To The People
To the people of Turtle Island, specifically the Nimiipuu peoples who are being continually displaced by the operation of Washington State University Pullman campus.
There is no apology or acknowledgment that can truly put into perspective the ongoing eradication of Indigenous people across occupied "America."
As an actionable promise we the people will do the work in educating ourselves, assessing our contribution to settler-colonialism, and centering stories and knowledge of the Nimiipuu people and other -Tribes- in the work that we do in questioning The System.
This questioning includes the impacts of settler-colonialism/occupation/displacement/capitali sm/ anti-Blackness globally.
Palestine, the Congo, Sudan, Jamaica, Hawai'i, Mexico, Cuba, the Philippines, Turtle Island and on
Revolution Until Victory:
LaborCourtesyAcknowledgment of Solid Ground
Like most modern-day U.S. institutions, Washington State University benefits from the unaddressed legacy of stolen labor at the foundation of this nation and its vast and inequitable wealth.
We respectfully acknowledge our debt to the enslaved people, primarily of African descent, whose labor and suffering built and grew the economy and infrastructure of a nation that refused to recognize their humanity.
While the 13th Amendment to the Constitution technically ended “slavery” in the U.S., we know that slavery’s ongoing impacts are still felt by countless people forced – through violence, threats, and coercion – to work in the U.S.
We recognize our debt to exploited workers past and present whose labor was and continues to be stolen through unjust practices.
We acknowledge our collective debt to the Indigenous peoples of this land whose labor was forced and exploited, the Chinese immigrants who built railroads that allowed for westward American development, Japanese Americans whose properties and livelihoods were taken from them while incarcerated during World War II, and migrant workers from the Philippines, Mexico, and Central and South America who have worked Pacific Northwest farms and canneries.
We recognize the immigrant and American-born workers of African, Asian, and Central and South American descent whose labor remains hidden in the shadows but still contributes to the wellbeing of our collective community.
We recognize that our economy continues to rely on the exploited labor of incarcerated people, largely people of color, who earn pennies an hour while generating billions in goods and services each year. And we know there are many other people, too numerous to mention, who are prevented from reaping the true value of their labor by unjust systems and cruel practices.
Solid Ground. (n.d). Labor Acknowledgement. Solid Ground. https://www.solid-ground.org/our-impact/labor-acknowledgement/
VOLUME V, ISSUE I
Harpy*s Magazine is a student-run feminist magazine under the Coalition for Women Students at Washington State University. We focus on the modern matters of egalitarianism including gender, racial, queer, & disability justice, and all-around empowerment.
The Harpy*s team strives to educate, empower, and elevate marginalized voices in online spaces. We use strategies and tactics to serve students and local communities.
Editor's Letter
Something my grandfather told me before he passed, was to tell the truth about life. One of the most special parts in putting this magazine together is seeing people do just that: tell their truths and make something beautiful/potent/raw/painful/freeing.
Thank you to our contributors, whose stories fill these pages. I give particular thanks to the creators of Portrait of a God (cover & pg. 2) and Zulu Pride (pg. 1): pieces which depict my people boldly/unapologetically/creatively/radiantly. My hope is that you, as readers and creators, find something in Harpy*s that grips you and helps you engage with & question your practice of feminism. May you enjoy this edition as much as I do.
LAILA MARKLAND Editor-in-Chief
Contributors
TALIA BERGMAN, MARK DE GRUCHY, EDITH VIZCARRA GARCIA, EMMA AUSTIN, MONROE AMOS, SKYLER BARZEE, LYDIA
SAWYER, KAITLYN GRUBB, KENNEDY HOWLAND
Portrait of a God
Talia Bergman
How My Little Pony Shapes Racial Attitudes: The Ideology
of “White is Right”
EDITH VIZCARRA GARCIA
Articles’ Summary
I will be analyzing two episodes from the series My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. The first episode will be the twenty-first of season one, “Over a Barrel.” This episode premiered on March 25, 2011. In this episode, the Mane Six (The six protagonists of the show), are caught between taking sides with either the Native Buffalo herd or settler ponies. A war breaks out, and both groups agree to a compromise. In this compromise, the settler ponies end up getting free labor out of the Buffalo, and the Buffalo give up part of their sacred land. The second will be the seventh episode of season nine, “She’s All Yak.” This episode premiered on May 11, 2019. In this episode, Yona, a yak student, seeks the help of her teacher, Rarity. Yona is worried about not being “pony enough” to attend the Amity Ball. Rarity takes matters into her own…hooves, and gives her a makeover. Altering Yona’s appearance and personality, leading to disaster and embarrassment. Both of these episodes premiered on Discovery Family, formerly known as “the Hub.” This channel’s primary audience is young children, around preschool age, and their parents. There are only a handful of blogs, mostly by fans of the show, that review these episodes. From my research, I couldn’t find evidence of well-known blogs or news outlets covering the controversial depictions or messaging. Overall, there wasn’t major backlash over these episodes from when they aired to now.
Research Question
How may these two episodes shape racial attitudes in youth? I ask this question because the programming youth learn impacts how they interact with the world as we’ll discuss further.
METHODOLOGY
To analyze my artifacts I’m using Ideological Criticism. Even just casually watching the show I’ve always kind of felt it fell into a pony-first mindset. And having been actually sitting down and watching this show with a rhetor’s eye I realized just how this show forms a system of patterns of beliefs that determines a group’s interpretations of some aspects of the world, which is funnily enough the definition of ideology (Foss,2017).
To analyze these two episodes I’ll go through the 4-step process of Ideological Criticism (Foss, 2017). The first step is identifying the presented elements, like the facts or in this case the events of each episode. Next, identifying the suggested elements, that is the message or messages pushed forward; shaping perception of these characters into the audience. The third step is formulating an ideology, this is what the artifact is asking the audience to believe or feel about. In this case, a pony-first ideology. Lastly, identifying the functions served by the ideology. That is, recognizing what is being challenged or reinforced into the audience. I will be using Cramer’s (2020) article as a reference point to build my argument on the ideology identified in these two My Little Pony episodes. Cramer (2020) presents how the characters in Disney’s Zootopia are white coded and black coded. How the framing of each character meant to represent certain characteristics we identify with certain races or cultures. For example, the film’s Nick Wilde is black coded because the society views him as a shifty, sly, and untrustworthy character. He’s not black because of these qualities, he’s interpreted as a black man due to the association black men have to these characteristics due to how media and real-world societies perceive them (Cramer, 2020). This paper will explore how the characters in this show are race coded, and why it matters how races and cultures are presented to the audience watching.
ANALYSIS: Identifying Presented Elements
Over a Barrel
The first impression the audience has of the Buffalo, is when they are ambushing the train the Mane Six are on. The settler ponies, meanwhile, are well-mannered, family oriented, and hardworking apple farmers. We get the settler ponies perspective on the conflict first, and while they acknowledge that the Buffalo had the land first, they feel that it is unfair that the Buffalo don’t want the ponies to prosper. As the episodes progresses, we are introduced to Chief Thunderhooves -the obvious leader of the native Buffalo tribe. He is impatient, aggressive, and stuck in his old ways. Most notably, he speaks with a stereotypical Native American accent. We also meet Little Strongheart, the most willing of the Buffalo to talk with the settler ponies, and unlike Chief Thunderhooves, she doesn’t have the accent. She is also very similar to the appearance of a pony, making her stand out from all the tribe. When neither party can come to an agreement on who should get the land, the Buffalo declare war unless the settlers chop down the trees they have planted on the Buffalos’ sacred running grounds. The settlers refuse to do so, and prepare to defend themselves.
The Buffalo prepare for war by sharpening their horns and putting on war paint, they train by fighting each other. The ponies prepare for war by making barricades and pies as ammunition, they’re taking offense against the violent, aggressive Buffalos. The war comes to an end when a piece of apple pie falls into Chief Thunderhooves’s mouth, loving the dessert so much he proposes a deal between both parties. The Buffalo will keep a narrow portion of their sacred running grounds, and the settlers will feed them apple pies as they run past them. The Buffalo now run through a less wider path for a portion of their running in a single file line. The stampeding of the Buffalo running through causes the apple to fall from the trees, meaning that the ponies are getting free labor out of this deal.
She’s All Yak
Moving on to the other episode which came out eight years later, and first aired six years ago. The Mane Six have now created a School of Friendship. This school is hosting its first annual “Fetlock Fet,” which is one of pony culture's oldest traditions. Twilight Sparkle, renames the event to “The Amity Ball” to be more inclusive to non-pony students. When Yona the Yak is asked out by her pony friend, she feels like she isn’t supposed to attend. She points out that the dance trophy and the event’s poster only features ponies. The poster also says: “Bring your Pony Pal.” Her pony friend dismisses her, telling her it’s not a big deal. Yona seeks Rarity (one of the Mane Six), her teacher, to ask how she should prepare for the ball. Rarity tells her, “the Fetlock Fet -or whatever Twilight’s calling it” is all about tradition, and that a certain standard is expected. Yona is a Yak from Yakyakistan -an obvious reference to some South Asian countries- She has an accent that’s origin isn’t specific, and speaks in the third-person in broken English. The first thing Rarity teaches Yona is how to articulate to sound sophisticated in conversation because the way Yona speaks now isn't (pony) “proper.” In the song montage, Yona looks into a mirror, it reflects a pony version of herself. Accompanying this is Rarity singing, “Choose what you want and be it.” And Yona, not actually, transforms into her pony version. This scene is telling the audience that this is what Yona wants. At the ball, a wardrobe malfunction caused Yona to run around the ball creating chaos, the force of the destructive is framed to be so grand because of her Yak-ness. Rarity even called the catastrophe a “calamitous yak-ccident.”
ANALYSIS
From what these episodes present, it suggests to the audience an“otherment” of these non-pony creatures. Chief Thunderhooves is this aggressive force, and Yona is unsophisticated, and are distinctly “othered” by their ways of speaking and appearances. These episodes reinforce this ideology of a difference between ponies and creatures: friendly and aggressive, civilized and uncivilized. The audience is to perceive these creatures as “other” and the ponies as superior.
ANALYSIS:FORMULATING THE IDEOLOGY
This “pony supremacy” mindset is reinforced when knowing that the School of Friendship was founded by the ponies to teach the magic of friendship. Friendship, the way the ponies teach it, is unfamiliar to non-pony creatures. This causes audiences to associate ponies with friendship, rightness, and being more amicable. The creatures then, because of the “otherment” established, are seen as less amicable, less right, and more hostile. The characters of this show don’t have human races or ethnicities, the non-pony creatures are meant to represent non-white cultures, meaning that the ponies are white- coded. Note that children already associate goodness with whiteness (Ward & Bridgewater, 2023), so when the ponies, time and time again are framed as the ones in the right, getting the better deal, not apologizing because they did no malice, it reinforces that white-coding. At five years old, children often perceive Black and Latinx people as meaner and dumber than White people. They perceive Blackness as something bad and undesirable (Rizzo, Britton & Rhodes, 2022).
ANALYSIS: IDENTIFYING THE FUNCTION SERVED
The function served in framing the Buffalo as “other” is to teach the audience that, “even the worst of enemies,” can compromise as Twilight Sparkle says. In this episode, the Buffalo are the ones giving up more than they get, they sacrifice their tradition for the benefit of the settler ponies. The audience is led to believe that this is what’s fair for both parties. Furthermore in “She’s All Yak,” Yona apologizes for the chaos, her teachers tell her it’s not her fault, they just thought they were just teaching her how to have fun at the ball. Rarity claims that she never meant to try to turn her into something she isn’t. All this without ever uttering the word “sorry.” These ponies who have authority over Yona don’t give her a proper apology or acknowledgment of their racist actions.
IMPLICATION
Social cognitive theory suggests that children learn social behavior by observation. This observation includes television. This means that children are taking in the actions of T.V characters, and modeling their values, judgements, and morality after them (Gladkova, 2013). These characters guide children’s perception of the world. Both of these episodes showcase a pony-first mindset, and as discussed, the ponies are white-coded. This paper contributes to rhetorical studies by analyzing how media may impact youth’s shaping of racial attitudes. There is already evidence suggesting that negative depictions disempower youth of color which leads to youth feeling less positively about their culture (Ward & Bridgewater, 2023). The point of this paper is to highlight how My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic may contribute to that disempowerment with its white-centered ideology.
REFERENCES
Cramer, L. (2020). Whiteness and the Postracial Imaginary in Disney’s Zootopia. The Howard Journal of Communications. https://doi.org/10.1080/10646175.2019.1666070
Foss, S. (2017). Rhetorical Criticism: Exploration and Practice (5th ed.). Waveland Press, Inc Gladkova, A. (2013). The role of television in cultivating the values of pluralism and cultural diversity in children. Psychology in Russia: State of the Art. https://doi.org/10.11621/pir.2013.0113
Hohlfeld, B. (Writer). (2019, May 11). She’s All Yak (Season 9, Episode 21). Faust, L. (Executive producer), My Little Pony Friendship is Magic. Allspark Animation, DHX Media, Hasbro Studios, Studio B
Polsky, D. (Writer). (2011, March 25). Over a Barrel (Season 1, Episode 21). Faust, L. (Executive producer), My Little Pony Friendship is Magic. Allspark Animation, DHX Media, Hasbro Studios, Studio B
Rizzo, M. Britton C. & Rhodes, M. (2022). Developmental origins of anti-Black bias in White children in the United States: Exposure to and beliefs about racial inequality.
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2209129119
Ward, L. & Bridgewater, E. (2023). Media use and the development of racial attitudes among U.S. youth. Child Development Perspectives. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdep.12480
BERGMAN TANNER
Who can be most welcoming into a house that is no longer mine?
“Eat, drink, whatever you like”
The house that has developed parallel to me
Me into myself
The house into a haunting
Holding the hands of the girls I used to be
Dissolved into little more than Ghosts I refuse to autopsy
The Poem
Of My Father’s House
My father who acknowledges the pain of return Nuance I can never verbalize (to him)
Lest I reveal my own performance
The spirit of the house stifled by decorations
From his parents who refuse to acknowledge
The transness of my existence I am stifled by the mask I cannot seem to remove
Fingers bloodied from clawing at the seams
I feel a kinship with this house Paint cannot erase the pain that occurred here
There is a poem In the performance of my father’s house
A parallel between the four walls
The show that must be displayed for all guests (and I am a guest, despite being his son I am someone who must applaud)
There is a parallel between this and me
The mask I wear to appease my father
There is a poem in my father’s house
And it goes a little something like this:
ECLIPSE OF THE CHANGELING
transitioning is, in part, the art of proximity my body, face, and voice, form a coastline paradox of their very own arms, heavensward, reaching for the soft, round breasts I may never quite find some girls online sing the praises of progesterone, but only articles subdue the fears of my physician in the long-term, progesterone could prevent bone loss and protect cardiovascular health forget the sanctity of my heart; tell me if another pill on my nightstand will one day make me beautiful transitioning is, in part, the art of lying the first lie was to myself when my gender was rootbound, chained by my father’s voice now, I lie to others; draped in shawls and skirts, pretending there’s nothing between by thighs then again, is it truly a lie? a half-hearted façade? at least lies are concerned with the truth; the latter is said to be far more dangerous regardless of sanctity, this body breeds doubt, burdened by man’s will to create one time, I thought I got my first period but it was just my ball sack, split open, popped stitches painting my underwear a fucked shade of salmon Milionis, Charalampos et al. “Progesterone in gender-a�rming therapy of trans women.” World journal of biological chemistry vol. 13,3 (2022): 66-71. doi:10.4331/wjbc.v13.i3.66
On Bodies Skyler Barzee
WITCH TRIAL
She
She used to appear in the closet
dark as the night her shadow formed around the clothes hanging eyes closed tightly, protection from what we don’t know
Paper
Please tell me the answers
Transcribe my meaning
By type and key
Tell me what I mean
What it means to be alive
You know better than me
You’re AI anyway
bathe in
Pools of light like sunshine
On warm skin
Heat from the loving sun
To know
Why I’m here
And bask in the warm cause of existing
Someone told me
I reminded them of sapphire an uncut gem
Something to crystalize cut and fix polish
trim
In theory
I like how that sounds compliments are soft on ears
almost don’t notice
the chills
I tried to think less of the perspective which imposes the shadow of my anatomy, form
Celled together by the corneas and the membranes that do not see inside my skin
Or feel my racing heart I am more than an impression I am more than the first time and the next time I am a flower that grows and dies with the seasons
How much of myself can I unveil before it isn’t beautiful anymore Before it's not acceptable to be open and vulnerable
Emma Austin
OM NROE AMOS
In my mind, we are still twelve
I am holding hands with Madison
GA E I S APERFORMANCE
As Spriare makes our way through the dark halls
I am holding hands with Miranda on stage
Swaying between my feet
The velvet of the black shirt across my skin
The breath expanding my chest
My voice commanding breath
Age is a performance and I
Am an award-winning actress
Stuck in the body of a twelve-year-old choir girl
Stuck in the body of a seventeen-year-old rage-filled child
Stuck in the body of a nineteen-year-old traumatized boy
Stuck with generations of rage that is not mine
I am on the Westminster stage holding onto
An impossibly long note alone
I do not know who I first had sex with
I do not know if it was her
I do not think she knows
I do not know if part of me will always be stuck
In that moment with her body over mine
Her hips slamming into me degrading me
Her hand pulled out of me without my knowledge
Her into me
Me into a ghost
I do not know what to do about him
His hand in me, his body over mine
His overt hatred of me while saying he loved me
Being unwanted, unknown, unloved
I do not know if part of me will always be stuck
In that moment with his fingers inside of me
Him into me
Me into a ghost
Age is a performance and I
Am an award-winning actor
But I am not here to accept my trophy
I am still stuck at
Twelve
Seventeen
Nineteen
A girl and a child and a boy
Simultaneous universes over and over
The world ends and begins again
All in a single moment reoccurring
Over and over and over
I am here
I have always been here
I will always be here
I have never existed
I am the only thing that’s real
Rose Colored Glasses
I walk home from the bus stop
Spring rain staining the glasses
I have long since scrubbed the rose color from
I was raped
Which is to say, you raped me
Which is to say, you were not welcome
Inside the body you hated anyway
Inside the body I gave you anyway
Knowing, in some small part of it,
That you hated me
It has been a year since you
Since your hatred disguised as love
Since I was a stick with which you beat yourself
A weapon turned inward
Disgust spilling out of you at the sight of me
Thinking about it is like pressing on a fresh bruise
Searching for a sharp relief from the need for pain
The memory will not escape me
My fat naked body on your bed
In that small town your head remains stuck in
Your fingers inside of me
Deep throbbing pain at the intrusion
The knowledge that something was wrong
The way my body still keeps score, even now
When I know I am safe from you
But I see you on campus sometimes,
So am I really?
There is a version of you that lives in my head
Pressing replay on my flashbacks
For its own amusement
So I ask again, am I really?
No one is coming to save me
Or is it you?
I desire accountability and I pause
Craving some outlet for the rage I am drowning in
Desperate for some relief in the form of your remorse
I have scrubbed the rose color from my glasses
But no one is coming to save me
Monroe Amos
THE BEAR KAITLYN GRUBB
A WALK
BERGMAN
Open Season
Skyler Barzee
covered in the blood of a fawn he knew of a god a doe enraptures him in a chorus of screams reprisal for offspring left forever impure
blessed ritual for a hedonistic liturgy depraved ancient and flawed
scarlet flows in rivulets and streams watering the clearing’s goldenrod darling inflorescence indifferent to a sanguine violent soilure covered in the blood of a fawn he knew of a god
a buck passes by the scene feigning tears in a half-hearted façade the desecration of a daughter is of no concern to him even a death premature blessed ritual for a hedonistic liturgy depraved ancient and flawed
a temple without pews bereft of priests or a sermon to applaud the clearing tainted and heretical home for a demented epicure covered in the blood of a fawn he knew of a god time passes seasons change lavender blooms in the iron-wet sod tears of a doe water the garden a cathartic daily detour
blessed ritual for a hedonistic liturgy depraved ancient and flawed
once more a daughter is bled in the clearing nourishing a soon-to-bloom seedpod the doe returns to the scene cries newly awash in a mother’s rancour covered in the blood of a fawn he knew of a god blessed ritual for a hedonistic liturgy depraved ancient and flawed
LYDIA SAWYER
IRON CLAD ILLUSIONS
I�N�R R�G�
KAITLYN GRUBB
An Ode, to the Boy I Became Monroe Amos
I think I have always been in pain
I’ve been screaming for most of my existence
But poverty makes you choose
Which of your kids has the most urgent needs
And I was not chosen
The eldest daughter, the guinea pig
The one you fuck up raising and hope
She doesn’t come back to haunt you
And she didn’t, because she died
But I did
And I am a refuge for ghosts
the Girl I Did Not
and
An ode, to the boy I became and the girl I did not
To the girl who died
Did she kill herself or did I do it?
Was it a slow painful death,
Or did her neck just decide to snap one day? What does her death make me?
I have been screaming in pain my whole life
But I was punished with girlhood
And now claw my way out
I was never believed
Too much, not enough, too loud, too needy
I learned the art of silence
And now my body is haunted
The girl who died lives in my head
She is her father’s daughter and their (our) Rage at the world is a stake in my chest
Threatening escape
The flesh we inhabit limited
By the failures of her life and my childhood
The girl who died was Cassandra
Screaming the truth and never believed Poverty makes you choose
And there was never enough for me I was never enough to be chosen
An ode, to the boy I became and the girl I did not I am every reason she cannot be palatable Loud and angry and queer and disabled
Attempting, unapologetically, to exist
But her hand covers my mouth “Too much too much too much”
The ways I learned to survive are killing me now I will die in silence, shouldering the weight of The burden I have been told I am I will die alone, shrinking myself to be Swallowable, palatable, worthy of being chosen
The girl who I was died
But she haunts me, like every eldest daughter
The girl who died instructs me to starve
So that I may fit into the boxes laid out for me
But the girl who I was died and I am not her
I am a boy, loud and angry and vulnerable Forcing myself into spaces too small And making them expand Like my belly when I breathe I am a boy, messy and belligerent
An ode, to the boy I became and the girl I did not
PRAY, PREY TALIA BERGMAN
Mark De Gruchy
Reverend Talia Lilith Rose Freyja Valentine-Smith
Pieces: Portrait of a God (Cover), Tanner (pg. 9), Going For a Walk (pg. 17) & Pray, Prey (pg. 29 )
Talia Lilith Rose Freyja Valentine-Smith is an artist from a small town outside Spokane, Washington. Growing up there, she often felt isolated and alone, which caused her to turn to video games and T.V. She found her love of art in an art class and continued to teach herself how to draw during the 2020 pandemic. She went on to study art at Washington State University.
Pieces: Zulu Pride (pg. 1) & Witch Trial (pg. 13)
Mark de Gruchy is a graphic designer and a doctoral candidate in WSU’s American Studies program. Mark relocated to the Pacific Northwest from Charlotte, NC. He has produced graphic design material for T-Mobile, Lowe’s Home Improvement, Hot Topic, Cartoon Network and WWE, just to name a few. His research focuses upon the re-emergence of white nationalism as tied to political rhetoric. He enjoys long walks down the produce aisle, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and pro wrestling.
Edith Vizcarra Garcia
Pieces: How My Little Pony Shapes Racial Attitudes: The Ideology of "White is Right" (pg. 2 )
I am a First-Generation Mexican-American graduate from Central Washington University. As a Communication major, I love analyzing everyday interactions and the media we consume to see how it impacts us on a greater scale, which is what drove me to write about My Little Pony.
Kennedy Howland
Pieces: Breast (pg. 24)
I'm a psychology major at University of Idaho. I enjoy drawing with pastels and charcoal and doing ceramics. (they) love plants and most of (their) ceramics and artworks are related to that or have aspects of nature.
Monroe Amos
Pieces: Age is a Performance (pg. 15), Rose Colored Glasses (pg. 19), & An Ode, to the Girl I Became and the Boy I Did Not (pg. 26)
Monroe Amos (he/they/fae) is a junior at WSU studying psychology, with a double minor in sociology and queer studies. He has been writing most of his life, and poetry is his current favorite writing medium. When fae isn’t writing, fae plays Minecraft and Stardew Valley, creates visual art, and enjoys reading. This is their fourth poetry publication, and their second time being published in Harpy*s
Skylar Barzee
Pieces: On Bodies (pg. 12), Open Season (pg. 22)
Skyler Barzee is a third-year undergraduate student majoring in both Philosophy and English. She waltzes between the realms of literature and feminist theory, reading poetry for Fugue and serving as the co-editor-in-chief for The Hemlock Papers. Her own work concerns blood, the transfeminine experience, and the conceptual space between sex and gender.
Lydia Sawyer
Pieces: Iron-Clad Illusions (pg. 23)
I’m Lydia Sawyer, a senior at WSU studying Environmental Science. I transferred from New England in August 2024 to explore the Westside! Outside of my art, I study how both ecosystems and people resist and adapt to pressure or disturbances. Currently, I work as a lab technician and beekeeper for the WSU Entomology department!
My art is meant to advocate for women’s rights, and I strive to reclaim identity through creative expression. This piece Iron-Clad Illusions is a mixed-media exploration of the emotional armor women are often expected to wear—composed of strength, silence, and survival. This contrast invites viewers to question what is real, what is performed, and what is self-protected. For me, art and activism are intertwined— each one a tool for resilience, reflection, and change.
Washington State University
CENTER EST. 1974
HOURS
8 a.m.- 5 p.m. | Monday-Friday| Wilson Short 8
MISSION
Our mission is to engage with the multi-dimensional experiences of women, to challenge patterns of injustice for people of all genders, and to provide a welcoming and inclusive space. We elevate all marginalized voices while prioritizing prerogatives to learn, organize, and support one another as peers and mentors. We foster a community dynamic both within and beyond the Women*s Center that is collaborative, creative, and inclusive.
RESOURCES
- Library
- Study Lounge
- Craft Room
- Lavender Lounge
- Kitchen
COALITION FOR WOMEN STUDENTS
EST. 1912
The Coalition for Women Students (CWS) was formed in 1912 as the Association for Women Students (AWS). The term "Coalition" was adopted in the fall of 1993 to express a common vision for the student groups involved. Currently, CWS is comprised of seven organizations and is open to adding more voices to the table.
CWS develops leadership opportunities for women, with an emphasis on empowering women of color.
CWS strives to pursue gender equality by meeting the educational needs of women-identifying students at WSU. CWS hosts events within the realm of feminism and social and gender justice.
Membership is open to all Washington State University students regardless of race, religion, sex, gender, nationality, ethnic origin, age, marital status, sexual orientation, disability, or citizenship status.
Krimson Kouture
Krimson Kouture is a dynamic dance team that celebrates and showcases a variety of Black cultural dances, including majorette stepping and stomp dances. The group is made up of highly skilled and passionate dancers who are committed to preserving and promoting these unique forms of expression.
Through performances, Krimson Kouture seeks to honor and celebrate the rich history and cultural traditions of Black dance forms. Our group's performances are characterized by a powerful combination of precision, athleticism, and passion, and are sure to leave audiences amazed and inspired.
Generation Action
A group of young organizers and activists that advocate for reproductive freedom and raise public awareness about reproductive health and rights.
Native American Women's Association
NAWA addresses the needs and concerns of Native American students at WSU,with a special emphasis on issues that affect Native American women. NAWA participates and hosts Native American Heritage Month activities in November, Pah-Pu-Loots Pow Wow, Missing
the WSU campus. Our main focus is to serve as an instrument through which Black women and other marginalized genders are able to express their concerns about issues they face globally as well as locally.
BWC is also concerned with educating other students about the pioneering roles and major contributions of Black women in this society. Membership is open to all students who share concerns of BWC.
Black Women's Caucus
Association of Pacific and Asian Women
APAW is an organization that creates a safe space through leadership and empowerment opportunities. APAW is committed to bringing awareness and empowering Asian and Pacific and all students. We want to showcase the beauty and diverse cultures of Pacific and Asian women while addressing issues and supporting women.
QIA is an intersectional organization that specifically focuses on issues that encompass the experiences of Black and Brown queer people. It is a safe space where everyone can exist as their full selves while their humanity is celebrated and supported. QIA creates a space for Queer and Trans people of colour to discuss issues on race, sexuality, gender and other intersections. QIA is committed to educating ourselves and others continually in our communities about the trials and victories of queer people at WSU and around the world. We advocate for the respect and celebration of multicultural intersectional identities of queer people of colour through storytelling, art, media campaigns and any other form of advocacy.
Queer Intersection Association
African American Student Center
CUB 420 | 509-335-2626 | aastudentcenter.wsu.edu
The mission of the African American Student Center (AASC) is to provide an environment that fosters inspired learning for all students at Washington State University through academic, socio-cultural and career-focused services.
While the services offered are culturally unique to the “Black” community, the AASC supports and empowers all students in their academic and personal growth.
Native American Student Center
Cleveland 21B | 509-335-8618 | native.wsu.edu
The Native American Student Center strives to meet the educational needs of all students while providing a place for students to meet and interact with one another.
They provide academic advising, cultural events,student mentoring program, scholarships, financial guidance, and computer usage, and more.
The Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) Student Center celebrates the layered identities of multicultural, first-generation, and underrepresented students, with a special focus on APIDA identities. Through education, community-building, and cultural celebrations, the center empowers all students to thrive in their educational journey and build meaningful connections.
Designed as a welcoming space, the APIDA Student Center offers all students a place to relax, connect with peers, and access valuable resources to navigate the challenges of college life. Services include mentorship, financial literacy, academic support, professional and leadership development, and more.
Chicanx/Latinx Student Center
CUB 402 | 509-335-2617 | chilatcenter.wsu.edu
The Chicanx/Latinx Student Center (CLSC) promotes academic success and achievement for all students. It also celebrates and shares the richness of Latin/Spanish ethnicity, culture, community, heritage and linguistic backgrounds. The Center provides academic guidance, programming, professional services, and connections to promote the students’ academic success and personal development. By creating a positive, safe, encouraging, nurturing and professional environment, students take on Personal Responsibility In Developing (PRIDE). To this end, the Center exists to serve as a support for all students and communities by providing the connections to foster a culturally relevant transition, adjustment, persistence, achievement, and graduation from Washington State University.
LGBTQ+ Center
CUB 401 | 509-335-8841 | thecenter.wsu.edu
The LGBTQ+ Center serves and supports all students, faculty, staff, and alumnx throughout the Washington State University system by providing resources, fostering community building, and relevant initiatives. Additionally, it promotes academic and personal growth, learning, and development for students.
The Center serves the entire Washington State University system through training, consultation, advocacy, and coalition building to advance access and opportunity throughout the institution.
Chinook Student Center
Chinook Student Center | 509-335-1799 | chinook@wsu.edu
Workout opportunities at Chinook are open to undergraduate students enrolled in 7 or more credits and those who have purchased a Chinook membership. In addition to the recreational opportunities, Chinook offers multiple areas for the other essentials of student life:studying,socializing, eating, relaxing and more. The Chinook Student Center includes several spaces and amenities that are open to all, regardless of gender identity. There are also meditation rooms which are inclusive spaces for people of all religious and cultural backgrounds.
The Chinook offers three large multipurpose rooms for fitness classes and open recreation. Music practice rooms are located on the ground floor. The Nap Zone on the ground floor of the Chinook offers noise-canceling sleep pods to help you re-energize. Presentation practice rooms are located on the ground floor. These smaller rooms offer a quiet and private place to practice speeches and run through items before getting in front of a larger audience.
Spaces can be used on a first-come, first-served basis. You can also relieve tension and unwind in the saunas at the Chinook. Saunas are located on the basement floor near the men's and women's locker rooms. Other features of the Chinook include: over 180 classes per week in 45 unique formats, E-sports Lounge where console games are also available for check out, the The Chinook Espresso Bar, and the Freshens fresh food studio.
Student Engagement Services
CUB 320 | 509-335-9667 | getinvolved.wsu.edu
Choose from hundreds of student organizations to find a passion, interest, or community that fits you. Sports, sororities, fraternities, gaming, culture, media, special interest, academics, mentorship, and more!
Use your voice to make a difference through media or become an active citizen and serve your local community through civic engagement. Activities and events are happening on campus every day! Concerts, performances, meetings, showcases, classes, and more. All events are available to find on WSU Pullman Involve.
Veterans and Military-Affiliated Students
Cleveland 21B | 509-335-1234 | va.wsu.edu
The WSU Veterans Student Support Services (Veterans SSS) program is an initiative of the Office of Academic Engagement, funded by the US Department of Education. The program works closely with WSU’s Veterans Centers across the state to support increased engagement, persistence, and graduation for Cougs who are future graduates. Eligible students include those from low-income, first-generation households and those with disabilities. Veterans SSS provides a supportive community, personalized advising, academic development, peer and professional mentoring, emergency grant aid and financial wellness, and many other means of support to ensure students are successful during and after their time in college.
Stephenson Fitness Center
Stephenson Complex | 509- 335-8732 | urec@wsu.edu
The Stephenson Fitness Center, located on the lower level of the Stephenson Complex, offers over 7,500 square feet of newly remodeled space. The facility features weightlifting and cardio equipment, two multipurpose rooms for group fitness and training, and a small lounge. The weights and cardio space includes approximately 25 pieces of cardio equipment, 15 lifting stations, and stretching areas. Access to the Stephenson Fitness Center is available from the ground level, using the sidewalks east of the building near the main desk. The multipurpose rooms will accommodate group fitness and training classes, comparable to current University Recreation offerings
Multicultural Student Services CUB 409| mss@wsu.edu
Every student deserves access to the resources, community, and support needed to thrive. The Office of Multicultural Student Services provides a space where individuals can connect with academic, cultural, and personal support services to ensure success, regardless of background or future aspirations. Through its programs, students can engage in opportunities that celebrate diversity, mentorship, leadership development, and essential tools to navigate their college journey. The dedicated team is here to offer guidance and support every step of the way. Students are encouraged to explore, get involved, and make the most of their WSU experience. They are not alone—the Office of Multicultural Student Services is here to uplift and empower them.
First Gen Student Center
Lighty 260X | 509-335-4736 | First@wsu.edu
The center is open to all undergraduate and graduate first-gen students. Whether it’s your first year at WSU or your last, the First Gen Student Center is here for you! A first-generation Coug is someone whose parents or legal guardians did not have or complete a four-year degree at a college or university in in the United States during their formative years.
Center for Community Standards (CCS) community.standards@wsu.edu | 509-335-2626 | communitystandards.wsu.edu
Available to help anyone understand the community standards process
Compliance and Civil Rights (CCR) ccr@wsu.edu | 509-335-8288 | ccr.wsu.edu
Reviews and investigates all complaints on discrimination, harassment,sexual harassment, and sex and gender-based violence
Ombuds ombudsman@wsu.edu | 509-335-1195 | ombudsman.wsu.edu
Suicide & Crisis Line
Call or Text 988 | 988lifeline.org
After-Hours Crisis Support
509-335-2159
Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) counseling@wsu.edu | 509-335-4511 | cougarhealth.wsu.edu/mentalhealth
Counseling, group and couples therapy, psychological assessments, and biofeedback services
Cougs for Recovery cougarhealth.wsu.edu/cougsforrecovery
Support for studentsin recovery, for students who are contemplating recovery, and for allies
Alternatives to Violence of the Palouse (ATVP) home@atvp.org | 509-332-4357 | atvp.org/i-need-help
Emergency and supportive services to survivors of domestic and sexual violence
Call Blackline 1-800-604-5841
*This resource is divested from the police
BlackLine provides a space for peer support, counseling, witnessing and affirming the lived experiences to folxs who are most impacted by systematic oppression with an LGBTQ+ Black femme lens.
The Trevor Project Call at 1-866-488-7386 or text at 678-678
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Fundamental Needs Resources
Cougar Food Pantry cougar.pantry@wsu.edu | 509-335-0046
Free food and basic needs items for all students; located on the CUB ground floor
Cougar Meal Swipe cougarcard@wsu.edu | 509-335-2273
Funds that can be confidentially requested and used at campus dining locations
Community Action Center cac@cacwhitman.org | 509-334-9147
Emergency food, housing services, and assistance with paying utilities
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) 877-501-2233
Provides monthly food benefits for people with low incomes
State Food Assistance Program (FAP) dshs.wa.gov
Provides benefits to legal immigrants who are not eligible for SNAP benefits
Emergency Funding financialaid.wsu.edu
Available for students experiencing situations which require immediate support with expenses, such as food and housing
Gender, Racial, Queer, Disability Justice, and All-Around Empowerment
