Dialogue • Inclusion • Multiculturalism Alike • Growth • Equality • Compassion Discussion • Family • Social • Culture
+ • Kindness • Open Diversity • Language PRES ENT Acceptance • Comfortable • Humility Conversation • Community • Traditions
Love • Understanding • Environment Perspective • Empowerment • Tolerance Dialogue • Inclusion • Multiculturalism Alike • Growth • Equality • Compassion Conversation • Community • Traditions Discussion • Family • Social • Culture
Diversity • Language • Kindness • Open
Acceptance • Comfortable • Humility Conversation • Community • Traditions Love • Understanding • Environment
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B R O U G H T T O YO U I N P A R T B Y
LEADING THE FIGHT FOR FAIRNESS f o u r aw a r d - w i n n i n g l oc a l s w h o we r e r e ce n t l y r e cog n i ze d f o r t h e i r soc i a l j u s t i ce e f f o r t s
Winnifred Bryant OUTSTANDING WOMAN OF COLOR AWARD
Dr. Winnifred Bryant, department chair and professor of biology at UWEau Claire was one of 14 recipients of the UW System’s Outstanding Woman of Color Award, which recognizes women who work to improve the status and professional climate for women and people of color, and advance the work of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Her contributions includes research focusing on environmental estrogens and the role they may play in progression of breast and uterine cancer and authored the textbook, Human Sexual Biology.
“I don’t often selfreflect on what impact I have by occupying the space that I do on this campus,” she said. “So, I’m deeply flattered that someone did.”
WEI ZHENG OUTSTANDING WOMAN OF COLOR AWARD
Dr. Wei Zheng, a professor of plastics engineering and program director at UW-Stout, is one of 14 recipients of the Outstanding Women of Color in Education Award. Zheng, a participant in the Society of Plastic Engineers, has received grants such as the WiSys Applied Research Grant and the G.A. Taft Professorship at UW-Stout. She is currently focusing her research on biodegradable polymers. “(Receiving the award) is very important because it promotes diversity in the UW System, particularly in women,” she said.
JOSH BROWN P.B POORMAN AWARD FOR LGBTQ+ ADVOCACY
Dr. Josh Brown, professor of German and linguistics and affiliate faculty member in the women’s, gender, and sexuality studies program at UW-Eau Claire, was one of 11 honorees for the Dr. P.B. Poorman Award for Outstanding Achievement on Behalf of LGBTQ+ People. His experience as a formerly closeted student pushed him towards celebrating LGBTQ+ identities in and our of the classroom through his work in the Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies Liaison Committee.
“Receiving this award makes me reflect on the work that I’ve done toward that goal, and serves as a reminder of the work that I want to keep doing.”
Rickie-Ann Legleitner P.B POORMAN AWARD FOR LGBTQ+ ADVOCACY
Dr. Rickie-Ann Legleitner, associate professor of English, communications, and philosophy at UW-Stout, is one of 11 honorees for the Dr. P.B. Poorman Award for Outstanding Achievement on Behalf of LGBTQ+ People. Legleitner is the adviser of the women’s, gender and sexuality studies program and the university’s Inclusive Excellence Action Plan coordinator. “Anytime we are talking about a historically excluded group, we need to offer additional support to make their journey to success more equitable,” Legleitner said.
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B R O U G H T T O YO U I N P A R T B Y
HOW CAN WE FOSTER DIVERSITY? We a s ke d so m e l oc a l s w h a t s t e ps we c a n t a ke t o m a ke t h e C h i p pew a Va l l ey m o r e e q u i t a b l e f o r eve r yo n e
“ W H E N I WA S P R E G N A N T W I T H M Y D A U G H T E R A B O U T 17 Y E A R S A G O , I had a prenatal appointment. My doctor asked, ‘Are you
from here?’ Well, I lived there, but was I from there, no, in fact I was from a place about 2,000 miles from here. My doctor laughed and said, ‘I’m a member the Not-From-Around-Here Club, too.’ I’ve now lived over half my life here, and I continue to be astounded by the at-times ‘well you’re not actually from here’ perspective that I see here. In my role as a city councilor, I was walking out of city hall with some residents. One man was venting to me about whatever the main topic was: ‘Well you know, they are not really from here.’ I proudly responded something like, ‘Neither am I, but isn’t that part of the point of community is that we welcome new people, try to keep them here, grow our neighborhoods, workforce, people to shop here?’ He just raised his eyebrows and walked faster out of the city hall vestibule. A foundational piece of equity is to start with a mindset that you, me, we all belong here. For those of us in the NotFrom-Around-Here Club, we won’t have to spend time proving or explaining our worthiness of participation and living here to have an equal chance of success in our beloved community.” – C ATHE RINE E MM A N U E LLE , EAU CLAIRE CITY COUNCIL MEMBER
“ I WO U L D S AY T H AT T O M A K E T H E C H I P P E W A V A L L E Y more
equitable, we need wage increases and affordable housing. LGBTQ+ individuals have a hard time finding inclusive work that pays well enough for the cost of living in the city of Eau Claire, especially, which leads them to seek out housing in outskirt towns, which are not as welcoming (we can’t deny our bubble here in Eau Claire), and they have to take extra safety measures to keep them and their family safe.” – B R E A N A S TA N L E Y, LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY CENTER PRESIDENT
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dang yanG
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HONORED LEADERS X i o n g, Ya n g h o n o r e d o n l i s t o f s t a t e’s m os t i n f l u e n t i a l A s i a n A m e r i c a n s words by judy berthiaume / uwec MADISON365, A NONPROFIT ONLINE MAGAZINE, HAS INCLUDED T WO CHIPPEWA V A L L E Y educational leaders and
UW-Eau Claire graduates – Dang Yang and Dr. Kaying Xiong – on its latest list of Wisconsin’s 34 Most Influential Asian American Leaders. Yang, director of UW-Eau Claire’s Office of Multicultural Affairs, is involved in numerous equity, diversity, and inclusion initiatives on campus and in the Chippewa Valley. The publication notes Yang’s long history of supporting people of color as they pursue higher education. As director of UW-Eau Claire’s OMA, Yang leads a team that provides direct services for students of color, supports university-wide efforts in equity and inclusion, and collaborates with stakeholders on strategic initiatives to foster a welcoming climate across campus. He previously was involved in similar efforts at UW-Stout and at the Chippewa Valley Technical College. Also active in the Eau Claire community, Yang was among the leaders who helped launch the Chippewa Valley Transformation Project, a local antiracism and inclusion effort. Yang’s research interests have included examining student leadership development among students of color and exploring how dominant cultural
narratives perpetuate inequities in higher education and its impacts on students of color. Yang earned his bachelor’s degree in communication from UW-Eau Claire and a master’s degree in multicultural college teaching and learning from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. Dr. Kaying Xiong, executive director of student services for the Eau Claire Area School District, is also on the Madison365 list. After earning a degree in elementary education from UW-Eau Claire, she taught first grade and then English as a second language in Eau Claire schools. In 2001, she became the first Hmong principal in Wisconsin when she took her position at Locust Lane Elementary School. The Madison365 list includes leaders from the Hmong, Chinese American, Japanese American, Pacific Islander, South Asian, and other Wisconsin communities throughout Wisconsin. “These are richly diverse communities with roots that represent a massive geographic area,” the publication states. “The people we are highlighting are elected leaders, business leaders and community leaders, doing difficult and important work, often in the face of discrimination and literally generations of oppression.”
OUTSTANDING WOMAN OF COLOR AWARD
B R O U G H T T O YO U I N P A R T B Y
EYE ON DIVERSIT Y C V T C e m powe r s co m m i t t e e t o co n t i n u e i n c l u s i o n , e q u i t y wo r k words by alyssa van duyse / chippewa valley technical college A FEW YEARS AGO, AMAR A FROCK ENTERED A STORE IN A SHOPPING MALL WITH HER MOTHE R . They were feet away from each other,
looking at similar items, but their experiences were very different. Frock noticed the store clerk watching her every move – even told her not to touch the calendars Frock was looking to purchase. When Frock told her mom she was going to move on to the next store, the woman followed her, intently watching. “I’ve always been watched like I’m going to steal,” Frock said as a matter of fact. “People have always seen me as different. I’m usually the only Black person. I see how people look at me.” Frock, 19, adopted from her home country of Ethiopia by white parents, is in her first semester at Chippewa Valley Technical College. She said she didn’t realize she had a different skin color from most others in Eau Claire until middle school when fellow students would call her derogatory names and teachers had to step in. Now that she has graduated from high school and is in her first year of college, Frock said the diversity she sees at the college is refreshing. She feels safe at CVTC. That’s by design, said Holly Hassemer, CVTC’s dean of academic development and a member of the college’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) committee. Valuing diversity has long been at the core of CVTC, she said. Passionate faculty and staff have engaged in many activities throughout the years to promote equity and inclusion. But in 2019, college leadership identified the lack of a cohesive, institution-wide approach to diversity, equity, and inclusion issues that can lead to a systemic change, she said. That’s when the DEI committee was formed. “There really is no such thing as devel-
AMARA FROCK
YER KHANG oping diversity. Diversity is a fact,” Hassemer said. “Every individual is unique in a myriad of ways. What we need to recognize is that some types of diversity impact a person’s sense of belonging, their safety and their perception in the eyes of others, while some types of diversity have less impact. “If we want to develop more diverse workplaces, which comes from more diverse students going through training and degree programs like those at CVTC, colleges and universities must recognize and take action to create learning spaces in which all students can thrive.” Hassemer said CVTC took a huge step forward in 2015 to encourage a more diverse student body when it became one of the first truly open-access colleges in the state by eliminating almost all placement tests. “Placement testing was a barrier for many students by leading to remedial coursework requirements or disqualification from a program altogether,” she said. In the years since, statistics show that removing the entrance exam barrier has allowed more students to increase their career opportunities and earning potential through degree attainment, Hassemer said. Yer Khang, a 26-year-old Hmong student working to achieve a degree as an executive assistant, said CVTC is on the right track. “To me, developing diversity is seeing diverse students and staff,” Khang said. “I
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believe that the whole college is diverse. Having a diverse staff helps students feel more comfortable.” She is also thankful for the CVTC resources like diverse student specialists who are always ready to help. But Khang, originally from Wisconsin Rapids, said there’s always room for improvement. She’d like her instructors to have more knowledge of diverse backgrounds. That, as well as tackling issues like racism, sexism, classism, ablism, and homophobia are at the top of the list for CVTC’s DEI committee, Hassemer said. “Not surprisingly, our committee is seeing that there are no quick fixes, lots of discomfort, and plenty of setbacks,” Hassemer said. “We do, however, see hope and incremental measures of progress. For example, many of our college spaces have been upgraded to include dedicated nursing rooms for students who are new mothers, and a new prayer/mediation space has been set up at our River Falls campus where there are notable numbers of Somali students.” Khang said just having the college acknowledge that improvements can always be made is appreciated. “Diversity means advocating for students – even if it’s just one student,” she said. “It means making people feel more welcomed and included.”
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B R O U G H T T O YO U I N P A R T B Y
HOW TO DEVELOP DIVERSIT Y AT HOME r e so u r ce s f or yo u & yo u r f a mi ly t o e x pa nd yo u r world v iews
COMMUNIT Y RESOURCES SOCIAL JUS TICE
WOMEN + FAMILY BO LT O N R E F U G E H O U S E
Domestic abuse treatment center in Eau Claire, Wisconsin >> boltonrefuge.org FA M I LY S U P P O R T C E N T E R
Provides support and advocacy to survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse >> familysupportcentercf.com
BLACK & BROWN WOMYN POWER COALITION, INC.
BBWP Coalition advocates to end violence against women, queer and trans folks, and youth. >> facebook.com/ blackandbrownwomynpowercoalition CHIPPEWA VALLE Y ACLU
Organization dedicated to protection of civil liberties in the Chippewa Valley. >> aclu-wi.org
LGBTQ+ COMMUNIT Y
CHIPPEWA VALLE Y EQ UA LIT Y INITI ATI V E
LGBTQ COMMUNITY CENTER OF THE CHIPPEWA VALLE Y
Connects resources and organizations in the Chippewa Valley that support the cause of equality for all. >> facebook.com/CVEIWI
Provides services to promote unity within the LGBTQ community. >> facebook.com/lgbtcommunitycenter
HMONG COMMUNIT Y EAU CL AIRE AREA HMONG M U T UA L A S S I S TA N C E A S S O C .
ECAHMAA provides services for Southeast Asian refugees in the Valley. >> facebook.com/eauclairehmaa WESTERN WISCONSIN HMONG AMERICAN PROFESSIONALS
L ATINX COMMUNIT Y EL CENTRO DE CONEXIÓN DE CHIPPE WA VA LLE Y
A nonprofit that aims to bring cultural awareness to the area by establishing connections with as many local Latin American cultures as possible. >> facebook.com/elcentrocv
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Grassroots organization, composed of diverse faith communities that focus on issues such as affordable housing, immigration, and child poverty. >> facebook.com/JONAHCV LEADERS IGNITING TR A N S FORM ATION
Youth organization dedicated to creating lasting change and equality. >> facebook.com/LITFORMKE POWER OF PERCEPTION
A group for leaders and emerging professionals of the Western Wisconsin Hmong Community. >> facebook. com/groups/209919433095017
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Mentoring program focused on creating opportunities for minority youth. >> facebook.com/powerofperceptionllc UNITING BRIDGES
Uniting Bridges combines the forces of many local organizations advocating on behalf of under-represented groups. >> facebook.com/UnitingBridges W E A DA P T, L L C .
Provides peer support and mentorship to individuals that helps them find the intervention suitable for their lives. >> ccweadapt.com
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CAMPUS RESOURCES UW-EAU CL AIRE AFRICAN STUDENT A SSOCI ATION
Organization that represents African student population on campus BLACK STUDENT ALLIANCE
Organization that aims to improve campus environment. BLACK MALE EMPOWERMENT
L ATI N X C U LT U R A L CENTER
Support center for Latinx students OFFICE OF M U LTI C U LT U R A L AFFAIRS
Works to create inclusive campus UWEC WOMEN UNITING AND FIGHTING CLUB
Coalition of students and staff that combat sexism and misogyny
Organization that supports Black men on campus.
UW-S TOUT
THE BRIDGE
BL ACK STUDENT UNION
Provides opportunities to connect with other LGBTQ+ individuals.
Supports Black students on campus.
CENTER FOR AWARENESS O F S E XUA L A S SAU LT
Sexual assault support service
HMONG STOUT STUDENT O RG A N I Z ATI O N
Offers academic enrichment to encourage growth of diversity on campus.
CENTER FOR R ACIAL AND RE S T O R ATI V E J U S TI C E
L ATINOS U NIDOS
A place to educate community about social justice.
Organization with the goal of promoting Latino/Hispanic culture
CRITICAL HMONG STUDIES RESOURCE CENTER
M U LTI C U LT U R A L STUDENT SERVICES
Supports Hmong-related initiatives at UWEC.
Organization that supports Asian, Black, Latinx, and Native American students.
GENDER & SEXUALITY RESOURCE CENTER
N ATI V E A ME RIC A N S TU DE NT ORG A NI Z ATION
Provides space for LGBTQ+ students.
Organization dedicated to supporting Indigenous students.
HMONG STUDENT A S S O C I ATI O N
THE QUBE
Multicultural organization that provides social, cultural, and academic enrichment to encourage growth of diversity.
The center provides services and programs to promote unity within and among the LGBTQ community.
FOR YOU,
for life.
PAKOU
YAJUAN
Paralegal Program
Accounting Program
EVAGRACE
ROBIN
WILLIAM
YER
Nursing Program
Executive Assistant Program
IT - Software Developer Program
Executive Assistant Program
WHEREVER you ARE ON THE JOURNEY CVTC IS HERE.
VICHEI
GERALDO
TOM
Liberal Arts Program
IT - Software Developer Program
ROGER
RACHAEL
SABRINA
SHAWNIECE
IT - Network Specialist Program
Paralegal Program
Cosmetology Program
Human Resources Program
Digital Marketing Program
ASSOCIATE DEGREES // TRANSCRIPTED CREDIT // TECHNICAL DIPLOMAS // ADULT EDUCATION // PERSONAL ENRICHMENT CERTIFICATES // CONTINUING EDUCATION // APPRENTICESHIPS // COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT // WORKPLACE TRAINING
CVTC does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, or age in employment, admissions, programs, or activities. General inquiries regarding the College’s nondiscrimination policies may be directed to: Director of Human Resources, Chippewa Valley Technical College • 620 W. Clairemont Ave., Eau Claire, WI 54701 • 715-852-1377 • WI Relay 711
CVTC.EDU/FORYOUFORLIFE
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