Student Symposium: “Pencils Down: Confronting Hate with, and in, the Humanities”

Event Date and Time: June 18, 2020, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Event Address: Online

Even in times of enormous social need, the Humanities too frequently take their responsibilities to confront hatred and iniquity in society, along with their potential to address social justice, for granted. Please join this student-organized symposium for a full-day series of remote roundtables on social justice in and out of the classroom. This symposium highlights student voices confronting hate with, and in, the humanities. In addition to two open-ended student roundtables, the program will include smaller sessions on the following topics:

• Protest movements
• Criminal Justice
• Social justice in the classroom
• Creative responses to social justice

Schedule June 18, 2020

• 9-10 a.m. – Opening Roundtable
• 10-10:25 a.m. – Break
• 10:25-11:05 a.m. – Resistance On & Off-Campus
• 11:05-11:10 a.m. – Break
• 11:10 a.m. – Prison censorship presentation
• 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. – Criminal Justice Roundtable
• 12:15-12:20 p.m. – Break
• 12:20-12:30 p.m. – Public-facing Theory Class presentation
• 12:30-1:15 p.m. – Equity Pedagogy and Classroom Social Justice
• 1:15-1:20 p.m. – Break
• 1:20-1:30 p.m. – Poetry presentation
• 1:30-2:15 p.m. – Creative Works Roundtable
• 2:15-2:30 p.m. – Break
• 2:30-3:30 p.m. – Closing Roundtable and Calls to Action

We encourage you to invite students, other faculty, and friends and family to join us.

Contact us at SAPHSymposium@gmail.com

English Student Spotlight:
Drew Larson
BA in Journalism: News Editorial
BS in Journalism: Public Relations
2020 CALE Dean’s Student Excellence Award Recipient

Drew Larson is a student with a BA in Journalism, News Editorial Emphasis and the BS in Journalism, with a Public Relations Emphasis; he graduates in June, 2020.

How is the English program at Eastern shaping who you are as a professional?

I’ve been able to gain practical experience in the journalism department while learning key skills I need to enter the field successfully. I’ve been able to improve as a writer, designer, team leader and develop fringe skills in photography and other multimedia work. I’ve also learned a lot about the world of journalism, its set of ethics and a lot of keys to being a good reporter. 

What projects have you worked on that you would like to highlight?

Currently, I’m co-managing editor of The Easterner along with Malati Powell. I’m also the sports editor, a position I’ve held for this school year. I became co-managing editor at the beginning of winter quarter. Right now we are running The Easterner remotely, holding staff meetings through Zoom and communicating through the process of putting out solely digital content. Under our leadership, our staff grew from four people to 12 contributing students. 

I got my feet wet at The Easterner as a sports reporter last year, so I’ve been in sports coverage for almost two years. That’s been a great experience where I’ve gotten to cover basically every athletic sector at EWU you could imagine, from football to men’s basketball to the ice skating club. 

How have your EWU experiences shaped you?

I’ve become a more professional and forthright person during my time at college. I’ve learned to lead an organization and discovered a lot of the hidden responsibilities that come with a management position. I’ve also been able to more clearly define what I’d like to do for my career. 

What important lessons or tips do you have for future students?

Definitely work for The Easterner! It’s considered professional experience in the Journalism program, and you can get paid while getting your work published. It is experience in a real newsroom that you can’t get anywhere else on campus. Also, try not to procrastinate too much, or you could miss deadlines. The AP Stylebook really is your best friend.

Is there anything else you would like to share with readers?

I’m thankful for the opportunities I’ve had at EWU and the many former students and current faculty at The Easterner who have mentored and guided me along the way. 

Student Spotlight: Brittany Copeland

BAE English Secondary Education

Brittany Copeland is a student in the EWU Teacher Preparation Program majoring in Secondary English Education. She graduates in Spring 2020.

What projects have you worked on that you would like to highlight?

I am so excited to have the opportunity to continue to work with my students from my placement school. To ensure the safety and well-being of teacher candidates and the K-12 students during the current health crisis, student teaching internships were understandably canceled for spring quarter. Thankfully, I have been fortunate enough to continue to work with my mentor teacher, Maria Sturgeon at Ferris High School, on a volunteer basis.

Mrs. Sturgeon has had a profound impact on my education and my growth both professionally and personally. Through these difficult times, she has allowed me to support, teach, and learn from my high school English students through distance learning. This has been an exciting adjustment, and it is not lost on me that this is an amazing opportunity I have been given. My hope is to support Mrs. Sturgeon and our incredible students as we adjust to a new model of learning.

How have your EWU experiences shaped you?

Being a post-baccalaureate, non-traditional student has been a unique experience. It’s been a challenge balancing my family and my own pursuits. Thankfully, my husband and children have been supportive and excited about my endeavors. They have cheered me on which has given me even more drive to do well. I’ve really had to learn to prioritize what’s important as I balance caring for my family with my education. I’ve had to cut back on distractions and trivialities. This second experience at the university has really given me the drive to cultivate a life of simplicity and togetherness for my family.

I’ve gained a new appreciation for classic literature that I’d like to share with my students. When I first joined the Secondary English program, I told my advisor, Sean Agriss, that I believed in helping students learn to love to read. At the time I thought the best way to do that was through Young Adult Literature. Agriss certainly knew something I didn’t and encouraged me to embrace classic literature as part of my personal canon.

While I still feel YA literature can have a profound impact on students, I believe studying classic literature allows us to connect to people across time and space through common human experiences. The best pieces of literature contain these Easter Eggs, like those surprise connections you might catch in a Pixar film. However, the reference isn’t to the first movie in the series. Instead, the reference is to you or the world you live in, even though the work was written some 150 years before you were born.

I really believe the stories we read shape and sometimes validate who we are, and I hope to instill a strong desire to make these connections in my students. Agriss and the English Department at EWU have really shaped my approach to education. I am eternally grateful for their wisdom and support.

What important lessons or tips do you have for future students?

Enjoy your life. Enjoy the moments you’re in. Allow yourself to feel the good and the bad. Continue to grow. Continue to fail and learn from your failures. Call your grandparents. Send thank you cards.

Do you have anything else you would like to share with readers?

In the coming years, I see myself getting a handle on teaching English to secondary students. That said, I’m not ready to fast forward five years. Let time crawl so that I may breathe in every precious moment of my life with my husband and children.

Student Spotlight:
Raghda Al Hmeyrat
M.A. Rhetoric and Technical Communication

Raghda Al Hmeyrat is a graduate student in the MA in English with Emphasis in Rhetoric and Technical Communication Program. She graduates in June 2020.

Do you have any exciting projects that you are currently working on or past projects that you want to highlight for our readers?

I really enjoyed creating instruction guides for the Eastern Writers’ Center for Eastern students.  In that project, I created instructions on how students could interact and use the Writer’s Center website to access and use the Writers’ Center’s services.  

Another project that I enjoyed creating that was very personal to me was a video informing people of the 2019 Iraqi Revolution.  I used my skills in audio and video production to relay an important message to my community with that project.

How have your EWU experiences shaped you?

Teaching for the English program has built my confidence in who I am and has allowed me to push myself much harder than I had during my undergraduate education. It helped me become a stronger person.  When your profession helps you become a better person, that’s when you know you are in the right place with the right people.

The English program has given me skills in teaching, communication, instructional writing, editing and public speaking.  It has made me realize what I want to pursue for my career, and what skills I want to keep working on after I graduate, especially in the area of instructional writing.

What important lessons or tips do you have for future students?

Stay on top of everything in your classes and do not get behind, because it is so easy to get behind in your work.  Don’t be afraid to reach out to your professors and your classmates if you need help.  Enjoy your process of learning and don’t rush it.  Really enjoy the process.

Are there any other concluding thoughts you have before we wrap up this interview?

I want to thank all the professors from the English Composition and RTC program for giving me the opportunity to grow as a person. Now that I am almost done with the program, I feel more confident in the future and in pursuing a career of my interests, like working on instructional videos or teaching English as a Second Language.

Student Spotlight:
Colleen Ford
BS in Journalism: Public Relations

Colleen Ford is an EWU alumnus, who graduated June 2019 with a BS in Journalism and Public Relations.   She currently runs the blog for AMLI Residential, a nationwide residential development corporation

How has the English program at Eastern shaped who you are as a professional?

I worked for The Easterner for a year as the web editor. Learning Search Engine Optimization tactics and becoming familiar with graphic design, AP Style and the editing process gave me the qualifications needed to get my current jobs. I run the blog and Instagram for a nationwide residential development corporation, and I also do work for a nonprofit that protects endangered rhinos in South Africa.

What projects have you worked on that you would like to highlight?

I was part of the EWU Women’s Rugby team while I was at Eastern, and through doing that I got to volunteer for the 2018 Rugby World Cup in San Francisco as a media volunteer. I got to see behind the scenes of a global event, and I followed international media workers around as they interviewed players, wrote their stories, took photographs and created content in a variety of different languages. If you have a sport or event you want to go to, there are always ways to make that happen if you dig around a little bit. Plus, you’ll learn some really cool skills along the way!

Right now I’m running the blog and Instagram for AMLI Residential, and I’m having a blast writing about all sorts of topics. I think the high points so far have been getting to write about my own travel experiences, because I entered EWU wanting to learn how to become a travel writer. Now, I’m getting paid to write about my favorite experiences, and I can do that from anywhere in the world.

The AMLI Residential blog allows Colleen to write stories about local history, design and decor, recipes, fun facts and weird laws, and everything else in between.

How have your EWU experiences shaped you?

I learned that I can be good at what I do. I worked hard to learn and I saw the results of that hard work. My professors answered all the questions I had and pushed me to be the best I could be. I have the confidence to try new things and to push myself in my work, and I know that I can achieve anything I set my mind to.

What important lessons or tips do you have for future students?

Your likelihood of getting a job in your field is directly linked to how well you apply the skills you learn in class. When you graduate, employers are going to want to see examples of work you’ve already done. When I was interviewed for my current job, I never had to show my diploma, but I did have to show my portfolio of work. If you don’t get involved with clubs, organizations or the newspaper, you won’t have much to show. 

Find something you’re interested in, like I did with The Easterner and with rugby, and you’ll get so much more out of your college experience than if you didn’t! Plus, you’ll make some valuable friends along the way. 

Is there anything else you would like to share with readers?

Experience truly is the most important way to learn and improve! I’m so grateful for all the opportunities I had to try new skills at Eastern, and I wouldn’t feel nearly as confident in the “real world” if I never got to apply what I learned at The Easterner and through my internship.

Student Spotlight:
Laine Houghton
MA in Literature and Writing

Laine Houghton is a graduate student in the Masters of Literature and Writing program.  Laine will graduate in June 2020.

What projects have you worked on that you would like to highlight?

In the realm of school work, I’m in the middle of my thesis: I’m looking at how Faulkner’s centering of the plantation house aesthetic in the gothic undermines his ideological critiques of white supremacy. 

I’m applying to WSU’s Doctoral program of American Studies and Culture this December. I’ve begun slowly accumulating research on the kinship rituals of white supremacists, most notably their ‘dog whistling’ culture. But I’ve recently become interested in the possible astroturfing going on in the quarantine protests.

Outside of school-however-I’m working on my comic series Olympys Weeping, an action adventure sci-fi comic. If sci-fi Indiana Jones had a love child with super punk Fast and the Furious, it would be Olympys Weeping; or most accurately it would be my main characters Lania’kea and Vulcan Sprig.

How have your EWU experiences shaped you?

I came to Eastern in the fall of 2013 right out of my senior year of high school, so EWU has been a site of monumental change for me — and that’s not just talking about degree swaps. As much as we shape our surroundings, they also shape us. I wouldn’t be the individual I was if it were not for the experiences I’ve had on campus: EWU women’s rugby team, the protests, and the professors alike.

What important lessons or tips do you have for future students?

Start connecting with your classmates early — most likely you’ll be in classes with them for a few years anyways and when you do finally talk to them, you’ll kick yourself for not doing so earlier. They are experiencing the same things you are — lean into it!

Other than that, just remember to play — remember that this is all a learning experience and part of that experience is growing pains. Play allows us to stretch, to laugh, to cry, so that we don’t become overwhelmed by the state that is our sovereign minds and the world right now. Reaching out to your classmates can help with this too — because I can guarantee they need a laugh as much as you do.

Is there anything else you would like to share with readers?

The moment we find ourselves in right now is not easy; no one should kid themselves that it is. The only way we pull through this difficult time stronger than we went into it, is if we support one another. I’ve been lucky enough to be a member of an amazing cohort that truly supports each other as a family. We are not islands unto our own — we are an ecosystem: dependent on one another for our continued growth and beauty. 

Student Spotlight:
Rose Hall
MA in English Literature and Writing

Rose Hall is a graduate student in the Master’s program in English Literature and Writing. She graduates in June 2020.

What projects have you worked on that you would like to highlight?

There are so many exciting projects I’ve gotten to work on. Last year, I got to write and present a project on Victorian literature. It was about how Bram Stoker’s Dracula and George Du Maurier’s Trilby expose the strange way Victorian’s view their relationships as food and hinted about how we use similar language when discussing food and relationships as well. This project was particularly exciting because I got to travel to London and Paris afterward on a class trip to see the culture preserved in museums myself. 

The other project I really want to highlight happened earlier this school year. I collaborated with Megan Favaro and Laine Houghton in the creation of a video game called Little Women in Horror. The game requires students to play through pop culture and literature that feature stereotypes surrounding women in horror. The project was so exciting for me because it was completely different from anything I have attempted to do in my degree. The game required us to learn a software called Gdevelop, which provided a lot of commands and functions for us. We wanted to create a completely original game, customize it to our exact specifications, and had no coding experience. We had to spend days learning how to string together command lines, dialogue trees, and scene variables. It was one of the most challenging projects I’ve ever done but really fun and rewarding. 

How have your EWU experiences shaped you?

What this program has instilled in me is grit, unwavering persistence and passion in the face of impossible situations. We are asked unanswerable questions every day by the individuals who make up this program. In fact, it is really the individuals who have shaped me.  This school is not always a space free of discrimination and hate. I’ve been let down and I’ve seen my students and peers let down by the politics and institution that is higher education. 

However, in this program, there are really inspiring peers and teachers who have taught me that we need to relentlessly care about problems with no perfect solution. These people in the English program, who have always seen the best in me even when we challenge each other, have shaped me into the kind of person who never gives up on herself, as a student and an unanswerable question. 

What important lessons or tips do you have for future students?

Yes, start getting comfortable with being uncomfortable. English degrees ask you to push boundaries and stumble your way through unmarked paths. It is intellectually and emotionally challenging, but don’t be afraid to lean on your teachers and peers for support, even if you don’t agree all the time.

There are so many career paths you can take with an English degree if you market your skills effectively. I’ve applied for all kinds of jobs, including writing jobs, college instructing, advising, even HR and recruiting positions. It might not be the exact job title but in five years I’ll still be an English teacher. That is I will still be having tough conversations, asking questions, motivating people to be what they want to be, and helping them to say what they want to say. Whether it is in an academic setting or not, I will be an English teacher.

Is there anything else you would like to share with readers?

I had a really low reading level throughout grade school, and it still takes me extra time to process written words. However, here I am with a degree that requires significant amounts of reading, and I wanted to say thank you to all the teachers, friends, and family members for being patient and supportive over the years. As a teacher myself, I hope we can all be supportive and patient resources for our students and each other as we adjust to the changes the Coronavirus has forced upon us.

Student Spotlight: Lauren Gilmore

BA in English: Literary Studies

Lauren Gilmore is a student in the English Bachelor of Arts program with an emphasis in Literary Studies. She will graduate in March 2021.

What projects have you worked on that you would like to highlight?

Right now, I am preparing to teach a class at Spark Central for teens and adults called Reconstructing Cityscapes: A Creative Introduction to Critical and Cultural Theory. It was going to be in-person in May, but because of COVID-19 I am adapting it as an online class. The course is designed to offer critical tools that have the potential to fundamentally reorganize our society to people who are excluded from traditional academic spaces. I am interested in finding more ways to connect with the public. I am also currently preparing an article about Stephen King, arguing for the relevance of #MeToo and Twitter discourse in addressing embodied authorship and resistance in commercial horror texts.

Additionally, I’m working on several creative projects, including a revision of a young adult horror novel. I have also been working with a student-led organization to put together a social justice symposium, Pencils Down: Confronting Hate with and in the Humanities, which has been a really rewarding way to strengthen partnerships between students and the wider community. We are working now on finding the best ways to digitize this work, and will additionally be hosting student-focused support groups over Zoom.

As far as past projects, I worked on a Digital Humanities project in a course taught by Kate Crane and Ian Green that explored the social and historical hauntings of places. We created digital projects that corresponded to different physical places on campus that could be accessed by QR Code. For another course, I curated and printed a zine titled Carrion that explored the potential for social change from within Humanities departments through a collection of personal essays that addressed the academy’s role in wider civic discussions. This included participants from Eastern, as well as the wider community, and students and faculty from universities in other states.

I was attempting to model a form of scholarship that is rooted in listening, though this has guided a lot of my projects and not necessarily come into clarity. Before coming to Eastern, I published a collection of poetry, Outdancing the Universe, with University of Hell Press, and organized and completed a cross-country poetry tour where I performed at various poetry slams, bookstores, and other venues. While at Eastern, I completed another collection of poetry, and the manuscript is currently under consideration with my publisher.

How have your EWU experiences shaped you?

I would say that I’ve become a lot more confident in my ability to communicate and think critically. Before college, most of my writing projects were creative (poetry and fiction) but through my classes I’ve become more and more excited about improving my academic and argumentative writing skills. It’s also become incredibly clear to me that I would like to be an educator, at some level and at some capacity, because I find it to be a very worthwhile, as well as devastating and exhausting, joy.

What important lessons or tips do you have for future students?

I think it’s really important to find your allies, both students and faculty, and take care of your mental health. Hold onto the texts and authors and friends that remind you that the work you are pursuing is urgent. Try your best to remain diligent about working against a scarcity mindset. The competition isn’t between you and other students or writers, but between all of us and all of those forces that work against us.

Is there anything else you would like to share with readers?

Lastly, I try to remember that universities can be very insulated, distorted spaces that somehow make things seem both less and more important than they are at the same time. To combat this, I try to continually remind myself that earnest effort in this field is for improving our sense of the stakes, becoming more articulate communicators, creating something we think is beautiful, allying with wider communities, etc. and not the way to join an intellectual elite or elevate yourself above other forms of knowledge production.

Student Spotlight:
Grace Wahlman
BA in Technical Communication
2020 Francis B. Huston Medallion Recipient

Grace Wahlman is a student in the BA in Technical Communication program, and she graduates June 2020.

What projects have you worked on that you would like to highlight?

Currently I write and edit freelance, which is something I’d be interested in doing as a career. Last summer I got to intern at Family Promise of Spokane, where I interviewed families experiencing homelessness and wrote their stories. I have also worked in numerous projects throughout my college career, such as building a webpage for Eastern’s Prairie Restoration Project, which was an awesome experience.

How have your EWU experiences shaped you?

My experiences have made me a more passionate writer and communicator, not only in advocating for myself but in becoming a voice for others as well. Working in the nonprofit world in my internships has opened my eyes to how I can use my education, skills and gifts to help others.

What important lessons or tips do you have for future students?

Be passionate and curious. Be a lifelong learner. Have a genuine thirst for knowledge. Be willing to learn and have an open mind. Take advantage of the opportunities you are given as a TCOM student – they are abundant and so beneficial!

Is there anything else you would like to share with readers?

Be open, be kind and be honest. These will serve you well in any career or experience.

Student Spotlight:
Aaron Hutchinson
BA Interdisciplinary Studies in Journalism, Creative Writing, and Screenwriting

Aaron Hutchinson is a student in the Interdisciplinary Studies program in Creative Writing, Journalism, and Screenwriting. He will graduate in Winter 2021.

What projects have you worked on that you would like to highlight?

I currently write two articles a week for The Easterner, covering the economic impact of COVID-19. I am also putting together a portfolio of my best work at EWU for the creative writing capstone.

How have your EWU experiences shaped you?

EWU has helped me learn to manage my time and work in unstructured environments, which are really important for writers. I spent a decade in the US Army, which is very structured, and I had a lot of trouble working in an unstructured environment when I first got to EWU. The creative writing program and professors have been great about teaching new writers how to work and manage deadlines.

What important lessons or tips do you have for future students?

Read a lot. Read things outside of your comfort zone and read things you think you might not like. If you want to write you have to read a number of different voices and styles. Also, creative writing is tough and requires study and hard work just like any other major. 

Is there anything else you would like to share with readers?

EWU has a number of opportunities to develop skills as a writer. There are classes in journalism, poetry, fiction, nonfiction, screenwriting. The more skills you can develop the more opportunities you’ll have to work as a writer and improve as a writer.