BSA Executive Board 2017-18by Simone E., Editor-in-Chief
This year, the Black Student Alliance (BSA) finished Black History Month off with a week of exciting events. The B.L.O.C. Awards started BSA week off with a bang. Students flooded to the Tennessee Room in their evening gowns and high school prom dresses, excited for an evening full of awards for themselves or their friends. As people walked onto the red carpet, Tender, a student band on campus, played everyone into the event as both faculty and students enjoyed food. The evening was full of fun videos, award presentations, good music, and the Purpose Award was given to a faculty member on campus who has impacted countless minority students by empowering them and giving them knowledge that only he can give. Chris Stokes was honored and cheered on at the event, and the B.L.O.C. Awards, which stands for Black Leaders On Campus Awards, ended with so many black student leaders being awarded with awards they deserve and enough pictures to last a lifetime. The next program of the week was D.A.P., or the Diversity Awareness Program. This is a program put on by Justin Brown, the creator and founder of the program, and it brought to life questions that many students have, but never answered, about diversity. Now, what exactly is diversity? Attendees of the event participated in a 90-minute workshop that incorporated different elements of accountability for change, cultural progression, and role-playing cultural situations, which worked to answer that question while simultaneously bringing new questions to light. The Black Entrepreneur Expo was an event where both consumers and business owners benefitted. It was a chance for UTC students and staff to show the rest of the campus what business venture they were pursuing or attempting to pursue. Each business owner had the opportunity to introduce themselves, and students had the opportunity to support black businesses as well as win fun prizes. If you missed this year’s BSA Week, be sure to get involved in BSA in order to find out about next year’s events!
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by Dominique M., Assistant Editor-in-Chief
Whether you are a student, faculty member, or staff member on our campus, it is imperative that you are aware about issues going on around UTC. Therefore, this article will serve as a snippet of what might be changed on our university and what has been discussed on this campus. For those who are unaware, our campus is in the process of proposing a new tuition model that has already been passed at UT-Martin and UT-Knoxville. The tuition plan is called the 15 in 4 model, which stands for students taking 15 hours every semester for 4 years. The purpose of the plan is to aid with students graduating on time and to garner more money for the university that can be used to improve other services on campus, like advising. The pros here are definitely the improvement that we can expect to see in the graduation rate, because we are essentially funneling students into a constant way of taking classes. On the other hand, many students are not taken into account through this plan. Students who may have learning disabilities, or non-traditional students with families, may literally be unable to take 15 hours, yet they would still be required to pay for such. Ultimately, the decision to implement the plan rests in the hands of our administration, but that doesn’t mean that your voice will not be heard. Please feel free to email and reach out to SGA about any opinions you have regarding this proposal. Another important idea that has been floating around many of the UT campuses is the right to open carry. In other words, this notion would allow students to carry guns on campus as long as they have the proper permit to do so. There has not been legislation as of now to definitely pass this idea, but it will be completed within the coming weeks. Again, if you feel strongly about wanting to carry or not wanting to carry on campus, then use your voice and tell someone. Tell your administration, tell your SGA, tell everyone, but don’t let your voice go unheard. Smaller projects that are being worked on as of now are changes to advising, creating a hammock garden, and the Board of Trustees attempting to remove the student-voting seat (UT Focus Act). If you have any interest in helping, then please reach out. SGA Meetings are every Tuesday at 5PM in the Raccoon Mountain Room and every person on campus is welcome to come. Additionally, you can follow our social media accounts to get more information. Our Twitter and Instagram handle is @UTCSGA. by Simone E., Editor-in-Chief
The Eta Phi Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated has been hosting a lunch and learn series titled, “Food for Thought.” There have been two events in the series thus far, and if you missed the good food, conversation, and interesting topics, I’m sure there will be more to come this semester! This past event though, talked about Spring Break and tips that you should keep in mind over the break. Ericka Hill, from the Center for College and Student Success, first spoke about getting our priorities in order so that when we come back from break, we’ll be ready for the fact that we’ll only have one month of the semester left. She urged us all to make sure that we were ready and that we realized that we may not have time to fix our grades if we hadn’t already. Jordan Roberts, the president of the Eta Phi chapter, then showed a video and talked to all attendees about the importance of that “one decision.” In the video, an athlete’s life was changed forever because of one decision that he made--Roberts urged everyone to, essentially, think before we act. To conclude the program, Roberts then went into some Spring Break tips from Teen Vogue. Although Roberts claimed that he didn’t frequent the website on his own, the tips from the website were helpful and informative. The article, posted below, warned its readers of the importance of a buddy system when traveling, to keep your guard up at all times, and make sure you stay connected--keep your phone charged and tell your friends and family where you’re going. Read the article for more tips, and be sure to check out another event in this amazing series of events put on by the Alphas! Follow their social media: @etaphieskimos on Instagram and Twitter. https://www.teenvogue.com/story/10-safe-travel-tips-spring-break by Dominique M., Assistant Editor-in-Chief Black History Month is finally here on our campus and the lengthy list of events that are lined up seem sure not to disappoint. One of these events that I had the pleasure of attending today, was “Adjust Your Crown” hosted by the Honors College. They invited our current Homecoming Queen and Brock Scholar, Kalah Vance and current Miss Black USA, Daphne Lee. The event discussed the importance of using your platform to advocate for others who may not have the same ability. Additionally, the interactions between the two queens during the program stemmed around body image in the Black community and being an effective advocate despite your status.
“Advocacy is part of my career because I’m a Black women, but I am also a ballerina,” said Daphne Lee. “I’m always trying to use advocacy through the arts and now I am able to use my platform as Miss Black USA to further accomplish my goals for advocacy.” Vance asked Lee questions about her involvement in dance and how she got her start in pageantry. Lee expressed how her main rationale for getting involved in pageants was to win scholarship money, but it turned into so much more for her. She has been able to teach young black girls that they truly can do anything through the barriers that she has knocked down thus far. These barriers include dismantling the stereotypical white, skinny, ballerina. Vance depicted how she too has used her platform to advocate for the UTC student body, particularly in trying to show how self-confidence is key. “I feel like people consider Homecoming Queen as a popularity contest, but I don’t see it that way,” said Kalah Vance. “I see my peers allowing me to advocate for them and in this position you have to make sure you’re advocating on behalf of their desires and wants, so you won’t let them down.” Both ladies recognized their privilege in their respective titles and the amazing work that they have been able to do because of it. But, they also agreed that you don’t need a title to advocate for anyone. The first step is checking your resources and networking with other people. With it being Black History Month, it is important to keep in mind the drive and determination of those who we recognize this month for. Pursuing advocacy work for those who are less fortunate than you will always be a good representation of continuing this movement. by Simone E., Editor-in-Chief Everyone sat in the Multicultural Center: some were munching on popcorn, others were doing homework, while some participated in light conversation. No one was prepared for the intensity that is the movie Detroit.
No matter how many horror movies you’ve seen, you always walk away from them relatively unscathed. Even movies about real events are usually roughly based on the true story and are often extremely dramatized in order to make the movie seem more interesting. Detroit was almost too real. It opens with a police search that seems all too familiar and as the movie begins to unfold, it becomes hard to watch, but hard to look away. This can’t really be happening can it? We thought the same thing countless times when black faces filled your laptop or phone screen before a gunshot was heard and suddenly, they were dead. The only difference was, Detroit was set in the 1960s: they didn’t even have phones to record the evidence. As if that helps; but, I digress. The movie is tantalizingly realistic, everyone was gripping their seat, and because of this, I’m not going to spoil the movie. I’ll just say this, it was hard to leave that movie without being angry about something. If you know you won’t watch the movie, but want to know about the Detroit riots, the Algiers hotel, and the rest of the story, read this: http://www.historyvshollywood.com/reelfaces/detroit/ by Simone E., Editor-in-Chief This event was put on by the Social Issues, Equity and Diversity Committee in SGA with the intention of educating the campus on an important issue that plagues the nation, as well as the Chattanooga community: school-to-prison pipeline. The pipeline is a national trend in which educational institutions implement harsh punishments that lead to an increase in students’ contact with the criminal justice system. The event was one that began with a discussion about what the pipeline is itself, lead into statistics (such as students who are suspended or expelled are nearly three times more likely to be in contact with the juvenile justice system the next year), and then began a small group discussion on the topic and real life scenarios. During the reflection of the small-groups, questions were asked about the lifestyle of the children impacted (statistically, minority children) and how can we truly help them. There was the conclusion that mentorship and restorative practices (as in, building a community within the school) were one of the solutions that everyone agreed with. While there were a lot of other points made, mentorship was a topic that the event ended on. Jamal Morris from Intervarsity talked about students getting involved in Intervarsity and eating lunch and mentoring students at Orchard Knob Middle School. Another event that students on campus can get involved in is the Student Empowerment Luncheon, put on by BSA and SGA, which will bring 30 Orchard Knob Middle Schools students to UTC. At the event, UTC students will have the opportunity to talk with the students, interact with them, and ultimately empower them. Following the luncheon, there will be a tour of the campus.
If you missed the event and want to get involved in either Intervarsity or attend the Student Empowerment Luncheon, email [email protected]. by Simone E., Editor-in-Chief It’s Black History Month! The shortest month of the year! The month full of melanin appreciation, culture, and, hopefully, education. In preparation for this month, countless hours have been spent planning events, paying for t-shirts or food, and we now have a full calendar of events for you to attend. These events are not only for black students, but if you are a black student, please be sure to come out, support your peers, and learn a little something about your ancestors that built this country. We’ve posted the calendar, courtesy of our lovely Multicultural Center, and we’ll be covering a lot of the events, in case you miss one. Happy Melanin Appreciation Month!
by Adeola I., Staff Writer Have you ever thought about how incredible it would be to get the chance to study abroad? Was the next thought in your mind how unaffordable and impractical that would be? This is the same thought I had too, until I spoke to Mr. Takeo Suzuki, the executive director of the Center for Global Education at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Mr. Suzuki emphasized the vast amount of scholarships and grants that are available for minority students to study abroad and how willing his office is to guide students through the process of funding their study abroad journey.
According to NAFSA, the Association of International Educators, 1.6 percent of US students attending an institution of higher education studied abroad during the 2015-2016 academic school year. As expected, most of those students were white: to be more exact, 71.6 percent. In contrast, only 5.9 percent of those students were African-American or black, 6.8 percent Asian/Pacific Islander, 9.7 percent Hispanic/Latino American, 3.9 percent multiracial, and 0.5 percent American Indian/Alaska Native. These numbers reflect the reality of minorities either not having access to opportunities or not knowing how to utilize resources to experience the same opportunities their white counterparts do. Meshia Seay, a UTC student, studied abroad in Australia during the fall semester of her sophomore year and shared how the experience helped her. Seay expressed,“The experience was eye opening in regards to experiencing a new culture and learning to appreciate my culture and see the flaws in it.” With help from the Center for Global Education on UTC’s campus and other offices on campus, Seay was able to fully fund her study abroad trip. Let your doubts go, grab a Study Abroad Program Advisor, and take the chance to explore the world! If you are a student at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, contact Laura Livermore in the Center for Global Education located in Hooper Hall at [email protected]. The percentages of students studying abroad during the 2015-2016 academic year is based on the most current data from the Institute of International Education's Open Doors Report and the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics. by Simone E., Editor-in-Chief There’s still a few weeks before Thanksgiving and the wonderful Thanksgiving break; however, it’s not too late to start thinking about what you’re thankful for. It may even help you remember why you’re doing what you’re doing, or why you’re stressed about the things that you’re stressed about. I talked to a representative sample of about 100 students on campus and found that people were either taken aback by my simple question, “What are you thankful for?” or they were thankful that I made them think about all that they have to be thankful for. So, here’s a wordle (above) and a few quotes. (A Wordle makes the words that were said the most, bigger than the words that weren’t said as many times.)
Some memorable quotes: Student: “Can I say wine?” Interviewer: “How old are you?” Student: “...maybe I shouldn’t say wine.” “Family. Without family I wouldn't able to do the things I do now.” “My little brother. He's the light of my life.” “Clothes on my back, a roof over my head, and food in my stomach.” “Relationships I've been able to build in life.” “Being the first male in my family to graduate college.” “I have a stronger relationship with God and that's really helped me.” “That I'm a woman and can have an education.” “There's a lot to be thankful about. We all get caught up in the hustle and bustle. There's really so much to be thankful for.” The Torch: Reborn staff hopes you remember what you're thankful for and we hope that it keeps you going for the rest of the semester. by Simone E., Editor-in-Chief When you’re walking down the aisle of Party City trying to decide whether you want to be a sexy “Indian” or a “gangster” this All Hallow’s Eve, don’t forget these two words: appropriation and appreciation. To add a little icing on the cake, add the word “cultural” in front of both of the terms, and I’ve officially either made you uncomfortable or defensive.
Definition: Cultural appropriation is when you decide to “adopt” an element of someone else’s culture (Johnson 2015). So when you’re putting on that afro that you found for super cheap, and you know that an afro is not something that you’ve seen at any family reunions, television shows, or just day to day life by people who look like you, don’t do it. When you say, “But I appreciate the culture. I love 2 Chainz.” Please don’t do it. If you can’t realize what that afro means to people of color, and you aren’t trying to appreciate the struggle that came and has come with that afro, then don’t do it. (Note: This isn’t just about white and black people. It’s about different cultures, and there are a lot of different cultures where cultural appropriation can and does happen). There are ways to appreciate culture, but to this day, it can be hard to draw the line. So, until that line is drawn, don’t try to cross it. There’s no reason to. You can still have fun being you and dressing up as an animal. Animals don’t care if you appropriate their culture. Animals are cute. Be a bunny this Halloween. (Or maybe a bear if you’re feeling aggressive). Read the article below for a better understanding on cultural appropriation if you’re interested. Resources: Johnson, A. M. (2016, November 03). What's Wrong with Cultural Appropriation? These 9 Answers Reveal Its Harm. Retrieved October 19, 2017, from https://everydayfeminism.com/2015/06/cultural-appropriation-wrong/ |
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March 2018
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