The face of diversity at the University of Washington
Focus on:
Native American Issues
UW’s House of Knowledge TO BECOME A REALITY
Chief leschi school’s revival BioEnergy’s
Big Picture
FALL 2008
snapshot
Road Runner Al Young, ’68, ’71, wasn’t about to let anything like stereotypes slow him down. “Asians have opportunities, not just the stereotypical doctor or engineer,” says the retiring Kung Fu and American government teacher at Roosevelt High School. The only Chinese American who participated in hot rod racing in the 1970s and ‘80s, Young made a name for himself with his ability to win races. Sponsored for the past 30 years by the Bardahl Oil Corp. in Ballard, Young won the 1981 American Hot Rod Association World Championship, three NW Division championships with the National Hot Rod Association and every major drag racing event in the Northwest at least twice. This spring, he donated his 1970 Dodge Challenger RT race car to the Museum of History and Industry. —Chantal L. Carrancho Al Young was photographed in Seattle’s Museum of History and Industry on March 27, 2008 by Mary Levin
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in this issue Focus on: native American Issues
DEPARTMENTS Points of View.................................................. 4 Once Around Campus...................................... 5 Making things right Community celebration Dorsey to head state’s MESA program The 360 View Milestones..................................................... 10 People in the News........................................ 10 UW Bothell.................................................... 11 UW Tacoma................................................... 11 In Memory..................................................... 11 FACES Luly Yang....................................................... 12 Lauro Flores................................................... 13
The House of Knowlege . ................................................... 6 With community and tribal support, the UW is moving forward on a dream to build a facility for Native American students.
Spotlight: Seattle Education Access.......... 14 A View from the UWAA President................ 15
Radical steps save a failing school ................................. 8
Campus Datebook.......................................... 15
BioEnergy’s Big Picture ..................................................... 9
14th Annual MAP Bridging the Gap Breakfast......................................................... 16
On the cover: Tribal leaders W. Ron Allen, Charlotte Coté and Denny Hurtado are helping the UW fulfill a 30-year quest to build a House of Knowledge on the University campus. They were photographed in June 2008 in Seattle by Mary Levin.
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THE FACE OF DIVERSITY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON FOUNDED 2004
1415 N.E. 45th Street, Seattle, WA 98105 Phone: 206-543-0540 Fax: 206-685-0611 E-mail: vwpoints@u.washington.edu VIEWPOINTS ON THE WEB: UWalum.com/viewpoints
Correction The name of Patricia Yates was accidentally omitted from the list of 1968 Black Student Union members that was published in the Spring 2008 issue of Viewpoints. Viewpoints regrets the error.
VIEWPOINTS STAFF
VIEWPOINTS ADVISORY COMMITTEE
PUBLISHER: Chuck Blumenfeld, ’66, ’69
PAUL RUCKER, ’95, ’02, Director of Alumni Relations, UWAA, Chair JERRY BALDASTY, ’72, ’78, Interim Dean, The Graduate School SUE BROCKMANN, ’72, Director of Marketing, Communications and Revenue Development, UWAA Malik Davis, ’94, Associate Director of Constituent Relations, UWAA COLLEEN FUKUI-SKETCHLEY, ’94, Diversity Affairs Specialist, Nordstrom ROGER L. GRANT, Board Member, Multicultural Alumni Partnership Sheila Edwards Lange, ‘00, ‘06, Vice President for Minority Affairs & Vice Provost for Diversity TAMARA LEONARD, Associate Director, Center for Global Studies, Jackson School of International Affairs STEPHANIE MILLER, Assistant Vice President, Community and Public Relations, Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity Juan Guerra, Associate Dean, The Graduate School Rick Osterhout, ’76, ’78, UWAA President LOIS PRICE SPRATLEN, ’76, UW Ombudsperson Emeritus and Ombudsperson Emeritus for Sexual Harassment; Board Member, Multicultural Alumni Partnership GEORGE ZENO, Executive Director, Scholarships and Student Programs
Associate PUBLISHER: Sue Brockmann, ’72 EDITOR: JON MARMOR, ’94 graphic DESIGNERs: Michele Locatelli, Amie Ross EDITORIAL INTERN: Shannon Messenger LIAISON TO OFFICE OF MINORITY AFFAIRS & Diversity: Stephanie Miller STAFF WRITERS: COURTNEY ACITELLI, ‘08, Derek Belt, ‘04, Chantal L. Carrancho, ‘08 PHOTOGRAPHY: MARY LEVIN, KAREN ORDERS, KATHY SAUBER
Vol. 4, No. 2, September 2008. Viewpoints is published in the fall and spring quarters. It is a publication of the University of Washington Alumni Association and the University of Washington. Opinions expressed are those of the contributors or editors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the University or the UW Alumni Association.
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points of view
I
n this issue, we learn about our local Native communities’ perseverance, leadership and innovations to build programs that are culturally relevant and environmentally friendly. Bringing cross-cultural communities together strengthens the journey. In the same way, the Multicultural Alumni Partnership works cross-culturally to advocate and promote diversity. MAP has connected me to Native communities and elders like the founding members, Letoy Eike of OMA&D and the late Kenneth LaFontaine. At the first Bridging the Gap Breakfast in 1995, the late Willard Bill Sr. was honored as the first Native Distinguished Alumnus. Included among the many Native Distinguished Alumni are: artist Marvin Oliver; the late “Bernie” Whitebear; Tribal Chief “Ron” Allen; and Marilyn Bentz. Their histories and journeys opened the pathway for the current and future generations. Each year, MAP ensures that a deserving Native student is awarded a scholarship. Morris Richards was one of our first scholarship recipients and first Native scholar. We have had 11 Native scholarship recipients since 1997. MAP’s Bridging the Gap Breakfast 2008 will honor OMA&D staff who implemented quality programs that are culturally relevant. Like Chief Leschi School (see page 8) in this issue, OMA&D was created 40 years ago to help our multicultural students succeed. OMA&D opened the doors for many successful graduates of color. As MAP President, I hope to grow our connections across generations and communities. My current work with major MAP contributor Randy Lewis (Native artist, framer, art gallery owner) deepens my appreciation for Native history and culture. Join MAP on October 18—Homecoming Breakfast—to connect and celebrate diversity.
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ative Americans gathered for centuries on the land where the University of Washington now sits. On this land, they shared stories and cultural traditions and passed on knowledge to future generations. In recent years, the UW has taken steps to strengthen its relationship with local tribal nations. In 2007, the UW initiated an annual Tribal Leadership Summit within the framework of the Washington State Centennial Accord. The Accord recognizes tribal sovereignty and calls for government-togovernment conversation around issues facing tribal nations. Among these issues are the need for increased recruitment, retention and academic success of Native students. Tribal and UW leaders believe that fulfilling a 30-year-old dream of constructing a longhouse-style facility on the UW campus could help address these concerns. The facility, with a preliminary name of UW House of Knowledge, would also contribute to strengthening indigenous research projects and economic development collaborations with tribal nations. A recent feasibility study resulted in an enthusiastic recommendation that the UW move forward with the project. The anticipated cost of $12 million to $15 million will require broad-based support from the UW, local Indian Tribes, corporations and foundations, and individual private gifts. The goal is to complete the building in several years. The UW House of Knowledge will provide a place of gathering and academic support for Native American and Alaska Native students and enrich the educational experience for all of our students. I believe it will also demonstrate our respect for indigenous people and their generations of history on this land.
{ } points of view
Caroline T. Tamayo, ’96 MAP President, 2008–10
Sheila Edwards Lange, Ph.D., ’00, ’06 Vice President for Minority Affairs . Vice Provost for Diversity
The MAP Endowed Scholarship Fund You can support the MAP Endowed Scholarship Fund by going to www.washington.edu/alumni/clubs/map.html
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Online giving http://uwfoundation.org/diversity Or contact: David Iyall, Assistant Vice President, Advancement, Office of Minority Affairs and Diversity, 206-616-3085 or iyall@u.washington.edu
once around campus
Making things right
Celebration commemorates 40 years of diversity The University of Washington Office of Minority Affairs and Diversity held a community celebration on May 20, commemorating 40 years of diversity at the UW. The event featured panel discussions on “Forty Years of Visionary Leadership,” which included Samuel E. Kelly, Herman Lujan, Myron Apilado, Nancy “Rusty” Barceló and Sheila Edwards Lange, the UW’s five vice presidents of minority affairs and diversity. Another panel discussion featured students and alumni reflecting on diversity. President Mark Emmert also addressed the “Red Square” crowd. Below, members of the 1968 Black Student Union, who led protests at the UW that spurred the formation of the OMAD, speak to the crowd. From left, Emile Pitre, ’69, Carl Miller, Billy Jackson, Larry Gossett, ’71 (at podium), and Eddie Walker. Photo by Kathy Sauber.
Photo by Karen Orders
The University of Washington on May 18 honored the 450 Japanese American students who were forced to the leave school in 1942 to relocate to internment camps after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. At the time, the UW had the second-largest Japanese American student body in the nation, behind only the University of California-Berkeley. President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued an executive order on February 19, 1942 that sent 120,000 ethnic Japanese living in the U.S., many of whom were American citizens, to internment compounds. The UW presented honorary degrees to the surviving students and to the families of those students who were subjected to the grave injustice. The event, “The Long Journey Home: Honoring UW Nikkei Students from 1941-42,” drew 600 people and international media attention. Norman Mineta, former Secretary of Transportation who himself was incarcerated at the Heart Mountain internment camp in Wyoming, was the guest speaker. Numerous University and community groups worked together to make this event happen. “It’s never too late,” Mineta told the crowd, “to do the right thing.”
Dorsey to head state’s MESA program James Dorsey has been named executive director of Washington’s Mathematics Engineering Science Achievement (MESA) program, which encourages underrepresented groups in Washington state to pursue science and technology careers. Dorsey, who had been director of national program development for the MESA program in California, is heading up a program that serves 5,000 K-12 students, offering hands-on math and science classes, college-readiness workshops, scholarships, college visits, internships and summer programs. The Washington MESA program—which is housed in the UW’s College of Engineering— started in 1982 at four Seattle high schools. It later grew to 92 elementary schools, middle schools and tribal schools all over Washington. Students who participate in MESA are five times more likely to pursue college degrees in math and science. “We know they’re interested in math and science, we know they can do it, but we lose them at this crucial step, “Dorsey said. “It’s an essential step to make this investment.” viewpoints
Focus on: Native American Issues
Playing big roles in the House of Knowledge project are (from left) Julian Argel, ’84, ’90; Denny Hurtado, chair of the UW Native American Advisory Board; UW faculty member Charlotte Coté; and W. Ron Allen, ’83, chair of the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe.
House of Knowledge With tribal and community support, the UW moves forward on a Longhouse-style building to serve Native American students. By Julie Garner photos by Mary Levin
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Anthony Pastores, ’08, looks forward to standing shoulder to shoulder with others in the Native American community on the day the University of Washington breaks ground on a structure of enormous historical, emotional and cultural significance to American Indians of this region. The House of Knowledge, a Longhouse-style building reminiscent of the traditional dwelling and ceremonial structure of the coastal tribes, will be a gathering place offering hospitality and warmth to Native American students and people of all cultures. For years, American Indians
The UW’s 2008 Tribal Leadership Summit held in April included UW President Mark Emmert (center, top photo) and leaders from many local tribes.
throughout the region, on campus and off, have wanted a “home away from home” for their community’s students. “It will create a place for students just to be who they are on campus. It will take us out of the minority context and put us in a space that’s more comfortable,” says Pastores, a member of the Upper Skagit tribal community, who graduated in June. The House of Knowledge will also be a place for meetings and special events. The structure is set to rise on the UW Seattle campus in several years, the culmination of a 30-year dream of faculty, staff, students and Native leaders. The UW House of Knowledge won’t be the first such facility to be erected on land near Lake Washington. Leonard Forsman, ’78, an anthropologist who is chairman of the Suquamish Tribe, notes that there were winter houses and American Indian villages dotted throughout the region in places
Focus on: native american issues now known as Bryn Mawr (south of Lake Washington), Green Lake, Ravenna Park, the land Qwest Field occupies, and many other locations. Of the UW Longhouse that is planned, Forsman says, “The presence of the Lake People will finally be acknowledged.” Forsman noted that the campus bears many Indian street names but until now, there has been no place to signify the American Indian presence. The building will be about 21,000 square feet, and will achieve a LEED standard in “green” building that respects the land on which it is built consistent with Native American values. (LEED is Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design; it’s a green building system that adopts sustainable building practices.) The UW project, which is budgeted at $12 million to $15 million, already has the support of many of the 34 tribes and tribal organizations in and around Washington State. Those working on the effort are in the process of identifying potential financial backers. The project will be built in what is parking lot N6 near McMahon Hall. The willingness finally to build a Longhouse-style building reflects a renewed commitment on the part of the UW to acknowledge, support and reach out to
{
The 2008 Tribal Leadership Summit held April 11 drew senior leaders from the UW and tribal governments.
in Seattle, the Northwest and at the University of Washington,” says Tom Colonnese, director of the UW’s American Indian Studies program and a member of the Dakota tribe. Another sign of the UW’s commitment to Native students and communities was a Tribal Leaders Summit held in spring of 2007 at the urging of UW President Mark Emmert. Coté and other
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“It will be a magnet for cross-cultural experiences and a recognition of the unique status of tribes in our community.”
Native American or American Indian students and their communities. “I really see this as a positive move by the UW in creating a strong Native American presence on campus,” says Charlotte Coté, assistant professor of American Indian Studies and chairperson of the House of Knowledge Project Advisory Committee (HOKPAC). Coté, who comes from the Nuu-chahnulth Nation on the west coast of Vancouver Island, also cites the new Bachelor of Arts major in American Indian Studies the UW has in place this fall. “It is very important to American Indian Studies in that it reinforces that the whole University is on native land and it honors the native presence
HOKPAC members credit Emmert with making the House of Knowledge a top UW priority and for ensuring that the facility is on the UW’s capital projects list. “Nothing beats having the University president on your side,” observes James Nason, ’67, ’70, professor emeritus and Comanche tribe member who is the founder of the UW’s American Indian Studies Program. The presence of a Longhouse-style facility is important to all of its stakeholders for a variety of reasons. One of the most important is the recruitment and retention of Native American students. Denny Hurtado, a member of the Skokomish tribe and chair of the UW Native American Advisory Board, explained how the House of Knowledge will help.
“When our students go away from their tribal communities, they come to a big campus in the middle of a big city. They don’t have a place that’s just for them to congregate. The culture is alienating and they are likely to drop out and leave,” he says. Currently, only 1.3 percent of the UW’s undergraduates are Native American, a percentage that has remained almost unchanged since 1999. In addition, the Native American six-year graduation rate is 54 percent. The UW intends to change this picture and recruit and retain more Native American faculty and staff. The House of Knowledge will provide a place for tribal members to interact with the University community and the public. “It will be a magnet for cross-cultural experiences and a recognition of the unique status of tribes in our community,” says Ron Allen, ’83, chairperson of the Jamestown S’Klallam tribe on the Olympic Peninsula. Julian Argel, assistant to the Vice President for the Office of Minority Affairs and Diversity, and a member of the Tsimshian/Haida tribe, sums up the significance of the project: “The House of Knowledge has the potential to be the hub of a very great wheel and a place of great welcome.” Julie Garner’s last story for Viewpoints was on the 40th anniversary of the creation of the Office of Minority Affairs and Diversity.
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Focus on: Native American Issues
Radical steps turn failing school into a leader UW Tacoma alumni rescue Chief Leschi School with new curriculum, commitment By Jill Carnell Danseco
UW Tacoma graduate Lucy Dafoe, ’03, helped turn Chief Leschi around. Photo by Brian DalBalcon.
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A decade ago, Chief Leschi School in Puyallup was dominated by gangs, violence and poor grades. Today it’s an example of how to turn a failing school around. Chief Leschi is now a model for Native American educational institutions nationwide, with higher-than-average test scores, safe hallways and an education rich in cultural experiences. It took years of hard work by a dedicated team of teachers and administrators—with UW Tacoma alumni Jennifer Pierce, ’05, and Lucy Dafoe, ’03, at the center of the recent effort. “This is a completely different place—it’s like night and day,” says Middle/High School Assistant Principal Pierce. “Our kids are actually coming to school and succeeding.” The tribal K-12 school was established in 1976 by the Puyallup Tribe of Indians to address the high dropout rate of Native American youth. By 1983, though, enrollment had dropped to only 99 students and the state threatened to close Chief Leschi’s doors. Administrators and tribal leaders began an ambitious effort to keep their school open and convinced the Bureau of Indian Affairs to let them try. But even a beautiful new campus, opened in 1996, and a series of reform efforts couldn’t raise grades. When Pierce was hired as an elementary literacy specialist in 2001, Chief Leschi students were failing the Washington Assessment of Student Learning in droves. Students and teachers alike lived in fear of gangs and violence in the middle- and high-school building. “I was afraid to walk down the hallway, there was so much gang activity,” Pierce says. “The students owned the school.” Frantic once again to change their image and save their school, administrators began to take a good, hard look at curriculum and behavior, and started an ambitious—and sometimes controversial—overhaul of the way things were done. Dafoe, the secondary school
Focus on: Native American Issues principal, led Pierce and the other teachers in an extensive overhaul of the curriculum, starting with reading and writing. To provide structure that had been lacking, they implemented a new curriculum with strict guidelines and scripts for teachers to use in class. The controversial curriculum, called Direct Instruction, worked at Chief Leschi, providing students with consistent, high-quality instruction in every class and requiring that students master skills rather than just absorb information. “We had to take some radical steps, and I think we were ahead of the curve,” Dafoe says. “It was tough, but it’s what our kids needed.” Through the consistent curriculum and constant monitoring, test scores at Chief Leschi rose dramatically. In the WASL results released in late May of this year, 91 percent of Chief Leschi students passed their reading and writing test, compared to about 86 percent statewide. And unlike her predecessors, Dafoe stuck around, providing much-needed stability for the students and staff. “In the past, they’d had a new principal every year, with new expectations,” she says. “Stabilizing the staff and administration meant we didn’t have to start over every fall.” In addition, the school tackled behavior and discipline issues. “The environment was definitely loose,” Dafoe says. “Our teachers were doing the best they could with what they had, but it was a little chaotic.” Just like with the curriculum, the staff established firm new rules and rewards for good behavior. The process of change took years, and the results are finally noticeable. “Our kids are learning, and it’s wonderful to see,” Pierce says. Both women credit their education at UW Tacoma for giving them the tools to enact change. “What I learned at UWT was based on research and the best practices for educational reform,” Pierce says. “We wanted to be sure that we were doing the best thing for these kids, and I knew that I could count on UWT for that.”
BioEnergy’s Big Picture
By Julie H. Case
Take five engineering students, three forestry students and the Yakama nation, put them all together and what do you get? Hopefully, someday, energy solutions. The University of Washington’s new Integrative Graduate Education and Research (IGERT) BioEnergy program is bringing together Ph.D. students from engineering and the College of Forest Resources to explore issues such as how waste from forestry can be transformed into plant-based fuels. The goal of the UW’s bioenergy IGERT, which comes with a $3 million grant from the National Science Foundation, is less about creating the next biofuel and more about developing a human resource. “Graduates in the energy industry need to understand how their Ph.D. research fits into the broader energy landscape,” says Daniel T. Schwartz, professor of chemical engineering and head of the program. One proposal for a first project, which will launch in winter of 2009, is to have students analyze the benefits and impacts of harvesting forestry debris for energy. For example, the IGERT team might investigate how small-diameter waste wood—the debris of tree limbs leftover after harvesting a forest for timber—can be used to create an energy source for, say, the Yakama Nation. Such a project would intersect the health of the forest, help address a concern of the community, and have an energy aspect to it. The team of students might develop a system for removing hardwood waste from the forest floor, and a device to turn the debris into an energy source—such as heating pellets, or a product that could supplant coal for electrical plants. Removing debris from the forest floor would affect the health of the forest by reducing the risk of forest fires; and using the wood—a renewable resource—might result in reduced CO2 emissions. All while providing an energy source for a Native community. Working with Washington tribes has multifaceted opportunities. Nations such as the Yakama or Colville offer a microcosm of a larger nation. They’re governed by their own laws and have their own energy needs and economic objectives. They’re also typically resource rich and known for sustainable use of environmental resources. Schwartz hopes the projects will lead to more Native students entering science and engineering programs at the UW. In the past five years, only 10 Ph.D.s in science and engineering in the nation have been awarded to Native American students. Says Schwartz: “We’d like to produce at least 10 percent of the nation’s advanced degree, Ph.D.-level Native American students.” Julie H. Case is a Seattle freelance writer.
Jill Carnell Danseco is a public information specialist at UW Tacoma.
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360° View: DIVERSITY FROM EVERY ANGLE
The UW’s Native People for Cancer Control has launched a campaign on cancer awareness and prevention entitled “Native Art for Cancer.” A series of posters has been created to bring cancer awareness to Native communities in a creative and culturally sensitive way by using contemporary art. The posters are being distributed to tribal clinics and as handouts at health fairs and Native cultural events. “Dimensions of Diversity: The University of Washington School of Medicine,” a documentary film about race, class and gender at the medical school, debuted earlier this year. Dr. Byron Joyner, associate professor of medicine, commissioned UW student filmmaker Shaun Scott 1 to help him make the film. Joyner is the first and only African American surgeon to practice at Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, the oldest African American Greek letter organization in the Pacific Northwest, honored two members of President Mark Emmert’s Minority Community Advisory Committee: Larry Gossett, ’71, for his efforts to rename King County after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and change its logo to a likeness of Dr. King; and state Rep. Eric Pettigrew, ’87, for sponsoring legislation aimed at closing the achievement gap of African American students. David Iyall, an enrolled member of the Cowlitz Tribe, has been named assistant vice president of advancement for the Office of Minority Affairs and Diversity. He was a major gifts officer in the College of Engineering.
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Carver Gayton, ’60, ’72, ’76, 2 announced his retirement after serving as the first director of the Northwest African American Museum. He is a former president of the UW Alumni Association. Bahk Byong Won, ’85, was named economic adviser to South Korea President Lee Myung Bak. Sheila Edwards Lange, ’00, ’06, 3 the UW’s vice president for minority affairs and vice provost of diversity, received a Distinguished Service Award from the Women In Engineering ProActive Network. She is the organization’s director of 3 communications. Hiroshi Nakano, ’77, is board president of the newly formed International Community Health Services Foundation. The ICHS foundation is the largest Asian and Pacific Islander community health center in Washington State.
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Talking baseball in two languages Ken Barron, ’03, (left, with Ichiro) made it to the big leagues—just not the way he envisioned. “My friends were always like, ‘Man, it’d be crazy if you were an interpreter some day.’ I never thought that would happen.” Now in his third season with the Seattle Mariners, the Japan-born but Seattle-raised lifelong baseball fan handles media interviews for Japanese stars Ichiro Suzuki and Kenji Johjima. He was a huge fan of Ichiro’s growing up and now works side by side with his boyhood hero. “On the field, I think everybody knows this serious guy,” Barron says of Ichiro. “But off the field, when he turns the switch off, he’s a super funny guy and a super kind guy. He’s showed that side to me and I’m very grateful that he can express that side of himself to me. It’s a lot of fun.” — Derek Belt
Associated Press photo
Milestones
People in the News
UW Bothell
UW Tacoma
Anthony Cruz, ’06, is the UW Bothell Alumni Council Chair for 2008-09 and is serving as the UW Bothell representative to the UW Alumni Association Board of Trustees. He works for Washington Mutual.
Professor Annette Henry 7 was honored by the American 7 Educational Research Association for her research and advocacy for social justice. The Distinguished Contributions to Gender Equity in Education Research Award recognizes individuals for distinguished research, professional practice and activities that advance public understanding of gender and/or sexuality in the education community. A professor in UW Tacoma’s Education Program, Henry researches black women teachers’ practice in international contexts as well as race, language, gender and culture in teaching and learning.
Brian Peterson, ’08, 4 who seven years ago was paralyzed from the waist down in an automobile accident but overcame his injuries to return to his college studies, was the 2008 Student Commencement Speaker at UW Bothell. 5
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Susan Tallis, ’08, 5 a non-traditional student who juggled her schooling with home, care-giving and work responsibilities, was this year’s President’s Medalist. She graduated with a 3.96 grade point average. Ebou Cham, ’08, 6 a native of the Gambia, was the Chancellor’s Medalist. He began his nursing career as a forestry extension worker, transporting sick and injured people. He later moved to the U.S. and completed his studies to become a Licensed Practical Nurse and a Registered Nurse.
in memory
8
Professor Michael Honey 8 has earned the Organization of American Historians’ Liberty Legacy Foundation Award for his book, “Going Down Jericho Road: The Memphis Strike, Martin Luther King’s Last Campaign.” The award is given annually for the best book on any aspect of United States civil rights struggle. The Organization of American Historians is the nation’s largest society dedicated to the teaching and study of the American past.
Isaac L. Banks, ’61, who served
Michiko Nishisaka Kano, ’40, who
California, and was a champion of
Amy Claire Saguro, a former UW
as an administrator at Odessa Brown
earned her degree from the UW just
human rights. He moved to Seattle
student believed to be the first Japanese
Children’s Clinic and later at Children’s
before her internment in Idaho during
shortly after World War II, earned two
American teacher hired by the Seattle
Hospital and Regional Medical Center,
World War II, died May 1. She worked
UW degrees, and was a college
School District, died April 18. She was 88.
died Feb. 22. He was 76.
for the UW School of Economics and
professor for many years before being
the Seattle School District. She was 91.
elected to Congress. He was 80.
ing member of the Filipino Community
Tom Lantos, ’49,
Harold C. Lee, ’51, who spent 36
the UW School of Law, died April 26.
Center and Beacon United Methodist
’50, who escaped
years as a Boeing engineer and was a
Founder of one of the earliest minority-
Church, died Feb. 22. He was 99.
from a World War II
partner in the China Doll restaurant in
and-female-owned law firms, he served
Frank H. Descargar, ’81, a found-
Toru Sakahara, ’40, one of the first Japanese Americans to earn admission to
Nazi labor camp
Everett and South China Doll restaurant
as president of such community organiza-
Eydie Calderon Detera, ’98, ’04, a
and went on to
in Seattle, died Jan. 2. He was 80.
tions as the Japanese American Citizens
librarian, community activist, writer and
become the only
artist, died March 25. A frequent
Holocaust survivor
John Lee, ’57, ’71, a retired physi-
Council and the Seattle Citizens Housing
contributor to the International Examiner
to win a seat in
cian and UW faculty member who was
Board. For his lifelong service, he was
and Pacific Reader, she fought to advance
Congress, died Feb.
a Chinese community health advocate,
awarded the Order of the Sacred
the American Ethnic Studies Department
11. He spent 27 years in Congress,
died April 1. He was 77.
Treasure, Fourth Class, by the Emperor
at the UW in 1990. She was 37.
representing a district in northern
League, Jackson Street Community
of Japan. He was 91.
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faces: Luly Yang
ing hion design world by sitt her big success in the fas Luly Yang didn’t achieve
e-Sheldon. still. Photo by Ingrid Pap
Creating the design for success
By Shannon messenger
UW Art Professor Doug Wadden once told Luly Yang, ’90, that her undergraduate efforts weren’t up to their full potential and her chances of making it into the highly competitive graphic arts program were in jeopardy. So three days before final senior presentations were due, she changed her project entirely. Luly—as the fashion designer prefers to be called—worked day and night in the art lab to complete her environmental graphics assignment. It was so different from her original project that the grading instructor didn’t recognize whose presentation it was. Luly earned an A, as well as acceptance into the graphic design program. Those lessons learned have sure paid big dividends. Today, Luly is the Northwest’s most famous couture clothing designer, specializing in bridal and high-end fashion. Before embarking on a career in wedding dress and high-fashion design, Luly spent 12 years working in architectural planning and branding for such 12 viewpoints
notable firms as The Retail Group and Callison. “My graphic design career started and ended with architecture,” Luly recalls, “beginning with the intense Gothic design of UW campus buildings. They were inspirational to a student of graphic art, but structural design also influences my work in fashion today.” Luly’s success in the competitive world of fashion has been driven by her entrepreneurial spirit and head for business. Luly Yang Couture’s 2007 revenues topped the $2 million mark, and she expects her custom design business and threeyear-old Seattle boutique at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel to grow another 30 percent this year.
Luly was born into a talented Taiwanese family. Her father was an engineer, her mother a college art teacher and classical Chinese painter, and other family members included a seamstress and architect. As a child, she was always sketching—mostly dresses—in her free time. But Luly’s dream of a fashion career was put on hold when her father recommended she pursue a more reliable profession in graphic design. The road back to fashion is taking her to the top. Last year, Luly received the prestigious Nelly Cashman Woman Business Owner of the Year award. Seattle Business Monthly magazine tabbed her as one of eight business people to watch in 2008. But her success didn’t come easy. “If I had it all over to do again, I would do everything the same,” says Luly, who was so worn out after reworking her final project that she fell asleep at the wheel of her running car in a UW parking lot after class. “Except that I would have added a business degree.” Luly didn’t celebrate her arrival as a designer in the way one would expect. Although she is honored that her gowns have made it to the red carpet (worn by such entertainment industry luminaries as Mary Hart, Josie Bissett and Vannessa Minnillo), she prides herself in working with and creating designs for her more personal customers. “I love working with women who celebrate their confidence by wearing beautiful garments,” she explains. “And I love the lasting relationships I develop with my clients.” Shannon Messenger is a Viewpoints intern.
Fashion show to benefit kids Fashion designer Luly Yang, ’90, will hold her third annual fund-raising event October 10 to benefit Camp Korey, a Paul Newman “Hole-in-the-Wall” camp that provides children and their families battling lifethreatening illnesses a medically sound environment in which to have fun and be kids. What: 20/20 Vision: Luly Yang Couture Fashion Show to Benefit Camp Korey When: October 10, 2008 Where: Fremont Studios, 155 N. 35th Street, Seattle
faces: Lauro Flores
Setting the record straight with Chicano stereotypes By Derek Belt
Chicano writers continue to deal with an ongoing struggle: how to contrast themselves against the stereotypes that have been fashioned for them by Hollywood and the American media. A subject close to his heart, this paradox has been the focus of Lauro Flores’ research for decades. A noted author and expert in Chicano literature, Flores was recently honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award in Chicano literature at the Tomás Rivera Conference at UC Riverside. “In the old cowboy movies you always find banditos, and that transfers to commercial ads like the Frito Bandito,” Flores says. “Then in the 50s, there was the image of the Latin lover. For women, it’s the vamp. “But those are types,” he counters. “We’ve been cast in different types and I study how Chicanos are trying to present a different image through their writing. They say ‘This is me. This is my family, my ancestors. We are dignified individuals.’ Then it continues and goes on to take different modes.” A 27-year veteran of the UW, Flores is a professor of Chicano and Latin American literatures and chairs the Department of American Ethnic Studies, a department he helped create more than 20 years ago. He calls teaching his “salvation” and says contact with students is essential because it “keeps you in touch with reality.” Born in Mexico in 1950, Flores moved to San Diego as a teenager and was part of the Chicano movement of the late 1960s. He remembers participating in a student walk-out in high school and says those experiences helped shape his view of teaching. “I think that it is part of the University’s responsibility to prepare students to deal with issues of diversity,” Flores says. “Once students graduate from here and they go and become professionals,
Participating in a student protest in high school helped shape Professor Lauro Flores’ view of teaching. Photo by Mary Levin.
whether we like it or not they will have to deal with diversity in the aspects of their jobs.” Flores says diversifying the faculty is an important part of that process but feels the UW is behind in that regard. He says it’s difficult to attract minority candidates and even more of a challenge to keep them here. “We try to make it so that when candidates come to campus they interview or visit with other minority people so that they have a sense of community,” Flores says. “But in some instances you recruit one single minority person and you put them in a department and they feel alienated, they feel marginalized, and they eventually leave.” As a teacher, author, administrator and role model, Flores is working to change those feelings— one class, one colleague, one student at a time. “It is our responsibility as faculty to expose the students to these issues and to train them in what it means to all of us, because we’re all in
this together,” Flores says. “The United States is a nation of immigrants and people sometimes forget that.” Derek Belt is a Viewpoints staff writer.
AT A GLANCE
Lauro Flores
Professor Lauro Flores flirted with the idea of becoming a lawyer but he loved literature. Today, he’s one of the UW’s most respected minority scholars. Here’s a quick look at some of Flores’ career accomplishments: • 2007 Distinguished Teaching Award winner. • His book, “The Floating Borderlands: Twenty-Five Years of U.S. Hispanic Literature” (UW Press, 1999), won a 1999 American Book Award. • His book, “Alfredo Arreguín: Patterns of Dreams and Nature,” a bilingual volume (UW Press, 2002), was selected for the Kiriyama Pacific Rim Book Prize Notable Books Reading List in 2002.
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spotlight: Seattle education access
With the help of Anthon Smith (center) at Seattle Education Access, UW students (from left) Anttimo Bennett, Kyle Rapinan, Heather Rastovac and Gerardo (not his real name) have flourished. Photo by Mary Levin.
With agency’s help, UW students rise to the top By Courtney Acitelli The incoming UW student body president, who stopped attending school after 7th grade, might never have made it to the UW. An honors student whose work was featured in the prestigious undergraduate research symposium was also an unlikely candidate for college after seven years on the streets. An undocumented worker from Michoacán, Mexico didn’t imagine he would be taking graduate classes at UW. And the 17-yearold gay student who has been living as a runaway for three years is looking forward to being a Husky just like any other freshman. The University of Washington is known for its academic rigor, but not always for its accessibility. How did these students overcome such odds to join the ranks of the privileged? Enter Seattle Education Access (SEA), one of eight organizations in the University District Service Providers Alliance and the only one that deals 14 viewpoints
exclusively with marginalized youth who aspire to gain admittance to college. SEA offers assistance on just about every aspect of pre-college and college life—filling out applications, navigating complex financial aid forms, providing tutoring and even helping with scholarships for books and tuition. Students refer to Polly Trout, SEA’s founder and outgoing executive director, and Anthon Smith, its incoming executive director, as “Polly” and “Anthon”—like old friends. “Anthon just said, ‘Yes, we can do it. We can help you,” remembers Gerardo*, an undocumented immigrant with a 3.7 undergraduate GPA who is currently working two jobs while applying for graduate school at the UW. “They helped without restraint,” he says of SEA. “There were no barriers.” Anttimo Bennett, ASUW’s incoming president, was attending Shoreline Community College three years ago through its Career Education
Options program after having dropped out of school by 8th grade due to an unstable home life. The director of the program “hooked me up with Polly,” says Bennett, “and they (SEA) were crucial and influential in the process of transferring me to UW.” Heather Rastovac, ‘08, who had been homeless for seven years, says Trout played a key role in her path from the streets to South Seattle Community College, and then to the UW. Says Rastovac: “[Polly] played all roles. She helped me review my papers, talked me out of a negative way of thinking and gave me practical support. She was always available.” Today, Rastovac, a Near Eastern Languages major with minors in dance and anthropology, has been accepted to graduate school. Kyle Rapinan hopes to follow in the same footsteps. A homeless high school senior who has been “couch-surfing” for three years, Rapinan credits SEA for helping him receive a dependency waiver from his single mother so he could apply to college without her personal information or tax documents. “I have a 20-year-old sister and she never received financial aid because my mother wouldn’t release any of her information for my sister’s application,” Rapinan explains. Even though he is a runaway, “I have a good academic record. And I’ve been able to stay in the same high school all four years.” With its impressive track record, it’s easy to see why Seattle Education Access is no longer a tiny U-District operation. It has grown from serving four students in 2001 to almost 200 today. Bennett thinks he knows why. “You think it’s too good to be true,” he says. “But it’s not. I am living testimony of the success of its success.” Courtney Acitelli is a Viewpoints staff writer. She is also the assistant director of student and alumni programs at the UW Alumni Association. For more information on Seattle Education Access and the seven other organizations that make up the University District Service Providers Alliance, go to www. UDSP.org. *Not his real name
D
iversity has been a core part of my life from my earliest memories. As the son of a career army officer, my family and I moved constantly. Growing up on military bases in the 1950s and ’60s was a great experience. I had friends from all races, backgrounds and cultures, and rank was irrelevant on the playgrounds and the ball fields. Diversity has been a part of my everyday experience for as long as I can remember.
When we moved to Seattle for good in the late 1960s, I attended Roosevelt High School. With many groups of students from varying backgrounds, it was very similar to my experience living on military bases. When I enrolled at the University of Washington in 1971, the campus was not as diverse as my experiences as a child. But what changes I have seen in the campus climate in the past three decades. The UW student of today benefits from some of the most supportive, innovative and inclusive programs in the nation. I am honored to be part of a university that is a national leader in this area, with a strong commitment to a broadbased diversity platform. On behalf of the UW Alumni Association’s Board of Trustees, we share that commitment and look forward to continuing to support the University’s mission. Rick Osterhout, ‘76, ‘78 UWAA President, 2008-09
september 16, 2008 “Learning a New Land: Immigrant Students in American Society” Speakers: Carola Suarez-Orozco & Marcelo M. Suarez-Orozco, Smith Hall, Room 105 Contact: edinfo@u.washington.edu SEPTEMBER 19, 2008 OMA&D Welcome Daze New UW students are invited to a resource fair, welcome ceremony and dinner at the HUB. The event concludes with the OMA&D Pinning Ceremony. Contact: 206-685-0519 OCTOBER 18, 2008 14th annual MAP Bridging the Gap Breakfast 8 a.m., HUB Ballroom, UW Seattle Contact: UWalum.com or 206-543-0540 NOVEMBER 12, 2008 “Green Cultural Citizenship: A Future for Cultural Studies” Lecture by Toby Miller, Media & Cultural Studies, University of California, Riverside. UW Bothell, North Creek Events Center, 6-8 p.m., reception to follow Contact: Lisa Olason, 425-352-3136 DECEMBER 1, 2008 Native American Film Festival UW Bothell Contact: Colleen Quinn, 425-352-5264
calendar
a view from the UWaa president
sept–dec
campus datebook
centenniallectureseries Beyond the American Point of View
Arts and Sciences Centennial Lecture Series: Beyond the American Point of View. October November 2008 7-9 p.m., Kane Hall 120, UW Seattle
OCTOBER 29:
Challenge the American point of view through dynamic dialogue with celebrated UW experts.
NOVEMBER 12: THE POWER OF SCANDINAVIA
THE RISE OF ASIA: A New World Order?
NOVEMBER 5: ISLAM AND SEXUALITY: Beyond the Headlines
NOVEMBER 19: A FIRE-POT OF TONGUES: Asian Languages in a New Global Environment
OCTOBER 29, 2008 “The Rise of Asia: A New World Order?”Presented by the Jackson School of International Studies 7 p.m., Kane Hall 120, UW Seattle Contact: UWalum.com or 206-543-0540 REGISTER ONLINE AT UWALUM.COM OR BY CALLING 206-543-0540 LECTURES ARE FREE | SEATING IS LIMITED | REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED
NOVEMBER 5, 2008 “Islam and Sexuality: Beyond the Headlines” Presented by the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilization 7 p.m., Kane Hall 120, UW Seattle, Contact: UWalum.com or 206-543-0540 NOVEMBER 12, 2008 “The Quiet Influence of Scandinavia” Presented by the Department of Scandinavian Studies 7 p.m., Kane Hall 120, UW Seattle Contact: UWalum.com or 206-543-0540
NOVEMBER 19, 2008 “A Fire-Pot of Tongues: Asian Languages in a New Global Kitchen” Presented by the Department of Asian Languages and Literature 7 p.m., Kane Hall 120, UW Seattle Contact: UWalum.com or 206-543-0540
Viewpoints wins two national awards
Viewpoints has received two awards in national competitions for issues produced in 2007. Viewpoints took home a Gold Award in the Hermes Creative Awards in the category of Publications/ Magazine, as well as an Award of Distinction in the 2008 Communicator Award competition. The Hermes Creative Awards competition is staged every year by the Association of Marketing and Communications Professionals. The 2008 competition drew more than 4,000 entries from all over the nation. The Communicator Awards are held by the International Academy of the Visual Arts and attracted more than 8,500 entries nationwide. This is a leading creative awards program honoring creative excellence for communication professionals. viewpoints 15
MAP Bridging the Gap Breakfast to honor leaders in diversity Five distinguished alumni and one group who have promoted diversity and social justice at the University of Washington and in the community will be honored at the 14th annual MAP Bridging the GAP Breakfast on Saturday, Oct. 18, in the HUB Ballroom on the UW Seattle campus. The event, which is planned by the UWAA Multicultural Alumni Partnership and UW Office of Minority Affairs and Diversity, raises money for scholarships for UW students from underrepresented communities of color. This year’s breakfast is sponsored by Safeco Insurance Foundation. Distinguished Alumnus Awards will be presented to: Carver Gayton, ’60, ’72, ’76, a longtime community leader who recently retired after serving as the first director of the Northwest African American Museum in Seattle. A UW lecturer, Gayton has served as commissioner of the Washington State Employment Security Department, a longtime Boeing executive, and was the first black FBI agent in the state of Washington. Ricardo S. Martinez, ’75, ’80, a judge for the United States Western District of Washington. Latino leaders admire him as an example of a
Carver Gayton
Ricardo S. Martinez
migrant worker’s son who went on to become a mentor to young Latino lawyers. Dolores Sibonga, ’52, ’73, the first FilipinaAmerican and first Asian woman to be elected to the Seattle City Council in 1980. She was also the first Filipina-American lawyer admitted to the Washington State Bar in 1973. Before attending law school, she worked in radio and television and published a community newspaper. She was a public defender and later served as deputy director of the Washington State Human Rights Commission. Sonny Sixkiller, ’74, a former Husky football star and television commentator who became an inspiration for Native Americans everywhere. He led the nation in passing in 1970, is one of three Huskies to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated, appeared in the movie “The Longest Yard” and was the subject of a song, “The Ballad of Sonny Sixkiller.” The Dr. Samuel E. Kelly Award will be presented to the Office of Minority Affairs and Diversity Student Services and Academic Support Programs. This award continues the 40th anniversary celebration of the Black Student Union
Dolores Sibonga
Sonny Sixkiller
1415 N.E. 45th street, Seattle, WA 98105
sit-in. OMAD staff is being honored for creating effective programs that addressed student needs expressed by students of color. The 2008 Diversity Award for Community Building will be presented to Michael Verchot, founding director of the University of Washington Business & Economic Development Center at the Michael G. Foster School of Business. Founded in 1995, the center supports private-sector development initiatives in economically distressed communities through consulting services to small businesses. The BEDC has supported 200 minority-owned companies and small businesses in economically distressed areas in Washington. Photos by Ellisha L. Ley, owner of Mystic Photo
14th Annual MAP Bridging the Gap Breakfast Date: Time: Where:
Saturday, October 18, 2008 8 a.m. HUB Ballroom, UW Seattle Campus
Tickets: $40 For more information, visit UWalum.com or call the UWAA at 206-543-0540
OMAD Directors
Michael Verchot