Building Bridges Spring '09

8/7/2019 Building Bridges Spring '09

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BridgesAt Chico State

Building

ore stories in this issueudent Spotlight ...........................2

spanic Chamber of Commerce .......2

rman Ellis Retirement ..................3

versity Art Show ..........................5

New Look at Diversity ..................5

dro Douglas Prole ......................6

versity Awards ............................8

Multicultural rally connects studentsBy Everett Meyers

Dozens of colorfully decoratedtables lined the perimeter of theroom Feb. 10 for the rst Multicul-tural Affairs Council (MAC) rally,representing various multiculturalorganizations on campus, reminiscent

of the Disneyland ride, Its a smallworld.Each booth was garnished with

the ags, banners, trophies, and pho-tos of its cultural organization.

The MAC rally was scheduledto begin at 7 p.m. in Bell Memo-rial Union 210, but students eagerlypoured in looking for a frontrow seat well before it started.

As participants enteredthe room, they were handed anumbered sticker that wouldlater place them into a groupthat would rotate tables everyfew minutes, similar to speeddating.

This rally was the rst

event of its kind at ChicoState, and the enormous turn-out speaks for itself.

It was very experimental,guinea pig status, said JosueGuzman, commissioner ofMulticultural Affairs.

Guzman, along withthe rest of the MAC, wasin charge of putting on thisevent. Each year this organi-zation gives $4,000 to diversi-

A n e ws l e t t e r c e l e b r a ti n g d i v e r s i t y a t C h i c o S t a t e a n d i n u s al l S p r i n g 2 0 0 9

ty groups to fund a cultural event, anthis rally was the perfect opportunityfor exposure.

Originally MAC wanted to dosomething big on campus, Guzmansaid. With the help of CC Carter,

director of the Cross-Cultural Lead-ership Center, they brainstormed theidea of having a rally.

My personal opinion is it was ahuge success, Guzman said.

Guest speakers who spokethroughout the night about gettingoutside comfort zones and gettinginvolved included Carter, Jesse Eller,Associated Students president, andChristian Garcia, lieutenant commissioner of multicultural affairs.

By the end of the night, everyon

in the room was motivated, Garcisaid.

Students explore different cultural organizations

at the rst Multicultural Affairs Council rally.

click to continue to page

By the end of the night,everyone in the room was

.

-Christian Garcia

Click here to view a video of the

International Festival.

Herman Ellis, associate vice president

for Student Life, recognized.
http://www.csuchico.edu/diversity/whatsNew/multicultural_spr09.shtmlhttp://www.csuchico.edu/diversity/whatsNew/multicultural_spr09.shtmlhttp://www.csuchico.edu/diversity/whatsNew/multicultural_spr09.shtml


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Bridges

Hispanic Chamber

aids new businessBy Lindsay Casale

The Hispanic community has anew vehicle for advancing itsbusinesses and its opportunities.

The Hispanic Chamber ofCommerce of Northern California(HCCNC) is encouraging people toembrace diversity in the communi-ty of Chico and surrounding areas.The organization was establishedin October 2008 to create a greaterappreciation and understanding of

Hispanic businesses, while promot-ing their growth in the community.Maria Shahid, founder and

president of the organization, isextremely dedicated to aiding theHispanic community.

The HCCNC is a nonprotorganization that helps the commu-nity by offering assistance openingtheir business, growing their busi-ness, and assisting in their business

by bringing employees to them,Shahid said.Communities and businesses in

both Butte and Glenn countiesincluding Chico, Oroville, Orland,and Hamilton Cityare aided bythe HCCNC.

One of the businesses thechamber has helped is GaleriaMexicana. This local business,established in 2006, specializes inselling hand-crafted imports, suchas ceramic pottery and wroughtiron wall dcor, made by familiesand skilled craftspeople in centralMexico.

The HCCNC has hosted acouple of tequila tasting fundrais-ing events at the store in Oroville,owner Celina Casimiro said.

Being that the commerceis based in Chico, it brought in

click to continue to page 4

Student SpotlightThis column is designed to showcasestudent work that celebrates diversityand raises questions about our world.

Some days I thinkI think of what I am

I think of who I amI think of why I am who I am

I am a Black Man

I am a Black Man named Walter

And I am a Black Man named Walter because...

I was DESTINED to be...

A Black Man named Walter

Some days I thinkI think of my purpose

I think of how I can make a changeI think of how I can help advance my people

My purpose is to EducateI can make change by EducatingI can help advance my people by Educating

Some days I thinkI think of Frederick DouglassI think of W.E.B. DuBoisI think of the wisdom and knowledge they left usBut it's the same wisdom and knowledge we take for granted

The key to Black People having better lives...

Is through EducationFrederick Douglass said this

And after learning this...

Some days I thinkI think that I am becoming a vesselI think that I am becoming a vessel for my people

I think that I am becoming a vessel for my people to have better lives

By Walter A. Torrence III


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Bridges

Herman Ellis leaves legacy at Chico State upon retirementBy Emilie Johnson

After 34 years of dedicatedservice and wise counsel, Her-man Ellis, associate vice presidentfor Student Life and director of

Student Activities, will be retiring

this fall. In his time at Chico State,

Ellis witnessed campus history,

inspired many and had a great

impact on the way we experience

Chico State today.

When Ellis arrived at Chico

State in 1975, he served as a coun-

selor in the counseling center. Helater went on to the Educational

Opportunity Program, served as

the director of Student Activities,

assistant vice president for Student

Life, and will retire as associate

vice president for Student Life and

director of Student Activities.

Herman is one of our last

remaining campus historians, said

Chela Patterson, Educational Op-portunity Program director.

He was here back when there

was a different version of the BMU,

no Yolo, no Tehama, no O'Connell,

no Student Services Center; back

when the Cross-Cultural Lead-

ership Center (CCLC) was the

Multicultural Center, and before

that, the 3rd Street Houses. I'm

sure he has

many, many

memories ofthe changes

that have

occurred on

this campus,

Patterson

said.

The

majority of

Ellis role on

campus wasdedicated to

the success of

Chico State programs and students,

and he had an especially profound

effect on campus diversity.

When it comes to developing

the Latino, African, Asian, and

Native American communities

and working with womens pro-

grams...it doesnt matter what itwas, Hermans always been sort of

behind the scenes and had a seat

at the table,

CC Carter,

CCLC direc-

tor, said.

He

would always

empower

others towork there,

but guide

them and direct them and help

them to understand what the dy-

namics are, Carter said.

Ellis has played a key role in

the creation and implementation

of many campus programs, includ-

ing the Campus Alcohol & Drug

Education Center grant, the devel-

opment and concept of the CCLC,

creating and getting the position of

Greek life advisors on campus, and

the organization of the professional

development committee in its cur-

rent structure and programming.

As a campus leader, Ellis ap-plied his sound reasoning and

teamwork skills to each project he

worked on.

Hermans the type of indi-

vidual that would be able to look

at the landscape out thereand be

able to negotiate and navigate the

most effective and efcient way of

getting things resolved and getting

things to move forward, Cartersaid.

Ellis is respected by his staff and

colleagues and always maintains an

enjoyable sense of humor.

As a supervisor, Herman

speaks softly but carries a big stick

of respect, Patterson said. You

don't ever want to disappoint him.

Ellis (second from right) with Chico State colleaguesat an event in Sacramento, Calif.

In the upcoming years, with such a

gloomy nancial picture, we will all

miss Hermans more than

we can even imagine.

-Chela Patterson



4/9

BridgesChamber provides recognition of Hispanic businessesContinued from page 2

Rally encourages collaboration among student groupsContinued from page 1

people from Chico to Oroville,Casimiro said. Getting that kindof exposure from the chamber is

very helpful.The organization puts on

events like the tequila tastings toraise money, while generating expo-sure for its members. Other eventsinclude celebrations of indepen-dence and various ribbon-cuttingceremonies.

Even though these events are

put on to raise money forthe organization, they arenot always successful in ob-

taining that goal, said FawnMendoza, secretary of theHCCNC.

It depends on a lotof variables because thereis a lot of preparation,Mendoza said. There is a lot ofturnout at some and not so much atothers, but the recent tequila tast-

ing in February was asuccess.

Although eventsare the main source ofprot for the organiza-tion, it is not the onlyway the HCCNC raisesmoney.

Funds are also gen-erated from chambermemberships, which al-lows members to put anad in the local Spanishnewspaper, Sabias Que,

advertising their busi-ness, Mendoza said.

There are big plans

for the HCCNC in the future,including a new location. Its mem-bers are planning to move intoa new ofce and are looking forgrants to offer English and Spanishclasses.

You dont have to be Hispanicto get involved with the organiza-tion, Shahid said.

Any person who wants tobe part of the HCCNC can be amember or on the board of direc-tors, Shahid said.

Getting involved and receivingmore information about the HC-CNC is simple. Anyone can callthe HCCNC or visit its Web site atwww.hispaniccc.org. The organiza-

tion also has open meetings on therst Tuesday of every month foranyone who is interested in joining.

After the speeches, studentsgot into small groups designatedby their sticker and spent 30 sec-onds visiting each organizationstable before rotating to the next.Certain clubs had food that wasrepresentative of their culture.

A constant clamor echoedthroughout the room as eagerbodies moved from table to table.After everyone had a brief chanceto examine the booths, the rallycame to a close.

Senior Fausto Guillermo,president of the Gamma Zeta Al-pha Fraternity Inc., attended the

event and thought it was a hugesuccess.

The event gave a chance fororganizations to meet other simi-lar organizations, and all the guestspeakers did a great job of en-couraging people to get involved,Guillermo said.

Participants were encouragedto stay and follow up with the or-ganizations that interested them.

Garcia and the MAC chose toput on this event to create an op-portunity for these diverse groupsto get to know one another, and tohopefully someday work together.

We wanted them to see otherorganizations that are out thereand network, Garcia said.

Garcia hopes that one day therally gets so big they can hold it inthe gym. He even wants studentsin the dorms to hear about thisand look forward to it.

I would be really happy leav-ing my term knowing that therally would be another programheld up to the expectations of theInternational Festival and Multi-cultural Night, Garcia said.

Getting that kind of

from thechamber is very helpful.

- Celina Casimiro

Celina Casimiro, Galeria Mexicana store

owner, benets from HCCNC services.


5/9

BridgesExhibit unites campus and community through artBy Emilie Johnson

The inaugural Diversity ArtExhibit in March gave ChicoState students, faculty, staff, and

community members the oppor-tunity to showcase their diversecultures through artwork. Each ofthe 14 participants brought theirown talent, style, and inspiration to

and the way they live their liveseach day.

As I have matured and

found peace in my own skin, Ihave learned the challenging butbeautiful craft of building bridgesamongst people, said Erica Flores,program coordinator of the Cross-Cultural Leadership Center atChico State. I pride myself inmy lifes work within diversity andbuilding community.

Flores submitted an acrylicpainting with chalk layered ontop titled The Kiss, which was in-spired by a picture taken of Presi-dent and Mrs. Obama during theNew Hampshire primaries.

Through my own interpreta-tion I wanted to capture this beau-tiful moment of intimacy, vulner-ability, and tenderness betweentwo very strong individuals, Floressaid.

Community member andartist Sandora Nishio submitted

four pieces to the show, two acrylicpaintings and two stoneware

the show through paintings, pho-tography, and sculptures.

Diversity Art Exhibit curator,

organizer and Chico State advisorJosh Whittinghill said an art showthat focused on diversity ratherthan a single artists theme was aprofound experience.

The artitself was fun,energizing,and inspiring,said Whittin-ghill. Experi-encing differ-ent cultures,emotions, phi-losophies, andperspectives ofthe artists andthe artworkwas excellent.

Personal lifeexperiencesinspire manyof the shows

participants,both throughtheir artwork

Student brings new meaning to diversity on campusBy Everett Meyers

At just over 4 feet tall, senior JoeCarlinos big heart and ambi-tions have helped him rise to the

challenge in the face of adversity.Carlino grew up an only child

and was raised around both littleand average-sized people.

I am really lucky in the factthat my family are little people,Carlino said. They have alreadybeen through all the challenges andstruggles that little people face.

Though Carlino has not metother little people in Chico, it does

not bother him, he said. Carlinois comfortable around everyone,and even sees himself marrying an

average-sized woman someday.Growing up in San Lorenzo,

Carlino came to Chico State to getaway from home, but not too far.Undeclared at rst, he always knewhe wanted to do something withcommunication. Finishing up hisfourth year, Carlino will be graduatingthis May as a communication de-sign major with an option in Internet


Erica Flores, program coordinator of the Cross-CulturalLeadership Center, shared her talent at the art exhibit.


Joe Carlino, a graduating senior,

at work at the Disability Support

Services ofce.


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Bridges

Pedro Douglas: student mentor, diversity advocateBy Lindsay Casale

Being a minority in college canbe a challenge, but with theright support and role model, any

student can have the opportunity toachieve what they want in life.

The driving force that motivatesmany minority studentsat Chico State is PedroDouglas. He is dedi-cated to helping studentspursue careers in highereducation, promoting di-versity on campus, and isalso active in the Chicocommunity as a choir

director.Douglas came to

Chico State from FloridaInternational Universityin 2001 for the positionof director of StudentHealth Services. Now heis the associate vice pres-ident of Student Affairsand uses his position toadvocate the importanceof diversity.

Promoting diversity is importantso we can understand each other, hesaid.

When I think of the worddiversity, I think of it in all of its

dimensions, Douglas said. Weserve as role models, not just for

students of color or students withdisabilities. I think we also serve asrole models to students who never

nd themselves in that category.In 2002, Douglas brought the

National Undergraduate Fellow

Program (NUFP) to Chico State.The NUFP aims to encourage un-derrepresented students to pursuecareers in higher education.

Douglas job is to give students agood denition ofhigher education,he said. Since theNUFP has been atChico State, it hasbeen very success-

ful because it hasso many opportu-nities for students.

Students aregiven the chanceto intern at nu-merous institutionsas well as inter-view directors on

campus to learn about their posi-tion and how they can achieve that

job after college.Paula Selvester, associate pro-

fessor of education in the Depart-

ment of Education at Chico State,strongly thinks Douglas dedicationis benecial for minority students.

Pedro Douglas isdedicated to promotingdiversity and supportingstudents of color on cam-pus in all their endeavors,Selvester said. For aslong as I have known him,as [director of StudentHealth Services] to now in

his position, he has madediversity support and de-velopment his mission.

In addition to helpingstudents and promotingdiversity at Chico State,Douglas also has anotherpassion. Singing has al-ways been very importantto him, since he comesfrom a very musical fam-ily. After joining a gospel

choir when he rst came to Chico,Douglas was quickly recruited asthe director of the Chico Commu-nity Acappella Choir.

Made up of singers from differ-ent faiths and churches, the ensem-ble of nine performs in many placesthroughout the community, includ-ing Chico State, various churches,and Bidwell Mansion.

Aside from his presence in the

community, Douglas promotesdiversity by being an example ofsuccess as a minority himself.

Douglas wants students to seethat being of color and becomingan associate vice president, or evena president, is a reality for them, hesaid.

Surely, I hope when studentssee me that they say, Hey thatssomething I can do, he said.

Pedro Douglas, associate vice president

for Student Affairs, is inuential on campus

and in the commuity.

We serve as ,

not just for students of color or

students with disabilities. I think we

also serve as role models to stu-dents who never nd themselves

in that category.

-Pedro Douglas


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Bridges

Art inspired by life experiences, cultures and traditionsContinued from page 5

ceramic sculptures, all of whichreected her life experiences as aJapanese-American woman.

In my recent paintings, I pres-ent my interpretation of the internalstrength, vitality, and beauty ofmulticultural women, Nishio said.

Her appreciation for the hu-

man spectrum and diversity inu-ences her personal lens and artisticvoice.

Nishios sculptures, both cre-ated using the Japanese coil build-ing technique, were also inuencedby her cultural background.

The shape and ared top ofJomon InspiredVessel pays tributeto the pottery cre-ated by the womenof the ancientJomon culture ofJapan, Nishiosaid.

Another artistwho contributed tothe Diversity ArtExhibit was ChicoState freshmanSteven Garcia. Hesubmitted a paint-ing of Ice Cube,who has inspiredGarcia through

his unpublicized

contributions to low-income neigh-borhoods in Southern California.

Community member Frank

Smith showcased his still photosof birds, landscapes, and ow-ers, surprising viewers with a levelof professionalism no one wouldexpect from a person with only oneyear of experience.

Each of the artists had theirown story to share through theirartwork and their stories have notgone unheard.

My art has always been aboutwhat it does for me; however, myexperience of showing my art hasallowed me to also realize what artcan do for others, Flores said.

The Diversity Art Exhibit wasorganized by the Chico State Ofceof Diversity, Tray Robinson, JoshWhittinghill, and Lindsay Bartlett.For information regarding partici-pation and other details of futureshows, please contact Bartlett inKendall Hall 110 or by phone

530-898-4764.

Sandora Nishio, artist and community member,

contributed four pieces of art to the exhibit.

Colleagues will miss Ellis wisdom and activismContinued from page 3

Ellis poses with his daughters at the Chico Statesign in the early 1990s.

Not because he yells at yoube-

cause he doesn'tbut because he

is so nice about it even when he is

yanking your chain.

Looking forward, there is nodoubt that the Chico State commu-

nity will miss Ellis after his well-

deserved retirement.

Even though I have risen

through the administrative ranks

and I have less need for Herman's

advice than I did earlier in my

career, I still nd myself making

my way back to

his ofce during

times of crisis,

Patterson said.

In the upcom-ing years, with

such a gloomy

nancial pic-

ture, we will all

miss Herman's

wisdom more

than we can even

imagine.


8/9

Bridges

This university award is

granted to an individual studentor recognized student organiza-

tion that has signicantly con-

tributed to the development of

a positive multicultural environ-

ment at Chico State. This years

recipient, Maribel DeLaCerda,

has worked toward furthering the

education of others ever since

she entered Chico State in 2005

The Conversations on Diversityseries focuses on the complexities

of group and individual identi-

ties and how they inuence one

another. This years Conversations

on Diversity series explored sources

and responses to the hate and

fear around and within us. These

campus and community members

exemplied the power of diversityin our community.

Pulling us Together Award:

Book in Common Group

Teaching Back Award:

Spencer Blair

Behind the Scenes Award:Pedro Douglas

Walk the Line Award:

Molly Heck

The After Chico Award:

Maria del Rocio Guido

Promising Newcomer Award:

Collaborative Response to

Violence Project

Taking it to the Classroom

Award:

Dr. Nandi Crosby

Taking it to the Streets Award:

Cesar Chavez Day Planning

Committee

Lifetime Achievement Award:

Elizabeth Renfro

Celebrating outstanding diversity work of our campus communit

as an Educational Opportunity

Program student. AdmissionsCounselor Bertha Alicia Curiel

said, It is very apparent Ms.

DeLaCerda is one of the most

driven and focused students that

I have ever encountered in terms

of educating others about the

importance of self-acceptance,

self-enhancement, and cultural

tolerance and understanding.

From left to right: Elizabeth Renfro, Spencer Blair, Stephanie Jimenez, Pe-

dro Douglas, LoriBeth Way, Nandi Crosby, Molly Heck, Dawn Frank, Thia

Wolf, Bill Loker, Maria del Rocio Guido, Liz Colson, Nan Timmons

Maribel DeLaCerda


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Building Bridges Spring '09

Documents

Transcript of Building Bridges Spring '09