Politics
When is an idea good enough to carry the day? Just ask politics professor Peyi Soyinka-Airewele and Joey Gaskins, who convinced the College not only to grant funding for theirs but also to triple the amount they had expected. “After getting such a great response, we both danced down the hallway!” Joey recalls.
The funds were given in support of an HIV/AIDS film festival at the 14th International Conference on AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections in Nigeria. A joint effort between Ithaca College and the University of Abuja, the festival was nearly two years in the planning by Professor Soyinka-Airewele, several students, and an alumna.
As volunteer publicity director of the festival, Joey had an important role: editing a booklet that would demonstrate -- simply and visually -- the value of film in promoting discussion about HIV and AIDS among young Africans.
“Peyi trusted that I was up to the task -- she gave me a key to her office and a deadline,” says Joey. Their collaborations paid off: hundreds of young Africans traveled to Abuja to view the films -- a major achievement for any conference, let alone one usually attended by academics and medical professionals.
Joey believes passionately in the importance of being a “scholar-practitioner” -- someone who bridges the gap between the ivory tower and the real world -- and he has found a kindred soul in Professor Soyinka-Airewele. “Her world doesn’t end at the classroom door,” he says.