Cristhian A. Canseco Juarez. Clark College/Jenny Shadley
Governor Jay Inslee has appointed Cristhian A. Canseco Juarezto the Clark College Board of Trustees. Canseco Juarez is a first-generation college graduate, as well as an immigrant and an alumnus of Washington State University Vancouver. He is deeply involved in community service in Vancouver, providing resources for those who have historically been under-represented.
“I’m honored to join the Clark College Board to support students and our community,” said Canseco Juarez. “I want to give back to this community and do my part to help create a more inclusive, equitable and enriching environment for students and their families.”
Canseco Juarez currently serves on the Board of Directors for Lighthouse Community Credit Union. He serves as treasurer for the Southwest Washington LULAC Council and he volunteers as a council member at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church. He also participated in last year’s Clark College Presidential Search Committee.
Canseco Juarez earned his Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from Washington State University Vancouver and graduated from Hudson’s Bay High School in Vancouver. He and his family have lived in Vancouver for 25 years, having emigrated from Mexico to the United States in 1991.
He begins his term on January 1, 2021 and is filling the position vacated by outgoing trustee Jada Rupley. Rupley was first appointed to the Board in 2010 and has served two five-year terms. She has served in a variety of roles in Washington’s education system over the past 25 years: as a teacher, psychologist, principal, and associate superintendent. She is currently the Superintendent of the Clackamas Education Service District in Oregon.
“Jada has provided a depth and breadth of education experience that has been invaluable to Clark College,” said Rekah Strong, Chair of the Board of Trustees. “We are grateful for her work on the board, her expertise, and her passion for helping students succeed.”
The Board of Trustees consists of five members appointed by the Governor of Washington. Members serve five-year terms and must live in the college’s service district. The Board is responsible for strategic planning; development and approval of college policies; and approval and oversight of the operating budget.
For welding, an almost seamless transition
A Welding Technologies student participates in an on-campus lab, even though most Clark College classes are being offered remotely during COVID-19. Fortunately, the program had already shifted to partially online classes before the pandemic hit, and students wear personal protective equipment as part of basic welding safety. Clark College/Tarek Kanso
When COVID-19 switched Clark College’s spring quarter classes from on-campus to online learning, Welding Technologies students were ahead of the curve—and therefore were not as affected as other programs with hands-on labs. Instructor John Kuhn already had pivoted to the hybrid model of classes (part online and part in-person) via an online Canvas shell during summer 2019. At the time, it was a good way for students to complete the bookwork portion of their course. During COVID, it has allowed students to not fall too far behind, because they’d already been working online.
“We were pretty fortunate to have gotten started a year before with hybrid,” says Kuhn. “It gave students an opportunity to study more in depth at home. We got a little deeper into theory, the bookwork, utilizing more YouTube welding videos. It proved effectively that they understood the information.”
Even before the pandemic, welding students needed to suit up in personal protective equipment. Clark College/Tarek Kanso
Because safety is paramount, students in the Welding 102 introductory class must pass a welding safety test with 100 percent. In the past, some students had to retake the test in order to pass. Hybrid learning increased students’ understanding of the material and translated into a higher percentage of students who didn’t have to take the test a second time.
Welding students returned to campus labs in mid-June to complete their spring quarter practical welding assignments. Because Welding is a year-round program, the students returned for hands-on welding labs during summer quarter, too.
A program made for social distancing
Even before COVID, welding students already were wearing personal protective equipment and were socially distanced. Students suit up for every lab class: heavy, flame-retardant coat; steel-toed work boots with a metal plate added to protect feet; leather gloves; goggles; and a welding helmet with built-in face shield. Students work in individual welding booths, far removed from other students.
We visited the welding lab as six first-year students were finishing their class project: a flange, a small version of the pressure vessel built by second-year students. Pressure vessels are used to store and transfer liquids and gases under high pressure. Welding on pressure vessels must be exact and meet rigorous standards to withstand working conditions.
All the students we spoke with were eager to enter their chosen field. The outlook is promising: The number of welding jobs in Washington is projected to grow about 3 percent from 2019-2029, about average for all occupations, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. In the Vancouver-Portland metro area, the average wage for a welder is $23.98 per hour or $49,887 annually. That’s about $8,000 higher than the median wage nationally.
Jessica Pellham. Clark College/Susan Parrish
Student story: Jessica Pellham
Jessica Pellham, 26, had no welding experience—and even lacked any experience with tools—when she started the Welding program in fall 2019.
“I kind of started out as a baby,” Pellham laughs. “I wanted to get into a trade. I tried machining. It wasn’t my thing. Then I watched my fiancé’s grandpa welding.”
It intrigued her. She tried welding, and she discovered she had an aptitude for it.
Pellham says, “It’s hard, physical work, but for me, it’s so worth it to do something I love to do.”
“She has excelled fantastically,” says Kuhn.
Pellham works fulltime at a packing warehouse and goes to Clark fulltime, too. When her cohort began, she was one of three women. Now, a year later, she’s the only woman left in her cohort, but there are more women in the second-year cohort.
“I’m hoping to see more women in trades,” she says. “We can do it, too.”
Pellham’s eventual goal is to be hired on a union or government job.
She adds, “I’d love to weld on submarines or ships.”
Jeff White. Clark College/Tarek Kanso
Student Story: Jeff White
At 60, Jeff White of Washougal is the oldest student in the cohort. Two years ago, he was laid off from his job as a boiler operator at Georgia Pacific in Camas, a job he’d held for 30 years. White qualified for the Trade Adjustment Assistance Program, a federal program to retrain displaced workers due to overseas competition. The program has paid for all his college expenses. He is living on unemployment while he attends Clark.
White’s goal is a job in construction welding. He is a fourth-generation Washougal resident, and hopes he does not have to move to find work after he completes the program.
Student story: Ben Barton
Ben Barton, 29, has worked in restaurants since he was 16. A year ago, when he was working as a server at La Bottega in Uptown Village, he was considering making a career change when a co-worker told him about Clark’s welding program.
“I was ready to do something that was stable,” Barton says.
He researched the welding program and applied in summer 2019, but the fall cohort was full. There was so much interest that a second section was opened beginning winter 2020. He started the welding program full-time in January while he continued working at the restaurant 30 hours a week. Then COVID-19 closed restaurants in March, and he was laid off. To make up for the lost income, he applied for unemployment benefits.
“I’m thankful for unemployment,” Barton says. “I’m going to school to further myself so hopefully I’ll never have to be on unemployment again. Financially I’ve been okay. Obviously, you cut back your spending and you end up making your own meals again. Groceries are cheaper than eating out. My girlfriend and I are both in the restaurant industry and are good cooks.”
Not only does the Clark College Welding Technologies lab offer hands-on experience with industrial equipment, it’s well set up for social distancing. Most work stations are at least 6 feet apart. Clark College/Tarek Kanso
During spring quarter no hands-on labs were offered at Clark. Students kept up with their online bookwork, but they could not get into the labs to practice what they were learning.
“I was really thankful that Clark opened our shop back up for us,” he says. “The welders out there working in the industry are still working during COVID. I was at a stalemate. In limbo. I couldn’t work. I couldn’t do my welding [studies] to further my career.”
“I was one of the few COVID affected positively,” Barton says. “I was juggling school and working. Now I can focus on school.”
Oswald shows off the new ballot drop box on Clark College’s main campus. Clark College/Susan Parrish
A permanent ballot drop box has been installed on Clark College’s main campus. The walk-up ballot box is in the Red 3 parking lot, near the flagpole and south of the Penguin Union Building.
“Clark College has always served as a hub of civic engagement in this community,” said Clark College President Dr. Karin Edwards. “We’re excited to be able to continue this tradition by having our campus become a point of access to the democratic process.”
The new ballot box is one of 22 permanent ballot drop boxes in Clark County. These are available 24 hours a day from October 16 through 8 p.m. on Election Day (November 3). Find locations of all ballot drop boxes in Clark County on the county’s website. Use this Google Maps widget to help find directions to the drop box closest to you.
Election Day is Tuesday, November 3.
Mail-in ballots must be postmarked by Election Day.
Drop-off ballots must be delivered by 8 p.m. Election Day.
If you wish to return your voted ballot in person on or before Election Day, take it to Clark County Elections Office, 1408 Franklin Street, Vancouver. Hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day. To reduce the spread of COVID-19, masks and social distancing are required for in-person services.
Domestic Violence Awareness Month
Students are spending more time at home during the COVID-19 pandemic. But it may an unsafe situation for students who are targets of domestic violence. October is recognized as Domestic Violence Awareness Month. In the United States, 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men have experienced some form of physical violence by an intimate partner.
While in remote operations, Clark College has amplified its online services for students who may be victims or witnesses of domestic violence. The Clark College Supports Survivors web page outlines the resources that are available for students.
“We continue to find ourselves engaged in vital conversations focused on the importance of acknowledging and effectively responding to sexual, gender-based, and intimate-partner violence and harassment,” said Cath Busha, Dean of Student Engagement. “In this spirit, we reaffirm our support of all survivors, as we explore new ways of creating a safer and more caring community that does not tolerate violence of any kind,especially as we learn and work remotely.”
At Clark College, employees are encouraged to make a report when they hear about situations a student may be involved in that includes domestic/dating violence, sexual assault, stalking or sexual misconduct. Students can also make a report on their own behalf. To report instances and access support, visit the Title IX reporting link.
Issues of domestic and dating violence are extremely serious and often difficult to discuss and report.
“When we play a role and speak out against harmful attitudes and actions, we all help reduce stigma and domestic/dating violence,” said Christina Longo, Director of Compliance at Clark College. “We must be dedicated to ending violence as a social problem, as we continue to support each individual student and community member in need of resources.”
Clark College believes all students deserve to be safe. They deserve to be respected and they deserve to be heard.
This article was written by Clark College Office of Student Affairs.
Clark College announces online teaching to continue in winter 2021
Today, Clark College announced that its 2021 winter term will be taught online with limited face-to-face labs.
“I realize we just began fall term, but registration for winter term is quickly approaching,” said Clark College President Dr. Karin Edwards. “It is time to make the next decision in a series of difficult ones regarding how we will deliver education in such an unpredictable environment as this pandemic.”
Clark has decided to extend remote teaching modalities through the end of the Winter 2021 term.
Students will have three modality options as they make registration decisions for winter:
Online – Classes will be fully online and asynchronous.
Remote – Classes will be taught online with scheduled synchronous instruction components (i.e., live sessions using Zoom or other video-conferencing apps).
Hybrid – Lecture components will be fully online and lab components will have scheduled face-to-face instruction. Date, time, and campus location information will be included on the schedule. This modality will be reserved for specific career technical programs and labs with hands-on requirements. Strict safety protocols will be maintained to protect the health and safety of students and faculty.
As a large institution with thousands of students and more than 1,000 employees, there remains a significant risk of exposure to COVID-19. Clark College consulted with the State Board of Community and Technical Colleges, public health authorities, other colleges, students, and faculty in making this decision.
“This is a difficult decision because we want to see our students back on campus,” said Edwards. “But we also want to safeguard our students’ health. By making early decisions, we can put into place plans to support students, continue to improve our online processes, and provide students with optimal instruction online.”
Clark College has been in remote operations since Gov. Jay Inslee’s “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” proclamation in March. Already, the college has taken many steps to help support students during this extraordinary time of social distancing. The college has distributed free loaner laptops and wifi hotspots to students, set up an online emergency grant application to support students facing financial crises, and established “virtual office hours” for all its student services.
With respect to winter term and college operations, there are numerous decisions that will need to be made.
The college’s ability to accommodate on-site activities such as athletics, student club meetings and scheduled events will be dependent on several factors, such as guidance and restrictions placed on campus activities by the State of Washington.
For the time being, Clark College will continue to operate remotely and limit or prohibit on-campus activities. As restrictions are lifted, Clark will develop procedures and protocols that will allow those activities to occur on campus safely.
Winter Term at Clark College begins January 6, 2021.
Finding his wavelength
Clark College student Nick Gibson, left, interviews Shannon Chasteen during his internship with Oregon Public Radio. Photo courtesy of Nick Gibson.
Clark College sophomore Nick Gibson successfully pursued two hands-on community journalism opportunities over the summer. The experience he gained will enhance his job as editor-in-chief of Clark’s student news magazine, The Indy,for the 2020-21 academic year.
Gibson’s second summer project was being selected by Oregon Public Broadcasting to participate in National Public Radio’s Next Generation Radio Project for outstanding college journalists. Now in its 20th year, NPR Next Gen selects emerging journalists who are either still in school or recently graduated and provides them with five days of training to produce a radio news piece.
Clark journalism professor and Indy adviser Beth Slovic encouraged Gibson to apply to Next Gen. Gibson applied, but was doubtful that a community college student would be selected.
“I didn’t believe I had any chance of getting this NPR fellowship experience,” he says. “I don’t have access to the equipment or the training that these big institutions have.”
“I like to think The Indy lets students follow their interest,” Slovic says. “I knew radio was Nick’s primary interest. I’m proud of the work Nick did with the project. I think it was great preparation for his work at The Indy, and I know he’s super-energized to share his enthusiasm for telling people’s stories with the rest of the staff.”
Despite his initial concerns, Gibson was encouraged that another community college journalist, Kanani Cortez from Portland Community College, also was selected to participate in his Next Generation cohort.
Gibson’s NPR project told the COVID-19 story of Shannon Chasteen, chef de cuisine for Portland’5 Centers for the Arts. When the pandemic shut down restaurants and event venues, Chasteen was furloughed indefinitely. Looking for something productive to do with her time off, Chasteen began volunteering to cook at Blanchet House, a nonprofit organization that feeds and houses people in need in downtown Portland.
When Gibson went to Blanchet House to interview Chasteen, she was nervous. She had never been interviewed before.
“It was really about making Shannon comfortable,” Gibson says. “It’s a non-narrated piece so I had to rely on Shannon to tell her story.”
His next challenge was to edit his 45-minute interview down to a four-minute story. OPB provided journalists, editors, and illustrators to support Gibson and the other Next Gen journalists. He was given a short lesson in editing with Adobe Edition software. He had only five days to complete the project: interview, audio editing, taking photos, and writing the print story.
Gibson says he appreciates the network and support provided by the 600 journalists who have participated in the Next Gen project over the past 20 years. They often share internship and job opportunities across the U.S.
Finding his niche—and his passion
Nick Gibson. Photo courtesy of Nick Gibson.
Gibson’s original career plan was not journalism, but psychology. After graduating from high school in Montrose, Colorado in 2016, he received a full-ride scholarship to Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction, about an hour from home. Settling into his new city and the university campus, he started his classes. Whether it was the coursework, the school, or the timing—or a combination—it didn’t take long for Gibson to realize it wasn’t a good fit. After his first term, he took a break from school, but he stayed in Grand Junction for about a year working and getting involved in the community.
He found purpose, connection, and perhaps even his passion when he started volunteering at 100.3 KWSI-LP, a fledgling community radio station. In sharp contrast to how his university classes had felt, radio clicked for him. First, he helped paint the studio and set the antennae. After the station’s engineer taught him to work the radio equipment, Gibson hosted a music show, and then a League of Women Voters program. He did stories on ballot issues and teen suicide.
Gibson explains, “Volunteering at the community radio station was a life-changing experience. I realized I was having fun and decided to get into audio storytelling.”
He says, “I’ve always worked best by doing. I think journalism is a lot like cooking. It’s best to be in the kitchen, doing it every day. I’ve always been hands-on, getting to know my community, getting to know how to work the board.”
His success at his volunteer gig at the radio station led him down a new career path as an audio journalist. He relocated to Vancouver and moved into his aunt’s home to save money. After he learned about Clark College’s journalism program, he established Washington residency, which made school more affordable. Eventually, he moved into his own apartment down the street from campus.
The resiliency of students: Learning to pivot and seek help
Gibson was ready to try college again, but he didn’t want to repeat the negative experience he’d had in Colorado. Recognizing he needed to develop coping tools to help him be successful in navigating the challenges of college, he sought therapy. One of the tools he developed in therapy was practicing mindfulness.
“It changed my life,” Gibson says. “It helped get me to a place to be able to go back to school.”
Three years after his high school graduation, he started attending Clark College in fall of 2019.
Gibson, 22, says, “I understand I’m a couple of steps behind some people I graduated high school with.” Then he adds, “But there is no timeline.”
Pursuing a journalism career
Nick Gibson taking photos as part of his Oregon Public Radio story. Photo courtesy of Nick Gibson
His first quarter at Clark, he took Journalism 101 taught by Beth Slovic “because I knew I wanted to pursue journalism.”
The next term, he joined The Indy staff. On his first day, he produced an audio story about the faculty strike.
Gibson says, “I wanted to bring my experience at the radio station. As editor-in-chief, that’s one of my goals—to diversify The Indy’s content. With a digital format, you must have engaging content that people want to stay with. Beth (Slovic) is there guiding you. She’s an advisor in the best sense. It’s student-run.”
Slovic agrees. “I don’t control what they do. I give them instruction and assignments in class, but I ensure my assignments don’t bleed over into their stories for The Indy.”
Clark’s journalism program teaches students to report and write, but also to produce multimedia stories, including audio and video.
“Entry-level journalists today are expected to do it all, so I give students the freedom and the tools to experiment with a lot of different story formats,” Slovic says. “Students like Nick, who come to Clark with radio experience, can take it as far as they want. We have had training in podcasting in past quarters in that class, and our newsroom includes podcasting equipment and dedicated space for recording.”
She says learning to pitch stories is a key focus during class for The Indy.
“Students collaborate over Zoom, phone, Slack, Canvas to share story ideas. As part of the class, they’re required to write story pitches. The editors—Nick and his staff—evaluate the pitches and make assignments. We have new students joining the class every quarter, so not a lot of experience pitching. That’s one of the things we practice the most.”
Gibson says he is grateful for his Clark instructors: “Professors at Clark are so engaged and passionate about their subjects, and they’re in the field doing research. I think they really care about their students. They understand the circumstances of their students who are working or are parents.”
At the end of NPR’s Next Gen production week, Gibson and the other journalists were asked to write a reflection piece. Gibson wrote about the value of community college journalists and community colleges in general. Read Gibson’s reflection here.
“[C]ommunity college students are a valuable part of this industry and should be recognized as such,” he wrote in his reflection. “Those students are often working with limited funding and limited access to equipment while juggling other responsibilities like parenting or a part-time job. When those students are overlooked it leads to a lack of diversity in newsrooms, which in turn leads to underserved and under-covered communities.”
Gibson says, “When you talk about community college students, you’re talking about lower-income, many POC [people of color], first-generation college students. I love my peers. I want them all to go on to do great things.”
Meanwhile, Gibson is planning for his own great things. After he graduates from Clark, he plans to transfer to WSU Pullman and continue pursuing his journalism education at the Edward R. Murrow School of Journalism and Northwest Public Broadcasting.
Pat Niesz, 73, has been coming to Clark College’s dental clinic for three years. On this visit, student Stefanie Hatley took x-rays and cleaned Niesz’s teeth. Hatley would have graduated Spring quarter. Now she will graduate at the end of August. Photo: Clark College/Susan Parrish
For 51 years, Clark College’s dental hygiene clinic provided affordable dental service to the community—until the COVID-19 pandemic forced it to close in spring term. Now, thanks to careful planning by the college’s dental hygiene program, the Firstenburg Dental Hygiene Education and Care Services is back open to serve the community and train the next generation of dental caregivers.
The clinic is a win-win for both the community and the students.
“It’s a two-way street,” says Program Director Kristi Taylor. “We’re helping the community, but they’re helping the students gain real-world experience. We’ve set up our clinic so students have the feel of a private practice. Our goal when students leave here is to be prepared to walk into a private practice. They are very job-ready.”
COVID-19 safety measures added
Before the clinic could reopen, Taylor and instructors scrambled to adapt the lab classes and clinic to meet safety guidelines prescribed by the Centers for Disease Control, Washington State Department of Health, and American Dental Association to protect students, staff and patients.
“It’s a lot of changes across the dental and medical fields,” says Taylor.
The program was helped by the fact that many safety procedures were already in place. Even before the pandemic, students and instructors wore face masks in the clinic when working directly with patients. Frequent handwashing and wearing gloves were also standard.
“We have always been very conscious of infection control,” Taylor says.
Since COVID-19, the program has implemented these new safety measures:
Scrub caps now are mandatory.
Clear plastic face shields are worn by students or instructors who are within six feet of a patient.
Two-feet-tall clear plastic partitions were installed to separate individual stations (called “operatories”) from each other and from common spaces.
Following social distancing guidelines, the clinic has reduced the number of patients and students on site. The clinic has 30 operatories. Normally, 25 students are working at a time, and they treat 22 patients. Due to COVID restrictions, the students and patients are divided into two groups, and only 10 to 15 patients are scheduled at a time.
N-95 masks will be required when the clinic is using aerosols again. For now, the program has opted out of using aerosols in the clinic because they potentially could spread COVID-19 particles through the air. Normally, student hygienists use aerosols to polish teeth and to cut out decay before filling cavities. During the pandemic, if a patient needs a filling, the clinic refers them to an outside dental office.
“These precautions are probably long overdue,” Taylor says. “I think we’ll see many of these safety measures remain [after COVID-19].”
Students were assigned patients to call and explain the safety protocols put in place. Some patients chose not to come into the clinic during the pandemic.
Dr. Eugene Sakai works with student Shaylin Breen in Clark College’s dental clinic. Photo: Clark College/Susan Parrish.
A dentist oversees every clinic session. On this day Dr. Eugene Sakai, retired from his own dental practice, is on site to examine patients and diagnose issues, do soft-tissue exams, and look for disease.
Dr. Sakai says, “COVID is changing things a lot.”
CDC guidelines recommend that people maintain six feet distance from others.
“We cannot do our work from six feet away,” Taylor says. “A lot of active hygienists have decided to retire due to COVID.”
As a result, Taylor says, the industry is short of hygienists. This is good news for Clark’s student hygienists.
Taking care of students
Public health restrictions meant instructors and students worked remotely Spring quarter. Before COVID-19, students had all face-to-face classes, except for one online class per quarter. It took team effort to adapt Spring classes for remote learning. By moving the didactic portion into spring and the labs/clinics into summer, instructors didn’t have to create many instruction videos.
Dental hygiene students who were scheduled to graduate Spring term had missed an entire quarter of crucial hands-on instruction, both in the lab and working with patients in the clinic. Taylor and her team got to work figuring out how to schedule clinical hours for all students while also observing the social distancing protocols that reduced the number of students allowed to work simultaneously and the number of patients allowed in the clinic.
By the time dental hygiene students returned to campus on June 21, all the lead instructors had put together a plan for their respective clinics.
“We all worked together to create the overall schedule of courses that included all the labs and clinics they had missed in the spring,” Taylor says.
Dental hygiene instructor Amy Johnson holds the color-coded schedule her department created to ensure all students got the required lab time to graduate.
Then all the plans were compiled onto a detailed, color-coded schedule to ensure all students completed their required hours for labs including local anesthesia, nitrous oxide, radiology, cleaning and clinic. Implementing social distancing while compressing all the labs and clinical experience into the shorter summer schedule has required most students and faculty to work six-day weeks, and to sometimes work Sunday too.
“This summer has been full of catching all the students up on their hands-on skills,” Taylor says.
“It’s been really hard on the students,” adds instructor Amy Johnson.
The Bachelor of Applied Science in dental hygiene is a four-year degree. The dental portion takes two years to complete. Each year about 100 potential students from as far away as Seattle and California apply for the program’s 25 slots.
“Students can come to Clark, pay a much lower tuition [than at a four-year university], and get the same training,” Taylor says.
Seniors will graduate at the end of August after completing their hands-on clinics.
Taylor says some students already have jobs waiting as soon as they pass their six clinical boards and get their license to practice.
“In recent years, all of our students have found jobs,” Taylor says. “I get four to six phone calls a week from dental offices looking for hygienists. I’m extremely happy we could return to the lab.”
Clark’s dental hygiene clinic is open to the public and offers affordable dental care to adults and children. To schedule an appointment, call 360-992-2158. Learn more at www.clark.edu/dentalhygiene.
Most college offices offline Aug. 11-12 for staff training, Teaching and Learning Days
Most staff at Clark College will be largely unavailable to the public while they participate in a collegewide staff training, Teaching and Learning Days on Tuesday, August 11 and Wednesday, August 12.
Classes will continue as normally scheduled. Additionally, the following services will be available:
Clockwise from top left, Nathan Webster, Rashida Willard, Tyler Monk, and Erykah Weems spoke during an online public forum called “Listen to Learn & Lead: Stories from our Black Community.” Photo courtesy of VanTalks.
Two members of the Clark College community shared their experiences of being Black in Vancouver during a public online event held on July 30. Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Rashida Willard and marketing professor Nathan Webster were among four speakers who told their stories during “Listen to Learn & Lead: Stories from our Black Community.”
The event was co-presented by VanTalks, Vancouver’s version of TED Talks that inspire change, ideas and innovation, and by Ready to Rise, which supports students of color and first-generation college students.
The other two featured speakers were Tyler Monk, Clark County director of Ready to Rise, and Erykah Weems, who grew up in Vancouver and recently graduated from Central Washington University. She is passionate about supporting and elevating the voices of girls and young women of color who have been impacted by adverse childhood experiences.
At the start of the forum, emcee Monk reminded the audience: “We have four Black folks sharing our experience. We do not speak for all Black folks.”
Nathan Webster
Webster, who grew up in Vancouver and graduated from Mountain View High School, talked about how it felt growing up in a sea of white people. During his presentation, he shared class photos in which he is the only Black person.
“I’ve always been that ink spot in that bottle of milk,” he said. “I don’t see enough Black males in leadership roles in Vancouver. Can we show some love to our Black males? So many of my students at Clark have never had a Black male teacher until they took my class.”
Webster also addressed how he feels being a Black male during an era when police brutality toward Black males is rampant. Too often, white people encounter a law-abiding Black male who is doing nothing illegal and minding his own business, but the white person calls the police.
He said, “White folks, please don’t be scared of Black men. I don’t want to be an endangered species.”
Rashida Willard
Willard says she grew up in pre-gentrified Northeast Portland in a close-knit Black community that included “cookouts, church ladies and aunties sitting on the porch watching out.” Later, she and her husband and their growing family were priced out of their Portland community. After moving to Vancouver, where housing prices were more affordable, she started looking around for other Blacks and asked herself: “Where are they?”
Willard spoke about the need to pay attention to her actions and words in Vancouver’s stores, medical offices, restaurants and her workplace. She talked out her internal monologue when she’s in a store: Keep your hands out of your pockets or people will think you’re stealing. Her list of “don’ts” was long and included paying attention to her clothing and hair.
She told a story about a time she was grocery shopping when a white stranger asked her to control her child. The woman was pointing to someone else’s Black child.
She told the audience, “I don’t own all the Black kids in Vancouver!”
On another trip to the grocery store, the cashier asked Willard whether she was going to use her EBT card to pay for her groceries. Willard told the audience that she doubted the cashier asked white shoppers that same question.
After many negative encounters in Vancouver, she said, “I started to wonder where I belong.”
She spoke about the need for more local leaders who are not white: “In Vancouver students need to see people of color in leadership positions.”
During the Q&A after the presentations, an audience member asked: What’s the biggest mistake white allies make?
Willard answered: “Be an ally when the cameras aren’t rolling. True allyship is what you are doing when nobody is watching.”
She added, “If you’re a white person called out by a person of color, listen to them. Believe Black folks.”
Clark College has carefully reviewed the Northwest Athletic Conference’s recently announced Return to Play for Fall Sports and made the difficult decision to not offer sports programming during the 2020 fall term.
This decision was based on the impact of the NWAC guidelines on Clark’s students and staff, as well as the continued increase of COVID-19 cases in Clark County and surrounding areas. As always, the safety of our students, employees, and greater community remains paramount.
This decision will directly affect the Men’s and Women’s Cross Country competition season, currently scheduled to begin this Fall. Clark will forego entering teams into scheduled NWAC competitions for the 2020 season. If future decisions are made, delaying the Cross Country season to winter term, there is a possibility for Cross Country to compete in the winter.
This decision also includes training and practice components for the Volleyball, Men’s and Women’s Soccer, as well as the training and practice components for Men’s and Women’s Basketball, Baseball, Softball, and Track and Field. The college will continue to closely monitor guidance from NWAC for changes to their 2020-2021 sports calendar.
“This is by far the most difficult decision I have had to make, since taking on this role,” said Clark College Director of Athletics Laura LeMasters. “Ultimately, the student safety and experience was at the forefront of our conversation, along with the safety of our coaches, trainers, and department staff. We are prepared to work with local health authorities and college administrators to return to play, when our campus and community can provide the safety and experience expected by those who attend Clark College.”
LeMasters added that the college appreciates each student-athlete who chose to attend Clark College and represent the Penguins in competition this fall, and will honor their athletic aid. “Should a student-athlete decide that another situation will allow them to be successful elsewhere, Clark College stands ready to assist in that transition,” she said.
Clark College will consider the status of subsequent 2020-2021 sport seasons for winter and spring at an appropriate time in the future and in accordance with the most current version of NWAC protocols for return.
As always, Clark College will continue to center its decisions on the health and safety of its student‐athletes, coaches, athletic staff, support members, and fans as it responds to the COVID-19 pandemic.
