M.A.R.I. Lunch Talk Series

The Roman city of Pompeii, utterly destroyed by the volcano Mt. Vesuvius in 79 CE, has long occupied a privileged place in modern imaginings of the Roman past. Beyond the city’s well-known monuments, however, lies a well of data that has barely begun to be tapped. This talk will introduce the research program of Tulane University’s Pompeii I.14 Project, a new excavation that brings the most cutting-edge archaeological technologies to stratigraphic exploration below the floors, streets, and sidewalks buried by Vesuvius.

Mariana Fontaiña

Mariana Fontaiña

Media and Communications Specialist

Phone
504 247 1268
Office Address
100 Jones Hall
100 Jones Hall
Stone Center Departments
The Stone Center
People Classification
Staff
Tulane Affiliation
Administrator

Biography

Mariana Fontaiña is a Uruguayan cultural manager and communication specialist. In 2022, she earned her Master's in Mass Communication with a concentration in Strategic Communication from the Manship School of Mass Communication. Prior to attending LSU, Mariana obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Cultural Management from CLAEH University in Montevideo.

At Tulane University, Mariana manages communications for the Roger Thayer Stone Center for Latin American Studies, promoting programs and events to enhance the Stone Center's visibility and community engagement. 

Before joining Tulane, Mariana was the Program Coordinator for the LSU Reilly Center for Media & Public Affairs at the Manship School of Mass Communication. At LSU, she oversaw all the center events and communications. As a cultural manager, Mariana coordinated all in-house events for Escaramuza Bookstore for five years, one of the largest bookstores in Montevideo. Additionally, she served as the regional coordinator for the International Literature Festival FILBA and FILBITA in Montevideo, and worked as a production assistant for the MVD Jazz Festival, a two-edition instrumental music festival.

 

Additional Info

Key Responsibilities

  • Implement marketing and promotional strategies to enhance awareness of the Stone Center's academic programs and events. 
  • Coordinates the production and dissemination of communication materials for the Stone Center, ensuring that all publications are current, accurate, and impactful for promoting Stone Center programs, events, and people. 
  • Manages several communications channels, including monitoring media mentions, creating social media content, and promoting events related to the Stone Center and the Latin Americanist community. 
  • Oversees and promotes responsible brand use, ensuring alignment with Tulane University's brand and policies.

Degrees

  • B.A. in Cultural Management, CLAEH University, Uruguay
  • Master in Mass Communication, Louisiana State University

Languages

  • Spanish

Overseas Experience

  • Uruguay

Grace Harmon Graugnard

Grace Harmon Graugnard

Administrative Program Coordinator

Phone
504-865-5164
Stone Center Departments
The Stone Center
People Classification
Staff
Tulane Affiliation
Administrator

Biography

Grace Harmon Graugnard graduated from Tulane University in December of 2020 with a B.A. in International Relations and Theatre. She works with Stone Center Faculty and Staff to coordinate events, book travel, and maintain the office spaces. Grace is the main point of contact for general Stone Center inquiries, including reserving the Greenleaf Conference Room. 

She is an ensemble member of Goat in the Road Productions, where she writes, acts, and volunteers in community projects centering historical and underrepresented narratives. Her goals lie in publishing her written work and continuing to devise responsive and thoughtful theatre. Grace is particularly interested in Louisiana’s colonial history as it pertains to the larger Atlantic story, as well as engaging with race, womanhood, and disability across various societies.

Additional Info

Key Responsibilities

  • Coordinates logistics for all Events in which the Stone Center is the primary sponsor, including but not limited to scheduling, travel, catering, set-up and takedown. 
  • Manages the Greenleaf Conference Room schedule, booking process, and maintenance.
  • Answers the main phone line, directs calls to appropriate party and/or takes messages. 
  • Serves as primary contact with walk-in visitors, including faculty and students. 
  • Receives all emails directed to the departmental email account rtsclas@tulane.edu.
  • Manages the Stone Center listservs.
  • Generates announcements, invitations, and other miscellaneous communications to distribute via email. 
  • Solicits information for the Stone Center Faculty List in collaboration with Stone Center administrative staff, including collecting and saving faculty CVs, editing, and printing. 
  • Works closely with the Media and Communications Specialist to ensure that faculty information is current and accurate on the Stone Center for Latin American Studies websites.
  • Collects financial forms such as W-9s, Direct Deposit forms, and emails/letters of invitation for events sponsored by the Stone Center for Latin American Studies. 
  • Works with the Assistant Director of Administration to processes reimbursements, make payments, and ensure funds reach their respective parties.
  • Submits orders for supplies, equipment, and payments through Tulane’s eProcurement systems.

Degrees

  • B.A., Tulane University, International Relations & Theatre, 2020

Distinctions

  • SXSW World Premiere, ROLEPLAY, Gusto Moving Pictures, 2024
  • Big Easy Theatre Award for Best Play (The Family Line), 2023
  • Resident Artist, Berridge Programs, Normandy, France, 2022
  • Big Easy Theatre Award for Best Ensemble (Roleplay), 2020
  • Newcomb-Tulane College Grant Recipient, 2020
  • Garrick K. Barringer Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role (The Yellow Wallpaper), Tulane University, 2020

Languages

  • Spanish
  • American Sign Language

Overseas Experience

  • Peru
  • France

Douglas Belchior Lecture: “The Role of the Brazilian State in the Advancing of Black Genocide”

Douglas Belchior is an Afro-Brazilian activist and educator who has worked primarily on issues of human rights with an emphasis on combating racism. In 2008, he founded a network of preparatory courses of the social movement UNEafro Brasil, which focuses on the education of poor and black youth on the outskirts of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. He will discuss the violence that Black Brazilians face and the hands of the Brazilian state and how they have collectively organized to create opportunities for their community where few existed before. 

Haiti Book and Film Club

Interested in Haitian Literature and Film? The Department of French and Italian is hosting a book club this fall! All are welcome and texts can be read in French or in English. No grades, no stress, just an opportunity to get together a few times over the course of the semester and exchange ideas.

 

We will discussing the book Gouverneurs de la rosée/Masters of the Dew from the author Jacques Roumain, and the film Gouverneurs de la rosée (1976). 

 

 

Haiti Book and Film Club

Interested in Haitian Literature and Film? The Department of French and Italian is hosting a book club this fall! All are welcome and texts can be read in French or in English. No grades, no stress, just an opportunity to get together a few times over the course of the semester and exchange ideas.

 

We will discussing the book Hadriana dans tous mes rêves/Hadriana in all my Dreams from the author René Depestre, and the film Divine Horsemen: The Living Gods of Haiti (1954) from director Maya Deren.

 

 

Martes en Mid-City con la Familia

Bilingual and Spanish-speaking families engage in this recurring free evening of activities for the whole family. Each date will feature a unique activity or game, snacks, and book giveaway door prizes. In addition, Americas Award books will be featured. The Americas Award celebrates YA and Children’s literature that portrays Latin America, The Caribbean, and Latinx culture in the United States with an authentic lens. This program is planned for families with children ages 6 - 12 and their siblings. 

Martes en Mid-City con la Familia

Bilingual and Spanish-speaking families engage in this recurring free evening of activities for the whole family. Each date will feature a unique activity or game, snacks, and book giveaway door prizes. In addition, Americas Award books will be featured. The Americas Award celebrates YA and Children’s literature that portrays Latin America, The Caribbean, and Latinx culture in the United States with an authentic lens. This program is planned for families with children ages 6 - 12 and their siblings. 

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