Inside spring 2015 vol 1

Art by M. Scheid Frantz

1 The CC’s MISSION To better serve and retain students of color and international students, the Lebrón-Wiggins-Pran Cultural Center provides a range of programs and resources to support and promote the success of students of color and international students at Hampshire College. Additionally, the center provides programs and resources to the larger campus community for engagement in issues related to race, culture, and under-representation, with the underlying goal to effect social change. We enhance our longstanding commitment to community and social change by: • providing and advocating for services, programs, and resources that assist international students and students of color for a successful transition to, matriculation at, and graduation from Hampshire College • offering services, programs, and resources that foster academic success among international students and students of color • ensuring a space for multicultural community building, individual expression, and the exchange of ideas • fostering leadership skills for multicultural competence for students of color, international students, and multicultural student groups • continually examining the fluidity of race, culture, and identity; specifically examining how race and culture intersect with other social identities and their impact on one’s view of self and of the world • serving as a campus partner in promoting multicultural competence through community engagement on topics related to race, culture, and under-representation. Inside Spring 2015 vol 1 Lebrón-Wiggins-Pran Cultural Center

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3 Melissa Scheid Frantz Director, Multicultural & International Student Services T he daily violence around the world, in our own country, in our own communities has become background noise for many; and for others the recurring violence is a daily alarm that enough is enough. One’s personal connection and experience with oppression and violence is often the motivator for tenacious advocacy and resilience against systemic violence. As much as we put our energies into resisting violence, how are we resisting “self-violence”? Mid-Fall semester I attended the National Women’s Studies Association conference and the keynote speaker was bell hooks (author, feminist, and social activist). A central theme of her talk was self-violence. Violence is not one dimensional (i.e., those in power exerting violence to maintain control). It is also how we as individuals are supporting and perpetuating violence onto ourselves. “Violence is also the chronic neglect of physical well- being.” bell hooks gave examples of being a workaholic and of neglecting medical help for oneself as perpetuating self-violence. In each of the societies, cultures, and families that we belong to and/or are situated in by circumstance or choice, value is given to certain behaviors and disdain given to others; which as we know, are embedded in the daily messages that are overt and covert all around us (e.g., media, literature, laws, etc.). What are we doing as individuals to prioritize personal health and self-liberation? What are the alarms that are going off in our daily lives warning us that enough is enough for our own body, mind, and spirit? How do we not perpetuate upon ourselves the systemic oppression and violence that we inherently belong to? bell hooks passionately shared her hope, “Revolution begins by one’s self and within one’s self.” How is your revolution looking? Inside Spring 2015 vol 1 Lebrón-Wiggins-Pran Cultural Center

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6 By: Susal Stebbins Collins, Hampshire Contemplative Life Advisor I share these thoughts from my own experience and this can help us reconnect to our actual physical needs, cut through unhealthy addictions, bring more joy in that of countless others (meditation teachers, practitioners, students, friends, etc.) I have been in simply being alive, and heal old wounds. (Bodily contact with. I invite you to consider your own presence and kind awareness can be practiced in forms experience and experiment with these ideas. of meditation, mindful movement/dance, yoga, Tai Chi and Qi Gong, massage, and more.) Sometimes when When we think of self-care, we often think only in we begin to care more for our bodies, we create space to feel the physical and/or emotional pain that we have terms of a separate, individual self, needing been carrying but had numbed out. This is an important nourishment, comfort, love and protection. True (and time to ground ourselves in the present moment, on more effective) self-care goes beyond this narrow self to a deeper understanding of who we really are in Earth, connect with caring community, and learn to intrinsic connection and interdependence with other care for and release our emotions. And as we practice, people and life, and caring for this fuller reality. It is we may become aware of the patterns of suffering we essential to care for the body and the consciousness carry from our families’ and communities’ experience, that we each live in; these are the intertwined vehicles and begin to heal them as well. There are many strong through which we experience and interact with all of stories of this kind of experience in long-term meditation practice, for example feeling and beginning life. to heal bodily pain that seemed to have been passed on Caring for Body from ancestors’ experiences in slavery. If we mistreat our bodies, for example not getting enough rest (or exercise, or water, etc.) or ingesting When we remain aware that not only we but all other toxins (excess sugar, alcohol, cigarettes, etc.) we will people have embodied experience, we can develop not be able to fully enjoy the wonders around us, be habits and systems on all levels that support bodily present in our friendships, learn in our classes, follow well-being for everyone: healthy food, enough time to our dreams, engage effectively in social change, and rest, spaces to face emotions and stories that pull us towards addictions and support in refraining from more. This mistreatment may be in alignment with acting on these addictions, protection for our water and and/or an attempt to escape from common experiences of our bodies and the bodies of others in our agricultural systems, freedom from toxins and from communities and ancestry being judged, exploited, advertising that hurts our body images, and so on. and/or physically harmed. If we can learn to be truly present in our bodies, cultivate awareness, kindness, a Caring for Consciousness sense of wonder, caring and gratitude for our bodies, Caring for our consciousness is also both an individual and a collective process. Our consciousness has been Inside Spring 2015 vol 1 Lebrón-Wiggins-Pran Cultural Center

7 impacted by the consciousness of our families, society, leadership and more. Taking care of aspects of life that and all life in innumerable ways before we were born nourish us also becomes part of self-care. and during our entire existence. We can have a caring relationship with all that is in our consciousness, Caring for suffering strengthen the life-affirming elements in our Being in touch with the wonders of life does not and consciousness and transform the suffering that is in our should not close out our awareness of and actions to consciousness. We have positive qualities of kindness, relieve suffering; this is also part of caring for our courage, generosity, wisdom, integrity, compassion, individual and collective consciousness and full well- joy, honesty and more in us, in our past experience, and being. It is important to learn to remain aware and around us in the people we know. We can take the time present with suffering, including its nature of change, to be with these qualities, be nourished by them, and as part of the process of transforming it. A key aspect pass them on to others in our attitudes, words and of this is to lightly, kindly and continuously face that actions. This is practiced in forms of meditation and suffering is part of life: life will never happen exactly as prayer, as well as in daily life. Our attitudes and actions we want it to, and there are forces that everyone is of genuine kindness and generosity towards others lift caught in related to impermanence (nothing will our own spirits as much as those we interact with. (This remain as it is forever, and illness, aging, and death are is different from those times we unwillingly give to inevitable) and many forms of deprivation, others, which may create resentment for people on greed/attachment, hatred/aversion, and illusion. With both sides.) Many people have kept this awareness, we can develop a gratitude journals (writing every day compassionate and balanced relationship about what happened, what they were in with suffering, neither avoiding it/pushing it contact with that they are grateful for) away nor hanging on to it/being and find that this helps attune overwhelmed by it. them to the wonders of life, bringing more contentment, How are we experiencing any particular creativity and resilience in the suffering? We can breathe in and out with face of difficulty. this energy, noticing it and allowing it to change and move through us. We can also notice that Our existence is larger than our individual life and larger what is often most difficult about suffering – the loss, than our human community, and being in touch with the insult, etc. - is the painful emotions, stories and this reality is part of caring for our consciousness. Being projections that arise with it. We get engulfed by grief, in touch with the basic elements of water, earth, air, anger, shame, and so on, fear of what this could mean and fire can help steady and release difficult emotions for the future, imagining the next several steps towards and nourish our awareness. This can be awarely complete disaster, perhaps projecting that the person drinking plenty of pure water, gazing into a candle, who did something to cause our suffering is completely laying on the earth, breathing consciously. Being in inhuman... We can be curious about these emotions – touch with plants, animals and all nature also is how do they feel in our body, our senses? We can be refreshing and healing for our consciousness and gives tender with these emotions, smiling gently to our fear us fuller perspective. In his autobiography, ‘Long Walk or holding our anger as we might tenderly hold a baby. to Freedom’, Nelson Mandela wrote of the importance There is a saying attributed to Buddha that holding on of tending a small garden during his long years of to anger at someone is like taking poison and hoping imprisonment on Robben Island – that this gave him the other person will die; modern science also tells us perspective on patience, regeneration, developing Inside Spring 2015 vol 1 Lebrón-Wiggins-Pran Cultural Center

8 that the stress of continual anger wreaks havoc on our bodies, psyches, and relationships. Hampshire Spiritual Life offers meditation every weekday We can let go of stories and projections and return to at 4:30 at the Spiritual Life Center, Donut 5, Greenwich. just what is happening in the present. If we can take Susal leads guided community meditation and discussion care of all that arises from a painful incident and let the (based on many of the principles in this article) from 4:30 storm subside, we will be much clearer about what to to 5:30 on Wednesdays; students lead silent meditation do. Sometimes the situation is urgent, so we do the from 4:30 to 5 Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and best we can to take care of our emotions while taking Fridays. Susal and Students Exploring Contemplative the most effective actions we can see at the time. And Practices are collaborating on a series of Engaged when we know we must act while in the midst of Mindfulness for Social Sustainability Dinners – the next strong emotions, self-compassion, and possibly later one (planned for late January) will be on facing issues of self-forgiveness and humility are all in order! privilege and oppression with mindfulness. For more information, contact Susal at [email protected]. Caring for ourselves also means addressing social suffering, including patterns of oppression on the personal and institutional levels (which affect our consciousness constantly). The ability to remain present, aware and compassionate towards self and “But there is a salve, an elixir to the others as well as fully committed to transformation poison of the –isms that target our (again on personal and institutional levels of privilege and oppression) is invaluable. Eight Hampshire bodies and souls. That healing students and I recently attended the International medicine is self-love. Love, redefined Symposium for Contemplative Studies in Boston and as self-love, has the power to manifest took part in several workshops where this principle was illustrated and used. Activists who have worked for dreams, to heal broken spirits, to decades to address racism, privilege and other rejuvenate fatigued bodies. And when identity/oppression issues shared practices of being in self-love is expressed through self-care, aware frank conversation, noticing and caring for emotions that arose (wow, the heartbreak, the rage, miracles can happen.” the confusion…) rather than backing away from difficulty, and going deeper to hear and learn from each The Feminist Wire: The Radical other, connecting with each other’s experience and Politics of Self-Love and Self-Care beginning to forge new ways to work to change deeply entrenched social patterns and institutions of oppression. We plan to continue to learn from the people we met at the conference and explore/continue this work in support and collaboration with others in the Hampshire community. Inside Spring 2015 vol 1 Lebrón-Wiggins-Pran Cultural Center

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12 Grounding Techniques on right now. Grounding techniques work the best By Noah Foster (F13), when you can apply your Wellness Center Peer Educator whole mind to them. I t’s hard to deal with emotional episodes. Panic attacks, flashbacks, anger—they seem to take over • Describe your environment in detail to yourself. our whole minds when they’re happening. People “There are three wooden cabinets in this room. have many different ways to deal: some are Each has three drawers. The wood on the far-right positive and effective, like exercise; some aren’t as cabinet is chipping slightly,” etc. Try not to get much, like self-harm or substance abuse. The caught up in judgments—don’t say “the couch is question is, how can we move towards effective, an ugly blue”, just that the couch is blue. positive coping techniques to help deal with emotional episodes? • Practice deep breathing. Breathe in through your nose for 4 seconds, and then out through your One way is by using mouth for 4 seconds. Try and fill your lungs grounding techniques. completely with air, and empty them completely. They’re designed to be Make sure you’re breathing with your diaphragm, positive ways to get out and not your chest—you should be able to feel of panic attacks or your stomach expanding and shrinking with each flashbacks, replacing breath. Imagine that you are breathing out your those non-effective and bad emotions and breathing in the good. self-destructive habits we sometimes turn to. • Find a sensation you enjoy. Smell your favorite Grounding techniques are a way to anchor lotion, rub a rock that has an interesting texture, ourselves in the here-and-now, and most can be eat spicy food, or run your hands under warm done at any time in any place. The point of water. Try and focus on the physical sensation grounding techniques isn’t distraction; they’re these give you. meant to shift our focus from inward negative • Use your body. Moving around can be really emotions to the outside world. They can take a lot helpful. Run, jump, walk, stretch, do gymnastics— of practice to be effective, and there’s no one-size- whatever. Alternatively, focus on relaxing your fits-all grounding technique. Everyone’s different, body. From your forehead to your toes, tense and and different techniques work for different people. release each muscle. Again, focus on the physical sensation that these give you. But when you finally get the hang of it, and you • Think about things you like. Imagine you are in find something that works for you, it’s worth it. The a safe space—this can be a real place, or feeling of accomplishment after you’ve pulled imaginary. Think about people who care about yourself from a negative emotional episode is you, or a positive experience you’ve had. amazing. • Talk kindly to yourself. Remind yourself that you When you use a grounding technique, the most are a good person that’s going through a hard important thing to remember is to focus. Try not to time. Remember that you are safe right now, and let your mind wander. Focus on the world, focus this is only temporary. Inside Spring 2015 vol 1 Lebrón-Wiggins-Pran Cultural Center

13 By: Adrian Quintanar (F13) and Santos Rios (F14) T o her colleagues and some students, Diana person and as the Chief Diversity Officer of Fernandez has become something of a fixture, a Hampshire College. source of stable support on campus having been Inside: In what ways has working at Hampshire here since 1999. Over the course of her Hampshire College help you grow as a person? Journey, Diana Fernandez has held a number of titles and responsibilities. Recently, in the spring of DF: I think in many ways it’s allowed me to look 2013, Fernandez accepted the newly formed role of Chief Diversity Officer. This new administrative at things more critical eye, and a more analytical view. Just to give you a bit of context, I’ve been role comes as a result of President Jonathan Lash’s here for fifteen years. So I started back in 1999, uh, commitment to diversity and ongoing effort to my first role, I was working in the President’s make Hampshire an anti-racist institution. Office so I was assistant to the President, to then Recently, Inside took the opportunity to catch up Greg Prince…I worked with Greg Prince, I then worked with Ralph Hexter, I worked with Marlene with Diana and chat with her about a number of and I’ve worked with Jonathan. So that was kind of things, chief among them being her new position my trajectory and through all of those and the ways in which she practices self-care. Over opportunities, working with each president, it’s the course of the approximate hour we shared a space with her we had the pleasure of getting to been an amazing experience. I think I’ve have probably had the best mentors that any profession know more about Diana’s passion for her position, her commitment to students and to making this could afford. institution a safer, more inclusive environment. We hope that through this interview you are able to Inside: What about you do you do you feel has gain some insight about Diana Fernandez as a helped you to be in your current position? Inside Spring 2015 vol 1 Lebrón-Wiggins-Pran Cultural Center

14 DF: I think first and foremost, just a commitment of color. What we’re looking at in terms of the to this institution … I think what really brought admissions. How we are recruiting and retaining everything together was when I really started students of color on the admissions end and the engaging with the students. Um, that for me has enrollment end. And then looking at other pieces Hampshire College Diversity Statement Hampshire College values diversity because it enriches our campus community and advances our intellectual and creative endeavors. Diversity encompasses multiple and intersecting identities including but not limited to race, class, ethnicity, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, religious expression, physical and mental abilities, military/veteran status, and political expression. Hampshire aspires to foster a welcoming community inclusive of individuals from an array of backgrounds and perspectives who share a commitment to all forms of anti-oppression, social justice, respectful discourse and engagement. We believe that diversity is central to the academic and work experience and campus culture and therefore, we recognize that recruitment, retention and support of a diverse community are fundamental responsibilities related to the sustainability of the College. Diversity is at the core of our collaborative, creative, inquiry-based model of education. Our pedagogy depends upon the free and open exchange of ideas informed by different perspectives, fields, and methodologies. We offer an interdisciplinary education that is inclusive of the knowledges and experiences of groups who have been historically underrepresented in academy. Together, we strive to be a community of scholars and artists engaged in respectful exchange of different perspectives and ways of being, and critical and analytical thought: essential factors for transformative learning. been the most powerful part about the Hampshire that intersect with that, in terms of race, gender, community, and that inspires me, it charges me to sexuality, class, political perspective, military work with students. So I think early on I was status—how those all interrelate to each other in missing that because it really wasn’t happening, terms how we can create a more inclusive but once it happened, it opened up this new community. avenue, this new trajectory I really wanted to be The other piece of my job is the Title IX piece, the engaged in. Title IX Coordinator piece, which is really in charge of making sure we’re in compliance with how we as Inside: So for students that don’t know the a college are responding to issues to sex capacity of your position, can you explain a little discrimination and sexual violence on campus. more about that? DF: Sure. I have a couple of big roles, right? So I Inside: Hampshire College is currently being have the Chief Diversity Officer role, which is really audited for its compliance to the Title IX, how does charged with looking at diversity at the 30,000 ft. that process look? level, and by that I mean by that is looking at what are practices are around equal employment DF: We are being audited, and part of that opportunity, affirmative action practices when it means the office of Civil Rights is going around comes to hiring and retention of faculty and staff colleges around the country to see what they are Inside Spring 2015 vol 1 Lebrón-Wiggins-Pran Cultural Center

15 doing or what they are not doing to really respond possible. Even given the new guidance we are to the compliance guidance, from the OCR continuing to do that. I think our resources are guidance from back in May of 2014. better, our support services are better for the It’s kind of working like how college’s get students. I certainly would welcome any reaccredited. There’s a visiting team that comes to opportunities to see how else we can improve on campus that meets with several people. I know for it. I think the more support services we offer to this round they met with people directly students the better. I think our resources are better, responsible for dealing with Title IX issues, and our support services are better for the students. I they also had some focus groups that included certainly would welcome any opportunities to see students, which for us is important, to make sure how else we can improve on it. I think the more students’ voices are heard. support services we offer to students the better. They will come back for other visits which will also Inside: Sort of following up with that, what are include more conversations with students, more some of the ways in which students can get actively conversations with administrators on campus and involved with any part of this envision to a then the third visit will be more in terms of getting commitment to diversity? into the specifics of instances that we dealt with Title IX matters. So I kind of see it as how best to DF: First and foremost, always educate yourselves, help us to figure out what we can do better, which right? You always have to be educated and learn about other perspectives and learn to be able to is always a good place to be in. actively listen to other perspectives in a way that is very intentional and in a way that offers the ability to Inside: Given that you’ve been here for some have a very constructive conversation. I think that’s time, have you been able to see any difference in always key. I think we as humans can always do a how the Title IX auditing and compliance has been better job of being active listeners. I think handled in the past and how you are dealing with Hampshire’s motto is true, “To know is not enough” it? because we’re never going to know enough. I think we also need to give ourselves a little room for DF: We have more guidance now than we had in failure…if you don’t get something right it is okay, the past. In April of 2011 the offices of Civil Rights just as long as you are willing to reengage and learn. came up with a “Dear Colleague” letter, which really called for institutions to handle issues of Title Inside: Are there any ways that students can get IX, issues of sexual harassment and sexual actively involved with the Title IX process or is that discrimination in a way that many colleges and something that is fully in Administration’s hands? universities were not doing. It’s not to say Hampshire College was not engaging in those DF: Well there are many ways students can get practices because Hampshire College has been involved. I think the foremost way is engaging in more on the revolutionary side of things where we conversations with each other about what consent were looking at instances we were trying to help looks like, talking about incapacitation looks like, the students and offer support as much as being a bystander, intervening; not just bystanding, but intervening in cases where you see something is Inside Spring 2015 vol 1 Lebrón-Wiggins-Pran Cultural Center

16 just not right. Knowing that you have a responsibility conversation is the conversation that students are to your community and being responsible for each having amongst each other. other, I think those are ways in which students can truly help. With respect to the administrative part of Inside: So being that you mentioned the Wellness it, we always welcome feedback from our students Center, in your position do you have active about what our policies look like. “What makes relationships with the other Centers and in specific sense?” “What doesn’t make sense?” There’s some the Cultural Center, and what does that look like? room for flexibility there, but really as we keep getting this compliancy guidance we really want to DF: I do have an active relationship with the able to adhere to the guidance that is being given to Cultural Center, specifically with Melissa (Assistant us by the Department of Justice. But, we are always Dean of Students for Community Advocacy / welcoming feedback in terms of how things are Director, Multicultural & International Student written or if something needs to be clarified a bit Services). We, when I say we, I am also including more, we are always welcoming feedback. Kristen Luschen who is the Dean for Multicultural Inclusion, we meet regularly with Melissa to make Inside: So in the vein of keeping those sure that we are all on the same page with what’s conversations of consent continuing throughout the happening on campus. So I think I have a pretty good year, because I guess as an incoming student you relationship with Melissa and O.C. and with the other sort of get that discussion during orientation and Centers (Center for Feminisms, Spiritual Life Center, then it sort of subsides at some point. I don’t think it Queer Community Alliance, Wellness Center). really continues, at least from my (Adrian’s) perspective, what are some of the ways you feel Inside: As a staff member of Color, do you find those conversations can be ongoing throughout the that sometimes you find that your job can be a little year? difficult or that you may have difficulty receiving support for projects or tasks that you would like to DF: Well I know a lot of those conversations come initiate? up with a lot of the work that the Wellness Center is doing. And it’s interesting because DF: That has not been my as first year students you get all this experience at Hampshire. I know information handed to you very it’s been other individuals’ at earlier on and then there’s the https://www.hampshire.edu/o Hampshire. It hasn’t been my perception that there’s not as many ffices/diversity-equity-and- experience, and I want to be able to conversation going on throughout inclusion help other staff members who have the year as during orientation had those experiences in terms of because your spaced out a little https://www.hampshire.edu/st helping our community navigate more. I know that Jordan Perry is udent-life/sexual-respect-and- that in a way that we can all work doing really good work with her title-ix together. I don’t know if it’s because student workers. In terms of engaging in these I’ve been working in the President’s office that I conversations, I think what is important for college haven’t experienced that. I know certainly colleagues students to have is what healthy sexual relationship here and certainly colleagues at the Five Colleges look like. In all honesty, I think the most powerful and in the surrounding colleges have experienced it Inside Spring 2015 vol 1 Lebrón-Wiggins-Pran Cultural Center

17 so I think I have to say I am fortunate I haven’t Definitely partied with my friends, however I will say experienced it, and in some ways I think it’s a curse I music was way different then than what is now. haven’t experienced that. I say that because I kind of I think the way I practice self-care now, I spend a lot see myself being there right there with everyone of time trying to work out. I try to go to the gym, else. watch Scandal every Thursday night then How to Get Away With Murder, Shonda Rhimes night. But, I Inside: So this might make you feel old again. think what’s interesting in how I practice self-care You were a student at some point; you dealt with a now has a lot to do with my wife, who is a fulltime lot of stress being a student. Our theme for this issue Frances Perkins Scholar at Mount Holyoke. So I’m is self-care and we would like to know if you have any seeing the student perspective when I go home. We sort of anecdotes of ways in which you practice self- try to work on how she can also practice self-care care in those stressful times. Is there a difference in because she’s going the same things students here how you practice self-care now? are going through: looking at finals, papers to write, readings to do, projects to engage in, group projects, DF: There’s a huge difference in how I practiced individual projects. So I see it here at work and I see it self-care when I was a student. I procrastinated a lot. at home. In fact I think I have it down in terms of That was my form of self-care when I was a student. I when the moments of breakdown will be. It’s usually am expecting y’all not repeat my procrastination, but right around fall break, around Thanksgiving, and that’s kind of the way I dealt with it. I escaped by finals, having been here at Hampshire. And it’s okay, hanging out in downtown Ithaca, which is where I it’s okay, just make sure you (students) ground went to college, and getting to know the town and yourself and getting that self-care, healthy self-care. becoming a part of the town… I also surrounded Whatever that may look like, whether it’s getting off myself with really good friends with whom I’d have campus for a bit, going to downtown Amherst, those late night conversations as we were doing chilling there for a bit. Or going to one of the other papers…and we’d play music loud. We’d play music colleges, checking out one of the public art spaces loud. Those were the days of Public Enemy “Fight that are available, watching Scandal, if you’re into the Power”, then Mary J (Blige) came out, then Toni that, there’s also Netflix. There are also other things, Braxton came out, and so we’d play music very loud. but Scandal is my show of choice, but now that it’s tip-off season has started, basketball and football. “Prioritize sleep: Not getting enough sleep leads to imbalanced emotions and exacerbates stress.” - 10 Self-Care Tips for People of Color by Fabian Romero Inside Spring 2015 vol 1 Lebrón-Wiggins-Pran Cultural Center

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19 Compiled by Jordan Perry, Director of Wellness Promotion Adapted from Live a Little, by Alice D. Domar, PhD. Inside Spring 2015 vol 1 Lebrón-Wiggins-Pran Cultural Center

20 Q: Can you give a brief explanation as to what you try to work with guidance counselors in order to do at Hampshire and what a typical day is like for help students through the process of looking into you? and applying to Hampshire. On campus I help with events such as open houses and campus visit days A: My official title is Associate Director of for students to come to Hampshire Campus. Admissions and Coordinator of International Recruitment. I mostly work on recruiting Q: What are you goals pertaining to your international students for the college. That’s position? everything from searching for perspective students to helping the students who decide that they want A: One of the three main goals the recruitment to come to Hampshire. A typical day for me would team has is getting more need based support for be answering emails and interviewing students; I international students. It is one of the biggest also have domestic territories as well. During the things I’m working on with the international fall and spring specifically, there is travel involved, I recruitment team. Since international students visit different high schools and attend different don’t get money from our government if they want colleges. The admissions and international to go to school in the U.S, Hampshire gives need recruitment team tries to build relationships with based aid to those who do come to help lighten the several schools in different parts of the world. We burden on families. I believe with a larger support Inside Spring 2015 vol 1 Lebrón-Wiggins-Pran Cultural Center

21 system financially, Hampshire can steadily increase A: No, I was not an international recruiter before the amount of international students as well as but when I worked at Eckerd, at the beginning, the increase the amount of aid given. Another goal for international recruiter was on her way out and she me this year and so on is that I want to widen the had been training me, kind of under there table, to area we explore for recruitments. you know be like “Christina I think that this would be a good position for you since you really love it Q: Why did you come to work at Hampshire? and you have this international mindset”. I would fill in for her for talks about international admission A: Well, I had moved back from living abroad and I and follow some of her work but at the end of the was hired at Eckerd, another small college; it was day things don’t always work out that way and I only on a temporary basis to fill in for someone just didn’t get the position as recruiter and that’s who had left in January. Due to that I was applying alright because now I am here at Hampshire. The to a lot of different schools, just in admissions, biggest challenge for me was when I walked into because it was something I knew and was good at. the office at Hampshire and not many people really It was in 2009 that I discovered Hampshire, I met knew a lot about international recruiting and so I Ting who used to work in the office and she told thought, well that’s going to be a challenge but me about Hampshire and I was like what a cool then we got the director to help with that while the little place, after I visited I just fell in love with director was still around. But in the past here. The small and comfortable campus, the recruitment trip I’ve been on I met a lot of passionate students and the great educational international counselors who have given me some program provided. Though, to be honest, I didn’t great advice. I feel like it is not as difficult as it may think I’d get hired but I really wanted to be here so seem but it is pretty overwhelming because it’s an I though lets jet try and then I was invited for an all hands on deck kind of thing where we can try to interview. After some waiting I found out I got the utilize a lot of pieces to really show international job here and I was really excited. Hampshire is just students our campus through the eyes of our own a wonderful place with commitments to current students. But yeah I think the biggest sustainability and taking care of the environment, challenge was just walking in and organizing the everything that I valued in a package. chaos. Q: Have you been an international recruiter Q: Okay so you talked a bit about your plan for before? If so what challenges have you faced the future of the international recruitment process, before and how have you overcome some of can you expand on how you plan on getting these them? If not what challenges have you faced so far done? an how have you dealt with them? Inside Spring 2015 vol 1 Lebrón-Wiggins-Pran Cultural Center

22 A: Well, I actually have a meeting to talk about international student interviews, I have this plan are going to talk about this year’s specific goals and proposed but it ended up being bigger than I what type of support that I might need in the office thought. I have a meeting with Panda, international and kind of make plans from there. I am working student services and intersection coordinator at on the international profiles, to make it clear for CC, so we can bounce ideas about this and maybe international student what we are looking for and get current international students as interviewers. what they would need to do to get into Hampshire. I’m trying to work with communications on that. Q: Can you tell me a little more about the plan Currently I’ve been working on describing liberal that you proposed, the one you mentioned in your arts in Mandarin with the office so we can make previous answer? certain information more accessible. I’m hoping we can have it completed and printed by spring. The A: My plan for international interviews was to get international brochure is on its way to be finished international students, only, to interview as well, but I want it to still be a working document, international perspective students rather than something that can be added to and edited. I just having a domestic student interview. The want something tangible for this year right now interviewing process is a team effort. I interview via though. Let’s see, my team and I also talked about Skype, people visit, but also we try to have current Inside Spring 2015 vol 1 Lebrón-Wiggins-Pran Cultural Center

23 students, for example Fig, a student here, who was think that by a prospective student really seeing born in the US but still has an international identity the campus through a current student’s eyes: that as well, interview a girl from Columbia through is a very important thing. Skype. My idea for our perspective student who interview is that they can do it any hour of the day Q: As the Associate Director of International as a way to compensated for not being able to Recruitment, do you have a hand in providing come in person for an interview. We just have to guidance to the rest of the admissions staff on figure out some logistics stuff and some stuff with international recruitment, what does international human resources to help explain certain cultural recruitment look like here in the U.S. Are you the differences or stuff with the visa process as well as only counselor who actively recruits international figure out how this can, you know, work. students? Q: How will your time working and traveling A: For the first part I do have a hand in guidance abroad help you relate to prospective and current because I am pretty much the expert in the international students? How has your experience international recruitment here. I have a cheat- with culture shock helped you with recruiting? sheet made for all of our counselors for when they are on the road. That is because you never know A: I remember the first time that I visited a when you might meet international students at the country where I didn’t understand anything, you different high schools. Anyway, they have a cheat know, the language or how to communicate. I sheet that they can take with the admissions know that with our student English proficiency is requirements and my contact information, I make pretty much a requirement, but just that feeling of sure it is known that O.C is the international kind of being lost really helped me see that you recruitment advisor, and things like that. Um, there have to treat people with, for different reasons, a are also different dates and dealings on the sheet certain level of respect and so I feel like that specifically for those who need finical aid that are moment of realization just kind of opened my eyes international. It’s a little different for international and just like, you know we just sometimes have to students compared to domestic. I put the numbers put each other in everyone’s different shoes and for finical aid as well for international students really listen and try to understand and you know. because it is different due to the fact that With the international recruitment side I have to international students don’t qualify for our make clear that for one thing we have a very government aid, assistance is only institutionally. unique education program and we have to make That means they only get money from the school sure they understand thing as well as make sure and scholarships. This sheet definitely helps the that this is the right fit just coming here because counselors when they are on the road and they we don’t have SAT’s or stuff like that. There are encounter a student, and maybe I’m not in the two pieces to this and I think the best way is just by office. At least they have something and it’s not shooing students who we are because this is a like they know nothing. We also have a little cheat team effort. Yes I can answer questions and I can sheet admissions check list; one of the big look at applications, and connect people but I really differences with admissions is what’s required like Inside Spring 2015 vol 1 Lebrón-Wiggins-Pran Cultural Center

24 TOFL, English proficiency. Then they are required to provide certification of finances as well. It’s pretty A: Actually, interestingly enough, I recently common for all schools. As far as what encountered a lot of parents this year who are international recruitment looks like in the U.S I really nervous about the gun control in America mean like I think it’s different for different schools, which was a shocker, it’s not really a shocker it’s but for Hampshire, I was pleased to find out during actually understandable, but I just didn’t expect one of our recruiting trips, we are one of very few that. The way I see it is parents and students just schools that provide aid for international students. got to do their research, ask questions, and parents A lot of the bigger universities like The University of just got to trust their kids. It’s important to trust Washington, I believe, don’t have any aid for your kid(s) if going here is what they want. I have international students and I found that very told the perspective students as well that you just surprising that a lot of schools don’t have this. I got to go with that gut feeling, that if you have got think that right now as for where we recruit, in Asia a good feeling about it then goes with it. I know is one of the places like China. So for the second my mom was real nervous the first time I went half of your question, we all kind of recruit abroad, I remember a time where she called me at together because we are a team. However, I’m still the hotel and asked me if I was safe and if I had one of the main people for doing international eaten and so on. I find that calling home or even recruitment, but it’s still a team effort even for shooting a simple text message can help ease a domestic students as well. worried family as well as help you with your own homesickness. Q: What is your advice for international students on dealing with a worried family? Or parents who are worried about sending their kids? What are To contact Christina: your own experiences with this? 413.559.5471 [email protected] “Queer people of color in the United States are perpetually under siege politically, psychically, economically, physically, and affectively in the twenty-first century under capitalist white supremacist heteropatriarchy. Radical Self-Care connects radical activist performance in Austin, Texas with the theoretical genealogies of queer of color critique, women of color feminism, queer studies, and performance studies in order to propose a program for queer of color survival, sustainment and political revolt.” -Radical self-care : performance, activism, and queer people of color -Radicalselfcare.tumblr.com Inside Spring 2015 vol 1 Lebrón-Wiggins-Pran Cultural Center

25 Read for self-care and empowerment https://www.hampshire.edu/cultural-center/the-mitziko-sawada-resource-library Inside Spring 2015 vol 1 Lebrón-Wiggins-Pran Cultural Center

26 By: Jorrell Watkins (F11) Inside Spring 2015 vol 1 Lebrón-Wiggins-Pran Cultural Center

27 www.facebook.com/groups/lwpculturalcenter Inside Spring 2015 vol 1 Lebrón-Wiggins-Pran Cultural Center

28 Inside Spring 2015 vol 1 Lebrón-Wiggins-Pran Cultural Center

29 Inside Spring 2015 vol 1 Lebrón-Wiggins-Pran Cultural Center

30 Caring for myself is not self- indulgence, it is self- preservation, and that is an act of political warfare . Audre Lorde Inside Spring 2015 vol 1 Lebrón-Wiggins-Pran Cultural Center