MAY 2018
NEWSLETTER VOL. 1
Region IV Director Christina Walsh
ACUI Region IV Quarterly Newsletter
Director's Welcome
MORE IN THIS ISSUE
Christina Walsh
STUDENT SPOTLIGHTS: MERCELL AND KIEN
Greetings, Region IV! Welcome back to our quarterly newsletter, delivered to you to celebrate the great work this region does and to keep you connected to our ACUI community. We are fresh off an epic experience at Anaheim where we connected with our colleagues from around the country and world at the 2018 ACUI Annual Conference. The weather was great, the energy was intoxicating, and the collegiality was inspiring. And once again, Region IV “brought it!” Our regional members delivered inspiring sessions, our student participation captivated all, we welcomed so many newcomers, and yes, we brought home the ACUI Battle of the Regions Trophy again! If you weren’t able to make it to Anaheim, we hope to see you in October at Gonzaga University for our 2018 Regional Conference. We may be a big region, but Region IV often feels like a close-knit community. Thank you again for all you do for your students, your peers, and our profession! VISIT REGION IV ONLINE
HOW DO YOU SELF-CARE? KEYNOTE REFLECTIONS AND ACTIONS LEADERSHIP PROFILE: GRIFFIN UCHIDA HONORS RECIPIENTS RESOURCES SAVE THESE DATES
Click to submit educational session proposals now!
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Student Spotlights: Mercell Enayat and Kien Truong Griffin Uchida We're spotlighting students and staff from across Region IV to learn about your campus, your impact, and your passion for ACUI. Want to be in the spotlight? Email Griffin today at griffin.uchida@wsu.edu.
Pictured above: Region IV student members Mercell Enayat and Kien Truong share insight during the ACUI Talks: Student Voices Panel in Anaheim.
Griffin: We’ve got two fantastic students with us this round who were both featured student panelists at the 2018 ACUI Annual Conference in Anaheim! Mercell Enayat is a third year student at the University of Colorado—Boulder, where she is a student event coordinator for the Center for Student Involvement (CSI). Kien Truong is a third year student at Portland Community College (PCC), where he’s currently the student trustee for the school’s board of directors and chair of the district student council. So, Mercell and Kien, tell me a little bit about your positions.
Region IV Student Member Mercell Enayat
Mercell: CSI provides students with tools and skills to encourage student success, growth, and a lively
I've realized that I'm the voice of many underrepresented students. I have an opportunity
to make positive change...
campus climate. I am an event coordinator for the Dennis Small Cultural Center [part of CSI], which programs cultural and educational events. During my year and a half working here, I’ve realized that I’m the voice of many underrepresented students. I have an opportunity to make positive change through my role. Kien: In my roles, I work closely with the PCC district college president and the board of trustees. As a first generation and low income student of color, I work to create the safe spaces for students, and push the board to consider all facets of diversity and equity in their decision making. My voice gets heard, and they really do ask me what I think when crafting policy. Griffin: Great! So tell me a little bit about your schools and the surrounding areas. Mercell: CU—Boulder is a public institution with about 33,000 students located at the base of the Rocky Mountains. We’re a very social and active campus and have more than 400 student organizations. The coolest restaurant in the area is the Dushanbe Persian Tea House, and if you’re in the area you must hike at Chautauqua. Continued on page 3
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TOP IV REASONS TO BECOME A STUDENT MEMBER
Continued from page 2 Kien: PCC is the largest post-secondary school in Oregon with nearly 73,000 full and part-time students across four full-scale campuses and seven smaller centers. We aspire to operate with social justice theory as part of our institutional mission and values. In 2014, we adopted a strategic plan that emphasizes critical race theory in business practices and policy. As for the surrounding area, we’re so spread out that everything is close to us.
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But if you find yourself at PCC, we have signature cultural events every month, and you have to see our DREAMers Center that provides education, advocacy, and resources for undocumented and DACA program folks.
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Griffin: We’ve learned about your schools, but give us some quick facts about yourself.
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Mercell: I’m fluent and literate in three languages (Farsi, Pashto, and English), and I also have a second degree black belt in Taekwondo. As far as ACUI goes, the national conference in Anaheim was my first ACUI experience. My
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supervisors told me about the conference and about the mission of ACUI and I thought it was really interesting. At the conference, I got to participate as a panelist in
RESOURCES Receive access to webinars, forums, publications, and the ACUI resource library.
NETWORKING
Connect with other students and professionals through ACUI communities of practice, conferences, events, and volunteer opportunities.
SCHOLARSHIPS
Receive leadership and professional development through regional and national scholarships as well as writing and research grants.
IT'S FREE... JOIN NOW! Memberships are provided to students at no cost. Plus, members receive discounted rates for ACUI conferences, institutes, and events.
the ACUI Talks: Student Voices Panel. Kien: I love 80s and 90s pop music, singing and acting,
My career goal is to become a college president.
watermelon, soccer, badminton, and volleyball. I’m proud at PCC. Last year, I won ACUI’s national student-driven program award. Through ACUI, I’ve also attended the 2016 I-LEAD®, received the 2016 Region IV outstanding undergraduate student award, 2017 C. Richard Scott Memorial Scholarship, and also participated as a panelist in the ACUI Talks: Student Voices Panel in Anaheim. ACUI has allowed me the platform to develop my skills, get connected with professionals, community leaders, and students from across the country. My career goal is to become a college president.
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Region IV Student Member Kien Truong
of organizing the first three multicultural night programs
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NEWSLETTER VOL. 1
How Do You Self-Care? I love to go for runs, take my dog for a trail walk, cook myself a nice meal, or go ice skating. Basically anything that is unplugged and away from electronics, although... a good binge watch session of a TV show is nice too! - Lisa Latronica, University of Alaska
Keynote Reflections and Actions Danielle Mancuso
Follow self-care tips from Region IV Awards and Scholarships Coordinator Cody Rogers at #selfcarefordummies.
Looking back over my conference notes
displayed when I witness a white person
from Anaheim, I want to share with you
experiencing the pain of benefiting from
how the keynotes not only impacted my
an immoral system or when the focus of
overall conference experience, but the
guilt about being white becomes the
actions I’m taking as a result.
focus rather than the injustice of racism. When W. Kamau Bell said, “Say it loud!”
I arrived to the conference halfway
and a large group of white student
through W. Kamau Bell’s keynote, but in
affairs professionals (including myself)
plenty of time to laugh (in collective and
said “I’m white and I’m proud,” I realized
comfortable discomfort) with my
my pride was more complex: I am proud
colleagues on his comedy and his
to be a white person focused on ending
thoughts drawn from socio-political
racism. Two of the ways I can help end
affairs. When Bell asked all the white
racism is by having hard conversations
people to stand up and declare pride in
with myself about the racism that lives
our whiteness, discomfort fell on the
within me and by having conversations
room and in my own gut as I was
with others when I see their racism in
challenged by this provocative invitation
action.
to explore my white guilt. I realized it’s as though my white guilt, which I thought
Keynote Celeste Headlee left me with a
was in check, has started a secret
greater appreciation and understanding
society, thinking it can hide from its
for what happens in our brains when we
more obvious and annoying
are really listening. After the conference,
counterparts. I realized, again, how I can
I explored some of the studies she
judge other white people harshly for
highlighted in her presentation and...
certain manifestations of their white guilt. For example, the guilt that is
Continued on page 6
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MAY 2018
NEWSLETTER VOL. 1
Region IV Leadership Profile: Griffin Uchida Hello, Region IV! This is Griffin Uchida, your Region IV membership coordinator. In my day job, I am the assistant director of facilities and operations for the Compton Union Building and the Elson S. Floyd Cultural Center at Washington State University. Beyond these roles, my even better full-time job is as the dad of my awesome one-and-a-half-year-old daughter. She keeps me busy (mostly by keeping things she finds on the floor out of her mouth) and in return, I try to get her into pro wrestling and Seattle Mariners baseball— my two favorite pastimes.
Regional Leadership Team Member, Griffin Uchida
I’m pretty new to the ACUI game (I spent seven years in residence life before switching to union work), but I’ve attended the last two regional conferences. The smaller conference size and regionally focused efforts made me feel at home right away, which is why I applied for the cool volunteer role I have now. Although I am a self-proclaimed socially awkward introvert, I use my willingness to jump into volunteering as a motivator to try and get others involved with ACUI… If I can do it, anyone can. If you have questions about your ACUI membership or how to maximize the benefits of membership as a student,
CONGRATULATIONS, REGION IV HONORS RECIPIENTS
professional, or institution, don’t hesitate to contact me at griffin.uchida@wsu.edu.
Excellence in Innovations for Sustainability Eco Social Justice, Portland Community College
Excellence in Volunteer Service Award Elise Alford, Boise State University
Manny Cunard Scholarship Blake Bratcher, University of Utah
Two-Year College Professional Service Award: Michelle Brown, Snow College
Facility Design Award Lassonde Studios: CannonDesign in association with EDA Architects and the University of Utah Distinguished Faculty Award Dr. Chris Laws, University of Washington
President of the Year Dr. Ana Mari Cauce, University of Washington Presidential Award for Distinguished Service Sarah Comstock, University of Puget Sound Visit the ACUI awards website for names of all 2018 Annual Conference honorees.
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NEWSLETTER VOL. 1
Continued from page 4 incorporated them into my work with
When I arrived home, I delved into the
students through a workshop called
SoulPancake website. There, I found
Tough Talk: Let’s Do It! We discussed
relevant videos for leadership,
Headlee’s 10 Rules to Active Listening and
motivation, inspiration, and discussion to
applied these rules during workshop
use specifically in my trainings with my
activities. During a listening activity, I
student programming board so that I can
asked students to take note of which
find new and creative ways to ask my
rules most affected their ability to listen
students life’s big questions.
and what actions they could each take to increase their skills as listeners. The 23
I want to thank the ACUI 2018 Conference
student leaders who attended the
Program Team for such a diverse and
workshop gained a greater awareness of
inspiring offering of keynotes. It will be
how to communicate when they want to
tough to top these keynotes in
check perceptions or manage conflicts
Indianapolis, but in the meantime, I’ll
with other students.
continue to reflect and take actions inspired by my time in Anaheim.
And...Keynote Shabnam Mogharabi, CEO of SoulPancake. If I ever leave higher education, I would like to work for SoulPancake! Similar to our work, SoulPancake makes stuff that matters and asks life’s big questions. SoulPancake
Click for 2018 Annual Conference educational session materials!
seems to spend time doing the creative, heartfelt, meaningful part of our work— perhaps with less bureaucracy. Mogharabi left me feeling my favorite feeling: curiosity. While at the airport leaving Anaheim, I listened to SoulPancake founder Rainn Wilson on Oprah Winfrey’s Super Soul Sunday podcast. He further explored the concept of life’s big questions, asking Oprah, “If you could ask God any question, what would that be?” Oprah’s response was that she would ask “Why?” The question that popped into my own mind was similar. What is the purpose? I continued to think about all of the systems, actions, and beings for which I wanted to know the purpose.
Region IV
needs your leadership. Apply by June 22.
Multiple Regional Leadership Team positions available Business Manager Communications Coordinator (2 positions) Educational Programs Coordinator Inclusivity Coordinator 2020 Regional Conference Coordinator Contact Volunteer Coordinator Heather Rapp at heather.rapp@oregonstate.edu for information.
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ACUI Website
Regional Conference Regional Awards Regional Scholarships Regional Volunteer Opportunities
Save These Dates MAY 15 If I Knew Then What I Know Now, online MAY 16 2018 Region IV Conference registration opens, online JUNE 4 - 7 Student Organizations Institute, Furman University JUNE 18 - 22 IDPS: New Professionals Orientation, Indiana University - Bloomington JUNE 18 - 22 Aspiring Directors Institute, Indiana University - Bloomington JUNE 21 2018 Region IV Conference educational session submission deadline for professional and associate members JUNE 22 Region IV Leadership Team volunteer applications due
Elise Alford, Communications Coordinator Donnyale Ambrosine, 2018 Regional Conference Coordinator Jeremy Davis, Web and Social Media Coordinator Brent Delong, Business Manager Erin Dewese, Educational Programs Coordinator Danielle Mancuso, 2019 Regional Conference Coordinator Mike Mayers, Student Involvement Coordinator Casey Payseno, Inclusivity Coordinator Heather Rapp, Volunteer Coordinator Cody Rogers, Awards and Scholarships Coordinator Colin Spaulding, Online Learning Coordinator Griffin Uchida, Membership Coordinator Maddie White, Student Member
JULY 22 - 27 Institute for Leadership Education and Development (I-LEAD®), West Chester University TBD AUGUST-DECEMBER Region IV Drive-In, location and final date information coming soon! SEPTEMBER 9 2018 Region IV Conference educational session submission deadline for students SEPTEMBER 28 2019 Annual Conference educational session submission deadline OCTOBER 26 - 28 Region IV Conference, Gonzaga University NOVEMBER 14 - 16 Collegiate Marketing Institute, New Orleans DECEMBER 2 - 5 Women's Leadership Institute, Newport Beach, California Visit the ACUI Events Calendar for the most current event information.
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