UMEC May 2014 Newsletter

UNITY

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UMEC’s Events webpage will be updated this summer with Fall 2014 event programming.

Upcoming Events

the

inside this issue...Crafting Unity

Ally Connection Where Are They Now?Diversity Monologues

Cultural Awareness NightStand Against Racism

End of Year UMEC Program CelebrationsBRIDGE 2014 Team

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MULTICULTURALEDUCATIONCENTERVolume 4, Issue 4 May 9, 2014newsletter

Ally Connection

As we begin this last stretch of the spring semester, here is a life lesson for you students. Spend a few minutes to take care of yourself. We’ve all heard the familiar mantra of the airline flight attendants during their pre-flight instructions”, Make sure to put the oxygen mask on yourself first before attempting to help someone else put on theirs!”

This might be a good time of the year to take that advice to heart, and engage in some stress reducing activities for ourselves. As students, when you meet your basic needs then you’re better able to meet the demands of those you intend to serve in life. What does this statement really mean? Simply put: If you don’t put “your” mask on first, you won’t be there for all those other people when they need you. You will be unconscious from lack of oxygen! Long before the Wright brothers ever designed and flew the first airplane, this well-known principle, hypoxia, was a fact of life.

The Bible teaches that those in church leadership should get help for themselves before they attempt to lead others...“for if a man knows not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?” (I Timothy 3:5). The inevitable results of not taking care of oneself first are stress, anxiety, sleepless nights, burnout, and fatigue. Does this sound familiar? A firefighter can’t go into a blazing building without the correct equipment. He would soon turn into a victim and require rescue too. Chemical suits are used to protect against biological and chemical agents. You’re a target for social contamination if you don’t take care of yourself first.

BY FR. PATRICK BARAZA

The recent Crafting Unity Series event on March 5, featured artist Connie Soto Murphy and her passion for life and colorful, captivating experiences that reflects her heritage as a migrant worker in central Washington. She loves the fields she grew up in and wanted people to experience the beauty in the land that she worked.

Connie Soto Murphy Art Exhibit Crafting Unity

Father Baraza has been teaching in the Religious Studies Department at Gonzaga

University since his arrival in Spokane in 2005.

Gonzaga university unity multicultural education center

Where Are They Now?Catching-up withGonzaga Alums

Name: Ylisse Bess

Year Graduated: 2013

Major: Sociology and Religious Studies

From: Tacoma, Washington

Activities while at GU: Black Student Union, Holy Infusion Gospel Choir (Founder), Varsity Women’s Rowing, Pacific Sociological Association Research Conference, Spokane Intercollegiate Research Conference, Resident Assistant, LEADS Mentor, BRIDGE Counselor, Student Athlete Advisory Committee.

What are you currently doing since graduating? I am a City Year Corps Member. City Year (AmeriCorps Program) is an educational nonprofit that works in various Chicago Public Schools on the West and South side to fight the high school drop out crisis. City Year Chicago unites young people of all backgrounds for a year of full-time service, giving them the skills and opportunities to effect change in communities lacking political education, social capital, and economic capital is essentially denied self-determination.

What do you miss most about Gonzaga? Programs and events from UMEC.

What was your favorite moment at Gonzaga? My favorite moment at Gonzaga is the Diversity Monologues Event that I had the privilege of developing during its first year at GU under the direction of Rudy Mondragón. I appreciate the drive our community had to cultivate a space for the voices of Gonzaga’s most talented and unique scholars.

What was one challenge you faced while at Gonzaga? One of the challenges I faced at Gonzaga was the ignorance of the past and present experiences of my fellow Zags regarding, race, class, and gender. Gonzaga’s mission is to educate the whole person “Through engagement with knowledge, wisdom, and questions informed by classical and contemporary perspectives…” However, I do not feel we did our best at Gonzaga to critically think about the perspectives of others.

Were you able to overcome them? How so? As a member of the BSU, working for UMEC, and surrounding myself with peers, staff and faculty whose persistent focus was on informing policy, inspiring change, and have a deep and sophisticated thinking surrounding, motivating, and empowering the community. Additionally, finding ways to effect change as a Student Athlete, Resident Assistant, and Act Six Scholar.

What was your biggest takeaway from your Gonzaga experience that is most applicable to you after graduating?My biggest take away is to be open to growth, embrace challenges and employ critical thinking and reflection whenever I can. If I didn’t believe and embody this, then I could not call myself a Zag or earnestly say that I believe in the dignity of the human person, social justice and global engagement.

What advice do you have for current Gonzaga students? Education takes place outside of the classroom, its in the Residence Halls, on the bus, and on your bike ride from South Hill to Hillyard. Take notice, question, and reflect on your experience. At the same time, recognize the impact of your education on your community. What you know and believe lives through your actions wherever you go.

What’s next for you? This fall, I will begin graduate study at the Boston University School of Theology for a Master of Theological Study.


Annual Diversity Monologues

“Being a part of the Diversity Monologues allowed me to be honest with myself in a way I had never been able to access before. UMEC creates such a supportive system of committee members and presenters that the Gonzaga community similarly rallies together in a really unexpected way. Attending in previous years had meant so much to me, and participating this year may have been the most challenging and valuable thing I did as a senior..

Corrine Gould, GU Senior and Runner-Up DM Participant

“My experience with Diversity Monologues has always been a memorable one. I auditioned the past three years and was granted the chance to participate in the 3rd and 4th event. The Monologues were different for me this year, because I was able to share a message that I felt was given to me to share. It was an opportunity for God to use me as His messenger about the issue of conflicting faith”.

Aaron Lee, GU Senior and Runner-Up DM Participant

Photos courtesy of UMEC Staff

Power of Your Voice

Gonzaga University’s fourth annual Diversity Monologues took place on Thursday, March 27 in the Jepson Wolff Auditorium. The Diversity Monologues is a competition that provides Gonzaga students a space to engage their creative voices in sharing their experiences with diversity. The Diversity Monologues provides a forum for Gonzaga students to express their lived experience through their personal cultural lens. The program consisted of eight student contestants sharing their work as it aligns with this year’s theme, Power of Your Voice. GU Senior, Devin Devine, was awarded first place by presenting a loving monologue about her mother.

The event was sponsored by UMEC, GSBA/GAB, Office of the President, Parent and Family Office, and the Community Building Foundation.

If you missed the event, here’s a link to watch it:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ApV8bLXrwM

Pictured right: This year’s Diversity Monologues emcee, Michael Bethely, local poet/spoken word artist blessing the

microphone. Pictured left: GU Junior, Derek DeRosier, lending his powerful voice to the audience.

On April 4th, 2014 Gonzaga students, staff, and members of the community attended the Cultural Awareness Night event: Vincent Who? in the Foley Teleconference Center. From grade school to high school students learn about the injustices people of color face in their history classes. Through this, the civil rights movement and key activists like Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rosa Parks are widely known in society today. This documentary showed how the murder of Vincent Chin by the hands of two white autoworkers, sparked the Asian American civil rights movement in the 1980s.

In the film, the producer asked about 80 young Asian Americans if they have ever heard of Vincent Chin--they hadn’t. Despite being an Asian American, I too have not heard of him before seeing this documentary.

One of the main reasons why this documentary is titled Vincent Who? is because his story is not written in textbooks, students are not learning much about the Asian American experience and the civil rights history of America compared to the civil rights movement for African Americans. The takeaway message from this documentary and the post discussion led by GU Sociology professors Vik Gumbhir and Nicole Willms is that we need to bring our society out of oblivion, we need to retell Chin’s story so his name will be familiar and we won’t need to ask ourselves, Vincent Who?

Sta

nd A

gain

st R

acism

Film Reflectionby Ashley Carandang,

GU Freshman

With a sincere belief that “courageous conversations create caring communities” I was inspired by the engaging dialogue our Gonzaga community shared at this year’s Stand Against Racism event. Gathered in the Barberi Courtroom at Gonzaga Law School, undergraduates, law students, community members, faculty, and staff shared a safe space in which information, opinions and solutions were shared. Raising awareness that racism still exists, we focused on the racial politics that impact the application of “stand your ground” laws. Inga Laurent, a professor of Law at GU, helped us charter the legal jargon surrounding “Castle” doctrines and “Stand your ground” laws.

In lieu of the our nation’s recent controversies over gun rights and self-defense, our country finds itself in a crucible moment in history. Provided with new prospective and insight our small groups discussed the good intent around laws meant to ensure individual safety; nevertheless, as a country we must acknowledge the unjust application of laws that often perpetuate racism. Encouraged by our co-facilitator Vik Gumbhir, we were challenged to look beyond the immediate issue and consider how the polarization and conglomeration of media outlets impacts our radicalized culture, thus in turn impacting the laws we create and apply. The opportunity to share a space where tough and uncomfortable issues can be discussed in a respectful and intellectual manner is both refreshing and empowering. As we continue to stand against racism by raising awareness of its presence, while also strategizing solutions to combat its existence we simultaneously work towards strengthening our Gonzaga community.


Bringing People Together from All Walks of Life to Raise Awarness

BY MICHAELA BROWN,

GU SENIOR AND ACT SIX SCHOLAR

Pictured above: BRIDGE/LEADS graduating seniors.

Once again, this year’s BRIDGE/LEADS end of year dinner showcased the importance of community at Gonzaga University. UMEC would like to thank every participant for their time and support for each program.

An excellent fact to note from this year’s LEADS program, there were 25 mentees and 50 peer and staff/faculty mentors. This year’s program was led by Gonzaga senior Michaela Brown, UMEC Intern/LEADS Coordinator.

If you are interested in being involved in BRIDGE or LEADS next year, please contact our staff. We would welcome more committed individuals to continue to build an inclusive and pluralistic environment.

Pictured left: GU students having a great time connecting at the BRIDGE/LEADS End of Year Dinner on April 16.

BRIDGE/LEADS End of Year Dinner



MEET THE 2014 SUMMER BRIDGE TEAM!

Jacquelyn Urbina, Lina Sotelo, Heather Diaz, Marilyn Melgoza, Brittany Clark, Lexi Mitchell, Spencer Ballo, Jesus Esqueda, Garion Park, Caleb Dawson, Michael Johnston, Nina Montoya,

Yusra Hamidani, and Elena Rael

Here are this year’s BRIDGE Coordinators:

Chare’ Gilliam, Program CoordinatorRyan Songcuan, Logistics Coordinator

Emmanuel ”Manny” Lopez, Public Relations Coordinator

And now introducing the counselors:

Pictured above: Graduting seniors who are members of MCHS (Multicultural Honor Society) united for the end of year Honor Cord Ceremony Saturday, April 26.

Multicultural Honor Society

Documents

UMEC May 2014 Newsletter