Case Studies in Peace Making

It has been quite a while since I have been able to blog but I will try to make up for the lost time here:

What I didn’t expect…

First I want to begin by talking about my challenges. I had a lot of difficulty managing the parts of my research and putting together my website. It always seemed like I had a lot of great ideas (sometimes too many) and that I couldn’t possibly narrow everything down. It was challenge trying to make sure that my research would follow the requirements in terms of evaluating conflict resolution. First, I had to decide to focus on one conflict withing my project to evaluate because there were several layers of conflict involved. I had to figure out how to satisfy my primary interest, which was how to evaluate the impact on the African American community. Initially, I thought I would be able to accomplish this by simply interviewing people and hoping for some revealing information. Since this project is so contemporary, I wasn’t sure of what other types of sources I could use without meeting with people. This is where the IRB came in and changed my entire project! Long story short, after all the weeks I put into putting together an extensive application I was denied. At this point I had to come up with another plan!

Of course my stubbornness would not allow me to change my topic, or change my research goals I wanted to do the same thing! So I did. For that reason, I struggled along lagging behind everyone else and that really gets to me because I am not used to asking for extensions or concessions when it comes to my work.  i met with several professors a long the way and they helped me devise a new plan which was to do a content analysis on the comments from a public hearing. I thought this sounded very boring and like a lot of work even though it would be an interesting way to accomplish what I needed.  With all the content in the database i was very overwhelmed and figured there was a computerized way to do this analysis through excel or some other program. I watched some YouTube videos to see if I could self-teach myself how to do a content analysis on the computer. This was not encouraging because again I am not a computer nerd, just a regular nerd! Dr. Manthei was able to help calm me down and show me at least how to narrow down the comments, but in the end I ended up doing it the old fashion way with pen/pencil, and highlighters. When I got this done I was so proud of myself I felt like I needed an award for just that but I had to snap back into reality because I still had an entire website to build!

At this point a lot had changed since I made the structure of my website and all the placeholders. This made it complicated for me because I had to decide what to keep and what was extra. I had to figure out what was visually appealing, and what made sense to the website visitor in terms of navigation as well. Around this time all of my other major assignments were due in my other classes so I had to do some prioritizing. It was really a different feel working on a large project like this where you never really know when you have completed a task or when you have completed the entire thing because its YOUR project. This project is something you could work on forever and never be done, so I ended up always doing work in my other classes first because they were more concrete in terms of what I needed to do. I really felt the impact of not having a partner at this point, I felt like it would have really helped me stay on task in terms of deadlines and having someone more accessible to share ideas with. I really appreciate everyone who did take extra time out to help me develop my ideas and connect with other people who could help me or provide resources.

I didn’t really get to play around with a lot of aesthetics on my website, but fortunately it still came out looking great! The only thing I really wish I had got a chance to put up there was information on the Springfield 1908 Race Riot, because the land where this riot happened will be acquired along with the rest of the project. I think this is a very huge and i will go back and add it later. This is very symbolic because African American people are losing a part of their history with this project.  My  project also pointed out how African Americans will be absorbing much of the impact made by this project and a symbol of their history will be lost as well.  Even though I was not able to expound upon this point, in the end I was really happy that I figured out a way to accomplish all the goals I set for this research project. I did not end up following my research plan almost at all, but I was able to bounce back from the challenges and accomplish all my research goals.

My goals were:

• Create a website that explained to the visitor (in easy terms) what the Springfield Rail Improvements project was about.
• Make the website easily navigable
• Provide links for visitors to learn more about the topic and related topics
• Tell a story in some way
• Relay the impact on the African American community
• Evaluate conflict resolution and communication
• Use the website as a tool to give a voice to underrepresented groups
• Create a website that could be used as a tool for similar projects in the future, or for conflict resolution in general
• Challenge myself to do something I had never done that would give me a lot of skills

What I learned…

I learned SO many things from this project i don’t think I can list them all here. I learned a lot about African American History and African American people in Springfield. I learned a lot about Springfield history and became more accustomed to the character and culture of the city. I learned how to build a website, and write for a website. I learned that research projects are often ongoing things and cannot always be accomplished in a short amount of time. I learned the importance of networking, time management, and planning for higher level academic work. Collaboration is a really important tool when it comes to research in my opinion. You can learn so much from one person to the next, but you also have to be careful with learning too much if you have hard deadlines because if you’re anything like me you will get lost in learning! Even though it all went so fast, I really want to commend our professors for how they structured this class I look up to them and hope I can be this creative and effective in my future career.  As a future professor, I am always double learning in a class. I have to learn the material and pay attention to effective and ineffective ways of teaching.

How I grew and transformed…

At the end of this project I became a better researcher and a better student. I believe moving forward I will be able to better prioritize my assignments. I learned more about myself during this challenge with technology including not to compare myself to others. I learned that I will probably always be a pen and paper kind of person and I will learn how to embrace that and plan for it. I have learned how to connect my ideas better and learn how to relate findings on the micro level to the macro level. I also learned the value of having evidence to back up an opinion rather than simply writing based on emotion. It feels good to be able to have valid evidence back up your research.

Peace & Love,

Abriana Robinson

Hello everyone!

I know it has been quite some time since I have blogged about my project. Probably because I felt like I was at a stand still and haven’t been accomplishing the Milestones at the rate I had planned. After reviewing my research plan, it actually looks like I’m not too far behind. I completed my IRB application a couple weeks ago and I am still waiting for approval. I am not too worried about getting all the videos I had planned because I know I can at least get some professors to speak with me if nothing else. When I do get approval, I have my interview materials reviewed and ready to go.

The next big step that I completed was gathering my video news clips and articles. I actually did this before I finished my IRB application, but I organized my materials into Google Drive so that I can easily access them. Some of these things I have already put on my website. Since my project is contemporary I am often confused about what to do next, what to write, how to structure my website without replicating another website, and how to present the information with purpose. Usually I can visualize these things in my head with no problem. Since I couldn’t I figured I would get help from some of the professors who offered to work with me. They have helped a lot during this process — with revising my materials and helping me brainstorm different angles to approach the project as well as work through some ideas. After countless emails and several meetings, I started to form a picture in my mind. Whether if it was because someone helped me reveal what I didn’t want my project to be or because they helped visualize what I did want it to be. Either way talking it through helps!

I have never had to make a website or a visual of a project without having to write a paper about it, so I made plenty of mistakes! I made the mistake of trying to go into my website and create a structure without asking for help or looking at the tutorials. Thanks to Tyler for taking the time out to try and help me! I am really not a tutorial or technology kind of person and go through tutorials drives me nuts! When Tyler and I couldn’t figure it out I went to Leah and Dr. Wallace, they were extremely helpful in helping me figure out how to use my website since it was a different theme than my blog. After that, I had to buckle down and learn the  tutorial. So the first mistake I made was thinking I could figure out how to structure a website by just playing around with it. The second mistake I made was trying to  make the website without a specific drawn out plan. I don’t think we were detailed enough in the beginning when we planned our websites. Maybe some of you felt that it could have been better planned before getting started as well? So I finally buckled down and wrote out my whole website with a pen and several sheets of paper so I could see all the pieces and arrange the paper how I wanted the website to look. At first I tried to avoid doing this because I wanted to be “savvy’ and be able to do stuff in word documents and online like most people probably have. Another thing I have learned from this project is to just be myself, I am a pen and paper kind of gal and I will probably always be that way. If nothing else, I now know that I can’t change that overnight or over a semester.

So this whole project I sort of look at like a “which one comes first the chicken or the egg” sort of thing. It was really hard trying to do a contemporary project in this light. Partially because I keep finding so much research on it, and partially because it was hard to keep order and abide by the course structure. Having to have everything written out for IRB is a headache because they want some things that we hadn’t gotten to in our course yet. Then not knowing whether they will approve you or not and having to figure out a way to continue on with constructing your website without the meat of your materials being accessible. So I had to figure out –let’s just put it this way ALOT! Such a disorderly process as this freaks me out especially under time constraints because there was no specific path for me to follow and I love order.

On a better note, I got to go out in the field and take pictures of some of the sites myself. This was really fun for me for two reasons. The first reason is because I love photography, especially documentary photography. The second reason is because I felt like a journalist going out into the field and being able to evaluate for myself what the sites were like and why the city felt they were unsafe, or why they may have chosen the site, or how it might affect people. Oh! I also went to the archives with one of my professors and saw documents from a previous rail improvements project in Springfield, as well as information on redlining in the city which is what initially brought my attention to this project!

With my structure all written out, I just need to get everything up on the website and make aesthetic changes. I have already put in place holders for where I will type in information. I wish everyone the best of luck and a smooth time with their websites!

Peace & Love,

Abriana

Hello everyone!

Since the last class I have finished all of my application materials for the IRB and turned them in to a couple professors who are helping me through the process. As I am waiting for there responses (there are a couple areas I did not know how to fill out) I have been conducting interview question and reviewing material. Doing the IRB research training and application has helped me tremendously even though it wasn’t in the plan. I have learned a considerable amount about doing ethical research including the history and principles, defining research with human subjects, assessing risk, and informed consent. Prior to this project I didn’t know anything about the process of getting approved to do research and I want to be a researcher (Professor). So even though I want to complain about it I can’t.

I had some in depth conversations with my project mentors and I was given some really good insight. One of my professors even agreed to be interviewed when the time comes. It felt really good to get so much good feedback on my project and ideas. After these deliberations I decided that I would not try to contact actual families that were displaced because I feel that it will take too long and add extra “risks” and “permissions” to my IRB application. However, I think I can get the same effect from business owners, and stakeholders, I am really looking forward to interviewing professors and hearing their expertise on the matter. I drafted some alternative ideas for completing my project if I can’t get the interviews done as I would like to, although I think I will be able to make this happen.  I also changed some of the wording in my proposal to give a more complete idea of what my project will look like.

I really need to start doing the “busy” work of this project which is putting my materials into the format that it will appear on my website.  My OCD is also kicking in when it comes to my research plan because everything is sort of up in the air due to the IRB process. I feel like I’m behind on the whole process but I will be working really hard over the next couple of days to get everything in place.I was really contemplating changing the dates on my research plan even though Dr. Welch advised against it just because I know I can’t keep up with the dates. I am definitely feeling the repercussions of not having a partner right about now.

I have inserted my project contract below.

Project Title:
The Springfield Railroad Improvements Project: Community Voices

Mission/Goal of Project:
The Springfield Railroad Improvements Project is a $314 million-dollar railroad consolidation project in the city of Springfield, Illinois. Construction began September 2014, and it is expected to be completed in the year 2020. The sponsors include The City of Springfield, Sangamon County, and IDOT (Illinois Department of Transportation). City of Springfield has hired Hanson Professional Services to design and manage the project. Hanson reports that the reason for this rail consolidation is two-fold: to promote public safety and to reduce vehicular travel times and congestion. This project requires 42 acres of land to be completed in accordance with the approved design, which will require land acquisition of 117 residential displacements, and 50 commercial displacements. My research will explore the land acquisition process and its effects on the African American community. I will explore, analyze, and present aspects of the displacement process from the perspectives of SRIP sponsors as well as several key stakeholders involved. To gain full perspective of the Springfield Rail Improvements Project and its impact on the community, I will be doing interviews with 3 – 6 professors from UIS who can share their expertise on the topic. I will also be conducting interviews with 5 –10 stakeholders who are involved or have been impacted by the Springfield Rail Improvements Project. The main objective of this website is not only to provide a resource for conflict resolution, but also to give the parties involved a voice.

Relevance:
As we continue to progress as a society, urban improvements are inevitable – whether the purpose is public safety, urban vitality, or simply basic land development, there will always be an impact on the community. It is important to explore the SRIP as a conflict because it involves major reconstruction and land acquisition which significantly adds to the city of Springfield’s unique story. Although the SRIP will make an environmental, social, and economic impact, I will focus on the impact it will make on the African American community – particularly displacement. I expect to report the current strategies used by Hanson Professional Services to prevent and resolve conflict, as well as opinions and feedback from the public. With the development of this project website I hope to provide a resource for those who may be interested in civic welfare, peaceful land development, urban planning, stakeholder negotiation, and conflict resolution. Although this website can be used by a broad audience as a resource for conflict resolution, it will be most relevant to a local audience. This project will focus on community conflict that affects minority groups, and will highlight conflict resolution that promotes diversity and equality.

 My website will contain the following tabs/pages/information: My project is a contemporary issue, so the majority of its information will not be historical. For this reason, my website will be very informative, explanatory, and almost journalistic. I will include videos/interviews from Hanson Professional Services, historians/academics, and key stakeholders. I will also include photographs of areas and or people that have been affected by the Springfield Rail Improvements Project.

Technical details: Considering the fact that the SRIP is a complex project that covers a vast area, and will be completed in phases, I would like for my website to be very user friendly and easy to navigate. My objective is to create a layout that will allow users who know nothing about the project to become fluent and informed about the topic. I would like to minimize the amount of overwhelming text, and try to break the information up into digestible paragraphs.

Tools/Programs
Interactive Maps: The SRIP is hard to conceptualize without a map. For this reason, I would like to include an interactive map so that my audience will be able to visually compare existing conditions versus the future design in real time by just hovering over the different areas. I will also design a map that presents city demographics as well as displacement/land acquisition. This will help the audience visualize how the land acquisition will impact the African American community.

Timeline: My inclusive timeline will include major events related to the project and its impact on the African American community. This will help the audience understand both the development and the outcomes of the project in a linear fashion.

MetaSlider: I will use MetaSlider to embed a slideshow of photos with relevant photos.
YouTube: I will use YouTube as a tool to easily embed videos of interviews on my website.
Search Feature: I will include a search box so that users can quickly locate specific information.

Hello all,

I feel a lot better after creating my research plan, just like I felt better after completing the proposal. I actually wish we had to create a research plan sooner because giving myself these deadlines for specific tasks has helped me finally conceptualize my project. I finally got in contact with the correct IRB person from my school and unfortunately I will have to go through the entire process. First I have to do a 3 hour training that my instructor of record also has to complete, and then I have to do a 10 page application. After the application is completed, I have to wait for feedback on what changes they would like for me to make and then after approval, I can proceed with my research. I asked how long the entire process could take once I turn in my application and the estimated wait time is 2 weeks. I am hoping this doesn’t push much further because I have planned to do my interviews in the 2nd milestone. I have to work really hard to get everything completed for the application really soon otherwise I don’t think my project will work.

COPLAC – Case Studies in Peace Making – Research Plan – Abriana Robinson

Hello all,

My focus over the past week has been preparing myself for interviews. The first thing I did was make a list of potential people I want to interview. I collected this list of people from having conversations with other people about the possibilities of potential interviews – or simply people that would know more about the topic. Now my challenge will be prioritizing which interviews will be my priority. Perhaps I could make a general list of priorities for the website as a whole and that will help me identify what interviewees will receive priority.   I also need to concentrate on breaking down the collected information and consolidating it into a presentable form.

By tomorrow, I will have constructed a template email to send out to perspective interviewees. I will also try to write out some keys points of discussion if I have to call someone to schedule an interview. I think it will be a good idea to review the videos on oral history so it will be fresh in my mind before an interview.

I look forward to using the time we have designated for class for interviews and working on my website. I am hoping people’s schedules will match with the Tuesday class time we have set aside to work on it. If not, the show will carry on! Please let me know what challenges and successes you guys have with interviewing and pre-organizing things for your website !

Peace & Love,

Abriana Robinson

Updates:

I was very encouraged after meeting with the Jimmie Austin the community contact for Hanson Professional Services last week. He was very welcoming and invited me to meet with him to answer an of my questions. I was able to get a complete understanding of the scope of the project while looking at a huge map of the city. He even gave me this map and a couple others to take home with me! He discussed some details regarding the land acquisition process and how property owners have responded to it thus far. I was enlightened on some of the relevant programs they have been using to help property owners through the process –  such as Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition for the Federally-Assisted Programs Act. He encouraged me to reach out to him with any other concerns or questions, and he was happy to do any video interviews in the future. He also informed me more in detail about the safety hazards involved with the existing railroad tracks. I was informed that there had been several recent accidents and death that involved the train tracks. I will be looking for news coverage on some of these incidents to possibly include them on my website.  I look forward to working with him as he was really easy to talk to and he is actually from Springfield, IL area.

I struggled previously honing in on a specific topic for my conflict, but after speaking with Mr.Austin it became more clear to me what it is I want to focus on.  There are a couple areas where at least 80% of the homeowners that had to be displaced for this project were African American. My focus is the impact the land acquisition will make on the African- American communities, specifically business owners and property owners. I am under the impression at this point that Springfield and Hanson Professional Services has done a very thorough job at making this process as smooth as possible for all parties involved. There are other aspects of the project that affect African American history, which includes the excavation of the Springfield 1908 Race Riot site. This site is of great importance to the African American community, I was told that this event even led to the formation of the NAACP. This is another area of conflict that must be explored because the land at this site is being used for the SRIP. There were many people who cared deeply about its history and contested its use. As I said this is a very large project and it includes a lot of information, history, stakeholders, etc., so I will be doing my best as to get a complete story for my audience without overwhelming myself !

Title:
Catchy Title: Tentative
Title: The Springfield Railroad Improvements Project: Effects on the African American Community

Mission/Goal of Project:
The Springfield Railroad Improvements Project is essentially a $314 million dollar railroad consolidation project in the city of Springfield, Illinois. Construction began September 2014 and it is expected to be completed in the year 2020. The sponsors include The City of Springfield, Sangamon County, and IDOT (Illinois Department of Transportation). The City of Springfield has hired Hanson Professional Services to design and manage the project. The reason for this rail consolidation is two-fold: to promote public safety and to reduce vehicular travel times and congestion. This project requires 42 acres of land to be completed in accordance with the approve design, which will require land acquisition of 117 residential displacements, and 50 commercial displacements. My research will explore the land acquisition process and its effects on the African American community. I will explore, analyze, and present aspects of the displacement process from both the perspectives of property owners and the SRIP sponsors as well as several key stakeholders involved. The main objective of this website is not only to provide a resource for conflict resolution, but also to give the parties involved a voice. I would also like to explore and present similar historical projects that may have presented a conflict for further comparison.

Relevance:
As we continue to progress as a society urban improvements are inevitable – whether the purpose is public safety, urban vitality, or simply basic land development, there will always be an impact on the community. It is important to explore the SRIP as a conflict because it involves major reconstruction and land acquisition. Although the SRIP will make an environmental, social, and economic impact, I will focus on the impact it will make on the African American community – particularly displacement. I expect to report several approaches to resolving this conflict and others similar to this one. With the development of this project website I hope to provide a resource for those who may be interested in civic welfare, peaceful land development, conflict negotiation, and conflict resolution. This project will focus on conflict that affects minority groups, and highlight conflict resolution that promotes diversity and equality.

My website will contain the following tabs/pages/information:
My project is a contemporary issue, so the majority of its information will not be historical. For this reason, my website will be very informative, explanatory, and almost journalistic. I will include videos/interviews from Hanson Professional Services, historians/academics, community representatives, displaced property owners, and key stakeholders. I will also include photographs of areas and or people that have been affected by the Springfield Rail Improvements Project. I expect to include a timeline that will display all major events.

Technical details:

Considering the fact that the SRIP is a complex project that covers a vast area, and will be completed in phases, I would like for my website to be very user friendly and easy to navigate. My objective is to create a layout that will allow users who know nothing about the project to become fluent and informed about the topic. I would like to minimize the amount of overwhelming text, and try to break the information up into digestible paragraphs.

Tools/Programs:

Interactive Maps: The SRIP is hard to conceptualize without a map. For this reason, I would like to include an interactive map so that my audience will be able to visually compare existing conditions versus the future design in real time by just hovering over the different areas. I will also design a map that presents city demographics as well as displacement/land acquisition. This will help the audience visualize how the land acquisition will impact the African American community.

Timeline: My inclusive timeline will include major events related to the project and its impact on the African American community. This will help the audience understand both the development and the outcomes of the project in a linear fashion.

MetaSlider: I will use MetaSlider to embed a slideshow of photos with relevant photos.

YouTube: For embedding videos of interviews.

Search Feature: I will include a search box so that users can quickly locate specific information.

I wanted to have a conversation with someone who could better help me understand exactly what the Springfield Rail Improvements Project will consist of. I wanted to understand the process better so I can take a deeper look into related conflicts and be able to have an informed conversation about it. It would have been extremely helpful if I could have been at the last open house they had which was August 17th (too soon). I decided to go to the SRIP Community Resource Center to to gather more information. Unfortunately, I found out that the Resource Center is no longer open, but I was able to get brochures and talk to someone with more contact information.

I was able to make an appointment to speak with Jimmie Austin from Hanson Professional Services, he is the community contact for the project. He also oversees the stakeholder meetings. I found out that there is another meeting coming up September 27th that I plan to attend. I located meeting minutes from all of the previous meeting which include the presentations and the questions and comments from the meetings. I plan to go through these minutes through the next couple days. I have made a list of stake holders that I plan to meet with to get more information. The project website is full of resources and contact information, I can even see who has had a presentation about SRIP at their business or organization. Something I was particularly interested in was the list of properties that had been affected by the land acquisition for this project.

I will be constructing an email to send out to stakeholders especially the representative from the NAACP in Springfield and Springfield Public School Board. I really want to get both sides of the story, not just from Hanson who is carrying out the project – this will help me find the conflict. I really want to find out how this project is affecting the African-American community specifically businesses and neighborhoods. I have written out a list of questions to ask Hanson and I will start constructing a list of questions to ask stake holders.

I am still a little leery about when to start recording my interviews because I don’t want to miss anything but I don’t want to come into a situation with a camera. As of right now, I will meet with people first and I guess if I feel it is something I need to record I will talk to them about doing it in the future. Also, I still have not heard back from the IRB at my school so this has been in the back of my head. I have also been watching YouTube videos on how to conduct interviews.

I used Google Maps to plot the points of the main locations the SRIP will affect. This map includes 3 future corridors and 3 underpasses. One of the underpasses on Carpenter Street has already been constructed. Ash Street is the next location where an underpass will be created.

Hello All,

This has been a crazy weekend for me, even though a huge chunk of my time was devoted to getting my apartment together after a major leak, I was still able to make some progress on my project. The first thing I was able to accomplish was reaching out to people on my campus and in the community in efforts to try to build a team. I sent out a semi-mass email just letting people know what I was doing and giving them information about the course, links to my blog, the course website, and requesting their help. I am still working on responding to each person individually for what I think they could best help me with. It was good to hear how willing everyone was to help out!

Next, I went searching for more in depth information on my topic. So far I have chosen to narrow it down to the Springfield Railroad Consolidation. I came across the project website where I was able to find a plethora of information including the complete plan, financial/budget charts, a PowerPoint presentation and links to points of contact. One of the most valuable resources I found was information on their resource center – they have a center here in town that is open three days a week if anyone wants to get more information. I plan on visiting this week, as well as visiting each railroad crossing on the map and jotting down notes about the area including businesses, and neighborhood demographics. The Resource Center even offers presentations for businesses and community groups – I am considering pairing up with an organization on campus and requesting an informational presentation for UIS.

As of right now, the hardest thing is figuring out how to narrow down my options to choose one specific conflict. This has been a challenge for me because usually in research you let the research define itself. This is definitely different for me because I feel like I have to choose to research something that I already have to know has some sort of resolution to report. I am also conflicted on just how contemporary I want this project to be. I feel like if I do what I really want to do, I will break all the rules for the assignment! I want to do this project interview/documentary style, but I will try not to focus on that so much and use it as an asset. I am really hoping to meet with Professor Saunders soon so that I can learn about permissions when it comes to video and photography. I am also planning to take an online training for the IRB process at my university. I hoping that after this week I will have better defined ideas, and a plan for my project.

Peace & Love,

Abriana

Hello Everyone!

Week 1 and the week prior, was total chaos for me. I wasn’t sure if I was going to stay enrolled in this class because my partner had to drop the class and I was concerned about balancing the work load. However, I decided to stick with the class because I believe when it is all over with it will be more than worth it. Since technology is getting more and more advanced it is definitely not my strong suit – I think this has been my greatest anxiety about this class. I am a very hands-on, visual learner and the thought of my professors and classmates being across the country freaks me out.

After really going through the syllabus several times I feel more confident after dissecting and digesting what is actually required of me. This class started a week before my other classes so I am still in the process of organizing my life for this semester. It feels good to finally get in here and get started on something. I have never done a blog before so understanding the etiquette of a blog is still new to me!

I have reached out to several professors who I plan on using as resources for this project. I am in the process of constructing an information email that will include everyone I plan to have on my team. I want everyone who is helping me to have an understanding of what I need and what is required of me. So far I look forward to researching more about the segregation in the city of Springfield. So far I have researched and learn a little bit about the Springfield, IL race riot in 1908, I will be taking a deeper look at this over the weekend!

Peace and Love,

Abriana

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