I n the academic realm, we tend to think of time in

terms of academic year: fall to spring, September to

June, Orientation to Commencement. But from the

perspective of the world in which we all coexist—the

one off-campus, when you venture beyond these red

bricks—the calendar year is how we keep time. As we

witnessed 2014 drawing to a close, many of us may have

entered the familiar, annual period of reflection followed

by a resolution to improve in the upcoming year.

Regardless of how you mark it, the passage of time is a

strong motivator for reflection and growth. You may

have heard this sentiment expressed many ways, but

here is one way that we will say it: It’s essential to know

where you’ve come from before you can see where

you’re going.

And so it is with this lens that we look back. We began

fall quarter with the ESC Kick-off, an open house

welcoming back the friends and family we knew well and

opening our doors to new ones. It was important that

this gathering was the premier event of the year, as it set

the tone for what we aim to do always: build community.

At the heart of fall quarter was the 24th

annual ESC

Conference, which found us once again at Camp Casey,

where more than 150 students, staff, and faculty

engaged in trying to understand and live the theme

“IGNITE: Identity, Perspective, Unity.” In brief: What

complex identities shape us? How do our specific

positions and privilege points inform the way we view

and treat others? Though we may have different

backgrounds, values, and experiences, how can we

create and sustain a community?

This year’s Conference was a demanding one: a packed

schedule of workshops, plenary sessions, and group

discussions, in addition to required reading on identity

development theory. As one first-time attendee said,

“When the weekend was over, I came back to school

with a head full of new knowledge about identity, a mind

full of inspiration, friends that will last me a lifetime, and

a lot of studying to catch up on.” The end of the

Conference weekend was just the beginning.

Shortly after our return to campus, our event “IGNITE:

2 Fall Quarter Retrospective, cont. 3

Calendar of Events Back

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

/ˌrɛtrəˈspɛktɪv/ From the Latin retrospicere “to look back”

Scholarships & Awards

Michael Vendiola Ethnic Studies Presentation

2 | Ethnic Student Center Newsletter

Lillie Mae Witherspoon Minority Scholarship ($1,500) DEADLINE: Sunday, January 25th

The Lillie Mae Witherspoon Minority Scholarship has been established to provide a $1,500 scholarship to support an outstanding minority student with demonstrated academic success. Bellingham Herald Diversity Scholarship ($1,123) DEADLINE: Tuesday, February 17th

The Bellingham Herald is sponsoring this $1,123 scholarship for a Western Washington University student who has a record of service to diversity issues, working with underrepresented populations and communities, and has been enrolled at Western for at least one (1) year. The Leek Family Job Preparation and Networking Award ($1,000 gift certificate) DEADLINE: Tuesday, February 17th

The Leek Family Job Preparation Award is a $1,000 gift certificate, job preparation, and celebration luncheon. Two (2) award recipients will receive a gift certificate to create a professional wardrobe to prepare for job seeking opportunities; special assistance by the Career Services Center to prepare for job searches and interviews; and a celebration luncheon with the donor. Recipients will also be recognized during the Ethnic Student Center Commencement on June 12th, 2015.

For details and application instructions visit: www.finaid.wwu.edu/scholarships.

Direct questions to Danielle Smith at Danielle.Smith@wwu.edu or 360-650-6271.

In a presentation Jan. 13 titled "Relating to Race:

The College of Ethnic Studies at Western

Washington State College," Michael Vendiola

will examine the development of the College of

Ethnic Studies at Western Washington State

College. He will attempt to outline implications

for the current dialogue on Ethnic Studies and

the greater issue of race relations.

The presentation will take place from 4:00 to

5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 13, in the Goltz-Murray

Archives Building at the south end of the WWU

campus.

Michael Vendiola, former ESC Coordinator, to present on the development of

the College of Ethnic Studies at Western Washington University

Winter 2015| 3

Bringing the ESC Conference to Campus,” reunited

student attendees, group facilitators, group mentors,

presenters, and staff in an attempt to retain the

momentum from Conference. On display was the mosaic

student attendees created in the workshop, “Educational

Equity: A journey of multiple perspectives that leads to

unity: From a native Hawaiian framework Malama,

Kuleana, Pono (To care for, Responsibility, and State of

harmony and balance).” If this sounds like a mouthful, it’s

because it is a big task. The workshop asked students to

reflect on and create a visual representation of their

journeys that led them to Western, and then to share

those stories with each other, with the goal to develop

their critical consciousness through understanding each

other’s diverse backgrounds. At the close of the day,

students united their pieces to create one collage, an act

symbolizing how they fit into and are responsible to help

sustain a harmonious community.

It is on this foundation of unity that we build. In just the

few short months of fall quarter, we saw incredible

displays of students living that goal. They may not

intimately know the histories or challenges of an identity

group with which they do not identify, but they’ve learned

and are learning still that it’s important for them to “show

up” for each other. In ways both big and small, they

showed up:

They celebrated together in club meetings, joint bowling

nights, Halloween parties, and Thanksgiving potlucks.

They sat together in discussions on racial profiling and the

school-to-prison pipeline.

They stood together in solidarity to bring awareness to

the disappearance of 43 students from Ayotzinapa.

They shouted together that Black Lives Matter.

Māori leader and activist Pauline Tangiora once said: “We

have to sit down, have a meal together, pray together and

then actually talk together. Then we realize that, yes,

although we have some differences they are not

impassable differences." And it is in this spirit that we

begin another year, one in which—whether at a heritage

dinner, rally, club meeting, demonstration, or culture

night—we will do so together.

I think we have to own the fears that we have of each other, and then, in some practical way, some daily

way, figure out how to see people differently than the way we were brought up to. — Alice Walker

Keep in touch with us!

facebook.com/wwu.esc

twitter.com/wwuesc

WWU Ethnic Student Center Alumni

360-650-7271

Teena.Thach@wwu.edu

as.wwu.edu/esc

The ESC staff from L to R: Nate Panelo, Danielle Smith, Elena “Dr. P” Pereyra, Teena Thach, Ana Palma-Gutierrez

KSA Heritage Dinner January 10

SASA Heritage Dinner January 17

CSA Lunar New Year February 7

BSU Heritage Dinner February 21

JSA Heritage Dinner March 7

VSA Heritage Dinner April 11

KhSA Heritage Dinner April 18

NASU Pow Wow/Dinner April 17-19

LSU Heritage Dinner April 25

FASA Culture Night April 25

MISO Heritage Dinner May 1

ACC Heritage Dinner May 9

Culture Shock May 14

HOH Luau May 16

MEChA Low Rider Show May 17

ESC Commencement June 12

25th annual ESC Conference Oct 16-18

The Ethnic Student Center

Western Washington University

516 High St. ▪ Viking Union 420

Bellingham, WA 98225