b'The Past is Present: The Experience of Black Students at PWIsKhamil C. CantySponsor: Dr. LovettOvert racism has evolved into micro-aggressions for many students at PWIs. Researchers have found that micro-aggressions experienced by Black students on these campuses can cause stress, poor academic performance, and feelings of exclusion. On the other hand, scholars have reported the buffering effects against racial discrimination are seen in optimal racial identity which led to feelings of inclusion and academic self-efficacy. The purpose of this study is to examine the Black student experience at a historically white institution. I aim to assess micro-aggressions reported by Black students as well as their feelings about their racial identity on a podcast. A content analysis will be conducted on the conversations. Results, discussion, and implications of the study will be determined.Department of Art and DesignEmma Sulkowiczs Mattress Performance (Carry That Weight)Sophia L. RolandSponsor: Dr. SwanEmma Sulkowiczs Mattress Performance (Carry That Weight) from 2014-2015 was an artwork performed at Columbia University. It was undertaken after the artist was raped on her dorm bed and the administration deemed the act consensual, with the accused rapist receiving no punishment. In this eight-month performance piece, Sulkowicz carried a fifty-pound dorm mattress whenever the artist was on Columbia University property. This artwork symbolized the weight of rape trauma, showing how that experience is not something that is just left in a room, but is a burden that survivors carry throughout their lives. While the artist never asked for help carrying the mattress, offers of help from others were accepted. This artwork was also a form of protest, exposing this stigmatizing experience to public view and challenging societal notions regarding the definition of rape. Sulkowiczs long and difficult physical performance brought attention back to body of the victim and how they were violated, sharing the experience of rape from the perspective of the survivor, and drawing awareness to an ongoing social problem.13'