Inside sp 2015 vol 1

1 Art by M. Scheid Frantz Inside Spring 2015 vol 1 Lebrón-Wiggins-Pran Cultural Center

2 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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4 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

5     http://www.robbiesamuels.com/2012/12/how-is-self-care-revolutionary-act.htm Inside Spring 2015 vol 1 Lebrón-Wiggins-Pran Cultural Center

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7 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

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

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

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11 Cooking is the way my soul heals. Inside Spring 2015 vol 1 Lebrón-Wiggins-Pran Cultural Center

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13 Grounding Techniques By Noah Foster (F13), Wellness Center Peer Educator • Describe your environment in detail to yourself. “There are three wooden cabinets in this room. Each has three I t’s hard to deal with emotional episodes. Panic drawers. The wood on the far-right cabinet is attacks, flashbacks, anger—they seem to take over chipping slightly,” etc. Try not to get caught up in our whole minds when they’re happening. People judgments—don’t say “the couch is an ugly blue”, have many different ways to deal: some are just that the couch is blue. positive and effective, like exercise; some aren’t as • Practice deep breathing. Breathe in through much, like self-harm or substance abuse. The your nose for 4 seconds, and then out through your question is, how can we move towards effective, mouth for 4 seconds. Try and fill your lungs positive coping techniques to help deal with completely with air, and empty them completely. emotional episodes? Make sure you’re breathing with your diaphragm, and not your chest—you should be able to feel One way is by using grounding techniques. They’re your stomach expanding and shrinking with each designed to be positive ways to get out of panic breath. Imagine that you are breathing out your attacks or flashbacks, replacing those non- bad emotions and breathing in the good. effective and self-destructive habits we sometimes • Find a sensation you enjoy. Smell your favorite turn to. 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 are a good person that’s going through a hard When you use a grounding technique, the most time. Remember that you are safe right now, and important thing to remember is to focus. Try not to this is only temporary. let your mind wander. Focus on the world, focus on right now. Grounding techniques work the best when you can apply your whole mind to them. Inside Spring 2015 vol 1 Lebrón-Wiggins-Pran Cultural Center

14 By Adrian Quintanar (F13) and Santos Rios (F14) T o her colleagues and some students, Diana person and as the Chief Diversity Officer of Hampshire College. Fernandez has become something of a fixture, a 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 at things more critical eye, and a more analytical of Chief Diversity Officer. This new administrative 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 Greg Prince…I worked with Greg Prince, I then Recently, Inside took the opportunity to catch up 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 been an amazing experience. I think I’ve have space with her we had the pleasure of getting to know more about Diana’s passion for her position, probably had the best mentors that any profession could afford. her commitment to students and to making this institution a safer, more inclusive environment. We hope that through this interview you are able to gain some insight about Diana Fernandez as a Inside Spring 2015 vol 1 Lebrón-Wiggins-Pran Cultural Center

15 Inside: What about you do you do you feel has DF: Sure. I have a couple of big roles, right? So I helped you to be in your current position? have the Chief Diversity Officer role, which is really charged with looking at diversity at the 30,000 ft. DF: I think first and foremost, just a commitment level, and by that I mean by that is looking at what to this institution … I think what really brought are practices are around equal employment everything together was when I really started opportunity, affirmative action practices when it engaging with the students. Um, that for me has comes to hiring and retention of faculty and staff been the most powerful part about the Hampshire of color. What we’re looking at in terms of the community, and that inspires me, it charges me to admissions. How we are recruiting and retaining work with students. So I think early on I was students of color on the admissions end and the missing that because it really wasn’t happening, enrollment end. And then looking at other pieces but once it happened, it opened up this new that intersect with that, in terms of race, gender, avenue, this new trajectory I really wanted to be sexuality, class, political perspective, military engaged in. status—how those all interrelate to each other in terms how we can create a more inclusive Inside: So for students that don’t know the community. capacity of your position, can you explain a little The other piece of my job is the Title IX piece, the more about that? Title IX Coordinator piece, which is really in charge of making sure we’re in compliance with how we as a college are responding to issues to sex 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. discrimination and sexual violence on campus. Inside Spring 2015 vol 1 Lebrón-Wiggins-Pran Cultural Center

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

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

18 support for projects or tasks that you would like to the town… I also surrounded myself with really good initiate? friends with whom I’d have those late night conversations as we were doing papers…and we’d play DF: That has not been my experience at music loud. We’d play music loud. Those were the days Hampshire. I know it’s been other individuals’ at of Public Enemy “Fight the Power”, then Mary J (Blige) Hampshire. It hasn’t been my experience, and I want came out, then Toni Braxton came out, and so we’d to be able to help other staff members who have had play music very loud. Definitely partied with my friends, those experiences in terms of helping our community however I will say music was way different then than navigate that in a way that we can all work together. what is now. I don’t know if it’s because I’ve been working in the I think the way I practice self-care now, I spend a lot of President’s office that I haven’t experienced that. I time trying to work out. I try to go to the gym, watch know certainly colleagues here and certainly Scandal every Thursday night then How to Get Away With Murder, Shonda Rhimes night. But, I think what’s colleagues at the Five Colleges and in the interesting in how I practice self-care now has a lot to surrounding colleges have experienced it so I think I do with my wife, who is a fulltime Frances Perkins have to say I am fortunate I haven’t experienced it, Scholar at Mount Holyoke. So I’m seeing the student and in some ways I think it’s a curse I haven’t perspective when I go home. We try to work on how experienced that. I say that because I kind of see she can also practice self-care because she’s going the myself being there right there with everyone else. same things students here are going through: looking at finals, papers to write, readings to do, projects to Inside: So this might make you feel old again. engage in, group projects, individual projects. So I see it You were a student at some point; you dealt with a here at work and I see it at home. In fact I think I have it lot of stress being a student. Our theme for this issue down in terms of when the moments of breakdown will is self-care and we would like to know if you have any be. It’s usually right around fall break, around sort of anecdotes of ways in which you practice self- Thanksgiving, and finals, having been here at care in those stressful times. Is there a difference in Hampshire. And it’s okay, it’s okay, just make sure you how you practice self-care now? (students) ground yourself and getting that self-care, healthy self-care. Whatever that may look like, whether DF: There’s a huge difference in how I practiced self- it’s getting off campus for a bit, going to downtown care when I was a student. I procrastinated a lot. That Amherst, chilling there for a bit. Or going to one of the was my form of self-care when I was a student. I am other colleges, checking out one of the public art expecting y’all not repeat my procrastination, but that’s spaces that are available, watching Scandal, if you’re kind of the way I dealt with it. I escaped by hanging out into that, there’s also Netflix. There are also other in downtown Ithaca, which is where I went to college, things, but Scandal is my show of choice, but now that and getting to know the town and becoming a part of 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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21 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

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

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

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

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

26 provide certification of finances as well. It’s pretty told the perspective students as well that you just common for all schools. As far as what got to go with that gut feeling, that if you have got international recruitment looks like in the U.S I a good feeling about it then goes with it. I know mean like I think it’s different for different schools, my mom was real nervous the first time I went but for Hampshire, I was pleased to find out during abroad, I remember a time where she called me at one of our recruiting trips, we are one of very few the hotel and asked me if I was safe and if I had schools that provide aid for international students. eaten and so on. I find that calling home or even A lot of the bigger universities like The University of shooting a simple text message can help ease a Washington, I believe, don’t have any aid for worried family as well as help you with your own international students and I found that very homesickness. surprising that a lot of schools don’t have this. I think that right now as for where we recruit, in Asia is one of the places like China. So for the second half of your question, we all kind of recruit together because we are a team. However, I’m still one of the main people for doing international recruitment, but it’s still a team effort even for domestic students as well. 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 your own experiences with this? A: Actually, interestingly enough, I recently encountered a lot of parents this year who are really nervous about the gun control in America which was a shocker, it’s not really a shocker it’s actually understandable, but I just didn’t expect that. The way I see it is parents and students just got to do their research, ask questions, and parents just got to trust their kids. It’s important to trust your kid(s) if going here is what they want. I have Inside Spring 2015 vol 1 Lebrón-Wiggins-Pran Cultural Center

27 Self-care includes reading https://www.hampshire.edu/cultural-center/the-mitziko-sawada-resource-library Inside Spring 2015 vol 1 Lebrón-Wiggins-Pran Cultural Center

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

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

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

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

32 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