Thursday, December 5, 2024
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Introducing Community Reimagined
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Feature by: Dr. Jace Kaholokula Saplan, Senior Director of Identity and Belonging
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I grew up with a tūtūwahine (grandmother) who was a reservoir of care for her community. Her ability to serve those on the margins through advocacy, service and activism was deeply rooted in her kinship with the land she stood on. Her worldview, shared by many kānaka maoli, was grounded in a reverence for the natural elements and place. She believed this kinship enabled her to provide equitable community care, root herself in her identity and radically belong.
Her practices and way of being are an exemplar of the teaching and learning approach of place-based learning. Place-based learning connects learners to their local communities and environments, integrating cultural, historical and ecological knowledge. This approach emphasizes learning from the surrounding land, people, and stories, encouraging students to engage with local communities, elders, and stewards of the land. By centering Indigenous and local knowledge, place-based learning fosters communal social justice, environmental sustainability and decolonization, allowing students to deepen their connection to place and cultivate a sense of belonging.
By centering our relationship with the land in our work—by questioning how we engage with natural resources, examining the ethics of ownership, uncovering historical truths, and clarifying our collective responsibilities based on the history of the land—we position ourselves to think and act with equity in mind. The work begins with reflecting on our relationship to place.
Intentional conversations with students in our resource centers and with leaders of our affinity groups revealed a consistent theme: the importance of grounding and localizing the work of equity, belonging and inclusion. They expressed a desire for actionable steps that create safer, more responsive relationships with one another, our campus and the larger community.
In response to campus climate data and Whitman’s responsibility to support our communities of color, the Third Space Center launched the Community Reimagined series. This initiative features the work, research and creative contributions of individuals in the Pacific Northwest who are grounded in place-based learning, anti-racist practices and radical belonging. Through intentional dialogue and knowledge sharing, this series invites us to draw inspiration from each guest’s experiences as we envision and enact meaningful change on campus.
Read more.
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The inaugural Community Reimagined series event will feature tia north, Director of Diversity and Inclusion for the Division of Graduate Studies at the University of Oregon with a presentation titled “Cultural Roots and Professional Wings: Indigenizing Academia for Future Leadership and Change-Making” on Thursday, Dec. 5, from 5–6:30 p.m. in the Third Space Center living room. (Flyer attached.)
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Professor Publishes Op-Ed in Indian Express
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Assistant Professor of Politics Denise Fernandes recently published “CoP29: When Solidarity Rings Hollow” in the Indian Express, a major English daily newspaper in India. The Conference of Parties (CoP), the highest international climate change decision-making body, is made up of states who convene yearly to negotiate the implementation of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Fernandes is a research observer to the UNFCCC. In the op-ed, she argues that the multilateral deliberation system is failing to regulate the fossil fuel industry and address the severity of climate change as military spending, human rights violations, acts of genocide, the concentration of wealth in the hands of the few, and the marginalization of the most vulnerable continue to rise globally.
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Cleveland Commons To Launch First Foods Station
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Whitman College Native American Outreach and Bon Appétit will launch the First Foods Station on Friday, Dec. 6, at 11:30 a.m. at Cleveland Commons. The First Foods Station honors the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation and its traditional foods (water, fish, game, roots, berries). Following the initial launch, the First Foods Station will pop up on the first Friday of the month during the academic year. (Flyer attached.)
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Outdoor Program Sale Next Week
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The Outdoor Program will hold its annual new and used gear sale on Tuesday, Dec. 10, from noon–5:30 p.m. in the Reid Campus Center Young Ballroom. Used gear will include kayaks, bikes, backpacks and more. This sale is open to the public, and payments may be made with cash, credit card or as a charge to your Whitman student account. (Flyer attached.)
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Sign Up for Spring Wilderness Medicine Courses
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The Outdoor Program will sponsor several wilderness medicine courses at the beginning of spring semester. Participation is open to Whitman students, faculty, and staff and community members.
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- Jan. 10–19, 2025: Wilderness First Responder (WFR)
- Feb. 15–17, 2025: WFR Recertification Course
- Feb. 15–17, 2025: Wilderness First Aid With CPR
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Last month, Whitman College hosted a First Foods Festival in celebration of Native American History Month. Activities included a dogbane cording class, a film screening, a presentation on food waste reduction, and an opportunity to sample traditional First Foods. The festival is intended to become an annual event on campus.
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Movement That Matters: Step Aerobics
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Reid Campus Center, All Faiths Room
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Reid Campus Center, Basement
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Reid Campus Center, Young Ballroom
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Movement That Matters: Yoga
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Reid Campus Center, Queer Resource Center
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Hall of Music, Chism Recital Hall
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Reid Campus Center, Young Ballroom
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Reid Campus Center, Room 240
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Sherwood Athletic Center, Multipurpose Gym
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Reid Campus Center, Basement
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Reid Campus Center, Young Ballroom
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Hall of Music, Chism Recital Hall
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Sherwood Athletic Center, Multipurpose Gym
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Would you like to share an event with campus? Submit the information to the Events Calendar.
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Produced by the Office of Communications, Whitman Today is emailed to Whitman College staff, faculty and students twice a week. An archive of previous issues is available online.
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