Thanksgiving swiftly approaches, and each year my relationship with the holiday becomes more and more confused. When I was young, like most white suburban American children, I learned that Thanksgiving was a pristine day for us to sit at a big table and tell all of our family members how wonderful they are and how much we loved the birthday gifts they bought us that year. “I’m thankful for the roof over my head, the food on the table, and my Nintendo.” It was perfectly natural to me that we should do this every year. In the first grade, I played Squanto in the Thanksgiving play– impressing my white teacher, my white peers, and all the white parents in the room with the feather headband I’d made from construction paper.
Things have changed a little since 2006. Some elementary schools even read a native land acknowledgement at assemblies. Columbus Day has been changed to Indigenous People’s day. Evergreen, too, has become more conscious of the stolen land that our campus resides on, claimed in the Medicine Creek Treaty which is still disputed to this day. Our Native Pathways program and the House of Welcome are a growing part of Evergreen’s culture.
So what does it mean, now, to take a week off in November for Thanksgiving? Who, or, what, is being thanked every year on this national holiday– so integral to American culture that even some businesses deemed too essential to close during the height of the Pandemic shut their doors for the day?
I encourage you to look at your own relationship with the colonial education we were brought up in. How successful has it been in erasing the native people of this land from your view? How are you unintentionally carrying forward that erasure in your own practice? Do you unwittingly participate in the furtherance of stereotypes? Lastly, how can you include native ways of knowing and learning in your practice going forward?
This year, I am thankful for hard questions and harder answers.
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The Learning and Teaching Commons would like to invite you to join us for a social gathering following the Leadership Update on Monday. We'll be offering comfort food, community, and conversation on the eve of Election Day. Meet and mingle with new faculty and catch up with your colleagues.
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Monday, November 4 @ 5-6:30 pm
SEM II E3123
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Post-Election Community Circle
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The Social Justice Center and the Washington Center are collaborating to foster support, care, and resilience through Evergreen Community Circles during the election season. These facilitated circles are one of many ways we can engage in community-centered healing in response to challenges each of us carry as we endeavor to provide transformative educational experiences for students. In a community circle, participants will find a supportive setting to share their feelings and experiences. Using a circle format, we practice deep listening skills, allowing each person the opportunity to speak without interruption.
In anticipation of the 2024 election, we will be holding election themed Community Circles for staff and faculty in the Social Justice Center in Evans Hall 2205 on the following dates:
November 12th @ 12:00-1:00
We hope you can join us for this opportunity to support our community. Please feel free to forward this invitation to other staff and faculty in your areas.
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The Learning and Teaching Commons is pleased to announce a new program for getting mid-quarter feedback from students for faculty. The Community Reflection and Feedback on Teaching (CRAFT) provides confidential and anonymous feedback on how students perceive their course or program.
Learn more →
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November 21 | 11 am - 12:30 pm | Do you have a teaching dilemma? Get unstuck through cooperative consulting with colleagues.
Sonja Wiedenhaupt and JuliA Metzker
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Meet with a Student Consultant |
Michael Wallis is the Student Learning Consultant for The Washington Center. His collaborative services are available to faculty who wish to improve the equity and student learning focus of their curricula.
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Michael is excited to collaborate on the development and improvement of educational materials at Evergreen; your syllabi, curriculum, assessments, etc. His consultancy services are intended to help you introduce a student perspective into your course development– bringing backwards design and student-focused education from theory into practice.
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Join Julia Zay, LTC Faculty Scholar, and other colleagues for conversations about teaching 30 minutes prior to each faculty meeting. Bring your challenges, questions, favorite resources, or celebrations to share.
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With US elections at our doorstep, you may be looking for some moments of quiet and calm this week and in the weeks ahead. I offer you this note to educators from Emma Nordin, Director of Education at Art in the Twenty-First Century (Art21), which felt like a lifeline when it landed in my email inbox earlier this week. Art21 educates and expands access to contemporary art through documentary films, resources, and public programs. Nordin invites us to spend time with the work of contemporary artists which slows time and connects us with forces larger than ourselves.
Read more →
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Are you so sad that they’ve taken Jamboard away from us all?
Or are you thinking, what was Jamboard?
Either way, I’ve got good news for you. Evergreen has an excellent, clear choice to replace Jamboard in our teaching. It’s free to us and works inside of Canvas to keep the tech we’re asking our student to use streamlined, secure, and easy to find.
Learn more →
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Michael Wallis is the Student Learning Consultant for The Washington Center. His collaborative services are available to faculty who wish to improve the equity and student learning focus of their curricula.
In November of 2020, I was a sophomore undergrad experiencing quarantine in the Q building of Evergreen’s on-campus apartments. My roommates were women and queer folx who had a lot at stake that year. I remember the palpable fear we all felt, watching the electoral college votes come in from around the nation. I remember wondering ‘why is it so close?’ Being in lockdown, we had no tools, nothing to do other than homework and worrying. And all of it felt so… meaningless.
Read more →
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Academic Fair
In an effort to make the Academic Fair match the changing types of learning and teaching our college offers, we will be offering two separate fair events on Dec. 4th (Weds Week 9 of Fall quarter).
-Faculty teaching Daytime - In Person OR Daytime - Hybrid classes in Winter quarter will need to attend the Academic Fair (In-person) from 2-3:30pm in Evans Hall.
-Faculty teaching Remote OR Evening and Weekend classes in Winter quarter will need to attend the Academic Fair (Remote) from 4:30-6:00pm.
If you are teaching multiple classes that fall into both of these categories, please plan to attend both fairs and represent your classes accordingly.
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National Learning Communities Conference 2024 | November 6-8 | Chicago, IL
Learn more →
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| Call for Proposals | Library Exhibit
We are especially excited to display student work and art, but use a variety of criteria in our proposal review, including: Connection to curriculum, Connection to events and other arts activities happening at Evergreen, Diversity & inclusion, Relevance to Olympia community, Compatibility with current display resources, and Interest
We are also excited to announce that, for the first time, we will be providing an honorarium of $500, which will be split evenly among all accepted exhibits.
Learn more →
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Fall Quarter Academic Statement Workshop
Week 5: Wednesday, October 30th, 3-4:30pm
Week 8: Wednesday, November 20th, 3-4:30pm
This workshop will provide students with the information they need to write their annual and final Academic Statements. Writing Center staff will guide students in reflecting on their learning at Evergreen and their academic and professional goals and values. Students will learn how to organize their ideas into a cohesive piece of writing that expresses who they are as a scholar.
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If your class is doing something cool this academic year, especially this Fall please email Shandra Witke: your name, the class title, what your class will be doing, and a general idea of the date(s) you will be doing it.
we are hoping to connect with Faculty to schedule some updated shots. We need photos of:
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-Updated classroom and group discussions
-Classroom demonstrations
-Class activities outside the classroom – both on and off-campus
-In the forest
-At the beach
-Off-campus field trips (downtown Olympia, local nature, Study Abroad)
-Class visits to the library or other places on campus
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| -Art and design classes like woodshop or ceramics
-Classes in the computer labs or 3D printing lab
-Students making cool stuff or showing off their projects
-Students working and collaborating in the science labs or with science equipment
-Anything fun, engaging, unique, Evergreen
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Greener Hub is a newly launched resource available to all members of our Evergreen community, including students of all levels, employees, alumni, and campus visitors. We’re the first stop for questions, campus navigation, and support. If you aren’t sure where to go, or need help referring a student, we’re here to help!
Our office is located in Evans Hall 2147, off the main lobby near Holistic Advising and TRIO Student Support. We’re also available by email at GreenerHub@evergreen.edu
Our hours for Fall quarter are:
Monday: 8am – 5pm
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday: 8am – 7pm
Friday: 8am – 5pm
If you have questions, need flyers, or would like to schedule a class visit, stop by or send us an email!
Learn more →
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Starting September 30, 2024 we will be open for appointments!
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Hours of Operation for Fall quarter:
1 to 5 p.m. Monday and Friday, Appointment Only
1 to 5 p.m. Wednesday, Drop-In
Holidays & Campus Closures are observed.
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The Basic Needs Center, CAB 135, is located on the first floor of the CAB building. Separate entrance from the Greenery.
Learn more →
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There are many opportunities for faculty to share their achievements, and we want to encourage you to contribute to the wealth of knowledge in our Evergreen community. Learn more about how to share your work with our community.
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