...Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God. --Romans 12:2

UMEC has provided multiple opportunities for the campus and Spokane community to engage with Black History month activities. Kudos to my sta! for all their hard work to bring forth innovative and thought-provoking programs. Re"ecting upon our e!orts as a department, I often wonder how Gonzaga would be transformed if others would habitually integrate diversity into the Jesuit educational experience which lauds teaching the whole person? Our current mission declares the belief that the knowledge of traditions and cultures di!erent from our own draws us closer to the human family. I would contend that such knowledge must be readily available for all students to acquire. As educators we must be willing to unsel#shly interrogate our motives through lenses of privilege and love. Critically thinking about the historical narratives that have been consistently omitted from academia is indeed a justice issue. Conversing and re"ecting about such topics is important, however engaging strategies to remedy injustice is the only way to live out the mission. We must be courageous enough to exercise our inspirations with the expectation that our willingness to act will help students develop an understanding of diversity in all of its forms. This includes the richness that such diversity adds to the University community as articulated Vision 2012. Creating a more equitable and inclusive campus community requires sta! and faculty advocates prepared to act. Can we renew our thinking in such a way that truly transforms our campus into a place where human di!erence is valued for the sake of educating the whole person? My heart says it is indeed possible if…

Tracy Ellis-Ward Director, UMEC

22 Crafting Unity: African Art Showcase 24 Cultural Awareness Night: Nicholas Sironka Art Workshop 26 UMEC Movie Social 29 Town Hall

1 Cultural Awareness Night: Film Round Table 29 Diversity Monologues

11 Crafting Unity: Lei Making 18 Yom Hashoah Remembrance Program 27 Stand Against Racism

7 UMEC Study Break

UNITY

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Upcoming Events

the

FEBRUARYDirector’s Corner

inside this issue...BRIDGE/LEADS Reunion Dinner

GU Iron ChefWhite Like Me: Tim WiseBRIDGE Counselor Info

Ericka Huggins Re"ectionAlly Connection

Mocktail Movie Night ReviewCrafting Unity Highlights

Diversity Monologues Promo

MARCH

MULTICULTURALEDUCATIONCENTERVolume 2, Issue 3 February 21, 2012newslette

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Pictured  below:  GU  Students  enjoying  Parols,  Filipino  Christmas  Lantern  during  November’s  Crafting  Unity.

APRIL

Pictured  to  the  Right:  GU  Students    socializing  during  the  BRIDGE/LEADS  2012  Reunion  Dinner.

BRIDGE  Stands  for  Building  Relationships  In  Diverse  Gonzaga  Environments.

LEADS  Stands  for    Leadership,  Education,  Academic  Development,  and  Success  Skills.

MAY

Pictured  below:  2012  GU  Iron  Chef  Judge’s  Choice  Winner  Dane  Pavlik  (Left)  and  People’s  Choice  Winner  Nate  Gaberich.  The  winning  dishes  were  Dane’s  Sweet  Turkey  Chili  and  Nate’s  Spicy  Grilled  Cheese  and  Avocado.  Both  dishes  will  be  featured  during  the  COG  dinner  time  on  Sunday,  February  26.    

Pictured  Left:  GU  Iron  Chef  Participants  and  GU  Iron  Chef  crowd  participants  enjoy  the  atomsphere  on  Sunday,  January  29  in  Crosby.  

In  2013,  GU  Iron  Chef  will  be  hosted  in  the  COG  Dining  Area!

Gonzaga university unity multicultural education center

Cultural3rd Annunal

GU Iron Chef:

“I love competing in the GU Iron Chef Challenge because it gives students the opportunities to showcase recipes from their culture and family. The day of the competition is always fun with people coming in to try all the great food that we the contestants prepare. This is my third year competing and freshman year was just for fun, last year took it a little more serious and won the People’s Choice award. This year was very special for me since I won the Judges’ Choice award for the #rst time. As a junior, I’ll de#nitely be back next year to defend my title. Overall this is a great event to bring the GU community together and opens us up to more culturally diverse cuisines.”

REFLECTION BY 2$TIME GU IRON CHEF CHAMP DANE PAVLIK

CookingCompetition

On Wednesday, February 1, Gonzaga welcomed renowned author and civil rights activist Tim Wise for a lecture on white privilege and institutional racism. Throughout the lecture, Wise articulated the social bene#ts of being White in contemporary America and addressed current social inequity based on race, with strong statistical support, in order to prove the existence of racism post-Civil Rights. Using a #ery voice, often described as mirroring that of a southern preacher, and gut-wrenching humor, Wise was able to intrigue and captivate the audience for the duration of the lecture. After Wise completed his formal lecture, he opened the "oor for an audience Q&A, where students as well as faculty sought more insight on how racism and social inequity plays out in the modern world, and what students can do to combat it. In a memorable and challenging moment of the night, a local Tribeswoman utilized the open forum to inform the audience of an opportunity for the community to engage in service by assisting in the cleaning of uranium mines that have intoxicated tribal land on the Spokane Indian Reservation for over half a century. Prompted by this plea for community involvement, Wise challenged the audience to commit to engaging in “authentic” service, where service is not performed for the community or people, rather “with” them. Wise’s visit to campus succeeded in challenging the Gonzaga community in attendance to work through passivity toward racism and classism and challenge the systems that support inequity by utilizing our own privilege to work with those who are a!ected by social inequity daily.

RENE ALVAREZ JR., ACT SIX, SOPHOMORE SCHOLAR,

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White Like Me:

Pictured  above:  Social  Justice  and  Anti-Racism  Activist  Tim  Wise  asking  the  audience  to  have  “real  conversations”  about  not  only  Gonzaga  issues,  but  issues  in  Spokane.

GU Student Review

By ERICKA HUGGINS

Gonzaga university unity multicultural education center

GU Student ReflectionOn the night of Monday, February 13, Gonzaga had the pleasure to learn from a person whose great experiences were created through a life of adversity and perseverance. That person was none other than Ericka Huggins. This powerful woman spoke to the Gonzaga community about her struggles as a single parent in jail and also her involvement in the Black Panther Party. From an early childhood, Ericka always knew that her calling was to help others; those that are marginalized. In her lecture, she talked about how she decided to the join the Black Panther Party. She was 18 and drove to Los Angeles from the East Coast with her friend John Huggins, later to be her husband. A year into her involvement with the Black Panther Party, a tragic event occurred that changed Ericka’s life. Her husband was shot and killed on the UCLA campus along with another fellow Black Panther Party member. The campus never once shared the story of these two tragic men.

When Ericka returned to the East Coast, she decided to continue with the Black Panther Party and was asked to start a chapter at a nearby college. It was at that time she was charged for conspiracy and sentenced to jail for two year. It was in jail where she learned the importance in meditation. As she talked, there was calmness in her voice. As the lecture went on Ericka made it a point to change people’s minds about the Black Panther Party. As many Gonzaga students including myself are guilty of believing misinformation found in textbooks, the Black Panther Party was viewed as a radical party that used force and violence to make change. Ericka spoke of how the party had programs to help and care for marginalized and underrepresented groups. They were about equality among all people, not just blacks. One program she spoke of was an alternative school for children. In the school, they were taught everything as a public school, but with more care and attention. As the lecture came to a close, Ericka asked challenging questions and provided advice regarding awareness and social change for students and faculty. We left with a better appreciation for what happens when people demand change.

MERCEDES HAYES, BLACK STUDENT UNION PRESIDENT AND COMMUNICATIONS MAJOR

Pictured  above:  Former  Black  Panther  Chapter  Leader  and  Social  Justice  Activist  Ericka  Huggins  blessing  Gonzaga  University  with  her  lived  experience  insight.

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Dr. Keya MitraEnglish, Department

Before moving to Spokane, Washington, I was #nishing my doctorate in creative writing and postcolonial literature at the University of Houston in Texas, which, according to U.S. News and World Report, ranks as the second most ethnically and racially diverse college in the nation. My classrooms there were #lled with international students from places as diverse as Bosnia, Pakistan, and Germany, which allowed for stimulating and illuminating dialogues within the classroom.

On the surface, Gonzaga’s student population is less ethnically diverse, but, as I begin my third semester at Gonzaga, I can say that diversity manifests itself in subtle but critical ways on this campus. On February 7, I taught a workshop on the Diversity Monologues, and at the event last year I was struck by the depth and range of experiences embedded in the student monologues. Students at Gonzaga may appear more homogenous, but they contain a wealth of life experiences, class backgrounds, regional distinctions, perspectives, and outlooks that contribute to a rich dialogue in the classroom. And the students on campus have a powerful and enduring curiosity and investment in learning about and contributing to the world.

As part of the English department, I work with brilliant colleagues who stress the importance of diverse perspectives and thought in the classroom, who concentrate on issues related to gender, sexuality, race, and power dynamics. I am personally grateful to be teaching a class on Postcolonial Studies this semester. I began the class by showing a clip from Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s “The Danger of the Single Story,” in which the Nigerian author stresses the importance of generating and sharing diverse narratives. “Stories matter,” she says in her talk. “Many stories matter. Stories have been used to dispossess and malign, but stories can also be used to empower and humanize.”

The study of literature and creative writing teaches Gonzaga students to become more cognizant of the importance of narratives in the world as well as the value of identifying, articulating, and communicating their own individual, distinct narratives. I’ve been inspired by the mission of the university and my department, which encourages students to delve deeper into and engage in a meaningful dialogue about diverse narratives. Through this dialogue and through the study of narratives, our students gain a greater understanding of themselves and the world.

Ally Connection

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BECOME A SUMMER BRIDGE COUNSELOR IN

2012!Applications will be available in umec and on-line @ www.gonzaga.edu/UMEC on February 21

The Gonzaga University Summer “BRIDGE” Pre-Orientation program is designed to encourage incoming students to become better acquainted with the environment where they will pursue their academic career through #rst hand interactions with upperclassmen and campus resources.

BRIDGE Counselor applications are due by March 9 with interviews shortly after. Once counselors are chosen, the report start date is August 17.

MOCKTAIL MOVIE NIGHT:

CRAFTING UNITY:

Mooz-lum is an excellent movie which describes the life of a Muslim family both before and after the September 2001 terrorist attacks in New York City. The main character, Tahriq Mahdi, has been raised by his father and has struggled with his religious beliefs as well as his social life. The movie follows Tahriq in his journey to college and his attempt to #nd himself. Being a #rst year college student myself, I can relate to Tahriq in that sense. It is hard to go in to college knowing very few people and successfully #nd your identity. Tahriq struggled with his religious beliefs throughout the movie. To me, he struggled with the fact that if he followed his religion, he would not #t in amongst his peers. I am sure that not only myself, but other college students could relate to abandoning certain aspects of your life in order to #t in with the crowd. In the movie Tahriq risks his own safety in order to protect his sister and her friend. This is something I de#nitely related to having two younger sisters and a younger brother. Lastly, throughout the movie Tahriq’s father pushed him to be just like him. My father did not take it to the same level as Tahriq’s dad did, but I could recall times in my life when my father would push me to become more and more like him. Overall, the movie provided an excellent example of how to stay true to yourself, even in times of hardship.

LOGAN TORRES, ACT SIX, FRESHMEN SCHOLAR, AND BIOLOGY MAJOR

Gonzaga university unity multicultural education center

GU Student Film Review of Mooz-lum

Chinese New Year Lanterns

Pictured above: Sociology and Criminal Justice professor Vikas Gumbhir leading post-#lm discussion after participants viewed Mooz-Lum. UMEC o!ered a chance to learn and challenge students’ perceptions outside the classroom on Friday, February 10 in the Foley Teleconference Room. “I think there is a beauty in #lm,” Gumbhir said. “There is also a culture of learning.”

Mocktail Movie Night was a collaboration with UMEC, Student Wellness Resource Center/G+, and Professor Vik Gumbhir.

!"# e boone ave msc##$%%, spokane, wa &&#!' (!"&) ()(-!'(% unityhouse@gonzaga.edu