AN ESSAY COMPETITION TO HELP BUILD COMMUNITY AT SFCC

LATINOS UNIDOS ESSAY CONTEST

COMPETITION TO HELP BUILD COMMUNITY

MARISA WEST

COMMUNICATOR

The Latinos Unidos Club is sponsoring an essay contest. Cynthia Vigil, the Advisor to the club sent out a Flyer informing students of the upcoming contest.

“[The] Prompt: You are given the opportunity to give input on building a thriving community. How do you define thriving? What would a thriving community look like to you? How would you go about planning for this? Include actions, steps and your original ideas to build this community. For example, you can choose to discuss how to build a thriving community in a neighborhood, in a school, in a church, in a group of friends…”

The deadline for this contest is Feb. 26th 2021. With three chances to win. There is a first, second, and third place prize opportunity. Each prize received will be Target gift cards of ranging prices. First place will receive $50, second $30, and third $20.

“[Each] winner will be selected by the end of Winter Quarter 2021,” the Latinos Unidos Club flyer says.

There are four eligibility rules that students must abide by.

Essays must be original work, written by a SFCC student.

One entry per student is allowed.

The essay submitted must be between 700 and 1000 words. Must be submitted by Feb 26, 2021 in a MS Word document. Send essay entry by email to: cynthia.vigil@sfcc. spokane.edu

Students must identify themselves, provide their Student Identification number, the title of their work, and the total word count of their submission. Without these criteria, you will not qualify.

“When LU discussed how we could [provide] community engagement at SFCC, the students thought that the essay contest would be a good idea to coordinate and plan for this quarter,” Vigil said. “This was around the time of the rioting in the Capitol, prior to the presidential inauguration and student’s focus was how to build community – thus our theme for this contest.”

Students can submit an essay to the contest for a chance at winning one of three prizes.

CORBIN WILLMORTH | COMMUNICATOR A screenshot displaying a Zoom meeting with the Latinos Unidos Club.

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DIY EFFORT AFFECTS d/DEAF COMMUNITY

Marisa West COMMUNICATOR

The biggest threat of exposure from COVID-19 is contact and close proximity. The best way to combat the spread of the virus is by wearing a mask and staying six feet apart. This causes a difficulty for the d/Deaf (lowercase d represents those who have retained some hearing, while capital D is for those in the community that are profoundly Deaf)and Hard of Hearing community that depend on specific ways to communicate.

Washington State placed a mandate at the beginning of the pandemic. Requiring all citizens to follow strict rules.

“An order from the secretary of health requires Washingtonians to wear face coverings in public spaces and shared spaces, both indoors and outdoors,” Washington State coronavirus response said.

The d/Deaf and Hard of Hearing community relies on the ability to see someone’s face while communicating. Those who are Hard of Hearing rely on lip reading to fill in the gaps of a conversation. While the d/Deaf community, especially the profoundly Deaf, need to see the face of the person they are communicating with.

American Sign Language (ASL) is the primary way of communication for the d/ Deaf community in the United States. ASL uses hand signs coupled with facial expressions to convey the full meaning of the discussion. Many signs have simi lar hand move ments, but with different facial expressions. Without facial cues many of these signs can be difficult to differentiate with each other.

“For deaf in the community, many have felt there was a double block in communication,”Melissa Pilant said. “We do require such strong facial expressions and body language to incorporate into the sign. When the face mask went on it limited the facial expressions and it was hard. You only had your eyebrows, you didn’t see much going on with the mouth at all. ”

Pilant is a Deaf professor with the interpreting program at SFCC. She teaches both online and in person. Layna Lamarche is also a Deaf professor with the interpreting program, but she teaches remotely from her home during the pandemic. Much like the rest of the d/ Deaf community, Pilant and Lamarche have helped find an appropriate mask that helps their communication. “ I really wasn’t that satisfied [with the first clear mask], because I have problems with some breathing,” Pilant said. “You have to take the mask off for water, so it was a little problematic, but we managed. The best thing I like so far is the shield. It’s not allowed at SFCC, and I have to follow the rules while I’m here.”

“ Last fall I taught deaf culture class with the masks,” Lamarche said. “We thought we would be able to use the face shields, but the administration said it was not enough cover to prevent COVID. It was illegal to use face shields all by themselves. It would only have 40 percent safety features, so back to the masks we went.”

After discovering that face shields flip off the head, they tried several different clear face masks. These masks help to see some of the facial expressions, but fog up from the signer’s breath.

“We would look for the non manual markers and then [the mask] would fog up,” Pilant said. “The [new] masks block our faces, [but] It was better than nothing. [Students] could see my face, my non manual markers, and my expressions.”

Communication that is centered around written or typed words is how many in the d/Deaf community communicate with the hearing world. Especially right now, it is the safest way.

“ Write [on] paper to communicate back and forth,” Lamarche said. “That is very helpful.”

The mandatory masks put in place by the state have helped limit the spread of the Coronavirus, and the d/Deaf community don’t want the safety of everyone to be put at risk. Keep your mask up then grab a piece of paper and a pen.

“You have to take the mask off for water, so it was a little problematic, but we managed.