“It’s not specifically focused just on that event, but we are using that event as an avenue to talk about a lot of the incidents that happen on campus,” said Tammie Velasquez, an assistant coordinator for the Cross Cultural Centers.
Kayla Missman
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To encourage dialogue about the campus climate, the Cross Cultural Centers hosted the second installment of its social justice series — The Movement — on Thursday. The event was titled “From Party Theme to Protest.”
The topic was formed around the time of a off-campus party unofficially themed “Colonial Bros and Nava-hos” which caused a lot of controversy on campus, said Tammie Velasquez, an assistant coordinator for the Cross Cultural Centers who works with the Gender Equity Center.
“It’s not specifically focused just on that event, but we are using that event as an avenue to talk about a lot of the incidents that happen on campus, recently and in the past, that have contributed to the campus climate,” Velasquez said. “We’re using that as the reason we’re talking about it, because it’s here.”
The event stemmed from student concerns that the party would just be forgotten about, she said. Students wanted resources to learn how to become activists, so they provided that.
“They know that for this instance, there’s not much they can do, but they see that there’s a lot of work to be done,” Velasquez said. “Student activism isn’t so strong on this campus yet, and so they really want to learn the tools and learn the ‘hows,’ and how to raise their voices effectively to fit the personality of Cal Poly.”
The event was mostly student-led, with some help from the assistant coordinators. Associate professor in the ethnic studies department Jane Lehr gave an interactive presentation on activism. Lehr, who has been an activist since her college years, has worked on all sides of activism, including working with politicians, organizing protests and was even arrested.
The turnout wasn’t as big as they would have liked, said Que Dang, assistant coordinator for the Cross Cultural Centers who works with the MultiCultural Center. But she was pleasantly surprised to see a diverse group of faculty members, including professors from various colleges.
Lehr asked the audience to draw a picture of an activist, write their definition of an activist and share it with their neighbor. She discussed different reactions to the word “activism.”
“An activist loves others, and for me, part of loving humans is fighting for their justice,” Cross Cultural Centers student assistant Rocío Gonzáles said during the discussion.
Lehr also talked about what activists need to learn and what they gain from their experiences. Skills listed included public speaking, visual communication, creativity and critical thinking — all skills that are also included in the university learning objectives.
One aspect that the audience agreed with was that activists need optimism, which can be easy to forget, Lehr said.
After the main portion of the event, a few students stayed to have a discussion about how the university could be more welcoming. The assistant coordinators facilitated the discussion, but students were encouraged to share their perspectives. Dang wrote a list of the ideas students came up with.
The list will be sent to the President’s Office, Vice President for Student Affairs Keith Humphrey or the Office of Inclusivity, Dang said. It will add to the feedback that the administration received after the party, and can serve as an extension of the forum.
By sending the list to the administration, Dang said, students will feel like their voices are being heard, instead of like they’re talking and getting nowhere.
“We hear that there is an itch for student activism and awareness, and a way for them to raise their voice for social justice and campus awareness, and part of being in college is finding your morals and your values of what you really stand for,” Velasquez said. “We really want them to have the tools to do that and the avenue to do that.”