Faculty Profile: Kathleen Larkin, Professor of Practice
Kathleen Larkin comes from a long career of service, and her first year with Strome was no different. "My goals were learning as much as I could about the university, the Strome academic programs, the students I would be serving; and looking for opportunities to provide service to Strome and the university," Larkin says. While Covid-19 is new for all of us, teaching virtually was not for Larkin. "Frankly, it wasn't really a big deal for me. At my previous institution, we had a sister campus in China; I taught there from the US; using the Zoom platform. Virtual delivery does have some drawbacks in that some of the dialogue and discussion is lost, which is unfortunate."
As impressive as Larkin and her background are, she was equally impressed with the students of Strome, "I find them to be respectful, inquisitive and engaged. The diversity of the students; first generation college, military, "non-traditional", students who are working full-time or close to it in order to afford college; they are inspirational. I feel compelled to assist their journeys to success, both in and beyond the classroom. I hope I have been able to do that, and I certainly intend to look for ways to serve the diverse needs of our student body."
Along with teaching during a health crisis, Larkin put her 20 plus years of law experience to work during the social justice pandemic, volunteering with the Virginia American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). She has previously volunteered to protect voting rights; serving as a legal observer at the polls in PA during the 2012 Presidential election; and most recently in MO.
"Working on a prison project was a logical choice. I was looking for a volunteer project involving voter suppression and came across this opportunity to assist the VA ACLU on the COVID project."
Larkin further explained, "COVID is particularly problematic in prisons and jails; as you can imagine, social distancing is impossible. This is an extremely vulnerable population, as are the staff working within the prison system. The project was the result of a settlement agreement between the VA ACLU and the Commonwealth of Virginia and the Virginia Department of Corrections (VDOC) in which VDOC agreed to a number of measures regarding the treatment of people incarcerated in VDOC facilities. These include hygiene and sanitation, movement of staff and incarcerated people, prisoner grievances, training and education regarding COVID-19, and consideration of certain individuals for early release or a conditional pardon."
"The volunteer work consists of arranging confidential legal calls with individuals incarcerated in VDOC prisons and conducting comprehensive interviews with each to assess whether prisons are complying with their obligations under the agreement. As a volunteer, I report my findings back to the ACLU of Virginia; and prepare legal documents as needed."
"The work provides me with a window into some of Virginia's prisons and an opportunity to listen to the voices of the incarcerated whose lives have been regrettably and negatively impacted by COVID-19. We are responsible to protect ourselves and each other in this pandemic; It is quite the contrast when I see folks refusing to wear masks, juxtaposed with these incarcerated individuals, helpless to protect themselves."
Larkin will be teaching via Webex and Zoom this semester, and her main goal is to make her classes more interactive to emulate her traditional face to face class.
"Beyond COVID, I continue to try to find meaningful volunteer work geared toward promoting racial equality. This will include another volunteer project focusing on voter suppression. I will serve on Strome's Committee on Equity & Inclusion. I also hope to continue to assist the RMI faculty in promoting and expanding student participation in the RMI major and industry."
