Johnston Alumni Reflects on  "Working In The Shadows"

       "What is it like doing the back-breaking work of immigrants? To find out, Gabriel Thompson spent the year working alongside Latino immigrants, who initially thought he was either crazy or an undercover immigration agent. He stooped over lettuce fields in Arizona and worked the graveyard shift at a chicken slaughterhouse in rural Alabama. He dodged taxis—not always successfully—as a bicycle delivery "boy" for an upscale Manhattan restaurant, and was fired from a flower shop by a boss who, he quickly realized, was nuts.

              As one coworker explained, "These jobs make you old quick." Back spasms occasionally keep Thompson in bed, where he suffers recurring nightmares involving iceberg lettuce and chicken carcasses. Combining personal narrative with investigative reporting, Thompson shines a bright light on the underside of the American economy, exposing harsh working conditions, union busting, and lax government enforcement—while telling the stories of workers, undocumented immigrants and desperate US citizens alike, forced to live with chronic pain in the pursuit of $8 an hour." 

            Above is a synopsis of Johnston graduate Gabriel Thompson's latest project, to learn more you can check out the promotional Facebook page here. He has also released a book trailer that is up for your viewing pleasure. As an author he has put an immense amount of effort into this endeavor, so make sure to show some support for your fellow Buffalo and pick up a copy of Working in the Shadows today.

Commencement 2009

James Boobar Commencement Speech
It is with great joy and wonder that I’m standing here before you; deeply honored to be a part of the celebration of your time at the Johnston Center.  To the faculty, administration, and current students I thank you for the ways you have challenged the class of 2009 through years of co-learning and collaboration.  And thank you for being inspiring colleagues and friends.  To the parents, siblings, and relatives, many of whom I first met over four years ago during the anxiety-laden college selection process, I want to thank you for your support and sacrifice:  in doing both you have greatly enhanced our Johnston Community and history.    

            To the graduates, I want to thank you for giving me another opportunity to leave with a better sense of timing than I have had in the past.  23 years ago, I walked up the stairs of Bekins as an incoming Johnston Student:  Seemingly too excited and motivated by the events of that year’s graduation, I too, left.  Imagine a pack of crazed and empowered seniors departing Johnston with a freshman running after them to wade into the world in Los Angeles.  Seven years ago, I stood on this very stage and accepted my degree from the Johnston Center; a degree 16 years in the making, most of which was composed of independent studies that I didn’t get credit for, by the way.  Now, it was my time to get the timing right.  Well, after graduation, I walked across the street to Larsen Hall to teach a Johnston course while I started my graduate studies.  Months later, I walked a little further, past the administration building to the Willis Center to begin my work in the Office of Admissions.  Now, I have another Johnston exit and I’m privileged to be standing on the threshold with you.

            Yesterday afternoon, a reporter who is covering the Johnston Graduation Ceremony for the Redlands Daily Facts, called and asked if she could have a copy of my commencement remarks.  I said, “Sure.  No problem.  As soon as it’s written, I’ll be happy to get it to you.”  I e-mailed it to her about an hour ago.  Welcome to Johnston. Since I love talking with potential students about the unique possibilities of the Johnston path, I can’t resist saying two things about our program:  First, to quote an alum:  “Johnston works because life is an independent study.”  Secondly, to steal a line from President Dorsey’s first address to Johnston Graduates—a line I have used again and again and again:  In describing the Johnston adventure, President Dorsey quoted a legendary race-car driver when he said “If everything is under control, you’re not driving fast enough.” 

In pondering the wonderful achievements, the activism, the personal triumphs, the promising futures, of the graduates of a program that I love immeasurably, the image of a sidewinder rattlesnake came to mind.  As some of you may know the sidewinder rattlesnake of the American West moves across the desert sands by throwing its body in loops; somehow in moving sideways rapidly, it moves forward.   Its locomotion is unique, and what should be awkward, somehow becomes beautiful, magical.  If you’re lucky enough to see a sidewinder rattlesnake, you’ll first have a hard time determining if it is moving forwards or backwards, mistaking the serpent’s marks on the sand for the serpent itself.  Strange, fascinating, beautiful, unusual, the combination of sideways and forward qualities, somewhat confusing to watch, and the reaction of witnesses wondering if it is forward or backwards movement:  All of this, it struck me, unifies us as Johnston.  Strange sounding degrees, unusual transcripts, interdisciplinary trajectories that are not uni-directional, community meetings and personal paths that resist a determination of ‘going forward or of going backward’, and, ultimately an educational path that is beautiful in its openness, its uniqueness, and its dialogue.

            Johnston Graduates of 2009, it is with the image of sidewinder rattlesnakes crawling over desert dunes, that I exhort you to do three things when you leave our beloved Johnston Complex. 

            First:  Don’t look back on your time at Johnston.  As first months then years pass, don’t look back on these times of accomplishment, of community, of joy, of risk-taking, of determination, of friendship.  Instead, look to the side:  actively take with you the moments you supported each other, the times you challenged yourself and others, the projects and papers you completed when it seemed there would be no way that you would, the wrestling with your graduation contract, the times you overcame fear or apprehension---all of it.  Don’t look back, look to the side, and see that you’re traveling with companions that remind you of all that you are capable of achieving and withstanding.

            Second:  Don’t believe that you are ready for the real world.  All over the country college graduates are being asked to believe they are ready for the real world.  As Johnston Graduates you don’t have to merely believe.  Instead, know that you are ready.  As freshman, you negotiated learning goals with faculty.  As sophomores, you built courses in collaboration, designed independent studies, and submitted your own vision of a Johnston degree to discussion and critique.  As juniors you altered your path, sometimes radically, and deepened your experience of community, activism, academia, and global awareness.  As seniors, you taught courses, wrote honors theses, created artistic culminations.  Through all of this you negotiated with others, gained confidence in voicing your own point of view, became a more compassionate listener and a builder of community.  Whether entering activism, business, creative, educational, or graduate study fields, these skills are essential.  Know that you are ready.

            Third:  Go forth to fail and suffer.  Through Johnston you’ve experienced that fearlessness in the face of failure is the best antidote for complacency and passiveness.  You’ve learned through your engagement with issues and passions that suffering accompanies adventure and the spirit of change.  You have developed the strength and awareness to suffer opposition and doubt through the energetic dialogue with others.  All of us at Johnston look forward to hearing the stories fueled by your courage to risk, your desire for change, and your creativity and determination; stories that are not lived if one fails to fail or one refuses to suffer suffering.  One of the inspiring figures in my life was the renowned conservationist, Steve Irwin, known to the world as the Crocodile Hunter.  He said it wasn’t enough to inform, you needed to awaken love:  In summing up his approach to wildlife conservation and appreciation, he said:  “People save what they love.”  Whether creative, political, environmental, theoretical, or material, you leave Johnston with concerns that you are passionate about.  Don’t fear failure or suffering as you awaken love to those concerns.

            Johnston Graduates, you have made my life fulfilling in the complex and classroom as we have discussed texts, and lives, and issues.  You’ve made my life easy in the admissions office by giving me so many specific examples of the Johnston education to share with prospective students.  Truly, knowing you over the last four years—some of you even longer—has been a great gift to me.  So, I have for you, some parting gifts.  That they are quotations is probably not surprising.

            John Steinbeck wrote, “It is the duty of the writer to uplift, to extend, and to encourage.”  All of you have written your education into existence, struggling to incorporate your goals and experiences into text.  In doing so you have uplifted, extended, and encouraged all of us who have worked with you.  Your story isn’t finished; your writing isn’t finished.  Literary Critic Mikhail Bakhtin said “The last word on the world has not yet been spoken.”  Nor has the last word on your life been spoken because you are the writer of those words.

            The great basketball player Michael Jordan said, “The people I admire all created their own vision.  And they didn’t let anyone or anything distract them or break them down.”  For four years you’ve worked on the creation of your vision of an education and a community.  Johnston has faith and certainty in you as you continue to develop the vision of your life. 

            The great Russian writer Fyodor Dostoevsky wrote:  “I have an ardent love of life; I love life for its own sake…That is the most important feature of my character, and possibly of my work.”  Because you have given so much love and life to all of us at Johnston, to your friends and family, to your interests and passions, we’re humbled and awed at where your love of life will take you next. 

            Finally, in the Gnostic Gospel of Thomas it is written:  “Be wanderers.”

            Thank you and congratulations.

As some of you know, I entered Johnston in the same year as our graduating seniors.  I went through the first year seminar, I learned to contract with you, and I adjusted to being in the dorm with you!  These last four years have been great.  I’ve seen you pursue your personal and educational dreams, and we’ve shared the struggles that come with an intense living-learning community like Johnston.  Each of you has crafted the education that you wanted, followed your passions, and completed a degree that is entirely unique to you.  I know that you’ve learned a lot while you were here – you’ve learned from your professors and from your peers.  At Johnston, we often talk about teacher-students and student-teachers.  Many of you have taught me things… and as you embark on your next adventure, I want to remind you of some of the things that you have taught me and this community. 

First: Creativity has a place in every education… it goes without saying that you are a creative class!  You have won creative writing awards, mounted art shows, started zines, painted murals, made films, played music, and put on performances.  Through creative contracting and negotiating, you have sculpted your own creative path in concert with your peers.  You have expressed yourselves, made political statements, and debated community in your artistic endeavors, and for that, I thank you!

Second: This class has an incredible commitment to activism, whether it’s the history of the civil rights movement, the current conditions of refugees, methods of peace-making, local community activism, the plight of illegal immigrants, the safety of the global food supply, the needs of local kids, or the rapid degradation of our environment, you have traveled around the world, down the freeway, and around the block in order to be of service to those who need assistance.  You have gone to conferences to hear the voices of others and to protests to make your own voices heard.  The world is a better place because of your commitment to making positive change, and I can’t wait to hear about the amazing things you’ll do in the future.  You’ve shown us ways to raise our voices against injustice. You’ve taught us that whatever our interests are, there are ways to engage our passions in the service of others and with the goal of making the world a better place. 

Thirdly: This class has taught me the value of persistence and the capacity for change… Both academically and personally, you have faced obstacles.  But you have all persevered through difficult times to work through the challenges, the bad days (…the bad semesters), the epic community meetings, and the occasional moments of despair.  In one of the grad reviews, one student said to another, “when I think back to two years ago… I didn’t think we’d make it…” – Well, you are here!  You are here because you fought difficult battles together, you supported each other, and relied upon each other. You didn’t give up, you grew and struggled, and learned to succeed.  When I sat in grad reviews and heard your confident, articulate words, I was so proud of each of you.  Of course you were wonderful as first year students, but over these four years, you have found your voices and learned to wield them so well! 

Fourth: Commitment to the collective. While this class, like every class, is made up of unique individuals with different ways of being part of a group, I have been so impressed by your ways of making community.  Whether you taught a class, or were there for your roommate… whether you organized events or attended weekly community meetings, you have seen the value of working, playing, and learning with others.  You have come to love the differences among you and have made unlikely connections to one another.  You have a shared appreciation for what makes you each unique and what connects you to one another.

Of course, I could go on and on… but James would probably like to speak too!  So I’ll just wrap up by asking: What is the legacy of this class?  Thinking of your wild creativity, your dedication to activism, and your persistence – both individual and collective –, I see a group of people who appreciates one another, who respects each other’s differences, and who values what each person brings to the table. 

you have made community spaces even when it was difficult to come together;

you have embraced this place that encouraged you both to be yourself and to be part of a collective. 

You are powerful in your intellect, in your creativity, in your activism, and in your love for one another.  All of these things are needed in this world.  The human connection in all its intellectual, artistic, and compassionate messiness is something we need more of, and you are just the group to take what you’ve learned – and what you’ve already taught us here at Johnston –  take it out into the world to share with others. 

Don’t forget to come back and visit us occasionally – at least every five years at the reunions!

Thank you for sharing these four (or in a couple of cases three, or five!) years with us! 

Alexandra E. Burns

Philosophy and Literature

Film, Aesthetics, and Gender Studies

Immigration and Foreign Language

Kira Marlena Golden-Belisle

Cultivating My Literary Garden

*Aaron Evans

Flights of Fantasy:  Fantasy Writing and Art

Walker Roach

Emily Lauren Sernaker

Creative Writing and Social Justice

*Samuel Aguilar

Kayla Keener

Analyzing Cross-Cultural Perceptions of Gender through Religion, Literature, and Activism

*Aaron Zaheen

Community Organizing and Creative Social Change

Catherine Anderson

The Poetics of Transformation:  Creative Writing, Religion, and Social Justice

International Studies and Human Rights

Creative Process

Ashley Sylvia Milligan

Human Ecology and Interdisciplinary Food Studies

Victoria Damiani

Art and Consumerism

Humanism and Community Development

Artistic Expression and Cultural Immersion

Japanese Cultural Studies

Existential Business and Art

Cody Michelle Unser

Biopolitics:  The Interconnection Between Biology and Political Action in Human Health

Writing Human Ecology

Courtney Jean MacKenzie Stearns

The Human Connection:  Creative Writing and    Foreign Languages,  Minor: Psychology

Torin J. P. McDonald

Aislynn Neish

Creative Programming:  Studies in Multimedia Communication, Commercial Aesthetics and

Education and Language:  Arts

Globalization, Development, and Spanish

Middle East Social Justice and Peace Studies

Environmental Sustainability and Social Justice

Toby Seisler

Creative Politics

Social Justice and Community Development in Latin America

The Art of Reading:  When Literature Becomes Philosophy

Amos Joshua

Pulling the Puzzle Apart with Mathematics, Physics and Computer Science   

Tess Taylor Unanimously Voted WCOPA 2009 Achievement Award

The World Championships of Performing Arts (WCOPA) Board has unanimously voted to honor NARIP President Tess Taylor with its 2009 Achievement Award and induct her into its Performing Arts Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony takes place on Sunday, July 12 during WCOPA's 2009 Opening Ceremonies at Universal Citywalk, CA.

Past recipients of the award include Ann-Margret, Liza Minnelli and Garth Brooks.

WCOPA is to the performing arts what the Olympics are to sports. Once a year, children and young adults come to Los Angeles from around the world to compete in performing arts including music, dance and acting. Last year over 40 countries were represented. More WCOPA info here: www.worldchampionships.tv

Thank you to Griff O'Neil and the WCOPA Board for recognizing Ms. Taylor with this honor.

Byron Wolfe ('85)  Awarded Prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship

from: http://news.csuchico.edu/2009/04/17/professor-receives-prestigious-guggenheim-fellowship-for-photography-work/
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 17, 2009

Joe Wills
530-898-4143

Professor Receives Prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship for Photography Work
California State University, Chico Professor Byron Wolfe of the Department of Communication Design has received a prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship for 2009.

The New York-based John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation announced the 2009 Guggenheim Fellows via a news conference and full-page New York Times advertisement last week.

The 180 artists, scientists and scholars from the United States and Canada receiving the fellowship were selected from among more than 3,000 applicants. Sixty-two disciplines and 68 academic institutions are represented among the recipients. Wolfe is the only professor from a California State University campus to receive a 2009 Guggenheim Fellowship.

Wolfe’s fellowship will fund his project to research and rephotograph historic images made in Central America in 1875–1876 to better understand landscape change and environmental impacts in the region.

Wolfe was also named a recipient of the 2009 David W. and Helen E.F. Lantis University Professorship at CSU, Chico. The Lantis Professorship is also supporting Wolfe’s rephotography work in Central America.

In releasing the news of the 2009 Guggenheim Fellows, the Foundation said the recipients were appointed “on the basis of stellar achievement and exceptional promise for continued accomplishment.”

Wolfe said he is not aware of another CSU, Chico professor to have received a Guggenheim Fellowship while working at the University. Legendary professor and artist Janet Turner, who established the Janet Turner Print Museum at CSU, Chico in 1981, was a 1952 Guggenheim Fellow seven years before coming to Chico.

Since 1925, more than $273 million has been granted to Guggenheim Fellows, who have included Ansel Adams, W.H. Auden, Aaron Copland, Langston Hughes, Vladimir Nabokov and Philip Roth.

Wolfe, who came to CSU, Chico in 1999, is the author of Everyday: A Yearlong Photo Diary (2007), and co-author of Yosemite in Time: Ice Ages, Tree Clocks, Ghost Rivers (2005) and Third Views, Second Sights: A Rephotographic Survey of the American West (2004). His photography is in a number of permanent collections including the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and The Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, Texas. In 2004 he received the Santa Fe Prize for Photography. He did his undergraduate work at the Johnston Center at the University of Redlands and earned an MFA from Arizona State University in 1998.

View Byron's biography here: http://www.gf.org/fellows/16521-byron-wolfe
 

Julie Townsend Receives Tenure

Julie Townsend, Associate Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies, recently received tenure. Julie has won an innovative teaching award at the University and recently received a book contract. Congratulations Julie!

Ellen St. Peter on the Renewal

If you attended the Compost Session on Sunday of the Renewal, you will remember that there were still hands raised at the end of the session. We asked Kyleellen what she was going to say.

Tonight I am a bit rushed as tomorrow I will am going into the studio to record the last song for the big Project I have been working on for the last five years of the book and the CD with matching song and chapter titles. This idea of a matching book chapters and songs on a CD has never been accomplished in the USA, Australia, Canada, Spain and probably most if not all of Europe according to my highly talented musician friends and two Producers. The first chapter is “Inside My Heart” and the first song is “Inside My Heart” just so you can clearly understand. Two of the chapters, 4 and 5 are about my attending Johnston College starting in Fall 1974. Graduated in 1978 completed  My work in three and a half years the January before with my degree in Transpersonal Psychology and then I went back Immediately in June to start the Masters in Transpersonal and Humanistic Psychology graduated in 1980 so that took me almost as long as my BA. So the 4 chapter is my BA in a step by step format where I discuss each class because this was a biography book and writing about Johnston was a bit to wrap my brain around until I decided to do it this way. I show how things were when I first came, making friends, moving dorm rooms, campus life and then choosing my classes, then

            My emphasis, which is “Why people are inhibited to sing or be creative in any way.” I was the most phobic singer in the universe when I started Johnston and the hard part was my talent is extremely deep and strong. In the 5 chapter I write about my Masters and how/why I decided to do that at Johnston and in this part I explain, “what is Johnston? What is the contract, graduation contract, what are example’s of other’s emphasis, who started Johnston, and more of an overview to explain Johnston and list the contact info for Johnston to and explain the U or R connection briefly.

 I almost laugh to think that this is my calling at this time in my life, but it’s so Johnston to me, that the unusual

            Is the highly probable when it comes to Johnstonians. The truth is the book was written to explain for one thing when people

            Hear my voice and they think where has she been all along then can read and find out, or when they read the book they can

Listen to me sing and know….yes I have a true gift to sing, a blessing. I have a huge amount of knowledge about the Psychology of Singing and the healing influence of music that I share in the book. My primary goal is to use my ability to sing

And write songs sometimes to raise big money for charities. One of those charities will be Johnston College or as you know it

Johnston Center for Integrative Studies  

                    Actually one reason I came back was to make sure that my fellow Johnston student past

And even more so present would not be bothered by my book because there are some tough issues or more like trials and tribulations that I have endured, worked on, and survived to get where I am right now on the verge of finishing a 374 page book (had a hard time writing 10 pages in college) and my first professional CD. What I know now is that it’s all right still to be me, and my fellow Johnstonians will understand instead of bothered.

 Here is a link so you can hear some of my musical journey. Most of the songs on my project are not on this site although the Sing Song, Perserverance, Somebody Told Me, and Tell Me are all the songs that will be a part of the project.The others are about my musical journey that leads me to where I am now. Except “Gettovision” which will be promoted as a single

Digital download along with about six others just to show my ability to record in multiple genres

                        http://www.numberonemusic.com/kyleellen/

Imagine..............What's Inside          by Ellen St. Peter

The Book about Ln - Come on and Sing        (c) 2/27/2004

"Imagination is more important than knowledge". Albert Einstein

(1879-1955)

Dedicated to Lauren for his "Vision" and to the Brave Walking Wounded.

If once in my life I could stand up for anything, I'd like to say I stood up to sing.

Nothing makes me feel better than singing—whether I'm happy or sad, alone or with people. My singing voice has been my best friend all my life. It was always there and free to play with, which probably explains why, as an infant, my mother would tell my older brother to rock my cradle when I was fussing. But, as my brother has remarked, "You weren't truly fussing, you were just making a noise." I was already experimenting with my voice!

What else in life is neither illegal, immoral, nor fattening, but rather is healthy and free? (That is, unless you walk into a recording studio.) Singing is a natural process; our bodies are designed by God to sing, so WHY ARE YOU SHY OF SINGING?

So why are most of us shy to sing? I began pondering this question in college and it lead me on an adventure as I, myself, learned how to stand up and sing (as I'm addicted to singing), and it feels great! I love it and truly feel that God has blessed me with the ability to do this one thing better than anything else. Unfortunately, life events have molded me into one of the most inhibited and phobic closet singers in the world. This is the story of how that huge fear evolved—what I learned about the healing effects of music and singing, and how I overcame a deathly fear of using my natural wide vocal range to perform openly around people. It's also a book about what I learned from the music business and recording in studios, which at times has been brutal psychologically, physically and emotionally. It's a book that I hope will show others the path to enjoying singing for what it truly should be: a fun, free, playful, stress relieving, oxygen-increasing activity. Everyone (and I mean everyone!) is capable of doing this for better health and overall well-being in life.

The trick is to be completely free of all inhibitions and negatively judging—to performing vocally to the best of your capabilities. Not everyone will be an Olympic runner, but most of us learn to run at a young age. Likewise, most of us have learned to sing at a young age, but just because “America Idol” may not be in the cards doesn’t mean this activity should be forgotten, because singing has tremendous health benefits physically, emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually.

Singing is my life. It's me at my deepest place and it has been for as long as I can remember. My mother claims I was singing by the age of two years, but my first memory is at three, playing on the floor next to my older brother Toad. He was instructing me on which harmony part to sing. He had me singing the low melody, while he sang the middle notes and my only sister (three years older) sang the high notes. It's a clear memory.

I want you to think now of the first time you sang, or the first time you remember singing. I fell in love with singing from the start. To me it feels like pure Gold is raining down, bathing over my entire body. There's a feeling of heaven on earth or being mesmerized like cheddar colored cats after playing with catnip. The best part is, singing is FREE! The best things in life are free, as the saying goes, so why are so many people in society passing it up? If anyone of any age, gender, nationality or location in the world can sing for free in most places without bothering others, my question is this: why are most people not singing freely? Like I was, they are hiding when they sing. And it’s no wonder. For example: why, if I'm walking around and singing, do strangers look at me like I'm crazy or doing something strange? All I'm doing is singing, not committing a crime. I haven’t just escaped from the insane asylum!

Here is the start of the odyssey of a talented and vocally gifted child. The odyssey of Ellen. If baring my soul helps one child experience his or her own musical odyssey easier, or helps one parent of a creative child (whether in music, art, dance, acting etc.) understand that this talent is not a choice, then I am willing and gladly ready to finally expose my musical odyssey with all its pain and happiness to the world. I hope to help these parents realize that it's not easy to be blessed by God with creative talent. After all, it is we as a society who benefit from the works of positive creative thinking people. Even though art is in the eye of the beholder, the world would be a sad and boring place without the creative arts. Just as in the movie "Apollo 13" in which the astronauts were saved by the creative thinking minds of dedicated, hardworking ground support people who didn’t give up to create the right solution to a potentially tragic situation, most of the solutions to today's problems will come from a creative mind and spirit.

In reading this book you will learn about:

1) Singing freely for mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual health.

2) Positive creation for happiness in life rather than creating negative behaviors.

3) Healing sexual abuse with music and creativity.

4) How to survive being a caregiver with creativity and music.

5) Benefits of H. B. O. (hyperbaric oxygen) medicine, or the health benefits of singing to your lungs and body by increasing oxygen necessary for cell division, which is needed for physical healing.

6) How to help a creative child avoid the misdiagnosis of, or to heal/manage without medication of: A.D.D./H.A.D.D., Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Anxiety Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and Detachment Anxiety Disorder, among others.

7) How to help yourself, your family or others through traumatic situations with communication and creativity (such as music).

8) How to overcome depression and stop suicidal thoughts, through developing your singing and positive creative self to release stress, anger, physical/emotional pain, frustration and hopelessness.

9) How to protect your musical self while finding your path in the recording studio. Has the United States of America's one and only Copyright Office always been a secure place? NO! How to safeguard your rights to intellectual property in the United States, a right stemming from the first law ever in the world when King Henry VIII signed the Magna Carta.

10) How to help be a better American citizen -- "Ask what you can do for your country." - John F. Kennedy. Reaching out to others and the psychological benefits of connecting with good people.

11) How to get past and regain your creative spirit when someone hurts or steals your creative work or ideas.

12) The overall health and wellness benefit of music and singing for senior citizens.

13) How learning to sing will help you to be less shy to try things in other areas of your life, and blossom into a healthier, better person.

Johnston Students going to Gaza

UR students heading to Gaza

http://www.redlandsdailyfacts.com/search/ci_11810885

Cody Unser

Another Unser driven to succeed, this time at University of Redlands

http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_S_cody16.3feb486.html

10:09 PM PST on Sunday, February 15, 2009

By DARRELL R. SANTSCHI
The Press-Enterprise

Photo Gallery: Cody Unser: Life Under Water

Cody Unser has spent about half of her study time the past four years in classrooms at the University of Redlands.

The other half has been on the road, lobbying Congress and state legislators in her native New Mexico, and raising funds for her nonprofit foundation.

As a biopolitics major at the university's progressive Johnson Center for Integrative Studies, where students craft their own fields of study, she visited the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach last month.

There, she received the aquarium's prestigious Heritage Award and became the first disabled person to scuba dive with stingrays, zebra sharks and hundreds of tropical fish in the aquarium's 350,000-gallon tropical reef habitat.

The 21-year-old daughter of two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Al Unser Jr. and granddaughter of four-time Indy winner Al Unser Sr. has been paralyzed from the chest down since she was stricken during a sixth-grade basketball game.

She later was diagnosed with transverse myelitis, a neurological disorder that doctors say might have been triggered by stress from everyday life, excitement from school or a hepatitis vaccination. Effectively, her immune system attacked her spinal cord.

Unser has spent the past 10 years using her family's popular racing name to help raise $200,000 a year for medical research and lobbying on behalf of the disabled through the Cody Unser First Step Foundation.

With the death in 2004 of paralyzed actor Christopher Reeve, who had been the most famous advocate of stem-cell research and treatment of spinal cord injuries, Unser felt compelled to step into the limelight.

career goals

At the small liberal arts college in Redlands, she found comfortable wheelchair access and a specialized curriculum that embraced her career goal: to lobby for disabled causes.

She expects to graduate in May and enroll at a law school in Houston with a dual major in public health. Having a law degree will help in negotiating with politicians, she said.

Leaving Redlands will be bittersweet, Unser said.

"The best way I can put it is that this is the ground my footprint is laid into," she said in an interview outside the campus cafeteria.

"You know, in Hollywood, stars put their hands in cement. For me, I think Redlands is that cement. It brings you closer to what you're trying to do and accomplish."

She said she appreciates that classmates and teachers in Redlands have treated her like any other student.

"Every student I come across accepts me," she said. "There is an acceptance here that I don't know if I would have gotten anywhere else.

She is teaching a class this semester on dealing with disabilities and hopes to leave a legacy by sponsoring a scholarship for disabled students.

A documentary film crew followed her around campus for six months last year, mounted a camera on her chair and installed a camera in her dormitory room.

"It was really hard because the whole point of the camera in the dorm was for me to turn it on and talk to it," she said. "It was awkward at first because I wasn't talking to a person. But to be able to look into the camera, I think I have seen my audience."

The documentary, narrated by Glenn Close, is expected to air on cable TV sometime next summer. Unser wants to sponsor a premiere showing on campus in April or May to raise money for the scholarship fund.

Scuba Diving

Her public relations push is going full steam.

The aquarium appearance in Long Beach helped promote Cody's Great Scuba Adventure, a program in which she sponsors scuba diving for the disabled. An offshoot of that, Operation Deep Down, will offer scuba excursions for disabled troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

"In the water I feel free," she said. "It's like you're flying. You don't feel constricted."

She was fitted with a special mask that allowed her to field questions from visitors as she hovered in front of them inside the 28-foot-deep tank.

"One of the most amazing things she has been involved with is scuba diving for people with disabilities," said Peter Martineau, senior marketing coordinator at the Aquarium of the Pacific.

He helped organize the awards ceremony and dive as part of the aquarium's sixth annual Festival of Human Abilities.

Martineau said the award recognizes "extraordinary service to the community. In this case, people with disabilities."

There are times, Unser said, when she gets tired of the emphasis on her disability.

"At the beginning of this semester I kind of had a little breakdown," she said. "Am I all about disability and stuff like that?"

But she has come to terms with her condition.

"I learned something about myself," she said. "I'm very open. I'm open to basically expose my life and expose myself for a cause."

Reach Darrell R. Santschi at 951-368-9484 or dsantschi@PE.com

GABRIEL THOMPSON WINS 2008 MARGOLIS AWARD

Read the press release.

Julie Townsend Awarded Book Contract

Julie Townsend, Associate Professor of Interdisciplinary Humanities in the Johnston Center, recently received a book contract for her work on the representation of dance. She was interviewed by Greg Salyer.

Greg: You've just received a book contract for Danseuse: the Figure of the Dancer in Paris, 1830-1935 from Legenda Press. How did you become interested in representations of dance?

Julie:  Well Greg, it all started when I was a toddler.  I was so knock-kneed and pidgeon-toed that I used to trip over my own feet, so my mom enrolled me in ballet lessons to try to straighten me out.  This led to many years of dance classes of all kinds finally resulting in some pretty bad knee injuries in my teenage years.  While I continued to pursue my interest in dance recreationally, by the time I started graduate school in Comparative Literature, I was pretty sure that dance would just be a hobby for me.  In my classes on 19th century French literature, I was thrilled to discover novels, poems, and plays that were populated with dancers of all kinds.  I began to study and write about the ways that writers approached the problem of representing dance in language. 

Greg: Why the 19th Century, and why France?

Julie: I initially planned to study the ways in which the French Revolution resonated in literature through the themes of nationhood, power, and social class in the early 19th century.  I was especially interested in the similarities and differences between men's and women's writing on politics and social issues.  As I got to know the literature of the later 19th century and saw the intersections between literature, dance, and the visual arts, my notions of politics and art became more complex.  Although the book isn't explicitly about politics, I do argue that we see metaphors for national, aesthetic, and gendered power dynamics through the figure of the female dancer. I'm also fascinated by the 19th ecntury because it's really so much more dynamic than we tend to think... for example, we might hear  -- or say -- about something outdated: "Oh, that's so 19th century."  And of course there are many aspects of the 19th century that seem really archaic.  But when you look at the complexity of the art and literature of the period, the 19th century is full of radical challenges to institutional power and shifts in social values.  

Greg: One of your many talents is taking detailed and sophisticated research and bringing it to the classroom in a way that is both challenging and effective. Can you talk about how your research (this and other research) integrates with your classroom?

Julie: I do bring research into the classroom in a variety of ways.  Certainly, when I teach "Theorizing the Dancing Body," I am able to share some of my own research in the class.  But, on a more general level, I encourage students to encounter the complex and often problematic relationships between literature, the visual arts, music, and dance. Through my own work, I've thought a lot about how we can put different artistic practices in conversation with one another while still respecting the integrity of each practice.  So, in classes like "Multiplicities" or "Revisiting Aesthetics," I like to juxtapose and compare work from different disciplines with students. 

Greg: Do you find it difficult to do research at a teaching institution like the University of Redlands, especially when you have the many extra duties of a Johnston professor?

Julie: I do find it very difficult to do research during the school year.  I'm not very good at closing my office door.  Talking with students and preparing classes always seems more immediate than the research does.  So, I do most of my writing over the summers and of course try to keep working on it during the semester. 

Tess Taylor Named In Top 50 Innovators List

In its December edition, Music Connection magazine names NARIP President
Tess Taylor in its list of "50 Innovators, Iconoclasts, Groundbreakers &
Guiding Lights of 2008." Music Connection says of NARIP, "top-notch and
brilliantly executed."

Click here to read the complete article online:
www.musicconnection.com/digital (p. 44).

The list includes Robert Plant, Trent Reznor, Irving Azoff, Tena Clark,
Brian Eno, Lil Wayne, Bob Lefsetz, Jack Johnson, David Israelite, Steve
Schnur, AC/DC, Freddie Ravel, Michael Laskow, Alexandra Patsavas, Ian
Crombie, Derek Sivers and others.

Thank you to the editors of Music Connection and to those who nominated Ms.
Taylor.

The Latest from Jake Rogers

So I miss you all like crazy.  But this program is quickly coming to a close.  I have only about 5 weeks left.  And in the last 2 days I have finished my Seminar Final, and my Spanish Final.  After this I will have 5 weeks of independent study time.  Woo woo!  My independent study is still in the process of being figured out, but my program has let me move forward with working with directors or groups that work on political or social documentaries. 

   They have given me a contact, an ex film maker, who is pretty well connected to work with (he is my most likely candidate as an advisor to sponsor my independent study).  His name is Gustavo, and he is a pretty interesting guy.

   Well its been a while since I have sent an update. So I don't know what I talked about last.  So I'll just ramble a bit.

   After I went to Salta (North) we came back for about 10 days, and then about a week ago I just got back from Bariloche (south).  Bariloche is BEAUTIFUL, its somewhat like Tahoe but in Argentina.  A nice little ski town tucked away from a lot of Argentina, though they manage to have a gigantic poor population non the less.  Tourism is the thing there.  They have groups of seniors in high school that go through there almost every week.  I guess its the hot spot for post graduates.  Bariloche is the chocolate capitol of Argentina, and wow, was the chocolate good and abundant there.  There was a chocolate shop EVERY single block, no exaggeration.  But after I came back from Bariloche, I got really sick.  And I have had a cough for about two weeks.  But its finally starting to improve, at least a little.

  The program took us to a recycling plant, to the poor part of town to visit the community center there and hear how the poor people are cut well out of any potential to make money, and then we also lived with the Mapuche for two days.  The Mapuche is an indigenous group of Argentina/Chile.  Here there is a lot of discrimination against them (some people think they are witches), and they are struggling to figure stuff out for themselves.  They got money to build a new community center, and it was designed by some italian architect who gave them a design that was totally inappropriate inefficient. Its so bad they have stopped in the middle of construction to discuss whether it is even worth keeping because it would be a waste of money. 

   I have finally been feeling the effects of my education/experience here.  I guess the program has really helped me actually see, conceptualize and understand some real life problems, and how many options for solutions there are.   I also just had my spanish final exam today which was damn hard.  For you spanish people: my exam had one part that was fill in the blank, the hardest part was the answer could be in literally any tense.  I think it went well though.

   Some interesting concepts I have been coming to realize (if you are one for concepts, theories, or ideas):  1.  Human Rights are more like goals than actual rights, they exist to keep people working towards making sure everyone has them.  The entitlement itself is enough to keep people fighting.  Its something that's yours but you don't necessarily have it (example: right to food). 

2.  The responsibility to deliver these human rights falls on anyone who has the power to attain them generally.  Rolling with our example. If a mom is not making enough money to provide food for the fam, but is working her hardest, its the responsibility of the government to provide an alternative.  If the government is too dysfunctional to do this, it falls on foreign or local help.  ETC ETC.

3.  Social movements, the ascertaining of human rights, and social change are USUALLY led by the poor.  People that have nothing to lose.  Think about that one.

4.  I could go on.  But maybe I'll save the rest of the interesting ideas for people that want to hear more. Haha.

   Okay thats about it.  But, tomorrow I am going to a big show called Creamfields.  A big techno and electronic concert.  The biggest in the world.  Its like a 12 hours concert with tons of big name groups.  It should be great.  I am excited to go.  Its probably the biggest thing I'll do here except go to Iguasu.  Iguasu is the largest waterfall in the world, and I am working on my planning my trip there. 

   Other than that.  I am getting excited for coming back, and seeing everyone.  I got my classes at Redlands: Public Policy, Race Theory, Principles of Management and Organizational Behavior, Consumers and Consumption, and a 2 credit class called Careers.  I am pumped.  I also just recently applied for the Clinton Global Initiative conference.  Hopefully I'll land that.

Well thats about it.

Miss you all.  Hope all is going well there. 

With love and care, 
Jake Rogers

From Matt (Boomerang) Gray

Jake Rogers from Buenos Aires

 

Hey everyone-

    So It has officially been about a month since I've been here, and the city of Buenos Aires is definitely growing on me.  The people here are so friendly, its always easy to ask for directions, and they love to have fun.  Even though the hours here are 4 hours ahead of Cali time.  They balance it out by starting everything late.  The running joke here is that everyone is late because they are on "Argentinian Time".  Perfect for me, right?

   The program has been great for the most part and in some ways just decent.  Our field trips have been amazing and eye opening experiences:  We went to a processing facility called "Olimpo" where they kept people during the dirty war, 500 people went there, 400 disappeared, and 100 survived.  We watched a movie called "Garage Olimpo" which is about how these processing facilities were.  It was awful.  Horrible stuff happened there, it reminded me alot of the descriptions of some concentration camps.

  Then we went to the Plaza De Mayo, to watch the march of the Madres (moms who had kids of the 30,000 who disappeared during the Dirty War).  The subject of there march was Julio Lopez, a man who disappeared ONLY 2 years ago!  He was going to testify against people in the army, and then just disappeared.  The Madrs were also marching for Bolivia and chanting "Pueblo sí, colonía No"  Which translates into city/town yes, colony no.  The situation about Bolivia from the perspective here.  Is that the US is basically trying to screw Morales with some dirty political tactics, because he has been standing up for his people and trying to get what they deserve for their oil reserves. 

   This day was by far my hardest: at the end of the day, I didnt want to come back to the US.  I have had multiple taxi drivers who have all been relieved when I said I didnt like the government of America as it is now (especially Bush and McCain).  They call Bush a terrorist here.  It really reminded me how important it is to have a president who has a good image with the rest of the world.

   This week we went to Nexo, a group for GLBT's.  Gay Marriage is legal in Buenos Aires. but not in all of Argentina.  This group mainly focused on Health issues in regards to HIV.  They do a lot for the gay community.  But the people that suffer most here are any of the Trans people.  They have been fighting a long struggle to gain rights, and they apparently get turned down for a lot of their basic rights to health (like entrance into hospitals).

  The night life has been fun.  Boliches are clubs here, and they are fun.  But people dont dance up on eachother.  People dance in circles or by themselves ALOT. Its really different.  And the bars are fun.  Fernet Cinzano with coke with my favorite drink. 

   The wine is delicious here (Malbec is the popular and local wine of choice).  But they are always competing with Chile.  Most families here hate Chile.

   My mom is awesome here, she has this hysterical laugh, and loves doing homework with me (especially when we are practicing command form of verbs).  She took me to here boss's farm, which was amazing, and I had some of the best food ever there.  Dulce De Leche is now my newest addiction. 

   My school is in UBA which has 300,000 people.  And my classes are mostly good.  Spanish- I have learned a town.  My field study class is really interesting because I learn how to study people and cultures, and you basically just right observations.  But my seminar is disappointing- with a theme of human rights and social movements you would think they couldn't loose.  But its really just theories and hypothesis.  It gets boring fast, especially when its in your second language.

  I am now about to leave for Salta, which is north of Buenoes Aires.  I will be living in a hotel for 4/5 days. And with a rural family for 4/5 days.  Salta is a town of indigenous people.  So it should be really interesting.  I am going to be living in a mud hut, and living, working, and dining with a family there.  I am excited to see this different type of lifestyle. 

  I really miss everyone.  But i have definitely found my groove here.  My hours are hard and make the days go  by fast.  Class from 9-4 everyday except thursdays (its like highschool again), and a ton of homework when I get home.  I had my midterm for spanish already, and I think I did okay.  My spanish is getting better.  And I am getting along pretty well with the peoople on this program. 

I hope you are all doing well.  And i miss you all.

-Jake Rogers

PS Quick Argentinean Facts: here they say Acá instead of aqui.  The common food is empanadas an pizza.  Quilmes is the Bud Light.  Stella Artois is very loved.  Ciao instead of Adios.  They use Vos instead of Tu (for those of you that care it would be conjugates as so Tenés, Trabajás, Salés, y etc [you dont make any stem change and you add an accent and an S onto the verb])

 

 

 

Hey everyone!

   So, I am living right in Buenos Aires with my host family.  I have 3 brothers, but only one lives in the house and one brother who just moved out but visits a lot.  My mom, Maria, is divorced, but has a boyfriend named Dani.   I also have a dog named Rocque.  Its a beagle!

   My family is super nice.  I have two meals a day with them, the program requires that I eat lunch with my own money.  They eat A LOT here.  There is breakfast, then a snack that usually consists of tea and some type of sweet, then lunch, then Merienda which again is tea, coffee, or some kind of sweet, and finally dinner at 9:30 or 10:00.  Its very different here.  But, its slowly growing on me.  Dulce de Leche is like caramel, and is very popular here.  So is pizza, coffee, Mate, and chicken with rice.  The flavors are different here.  But they have very good food because of all the influence from Italy, France, and Germany.

   The first day I got here.  I arrived at 2 PM at the hotel, which was a mansion from the late 1700's on a farm, 2 hours outside of Buenos Aires.  I had 5 on my first day!  The drinking age IS 18 here.  And the popular type of wine is Malbec.  Its really good and if you buy a good bottle is very strong.  One of students got really drunk splitting a bottle with someone else.

   We had one night in a hotel in Buenos Aires.  We went out for a really nice dinner, and the restaurant had a tango themed night.  We had a 1 hour tango lesson.  And then ate over the course of 3 and a half hours.  The LONGEST meal i have ever had.

  Since I have been at my new house a lot.  Which is really nice.  It has a pool and two floors.  4 Bed rooms and 3 bathrooms.  I have my own room, desk, and a wifi internet connection.  I got lucky.

  But the program has a good focus on experiencing all of the culture.  I will be having a two week homestay with a family in a rural town.  And we will be traveling to a few schools, other rural areas, and some places they call "shanti towns".  They are neighborhoods that consist of really messed up houses that are constructed out of left over materials basically.  Some even without roofs.

  I haven't experienced the night life much yet.  I went out to a bar with my 25 year old brother, Augustín, and some of his friends, then went to his new appartment and hung out for a little bit.  But, the first weekends are supposed to be spent with the family.

  My program is with SIT, and is called Argentina: Social Movements and Humans Rights.  I have my first class tomorrow.  I have 3 clases, a seminar about many aspects of Argentina, a Field Study Seminar (where I will learn how to collect data, interview, and report), and a spanish intensive.

   Thats it for now.  I will be sending out another update soon.

Hope you are all doing great!

Love, 
Jake

For a pdf version of Coz McNooz, click here. 

From the Slayer's Lair: Commencement 2008

It was a dark and stormy night . . .the evening before commencement. And the threatening weather continued into the next morning. University administrators were worried. Apparently, it had been sixty years since we had to make contingency plans for the weather, and we were a bit out of practice. At one point someone suggested that Johnston could have its commencement in the chapel. “I don’t think so,” I said, “not a good idea.” Fortunately, we decided that the hallowed Bekins porch would keep the graduates and the presenters dry, and we could set up the tent accordingly. We were ready for anything--except an earthquake.

The rain never came, and forty-two Johnston students received their diplomas under those gray skies. There was laugher, tears, music, dancing, reverence, and irreverance. In short, we all had a good time. President Dorsey came by to confer the degrees, and a number of administrators and staff came by to view the ceremony and wish our graduates well. Professor Kelly Hankin and Administrative Assistant Tiffany Lunt gave the commencement speech, which focused on a day in the life of Johnston. Most importantly, our graduates completed their last task (well most of them anyway) before taking their Johnston experience with them in the next stage of their journey. They did excellent and creative work and once again demonstrated that our radical vision of undergraduate education works because of the freedom and responsibility that living and learning together entail. It was a great day, and the celebrations continued into the evening with music from the Buffalo Blues Band, Blacklight Soul, and Nick Young, among others. 

An already hectic day was made more intense by the weather conditions, but the people who make commencement happen were at their best, and everything went off perfectly. Teresa Area, the Johnston Registrar, holds us together all year, and she is charged with holding us together through commencement as well. Her dedication to Johnston and its students is exemplary and we are grateful to her for her good will and good work. Matt (Boomerang) Gray was his jovial and effective self. Tiffany Lunt did her usual good work with logistical matters even as she was carrying Noah Nathan Lunt, who was born on July 5. A special recognition is appropriate here. Kathy Ogren, former Director, advised 14 of the 42 graduates. That’s fully one-third of our graduating class. Well done, Coyotess.

And well done graduates. We’re proud of you.

Associate Director

In January 2008 after a national search, Deborah Weis was named Associate Director of the Johnston Center for Integrative Studies. She was interviewed by Greg Salyer.

How did you find out about the job, and what made you want to apply?

I believe that I found out about the job through a posting on higheredjobs.com.  I had just finished at Masters degree in higher education (at Western Washington U.) that emphasized the importance of experience education, communities, and educating the whole student.  I had heard of living/learning communities (Antioch college and Miami of Ohio's Western campus were both near my highschool, I taught a public speaking class at the University of Illinios in Allen Hall, a dorm for a living/learning community, and WWU had Fairhaven College).  I was intrigued and completely excited at the idea of working within this type of program.

Can you share your immediate impressions of Johnston?

I was immediately welcomed with open arms by some of the most caring, authentic, supportive, and enthusiastic characters--students, staff, you, and faculty alike. Everyone I met had a passion for Johnston and was willing to give me all of their time and energy to include me in their community and help me to learn.  

You had a tremendous semester and really connected with the students. Have you been surprised at how quickly you have adjusted to the life of a buffalo?

I think I'm still learning about life as a buffalo, but I think that everyone recognized that my position at Johnston was as a supporter and a nurturer and therefore welcomed me warmly.  Carlos left a deep and loving impression on the students that paved the way for me to ease into the position.  Matt Gray, in his semester as the AD, documented the position so carefully that when in doubt, I could either look on the computer, call Tiffany, swing by Russ's office, or text you for the answers.  So, what I'm saying is the there was a wonderful legacy preceding my arrival and incredible support since.

What else surprised you?

The breadth and depth of the many of the students' lives, interests, skills, and abilities.  They play music, they cook local/organic meals for 50 people, they speak foreign languages, they volunteer, they affect the greater University community's polices.  They do all of this while writing course contracts, traveling, crafting diverse graduation contracts, and participate as important community members.     And they learn all of  this, for the most part, before they are 23.

It was a major decision for you to take this position. Can you say a bit about what went into your decision?

It was a difficult decision. My interview was such an amazing experience and I really loved the students at the Johnston Center.  In the 7 years that I had taught communication class, I was never able to make such great connections with students as I did during my 3-day interview.  Also, I think an important part of any job is the boss and you seemed great (I was right!).  Everyone was so helpful, warm, and genuine and I realized that the most important fit in a job is the people I work with, not the location.  Also, my sister lives in LA and had just told me that she was pregnant with her first child.  Everything seemed to line up and now, I get to be Auntie Deb to baby Eli from only 70 miles away.

What would like to work on this coming year?

In the upcoming year, I will continue to learn how to be effective in my new position.  There will be a lot of firsts--planning Fall GYST that includes a mountain retreat, helping the 40th reunion, managing internal transfers, and senior graduation in the Spring.  I want to branch out a little and make more connection within the greater university community.  It's important for my to recognize and understand the University's resources so I can guide the students to those resources.  I'm also planning to revisit my background in Communication by teaching a class on the Effects of the Mass Media (my first Masters degree and PhD coursework were in this field).

How has your educational training and experience applied or not applied at Johnston?

I believe that everything I've done before this job has culminated into this job.  I was a  student in educational environments that did not work. I also taught communication classes using methods and philosophies that did not work.  Then, I learned what effective, experiential, holistic educational environments look like and everything started to make sense about the things that didn't work for me and why. More importantly, I learned what works. Now I get to apply what I learned from my Masters in Higher Education and try again with my communication background (I'll be teaching a Media Effects class during the Spring semester).

So when you met Matt Gray, was he a total jerk like he usually is?

Totally. And if by "jerk", you mean over-the-top amazing, then he was the biggest jerk ever.

Have you been able to speak to Carlos Arboleda?

I had a wonderful conversation with Carlos on the telephone in March.  He was an intuitive and inspirational guide to me during a challenging moment.  He is so loved by the community and I understand why. 

Rebecca Cigan Wins IES Writing Contest

https://www.iesabroad.org/IES/Students/WritingContest/studentWritingCont...

IES Writing Contest Winner

Rebecca Cigan Amsterdam, The Netherlands Fall 2007 University of Redlands Emphasis: Holistic Health for Womyn and Positive Self-Empowerment   Tolerance Leading to Acceptance: My Study of Sex Work in Amsterdam Power I was so tired that I was instantaneously relieved when she agreed. Natasha was her name, at least I think it was Natasha. I came in. The room looked just like the others, red-lit, with a bed in the corner, and dark. She was wearing some combination of a Speedo swimsuit and bikini—that’s the best way I can think of to describe it. It came up in narrow strips from her abdomen and barely covered her nipples. She said in her thick accent, “You want me to sit like this, is this good?” I looked over. I stuttered and retracted my head like a chicken as I saw her lean back on the bed propped up on her hands behind her. She was straightening her back, sticking out her chest, and crossing her legs with her hips twisted. She looked so provocative, like she was anticipating some kind of sexual act. Well…I guess she is a sex worker. I had been carrying my equipment around all day and handling rejection from what seemed like hundreds of sex workers. Hardly any current sex worker was willing to be recorded on camera, even from the back. I started out shaky and nervous, as usual, and I found that like the other sex workers I had interviewed, she had some insightful comments. “What is enjoyable about your work?” I asked her. “With some people, you can tell, you can be nice,” she said. “But in this job, you can’t be too nice. You can tell that with some people, you have to be straight, and you know when it’s coming.” She continued, “I can tell what kind of jobs people have just from looking at them, what kind of person they are.” And the one thing that shocked me the most, maybe in her delivery, was, “You are the one with all the power.” I was surprised that a womyn who was a sex worker could feel so…empowered and in charge of herself and her own boundaries. There was a haziness in her eyes. An aloofness in her gait. She seemed to float around the room along an invisible wire linked to her hips. But as I left I nearly expected her to kiss me on the cheek like a mother does to a first-day kindergartner. I nervously gathered my things, and felt the twinge of guilt I normally felt after interviews with sex workers. Here I go, back to my privilege, see you later! But she soothed my nervousness by calmly pulling my rain jacket hood out of the place it gets stuck under the backpack straps. She then patted the front of my jacket, making sure it was all straight, and then after a brief exchange of eye contact and smiles, she drew the curtain, and I left.   Humility They directed me to Patrea because she was English-speaking. Canadian, actually. She had long graying hair, a pear-shaped figure, and knowing eyes. Well I told them I wanted a former Dutch sex worker. She puffed her cigarette, leaning on the counter in the Prostitution Information Center, saying, “Yes, they like to send the English-speaking ones to me. You might be able to interview Mariska, she used to work in the windows.” Puff. “What kind of project are you doing?” “A documentary. On sex work and cultures of sexuality in Amsterdam.” “Are you interviewing sex workers?” Puff. At this point I may have lowered my eyes, or shifted my feet uncomfortably, explaining, “Well I was going to interview sex workers but it might just work to interview former ones, I don’t know how—“ “Just go up to the windows and ask them. They’re real people, it’s just another job. You’re a documentary-maker, you need to have guts!” Her attitude was enthralling, and her meaning was straining me. She looked me straight in the eye. We chatted for a little longer, and I spent a little longer trying to justify myself to this womyn, for judging sex workers a little, or being afraid of them, and ended up anxiously saying that yes, I would knock on doors, and yes, I did have guts, and yes I was a documentary-maker. I never forgot the first womyn who humanized the sex work industry for me. There it was, face to face. Sex work and humanity, both realities, existing at the same time. But what else was there to these sex workers’ lives? What else did they have to put up with? What joys and enlightening discoveries did they make and feel?   Pride I sat down on the cold hard brick of the cobblestone alley, waiting for Angel to pull that curtain. I figured usually it would only take about 20 minutes of waiting time, and I really wanted to talk to her. And oh—there she was. Tottering around on her sky-high heels, fussing around her room before reaching the doorknob. “Hello!” she greeted me, before quickly scrunching her pretty face into a frown. “I’m sorry, sweetie, I can’t do it, I’m working!” She genuinely looked sorry for me, all eager with my equipment, anxiety written all over my face. I had come by a few days earlier, cruising around the red light district on my bike, knocking on doors. After talking to Patrea, I figured why the hell not. I owe it to these people if I’m going to represent them fairly. I struck up quite a conversation with Angel. At first I wondered if she was a he. Then it quickly came out in conversation, “I’m a lady-boy.” While many people might have retorted, “A-what?” I simply smiled. I’ve always loved the freedom queer people possessed, and how they persevere through so much animosity. Before I knew it she just started talking. I mentioned something about my work. “I’m making a documentary about sex workers and cultures of sexuality and I was wondering if you’d be willing to do an interview.” “Well, I’ll tell you, so many men on the street say such mean things, but then they come in here and want the c--k!” Her pretty mouth opened wide. “I f--k a man, they want to f--k a man, they like a man who looks like a womyn!” I prodded her, smiling at her sexual references. “Well isn’t that why you’d like to be in the film?” I asked gesturing widely. “Show your message to the world!” She anxiously declined. “Well I need to work,” she said. “Maybe come by Saturday. But now I need to work,” and she fussed around a little bit, giving me her phone number. And now she looked at me, then at the street and passersby through the crack of the door, fluffing her hair. “I have to work, I have to go.” Discomfort Like Natasha, Melissa was also Dutch. When she opened the window-door and I asked her for an interview she said, “I don’t know why, everyone always comes to me for interviews! Yes, it’s OK.” I accepted the blessing. We sat down in the room and she smoked a cigarette as I set up the camera. We talked about cigarettes, drinking, make-up, all while I was preparing. “Is the bed clean?” I asked. “Is it OK if I sit on it?” She said it was fine. I positioned myself and we got into the interview. When I asked her about sexuality she said she supported “normal” sexuality. “Just regular sex is fine,” she said. Not satisfied with the answer I implored, “What is regular sex?” “Sucking, f--cking,” she said laughing nervously. “B--w j-b!” she continued. I joined in her laughter. I looked down quickly and said, “OK, let’s try another question…” “—Well, now, see, in front of you I am shaming,” she said, moving her hands towards her face. “I don’t usually shame but now I am shaming…” We did move on to other questions. At another silence we may have both interpreted as an insufficient answer, she piped in again, trying to volunteer something helpful to my project, “Well sometimes in my mind I think, no, it is not right. I have a boyfriend and I am having sex with other men and sometimes I think that is not right. But he is fine with it, and that is why I don’t kiss. Only sucking and f--cking. I go home and kiss my son, I come home from work and take a long shower. It’s not so bad, it is good, I like my work, but only kissing for my boyfriend and son.” I challenged her, carefully, “So you are OK with using your vagina with other men but kisses are different?” She repeated, “Only sucking and f--cking here, kisses are for my boyfriend and son…” Perspective After arranging it with Patrea, I got an interview with Mariska, a former sex worker in Amsterdam and a current advocate for sex workers’ rights. She told me she first became a sex worker because she really wanted a puppy one day. She was 16. “I am an impulsive person,” she said quietly. “When I want something I go after it, and I like to live an exciting life. When I worked in the windows I actually had a lot of fun.” She was so quiet and so introspective, not different from other sex workers I had interviewed. It is true, that no matter what state they are in, all people think about the situations in their lives. “Often people look at the girls behind the windows and think, ‘Oh, those poor girls,’ and they look at us like some strange kind of monkey. But that window is like a sort of barrier, and once you cross that barrier, you have fun with the people you work with and talk to, and sex work is also about listening to people and being there for people, not just about sex. Some men just want you to sit and talk with them for 20 minutes. And so I think while sitting behind that window, looking through, ‘Oh, those poor people out there living their lives…they must be so sad…” “I like to live an exciting life, I actually had a lot of fun.” Insight I wrestled with some of the things I saw and learned, and found that there is so much more to sex work in Amsterdam than meets the eye. There are certain behaviors there that set a trend for gender and sexual relations everywhere, such as womyn setting appropriate boundaries for themselves and being able to support themselves financially. I feel that I’ve gained a further appreciation for marginalized groups whether it be people below the poverty line, of minority groups such as genderqueer, queer, or of color, or simply being a womyn. Most of all, I have seen an example of a society that has more progressive and pragmatic views than what I am used to in the United States. Although there are many power imbalances in gender relations in the world and in sex work in Amsterdam, I think Amsterdam sets a fine example for how a society should accept and regulate varieties of sexual behavior. I’ve learned so much through sharing moments with these people, and it has inspired me to give others a voice. These people have empowered me to have a voice, an educated voice, about gender and sexuality in Amsterdam.

Gayle Brandeis

Award-Winning Author Named One of 10 Top Female Leaders in Inland Empire
Friday April 11, 4:12 pm ET

Girl Scouts of San Gorgonio Council Present Women of Distinction Awards

Contact:

     For additional information, contact:
     Michelle Eklund
     Director of Public Affairs and Marketing
     (909) 721-8371 cell
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Source: Girl Scouts of San Gorgonio Council

Johnston has a new web site.

March 11, 2008
Maybe you noticed. The web site is the result of a proposal Director Greg Salyer submitted last fall in which he suggested that Johnston was more like a university itself instead of a department. It has almost as many dimensions as a university, and some of those are unique to Johnston. The proposal was for a "Web 2.0" site that would allow the kind of dialogue and interaction that is at the heart of Johnston. The site runs by an open-source content management system called Drupal. Drupal powers sites including the homepages of Warner Brothers Records, The New York Observer, Fast Company, Popular Science, and Amnesty International and project sites by SonyBMG, Forbes, Harvard University, and more. The site is hosted by SiteGround, who are specialists in hosting open-source content management sites. With this new web site, Johnston now has a new identity on the web, one that can tell the Johnston story and enable it to change as well.

Students Present at Academic Conference

February 10, 2008 Ricky (Ricochet) Burton ('09), Monica Barra ('08), and

Victoria Grubbs ('08) all gave papers at the annual meeting of the Southern Humanities Council in Knoxville, Tennessee. The conference theme was literary and cultural representations of home. Ricky's paper was titled "'It Seems Like I Heard These Stories Before': Rereading Ceremony. Monica and Victoria together gave a paper titled "Home: A Dialogue on Family, Friendship, and Living and Learning Together. Ricky, Monica, Victoria, and Director Greg Salyer all presented a panel on Johnston titled "Transgressing and Transcending Institutional Culture: A Living/Learning Community as Home."