As election season approaches, social justice and equality issues continue to rise to the forefront of public discussion. Students can educate themselves about the topics through a series of workshops at the UA, the first of which debuted last night.

“”Oppression is painful,”” said Jennifer Hoefle, senior coordinator of Social Justice Programs. “”Whether you’re born to privilege or oppression, we all feel the effects.””

The workshop, entitled “”Social Justice 101,”” laid the groundwork for future workshops and focused on defining the differences between diversity and social justice and different patterns of oppression. The talk featured a slide show and group discussion, but Hoefle said future workshops would focus more on activities.

The workshops will be held each Tuesday in the Center for Student Involvement and Leadership.

Six other workshops will make up the rest of the Social Justice Workshop series, with the next talk, “”A Lesson on Stereotypes,”” taking place Sept. 16.

The last workshop will be Oct. 21, “”Stand Up! Being a Change Agent, Ally or Advocate.””

This is the second time these workshops have been held, the first being last spring. “”I want to have an advanced workshop series next spring,”” Hoefle said, “”something that will build off of the things we do this semester.””

Although the workshops are free and open to the public, they are also a requirement for students seeking an ATLAS certificate in Social Justice Leadership.

ATLAS, which stands for Applied Tailored Leadership Adventure for Students, is a UA program designed to give leadership education to students, as well a something that looks nice on a resume, according to ATLAS officials.

The workshop series parallels Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from mid-September through mid-October. Social Justice Programs at the UA are also sponsoring a series of talks and activities that center around a broad range of Hispanic cultural and social issues.

Activities this week include a panel discussion entitled “”Deaths Along the Border”” on Sept. 11 in the César Chávez Building, and a visit to the Mexican-American border on Saturday, sponsored by UA’s Chicano/ Hispano Student Affairs.

In addition to the Social Justice Workshops and Hispanic Heritage Month, Social Justice Programs plans to offer several other activities throughout the school year, including cultural heritage months for other social groups and several film series.

“”We collaborate a lot with other organizations to sponsor these events,”” Hoefle said. “”There are some new things we’re doing this semester, and we’re working with a lot of different student groups.””