The Newsletter for Hamline University’s                                            

Center for Multicultural and International Student Affairs                          

WWW orld Fest 2007 ran from October 15-19 and fo-cused on the Middle-East. The kick-off event

was the International Food Bazaar held in the Student Center Ballroom where attendees were able to sample international cuisine prepared by Hamline students. Church Relations sponsored a lunch with Dr. Omid Safi who has written books and articles on contemporary Muslim thought as well as Islamic mystical tradition. The International Talent Showcase was a whirlwind of music, dance and performances from around the world.

The former mayor of Neve Shalom/ Wahat al-Salam, Ahmad Hijazi presented “Peace is Possible!” about Jews and Palestinians living together in the “Oasis of Peace” in Israel. Sponsored by the Global Studies Department, the International Roundtable “Nationalism and Global-ization in the 21st Century: Old Wine in a New Bottle?” was led by John Mazis, Associate Professor of History. Muslim Prayer was held on the last day of World Fest at the University Chapel. The Bahama-Mama dance rounded out World Fest and was held in the Student Center Ballroom. Music from all over the world was

featured. This event was coor-dinated by the International Student Organi-zation (ISO) and the Students of South Asia (SOSA).

Students For Free Tibet set up their table.

The International Food Bazaar

Skyline Citizen takes the stage. Maureen McGough-Pose strikes a pose.

WORLD

FEST

2007

1

STAFF/FACULTY AND STUDENT SPOTLIGHTS

2-4

HMONG HERITAGE

MONTH

5

CHANGES IN THE MISA OFFICE

6

HUCORE 2007

7

“Supporting, Strengthening and

Empowering Our Community”

since 1970.

Editor: Jennifer Fairbanks

Volume X, Issue II

INSIDE THIS EDITION 

CELEBRATING THE HOLIDAYS! Due to the upcoming Holidays, the MISA Office will be closed on the following days:  

December 24, 25, 26, and January 1st.

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WWW hen a student applies for a Student Worker position at their college, not many of them plan on a long term basis or view the job as something that could help them to find their niche in the career world.

For Lynette Wahl, while waiting for the job she thought she wanted to happen, a temporary job ended up leading her to a career she enjoys today. Wahl attended all four years of her undergraduate education at Hamline University. As an under-graduate student, Wahl’s aspirations and goals were to be an elementary teacher. “I have always have wanted to work with people in a way that I could make a difference,” Wahl said. “I thought teaching would be a good way to do that.” During the summer after her graduation, Wahl worked as a temp in Financial Aid. Although she quit in the fall to student teach, when that was over she was in need of a full-time job. “There happened to be an opening in the Financial Aid Office at the time,” she said. “I enjoyed it very much so decided to stay in the field.” Wahl is now the Director of Financial Aid for Hamline University. She has been working as Director for 3 years, but has been with Financial Aid for 21 years. She said the best thing about her job is being able to make a difference and help students to realize their goals. She is able to accomplish this by either giving students Financial Aid so they’re able to afford to attend school, or by helping students with the difficult, and often confusing proc-ess. Wahl explains that she likes working with people and enjoys, “the customer service aspect of the job.” Although Wahl enjoys what she does, she said the part she doesn’t like about her job is that she can’t always help students as much as they or she would like to. Wahl said, “It is sometimes discouraging having limits on the resources available.” When asked why she enjoys working at Hamline, Wahl said that there were many reasons. “But at the top of the list,” she said, “is that I know at the end of the day I have helped someone.”

Lynette WahlLynette Wahl Director of

Financial Aid

KWANZAAKWANZAAKWANZAA Kwanzaa is an African American and Pan‐African holiday which celebrates family, community, and culture.  The holiday is normally celebrated from Decem‐ber 26 through January 1st.  The official website for Kwanzaa 2006, says that it’s origins are in the first harvest celebrations of Africa.  The name ‘Kwanzaa’ was derived from the phrase “matunda ya kwanza” which means “first fruits” in the most widely spoken African language, Swahili. The cultural celebration now tries to bring a message of what it means to be African and human in the fullest sense.     Kwanzaa was first established in the midst of the Black Freedom Move‐ment in 1966.  One reason for it’s establishment was to reaffirm and restore Afri‐can culture.  The holiday was created by Dr. Maulana Karenga, a professor at Cali‐fornia State University for the Department of Black Studies.  Kwanzaa is a cultural holiday, not a religious one, so that Africans of all religious sectors can celebrate. 

PRIDE hosted a Kwanzaa celebration event on  December 6.  

The event was held in Sorin A & B at 4:00pm. 

Student joined them to share delicious food, inspirational fellowship, and a nourishing celebration of African and African American values, tradi‐

tions, customs, and life. 

THIS YEAR’S THEME WAS “IN THE SPIRIT OF KUJICHAGULIA,” WHICH MEANS SELF‐DETERMINATION. 

     

WHATWHAT: The International : The International Student Student   

Organizat ion is having a Organizat ion is having a bake salebake sale!!  

WHYWHY: The bake sale is a : The bake sale is a fundraiser event for the org.fundraiser event for the org.  WHEREWHERE: Student Center : Student Center 

LobbyLobby  WHENWHEN: December 12, : December 12,   

3:00pm3:00pm‐‐5:00pm5:00pm  

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TTT here is no better way to expose upcoming Journalism and Mass Communication students to the world outside the United States than to be taught by someone who has been there. However, Suda

Ishida never thought she’d be the one doing the teaching. Though she is currently going on her sixth year at Hamline University, she still doesn’t like the power of grading.

Suda Ishida is the assistant professor of media studies for the department of Theatre Arts and Communi-cation Studies. She also directs the Certificate in International Journalism Program. What most stu-dents might not know is how Ishida ended up at Hamline and that she used to be a journalist as well. “I always wanted to be a journalist. I thought it was a cool job where I could make positive changes in the society,” said Ishida. That desire was accomplished when she worked for five years as a news reporter, based in Bangkok, Thailand. Upon getting into academia, she received an Australian government scholarship to pursue a Master’s Degree in International Communication at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia. To continue a Ph.D. in Journalism and Mass Communication, she came to the U.S. with her family and did her doctorial work at the University of Iowa.

Before completing her doctorate at Iowa, Ishida applied for teaching and research positions at just four institutions and received job offers from two of the four. One of the offers came from Ham-line University and was competing against one from an institution in California. Eventually she decided to choose Hamline because the job description seemed to fit more of what she wanted to do than at the other. The MacPhail Center for Music in Minneapolis is another factor for why Hamline was able to gain Ishida as a faculty member.

“When I was interviewing I mentioned about my daughter’s need for continuing her Suzuki music education, and Prof. Patricia Pal-merton was kind enough to give me the information and brochures about MacPhail.” she said. “That was a big decision for us, basically, to come to the Twin Cities. Funny, isn’t it?”

The choice so far seems to have been a good one. She enjoys working with her Hamline colleagues, both the faculty and staff mem-bers. She explained that in the five years she has been here, she hasn’t come across anyone really mean or who is intentionally trying to make her life miserable. She says, “People around me are very amiable and supportive, and I truly think Hamline is blessed to have so many wonder-ful and dedicated staff and faculty.”

When asked about what she enjoys most about her current position, teaching was the first thing mentioned. Ishida enjoys teaching media studies and being able to see students applying the media theories and concepts into real-life situations. She hopes to raise the profile of the International Journalism Program and see it recognized on both national and international levels. The involvement and exposure to students to the “other world” outside of the U.S. is what she achieves for in her classes.

Suda IshidaSuda Ishida Assistant Professor of Media

Studies/Director of International Journalism Certificate

The International Coffee Hour is an initiative from the Center of Multicultural and In-

ternational Student Affairs (MISA) to give international students a new avenue to dis-

cuss global issues as well as to learn and share different perspectives on their lives and

experiences. Bring your friends and come join the discussion! You will enjoy a quick

conversation break and sample coffee and tea from around the globe.

December 12 at 3:00pm In the Student Center 

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Senior João Murilo S. V. da Fonseca from Brazil majoring in Legal Studies and Political Science. Sophomore Jeremy Tan from sunny Singapore majoring in Political Science. 

Why did you choose your major? 

João: Political Science because understanding the dynamics of politics is fascinat‐ ing.  Legal Studies because it gave the opportunity to understand whether I want to go to law school. Jeremy: I’ve always been fairly interested in current issues and stuff like that, Po‐litical Science seemed like a natural choice. What do you like best about it? 

João: I like studying Political Science because it teaches me about the current struggle in Politics, understanding more about the “haves and have‐nots” in to‐day’s world whether in the United States or in other regions of the world.  What I really like about my Legal Studies major is doing legal research and writing and researching ways through which the law can serve the interest of those members of society that have been for so long discriminated and forgotten by past and cur‐rent lawmakers. 

Jeremy: The theoretical aspect of it; debates and philosophy have always interested and intrigued me. What are you planning to do with that major? Why? 

João: I plan to go law school a year after graduating.  Not to say that while in law school I will be able to specialize in a discipline and best under‐stand the way that the law works.  I really look forward in writing a law review article on American Politics and the law and another article on Brazilian politics and the law.  Becoming a lawyer will open many doors, so that I can help people in the United States who are in need of proper legal representation and do the same in Brazil. 

Jeremy: The plan right now is to go to Law School after graduation.  It’s not a plan set in stone however and definitely may change. Who knows what the future holds?  Seemed like a good idea at the time I guess. What kinds of jobs have you had? Have you done any volunteer work in the past? 

João: I worked at Sorin Dining Hall, I worked for a moving company, and now, I currently work for the Residential Life Office as a Housing Coordi‐nator and in the Hamline Law Library Circulation Desk.   I volunteer at Hamline Hand‐in‐Hand, I volunteered for the Hancock U‐12 basketball team for two years, and I also engaged in volunteer activities through the Hamline Church. 

Jeremy: Haven’t done too many real jobs, but I have done some volunteer work with groups in Singapore in the past.  During my last year of High School I went on a trip to Nepal where we painted a school and the local hospital and also gave lessons in rudimentary English and hygiene. It was great fun. What are your hobbies? João: Reading, writing, exercising, listen to music, spend time with close friends.  

Jeremy: I love music, both playing and listening to it. I also play video games every now and then and am always up for a game of foosball. Are you involved with anything here on the Hamline campus? Or do you plan to become involved in the future? 

João: I am currently involved with Commitment to Community, and in the MLK 2008 Planning Committee. 

Jeremy: Last year, I was ISO’s representative to HUSC. I’m currently secretary for ISO and also treasurer for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. I’m also a part of Hamline’s Praise Band (we’re working on a name) and am somewhat a member of the Sorin Bums. They’re cool folks. Are you enjoying Hamline so far? João: Definitely. Jeremy: Absolutely!  The people are awesome, the courses are, for the most part, interesting and I’ve made a lot of good relationships that I treasure and definitely want to hang on to.  Why did you choose Hamline? 

João: Love at first sight.  I came to the campus, learned that it had a law school, and I liked the atmosphere.  I chose Hamline, and Hamline chose me, a perfect match. 

Jeremy: My Dad is a member of the faculty at Augsburg College which is affiliated to Hamline University through the whole ACTC thing. That’s pretty much the main reason there. 

(For International Students) Did you experience “culture shock” when you first arrived? 

João: Not really. Since I was a young kid I was always moving to different places and experiencing different cultures within Brazil, so when I came here, although people spoke a different language, it was just like I’ve moved to another different place. In the end, it all comes down to 1) under‐standing that people are people wherever you go, and 2) Your ability to eat any types of food regardless of what’s on your plate. 

Jeremy: There definitely was some shock initially (temperature difference not withstanding), but I got used to it after awhile. Singapore gets a lot of American media, so I guess I had a little taste of what to expect. Most of my family has studied in the states before as well so I had some help in that respect too. I definitely still miss home, but being here has its perks too. 

João da Fonseca  Jeremy Tan 

VOLUME X, ISSUE 2 Page 5

NNN ovember here at Hamline University is Hmong Heritage Month (HHM).

Every year the Hmong Student Association (HSA) puts on events during the month in celebration of the culture and to provide education opportunities about the culture, history, and people for the campus and surrounding community. Mi-chelle Vang, President of HSA expressed that the planning that went into HHM 2007 was a long one. “HSA has been planning for Hmong Heritage Month over the summer and for the past two months of school.” she said. The theme for this year’s month was “The Cloths We Sew, The Stories We Tell: Voices of the Past, Present, and Future.” Vang said she came up with the theme, “because art and oral history has been such a prominent and important part in the Hmong culture.” She said, “The Hmong people do not have a written history that we have always told through oral and art such as story cloths.” Vang explained that the “Voices of the Past, Present, and Future” represent the many voices of their people in the past, today, and who

will be in the future. “Our theme certainly embraces the different generations of the Hmong peo-ple that exist.” Vang believes the turn-outs to the events has been successful and noted that they would have not been successful without the hard work that the HSA members put into it. Vang said, “Everyone has played such an important part in our organization which has made it wonderful. We never know what to expect from events, such as who’s going to show up or if it’s going to be a good event or not, but everyone has expressed such appreciate and warm praises for us this year.” She went on to say that they have been getting a lot of support from other students at Ham-line as well as the outer community in the Twin Cities. “It’s always great to have both show sup-port from everyone in and out of Hamline and to share the warmth and learn together.” Among the various events the ’07-’08 Hmong Student Association planned out for HHM, (like the Spooky Halloween Night, Keynote Speaker, and the Art Festival), Vang said the big-gest event was to be the HSA New Year Celebra-tion. Their Hmong New Year Celebration was held on November 17th and expected a lot of peo-ple to go to celebrate the New Year together with

HSA that Hmong people traditionally celebrate annually and to have a great time. She said that St. Paul has one of the biggest Hmong New Years in the United States that takes place at the River Centre during the weekend of Thanksgiving. This celebration “consists of thou-sands of people that come from all over the country to celebrate together.” Vang hopes that next year will be a great and successful year for HSA. “I have no doubt that it will, because of the [great amount of] potential and talented individuals that are in the Hmong Student Association,” she said. Vang believes that HSA will only continue to be strong because it has always been in the past, “and it’s only a strong organization because of the hard work of the executive board and the members in the organization make it that way.” She said that despite the fact that some members may not be apart of HSA next year, she’s confident “the new and current students will continue to keep the organization alive

and well.” Vang said, “As Presi-dent of HSA, I was

definitely envisioning a great year and so far it has been wonderful and I am glad to be a part of the legacy of the Hmong Student

Association at Hamline University.”

HSA Halloween Spooky Night

Hmong Student Association’s Executive Board ‘07-’08

[ T H I S I S M Y S T O R Y ] Conversations with members of the  

Hmong Community featured  

Bao L. Thao, Director, Pan‐Asian Student Services,  Augsburg College 

May Lee‐Yang, Local Writer and Activist Tou SaiKo Lee, Spoken Word Artist and Activist 

A shared discussion of the stories and issues which face  Multiracial Americans today.   

 

 Held Thursday, December 6, 2007 11:30am 100E, Giddens Learning Center 

VVV anessa Ramos is no stranger to the MISA Office. She first joined MISA in March 2006 as the Administrative Assistant and has recently been promoted to the Coordinator of Interna-tional Student Programs.

Vanessa has assisted in the coordination of international student programs in the past as well as served as a resource for matters pertaining to immigration: assisting students with travel documents, on-campus employment, and Curricular Practical Training (CPT) authorizations.

She has a BS in English and Ethnic Studies from the University of Wisconsin - River Falls where, as an undergraduate, she served as an International Ambassador. She is currently pursing a MA in Education and a MFA in Creative Writing here at Hamline. During her educational journey, Vanessa had the opportunity to study in Ireland and Mexico and looks forward to journeying to new and exciting places.

Above all, Vanessa loves her work with students at the MISA Office. In her spare time, Vanessa spends time with her books and piles of homework. She enjoys traveling, reading, cooking, and Bollywood films. In the coming months, she is looking forward to her scaled-down class schedule

and possibly traveling to Portugal or Brazil with her best friend who is pursuing her doctorate in Latin American studies.

In her new position, Vanessa is responsible for developing and coordinating student programs and workshop events, including World Fest and International Student Orientation. Vanessa works as an advisor for International Students, assisting them in their transition to the university and helping them become better acclimated to American culture. She also advises the International Student Organization (ISO) and the Hamline International Graduate Student Association (HIGSA). She is planning to learn more about immigration and is looking forward to getting to know even more students and organiz-ing great events around campus.

FFF resh out of college, Hamline Alum, Melissa Wilson recently became the new Administrative Assistant for the MISA Office. Melissa first started working for MISA near the end of Novem-ber, taking over for Vanessa Ramos after her promotion. After only graduating from the Uni-versity last May, she feels as if she’s never left.

Melissa was born and raised in Minnesota, “in the heart of the old Rondo/Selby neighbor-hood in Saint Paul.” She majored in in Social Justice with a concentration in Education. “I really en-joy learning about social issues and ways in order to bring about positive change,” she said.

Being the Administrative Assistant for MISA means Melissa will now be responsible for office reception, budget management, and the coordination of various MISA events and recognition pro-grams. She will assist the rest of the staff with office projects and supervise the MISA Student Work-ers. Melissa says she first heard about the job opening in a posting of the position listed on the Ham-line website. Afterwards she was, “encouraged to apply by a very good friend of mine at Hamline!” At MISA, she expects to learn and gain profession work experience. “I also expect to have FUN! I am working with several individuals who have great energy and are enjoyable to be around. The year ahead looks to be an exciting one!” she said.

So far, Melissa says she’s enjoyed working for the office. She feels like everyone in the office has been veryfriendly and supportive, especially Venessa. “She has been a great resource and friendly face around the office. I appreciate all the hard work the MISA staff has gone through in order for me to make a smooth transition into the new role!” She said, “I have also enjoyed meeting and reconnected with current students. I am looking forward to getting to know more students throughout the year.” She hopes to encourage more students of color to utilize the MISA house as a place to visit, study, and hangout during the day.

In her spare time, Melissa enjoys shopping, and hanging out with one or all of her ‘fabulous five.’ She also likes watching Law & Order: SVU. She says, “I am a little obsessed with reality TV so I watch it often when I can! Otherwise I enjoy spending any free time with my family, especially my mother and one-year-old brother!”

Page 6

VANESSA RAMOS,         COORDINATOR FOR INTERNATIONAL          

STUDENT  PROGRAMS 

MELISSA WILSON, THE NEW  

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT FOR 

MISA 

WHAT IS HUWHAT IS HUWHAT IS HU---CORE?CORE?CORE?

The Hamline University Conference on Race and Ethnicity (HU-CORE) is an intense, 2-day long conference that takes place during Midterm Break. The conference is meant to have participants explore issues such as race, racism, and privilege. HU-CORE di-rectly relates to HUSC’s by-law of “Educating all members of the campus community through academics/co-curricular programs about the diversity and forms of discrimination.”

Some of the items on the agenda for this year’s conference was a pre-conference workshop, conference on race and ethnicity, post conference workshop. There were sessions on the construction of race, the revisiting of definitions of race, and a session on racial identity development.

A HUA HUA HU---CORE Attendee’s First Hand ExperienceCORE Attendee’s First Hand ExperienceCORE Attendee’s First Hand Experience “Coming from a small town in Minnesota race was not something I discussed with my white classmates or peers. Those talks were reserved for home, when my mom warned me to be careful and with friends when we told each other of things that had happened in regards to racism and discrimination during the day. Whenever conversation did come up in the classroom the white students were quick to disregard it or to stop talking about it as it made them uncomfortable and feel on the spot. HU-CORE deals with the same issues, and some deeper ones, that my teachers in High School sometimes tried to address but the students instead of running from them addressed them and embraced the discomfort. Many of the topics discussed were ones that brought up pain and other emotions to the different students attending the conference but they were brace and spoke about their pains and experiences. The conference was inspiring for me and it renewed hope that I felt was gone as well as bringing issues to my attention that I had never thought about. I learned from the experiences of others and through a reflection of my own experiences. I know that I still have a lot to learn and HU-CORE renewed that incentive to search for that knowledge. I also learned how my silence towards rac-ist acts is a way of fueling them and that bit of knowledge has pushed me to be more outspoken; If I want to help stop racism my voice needs to be heard, even if it shakes.

HU-CORE was an inspiring, educational and strengthening experience. It empowered me and pushed me to expand my horizons in search of truth and justice. It also opened my eyes to things that I might have tried to turn a blind eye to before but that now I am not willing to overlook. HU-CORE has pushed me into becoming a better person and I hope to be able to attend the con-ference in years to come.” —Anonymous

VOLUME X, ISSUE 2 Page 7

 

Cocoa and Cookies Study BreakCocoa and Cookies Study BreakCocoa and Cookies Study Break Warm up and slow down! Warm up and slow down!

Come take a break from studying during finals week Come take a break from studying during finals week with MISA.with MISA.  

Hot Cocoa and Cookies will be served in the MISA Hot Cocoa and Cookies will be served in the MISA House from House from   

December 17December 17--1919. .

   

    We say goodbye to our We say goodbye to our We say goodbye to our    international students international students international students    

leaving this semester and treat leaving this semester and treat leaving this semester and treat them to a going away dinner.them to a going away dinner.them to a going away dinner.   

      December 12December 12December 12   

4:00pm4:00pm4:00pm‐‐‐5:00pm5:00pm5:00pm   

Multicultural and International Student Affairs (MISA) Hamline University 1536 Hewitt Ave. #107 Saint Paul, MN 55104 651-523-2423 (phone) 651-651-523-2608 (fax)

Supporting, Strengthening, and Empowering Our Community.

For additional information, check us out on the web at www.hamline.edu/misa

Date Event Time Location

6 Kwanzaa Celebration put on by PRIDE 4:00pm Sorin A & B

6 This Is My Story: Hmong Community 11:30am Giddings Learning Center

12 International Coffee Hour/ ISO Fundraiser 3:00pm Student Center

24-26 MISA Office is closed. — —

1 MISA Office is closed. — —

21 MLK Holiday (university closed/MLK breakfast) — —

22 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemoration 4:00pm Sundin Music Hall

25 NCORE Mini-Conference (Register to be there!) 9-5:00pm Law/Grad Conference Room

28 MISA Spring Welcome event 5:00pm TBD

14 International Student Farewell 4:00pm TBD

DECEMBER

JANUARY