Wednesday, May 20, 2026
6:30-8 pm
Thienes Lounge
Open to the public
“Everybody dies, no one wants to talk about it: communication and grief.”
Beth Alves, a professor at Connecticut State
Community College Quinebaug Valley, shares
feedback she gathered about communication when it
comes to conversations about estate planning, death
and grief (with the main focus on grief).
She decided to undertake a project on
successes and challenges related to such
conversations after the unexpected death of her
husband in 2022.
What she learned through interviews and
survey questions helped her create a unit for her
“Interpersonal Communications” class about how
people communicate (or struggle to communicate)
when it comes to the most difficult of topics.
If you find it challenging to talk with someone
whose friend, coworker, loved one has died, the
presentation will include the advice she received on
ways to communicate with those who are grieving.