UMEC November 2013 Newsletter

UNITY

502 e boone ave msc#2466, spokane, wa 99258 (509) 313-5836 [email protected]

3 Deconstructing Series: Christmas16 UMEC Study Break

22 Crafting Unity26 GU Iron Chef: Cultural Cooking Battle!

4 Peggy McIntosh: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack12 Mocktail Movie Night: Freedom Riders21 Cultural Awareness Night: Abolitionists 25 Real Talk: Muslim Traditions

Upcoming Events

the

inside this issue...Ally Connection

Sister Outsider PoetryReflection on Immigration

Where Are They Now?Virtual Voices

Real Talk: Multiracial Identity509 Scares Hunger

International Day of Tolerance (IDOT)

December

MULTICULTURALEDUCATIONCENTERVolume 4, Issue 2 November 25, 2013newsletter

January

Hello, my name is Jeff Brogan! I work in University Ministry, coordinating Freshmen Retreat, Pilgrimage, and Faith and Justice Retreat. I am so grateful for my experiences within Jesuit education and for the wonderful opportunity to work at a Jesuit institution like Gonzaga. From my first encounter in high school (at St. Joe’s Prep in Philadelphia), I felt drawn to the Jesuit call to a life of greater purpose. In my continued experiences in college and through Jesuit Volunteer Corps, I grew in my consciousness of the presence of a God who wishes to draw intimately close to each and every member of creation. This includes me; this includes everyone!

Belief in such a lavishly loving and active God undergirds University Ministry’s approach to working with all of our students. We believe that God has worked and continues to work in each of our students’ lives through the rich diversity of religious backgrounds and beliefs that are represented within our Gonzaga community. We strive to support each student in the practice and growth within his or her particular tradition, by facilitating a variety of programs on campus and when necessary by connecting students to places of worship within the local community. In all that we do, we hope to model God’s love by establishing a welcoming and supportive environment for all. We hope to see you soon!

Ally Connection

February

Hey GU students, need a warm pick me up before finals start? Well come by the Unity Multicultural Education Center for the UMEC STUDY BREAK ON MONDAY, DECEMBER 16 AT 6PM. A nice hot bowl of chili will be what you need to get you through any cold weather before final exams. Contact UMEC on how you can get a Ticket to the Study Break!

UMEC STUDY BREAK

Critics argue that this bill would reward illegal immigration and increase criminal activity in the U.S., when in reality we’ve seen through facts that only a small percentage of immigrants achieve all of the requirements and enacting this Act would produce a variety of social and economic benefits. Overall, the event was very successful and the main idea that I got from this talk is that everyone is equal and need their rights to be taken into account even if they are immigrants.

Gonzaga university unity multicultural education center

Picture above: Dr. Hector Amaya, professor in media studies at University of Virginia.

Immigration, Enforcement, Reform, and the Media Reflection

BY MARIYLN MELGOZA, GU FRESHMEN

On September 25, 79 Gonzaga students, faculty, and community members attended the Immigration, Enforcement, Reform, and the Media event in Jepson Wolff Auditorium. Dr. Hector Amaya from University of Virginia, discussed forms of oppression through incarceration centers for undocumented immigrants in the United States, for example the T. Don Hutto Residential Center. I was not aware of this detention center until Dr. Amaya mentioned it and shocked the audience with facts about mostly housing immigrant children and mistreating them. In his presentation he also touched on immigration reform and how the media is critical to Latino communities, the radio being the main source for them to find out about current political issues.

Throughout the night, Dr. Amaya described the DREAM Act (Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors) and some of the social thoughts on this bill. The DREAM Act would provide permanent residency to certain immigrants of good moral character who graduate from U.S. high schools, arrived in the United States before the age of 16, and lived in the country continuously for at least five years prior to the bill’s enactment.


Sist

er O

uts

ider

Po

etr

y Together, Dominique Christina and Denice Frohman make up Sister Outsider Poetry. According to their website, the duo represents the top two female slam poets in the world. After experiencing their performance at Jepson’s Wolff Auditorium on October 8th, however, I suggest an amendment to this claim.

This duo represents the top two slam poets in the world—regardless of sex/gender.

They distill what takes an article more than twenty pages or a discussion more than an hour into concise and cogent lines of wisdom. With words molded into metaphors and syncopated bars, I find myself unable to say whether their ability to deconstruct the complexities of identity and power while interspersing anecdotes of their own experiences represents an academic or artistic experience. I guess that’s part of the beauty of it.

Topics of sexuality and race often create a sense of discomfort in listeners, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing: discomfort forces us to unpack assumptions. Dominique Christina and Denice Frohman extract any discomfort and in its place leave a deeper understanding of what it means to be human, and more specifically, a person forced to live as an outsider.

In this way, Sister Outsider Poetry has provided the space for me to reflect on my own identity and its multiple permutations in my life, while also extending my thoughts beyond myself. For this chance at critical reflection, I thank them.

BY RYAN HEALEY, GU SENIOR

Pictured above: Dominique Christina and Denice Frohman, better known to all as Sister Outsider Poetry. This event was brought to you by the LGBT Resource Center and UMEC.

Pictured below: Students listening to the powerful words of Dominique Christina in Wolff Auditorium.

Photos courtesy of UMEC Staff


Where Are They Now?Catching-up withGonzaga Alums

Name: Xochitl Velazquez

Year Graduated: Bachelors in 2012 and Masters in 2013

Major/Masters: Business Administration

From: Wenatchee, Washington

Activities while at GU: I held a number of officer positions in La Raza Latina while at Gonzaga. As a freshman I served as one of the Advertising Chairs, the following year I became the Activities Coordinator, and my Senior year I was the President of the club. I was part of the BRIDGE program two consecutive years, serving as Parent Counselor and Lead Parent Counselor. I was also part of the LEADS Mentor Program and the Multicultural Honor Society during my last two years at GU.

What are you currently doing since graduating? After graduating in May, I returned to Gonzaga to take part in the Master of Business Administration program. After finishing the program in August of this year I took some time off and went back home to Wenatchee, WA. It was nice to be home and spend time with my family. I recently started working for Goodale & Barbieri Company, in Spokane. I am currently the Office Coordinator and Residential Assistant.

What do you miss most about Gonzaga? The people! While at Gonzaga I made some great friends which I miss seeing on a regular basis. I miss spending time with them and meeting up for lunch or study sessions. I also miss visiting the staff and faculty members. It was nice going into different offices around campus and talking to the staff and faculty between or after classes.

What was your favorite moment at Gonzaga? There were so many great moments while I was a student at Gonzaga, but one that stands out is graduation. It was great to see my classmates

and their families celebrating such a special day. Graduation was also a very special day because it was the day I accomplished a very important personal goal. I have always tried to be a positive role model for my younger brother and I feel like going to college and graduation definitely impacted him because he also has the desire to attend college after high school. Having my parents, grandparents, and other family members with me to celebrate this accomplishment made this a very special.

What was one challenge you faced while at Gonzaga? Balancing school with extracurricular activities was a challenge for me. There were times when I would dedicate more time to extracurricular activities than school work, which would put me behind on homework. I managed to always get my work done but my poor time management caused some unnecessary stress. There were also times when I felt that I was not as involved with activities around campus, as I would have liked, because I was too busy with school work.

Were you able to overcome them? How so? Yes! It took some time to figure out what worked best but I was able to manage my time in a way that allowed me to be involved in a number of activities while at the same time staying on track with my school work. Being organized and reassessing my priorities was key in managing my time better. After finding a routine that worked for me I was able to enjoy my college experience without being so stresses out with school work.

What was your biggest takeaway from your Gonzaga experience that is most applicable to you after graduating?Something that always stood out to me was how involved the students at Gonzaga were on campus and in their communities. This encouraged me to also be involved in volunteering activities. I enjoyed taking part in different activities around campus and in Spokane which influenced my desire to work for an organization that also valued service and their community. When looking for employment after graduating I made sure to look at each company’s mission and values because I wanted to work for an organization that had a positive impact on the community.

What advice do you have for current Gonzaga students? I would tell current Gonzaga students to get involved in different activities and enjoy their time on campus and with friends because time passes by quickly. I remember thinking as a Freshman that graduation was so far away but when I was finishing up my Senior year I realized that time had passed pretty fast. Attending college is a great experience and I hope that all students enjoy their college years. I know I had a great time at Gonzaga and will always remember the friends and great memories I made at GU.

What’s next for you? Right now I want to gain the necessary experience that will prepare me for a career in property management. I think that working for G&B is setting me on the right track. I enjoy working for the company and look forward to learning from its staff members.


A look into the lives of Gonzaga Virtual Campus Students

that do not have time to take courses on campus due to work, which occurs with me during the year due to travel that I have to do for work. One of the problems I see from the virtual experience is the work load is more demanding for a student, because the material is accelerated into 8 weeks of work compared to 16 weeks if you take the same class on campus. Despite the fact of the heavy work load from the online classes it is possible to complete the course with good time management and commitment to the course. The instructors are great to work with so keep that in mind.

What advice do you have for other Gonzaga students? Your perseverance will pay off and before you know it you have your degree finished.

Name: Mark Ramos

Educational Status: M.A Organizational Leadership

From: Spokane , WA

Tell us little bit about your yourself and your previous educational and professional experience before becoming a student with Gonzaga Virtual Campus: I am a veteran of the US Army and US Coast Guard, and a member of the Coeur D’ Alene Tribe of Idaho. I have a BA in Organizational Leadership from Gonzaga. I utilized the knowledge from my degree with my job as the Community Outreach Coordinator at the Healing Lodge of Seven Nations.

How’s your Virtual Campus experience been with Gonzaga University so far? The virtual experience works well for students

Virtual Voices

“I am not a little bit of many things; but I am the sufficient representation of many things. I am not an incompletion of all these races; but I am a masterpiece of the prolific. I am an entirety, I am not a lack of anything; rather I am a whole of many things. God did not see it needful to make me generic. He thinks I am better than that.”—C. JoyBell C.

Though most of the panelists, who willingly shared their story for the Real Talk presentation on Multiracial Identity, would agree with the self-referential words of C. JoyBell, many would admit the newness of such confidence, self-realization, and self-love. Growing up as a Multiracial girl in Spokane was often challenging, as I struggled with being the “brownest” amongst my siblings and my peers, as well as learning to cope with a head of curly hair that was intolerant to relaxers and uncompromising to the brush. Though I struggled to define myself as an adolescent, coming to college presented me with the awareness, conviction and tools to begin unpacking my multiracial identity.

After four years of intentional reflection coupled with dialogue and UMEC resources, I have come to be proud of my ambiguous physical features, the common inquires of “what are you?” and a life time of trying to figure out what it means to be a brown girl. Knowing my story is unique to me, it was both comforting and humbling to sit on a panel with my peers and learn how they, who too identify as multiracial, have come to reconcile the complexities of their identity. Gathering together for “Real Talk” and engaging in conversation topics, such as multiracial identity, builds community, garners understanding, and promotes diversity. Cheers to another well attended and successful “Real Talk” and peace to those who continue to struggle with their unique identities, know you are “sufficient, adequate, and complete, you are a masterpiece!”

Pictured above: The recent UMEC Real Talk Series event on October 30, focused on Multiracial Identity with a four-person student panel

sharing their own experiences and what it means to be multiracial.

BY MICHAELA BROWN

GU SENIOR AND ACT SIX SCHOLAR



As a first year student at Gonzaga University, organizing the first ever ”509 Scares Hunger” event quickly became a crash course in many things Spokane--from which bus to take to the breakdown of demographics across neighborhoods to the services available to the Spokane community. Within just two hours, students from Gonzaga University, Whitworth, and Shadle Park High School joined forces to collect 585 pounds of food which was in turn donated to the Second Harvest food bank. They convert this into 487 meals! I am very pleased with the few, passionate youth that joined the effort to fight hunger in Spokane. Can you believe that it only took 15 students to collect such a load?! Those meals are providing relief to our neighbors. I am most proud, not in the weight, but in the resolve that the participants had to serve those less fortunate than us. It is truly the compassion they demonstrated that will offer a hand up to others. This “509 Scares Hunger” effort will continue through the years. As a four-time veteran of this model of food drive, I can speak on behalf of the hundreds of Washington students that have participated up to date--students, community partners, and our neighbors have a lot to look forward to as we improve the program!

509 Scares HungerService Spotlight

BY CALEB DAWSON, GU FRESHMEN AND ACT SIX SCHOLAR



Pictured: Gonzaga University faculty, staff, and students, Spokane City officials, and representatives from the local Spokane community came together to stand for justice by linking arms and forming a line of solidarity on Friday, November 15, outside of the Crosby Student Center.

“Building tolerance and understanding is fundamental for the 21st century. In an increasingly globalized world, where societies are growing more diverse, tolerance is critical to living together in peace.” ---Deb Ellis, UMEC Staff

IDOT: International Day of ToleranceStanding for Global Justice

Documents

UMEC November 2013 Newsletter