UCSD Campus Community Centers

An open letter from the Campus Community Centers and an Invitation to Continued Dialogue

Since the weekend of February 13, 2010, a number of events have occurred that have deeply impacted our community. The inciting incident was the advertising of an off campus party with racist themes. The subsequent events include many responses from numerous quarters of our campus community, including students, faculty, staff, alumni and the greater San Diego community.

Deeply troubling is while this event clearly targeted historical contributions of African Americans, equally insidious messages were present. The blatant misogyny, glaring class issues, and subtle heterosexism are intertwined throughout the obvious racism. The references to men and women, when juxtaposed, highlight a vast difference in how gender, relationships and class intersect into stereotype, myth and denigration.

This incident underscores the important nature of the work around intersectionality. When one group is targeted, all of our communities are impacted. Incidents such as these, when they happen, can serve to disaffect those from other marginalized communities as well, and pit folks against each other in a hierarchy of oppression.

There were opportunities to stop this event from happening. When individuals expressed concerns about the nature of the party, were they heard? Building community on our campus provides opportunities where these voices can have an impact on decisions that peers make. Critical dialogue can be uncomfortable, but creates a campus climate where all people are valued.

Our communities cannot be bystanders to events such as this. It cannot be "Oh, look what is happening to 'that' group..." We are deeply connected as members of the UC San Diego community, and what affects one of us affects all of us. It is how we react from our places of privilege that is the true testament of community building. What we do now, in support and in community with those who have been the most affected, reflects the mission of the Campus Community Centers, which includes the belief that ending one oppression requires ending all oppression.

We invite you to continue the dialogue with us, and to join the teach in on Wednesday, February 24th from 12-2pm at the Price Center East Ballroom.

http://publications.ucsd.edu/battlehate/

Joint Philosophy and Mission Statement (Revised March 21, 2008)

The Women�s Center, the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Resource Center, and the Cross-Cultural Center are collectively known as the Campus Community Centers. We are grounded in a shared belief that ending one oppression requires ending all oppressions. Together we facilitate interactive learning, promote self-awareness, foster leadership development, encourage dialogue, and challenge traditional notions of diversity. The Campus Community Centers work with undergraduate and graduate students, staff, faculty, alumni, and the San Diego Community. Through these partnerships, we build and sustain a socially just campus climate.

Our vision at the Cross-Cultural Center (CCC) is to empower UCSD to recognize, challenge, and take proactive approaches to diversity for the campus and the San Diego community.

Partnering with members of the campus community centers, campus groups, faculty, staff, students, and community organizations, we strive for meaningful dialogues and context across all cultures, particularly those of underrepresented or underprivileged backgrounds. We offer supportive and educational services through art, programs, workshops, and outreach, and we welcome creative venues for enhancing social consciousness and equity.

Welcome to the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Resource Center! Since opening on November 8, 1999, our office has been a proud home for the entire UCSD LGBT community. We provide a visible presence on campus and enhance a sense of connection and community among LGBT faculty, staff, students, and our allies at UCSD. We encourage you to get involved by becoming one of our interns or student staff, participating in one of the student groups, helping our peer support groups, joining the Umbrella Group (staff/faculty group), or volunteering at the center. Discover your family at the LGBT Reource Center.

The UCSD Women's Center welcomes you! Since opening in 1996, the center has been a space where people work collaboratively to foster the development of diverse groups of women. We strive to increase awareness of issues affecting women and men while creating a sense of community at UCSD. Relax in our cozy living room, study in our library, attend a program, or join one of the many student, staff, and faculty groups that meet here. We provide education and support on gender issues as well as information and referals on a wide variety of topics. Whether you stop by to use the computer, ask for information, engage in one of our discussions, or just say hello, we want you to feel at home at the Women's Center.


	The handout from the 10 Myth's of Social Justice webinar presented February 2, 2010 is available here. The Campus Community Centers collaborate on a variety of programs and issues. By understanding and appreciating our diverse histories and experiences, we have found the common connections that bring us together to create strong communities through activities such as ... The Building Communities for Social Justice Practice: An Advanced Institute June 28-July 2, 2010. Open to all UC San Diego staff. For more information, please see the brochure. For an application, click here. Joint Training Community at UCSD is often perceived as distinct in areas of service and connection. Through an ongoing commitment to joint training at all levels of the university, community and diversity are experienced through a broad lens, with attention not just to traditional conceptualizations of diversity, but to the myriad of communities present. Presentations by the Campus Community Center Directors PowerPoint Presentation for the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers PowerPoint Presentation for UCSD's Division of Resource Management and Planning PowerPoint Presentation for UCSD's Division of External Relations PowerPoint Presentation for UCSD's Diversity Council Academic documents created by the Directors of the Campus Community Centers I may not get there with you The Gender Gap Paradox Latino Achievement at the University of California San Diego Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Issues in Higher Education "It is an enduring feature of human life to search for community; to attempt to establish patterns of living based on mutual need and affection, development and protection. But this communitarian impulse is never 'accomplished': rather, it is an ongoing and creative enterprise in which actors or agents continually re-create social structure, and it is this which allow us to identify 'communities'..." - Foster (1989) Back to top