Student Senators Rebekah Hutson and Geomarc Panelo are taking the lead on arranging a campus conversation on "rape culture" and we are in the process of printing out these posters courtesy of SAVE (Sexual Assault Voices of Edmonton). The posters may be downloaded for free and used in accordance with the intention of the SAVE campaign, or you can contact Eileen to get one for your office/area in April!
Students have been coming to the DEC lately very concerned with the coverage of the Steubenville, OH rape case in which a teenaged girl was raped by male members of the high school athletic program. The entire night was filmed and recorded on various social media websites. Almost as unsettling has been the backlash against the young survivor and her family; as well as media reports that appeared to lament the penalties imposed on the boys who committed the rape and the impact of the conviction on their futures.
Student Senators Rebekah Hutson and Geomarc Panelo are taking the lead on arranging a campus conversation on "rape culture" and we are in the process of printing out these posters courtesy of SAVE (Sexual Assault Voices of Edmonton). The posters may be downloaded for free and used in accordance with the intention of the SAVE campaign, or you can contact Eileen to get one for your office/area in April!
25 Comments
Dean Spade gave an passionate, informed and eloquent talk today about how activism must look for all of us doing social justice work. He encouraged us to put the most vulnerable people at the center of our work, to examine and analyze systems rather than accept "band-aid" approaches that do not deal with the roots of the problems we face and to build alternatives to systems that we have identified as harmful. He encouraged us to think about doing "survival work" as opposed to "charity work": survival work partners with people in need while meeting their needs and encourages collaboration to advocate for justice, while charity work blames the individual--it make take care of their short-term needs but in effect keep them dependent on a faulty system. You can see Dean's lecture here: https://tegr.it/y/wi5s Don't forget to join us for the rest of the week's events--all planned by students!
Please plan to attend these events--our students have worked hard to organize them!
We'd all love to see ourselves as people who are anti-racist, anti-sexist, anti-homophobic, anti-transphobic, etc. But what does it mean to be an "ally?" As our friends from Stonewall Youth pointed out, "ally" is a name others use to describe us once we've earned it through our actions and behaviors (it's not something we can necessarily declare about ourselves: ie, "I'm a straight ally!") In other words, allyship is about walking the walk, and not caring about whether or not we get credit or thanks for it. Also on our students' wishlists:
Curricula that is more inclusive of a variety of gender identities and sexual orientations More staff/faculty training on gender identity issues: it sends a positive message to students when they know faculty/staff took the time to educate themelves about their experiences More diversity within ALL programs Stonewall Youth is a community organization that serves LGBTQI people under 21 in the Olympia area. One of their many fantastic services is to host a Speakers Bureau--a panel of incredibly knowledgable, enthusiastic and passionate students who educated and raise awareness about their own experiences as well as the experiences of other LGBTQI people. We were fortunate to host a Speakers' Bureau training last Tuesday. Among the many topics covered were:
Some of their handouts are included below. Also, please see http://decspscc.weebly.com/lgbtqi-students.html for other resources! If you were fortunate enough to see Sean Arce speak on our campus last week, maybe you agree with me that being with him is truly being in the presence of greatness. I meet a lot of great, committed, dedicated, hard-working people...but it is rare to meet someone who has truly sacrificed so much: his job, time with his family--to speak truth to power. He spoke about his experiences in Arizona at the hands of the Tea Party-controlled Arizona state government. The governor, Attorney General, school board superintendent, and legislature have all voted to ban ethnic studies from the state. By their definition, ethnic studies consist of any curriculum which: a) Promote overthrowing the U.S. government; b) Promote resentment towards a race or class of people; c) Are designed primarily for pupils of a particular ethnic race; and d) Advocate ethnic solidarity instead of the treatment of pupils as individuals. And, according to their interpretation of this law, the highly successful Mexican American Studies program (audited by an independent organization hired by state officials) is illegal. Mr. Arce gave this example of an exchange between himself and Attorney General Tom Horne: Mr. Horne showed the picture below which is on a postcard. The picture is of Texas Rangers who have just lynched Mexicans. Mr. Horne asked Mr. Arce, "Don't you think this picture would promote resentment toward whites?" Mr. Arce replied, "I can't tell you what it promotes. What I can tell you is that this is part of American history." Mr. Arce teaches students about the traditions and values of the Mayans and Aztecs, who populated their state and region long before the United States existed. He teaches them about Quetzalcoatl, an ancient deity who represents in part the value indigenous people traditionally placed on wisdom and learning. He talked about the wealth of Latino communities, who are usually stereotyped as poverty-stricken and dependent: the wealth of family connection, of survival skills, of hard work, and of hope for their children.
We were fortunate to host Mr. Arce's visit! He speaks again at the Latino Youth Summit on November 20 on the campus of the Evergreen State College. Dr. Peter Schmidt, of the Veterans Training Support Center, shared this article written by student veteran. Have a great weekend!
For a Student Veteran, Graduation is the Next Mission This article/podcast from NPR is about the impact of teacher's expectations on student achievement. In 1964, an experiment showed that students who were identified early in the year as having the most potential to grow intellectually, did.
Teachers featured in the NPR article communicated high expectations to students by modifying their own behavior--not just talking about it. While the article addresses learning in young children, it has implications for our work in higher ed. In what ways do you demonstrate these behaviors (proven to show students that you do indeed believe in their potential to succeed?): 7 Ways Teachers Can Change Their Expectations Researcher Robert Pianta offered these suggestions for teachers who want to change their behavior toward problem students (from npr.org):
The Northwest Immigrant Rights Project has a good video explaining the basics of the Deferred Action announced by the Department of Homeland Security on June 15, 2012. Also, see this article for information about the impact of the Deferred action on college students.
|
Office of Diversity and EquityWe are here to serve the diverse community of South Puget Sound Community College, and to help make SPSCC a place that supports the success of all learners. Archives
September 2016
Categories
All
|