Several times throughout my life I have had an individual or a group become angry or displeased at me for no apparent reason. Most of the times this occurred it was from an individual who held different identities than my own. When I say identities I mean social identities such as race, gender, sexual orientation, and many others. These types of occurrences used to make me very upset at the individuals because I believed they had no right to act this way towards me especially since I hadn’t done anything wrong. Read the rest of this entry »
Entering its third year, the Community Relations Facilitator (CRF) program continues to promote inclusive and welcoming communities in the residence halls, cooperative houses, and dining facilities through facilitated workshops and programs. As a function of University Housing and Dining Services (UHDS) the CRFs work within the residence halls and cooperative houses leading discussions and activities around issues of diversity and social justice. Read the rest of this entry »
There are many ways for one to identify in terms of sexuality such as straight, gay, lesbian, asexual, and so on. One word though, has many uses, like a Swiss army knife of sexuality, and that word is Queer. The word Queer allows someone to create their own context around sexuality. It gives people a tool to expand on constricting social scripts, and its flexibility can give a sense of comfort to know sexuality does not have to be static. I identify as Queer, and I still prefer women as my sexual partners. This change of identity happened over the summer. Read the rest of this entry »
You never know what you get yourself into until you fully emerge yourself into it. Hi everyone, my name is Melissa Rico and I am the Community Relations Facilitator for the Westside. I am ending my fourth week on the job and already I have so much to say, think about, learn, and most importantly, DO! Read the rest of this entry »
Last year at OSU I went through some amazing changes/realizations in my position as a Community Relations Facilitator. It took me over two terms of intense self reflection and training to finally grasp the concepts behind these things called social justice and diversity. I thought I would never again see myself disrespect or oppress another identity through my words and actions. I believe it was my young, cocky attitude that came out when I believed that I only needed a year worth of learning to really know everything I needed to know. The realization of how wrong I was hit me during this summer as I returned back to my hometown and started hanging out with the friends I hadn’t seen on a regular basis for a year. Read the rest of this entry »
After two years of working in University Housing and Dining Services as a team member to the Community Relations Facilitators, I’m sad to announce that I’m saying goodbye to the UHDS family. I’m not leaving empty handed though. Throughout these past two years I can definitely say that I’ve grown so much personally as well as in our position.
Being a CRF has really given me confidence in my self-expression. I’ve learned that sometimes it’s more beneficial to our awareness when we take a step outside our comfort zone and challenge people’s point of views in order to educate. I’ve also learned that challenging someone’s point of view doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re trying to pick a fight or that things will end badly. It can get uncomfortable, but as I’ve come to realize, those uncomfortable moments are sometimes when the most learning takes place.
In addition, I’ve enjoyed all the new relationships that have been built over the last two years. We’ve been able to spend time with RA’s, RD’s, the staff at the cultural, resource centers, Team Liberation, and many others. I’ve made connections that I know wouldn’t have been so easily made without my position and I appreciate the opportunity.
Thanks to everybody who supported our program in one-way or another. It was a fun two years and I wish the best of luck to Victor and Kevin and the rest of the CRF team. Again, thank you for your continued support of the CRF program.
-Alba Garcia
Community Relations Facilitator- Southside
After concentrating my learning this term on theories of social justice I have found one blatant truth; there is much that I was not and sometimes continue to be unaware of. As I have been learning more and more, I have been recognizing racism and other forms of oppression that exist everywhere around me. Part of where this starts is in my own head and the times I classify people. Our minds are wonderful computers with the ability to classify different objects in order to survive. For example, it would be difficult and overwhelming to recognize over and over again that a knife is sharp or that a stove top is hot. Although beneficial and necessary when dealing with objects, this can be severely detrimental when carried over to classify people. I know that when I look at someone, I can automatically put that individual in a category. It’s how I go about everyday life. I don’t mean to hurt anyone, but I have realized what I have been doing is generalizing and stereotyping the people around me. I automatically assume certain things based on the way they look, dress, or act.
It wasn’t until I started asking questions about myself that I started noticing what I was doing. I’m not saying that I was oblivious to it, but I am saying that I was ignoring it and taking it for granted. The ability to classify objects led me to start classifying people. It is still a challenge I face every day. I struggle with recognizing people for their social identities, without using what I see on the outside to shape my opinion (or classification) of them without getting to know them. I also realize that I want the same exact thing from other people.
I know I will continue to classify, but it won’t ever stop me from trying harder. So now I put the ball in your court; can you see people as individuals AND as part of their social identities, at the same time not classifying them because of their social identities? I challenge you that it might be harder than you think.
Kameron Beeks
CRF – Eastside & Co-Ops
