IN THIS ISSUE:

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ADVOCACY DAY

STAFF:Iris Ruiz-GrechDirector

Mary Canto RiceAssistant Director

Karen Tomkins-TinchCoordinator,International Student Programs

Angel L. ArriagaCounselor/TutorCoordinator

Siraj BahCounselor

Michael StrongOffice Assistant

Roza MakhmudovaEducational Assistant

Lizzie GrisafiStudent Editor

Cailin ByrneStudent Media Assistant

CONTACT:Center for Multicultural Affairs (CMA)Cannavino LibrarySuite 337845.575.3204multicultural@marist.edu

Visit us on Facebook at Marist Center for Multicultural Affairswww.facebook.com/maristcollegecma

Students and Administrators from CMA and Student Financial Services attended NYS Advocacy Day in Albany, NY

February 10, 2015read story on page 5

CHINESE NEW YEARFAMOUS WOMENADVOCACY DAY

PEACE CORPSTHE ART OF GETTING LOST

BLACK HISTORY

P . 2P . 4P . 5P . 6 P . 8P . 10

MARISTFebruary 2015 -

March 2015ISSUE #8

CENTER FORMULTICULTURAL AFFAIRS

QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER

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CHINESE NEW YEAR

On Friday February 20th, the Asian Alliance and the Center for Multicultural Affairs hosted Chinese New Year in the student center with overwhelming attendance from students at Marist. The event occurred because international students, such as freshman Lucy Lu, came to the CMA office with the idea of putting on a New Year event. The event was organized through a collaboration between staff and students, from getting game supplies and decorations to meeting with Sodexo to plan the food for the event.

To start off the event, there was a presentation about the holiday and the different rituals and traditions that surround Chinese New Year celebrations throughout China. After the presentation, there were areas set up around the room for people to participate in different New Year’s activities, including games and other competitions. There was the traditional Chinese table game called Mahjong, Chinese poker, a chopstick-using competition, a cup stacking event and plenty of dumplings for everyone to enjoy. Those who came to the event had a lot of fun learning how to play the different traditional games, while learning about Chinese culture at the same time. For Lucy, it was fun to watch everyone enjoy themselves and learn a lot about the holiday. Her favorite part, however, was when Asian students who had been adopted came up to her wanting to learn more about these Chinese traditions that they did not know about and had not been exposed to while growing up. The event was also a special way for our international students to celebrate this important holiday and help them with any homesickness they may have had. Lucy and other students were grateful for the opportunity to celebrate Chinese New Year together, while sharing their holiday traditions with fellow peers.

By Lizzie Grisafi with contributions from Lucy Lu

EVENTS:

Look for our events on posters around campus, in your e-mail, in the Marist Portal, or by visiting our Facebook at:

facebook.com/maristcollegecma

COMMEMORATIVE DAYS:• February 2• February 4• February 14• February 16• February 17• February 17• February 18• February 19• March 8• March 8• March 17• March 20• March 28

• April 1• April 2• April 3• April 5• April 11• April 12• April 15• April 22• April 23• April 25• April 27• May 1• May 3• May 4• May 5• May 10• May 25

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-Groundhog Day-Tu Bishvat-Valentine’s Day-Presidents’ Day-Mardi Gras-Maha Sankranti (India)-Ash Wednesday-Chinese New Year-Daylight Savings Time Begins-International Women’s Day-St. Patrick’s Day-Spring Equinox-Palm Sunday

-April Fool’s Day-Mahavir Jayanti-Passover Begins-Easter Sunday-Passover Ends-Orthodox Easter-Yom Hashoah-Earth Day-Independence Day (Israel)-Liberation Day (Italy)-Freedom Day (South Africa)-Labor Day (International)-Constitution Day (Japan)-Buddha Purnima (India)-Cinco de Mayo-Mothers’ Day-Memorial Day

COMING UP NEXT:

FAMOUS WOMENMALALA YOUSAFZAI(1997-) PAKISTANIFEMALE EDUCATION ACTIVIST• Blogger for the BBC about her struggle for her right to education• Targeted and shot by the Taliban but survived• Pakistan’s National Peace Prize winner in 2011• Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought from the European Parliament in 2013• In 2014, she became the youngest person to ever win a Nobel Peace Prize at 17 years old

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TEGLA LOROUPE(1973-) KENYANLONG-DISTANCE TRACK AND ROAD RUNNER• First African woman to win the New York City Marathon• Tegla Loroupe Peace Foundation: humanitarian and peace activities• Peace Races: bring warriors from warring tribes together• Held the world record for the marathon for over 3 years• 2006 United Nations Ambassador of Sport• Wants to empower Kenyan women by getting them opportunities to run marathons

EMMA WATSON(1990-) ENGLISHACTRESS, MODEL, WOMEN’S RIGHTS’ ACTIVIST• Began acting professionally at the age of 9 when cast in the original Harry Potter movie• Went on to star in all eight Harry Potter films, as well as other films• Despite growing up on a film set, she maintained her studies and went on to attend Brown University• In July 2014 she was appointed as a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador• In September 2014 she gave a speech at the UN launching her HeForShe campaign, calling men to advocate for gender equality

ADVOCACY DAY“I said it. I meant it, and I’m going to

represent it” was the chant that hundreds of us dedicated students from New York passionately chanted at a rally during New York State Advocacy Day on Tuesday, February 10th, 2015. Determined college students from various institutions across New York State gathered to advocate for funding increases for academic programs such as the Higher Educational Opportunity Program (HEOP), SEEK/CD and EOP, as well as the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP).

During this insightful leadership event, we were allowed to step onto the podium and share how and why these academic support programs have changed our lives. Many of us stepped onto the stage to share our stories about being first generation college students. As HEOP students at Marist College, Dominque Alexandre and I bravely spoke out. Being the first student to step onto the stage, I cleared my throat and spoke, “I am the first in my family to go to college. Without HEOP and TAP, I don’t know where I would be. ” At the end of my speech, other students stood up to advocate for funding increases for their programs as well. Moments later, Dominique Alexandre took the stage. He stated, “HEOP has kept me off the streets, away from crime, and has molded me into a professional young man. It even inspired my mother to pursue college.” Students in the audience nodded their heads in support and encouragement as they all gathered to share their own stories and advocate for higher education opportunities.

After the rally, we went off to meet with the New York State Legislators from our respective districts to speak directly about the importance of these academic support programs. New York State Advocacy Day is an annual lobbying event that has been growing since the 90’s. Being a part of this particular Tuesday February 10th, 2015 lobbying day showed that there is still hope for the improvement of higher education for low income students. The success of the event was phenomenal and will continue to grow in the coming years.

By Darriel McBride

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PEACE CORPSMarch 1st is National Peace Corps Day. To celebrate, we interviewed

Marist Alumnus Jason Thalacker about his experience with the Peace Corps in China from 2010-2013.

The Peace Corps is a 27 month program through the United States government that sends selected applicants to serve in countries around the world to provide services to areas in need, while participating in important cultural exchanges between the host country and the United States. It includes 3 months of Pre-Service Training (PST) in the host country, focused on language proficiency and cultural differences, as well as specific job training for the following 2 year service assignment. The Peace Corps is only active in countries and locations where it has been invited to fill a specific need or perform a specific service.

Tell us about yourself as a student at Marist?I graduated in 2007 with a Communications/Advertising degree. I

was very involved on campus doing everything from Singers, theater and the HuMarists, to Ultimate Frisbee. I also worked as an Orientation Leader and worked in Admissions. I actually never studied abroad while I was at Marist; I had the desire to, but never got around to going through with it.

What did you do after graduating?I worked at a dinner theater in Alaska right outside of the Denali National Park for a season after graduating.

Then I got a job in New York City doing sales and customer service work for a startup tech company that helped index closed captioning from TV, making it searchable for companies and other interested parties. I moved to Portland, Oregon during the application process for Peace Corps. In Portland I worked as a success coach for a company that helped coach students at for-profit higher learning institutions.

What made you want to apply to the Peace Corps?I really wanted to travel, but in more meaningful way. I wanted to be somewhere and really get to know

the place while living there, rather than spending a weekend in Paris, for example. I wanted it to be more meaningful and interesting than working in an office, even though I did like my job. I thought it would be even better if I could learn a new language.

One day at work I randomly saw a friend of a friend’s photos from his Peace Corps trip. I had heard of the Peace Corps before but never considered it. I started looking into it more and realized it had everything I wanted in an experience. I could live somewhere for 27 months where the purpose was to fully integrate in terms of language, culture and meaningful work. As an added bonus, the US government would have my back if there was ever any question of safety. It would also look great on a resume to show potential employers that I am of Peace Corps caliber, not to mention the fact that it would be a great conversation starter.

What was your service assignment in China?I taught English in a rural area of central China. I learned about the different teaching styles between

China and the United States. For example, we are more participatory and the Chinese are more focused on learning by rote. I incorporated western teaching styles in my English courses so that students could participate more and get a better understanding of the culture that surrounds the language. I taught English to students at a type of vocational and trade school, as well as teaching English and new teaching methods to the other English professors in my department, who were all Chinese. 6

Peace Corps encourages volunteers to do things outside of your main tasks as a way to integrate further into the community. I started an English conversation club and got libraries in the United States to donate books to help create a library at my school. I also started an ultimate Frisbee team because it’s a sport they didn’t have!

How did this experience change your cultural perceptions?A lot of cool relationships were formed while I was on my assignment. I was able to notice things

about my own culture while learning about their culture. When we talked about the news and made cultural comparisons, I learned how our preconceived notions about China are not all true. It was like I was an exchange student.

For example, one night I had members of the department over and we made apple pie and watched Friends. It lead to a lot of discussion about social idioms and phrases as well as cultural differences. I remember one of the women fixating on the fact that the characters wore shoes in the house, and some of them would even sit on the sofa with shoes on, while in Chinese culture shoes almost always come off at the front door.

After 2 years I was pretty close to fluent, which allowed me to travel to places throughout Western China, where there were no tourists. I would be sitting in a tea house and someone would ask me what I was doing there. Because I could communicate with them, they would invite me into their homes and to do things with them. Being comfortable speaking Chinese opened me up to some random, cool and unique experiences.

Even at home, now I can provide insight about China to dispel American stereotypes of what and who they are, and what is going on within their country. A bridge was built between the two cultures for me, and now I can understand each one a little better. It is something more than just the news and the movies. It’s been humanized: China is a real place with real people, and I now look at it very differently.

What do you do now?Now I work for a nonprofit in New York City called The China Institute, which works to build awareness

of China in America. I coordinate the study abroad branch of the Institute by talking to middle schools and high schools with Chinese programs and convincing them to take trips abroad to China. This year I am taking middle school students to China during their spring breaks to further their Chinese immersion programs. In the summers we do a trip to China for high school students as well.

What would you say to someone who is considering joining the Peace Corps?

Every way you slice it, it’s a good idea. You need to do it. The Peace Corps does a good job of bringing the world closer together. As a volunteer, you make a lasting impression. The people in your community have a better idea of what America is because of what you were able to teach them. Ten years from now, my community will remember when I lived there and helped them learn more about our culture and language. They will remember that I couldn’t use chopsticks, but was a pretty cool guy who taught them a lot about America. 7

Thalacker’s students in China

THE ART OF GETTING LOSTThe first time I get lost in Dublin, I do not panic. I

simply take a breath, sit down on a stone bench nestled against some Georgian building I read about once, but can’t remember the name of, and scan my cartoony tourist map for anything that looks familiar.

Nothing. Give me a little credit though. Having grown up in

a town with a population of just under 2,000 people—a town with acres of farmland and no street lights—I’m a country bumpkin who’s been dropped off in a major city. I’m lucky I haven’t wandered off the Cliffs of Moher by now, only two days into my semester abroad. But culture shock is one of the main reasons I came to Dublin. So even though it is terrifying and unfamiliar, I know that living in another country for five months will help me grow. As Marcel Proust says, “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.”

Minutes pass. The weather in Ireland changes quicker than a middle

school crush. By now the sky has turned a menacing shade of grey and raindrops are beginning to spatter onto the map in my hands. I had been warned of the rain, repeatedly, before coming. It always falls softly at first; quiet as a page being turned, delicate as lace. But that’s all just foreplay. When the wind comes—and it always does—the rain lashes at you and the gusts send you staggering across the cobbled streets. It’s no matter though, studying in this city was one of my greatest desires and I knew the weather was part of the package. Dublin was meant to be experienced in the rain.

The streets are teeming with people; I wonder if they can smell the tourist on me. I’ve been in Dublin for roughly forty-eight hours and it has yet to feel like home. Maybe it’s

because I haven’t had time to unpack, eat a full meal, or even think. At one point I was awake for thirty-five straight hours and learned that there is little difference between delirium and insanity. To fight the chaos, I cling to the scarce moments of serenity and hoard them like poker chips I can cash when things become too hectic. My most peaceful moment came on the plane ride here. The flight went by quickly—the wind was at our backs and the stars were ahead. As we approached the Dublin skyline—lit up like an artificial constellation—my heart was filled with promise knowing that it would soon beat along with the city’s pulse. And even though I have yet to feel at peace, my heart continues to say: you will, you will, you will.

The rain stops; umbrellas are tucked away like swords into sheaths, ready to be drawn when the moment calls again.

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Campanile Bell Tower at Trinity College

I think a small part of me likes being lost. I know that if I really wanted to, I could ask any of the passersby where I am or where I need to go; everyone I’ve met thus far has been so nice they’d likely offer me a ride there and a pint along the way, let alone directions. It seems strange by European standards, but the Irish love Americans. And I mean LOVE; they love Americans the way Americans love themselves. They want to know where I’m from in the States, what it’s like there, and what brought me to their neck of the woods. All of it. And they really listen—absorbing every word and filtering them as willingly as if it was oxygen. There are bound to be some bad people here in Ireland because there are bad people everywhere, but with an open mind and a positive outlook they’re hard to find.

Ireland as a whole is a country I’ve long idealized. Its postcards should be hung in the Louvre; its culture is richer than a pint of Guinness. It is also home to my favorite writers, as well as my ancestors. I seldom contemplated my heritage before going abroad. Since I am not predominately one ethnicity, I never had one predominant country to identify with. My family tree is like a European Union cocktail: equal parts Irish, English, German, with just a splash of Dutch, shaken, not stirred. Living in Ireland—albeit briefly—has changed that. History and heritage permeate throughout this country, and I feel a part of it. I feel it in the words of the Irish people, I feel it in the quiet that hangs over the treeless, forever-reaching fields, and I feel it in the River Liffey as it churns, endlessly dark and endlessly deep. So, as I sit on the same stone bench, gazing at the same animated map, I realize I’d rather be lost here in Dublin, than be found anywhere else in the world.

By Derek Rose

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Ha’Penny Bridge over the River Liffey

Cliffs of Moher Aran Islands

BLACK HISTORY MONTHThe Center for Multicultural Affairs partnered with other groups on campus throughout February to

celebrate Black History Month. Working with the Music Department and Student Activities, the CMA office sponsored a performance by

the Marist College Gospel Choir. The Cabaret was filled with students, faculty and staff as well as beautiful music from the choir accompanied by Gospel Choir Director David Burns. The performance opened with the Negro National Anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing”, and a warm introduction to the history of gospel music from Director Burns. Between songs there were readings from choir members that gave the audience more insight into the history of gospel music and some of the most important icons within the genre. On display around the Cabaret were records, photographs and books telling the story of gospel music. The event ended with choir singing “Lean on Me” as the entire audience was invited to form a circle around the Cabaret, holding hands and singing along with the choir. The music was so moving and lively that the choir performed an encore. The choir and audience members shared a time of food and fellowship after the performance.

Later in the month, the CMA office worked with the Black Student Union (BSU) to bring the Sankofa African Drum and Dance Ensemble to campus. The ensemble brought a special energy to the student center, as students passing by stopped in to see what was going on, leaving standing room only. Most of the songs were call and response, and the ensemble encouraged all types of audience participation from clapping along to getting up and dancing.

“Sankofa” means “going back to the roots” which is exactly what this ensemble did as they informed those in attendance about the drums, culture and the roots of the music. The ensemble leader spoke to the audience about how the rhythms were created and produced through the different drums and instruments. He also spoke of how deeply connected their culture is to their environment and communal surroundings, especially their deep connection to water. The performance was educational and fun, as they gave cultural insight and information about the different instruments they used. The performance was especially moving for our international students from Africa as they were able to participate and feel a little piece of their homelands. Even Executive Vice President Geoffrey Bracket, and the CMA’s very own Karen Tomkins-Tinch and Siraj Bah got up to dance along!

It was a month of great energy and participation from record numbers of staff and students, as the Marist community was introduced to important cultural and musical ties to Black History Month.

By Lizzie Grisafi

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For further information:

Contact the Marist College Center for Multicultural Affairs

E-mail: multicultural@marist.eduFacebook: www.facebook.com/maristcollegecma

Phone: (845) 575 3204Fax: (845) 575 3195

www.marist.edu/academics/multicultural

Marist CollegeCenter for Multicultural Affairs (CMA)A Division of Student Academic Affairs

Cannavino Library Suite 337Poughkeepsie, NY

12601-1387