Nothing to lose, Everything to Gain

Diversity and Multicultural Student Services was in the house this monday, and I'm still being fed off the energy. Having sister departments do a show together is bound to be interesting, -full of laughs, banter, uplifting speech, and more laughing.

Asst. Director Melanie Dixon; Scholar Kenneth De Weese; and Intern Kathleen Steppe gave a beautiful, luminescent, spotlight on DMSS, and its ability to retain students who are low income, first generation, and from diverse communities and backgrounds by building a community on campus, financially empowering students, and providing "life" advising.

Here is the podcast for the show:https://s3.amazonaws.com/archive-complete/1377558001.mp3

If your interested in DMSS, Here is their website:http://www.pdx.edu/dmss/

Plug:
DMSS Connect
Wednesday, September 25, 2014
3:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Native American Student and Community Center (720 SW Jackson)

Song List:
Can You Get To That - Mavis Staples
Paid in Full - Eric B. & Rakim
Whats Going On - Marvin Gaye

Graduate School of Education - w/ Carlos "CQ" Quatela (Admissions Adviser)

I'm always astounded at how deep and unique the people on our campus are.

Yesterday we hosted Carlos Quatela, the admissions adviser for the Graduate School of Education. He has an extensive professional history working with recruitment, tours, training, admissions presentations, open houses, student affairs, scholar day, college access programming, teaching road trips, AVID, gear up, bilingual education, community outreach to non-profits, home school co-ops, k-8 charter schools, and much more. 

I have a new-found trust for the advisers on our campus because one of his favorite things is to help people reach the "click" moment when understanding a concept, so if your in the Grad School of Education, and need help getting out of a rut, you can find him in their office 5 days a week :) - or go to pdx.edu/education click "prospective students" to find out where their information sessions will be held (they usually happen Tuesdays at noon).

PLUG: 

October 22, 4pm in Smith Memorial they will have an OPEN HOUSE for teaching.

and from 5-6 the same day there will be sessions on Bilingual Education.

Marcella Flores - Coordinator of Orientation Programs

Mondays from 4-5 + Streaming worldwide on KPSU 

Yesterdays show our guest was the new Coordinator of Orientation Programs, Marcella Flores. She explained her history, her new position, and passions behind her work. Washington born, she moved to Oregon for school and graduated from Western Oregon University before moving to Oregon State U. She found joy in volunteering, service learning, and giving to others. As a first generation college student, she excelled, and now she is here with us! You can probably find her in the Orientation Office.

We also have a couple Plugs / Upcoming Events.
First, the Muange Family is suffering from a tragic event that happened last Tuesday. Their 19 year old son (Michael Muange) randomly died of a heart attack and they need financial support for the burial. He was a graduate of Gresham High School, and just finished his first year at Warner Pacific College.
If you have any interest in contributing, here is the link: https://fundrazr.com/campaigns/cZNl6

Also, Today (August 6th) at 1:30 in the Multicultural Center, PSU's NAACP is hosting a forum around Oregon's Self Defense Laws and how the Trayvon issue is related to Portland. They are hoping to inform the audience, target the source of separation, and build unity around this controversial issue.

Take Care Everyone!

Debt Free Degree + How Great Leaders Inspire Action

I always leave our shows wishing they were longer.

Today we talked about Debt Free Higher Education. and the Pay it Forward Plan. With this plan, 1.5% of income for community college, and 3% for universities for 20 years will "pay forward" the cost of instruction for the next generation of students. DEBT FREE DEGREE!

Brilliant right? Well, we will be joining a large wave of other countries like:
Algeria, Argentina, Bhutan, Cuba, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Italy, India, Malta, Mauritius, Morocco, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Scotland, Spain, Sri Lanka, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Barbados, Kenya, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, Australia, Sweden, Denmark (students also get paid to study...! ), Brazil (at all levels, including post-doctorate and PhDs), etc..

There will be a pilot program to test this, but after this free / abundant education gets rolling, we will still have work to do on free / abundant shelter, food, water; communication, energy; healthcare, and freedom.

We also played a Ted Talk by Simon Sinek about "How Great Leaders Inspire Action". This is in my top 5 TED talks, and will probably stick with you for life... always know, and be able to explain "Why" you do things.

Songs Played:
Sun is Shining - Bob Marley
None of us are Free - Solomon Burke & Blind Boys of Alabama

Abel De La Cruz Interview + Trayvon Martin Responce

Today we had Abel De La Cruz on the show.

He shed light on his history as a student, and artist. 

We got to hear real life examples of perseverance from one of our own PSUians.

He's been here for two months now (originally from Salinas, CA).

And he now advises students for PSU's College of the Arts [COTA].

He understands the struggles of first generation students, and those who don't mesh with our educational system, as well as how to persevere through struggles like low GPA, dropping out, and Finances. 

So if that sounds like you, and you need a someone who can empathize, you can find his office in the College of the Arts.

And keep on your radar that in the future, he plans to create a charter school which will hopefully fill gaps that the public education system is missing, and that would have helped kids like him thrive. 

We also responded to the Trayvon Martin Incident that happened last week.

We played a Podcast by Deanatta on Soundcloud. 

He beautifully spoke about the parallels between black america and black Britain. 

https://soundcloud.com/deanatta/black-britain-black-america

We also played a YouTube video of 100 black leaders who gathered right before the verdict was announced.

They responded with a message that we must grow from this...

One of our local Portlander's (Jordan Theirry) participated in this convening and said it was divine, because it was unplanned, and perfectly timed. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=DUxKJXK5WAc

Lastly, Please give attention to NAACP and CENJC:

• PSU's NAACP is planning a forum to talk about how the Trayvon issue is related to Portland and PSU. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1MXJjAkoYPJ0rOvd2CMb4Vya2MzTva0ZbLo3bWCvAw5c/edit?usp=sharing 
• It will be on July 31, at 1:30 PM at PSU in the Smith Building room 228 (Multicultural Center)
• Take a look at their letter, and if you have two extra minutes, (and a heart), Sign their petition to have the Department of Justice (DOJ) file a civil rights suit against George Zimmerman. http://www.naacp.org/page/s/doj-civil-rights-petition

• Campaign to end the New Jim Crow [CENJC] will be hosting for National Day of Action on Saturday, July 20th at 2 PM. It will be located on 3rd and Main at the Hatfield Federal Courthouse.
• You can find more info about them at http://newjimcrowpdx.wordpress.com/

Student Spotlight - Tia Gomez-Zeller - 7/11/13

Listeners,

Today, had a fantastic show with our guest Tia Gomez-Zeller. We started with a song (chosen by Tia), by a newer artist named Miguel called "Candles in the Sun". His question, "What are we doing? Where are we going?" as a mass society. And that we actually need each other to thrive, so "take a look around". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwwVIR5be-A

The song fit well with the work Tia does around social justice with Associated Students of Portland State (ASPSU). In her interview she spoke about the differences between her home Spain, and her new home America. There were many differences, like the education system where they learned philosophy and critical thinking in elementary, versus many american students who never get that education; and in Spain there is comprehensive sex education whereas here its taboo to talk about it (while unhealthy sex education is spoon fed to us through mass media). In Spain social justice is the norm, political conversations are common, and we could probably use more civic engagement here in america.

She also gave insight on how to get through hurdles. As an international student learning English, there are many, so persistence is key. The quote “Dripping water hollows out stone, not through force but through persistence." by ovid, explains the vibe from the conversation perfectly. "An arrow can only be shot by pulling it backward, so when life is dragging you back with difficulties, it means that its going to launch you into something great. So just focus, and keep aiming". I hope this helps students to continue fighting for their dreams.

Tia also chose to play a viral clip by a guy named Suli Breaks called "Why i hate school but love education". It is relevant because many students struggle in classes due to lack of interest, or lack of application to their current lives. Motivation is key to get through higher education; Its hard to grasp something if it does not interest you. So talk to advisers, who will keep you accountable to your dreams. And stay motivated.

We continued our interview with Tia by asking her questions from the Bernard Pivot Questionnaire. And we received clever responses, like her favorite curse word was a Spanish phrase that could be used positively or negatively. And she would need to have a deep conversation with God before going through the pearly gates.

We ended with a TED talk by Drew Dudley called "Everyday Leadership". He stated we need to get over our fear of how extraordinarily powerful we can be in each others lives, so we can move beyond it. And so kids can see how our impact is more powerful than money, power, titles, or influence. Leadership is about lollipop moments, how many we create, acknowledge, thank, and pay forward.

Next Week, Thursday Morning again, we will interview Abel De LaCruz from the College of the Arts.

Take care Everyone,
Turntable Advising

First Summer Show - Deyalo's Initiation

Monday at 4pm was the first summer show, and the first day for the new intern Deyalo Bennette.

He was initiated by a Bernard Pivot Questionnaire, and responded like a Pro.

He loves freedom, and hates the word "Can't". 

He also hopes God will pat him on the back, and say good job when he reaches the pearly gates, so don't expect anything weak from him. 

We started off with the song Unaware by Allen Stone, a semi-local artist from our sister city Seattle.

Aside from his blow-away vocals, his message was to be aware. 

Aware of the context we live in, the deficit, aware of our governmental authority, and aware of your own personal interest. 

Coincidentally, after the song we moved into a conversation about how to de-stress. 

and steps 1-7 were all about "AWARENESS". 

Physical, Emotional, Impulse, Consequence, Reality, Solution, and Benefit "Awareness". 

Each are important, but we concluded that its unlikely someone will (or can) enact all of these in a fight or flight moment, like the article suggested. 

The next article had tips to de-stress during finals week.

It suggested to exercise, sleep, drink water, and change mindset. We all agree'd that those were probably best, but then it failed when it suggested to play video games, and eat chocolate. Everything else on the list would distract most students from finals.

The best advice I can give is to stay centered, and focus!

If you want to find a center, Listen to "The Real You" by Alan Watts. 

We played this at 4:30, and his message was the real you is this Universe. and to not live in fear, because once you challenge your fear you realize its an illusion. 

This very existential speech talks about the state of being everything! 

If you don't understand this, listen to the talk (Linked Here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMRrCYPxD0I)
It lays everything out simply and beautifully. 

The last video had people in the radio station tearing up. "The Greatest Speech Ever Made" by Charlie Chaplin was made in the 1940's, but it is still so relevant in 2013, and perhaps more important given our current state of the world.
This touches back on "Awareness", to take a moment and think about striving for our best  possible selves and the best possible society we can create. (Linked Here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WibmcsEGLKo)

And that was a wrap for our first summer show, and the first of many episodes with our superstar intern, Mr. Deyalo Bennette (soon to have an amazing DJ name).

A quick update:
THE SHOW WILL AIR ON THURSDAYS AT 10 AM FOR THE NEXT 3 WEEKS OF JULY, and will then revert back to our normally scheduled time of 4 pm on Mondays.

Have a great 4th of July!