UPCOMING: Presenter, webinar for NASPA – Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education, “Balancing Acts: New Tools to Help Student Affairs Administrators Navigate Free Speech on Campus,” 12-1pm PST. Click Here for Info.
I was recently interviewed by Jim Logan of UCSB Public Affairs and Communications about the research project I just completed as a Fellow at the UC National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement. To read the article Click Here. I was also recently interviewed by UCSB’s KCSB radio. For the interview Click Here.
I was interviewed by CBS News in LA regarding the temporary memorials created in memory of Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gigi, and the 7 other victims of the helicopter crash: For Intervew Click HERE
Melissa J. Barthelemy is an educator with a background in law, history, and gender & sexuality studies. She applies social justice values to all aspects of her life, including her work in student affairs and public history. She is an award winning curator, with extensive project management experience. She is currently a Doctoral Candidate in Public History, with a designated emphasis in Feminist Studies, at the University of California Santa Barbara. She is also a 2019-2020 Free Speech Fellow for the UC National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement. For the most up-to-date information visit her personal website.
Melissa has served as an intern and consultant for the Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs assisting with special projects pertaining to free speech, campus climate, mental health services, and crisis management. In addition to teaching for academic departments she has worked for the Dean of Students Office, Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPS) and Graduate Division. She has helped lead campus and community responses to the May 23, 2014 Isla Vista Tragedy in which six UCSB students were killed and 14 individuals were injured in a violent rampage in the area adjacent the campus. As such, Melissa has served as a liaison between family and friends of the victims and the University administration, has played a lead role in organizing memorial anniversary events, and created a condolence archive collection based on the artifacts left at spontaneous memorials in the wake of the violence.
As a UC Free Speech Fellow, Melissa is interested in relationships between intolerant and offensive speech, campus safety, and hate crimes committed in college environments. She has presented widely at national conferences on the topics of proactive responses to free speech community controversies and campus responses to violence. As part of her year-long research project, Melissa created a 100-page toolkit for student affairs administrators and university leaders to help them balance demands for freedom of speech and the promises of equal educational opportunities. The toolkit entitled “Let There Be Light: Freedom of Expression on Campus,” was published by the UC National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement.
Melissa is nationally recognized as an expert in condolence archives and rapid response collecting efforts, that document history as it unfolds. She regularly presents on emergency planning and crisis response for museums, libraries, archives and universities. She has helped lead the national effort to create more resources and a professional network for condolence archive managers through partnerships with professional organizations such as the Society of American Archivists (SAA) and the National Council on Public History (NCPH). For the past five years Melissa has worked with communities that have decided to create condolence archive projects and one-year memorial anniversary exhibits in the wake of traumatic death, such as Orlando (Pulse Nightclub Shooting), Las Vegas (Route 91 Harvest Festival Shooting), Pittsburgh (Tree of Life Shooting), the University of North Carolina-Charlotte and others. In 2016 the exhibit she curated “We Remember Them: Acts of Love and Compassion in Isla Vista,” won a national Award of Merit for Leadership in History from the American Association of State and Local History. She holds a J.D. from Golden Gate University School of Law, an M.A. in History from San Francisco State University, and a B.A. from University of California, Santa Cruz.
2019-2020 Fellows, UC National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement, with UC President Janet Napolitano and Executive Director Michelle Deutchman, UCDC Center, Washington, DC.
2019-2020 Fellows with Executive Director Michelle Deutchman, at UC Irvine
Here is a more personal and detailed narrative of how how I got engaged in the work that my dissertation focuses on:
I am a Ph.D candidate in Public History (with a Designated Emphasis in Feminist Studies) at the University of California, Santa Barbara. I work with Leila Rupp, Interim Dean of Social Sciences and Distinguished Professor of Feminist Studies, and Public History professors Randy Bergstrom and Stephan Miescher. You can read more about me in The Current, the GradPost or The Bottom Line school newspaper, or visit my personal website.
My dissertation is entitled “The Humanity of Loss: Memory and Politics in the Wake of Mass Shootings.” I am looking at how the concept of “mass shootings” has evolved over time, and how communities have engaged in memorial projects in the aftermath of such violence. The response to the May 23, 2014 Isla Vista Rampage provides my primary case study and for comparative purposes I am examining the collection projects in Orlando (Pulse Nightclub Shooting) and Las Vegas (Route 91 Harvest Festival Shooting). I have also interviewed survivors and family members from the Tower Shooting at the University of Texas in Austin that took place in 1966. I am particularly interested in the ways that friends and family members of victims mobilize memory to create memorial projects, and also fight for political and social change. Through this work I hope to provide a larger context for thinking about the various ways we create meaning out of acts of violence, whether it be calls for gun reform, combating violence against women, or turning to artistic expression to help grapple with loss. My methodology employs oral history, as well as archival driven history with a cultural studies approach focused on analysis of discourse, representation, and reception.
On May 23, 2014 six UCSB students were killed and another 14 individuals were injured in a violent crime spree that occurred in Isla Vista, the residential and commercial district adjacent the UCSB Campus. In the immediate aftermath I worked with UCSB counselors to provide crisis trainings for the graduate student Teaching Assistants. Then I initiated a memorial collection and documentation project under the guidance of retired administrator Debbie Fleming, who was then Dean of Students and later the Assistant Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs. For links to NBC Nightly News stories about what occurred click here and here.
Since June 2014 I have served as the Project Manager for the May 23, 2014, University of California, Santa Barbara and Isla Vista Memorial Archive. Housed in the UCSB Library’s Department of Special Research Collections, our archive documents the campus and larger community’s response to this senseless violence. It includes thousands of physical artifacts and digital images of condolence items from our immediate community and from around the world. The Archive is available to researchers and classes. Click here to access the Finding Aid and click here to read about the history of the project.
At the request of the UCSB Library I also served as Curator and Project Manager for a large one-year memorial anniversary exhibit. The exhibit entitled We Remember Them: Acts of Love and Compassion in Isla Vista served as a tribute to those who were killed and injured, and highlighted the ways our community came together to heal through loving acts of remembrance. In creating the exhibit I worked closely with the parents and friends of the victims. Though we had 22 campus and community sponsors, the 6,000 square foot exhibit was largely student-run and volunteer driven. In the ten weeks that the exhibit was open we had over 1,800 visitors. It was the largest exhibit in the University’s history both in terms of size and attendance. Articles on the exhibit were published by Noozhawk, The Bottom Line, the Ventura County Star, and a photo was published in the LA Times.
In 2016 our project team received the Leadership in History Award from the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) for our archive and exhibit. This award is shared by the UCSB Public History Program, the UCSB Library and the campus’s Divisions of Student Affairs, and Humanities and Fine Arts. To read an article about our national award click here.
For the five-year memorial anniversary we launched an online version of the exhibition that recreates the experience of visiting the physical exhibit by allowing visitors to navigate room by room, and see representative samples of what had been on display. The website can be accessed here. An article written about the history of the project and the launching of the online exhibit can be accessed here. A virtual tour of the exhibit utilizing Google Business 360 can be found here.
Spontaneous memorial at Isla Vista Deli, May 2014. Photograph by Claire Bredenoord.
The Humanity of Loss: Memory and Politics in the Wake of Mass Shootings
Public History
U.S. History Since 1877
U.S. Social Protest Movements
Women, Gender, and Sexualities in U.S. History
Race and Ethnicity in U.S. History
U.S. Constitutional and Legal History
Photograph of origami cranes left at Isla Vista Deli spontaneous memorial site. Photograph by Claire Bedenoord.
Writing 2: Introduction to Academic Writing and Composition; Teaching Assistant, Spring 2016, Winter 2016
History 192 DR: Directed Readings in Public History, Isla Vista Community History and Historical Commemoration; Practicum Supervisor, Spring 2015
Art Creative Studies 199: Independent Studies; Practicum Supervisor, Spring 2015
History 196: Internship/ History 199: Independent Studies; Practicum Supervisor, Fall 2014
Writing 2: Introduction to Academic Writing and Composition*; Associate/Instructor, Summer 2014
Writing 2: Introduction to Academic Writing and Composition; Teaching Assistant, Spring 2014, Winter 2014, Fall 2013
Lead Teaching Assistant, History Department; Lead TA (trained 38 History TAs), 2013-2014
History 17B: Contested Visions of American Liberty, 1840-1920; Teaching Assistant, Winter 2013, Winter 2012, Winter 2011
Feminist Studies 150: Sex, Love, and Romance; Teaching Assistant, Spring 2012, Spring 2011, Spring 2010
Lead Teaching Assistant, Feminist Studies Department; Co-Lead TA, trained 20 TAs and designed TA Training Program with faculty member, 2011-2012
History 17A: The American People, 1492-Early 1800s; Teaching Assistant, Fall 2011
Feminist Studies 20: Women, Culture, and Society; Teaching Assistant, Fall 2010
Ex Post Facto: Journal of the History Students at SFSU; Instructor, Spring 2009
Ex Post Facto: Journal of the History Students at SFSU; Instructor, Fall 2008
*Graduate Student Instructor/Associate for Writing 2: Academic Writing — Introduction to academic writing and composition. Writing units focus on analyzing non-academic writing genres, working with scholarly writing in specific academic disciplines, interdisciplinary analysis and developing academic arguments.
Sample of condolence cards and letters received by the University. Photograph by Claire Bredenoord.
GUEST LECTURES FOR CLASSES
“Beyond the Ivory Tower — Careers in Public History: Museums, Archives, and Community-Based Work,” History 270: What is History? Professor Ed Linenthal, Indiana University — Bloomington, 2017.
“Material Culture and the May 23, 2014 Isla Vista Tragedy Memorial Project(s),” History of Art & Architecture 255G: Studies in the History and Theory of Museums, Toward a Museum of Presences, Professory Amy Buono, UC Santa Barbara, 2017.
“Memorialization and Students as Participant Researchers,” Writing 1: Approaches to University Writing, Professor Kathy Patterson, UC Santa Barbara, Summer 2016, Fall 2016, Winter 2017, Spring 2017, Summer 2017, and Fall 2017.
“We Remember Them: From Memorial Sites to Exhibition,” UCSB Library Presentation for seminar on professional development for Library staff, July 2016.
“Careers in Public History,” History 192 DR: Directed Readings in Public History, Isla Vista Community History and Historical Commemoration, Professors Ann Plane and Randy Bergstrom, UC Santa Barbara, 2015.
“Internships as Stepping Stones,” Chancellor’s Undergraduate Internship Program Reunion and Welcome Reception, invited by UC Santa Cruz Career Center Director Barbara Silverthorne, UC Santa Cruz, 2015.
OFFICE OF INSTRUCTIONAL DEVELOPMENT Campus-Wide Teaching Assistant Trainings & Pedagogical Support, Volunteer, August 2013-Present,
- Presenter, “Mentoring Fellow TAs,” TA Pedagogical Advisor Program, February 2018
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Co-Presenter, “Facilitating Connections between First Year Writers and the University: Students as Participant Researchers,” Instructional Development Brown Bag Luncheon, February 2017
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Co-Organized and Facilitated, TAs & Classroom Conflict: Navigating Discussions of Identity, Politics, and Violence, November 2017
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Guest Speaker, Helping TAs Manage Conflict and Assist Distressed Students, Lead TA Institute, Friday August 19, 2016
- Guest Speaker, Experienced Lead TA Panel, Lead TA Institute, Saturday August 22, 2015
- Campus-Wide New TA Workshop on Teaching to Diverse Learners, September 30, 2014
- Organized event Responding to the Isla Vista Tragedy: A Guidance Session for Teaching Assistants, May 26, 2014, 2 workshop times: 50 attendees at first, 90 attendees at second
- Guest Speaker, Experienced Lead TA Panel, Lead TA Institute, Friday August 23, 2013
- Campus-Wide New TA Workshop on Teaching to Diverse Learners, September 24, 2013
- Guest Speaker, Lead TA Panel for International Grad Student TAs, December 5, 2013
FELLOWSHIPS & SCHOLARSHIPS
Free Speech Fellow, UC National Center for Free Speech & Civic Engagement 2019-2020
Counseling and Psychological Services Intern, Graduate Division Fellowship UCSB 2016-2018
National Council on Public History, Graduate Student Travel Award 2018
Graduate Student Internship Fellowship, Graduate Division UCSB 2017
Dean’s Graduate Mentoring Award, Graduate Division Award Fellowship, UCSB 2016-2017
History Associates Award and History Department Fellowship, UCSB 2017-2018
Honorarium for Exhibition Curation, Dean of Humanities and Fine Arts, UCSB 2015
Interdisciplinary Humanities Center, Graduate Collaboration Award, UCSB 2014-2015
Fee Fellowships, History Department, UCSB 2014-2015
Writing Program Teaching Fellowships, UCSB 2013-2016
History and Feminist Studies Departments Teaching Fellowships, UCSB 2010-2013
Travel Grant, History Department, UCSB 2010-2011
Recruitment Fellowship Recipient, History Department, UCSB 2009-2010
Markowski-Leach Scholarship Recipient, San Francisco State University 2007-2008
Farella, Braun and Martel LLP, Diversity Scholar Recipient Public Interest Law GGU 2004-2005
Chancellor’s Undergraduate Internship Program, UC Santa Cruz 1999-2000
Alumni Association College Service Award, University of California Santa Cruz 1998-1999
AWARDS
Professional Women’s Association, Unsung Heroine Award, UCSB 2019
Student Representative, UC National Center for Free Speech Conference in DC 2019
Community Engagement Award, Resource Center for Sexual & Gender Diversity, UCSB 2018
Graduate Student Association Dixon-Levy Service Award, UCSB, 2016-2017
Leadership in History Award, American Association for State and Local History 2016
Margaret T. Getman Service to Students Award, Student Affairs, UCSB 2015-2016
Excellence in Teaching Award Nominee, Graduate Student Association, UCSB 2015-2016
Michael Bransfield Prize Best Public History Project, History Department, UCSB 2014-2015
Leslie Griffin Lawson Outstanding Leadership Award, Office of Student Life, UCSB 2014-2015
Distinguished Graduate Teaching Award, Feminist Studies Department, UCSB 2011-2012
Outstanding TA Award Nominee, Academic Senate, UCSB 2011-2012
Graduate Honoree, History Department, San Francisco State University (SFSU) 2008-2009
Graduate Distinguished Scholar Award, College of Social Sciences, SFSU 2008-2009
Ex Post Facto Editor Award, History Department, San Francisco State University 2008-2009
Public Interest Certificate with Distinction Golden Gate University School of Law 2006
CALI Award for Excellence in Sexual Orientation and the Law, GGU 2005
CALI Award for Excellence in Appellate Advocacy, GGU School of Law 2004
Moot Court Board, Golden Gate University School of Law 2004
College Honors, University of California Santa Cruz 2000
STUDENT AFFAIRS CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS
“Engaging Faculty in Civil Discourse and Free Speech Initiatives on Campus and in the Classroom,” Coordinating Presenter, and “Helping Campuses and Communities Heal in the Wake of Homicides and Violence,” Coordinating Presenter, NASPA: Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education Annual Conference, upcoming, March 2020, Austin, TX.
“Say What?! Preparing for and Responding to Social Media Controversies and Cyberbullying,” NASPA Student Affairs Law Conference, December 2019, San Diego, CA.
“Responding to Gun Violence: Promoting Campus and Community Healing,” Coordinating Presenter, NASPA: Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education Western Regional Conference, November 2019, Portland, OR.
“Addressing Free Speech Community Controversies Together: Administrators and Student Activist Collaborations,” Coordinating Presenter, and “When Parkland Goes to College: Trauma Informed Responses to Gun Violence,” Presenter at half-day workshop and featured educational session, NASPA: Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education, Annual Conference, March 2019, Los Angeles, CA.
“Balancing Acts: Navigating Free Speech Controversies and Supporting Vulnerable Student Populations Through Proactive Responses,” Coordinating Presenter, NCORE: National Conference on Race and Ethnicity in Higher Education, June 2018, New Orleans, LA.
PUBLIC HISTORY CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS
“Tragedy Response: Preparation and Support for Archives and Communities,” Presenter, and “SAA Tragedy Response Initiative Think Tank,” Presenter, Society of American Archivists Annual Conference, August 2019, Austin, TX.
“Mending Our Communities: Working with Family and Friends of Gun Violence Victims in Documenting Tragedy,” Chair, and “Stonewall@50,” Presenter, NCPH: National Council on Public History Annual Conference, March 2019, Hartford, CT.
“We Rise Together: Community Resilience and Museum Responses to Tragedy,” Keynote Address, and panel “Planning for Human Disasters,” Nevada Museum Association Annual Conference, October 2018, Boulder City, NV.
“Documenting Resilience: Condolence Collection Projects in the Wake of Violence,” Chair, NCPH: National Council on Public History, April 2018, Las Vegas, NV.
“Gun Violence Prevention Efforts and the University,” paper presented for panel “Social Memory and Community Building,” The Humanities in the Community: 2017 Convening of the Western Humanities Alliance, hosted by UCSB Interdisciplinary Humanities Center, Goleta, CA.
“Facilitating Connections between First Year Writers and The University: Students as Participant-Researchers,” Presenter, University of California Writing Conference, October 2017, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA.
“Disarming Hate: Gun Violence Prevention Efforts and the 2nd Amendment,” Paper presented for panel “Responses to Violence: Education, Prevention, and Advocacy,” Rights and Wrongs: A Constitution and Citizenship Day Conference at San Francisco State University, September 2017, San Francisco, CA.
“Documenting Sorrow: Collecting and Archiving in Digital and Physical Formats Memorial Materials from School Shootings,” Presenter, Society of American Archivists Annual Meeting, July 2017, Portland, OR.
“Meeting in the Middle: Community Engagement in a Digital World,” Working Group Presentation, and individual presentation on “UC Santa Barbara and Isla Vista Memorial Collection and Exhibit,” Project Showcase, NCPH: National Council on Public History Conference, April 2017, Indianapolis, IN.
“UC Santa Barbara and Isla Vista Memorial Collection and Exhibit,” Digital Poster Session, NCPH: National Council on Public History Conference, April 2016, Baltimore, MD.
“Voices of Remembrance: UC Santa Barbara and Isla Vista Memorial Collection Project,” Digital Poster Session, Oral History Association Annual Conference, October 2016, Long Beach, CA.
“UC Santa Barbara and Isla Vista Memorial Collection and Exhibit.” Digital Poster Session, American Association for State and Local History Conference, September 2016, Detroit, MI.
“Isla Vista Love & Remembrance Garden.” Panel Presentation, Pondering Peace in a World of Turmoil Conference, Pacifica Graduate Institute, September 2016, Santa Barbara, CA.
“Community Building and Activism in the Aftermath of Tragedy.” Panel Presentation, 1st Annual Isla Vista Conference: Our Beloved Community, May 2016, Isla Vista, CA.
“UC Santa Barbara and Isla Vista Memorial Collection and Exhibit.” Digital Poster Session, National Council on Public History Conference, March 2016, Baltimore, MD.
“We Remember Them: From Memorial Sites to Exhibition.” Paper presented at Organization of American Historians Regional Workshop, July 2015, Glendale, CA.
“We Remember Them: Treading Lightly at Memorial Sites in Isla Vista.” Paper presented at Western Association of Women Historians Conference, May 2015, Sacramento, CA.
“Abolishing ‘Yellow Slavery’: Women Reformers in their Quest to ‘Redeem’ San Francisco.” Paper presented at Western Association of Women Historians Conference, May 2012, Berkeley, CA.
“Equal Justice for Some: The Distasteful Legacy of Bowers v. Hardwick.” Paper presented at The Question of Rights Conference, San Francisco State University, September, 2009.
STUDENT AFFAIRS & OTHER WORK HISTORY
Consultant to Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs, and Dean of Students Office UCSB, Special Projects related to the May 23, 2014 Isla Vista Rampage Tragedy, October 2019-Present.
Intern, Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs and Dean of Students Office UCSB, Special Projects related to the May 23, 2014 Isla Vista Rampage Tragedy, January-September 2019.
Research Assistant, National Institute of Justice Examination of the Impact of School Shootings and Mass Violence Project, May-September 2019.
Intern, Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPS), Special Projects for the Director, UCSB, August 2016-December 2018.
Intern, Pacific Pride Foundation, Graduate Student Internship Fellowship UCSB Graduate Division, June 2017-September 2017.
Lead Teaching Assistant, History Department, UCSB, 2013-2014.
Lead Teaching Assistant, Feminist Studies Department, 2011-2012.
Legal Intern, City & County of San Francisco, Human Rights Commission, GLBT/HIV Division, 2004.
PUBLIC HISTORY EXPERIENCE
Ad-Hoc Memorial Preservation Committee Chair and Project Manager, June 2014-Present:
- Created May 23, 2014, University of California, Santa Barbara and Isla Vista Memorial Archive housed in the Department of Special Research Collections at the UCSB Library. Contains thousands of artifacts, digital images and documents.
- Co-Curated online exhibition using Omeka web publishing platform, that recreates the physical one-year memorial anniversary exhibition from 2015.
- Recipient of UCLA/Mellon Community Archives Internship Program Grant, UCLA MLIS student performing 12 hours of paid work per week on our project during 2018-2019 school year and received grant for project expenses
Curator, Project Manager, and Practicum Supervisor for Exhibit, Fall 2014-Summer 2015:
- We Remember Them: Acts of Love and Compassion in Isla Vista. An exhibit created for the one-year memorial anniversary of the Isla Vista Rampage of May 23, 2014.
- A healing and educational space that focused on community responses.
- A 6,000 square foot exhibit spanning eight display rooms that was visited by more than 1,800 patrons. This makes it the largest exhibit in the University’s history in terms of both size and visitation.
- Collection project and exhibit are student-run endeavors with the majority of the labor provided through undergraduate internships for course units and volunteers. Registered UCSB student organization, the Ad-hoc Memorial Preservation Group, raised $54,000 and an additional $40,000 worth of in-kind donations for the exhibit.
- Project received Leadership in History Award from American Association for State and Local History, the most prestigious recognition for achievement in the preservation and interpretation of state and local history.
Advisor to documentary film project “Not One More,” September 2019-Present:
- UCSB student project sponsored by the UCSB Film Studies Department. An article on the project can be found here.
Committee Member, Winter 2015-Present:
- Isla Vista Love & Remembrance Garden, a self-guided botanical garden that features six metal and wood benches, each carrying distinct designs created by UCSB Art students in memory of the six UCSB students who were killed. The designs were approved by the families of the victims, and each bench honors a particular student. To read more about the Garden please click here.
Photos of Benches in Isla Vista Love & Remembrance Garden by Bennett Barthelemy.
Co-organizer, Digital Hackathon Project for NCPH Conference, July 2018-Present:
- Helped design and provide content for website After the Shots: Public Historians Engage with Gun Violence http://aftertheshots.org/
- Additional materials I have developed available at co-organizer’s professional website: http://www.ashleymaynor.com/griefarchives
Consultant, April 2018-Present:
- Consultant to Society of American Archivists Tragedy Response Initiative Task Force, helped provide content and guidance for “Documenting in Times of Crisis Resource Kit”
- https://www2.archivists.org/advocacy/documenting-in-times-of-crisis-a-resource-kit
City of Orlando Office of the Mayor, November 2016-Present Consultant:
- One Orlando Collection Initiative and one-year remembrance exhibition by the Orange County Regional History Center and also helped advise the City of Orlando Office of the Mayor regarding the Pulse Nightclub Permanent Memorial Project.
Coordinator, 805 Conservation Collective, Montecito Disaster, January 2018-March 2018:
- Joint effort between UCSB and Westmont College to help salvage over 3,000 family photographs, art pieces, and personal materials damaged in Montecito Mudslide. Assisted over 150 families and Sheriff’s Office. Also salvaged historical materials belonging to La Casa de Maria an inter-faith retreat center. Secured $20,000 in Funding from Santa Barbara Bucket Brigade, a local non-profit organization formed in the wake of the disaster.
Coordinator, Origami Crane installation, April 2017-Present,
- Origami Crane Installation, one thousand cranes folded by student organization and hung in Student Resource Building for permanent display along with interpretive signage
Research Assistant, July 2017-January 2018 :
- UCSB Campus Architecture and Social Change, exhibition UCSB Art Museum
Facilitator and Installation Manager, January 2017-May 2017:
- Mapping Dissent, Collaborative Public Art Project, Department of Feminist Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara
- Photography exhibit of Mapping Dissent at “LGBTQIA+ Representation in the Media Conference at California State University Channel Islands, April 13, 2017.
Curator, August 2015-Present:
- Tribute Wall for the Victims of the May 23, 2014 Isla Vista Rampage, Permanent Exhibit, Alcohol & Drug Program Isla Vista Office, UCSB.
Co-Curator, May 2015:
- Isla Vista Remembrance Tribute Exhibit: A Special Exhibit Representing the Compassion of Gauchos and Community Coming Together, All Gaucho Reunion, Thursday April 23-Sunday April 26, 2015, Mosher Alumni House, UCSB.
Dean of Humanities and Fine Arts, assisted with documentation and donation of original legislative record books to UCSB Library, Department of Special Collections, and served as consultant for exhibit, Fall 2014-Summer 2015 Research Assistant:
- Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors Ledger Project and Exhibit For the People By the People: Government at Work in Santa Barbara County, 1850-1950
- Exhibit was on display in Santa Barbara at the Channing Peake Gallery downtown at the County Administration Building from June 29, 2015 to September 18, 2015.
- Exhibit was on display in Santa Maria at the Joseph Betteravia Government Administration Building from Jan. 25, 2016 to May 6, 2016.
Painted rocks left at spontaneous memorial sites in tribute of each of the victims. Photograph by Claire Bredenoord.
SERVICE TO THE PROFESSION
Planning Committee Member, NASPA Student Affairs Law Conference, January 2020-Present
Volunteer, Program Reviewer, NASPA 2020 Annual Conference, September 2019
Graduate Student Representative, National Council on Public History, Graduate Student and New Professionals Committee, Fall 2016-Present
Graduate Student Representative & Voting Member, Organization of American Historians, Committee on the Status of Women in the Historical Profession, Fall 2014-Fall 2016
Representative, Work Group of the UC President’s Task Force on Preventing and Responding to Sexual Violence and Sexual Assault, October 2015-June 2016
Volunteer, GLBT Historical Society of San Francisco, September 2005-October 2008
SERVICE TO THE UNIVERSITY
Committee Member, Selection Committee for the Graduate Student Association Dixon-Levy Service Award, 2018-2019, UCSB
Member, Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) Director Search Committee, May 2018-October 2018, UCSB
Committee Member, Getman Award Selection Committee, Student Affairs, March-June 2017, UCSB
Representative, Interpersonal and Sexual Violence Forum Meetings, September 2016-2017, UCSB
Ad-Hoc Campus Climate Committee/BLM, Student Affairs, Fall 2016-Winter 2016, UCSB
Graduate Student Association Representative, Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on the Status of Women, March 2012-June 2016, UCSB
Treasurer, Public History Graduate Student Association, November 2015-August 2015, UCSB
Graduate Student Association Representative, Office of the Ombuds Advisory Committee, September 2012-June 2014, UCSB
Graduate Student Representative, Academic Senate Committee on International Education, September 2012-June 2013, UCSB
Graduate Research Assistant, History Department, May 2008-December 2008, SFSU
Managing Co-Editor, Ex Post Facto Journal, August 2008-May 2009, SFSU
Co-Chair, Queer Law Student Association, August 2003-May 2006, GGU School of Law
Co-Chair, Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender Network, September 1997-June 1999, UC Santa Cruz
Co-Chair, Bi the Way Discussion Group, September 1997- June1998, UC Santa Cruz
Volunteer, HIV Prevention Program, April 1999-November 1999, UC Santa Cruz (co-organized campaign to provide free and anonymous HIV testing, secured by student election in 1999. UCSC was the first campus in the UC system to provide this service).
Founder, UC Santa Cruz Queer Resource Center, October 1997, was one of four students who led the effort to create the Center, and hired its first Director, Deborah Abbott, who served in that capacity for 17 years.
COMMUNITY SERVICE
Committee member, “Concert Across America to End Gun Violence,” June 2016-October 2016
Volunteer, Bay Area Lawyers for Individual Freedom, August 2003-June 2006
Volunteer International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, November 2002-May 2003
Volunteer, Seva Foundation, Eye Charity Working to Prevent Blindness, October 2002-January 2003
Volunteer, Triangle Speakers, Santa Cruz Chapter, September 1998-June 2000
Volunteer, California Coalition for Women Prisoners, Santa Cruz, September 1997-June 1999
Memorial Paddle Out, May 2014, organized by UCSB Surf Team. Estimated five thousand people in attendance (a thousand in the ocean and four thousand on the shore).
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
National Conference on Race and Ethnicity in Higher Education (NCORE), February 2018-Present
NASPA: Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education, September 2018-Present
Society of American Archivists (SAA), January 2017-Present
American Association for State and Local History (AASLH), June 2016-Present
National Council on Public History (NCPH), January 2013-Present
Organization of American Historians (OAH) March 2013-Present
American Historical Association (AHA), January 2010-Present
CERTIFICATION
Certificate of Training, Active Threats on Campuses: Protective Measures and Response with NCBRT: National Center for Biomedical Research and Training, Academy of Counter-Terrorist Education Course, February 13, 2019, Santa Barbara, CA.
EVENT PRODUCTION:
“Student Affairs Graduate Student Summit on Diversity, Access, and Support,” organizer and facilitator, over 50 attendees including students, Student Affairs administrators, and Graduate Division administrators, sponsored by Student Affairs and Graduate Division, UCSB, Goleta, CA, May 2018.
“Montecito Community Panel Discussion,” co-organizer and speaker at event providing information to families who lost their homes or other belongings in the Montecito Mudslide Disaster, over 200 attendees, event was filmed and televised, January 2018.
Pacific Pride Festival, Member of organizing team and served as Volunteer Recruitment Assistant, nearly 4,000 attendees and dozens of performers and volunteers with literature at information tables at this event which celebrates the LGBTQ+ community and their ally supporters, Santa Barbara, CA, August 2017.
Ad-Hoc Campus Climate Committee/Black Lives Matter, Co-organized lecture by anti-racist advocate Tim Wise. Budget $10,326. Over 900 people attended the lecture, we had only three weeks to plan and execute the event. This event was organized as an alternative program to provide a counter narrative to the Ben Shapiro talk that was happening during the same month, Fall 2016-Winter 2016.
Committee member, “Concert Across America to End Gun Violence,” played a primary role on a small volunteer committee that organized a complex concert with dozens of performers and speakers. There were over 2,000 attendees, June 2016-October 2016 .
Co-Chair, Queer Law Student Association, GGU School of Law. Organized numerous events, including a debate on marriage rights for same-sex couples, which over 300 people attended. Debate featured attorneys from National Center on Lesbian Rights and attorneys from conservative law and policy organizations. Also, organized lavender LGBTQ graduations for law students and educational events, August 2003-May 2006.
Co-Chair, Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender Network, UCSCOrganized dozens of events, both large scale and smaller social events. Largest event was “Poetry as a Catalyst for Social Change,” which was a catered event with speakers and performers, and featured an information resource fair with twenty-two non-profit organizations from the campus and community tabling with literature. Estimated 375 attendees, September 1997-June 1999 .
Volunteer/Panelist, LGBTI General Assembly and Conference, University of California, Co-organizer for February 1998 9th Annual Conference and Assembly at UCSC, 1998-2002.
Gun Violence Prevention Advocacy: From June 2016-October 2016 I served as a committee member for the Santa Barbara portion of “Concert Across America to End Gun Violence.” You can learn about this movement locally by visiting the Coalition Against Gun Violence Santa Barbara website or click here to read an article in the Santa Barbara Independent. The full video of our concert that occurred on September 25, 2016, at the Arlington Theatre in downtown Santa Barbara can be found here. I feel fortunate to have been able to work so closely with an incredible group of people including Tipper Gore and Bob Weiss, leaders in the movement for gun violence prevention. Photographs from the event appear below.
Photograph by Bill Allen.
Photograph by Bill Allen of audience holding up cell phones with light to mimic a candlelight vigil.
Photograph by Bill Allen.
Photograph by Bennett Barthelemy.
Anti-Racism Advocacy: As an undergraduate student at UC Santa Cruz I became extremely involved in anti-racism work, and specifically educating other White people about racial privilege and the importance of serving as an ally to communities of color. This advocacy work has continued to play a major role in my personal and professional life. As a graduate student at UCSB I have been working closely with the Division of Student Affairs to help address campus climate issues to foster a more diverse and inclusive community. One of the largest events I co-organized was when we brought prominent anti-racist advocate Tim Wise to campus. We only had two weeks to plan the event, since he just happened to be in the area. Nevertheless, we managed to fill our largest auditorium on campus, with over 900 people in attendance. It was a wonderful experience to work so closely with such a great team of volunteers (staff and students), and to be able to share Tim’s insights with our local community. You can read a news article on the event here or open up the pdf of the flier 0001
UCSB STUDENT AFFAIRS EVENTS I ORGANIZED OR CO-ORGANIZED
“5 Years Later: Reflecting on the Causes and Impact of May 23, 2014,” speaker, sponsored by Isla Vista Community Services District, May 2019, UCSB, Goleta, CA.
“Our Stories: Healing and Self-Care in the Wake of Gun Violence,” chair and presenter, panel presentation, May 2019, UCSB, Goleta, CA.
“We Remember Them: Acts of Love and Compassion in Isla Vista Online Exhibition Reception,” co-sponsored by UCSB Library and Office of Student Life, May 2019, UCSB, Goleta, CA.
“Responses to the Isla Vista Tragedy of May 23, 2014, Reflecting on the Past Five Years,” guest speaker, Office of the Registrar, May 2019, UCSB, Goleta, CA.
“Honoring Our Collective Experiences in Recognition of the Thomas Fire and Montecito Debris Flow,” presenter and co-organizer, Academic and Staff Assistance Program, Human Resources, January 2019, UCSB, Goleta, CA.
“Student Affairs Graduate Student Summit on Diversity, Access, and Support,” organizer and facilitator, Student Affairs and Graduate Division, May 2018, UCSB, Goleta, CA.
“Work-Life Balance in Graduate School,” co-presenter, Graduate Division, May 2018, UCSB, Goleta, CA.
Associated Students UCSB Mental Health Conference, speaker on panel, May 2018, Goleta, CA.
“Community Space in Light of Thousand Oaks Shooting,” co-facilitator and co-organizer, MultiCultural Center, November 2018, UCSB, Goleta, CA.
“Trans Resiliency & Solidarity Gathering,” co-facilitator and co-organizer, MultiCultural Center, October 2018, UCSB, Goleta, CA.
Graduate Student Internship Panel, speaker on panel, presented by Graduate Student Resource Center, Graduate Division, February 2018, UCSB, Goleta, CA.
“Documenting Our Community Healing: Responses to the May 23, 2014 Tragedy,” chair, and presenter, We Remember Memorial Anniversary Week, UCSB, May 2017, Goleta, CA.
“In Solidarity with Sutherland Springs, Texas,” co-facilitator and co-organizer, MultiCultural Center, November 2017, UCSB, Goleta, CA.
“In Solidarity with Las Vegas,” co-facilitator and co-organizer, Associated Students, October 2017, UCSB, Goleta, CA.
“In Solidarity with Charlottesville,” co-facilitator and co-organizer, MultiCultural Center, August 2017, UCSB, Goleta, CA.
“In Solidarity with Las Vegas,” co-facilitator and co-organizer, Associated Students, October UCSB, Goleta, CA.
“We Are Orlando Memorial,” co-organizer, Solidarity event sponsored by UCSB Resource Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity, June 2016, UCSB, Goleta, CA.
“In Solidarity with Umpqua Community College,” co-facilitator and co-organizer, Associated Students, October 2015, UCSB, Goleta, CA.
“Rising For Charleston,” co-organizer for solidarity vigil honoring the lives lost in the Emmanuel AME Church shooting and protesting gun violence, June 2015, Isla Vista, CA.
Associated Students UCSB Mental Health Conference, speaker on panel, April, 2016, Goleta, CA
WEB PRESENCE
Department Profile: https://www.history.ucsb.edu/graduate-student/melissa-j-barthelemy/
Personal / Professional Website: http://www.melissabarthelemy.com/
LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-barthelemy-054ba5127/
Online Exhibition: https://islavistamemorialproject.omeka.net/exhibits/show/werememberthem
Memorial Project Website: http://we-remember-them.library.ucsb.edu/
Memorial Archive Finding Aid: https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/c8571hkp/
Blog Post on Pulse Memorial: History@Work NCPH: http://ncph.org/history-at-work/documenting-resilience-and-community-healing-in-orlando/
Blog Post on Mapping Dissent: https://ncph.org/history-at-work/queer-and-trans-resistance-at-ucsb/
MEDIA INTERVIEWS: TELEVISION & RADIO
KCSB Radio interview, “The Implications of Free Speech on College Campuses,” September 8, 2020. https://soundcloud.com/kcsbfm/the-implications-of-free-speech-on-college-campuses
CBS News KCAL9 interview, “UCSB Expert Discusses Memorials and Tributes in Public Spaces,” February 4, 2020. https://losangeles.cbslocal.com/video/4433325-ucsb-expert-discusses-memorials-and-tributes-in-public-spaces/
KNPR interview, April 17, 2018, “Scheduling Coincidence Brings Memorial Experts to Las Vegas, https://knpr.org/knpr/2018-04/scheduling-coincidence-brings-memorial-experts-las-vegas
KCSB interview, “Documenting Tragedy,” March 29, 2018https://soundcloud.com/kcsbfm/documenting-tragedy
KEYT News interview, “’We Remember Them’ Project Unveils Materials Collected After Isla Vista Tragedy,” piece by Vicky Nguyen, May 22, 2017.https://www.keyt.com/news/santa-barbara-s-county/we-remember-them-project-unveils-materials-collected-after-isla-vista-tragedy/512179587
KCSB interview, “We Remember Them Exhibit,” June 15, 2015
NBC Nightly News, “’Not One More!’ UCSB Students Focus on Healing,” May 28, 2014.https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/isla-vista-rampage/not-one-more-ucsb-students-focus-healing-n116826
NBC Nightly News, “Isla Vista Tragedy Prompts Haunting Questions: Many are now wondering how all the red flags were missed about an individual as dangerously troubled as Elliot Rodger.” May 27, 2014. http://www.nbcnews.com/video/nightly-news/55273112 – 55273112
KEYT News, “UCSB students remember those killed in Isla Vista Tragedy five years ago,” May 20, 2019. https://www.keyt.com/video/ucsb-students-remember-those-killed-in-isla-vista-tragedy-five-years-ago/1079632090
KEYT News, “UCSB students from Las Vegas share their feelings at Isla Vista vigil,” October 2, 2017. https://www.keyt.com/news/santa-barbara-s-county/ucsb-students-from-las-vegas-share-their-feelings-at-isla-vista-vigil/630128214
MEDIA INTERVIEWS: NATIONAL & LOCAL NEWSPAPERS
Montecito Journal, “805 Conservation Collective Opens-up Lab to Help Mudslide Victims Recover and Mend Valuable Memories,” March 22, 2018, by Kelly Mahan Herrick https://issuu.com/santabarbarasentinel/docs/mj_12_24_full/1?e=6198003/59479192
Noozhawk, “’We Remember Them’ Exhibit Helps Isla Vista Grieve for Victims of 2014 Massacre, June 14, 2015, by Gina Potthoff. https://www.noozhawk.com/article/remember_them_exhibit_helps_isla_vista_grieve_for_massacre_victims_20150614
Ventura County Star, “Exhibiting Sorrow: Items Left for Isla Vista Are Preserved,” Sunday May 24, 2015, by Colleen Cason
Santa Barbara News Press, “UCSB’s Only On-Campus Memorial Wall Honors Victims of IV Killings,” by Sara Bush, June 2014. http://www.melissabarthelemy.com/new-page-4/
New York Times, May 26, 2014, “Campus Killings Set Off Anguished Conversation About the Treatment of Women,” https://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/27/us/campus-killings-set-off-anguished-conversation-about-the-treatment-of-women.html
MEDIA INTERVIEWS: UCSB SCHOOL NEWSPAPERS
The Daily Nexus, “Isla Vista Memorial Project Receives Digital Revival for Fifth Anniversary,” May 23, 2019, by Katherine Swartz, http://dailynexus.com/2019-05-23/isla-vista-memorial-project-receives-digital-revival-for-fifth-anniversary/
The Daily Nexus, “A Legacy of Remembrance: Documenting Isla Vista’s Recovery After May 23, 2014,” November 8, 2018, by Josh Ortiz http://dailynexus.com/2017-05-23/a-legacy-of-remembrance-documenting-isla-vistas-recovery-after-may-23-2014/
The Daily Nexus, “Biden Expresses Hope for the Future, Gives UCSB Audience Surprise Appearance,” October 24, 2017 by Hannah Jackson, http://dailynexus.com/2017-10-24/biden-expresses-hope-for-the-future-through-students/
The Bottom Line, “Unsung Heroes: First Responders and Historians,” May 24, 2017, by Madeleine Lee, https://thebottomline.as.ucsb.edu/2017/05/unsung-heroes-first-responders-and-historians
The Bottom Line, “Remembrance,” May 24, 2017, by Linus Li, https://thebottomline.as.ucsb.edu/2017/05/remembrance
The Bottom Line, “TA Spotlight: Melissa Barthelemy, History” February 8, 2017, by Linus Li, https://thebottomline.as.ucsb.edu/2017/02/ta-spotlight-melissa-barthelemy-history
The Bottom Line, “In Remembrance: Arts Come Together to Honor Students’ Lives,” May 25, 2016, by Madeleine Lee, https://thebottomline.as.ucsb.edu/2016/05/iv-turns-blue
The Bottom Line, “UCSB Exhibition Seeks to Empower Students, Celebrate Community,” May 27, 2015, by Gwendelyn Wu, https://thebottomline.as.ucsb.edu/2015/05/ucsb-exhibition-seeks-to-empower-students-celebrate-community
The Daily Nexus, “We Remember Them: Honoring the Unlucky Bright Minds of Our Youth,” June 30, 2015 by Alec Hartnett, http://dailynexus.com/2015-06-30/we-remember-them-honoring-the-unlucky-bright-minds-of-our-youth/
MEDIA INTERVIEWS: NEWSLETTERS
The Current, ‘Lighting the Way,’ September 10, 2020, by Jim Logan https://www.news.ucsb.edu/2020/020021/lighting-way
The Current, ‘A Public Honor: UCSB’s “We Remember Them’ exhibition and May 23, 2014 Isla Vista Memorial Archive Garner Leadership in History Award,” August 31, 2016, by Andrea Estrada .http://www.news.ucsb.edu/2016/017104/public-honor
The Current, ‘We Are All UCSB,’ May 4, 2015, by Shelly Leachman http://www.news.ucsb.edu/2015/015399/we-are-all-ucsb
UCSB GradPost, “Graduate Student in the Spotlight: Melissa Barthelemy Pays it Forward to UCSB,” April 20, 2015, by Kyle Crocco http://archive.gradpost.ucsb.edu/headlines/2015/4/20/graduate-student-in-the-spotlight-melissa-barthelemy-pays-it.html
UCSB GradPost, “History Grad Student, Other Volunteers Create Memorial Wall in The Arbor,” June 2, 2014, by Patricia Marroquin http://archive.gradpost.ucsb.edu/headlines/2014/6/2/history-grad-student-other-volunteers-create-memorial-wall-i.html
The Coordinating Council for Women in History, The Isla Vista Memory Project, by Sarah Case, November 2014, Volume 45:4 http://static1.squarespace.com/static/54e432dee4b02a41587a1db6/t/54fb9a35e4b03e45c639f396/1425775173641/CCWH+Interview.pdf
ADDITIONAL NEWS PIECES
The Daily Nexus, “Student Documentary Not One More Puts a Face of Tragedy in the Hands of Community,” January 23, 2020, by Max Abrams. http://dailynexus.com/2020-01-23/student-documentary-not-one-more-puts-a-story-of-tragedy-in-the-hands-of-community/
Pacific Standard. “Archiving Grief Five Years After the Isla Vista Attacks,” May 23, 2019, by Jack Denton.https://psmag.com/social-justice/archiving-grief-five-years-after-the-isla-vista-attacks
KCSB Radio, IV Memorial: We Remember Them, Acts of Love & Compassion, Annie Platoff interviewed by Lisa Osborn. https://soundcloud.com/kcsbfm/lisa-ivmemorial-forair
Society of American Archivists, The Academic Archivist, “Exhibiting in the Wake of Tragedy: An Isla Vista Remembrance,” October 24, 2017 by Julia Diane Larson. https://academicarchivist.wordpress.com/2017/10/24/exhibiting-in-the-wake-of-tragedy-an-isla-vista-remembrance/
Society of American Archivists, Archival Outlook, “On Objects and Loss,” September/October 2017 by Zachary Liebhaber.
New York Times, “California Today: Montecito’s Mud Volunteers,” April 26, 2018, by Thomas Fuller. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/25/us/california-today-montecitos-mud-volunteers.html
New York Times, “In California, One Community Reflects on a Fire as Others Still Burn,” November 17, 2018, by Tim Arango and Jennifer Medina. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/17/us/california-fires-paradise.html
ABC World News Tonight, “The Mud Angels Helping Find Memories After the Massive Mudslide in California,” February 11, 2018.https://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/mud-angels-helping-find-memories-massive-mudslide-california-52990294
KEYT News, “News Channel 3 Investigates: Thomas Fire Victims Fight AT&T Over Erroneous Phone Bills,” October 29, 2019, Investigative Reporting by CJ Ward https://www.keyt.com/news/newschannel-3-investigates/newschannel-3-investigates-thomas-fire-victims-fight-at-t-over-erroneous-phone-bills/797722796