2020 has been a testing year for us all but it has not stopped the Greenfield Intercultural Center (GIC) from building community and helping students stay connected to campus. If there is one thing we've learned through this challenging time, it is that WE NEED EACH OTHER. We are so grateful to the courage of our campus partners, the wisdom of our alumni community, the resilience of our student leaders on campus, and the strength of our beloved community. We need each other more than ever before. Thank you for making the weight easier to carry. Here are a few highlights:
Campus partners to host/co-host an event:
GIC Key Progress:
What has contribute to the success of our virtual community engagement this year?
2020 Year in Review (Highlights)March 2020: Work from home begins...Our new GIC Associate Director, Kia Lor, joined us on March 16th, 2020, which was also the first day Penn announced the 'work from home' policy. The GIC was finally fully started and ready to go full steam ahead! April 2020: Let the virtual programming begin!One of the first virtual programs we hosted was a "GIC Social Distance Fitness Challenge" where we ask GIC students and staff to submit a short clip of them doing a workout during quarantine. It was a fun, engaging, and healthy way to engage with each other while practicing social distancing. May 2020: Virtual Graduation CeremoniesCongratulations to the Penn Class of 2020 Graduates! We celebrated our Class of 2020 graduates by inviting their family, friends, partners, professors, and mentors to submit a video and/or congratulatory words to each graduate. Over 80 attendees showed up to the virtual gathering with multiple family members. The event involved music from alums, 6 live presenters including two alumni greetings from Philadelphia and San Francisco, recordings from students, staff and course instructors, a power point with written congratulatory messages and a virtual album slideshow. Some of the feedback we received:
Natives at Penn (NAP) Graduation Ceremony
May 2020: Alliance for Understanding (AU) students initiated and advocated for a conversation about George Floyd and justiceJuly 2020: Virtual Info-Sessions for Class of 2024The GIC partnered with the Office of Admission to put together the GIC Virtual Patio Series for the incoming class of 2024. At the GIC, we enjoy community meals and fellowship in our backyard and patio. So, students were invited to join our GIC Virtual Patio Series chat with current Native, First-Gen Lower-Income (FGLI), International FGLI, and DACAmented/ Undocumented students who will share how they navigate Penn. Each of the five sessions included student stories, helpful information, and time for Q&A. August 2020: Virtual PreceptorialsThe GIC partnered with the New Student Orientation and Academic Initiatives (NSOAI) to put on 4 preceptorials. These are non-credit seminars led by faculty and some distinguished guest lecturers, available to Penn undergraduates in Fall and Spring semesters to supplement the curriculum. The program is designed to foster an interactive, conversational experience with no grades or tests. The goal of preceptorials is learning for learning's sake in an experience often outside the classroom.
September 2020: Virtual Open HouseThis was the first time we facilitated a virtual open house and it was well-received by students and campus partners. We reached out to various students leaders that have a relationship to the GIC as well as campus-partners who work closely with the GIC, to record and submit a video to welcome new and returning students back to campus. Our virtual open house video covers a whole range of information, from FGLI Cafe, to learning communities, to FruiTea, to PennFLASH, etc. Alumni EngagementOne of the silver-linings of the COVID-19 global pandemic was the ability to connect current students with Penn alumni from across the world virtually. The GIC partnered with the Penn First Plus Alumni to facilitate various types of virtual programs for the purpose of:
FGLI AdvancementNatives at PennWellness & Community Building
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Thanksgiving Reflections with Natives at Penn The dominant narrative around Thanksgiving generally depicts Indians (usually unnamed) welcoming the Pilgrims to America, teaching them how to grow food and survive, culminating in the famed, “First Thanksgiving Dinner,” where pilgrims and Indians sat down and shared a meal together in 1637. In reality, the history of this day is less palatable than what we were taught in school. This one-sided tale fails to elucidate the truth behind the Wampanoag connection to the New England Pilgrims, including, but not limited to, the decimation of people through disease, betrayal, and war, the theft of lands, and the attempted erasure of Native identities. This week, Natives at Penn will be working to deconstruct myths around Thanksgiving and shine some light on Native perspectives. We recognize that many of our Indigenous brothers and sisters denounce Thanksgiving and instead recognize it as a Day of Mourning. Some of us choose to protest or to ignore the day altogether. Many of us spend the day like everyone else -- in genuine appreciation for all that we have. A common Indigenous practice is giving thanks for not just our families, friends, and food, but for the environment and land that sustains us, for the health and vibrancy of our peoples, and for the interconnected nature that links our past, present, and future. However you choose to spend this day, Native or not, we encourage you to use “Thanksgiving” as a day of reflection. Be thankful for what you have, but also challenge yourself to think critically about your traditions - the origins, the meaning, and the history of the land beneath your own feet). Natives at Penn wishes you a great day of reflection, and follow us on Instagram @nativesatpenn for further learning! Over the last few years, the Assembly of International Students has partnered with Penn faculty and staff to organize Thanksgiving dinners for international students staying on campus over the break. Although this semester is virtual, we still hope to continue this Thanksgiving tradition!
This year, the Assembly of International Students (AIS) is launching a Virtual Thanksgiving Pairings Program: faculty and staff are paired with students to engage over a virtual activity of their choice. Possible activities may include: hosting coffee chats over Zoom, sending email or text messages to check in, or even mailing over a handwritten card. Please fill out this form by Nov. 20th if you’d like to participate. We will match students with faculty/staff members based on demand and the number of sign ups no later than Nov. 22nd. We hope our program is a way for any international student - whether they are here in Philly or back in their home country - to join us in celebrating the Thanksgiving weekend, and engage further with the Penn community. Please do not hesitate to contact Justine de Jesus ([email protected]) or Hugo Leo ([email protected]) if you have any questions or suggestions. Thank you for your help and support!
CRB and RA UGA Opportunities Two Research Projects on American Religion Position 1: Digitizing the Census of Religious Bodies Undergraduate research assistants are needed to digitize four historical volumes of the Census of Religious Bodies. More than a century ago, the US government expended significant resources documenting the financial, material, and human resources of all of the religious organizations in the country—over 200 denominations, and 220,000 congregations. This project aims to make these incredible data accessible to us for analysis by digitizing the volumes. Undergraduate research assistants will enter the data into an electronic database, clean the data, and possibly help with analysis. This is excellent research experience for students looking to understand how databases are created, organized, maintained and analyzed quantitatively. Position 2: Creating an Archive of American Religious Periodicals Undergraduate research assistants are needed to transcribe articles from historical denominational periodicals from more than 30 of America’s most prominent religious groups. The articles cover a vast array of the issues facing American religious groups between 1918-65, including: segregation, World War II, the cold war, civil rights, feminism, the Vietnam War, global missions, race, eugenics and the population explosion. The work will include transcribing articles from denominational periodicals which have already been gathered. The most advanced assistants will have the opportunity to assist with coding, and possibly analysis and writing. The work can be done remotely. Assistants will learn a great deal about the research process, including how one codes, analyzes and writes-up qualitative sociological findings. For both positions, opportunities to complete advanced tasks and participate in analysis will be offered as appropriate. Those interested may also be invited to collaborate with the PI and graduate research assistants in the writing process, with the possibility of co-authorship. All work can be done remotely. Work study and independent study positions will be filled first. Limited non-work study positions are available.
If interested please send a cover letter and resume to Professor Melissa Wilde at: [email protected].
Dear First-Gen Hmong Girl
by Kia Lor, Associate Director of GIC Dear first-gen Hmong girl, You’re going to see all the other first-years moving in with their families, taking box after box into their dorm rooms, while your younger brother just dropped you off with the family Previa van that is so beaten-up it almost didn’t make the 2-hour commute, and now he has to make another 2-hour commute home on half a tank. It sucks; I know. But your journey to discovering your inner power has only just begun. You’re going to be the only dark-hair, peach-skinned girl in your English class. It’s okay. You. Are. Not. Like. Them. You’re going to be asked a million times, “Where are you from? No, where are you really from?” It’s okay. You. Are. Not. Like. Them. You’re going to be the only Hmong person in most of your classes and no one will know what Hmong means. It’s okay. You. Are. Not. Like. Them. You’re going to feel the pressure to fit in, to drop your Hmong skills and write your essays with bigger English vocabulary. It’s okay. You. Are. Not. Like. Them. You’re going to be the only Asian girl in your China study abroad group and people will incorrectly assume you’re the classes’ tour guide. It’s okay. You. Are. Not. Like. Them. You’re not here for the same reasons as the other students. You’re literally here to take your family out of poverty. This education is for you, your single-mom, your younger siblings, your aunts, uncles, grandparents, and your ancestors. It is a lot of pressure. You will want to cry. To give up. But remember, you have other Hmong sisters who LOVE you and are on the same journey as you. You have little Hmong girls who look up to you as an INSPIRATION. You have mothers, aunties, and grandmas who will BRAG about you because your success is their success. You have friends and community members who are so PROUD of you. Remember, you come from a people who started out with nothing. Be grateful for them and never forget where you came from. And remember, you are the FIRST but not the last. Remember to pay it forward. You will learn later on in your career in Higher Education that your ‘difference’ is your strength. This place was never made for you, yet you thrived like the rose that grew from concrete. This place called Higher Education is a better place because you’re here. Much love, Kia Lor, Associate Director of the GIC Dear Student Organization Leaders,
We write today to encourage student organizations to participate in a campus-wide "Club Break" this Nov. 3-5. If the past seven months and lack of Fall Break haven't made you yearn for a break, then we expect the killing of Walter Wallace Jr. within our own West Philadelphia community and the impending Election may be pushing you to a place where a pause would be welcome. The Club Break is meant to serve as a vehicle for students to exercise agency in the spaces we influence most, our student organizations. We hope that you and your group members will join organizations across campus in canceling or rescheduling activities Nov. 3-5. We appreciate that some groups may not be able to reschedule planned events and ask that those groups identify future dates on which they might take their own pause. We could all use some space to breathe and while this gesture may not remove the stress of your academics or the many pressing concerns of our city and nation, we hope it provides an opportunity for rest, reflection, restoration, and care. Please visit the University's comprehensive 2020 Election Resources to find spaces for education, support and community in the days leading up to and after the election as well as contact information for vital student support services like CAPS and Student Health. In deep appreciation for all you do to create a vibrant and healthy student community, - Grayson Peters, Chair, Student Activities Council - Mercedes Owens, President, Undergraduate Assembly - Katie Bonner, Executive Director of the Office of Student Affairs
Candidates for these positions must have the demonstrated knowledge, skills, and abilities to work in complex virtual team and program environments and must be able to effectively use a variety of digital applications and tools to provide program services, adhere to program timelines, communicate, and collaborate with team members and program participants. They must demonstrate competence in the use of digital tools including team platforms, publications software, e-curriculum content, web conferencing, instant messaging, data gathering, and reporting software. Specific skills essential for this staff colleague to be successful and effective in meeting their project milestones also include evidenced skill with managing social media, creating virtual content, and curating ongoing digital outreach to program participants to support the provision of best-in-class program content and services
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