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CRF Events Calendar–May 21-29  May 21st, 2010

Friday, May 21st

  • Black Comedy Show; 7pm @ LaSells Stewart Center

Monday, May 24th

  • Black Hair Care Day; 6pm at the Black Cultural Center
  • End of Year celebration; 6-8 pm @ MU Ballroom

Tuesday, May 25th

  • Gospel Concert; 7:30pm @ First Methodist Church
  • Got Debt? Student Loans and Debt Management; 6:30pm MU 212
  • Glee; 9pm @ Pride Center
  • Women’s Social Hour; 4-5:30 @ Women’s Center

Wednesday, May 26th

  • The Role of Social Support in Overcoming Obstacles to Abortion Access; Oregon Women Tell Their Stories; 11am @ Women’s Center
  • Volunteer Meetings; 2-3pm @ Pride Center

Thursday, May 27th

  • Divine Nine Step Show Yard Fest; 12pm @ BCC
  • Stitch n Bitch; 6:30 in MU 212
  • Bites With Beth; 11:30am @ Pride Center
  • Delta Phi Omega Sorority Inc. Birthday Party; 6:30-8pm @ Asian & Pacific Cultural Center

Friday, May 28th

  • Black Comedy Show; 7pm @ LaSells Stewart Center

Saturday, May 29th

  • 8th Annual Divine Nine Step Show; 3pm @ LaSells Stewart Center (tickets $10 with Student ID)

Kameron (Eastside & Co-ops CRF)–To Group or not to Group  May 14th, 2010


After concentrating my learning this term on theories of social justice I have found one blatant truth; there is much that I was not and sometimes continue to be unaware of. As I have been learning more and more, I have been recognizing racism and other forms of oppression that exist everywhere around me.  Part of where this starts is in my own head and the times I classify people. Our minds are wonderful computers with the ability to classify different objects in order to survive. For example, it would be difficult and overwhelming to recognize over and over again that a knife is sharp or that a stove top is hot.   Although beneficial and necessary when dealing with objects, this can be severely detrimental when carried over to classify people.  I know that when I look at someone, I can automatically put that individual in a category.  It’s how I go about everyday life.  I don’t mean to hurt anyone, but I have realized what I have been doing is generalizing and stereotyping the people around me.  I automatically assume certain things based on the way they look, dress, or act.

It wasn’t until I started asking questions about myself that I started noticing what I was doing.  I’m not saying that I was oblivious to it, but I am saying that I was ignoring it and taking it for granted.  The ability to classify objects led me to start classifying people.  It is still a challenge I face every day.  I struggle with recognizing people for their social identities, without using what I see on the outside to shape my opinion (or classification) of them without getting to know them. I also realize that I want the same exact thing from other people.

I know I will continue to classify, but it won’t ever stop me from trying harder.  So now I put the ball in your court; can you see people as individuals AND as part of their social identities, at the same time not classifying them because of their social identities? I challenge you that it might be harder than you think.

Kameron Beeks
CRF – Eastside & Co-Ops


CRF Diversity Calendar, May 10-14  May 10th, 2010

Monday, May 10th

  • Lei Day 10am @ Asian & Pacific Cultural Center
  • Lube Trifecta-Music in The Quad; 12-2pm @ MU Quad
  • LGBTQQIAAPPO2S- BBQ; Queer In the Quad; 12-1:30 pm @ MU Quad
  • Coming Out 101; 2-3pm @ MU 208
  • Queer Sex 101; 5-6 MU 208
  • Pride Center Slumber Party; 8pm-12am @ Pride

Tuesday, May 11th

  • Exploring the Biological Basis of Sexual Orientation; 1-2pm @ MU 206
  • LGBTQQIAAP…WTF; 3-4pm@ MU 208
  • Families Alike; 5:30-7:30pm @ MU 206
  • SOL Ice Cream Social; 7-8pm @ MU 208

Wednesday, May 12th

  • Dialogue on Sexuality Identity Development in Queer Community; 12- 1:30pm @ MU 206
  • Queer Astrology 101; 2-3pm @ MU 208
  • GI Corvallis; 4-5pm @ MU 206
  • Drag ‘n Dine; 5:30-7:30pm @ Arnold Gold Room
  • Out in The Halls; 8-9pm @ Bloss Hall
  • Spring Clothes Swap; 12-4pm @ MU Brick Mall

Thursday, May 13th

  • Living in the Margins: Bisexuality in America; 11:30-1pm @ MU 206
  • First Annual Queer Mind Spa; 2-5pm @ CAPS Mind Spa
  • Drag Racing; 2-3pm @ MU Quad
  • Olympic Athletes: Competing With Gender; 5-6:30pm @ Asian & Pacific Cultural Center
  • Trans Film Show; 7-9pm @ Darkside Cinema
  • Dehumanizing Fronteras; 7-9pm @ Club Escape
  • Stitch N Bitch; 5pm @ Women’s Center
  • Black Athlete Discussion Panel 6pm @ BCC
  • Spring Clothes Swap; 12-4pm @ MU Brick Mall

Friday, May 14th

  • Spring Drag Show; 8-10pm @ MU Ballroom

CRF Events Calendar (5/3-5/6)–4.29.2010  April 29th, 2010

Monday, May 3rd

  • APA Kick Off – 10am-3pm @ Mu Quad

Tuesday, May 4th

  • GLEE – 9pm @ Pride Center
  • Getting To America – 5-7pm @ Asian and Pacific Cultural Center

Wednesday, May 5th

  • Salmon Bake – 12:30 -3pm @ Native American Longhouse
  • Stitch ‘n’ Bitch – 5pm @  Women’s Center
  • Purepecha Session – 5pm @ Centro Cultural César Chávez
  • APASU Culture Shock – 7-9pm @ MU Ballroom

Thursday, May 6th

  • Feminist Fair 2010: Speak Out! Feminist Voices for a Just World – 10am-4pm @ MU Quad

Kameron Beeks (CRF for Eastside and Co-ops)–Appearing Adverse  April 29th, 2010

Appearing Adverse

It is interesting what we see when we look in the mirror.  What is the first thing that you see?  I see the clothes I wear, my body size, and blemishes, but there is a lot more in my appearance that I take for granted.  I do not analyze my skin color or the fact that I am a male.  I do not consider the features that I cannot control necessarily, but I am aware that other people do. This causes me to ask questions that some other people do not think about.  Do you feel comfortable around other people, both males and females, every moment of every day?  Do you feel comfortable in your classes working in groups with people of other social identities; may it be their sexual orientation, social class, gender identity, race, etc?  Are you a member of an underrepresented group (racial, gender, etc.)?  Now imagine yourself as a person with the opposite social identity of yourself: opposite gender, race, etc.  Try answering the same questions as above and compare them to your previous answers.  Do you take anything for granted?  I know I do.  In the end, remember to respect people from other social identities and truly and wholeheartedly treat them the way you want to be treated.

Kameron Beeks

Community Relations Facilitator

Eastside & Co ops


CRF Diversity Events Calendar  April 22nd, 2010

Monday, April 26th

  • The Skee Week Kickoff 1:08 pm @ Black Cultural Center
  • Glee Night 9:00pm @ Pride Center
  • Money Matters 6:30pm @ MU 208

Tuesday, April 27th

  • What is Danza? 2pm-3: 30 @ Centro Cultural Cesar Chavez
  • AKArobics 7:08pm @ Dixon Recreation Center

Wednesday, April 28th

  • Earning, Spending, Pricing 6:08 @ Black Cultural Center
  • Volunteer Meeting 2-3:00pm @ Pride Center

Thursday, April 29th

  • Job Seekers Workshop 5:08 Black Cultural Center

Friday, April 30th

  • El Asesinato del General Francisco Villa 2pm @ Centro Cultural Cesar Chavez
  • AKAlicious Fish Fry 6:08 Black Cultural Center
  • A Celebration! For Grad Student Parents & Their Children 4-6pm @ Women’s Center

Kevin Rodemack (Westside CRF)–Power of One  April 12th, 2010

As a community relation facilitator (CRF) for University Housing and Dining I actively engage in peer education with social justice and diversity issues through facilitation and events in the residence halls. I also act as a liaison between RA staff and the cultural centers. With my job comes a lot of professional development to further my knowledge on social justice and diversity issues. An opportunity given to me to further my development was attending the Power of One conference put on by both the University of Idaho and Washington State University. This conference was great for furthering my knowledge about the LGBT community and on how to become an even better Ally to the community.

I recently attended a meeting at the University of Idaho and Washington State University known as the Power of One, a leadership conference for LGBT and ally students. This was an unforgettable experience. I learned so much about issues ranging from the identities of transgender people to the oppressions of the LGBT community and people of color within the community. What I learned the most from was not the conference itself, but from the reactions of my family members when I told them that I would be attending this conference.

First, my grandfather heard me just mention the word “gay” and he exploded with frustration and anger towards the community. Asking questions like, “They aren’t trying to turn you gay, are they?”  I became confused as to how I could ever explain to this man, whom I deeply respect, and who comes from a generation that has not been the most accepting, that “they” could never turn me gay. The people around me at this conference didn’t make a choice to identify in this way. In fact many shared their struggles as how they tried to conform to what society claims to be the norm, but they knew deep down that it was not possible for them to do so.

Then I had a conversation with my mother who said she was deeply concerned. She couldn’t believe that my job wanted to send me to an LGBT conference when I identify as a heterosexual male. She thought that I was forced to go rather than volunteering. My mother said she was not concerned that my job was trying to change my sexual identity, and that she accepts the gay community, but was concerned my friends would make fun of me for attending this conference. I told my mother if my friends didn’t accept what I believe in and decide to make fun of me for being surrounded by people from the LGBT community, then they were not my friends at all!

Hearing from my grandfather and my mother showed me views that are held by many in our society today. It crushes me to know that many within my own family claim to be accepting but in reality they are far from it. Our society has progressed leaps and bounds from my grandfather’s generation to mine, but we still have a long ways to go. They say the hardest people to confront and try to inform are those who are closest to you, but I feel if I can make even the tiniest baby step with my family, then I can clear even the largest obstacles set by my peers.

-Kevin Rodemack

Community Relations Facilitator – Westside