ABOUT THE MULTICULTURAL NEWSLETTER . . .

The concept of the Multicultural Newsletter is to provide an avenue for information, updates, opinions, news, and events that will expand the cultural horizons of all Ripon College students. Each issue will include upcoming cultural student

organization events, articles and opinion pieces by Ripon College students, and see the great things the student activities office is doing. The ultimate hope of this newsletter is that the reader(s) will find him/herself more aware of the cultural

atmosphere and events present not only on the Ripon College campus, but around the United States and the world.

FALL 2014 EDITION

INSIDE THIS ISSUE :

FALL 2014 WITH MISA 1

LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY 2

MAYA ANGELOU : CENTER

FOR DIVERSITY AND IN-

3

LA UNIDA

INTERNATIONAL MONTH

STUDENT ORG SPOTLIGHT

UPCOMING EVENTS

EDITORS NOTE

4

4

5

6

6

MULTICULTURAL NEWSLETTER

By Fabiola Mercado

As the semester is coming to an end, I have come to the realization of everything that I have learned and reflected on as the Multicultural and International Student Affairs Assistant for SAO. Entering this position as an active member of various diversity groups on campus like HOLA, La Unida, and BSU I was very excited to be part of Multicultural International Student Affairs, which strongly supports diversity. Working with the Assistant Director of Student Activities, Kyonna Withers, throughout the semester to plan MLK week was awesome. From booking key-note speakers, coming up with theme ideas, creating the flyers and much more made me appreciate and acknowledge the hard work that staff and students put in to create events and activities around campus that educate and promote diversity. I attended meetings and events that talked about or dealt with our January theme for MLK week, Race and the (in) justice system. These meetings and/or events personally opened up my eyes about many issues that I was not aware of. I would like to see more students as well as Faculty/ Staff to become more active in these events, to keep promoting diversity as well as to keep educating ourselves of issues that are taking place here in our campus as well and our country as a whole. I encourage all of you to keep an eye on MLK week right when we come back from winter break which will be a week full of fun activities and events. For this upcoming spring semester I hope to grow and learn even more through this position, I would like to see more students as well as Faculty/ Staff to become more active in these events, to keep promoting diversity as well as to keep educating ourselves of issues that are taking place here on our campus as well and our country as a whole.

FALL 2014 WITH MISA

PAGE 2 MULTICULTURAL NEWSLETTER

PAGE 3 FALL 2014 EDITION

By Ale Sanchez

La Unida is an organization

that is meant to support the

development of an inclusive

culturally pluralistic campus

environment where diversity (not only Hispanic

heritage) is accepted and celebrated. La Unida

brings a diverse community of students together to

educate others on the different aspects of Latin

American cultures. La Unida simulates a support

system for those who share an interest and/or a

background of Hispanic culture.

La Unida strives to provide opportunities for

community building and mentorship with a specific

focus on serving students of Hispanic or Latino

Heritage, or those invested in learning more about

the culture. As an organization we ensure that all

students, regardless of specific social identities or

backgrounds, are treated fairly and experience the

same rights and privileges as those from majority

populations.

La Unida plans to execute educational and

informative programs and activities intended to

increase students’ awareness, knowledge, and

attitudes around the celebration of Hispanic Heritage.

It serves as an organized student body that advocates

with other allies in commitment to support the

development of equitable and fair policies and

procedures. This organization is meant to uplift and

serve the surrounding community, serve as an outlet

to students who strive for the advancement of the

Hispanic community and development of personal

leadership in an effort to more positively influence

society. Currently we meet every Tuesday at 5pm in

the Center for Social Responsibility.

NEWEST MULTICULTURAL STUDENT ORGANIZATION

PAGE 4 MULTICULTURAL NEWSLETTER

INTERNATIONAL MONTH

By: Connor Cummiskey and Megan Ringo

Throughout the month of November the Student Activities Office (SAO), with a little help from the Cultural Diversity Club (CDC), gave students a glimpse of different cultures other than their own. This month was created as an opportunity for internation-al students to feel more at home at Ripon.

“We have 27 students that are not from the United States, why not celebrate their holidays with them and make them feel appreciated as Ripon is their home away from home?” asked Assistant Director of Student Activities Kyonna Withers. “… Ripon College prepares students of diverse interests for lives of productive, socially responsible citizenship, and international month is part of being socially responsible.” One tenant that Withers wanted to emphasize is the idea of cultural competence. “Being competent about cultures [is] know-ing about them, learning about them [and] spreading knowledge about them,” says Withers.

The three cultures that SAO decided to exhibit this year were Hmong, Greek, and Japanese cultures. Events on these three cultures included: a Hmong culture presentation, where students joined Mary Kong from the Hmong Center of Green Bay for lunch to discuss topics within the Hmong Culture; a Japanese tea ceremony, where students had the opportunity to learn about Japanese history and culture as well as the importance of the tea ceremony and what spiritual meanings it held for the people of Japan; and for Greece, Greek weddings were displayed for students to experience the early aspect of their wed-ding ceremonial customs and traditions.

Other events for students to participate in included a TED Talks and Tea to discuss “Food in not only culture, it’s diplomacy,” a fashion show depicting clothing from all over the world and an activity fair called “Rally Around the World,” where students enjoyed learning about the different cultures provided by the international students on campus.

The college emphasizes diversity, particularly within the last year or so, in an effort to encourage the school’s tagline “More. Together.” By creating this month and the different events that go with it, the idea of drawing on differences in the student body is viewed more as a strength instead of a division, locally and globally.

Queer Straight Alliance

By: Gillian Grocke

Our main goal this semester in QSA was to up our visibility on campus and gain membership. This semester has been very successful. We had a great LGBT* History month and put on several events like Safe Zone training, a pub party, and an alliance ceremony. Not only have we been trying to

up our visibility, but we have also been getting involved with other the other multicultural groups on campus and even had a workshop with FISK. We've had weekly meetings held on Tuesday nights from6:00pm to 7:00pm, which will continue at the same time next semester. Next semester we hope to hold more workshops and events.

Black Student Union

By: Clarence Sanon

This year for the black student union has been tremendous. The group has began to work alongside other multicultural groups

to raise awareness about diversity and inclusion. We hope to have diversity activities implemented amongst all students as well as on an institutional level. The group has been invigorated students are speaking up and being proud to be advocates for change. The group has started to facilitate an aura of unity and family. The wheels of the diversity bus has been pushed and the Black Student Union is driving. We are currently finalizing plans for Black History Month and we have picked the theme of Black Voices. Join us in the spring every Wednesdays at 5:15pm in the MLK Lounge.

PAGE 5 FALL 2014 EDITION

R IPON ’S MULTICULTURAL STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS

rRRumba!

Love to dance? Well this group is for you! rRRumba is a student organization that meets every Tuesday and Thursday in Great Hall at 7 and seeks to promote the appreciation and recognition of ballroom dancing as a positive and constructive form of recreation. Every year rRRumba is invited to perform at International Dinner and goes to Salsa Congress, which is a national salsa convention in Chicago. They are always looking for more participants so feel free to join! 2015 elections are March 5!

Cultural Diversity Club

By: Yessra Sankari

In the past 2 years CDC flourished to be 1 of the 5 diverse clubs on campus. Our goals are to spread diversity through highlighting the unique diverse cultures Ripon has. We meet once a week to talk about cultural activities that spread awareness of acceptance and diversity throughout campus. As the president of CDC, I look upon CDC with pride and love. Guiding CDC to bloom into the organization it is today, brings joy to my heart. There is nothing more on campus that I am dedicated to as much as CDC.

I’m studying abroad in the spring but I look forward to see what wonderful activities CDC will accomplish, including International dinner. I leave CDC to flourish even more with the leadership of the exec board and the members.

Martin Luther King Jr

Day January 19

MLK Week 2015 January

25-January 31

Home Away from Home

group dinner February 3

5pm

Black History Month in

February (Black Voices)

Ash Wednesday February

18

Chinese New Year

February 19

Women's History Month

in March

Easter April 5

Passover April 4-11

CDC Culture Week April

4-12

International Dinner

April 12

1st day of Ridvan April

21

300 W. Seward St. Ripon, WI 54971

The Office of Student Activities and Orientation Phone: 920-748-8112 http://www.ripon.edu/studentlife/student_activities/misa/misa.html Editor of newlstter: Kyonna Withers Assistant Director of Student Activities E-mail: withersk@ripon.edu

earlier in the

newsletter) for their

hard work and

persistence to put

themselves out there

as not only students

but as members of

underrepresented

groups that are

hurting from the

things that are

happening in and out

of Wisconsin to their

people. There were

mixed reviews of the

peaceful protest that

was done in the

commons on 12/10 but

it was well put

By: Kyonna Withers

This semester has

been a busy yet

powerful semester at

Ripon in regards to

diversity. With so

much going on in the

world from

indictments, to police

brutality, to student

protests all over the

country, our campus

has become active and

more aware of issues

facing students

around the globe. I

am proud of the

multicultural

coalition (mentioned

together and we had

an overwhelming

positive reaction from

faculty, staff, and

students. Some may

have griped that we

did it, but there were

more smiles than

frowns and an impact

was made, which was

the point. I encourage

the campus to be

active and heard

about what they

believe in. There will

be more changes made

at Ripon in regards to

diversity in spring

2015 so get ready for

EDITORS NOTE !

UPCOMING EVENTS & HOLIDAYS

PLEASE FEEL FREE TO SUBMIT RELEVANT AND APPROPRIATE ARTICLES, STORIES, EVENTS, AND MORE TO KYONNA WITHERS FOR PUBLICATION CONSIDERATION.

Disclaimer: The opinions and views expressed in this newsletter do not necessarily reflect those of the Office of Student Activities and Orientation or the Ripon College community.

movement and social

change. If there are ever

any concerns stop by the

student activities office

or Maya Angelou

Center and voice them

in person. Let us all

work together to make

Ripon a place that is

desired and appreciated

by all, for all.