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KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Sara Capen, Executive Director, Niagara Falls National Heritage Area

Sara began working for the National Heritage

Area since its inception in 2011 with an immediate

focus on developing a management plan and

building community partnerships to preserve,

protect and promote the natural, cultural and

historic resources along the Niagara River

Corridor.

In 2013, the National Heritage Area transitioned

from a federal commission to a non-profit

organization with Sara becoming the Executive

Director. Since then, Sara has administered the

National Heritage Area through strategic focus on

interpreting the rich history, connecting visitors

and residents to the unique landscape and

heritage, creating unique cultural tourism

products and fostering stewardship through

educational outreach programs for youth.

Examples of this work include the development of

the Discover Niagara Shuttle, Niagara Falls

Underground Railroad Heritage Center, Fridays on the Frontier Education Program, and the Discover Niagara

Mobile Application.

As a former teacher, Sara is an experienced educator who understands the importance of connecting youth

to the rich history and landscape in their backyard. By connecting people to the rich cultural heritage of an

area, people gain a stronger sense of place and pride for the role it had in shaping history. Sara applies that

same philosophy at Niagara University where she serves as an adjunct professor instructing a class on Tourism

and Destination Development for the College of Hospitality.

Presently, Sara serves as the Chairperson of the Alliance of National Heritage Areas, which is an alliance of the

49 Congressionally-designated National Heritage Areas throughout the United States. Through advocacy

efforts, Sara champions the grass-root efforts of National Heritage Areas to revitalize communities, generate

economic development, and preserve the places that are the fabric of our nation.

Sara is proud to be a life-long resident of Niagara County, making her home along the shoreline of Lake

Ontario in Burt, where she and her husband Michael are raising their five sons, Jack, Umaru, Sam, Mac, and

Thomas in close proximity to generations of family members who are near and dear to her heart.

3

CONFERENCE SCHEDULE

Day 1: Friday March 1

4:30-5:00 p.m. Guest Registration

Atrium, Fourth Floor, St. Vincent’s Hall

5:00-5:30 p.m. Welcome Remarks and Announcement of Crossing Borders Best

Paper Prize

St. Vincent’s Hall, Rooms 405-406

Welcome

Father James Maher, President, Niagara University

The Honorable Phyllis Yaffe, Canadian Consul General in New York, United States

5:30-7:00 p.m. Conference Banquet

St. Vincent’s Hall, Rooms 405-406

For all presenters, moderators, and guests

6:00-6:30 p.m. Keynote Address

St. Vincent’s Hall, Rooms 405-406

Introduction

Dr. Shannon Risk, Associate Professor, Department of History, Niagara University

Keynote Speaker

Ms. Sara Capen

Executive Director, Niagara Falls National Heritage Association

“Cross-Border Heritage Tourism Initiatives”

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Day 2: Saturday, March 2

8:00-9:00 a.m. Registration Opens

Atrium, Fourth Floor, St. Vincent’s Hall Breakfast buffet served for all participants

9:00-12:00 noon Student Panels

St. Vincent’s Hall, Rooms 405, 406 and 407

9:00-10:15 a.m. Student Panels

Panel 1A Local and International Approaches to Human Trafficking and Poverty in Canada and the

United States

St. Vincent’s Hall, Room 405

Moderator: Dr. Michael Durfee, Assistant Professor of History, Niagara University mdurfee@niagara.edu

John Dotse, Brock University jd16em@brocku.ca

Aid Selectivity and the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness: A Comparison of Canada and China in Ghana

Ajla Avdic, University of Buffalo ajlaavdi@buffalo.edu

Human Trafficking Across the United States-Canadian Border

Panel 1B Political Influences in Federal and Provincial Governments

St. Vincent’s Hall, Room 406

Moderator: Olivia Kurajian, McGill University

olivia.kurajian@mail.mcgill.ca

Collin Anderson, University at Buffalo collinan@buffalo.edu

Disproportionality in Canada: A Comparative Look at the Federal and Provincial Levels

Lauryn King, University at Buffalo laurynki@buffalo.edu

A Comparative Analysis of Trump and Trudeau’s First 100 Days in Office

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Panel 1C Transnational Histories at the Canada-U.S. Border

St. Vincent’s Hall, Room 407

Moderator: Dr. Shannon Risk, Associate Professor of History, Niagara University

srisk@niagara.edu

Samantha Odrowaz-Sekely, University of Toronto samantha.odrowaz.sekely@mail.utoronto.ca

The Forgotten Victory of 1812: Explaining the American Decision to Pursue War with Britain

Heidi Madden, M.A., Brock University hmadden@brocku.ca

National Narratives and Local History: How Fort George and Old Fort Niagara Develop and Reinforce

Collective Memory

10:15-10:30 a.m. Networking Break

Atrium, Fourth Floor, St. Vincent’s Hall

10:30-11:45 a.m. Student Panels

Panel 2A Shaping Policy and Public Opinion: Leadership, Sport, and Immigration

St. Vincent’s Hall, Room 405

Moderator: Dr. Marian Bredin, Associate Professor of Communication, Brock University

mbredin@brocku.ca

Olivia Kurajian, McGill University olivia.kurajian@mail.mcgill.ca

Justification of Exclusion: 21st-Century Immigration and Canadian-American Relations

Sydney Forde, Brock University sf13lp@brocku.ca

Diverging Media: Representations of Terrorism, Refugees, and Immigration

Bliss Gatenby, Brock University bg13gm@brocku.ca

Cause Marketing and Corporate Social Responsibility In Sports Foundations: A Canada-U.S. Comparison

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Panel 2B Healthcare in Contemporary Canada and the United States

St. Vincent’s Hall, Room 406

Moderator: Dr. Susan Mason, Professor of Psychology, Niagara University

sem@niagara.edu

Chelsea Smith, Brock University sc15ni@brocku.ca

Getting What You Paid For: A Comparative Analysis Between United States and Canadian Healthcare

Sophia Smith, Niagara University ssmith9@mail.niagara.edu

Underrepresentation of Older Adults in Cancer Clinical Trials - A Comparative Review Between the United States

and Canada

12:00-1:00 p.m. Lunch Buffet

Atrium, Fourth Floor, St. Vincent’s Hall

For all presenters and moderators

1:00-2:15 p.m. Student Panels

Panel 3A Originating and Modernizing Government Representation: Canadian and American

Examples

St. Vincent’s Hall, Room 405

Moderator: Dr. Munroe Eagles, Chair and Professor of Political Science, University at Buffalo

eagles@buffalo.edu

Matthew Phelan, SUNY-Geneseo mhp1@geneseo.edu

United States and Canadian Elections – Flaws of the SMDP System, and an Alternative to Consider

Jacob Tucker, Niagara University jtucker2@mail.niagara.edu

For Crown and Country: An Analytical Study of the Evolution of the Canadian Federalism System and That of

America

Stephen William Caron, SUNY-Geneseo swc7@geneseo.edu

The Decline of Roman Catholicism and Social Conservatism, and the Rise of Secularization and Separatism:

The Story of How Quebec Became a Modern Province

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Panel 3B Contemporary Borderlands: Policy and Ownership

St. Vincent’s Hall, Room 406

Moderator: Samantha Odrowaz-Sekely, University of Toronto

samantha.odrowaz.sekely@mail.utoronto.ca

Jennifer Phillips, Brock University jphillips@brocku.ca

The Application of Policy Diffusion Theory on Canadian Border Policy in a Post-9/11 World: American

Pressures, Canadian Responses

Marissa Seib, Niagara University mseib@mail.niagara.edu

Let’s Thaw It Up for Oil – Resource Ownership in the Arctic

Victoria Sclafani, University at Buffalo vrsclafa@buffalo.edu

The United States and Canada: Value of Our Border and Its Effects on Homeland Security and Its Economic

Influences

Panel 3C Issues of Sovereignty, Identity, and Trade Among Indigenous Peoples in the Borderlands

St. Vincent’s Hall, Room 407

Moderator: Dr. Marian Bredin, Associate Professor of Communication, Brock University

mbredin@brocku.ca

Faith Miller, University at Buffalo faithmil@buffalo.edu

An Analysis of Similarities and Differences in Media Portrayal: Government and Public Perception of both the

U.S. and Canada’s Indigenous Populations

Vivian Nelson, Wilfrid Laurier University nels7560@mylaurier.ca

More than Just a Pipe Dream: Analyzing Problematic Narratives Surrounding the Illicit Cross-Border Tobacco

Trade through the Awkwasasne Mohawk Reserve

2:15-2:30 p.m. Networking Break

Atrium, Fourth Floor, St. Vincent’s Hall

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2:30-3:45 p.m. Student Panels

Panel 4A From NAFTA to the USMCA--The Canadian Approach to Fair Trade

St. Vincent’s Hall, Room 405

Moderator: Dr. Joseph Sankoh, Associate Professor of Political Science, Daemen College

jsankoh@dawemen.edu

John Oshei, University at Buffalo johnoshe@buffalo.edu

Prospects for Canada-China Trade in the USMCA Era

Abigail Sickles, SUNY-Geneseo acs27@geneseo.edu

The Progress of Globalization: Transforming the U.S.-Canadian Economic Relationship

Panel 4B Changing Salience of the Canada-U.S. Border, 2000-2018

St. Vincent’s Hall, Room 406

Moderator: Dr. Mustafa Gokcek, Associate Professor of History and Director of the MAIS graduate program,

Niagara University gokcek@niagara.edu

Sean Cunningham, University at Buffalo seancunn@buffalo.edu

Bertram Darko, Brock University bg18qj@brockku.ca

Bliss Gatenby, Brock University bg13qm@brocku.ca

Caitlyn McComb, Brock University cm18kz@brocku.ca

3:45-4:00 p.m. Concluding Remarks

Atrium, Fourth Floor, St. Vincent’s Hall

An optional tour of the Niagara Falls Underground Railroad

Heritage Center will commence following the conference.

If you are interested in attending, please contact Shannon

Risk at srisk@niagara.edu

9

NOTES

10

NOTES

11

BEST STUDENT PAPER JUDGES Dr. Marian Bredin, Communication, Brock University

Dr. Munroe Eagles, Political Science, University at Buffalo

CONFERENCE PLANNING COMMITTEE Ms. Elaine Aldridge-Low, Brock University

Dr. Marian Bredin, Brock University

Mr. Evan Burt, Global Affairs Canada

Dr. Munroe Eagles, University at Buffalo

Dr. Shannon Risk, Niagara University

WE THANK THE FOLLOWING The Honorable Phyllis Yaffe, The Canadian Consul General in New York, United States

Father James Maher, C.M., President, Niagara University

Evan Burt, Global Affairs Canada

Rachael Homewood, Senior Advisor, Consulate General of Canada

Jill Shuey, Assistant Director, Office of Sponsored Programs and Foundation Relations, Niagara University

Elaine Aldridge-Low, Administrative Assistant, Centre for Canadian Studies, Brock University

Eileen Klein, Administrative Assistant, Department of History, Niagara University

Evan Pierce, Assoc. Dir. for Academic Affairs, Graduate Studies, Niagara University

The Niagara Falls National Heritage Area

The Niagara Falls Underground Railroad History Center

The Castellani Art Museum, Niagara University

METZ Campus Catering, Niagara University

Information Technology, Niagara University