Archive for September, 2007
Erase Racism Carnival
The September ’07 edition of the Erase Racism Carnival is up at Reading Writing Living.
One of the newest additions to my blogroll, Joseph Orosco’s “Engage: Conversations in Philosophy,” is one of this month’s carnival participants.
Check out Ally Work for more information on the Erase Racism Carnival.
AppleCare + MacBook Pro
The Mac Store just sent me a letter about AppleCare for my MacBook Pro. 2 more years of extended warranty protection for my laptop would cost $349.
What do you think, should I purchase AppleCare for my mac?
White privilege
Surf on over to Reappropriate. Do not pass go, do not collect $200. Jenn’s post on white privilege is a must read.
How do you communicate to someone who is White that their race matters? By definition, they are the “unracialized” in this country, and are never faced with their race and how it privileges them. How then can they comprehend how race fundamentally colours the experiences of people of colour?
Unplugged
I’d like to apologize for my absence from the blogosphere. My posting frequency has decreased as well as my comments around bloglandia. I’ve been reading a lot of blog posts via rss by way of Bloglines, including: Slant Truth, Woman of Color Blog, The Unapologetic Mexican, Rachel’s Tavern, BlackProf, and Zuky.
The new job has been a refreshing change of pace from the solo venture of my technology consulting business. I feel like my brain is overflowing with academic advisor knowledge. I’m advising students in Health and Human Sciences who are majoring in Exercise and Sports Science, Nutrition and Food Management, Human Development and Family Sciences, and anyone who identifies as “pre-med.” The fall term begins on Monday. I’ve been told that the office will be extremely busy this week.
Starting next week, I hope to publish a new blog post about once per week. I’m definitely in a transitional phase as I shift from being a freelancer to a full time, salaried employee.
In other news, I am scheduled to host the Erase Racism Carnival in November!
Torii Mor Winery
The Torii Mor Winery is located in the hills outside of Dundee Oregon. The scenery is perfect, the wine is tasty, and the service is atrocious (translation: Torii Mor was More Terrible).
There were six of us who entered the tasting room at Torii Mor a couple weeks ago. Posted near the entrance was a sign stating that groups of 6 or more would need a reservation. We hoped it would be okay if we inquired within to see if it was okay for our group to enter the premises. I was the last member of our party to enter the tasting room foyer. (To protect the innocent, I will provide nom de plumes for all of the parties involved sans myself.)
OSU to be tobacco free
OSU is going to be tobacco free on July 1, 2008. “[T]obacco use, including smokeless tobacco, will be prohibited with the exception of a handful of outdoor areas, which will be identified as designated tobacco-use areas. The university hopes to phase out those locations over time.” I applaud OSU for working to create a healthier campus environment. I’m sure it will be difficult for folks who have been smoking for a long time, but in the end, it will save them money and quite possibly their lives. “[OSU] will work to prepare the campus, community and visitors for this major initiative, as well as provide cessation programs and other support for those desiring to give up tobacco.
OSU Students + Internment
Oregon State University’s Office of the Registrar website contains a mélange of information for students, families, staff and faculty. Last week, while perusing the site, I noticed this link at the top of the Registrar’s homepage — “OSU Students Interned During WW II.”
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Roger Williams University
Roger Williams University has apparently been planning to include people of color on its board of trustees since the early 1900′s (note the sarcasm). Unfortunately, the plan had never been implemented. I guess it takes a lot of “planning” for an all white board to include people of color. Perhaps the implementation was delayed due to the overt racism of the board?
NASPA + Abercrombie & Fitch
Update: NASPA seems to have received the message from its members that a partnership with Abercrombie & Fitch was a bad idea.
After the announcement last week about a partnership with Abercrombie & Fitch, we heard from a number of members who objected to NASPA partnering with this particular corporation. It’s important to know and to inform your constituencies that your voices have been heard. NASPA will not be going forward with the partnership. No agreements have been signed and no funds have been received. While the original decision to enter into the partnership was based on numerous conversations with the management of A&F and with many NASPA members and
leaders, based on additional information we received in regard to the business practices of A&F and the reaction of several members, I felt that it was in the best interest of NASPA not to move forward with an agreement. But most importantly, in walking away from the potential partnership, I respect the KC chairs and other leaders who, while perhaps uncomfortable with the partnership, wanted to support their professional association. I regret that they and other leaders received the brunt of some of the more vocal objections from some of our members.Before the potential for this partnership was realized, the NASPA Board, at its July meeting, established a task force to review sponsorships for the associations. Any guidelines developed by this task force will be shared broadly with the NASPA membership.
We, in the NASPA office, want to note that in order to keep costs down for our members, we will need to continue to look for corporate sponsorships. However, we will work within guidelines established by a committee of the Board that will help us avoid situations such as we encountered with the potential A & F partnership.
NASPA remains committed to the values of diversity and inclusion. We continue to hear and respond to the concerns of our members. NASPA _is_its members and we thank you all for your support.
Apparently NASPA is for sale to the highest bidder. NASPA is one of two higher education associations for Student Affairs professionals. It was recently announced that NASPA was partnering with Abercrombie & Fitch. Specifically, A&F would be providing monetary support for the NASPA Multicultural Institute (a conference on social justice issues for student affairs practitioners.). I am stupefied by NASPA’s decision to take money from Abercrombie & Fitch. The Diversity link at the bottom of the A&F homepage focuses on the diversity (in this case, race and ethnicity) of A&F’s employees. My question to NASPA and A&F is what about the marketing of A&F products. The only people of color on the A&F site (that I see while currently browsing their site) are on the Diversity page!
A&F’s advertising (via the web and in store) is about as diverse as a klan newsletter. It appears to me that NASPA (and several other well-known and respected associations) are for sale to the highest bidder. I think that the A&F PR machine is donating large amounts of money in an effort to deflect criticism of their sales and marketing scheme. Increasing the number of employees of color from zero to more than zero does increase the diversity (see the percentage in the press release below) of the A&F workforce, but it does little to eliminate an institutionalized discriminatory corporate culture that utilizes white supremacy and sexual objectification to sell a product.
The official release from NASPA is after the jump.
