation
 * 2) Informal discussion

<span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 1.1em;">Agenda

 * 1) Three bell meditation
 * 2) How shall we best contribute to //Well-Being & Sustainability at Xavier// ?

<span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">XCIT Meeting 4
19 October 2015

<span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Agenda

 * 1) Three bell meditation
 * 2) Updates: [|ACMHE 7: Building Just Communities], Laudato Si study group, Well-Being & Sustainability Seminar grant
 * 3) Follow-up: [|Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire]

<span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">XCIT Meeting 3
28 September 2015

<span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Agenda

 * 1) Three bell meditation
 * 2) Discussion: "Creating Beloved Communities: Academic Capitalism, Adaptive Leadership, and the ContemplativeProject" at [|ACMHE 7: Building Just Communities]
 * 3) Budget review
 * 4) Updates: Laudato Si study group, Well-Being & Sustainability Seminar grant proposal
 * 5) Self-assessment: [|Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire]

<span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">XCIT Meeting 2
14 September 2015

<span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Agenda

 * 1) Three bell meditation
 * 2) Sharing our personal practices
 * 3) Housekeeping: XCITRON, photos, readings
 * 4) Bart will be on a panel, "Creating Beloved Communities: Academic Capitalism, Adaptive Leadership, and the ContemplativeProject" at [|ACMHE 7: Building Just Communities]
 * 5) Notice of tai chi sessions: Thursdays 8-8:50AM, beginning 17 September and continuing for eight weeks, location TBA
 * 6) For next time?

XCIT Meeting 1
31 August 2015

Agenda

 * 1) Three bell meditation
 * 2) Foundational premises and definitions
 * 3) Goals
 * 4) Finding our format(s)
 * 5) Well-being & sustainability seminar

<span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Special events

 * Kickoff: [|Establishing and Maintaining a Personal Practice of Contemplation]
 * [|The Goal of No Goal: Assessing Contemplative Practice]