Blog

Sep 5, 2016 | Maïko Le Lay | UC Riverside
On June 28, I had the opportunity to present the first performance project called Home Street Home at the California Higher Education Sustainability Conference (CHESC) at Cal State Fullerton.

Home Street Home is a 4D project that aims to raise awareness on issues related to sustainability experienced by UC students such as food and housing insecurity, mental health, difficulties for international students, and the lack of creative and work space. The project suggests that it is possible to mix art activism with sustainability and issues relating to student life. Inspired by UC survivors’ stories, Home Street Home depicts the struggles of a student living in his car by combining hip hop dance, video projection, beatbox, and text. This 4D hip-hop project presents the idea that students matter in an embodied and multidisciplinary way.

The Origins of the Project: 

Collab’ Home Street Home is composed of artistic designer Jungwon Ahn from Korea, entertainer and educator John Merchant (aka Faahz) from Pomona, and myself (an international student at UCR). This project came to life when I first attended a UC Student Association (UCSA) meeting as a GSA campus organizing director in March 2016. Coming from France and Japan, I was new to American student governance, but I was immediately affected by the issues raised by the UCSA board. As a PhD student in Critical Dance Studies, former event organizer and street performer, I decided to become a student advocate utilizing my area of expertise: dance. Home Street Home was made possible by the talent and contribution of Ahn and Merchant, as well as the support of the Office of Sustainability at UCR. The latter, inspired by Collab’ Home Street Home’s vision, decided to grant me with the 2016-17 Carbon Neutral Initiative Fellowship to develop interdisciplinary projects, such as Home Street Home, and help promote sustainability in a unique way.

Different Initiatives:
Home Street Home is not only a performance. Collab’ Home Street Home realizes that issues of student life and health need to be communicated broadly for change to happen. While having an attentive audience eager to know more about sustainability (such as at CHESC) is ideal, advocacy can happen anywhere. Collab’ Home Street Home jumped on the opportunities and created various forms of the same project to be adapted in different settings. For example, Collab’ Home Street Home was invited during Earth Day to the UCR Community Garden. The artists improvised in the garden guiding people through the outdoor exhibition of Ahn’s cars drawings.

Engaging the audience:
It is important for Collab’ Home Street Home’s artists to share their experience with others through active participation. For example, at the end of the performance at CHESC, audience members were invited to pick a “trash” item from the performance décor, and paste it on the chart, or to write something about their experience. This simple gesture represents community action and recycling because they produce new artwork from the old.

Collab’ Home Street Home’s goal is to encourage more and more student activists to create interdisciplinary projects and advocate differently because its artists are convinced that art touches people and can change the world. Finally, the Collab’ hopes that institutions will also be more welcoming of such projects and support art activism initiatives. For more information on Collab’ Home Street Home, like their facebook page

Maïko Le Lay is a French and Japanese PhD student in Critical Dance Studies at the University of California Riverside. She currently acts as the Graduate Student Association Executive Vice President, and is the recipient of the Gluck and the Carbon Neutral Initiative Fellowships. Le Lay holds a M.A in Cultural Studies from the University Paris III Sorbonne Nouvelle (France) and a M.A in Political Sciences from the University Catholic of Louvain (Belgium). In Europe, she was Maurice Bejart’s conservatory and museum’s general coordinator, involved in the Hip-Hop Dance community, and served as the co-founder of Crystal’Art association that denounced social injustices through dance, music and video. Le Lay is interested in student governance and sustainability. Her research focuses on the quest of happiness in the sharing society, and the impact of hip hop dance and culture in education.

 

Sep 5, 2016 | By Lawrence Norman Le Blanc | UC San Diego
UC San Francisco Medical Center – William Rutter Center
Attending the annual July meeting of the UC Regents was a rare privilege and an honor. It’s not often when I am able to attend, let alone participate in a very high level discussion of such caliber. On Tuesday evening, we had an informal dinner at Buca Di Beppo with the current Student Regent Marcela Ramirez (Ph.D – UCR) as well as leading members of the UC Student Association (UCSA), UCLA Student Body President, and a few other lucky “StAR” students who were selected to advocate to the Regents for the next two mornings. I was lucky that my Uber showed up afterwards to take me to the hotel despite my iPhone being on 1% battery life and having a cracked-screen. Nothing would have been more ironic than to be stranded in San Francisco at 10 o’clock at night directly in front of the Official Apple Store where the new iPhone model gets released every year!

The next morning at the Regents Meeting, I approached a police barricade and passed a crowd of people outside. Since I was on the list, they let me in past the crowd and I felt like a VIP! Right after I showed up, UC President Janet Napolitano rolled up in a black SUV and was escorted into the meeting by her bodyguards and secret service agents.

The Regents meeting started with public comment from the StARs, and I was nervous when it was my turn to speak. I spoke to the Regents about how vulnerable all 10 UC campuses are in the unfortunate event of an active shooter. I suggested to them that we need campus wide alarm sirens, rooftop microphone sensors that detect shots fired and directly alert police dispatchers, reverse 911 calls and text messaging systems, as well as required active shooter training for all UC students, staff, and faculty. In the wake of recent tragic events that have been unfolding nationally, I could not help but voice how concerned I was about the growing threat of gun violence. This was especially true considering the shooting at UCLA last June where a graduate student shot and killed professor Klug, of whom which condolences were expressed at the meeting when the UCLA chancellor had to report on their campuses’ law enforcement response. From the meeting, UCLA says it has established a task force to analyze their response and see if any improvements can be made. I will be following up with UCSA and the Regents to ensure this task force’s results are extended to all 10 UC campuses.

One of the main issues voiced at the Regents Meeting was the food insecurity that is plaguing our UC students. Our students are literally starving as the cost of attendance and living has become so unaffordable, that students are often unable to feed themselves as food is very expensive.
I found the Regents meeting to be extremely relevant to me as an MBA student. The finance committee was directly reflective of my recent Managerial Accounting class as all 10 UC campus chancellors had to report to the Regents on their Statements of Financial Positions and Income Statements as well as the financial outlook for their campus.

In addition, as I am currently taking MGT 421 Corporate Governance: CEO & Board of Directors, I could not help but notice the relevance of this class and how I directly observed the concepts at play at the Regents meeting. The Regents vote in favor of motions, and they shape university-wide policy based on their committees and actions. The UC System, even as a public university, is run exactly like a corporation – politics, bureaucracy and all.

I met many high ranking officials during the Regents Meeting, especially during the exclusive lunch banquet. Lieutenant Governor & ex-officio regent Gavin Newsom arrived at the meeting. I shook hands with UC President Janet Napolitano and met Regent Eloy Oritz Oakley – the incoming Chancellor of the Community College System of the State of California, and met UC Student Regent Designate Paul Monge Rodriguez, who is currently a J.D. Law Student at UC Berkeley. I had the privilege of sitting next to his very proud mother as he was sworn into his first Regents meeting, and had a delightful conversation with her in Spanish.

Overall, the Regents Meeting was a huge success and I couldn’t help but notice all the company headquarters located in the Bay Area. Aside from UCSF being the “Crown Jewel” of the UC System, I fancied seeing Apple headquarters, Twitter headquarters, Yahoo headquarters, Google Headquarters, and Oracle as well. The Bay area is to “Tech” as Hollywood is to “Entertainment”.

As that one famous song goes: “ I left my heart in San Francisco!”

Lawrence Norman Le Blanc, Electrical Engineer E.I.T. certified & MBA Candidate ’18, is a current graduate student at the Rady School of Management – UC San Diego. He is currently a staff member in the Graduate Admissions office as a student outreach coordinator and serves as board member of the newly formed RadyQ LGBT diversity club.

Sep 5, 2016 | By Angel Juarez | UC Riverside

I know it can stressful just thinking about the next four years of your life, but don’t worry! College is like compensation for graduating high school (or reaching the next milestone in your life). Here are 8 important things to keep in mind during your first year (and to carry on forever!)

1. GPA isn’t everything, but it still matters
   1. Do not fret over your academics too much. Yes, there is a minimum GPA requirement so you can continue to attend the college you go to and receive financial aid, but school should not be on your mind 24/7. Try changing the phrase “Study now, Party later.” to “Netflix now, Study in a bit.” Reward yourself for your good habits and you can get a good GPA while enjoying the college life.
2. Get to know your professors
   1. Just because your professor is only teaching one of your General Education classes does not mean that they can’t give you a good recommendation. Go to their office hours and let them help you through one-on-one sessions. It is also a great opportunity for them to remember your name and face. You’d be surprised at how many people actually go to office hours.
3. Find Yourself
   1. College is your canvas and you should be able to paint it as freely as you choose. Embrace your style and your hobbies! College can provide a diverse populous for you to make new friends and connect with people who have similar interests. Open up to the new life ahead of you.
4. It’s Perfectly Okay If You Are Undeclared
   1. You don’t need to have declared a major by the time you apply to college. However, it is important to keep in mind that schools expect more out of you than just your test scores when you’re applying. You could choose a major to avoid that. Just know that you do not need to have your life together. Most adults still don’t have their life together, and you shouldn’t be expected to either.
5. Make Time for Yourself
   1. As an extroverted introvert, my social life can be pretty exhausting, from study groups to club meetings, to kicking back with some friends every now and then. It can be a hassle to make time to relax and unwind for a few days by yourself. Cancel those weekend plans for a little “me time” and you’ll be recharged for the upcoming week.
6. #Fitness Goals Can Actually Go a Long Way
   1. Your physical health can go a long way when you change it from a hashtag to a lifestyle. Make sure you are nourishing your body with proper nutrition and exercising regularly to keep your body and mind fully functioning. Eat everything in moderation and avoid those crazy diets. You don’t need that “summer bod.” You just need to make sure your body is doing well so you can do well too! (P.S. Try peanuts or walnuts, they help stimulate brain functions).
7. SLEEP
   1. Whatever you do, do not sign up for that 8am class! Just because you woke up early for high school does not mean you can keep up the act for college. You know you would rather sleep in (and in reality you brain functions a lot better after 10am). Also, all-nighters are not recommended. I write from experience.
8. Enjoy the Next 4 Years
   1. Don’t let the next four years fly by. Make some new friends and create new memories. It’s only a matter of time before you move into your dorm room and walk up the stage to receive your diploma. Enjoy yourself. Enjoy college.

Angel Juarez is an incoming second year at UC Riverside studying Theater and Dance for queer/gender identity and performance.

Sep 2, 2016 | By Star Bright Lee | UC Riverside
The obsolete truth within choosing emotions over apprehension is that ignorance is prevalent in both aspects. Though, the consequence of ignorance can be a subconscious contribution to negating factors of empowerment. I was 15 years old when Trayvon Martin was murdered; being naive, ignorant, and fully fledged with emotions, I once used the hashtag #AllLivesMatter. I onced posted #AllLivesMatter because my racial privilege did not allow me to see that there was, in fact, something very wrong and deeply rooted: systemic racism, and an integrated anti- blackness within myself and my community.

Living in South Sacramento, California, the second top city in the nation ranked for sex trafficking with a constant crime rate above the nation’s national average, I didn’t understand the existence of privilege when I suffered living in a disadvantaged community. As a Southeast Asian struggling with under representation and a lack of socio­economic resources, I didn’t understand how I could be equipped with advantages. I had been fed the belief, “follow the rules, and you’ll get what you’ve worked for…” but little did I know, I was suffering from the consumption of my blatant ignorance for the acknowledgment of anti­blackness. Academically I was aware of what racism was: prejudice acts on an individual based on the stereotypes of racial categorization, but I at the time, just like many other individuals, did not understand the complexity of an integrated systematic oppression. The same systematic oppression in a nation that has fed the “You can be whoever you want to be.” The American Dream type of mentality has fueled many to keep pushing throughout their days.

Though my struggle did not make anyone else’s less valid, I had felt that anyone, if “acting accordingly” could not be hurt by a law sworn to protect. So when I stumbled upon #BlackLivesMatter, the anti-blackness within me had read it was #OnlyBlackLivesMatter. I was appalled, offended, I was emotional.​ ​I​ ​was​ ​​ignorant.​​ I could not understand the injustice of Black POC. I was #AllLivesMatter.

It was hard for me to understand because of my skin color, I was better equipped for success. I didn’t quite get how others could pick and choose their opportunities and others didn’t have that same luxury. Privilege blinds us from the oppression of others, not to mention it is even is harder to acknowledge when we are blinded by our own suffering. It has been a journey to see beyond the issues of my social mobility and open my mind to acknowledging the issues of another. Within the notion of transparency, accepting that I had been a contributing factor to the instillment of anti­blackness was more than difficult, acknowledging my privilege has lead me through cycles of hurt, invalidation,and sometimes guilt. But it is important to instead harness these feelings as propellers of growth, education, and awareness. I had to challenge not only myself, but those around me who felt the same.

To acknowledge and confront my anti­blackness was a powerful component of growth within my life, but it is not enough for me to announce my solidarity. As a non Black POC it is not enough for me to repost a digital letter to my Asian parents about anti­blackness, knowingly aware that they’ll never get to read it.

IT IS NOT ENOUGH FOR ME TO POST #BLACKLIVESMATTER. IT IS NOT ENOUGH FOR ME TO POST ABOUT BEING IN SOLIDARITY.

I must hold myself accountable for the anti blackness within my community. I must have the tense conversations with my family, my friends, and my colleagues about the systematic disadvantages and injustice of Black POC. I must constantly challenge myself, I must be honest, I must forgive myself, I must learn, I must empower. It is not enough, I must.

Star Bright Lee is an incoming second year student at UC Riverside majoring in Business Administration with an anticipated double major in Political Science. Star is an advocate for Southeast Asian empowerment as she works with youth from disadvantaged communities throughout California, including Sacramento, San Jose, Oakland, and Riverside.

Aug 30, 2016 | By Kim McMillon | UC Merced
As a UC Merced graduate student, I have a deep gratitude to the UC system for offering an African-American woman in her fifties the opportunity to return to college. This opportunity has come with a price though, the price of awareness. Growing up, I did not understand the importance of enrolling in courses on African American history or culture. Throughout my college years, I never registered for a course specific to African Americans. I was assimilating. I could discuss Shakespeare’s plays, or the theatre of Tennessee Williams, and as a nod to my Blackness, Lorraine Hansberry. I did not understand the importance of the rich history and culture of Black America until I was asked by my advisor, “What do you love?” I said, “I love theatre,” and at the age of 54, I found my Blackness in the writings of Amiri Baraka, Askia Toure, Sonia Sanchez, Adrienne Kennedy, Ishmael Reed, George Wolfe, and Ben Caldwell. African-American voices that were always there, like gifts that had never been opened. The rich voices of Carolyn M. Rodgers and Larry Neal provided an open door to the history and culture that I had been too busy to examine.
However, I was not alone. In 2014, I produced the UC Merced Black Arts Movement Conference with the UC Merced Office of Student Life and Center for the Humanities. I spoke to students and found that the majority had never heard of the great works of the Poet Laureate of the United States Juan Felipe Herrera, the playwright Genny Lim, the founder of the Black Arts Movement Amiri Baraka, or the first African- American Female Black Panther, Tarika Lewis. Each of the people listed played a role in the Black Power and Black Arts Movements and attended the UC Merced BAM Conference, except for Amiri Baraka. Amiri died on January 9, 2014. The conference took place on February 28th. Through a series of emails, Amiri supported and advised me on the conference that he had planned to attend.
A special moment at the conference was being hugged by a Chicano student thanking me for bringing this conference to UC Merced and opening his vision about what we as scholars of color could accomplish. This drive to achieve, to educate, has lead me to teach the theatre of the Black Arts Movement through the course Theater and Social Responsibility, Arts 115. I see it as a vehicle for healing issues of racial inequality. The course has never had more than two African-American students; perhaps, because there are so many of us in Black bodies that are finding our own path to healing the pain of America’s systemic racism. I consider this class a healing of ideas of what it means to be Black in America. For many, a light bulb goes on. Through Performative Blackness, my students find that space of empathy and understanding of what it means to be Black in America. When a young Asian student performed in Marvin X’s Flowers for the Trashman, people in the audience cried because as an actor he went to a place of what it means to be a Black man in jail for no other reason than the color of his skin.
For a great many African Americans, before they open the door to the outside world, they have to inquire in that still, small voice,

“Am I ready? Am I ready to walk out into a world that doesn’t always look at who I am, and often cannot see past the color of my skin.”

Then the next question is,

“How do I feel safe? What can I do to feel safe once I walk out that door?”

For me, growing up with a father that practiced a mixture of Buddhism and Christianity, I chanted. However, everyone is different, and the truth of the matter is you don’t always walk out the door asking yourself, “How do I feel safe?” There is usually an incident, whether it is someone looking at you strangely or what President Barack Obama described in a white house briefing after the George Zimmerman verdict as seeing you, and then locking their car door. That need to feel safe is always there, but sometimes like a bad dream that you have had over and over again, it glides across your memories and is forgotten, until the next time, the next words, the next offense.

Kim McMillon has over twenty years of experience producing theatre in the San Francisco Bay Area. She has written and produced Voyages, A Multi-Media Excursion into Reincarnation, Confessions of a Thespian: When Spirit & Theatre Collide at the Julia Morgan Theatre, and the Oakland Literature Expo with PEN Oakland as a part of the City of Oakland’s Art & Soul Festival. She is currently enrolled in a doctoral program at UC Merced’s School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Art. As president of UC Merced’s African Diaspora Student Association, Ms. McMillon has helped organized events that shine a light on racial inequality. Ms. McMillon is currently producing the Dillard University/Harvard Hutchins Center Black Arts Movement International Conference, September 9-11, 2016. For more information, please go to: www.blackartsmovement.net.

June 28, 2016 | By Veronica Barron | UC Berkeley

The origin of the controversial fence built around UC Berkeley’s Chancellor Dirk’s on-campus home actually lies in 2009, when a protest resulted in damage for University Home, the property where the school’s chancellor resides. [Read more…] about A Fence at UCB: A Temporary Solution