Theme Communities Connections - Volume 1, Issue 2

Inside this edition of the newsletter:

Politics and Culture Make This Themed Program Go ‘Round

This quarter in the Chican@/Latin@ Themed Housing Program, we have reintroduced our initiative to educate about politics on immigration to the housing community with the second helping of our movie series “El Norte”. On January 29th 2007, this event welcomed residents, students, and Ph. D. faculty from off the hill to attend as well as to take part in a meaningful and informative discussion panel on the subject of immigration. With stories of shared experiences of strife and struggle in the United states as well as information on current projects we were able to bring to light the immigration experience from their broader range of experiences. For this reason the panel was truly gold in the themed housing experience for the Chican@/Latin@ Theme residents. In fact, this second serving has been the best one yet, and the third session in the Spring is anticipated to be even better.

Also, this quarter has definitely shone with resident involvement. One event this quarter, that has taken much preparation, is one of the biggest events this themed floor has seen! With hands on help from residents to prepare for the event itself, and their own personal choice for the event, we have been able to involve residents in volunteering for different roles on the creation and showcase of UCLA’s Ballet Folklorico. With a historical exhibition of regional dresses worn with different regional dances along with historical information on every item and dance form, we surely created a learning experience like no other program has brought to the Mexican folkloric dance. This event showcased in the Northwest Campus Auditorium on the evening of February 25th.

African Diaspora Spreads Knowledge During Black History Month

In celebration of Black History Month, a series of programs have occurred to involve residents and the larger UCLA community in commemorating the role African Americans have had throughout US History. The experience began with the community’s participation in ORL’s Annual Martin Luther King Oratorical Contest, where African Diaspora residents created a wonderful mural to represent their interpretation of “the Dream We Are Looking For.” Expression in the arts persisted into February as residents attend “Express Yo Self,” a program developed to create relevant art of the African Diaspora. Resident actively made artwork from chalk, paint, and other artifacts to demonstrate their views. The series of Black History continues to be celebrated with this year’s 2nd Annual Black History Extravaganza, themed “African Culture: Bridging Identities, An Effort for Progress.” Here, residents’ artwork will be displayed into a gallery to represent the students’ perspectives on the Diaspora. Coming in the spring, we will be off to experience black history in Los Angeles as we go out to Leimert Park and the California African American Museum to learn more about local African history. In addition, we will be co-programming a mural tour of Los Angeles with the Chican@/Latin@ Themed Community to celebrate black and Latino history and to encourage dialogue between communities by learning more about local murals throughout Los Angeles. For African Diaspora Themed Community, Black History Month is every month as we advocate encompassing this history into U.S. History! Come and join as we continue our celebration!

UCLA Career Center Comes to the Transfer Community

The Transfer Experience Theme Community at Delta Terrace is always busy programming to meet the needs of transfer residents. One of the most successful programs this quarter was a co-program with the UCLA Career Center. As third year students, many transfers and non-transfer residents are concerned about making post-graduation plans. The transfer theme Resident Assistants and Roni Lavi, a Career Center counselor, worked together to create a presentation of the center’s many services and events. Around twenty-five residents attended the intimate program to learn how to use the center as a vital resource in preparing for graduate school, internships, and careers. Ms. Lavi described a range of the Career Center’s services from mock interviews to helping students find international internships. During the presentation, residents were encouraged to ask questions and discuss their interests in coming to the event. The Resident Assistants talked about which of the career center services they had personally used and how important it is to take advantage of the center’s expansive connections. Most of the residents who attended the program were surprised by how much the Career Center has to offer to UCLA students. One transfer resident remarked, “I never used the career center at my community college because it didn’t seem helpful, but I definitely want to use some of the things [the counselor] talked about tonight.”

Sustainability Theme: From Terror to Action!

Being green on 2 North of Sproul hall has been taken to the second level (literally and figuratively). Last quarter’s programs were a great success in terms of raising interest, awareness, and education about sustainability - definitely nothing like the typical classroom experience. This floor has opened a forum for students to exchange ideas, question existing habits, and get creative towards moving our community towards sustainability. Last quarter, during All-Hill Halloween, our residents brought excitement and terror in the form of sustainable and educational Halloween decorations. The floor went all out with costumes and decorations for the theme “Where in the World is Waldo?” including creating educational blurbs about the rainforest, sea life, space, and landfills and ways in which fellow trick-or-treators could care for their environment. This quarter has been all about taking that energy and excitement and moving it up a notch to include taking action! We started off the quarter with a Vegan Organic baking program. Residents took the sustainability idea to their dinner plate preparing desserts with the least amount of impact to the environment. We look forward to taking this a step forward by getting dirty in the organic vegetable garden in Sunset Recreation that has been started by our partner E3. With 2N, going greener has never been cooler.

It’s Not Rocket Science: New from the Health Science Theme Community

The Health Sciences Theme Community has had several programs this quarter. The first program is quarter-long, entitled “The Health Science Workshop Series”, which features 7 health-related workshops including: “Alternatives to Medicine”, “Medical School Interview”, “Research in the Sciences” and “How to Succeed in Math and Sciences”. These programs catered to the individual needs of the residents in their pre-health endeavors and gave them the knowledge they need to plan their course of action for their future professional goals.

Another program was “Don’t Be A ‘SiCko”: Resident Remedies and Alternative Cures”. This event was co-programmed with a SHA (Student Health Advocate) and a Nurse Practitioner from Ashe, who led a short discussion on American Health Insurance (after watching the documentary “Sicko”) and SHIP insurance as well. Additionally, the nurse practitioner led a short workshop on medications, available at the Hilltop Store, and other means in which residents can take care of themselves during this flu season. Moreover, a short presentation was put on by the SHA about First Aid.

Lastly, the “No Day But Today” AIDS and Art Exhibition featured science-fair-like presentations and AIDS-inspired art submitted and put on by the Theme Residents. Dr. Angela Hudson and Dr. Edith Omwami were guest speakers and talked about their affiliations with the epidemic. The winners of the exhibition won free tickets to RENT, the musical. All participants, including the winners, will be attending the musical as the second part of the program.

All in all, residents have been very receptive to the programs and their continuous support have made these Theme events successful.