What's Happening

January 4, 2020, Adrian, Michigan – As we begin another presidential election year, Weber Retreat and Conference Center is hosting a series of monthly talks in preparation for Election Day. The 2020 Election Issues Series: Becoming an Informed Voter is offered on Tuesdays from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Each session features an expert or team of experts discussing a major election issue. The schedule is as follows:

• January 28, 2020 – Former State Representative Doug Spade and his Chief of Staff Mike Clement set the tone for the series with the presentation, “Be an Informed Voter.”
  
  
• February 25, 2020 – Claire Robinson and Ella Rumsey, members of the Washtenaw County Chapter of March for our Lives, discuss gun legislation.
  
  
• March 31, 2020 – Andrew Sarpolis, an environmentalist and organizer with the Sierra Club, offers a presentation on the Green New Deal.
  
  
• April 28, 2020 – A representative of the Michigan Campaign Finance Network discusses campaign finance.
  
  
• May 26, 2020 – Valerie Jean Blakely, a representative of the Michigan Chapter of the Poor People’s Campaign, addresses poverty issues.
  
  
• June 30 – Jan Salsberry, Chair, and Carolyn Vertin, a member of the Tecumseh/Lenawee County Unit of the League of Women Voters Ann Arbor, speak about voters’ rights.
  
  
• July 28 – Antonio Cubé, National Manager of the Justice for Immigrants Campaign of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, provides a presentation on justice for immigrants.
  
  
• August 25, 2020 – Mitchell Robinson, PhD, Associate Professor of Music Education at the Michigan State University College of Music, presents the issue of education.
  
  
• September 29, 2020 – Pete Vargas, the Michigan Organizing Director at Restaurant Opportunities Center, offers a presentation on the living wage. 

The 2020 Election Issues Series is free and open to all. Registration is not required. 

Weber Center is on the campus of the Adrian Dominican Sisters’ Motherhouse, 1257 E. Siena Heights Drive, Adrian. Enter the Eastern-most driveway of the complex and follow the signs to Weber Center. For information, call the Weber Center at 517-266-4000.

January 3, 2020, Adrian, Michigan – Sister Susan Van Baalen, OP, PhD, offers “Understanding Islam,” a series of talks aimed at helping participants understand Muslims in the United States and around the world. The talks are at Weber Retreat and Conference Center from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Tuesdays, January 21, 2020, through February 11, 2020.

The schedule for the series is as follows:

• January 21, 2020: Introduction to Sunni and Shia Muslims and Ethnic Kurds. Sister Susan reviews the pillars of Islam and the differences in beliefs and practices of the Sunni and Shia Muslims throughout the world.
  
  
• January 28, 2020: Geo-Political Islam. Sister Susan describes the ways that geography, economics, and politics shape the Islamic world.
  
  
• February 4, 2020: Exactly Who Are American Muslims? This session identifies the common characteristics of U.S. Muslims and the richness of their diverse beliefs and practices.
  
  
• February 11, 2020: Islamic Extremism. Sister Susan explores how Islamic extremism is more closely tied to geopolitics than to religion and discusses Shia extremism identified as Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard.

Sister Susan developed an interest in world religions while creating and implementing policies and procedures to accommodate the religious beliefs and practices of more than 100,000 prisoners throughout the United States.

The cost is $30 for the series or $10 for individual sessions. Registration is required and is available at www.webercenter.org; click on “programs.” Registration is also available by calling 517-266-4000 or emailing [email protected]. Limited scholarships are available.

Weber Center is on the campus of the Adrian Dominican Sisters’ Motherhouse, 1257 E. Siena Heights Drive, Adrian. Enter the Eastern-most driveway of the complex and follow the signs to Weber Center. For information, call the Weber Center at 517-266-4000.