Category: Students

In Solidarity: Faculty and Staff Letter to Students

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Dear K College Students,

The pandemic of novel coronavirus has reshaped our world and transformed our institution in profound ways. Over the last few weeks as we pivoted sharply to take our classes online, we have seen the painful and unequal impact of the virus-related changes and restrictions on our most vulnerable students. We have witnessed how disparities in access to technology and internet service affect student learning. We have also witnessed the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on Black, Brown, Latinx, and immigrant communities in Kalamazoo and across the nation. We know that many of our community members have lost loved ones and are grieving them now. The pain of losing relatives and coping with the death of over a hundred thousand people in a few short weeks has been exacerbated by our inability to mourn them together and by the knowledge that many of these deaths were preventable. Our pain and frustration have been compounded by the violent murder of unarmed Black people by white racists.

The lynching of Ahmaud Arbery for being Black while running, the shooting of nursing student Breonna Taylor by police as she slept in her bed, the killing of Black trans man Tony McDade by Florida police, and the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police have shaken us to our very core. The incident in New York’s Central Park involving false allegations made by a white woman named Amy Cooper against a Black birdwatcher has also been a chilling reminder of how Black and Brown folks are harmed by large and small daily acts of white entitlement, untruthfulness, and aggression. We cannot go on without acknowledging how this violence affects us as people and as members of the Kalamazoo College community committed to social justice. We stand in solidarity with protesters in the US and around the world calling for an end to the murder of Black people by police, and for abolition, decolonization, and Black liberation now.

Beyond the discourse of institutional diversity as an asset, we want to strive together to create a different reality in which our Black, Brown, trans, queer, and gender non-conforming community members’ lives are valued, cherished, and protected. How do we move forward in light of these new realities? We need historical perspective to help us discern the crossroads where we stand—a place of both convergence and disjuncture. We need to learn from and mobilize forms of historical memory and anti-racist coalitional work now more than ever.

We need to move forward together. During the past week, we have heard from you: in emails, in video conferences, in phone calls, in SMS texts, in posts on the K-College Facebook site, and ongoing informal and formal correspondence.

To Black students, we have heard your anger at what is happening on campus, of the wearying effort to just be heard during this term and your years at K. Beyond Kalamazoo, we have heard you tell of what is happening outside your doors and in your communities. We have heard your righteous anger and justified fear. We have smelled the smoke of fires burning outside your doors and heard the sounds of sirens, not from the news or Facebook or Instagram, but from your own lives and your own witnessing. We have seen parents and siblings walk in and out of your screens and so felt the immediate presence of those you love and who love you, and who make it possible for you to be part of the K College community. And, for some, the turmoil and anger mixes with the grief of family members, friends, or neighbors who have lost loved ones or feared the loss of a parent, grandparent, relative, or friend who contracted COVID-19.

To non-Black students of color, we have witnessed you engage in acts of solidarity and moral courage. We have learned of you providing transportation and aid to protesters and filming protests. We know you have been challenging anti-blackness within your own communities. We have heard you tell us of how you have reached out to friends and fellow students who absorbed in traumatic and inexpressible ways the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, and Ahmaud Arbery. And you have told us of your own experiences, when you felt able and heard, of what it means to walk in a Brown body on our campus and in the streets.

To white students, we have heard your own struggles with negotiating the pandemic and the violence perpetrated upon George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, Ahmaud Arbery, and others. Albeit in very different ways, these struggles also exist within your own communities, and, in painful ways, among friends and family members. We are hearing you give language to systemic racism. We are learning of difficult family conversations. We are reading emails reaching out to us in support of students of color, especially Black students navigating the impact of the past week (and weeks).

To first-generation students, for those who have had to work many hours to help their families, or struggled to find secure housing, we have watched the burden and your response to it unfold during the past weeks. We have witnessed your struggles with housing and food insecurity. We have also seen folks risk the vulnerability of speaking, loving, and standing in solidarity.

At the end of this long academic year, everyone is carrying the added burden of the lockdown, quarantines, illnesses, family health concerns, curfews, and this next cycle of social unrest. All of us are suffering, but especially Black students, faculty, and staff. We must collectively recognize the impact of these events on our community members’ well-being.

As we acknowledge that we are differently positioned within the institution and in the world, we can work together by prioritizing Black, indigenous, queer, trans, and people of color leadership within this historically predominantly white institution. Attempting to think from and with the point of view of the most marginalized among us will help us overcome some of the enduring inequalities that limit the free enjoyment of our learning community by all.

We understand that completing academic assignments may be very difficult, even impossible for some, especially for students who are being and have been affected by systematic racism and violence. The quarter’s Credit/No Credit grading format provides flexibility to professors to extend grace, accommodations, and alternative projects to satisfy requirements for passing a class. It invites, too, a framework for faculty to use remaining time and assignments as tools for timely critical reflection, taking stock of what is truly necessary at this point. We can alter expectations without lowering standards.

We wish to encourage faculty to adjust expectations for final work, including canceling exams or making assignments optional wherever possible. This is a time when we need to make peace with doing enough instead of doing the usual and students just need to do enough to pass.

At the end of his address, “In Search of a Majority,” delivered to students, faculty, and staff at Kalamazoo College in November of 1960, James Baldwin said: “Whether I like it or not, or whether you like it or not, we are bound together forever. We are part of each other. What is happening to every [Black person] in the country at any time is also happening to you. There is no way around this. I am suggesting that these walls—these artificial walls—which have been up so long to protect us from something we fear, must come down.” Let’s dismantle these walls together.

Lux Esto,

The Undersigned Members of the Faculty and Staff

1. Adriana Garriga-López

2. Bruce Mills

3. Kyla Day

4. Rochelle Rojas

5. Santiago Salinas

6. Eric Nordmoe

7. Katie MacLean

8. Alyce Brady

9. Candace B. Combs

10. Blakely Tresca

11. Brittany Liu

12. Mark Murphy

13. Anne Marie Butler

14. Charles Stull

15. Francisco J. Villegas

16. Leslie Burke

17. Jennifer Einspahr

18. Francesca Gandini

19. Beau Bothwell

20. Kelly Frost

21. Isabela Agosa

22. Sarah Lindley

23. Jennifer Perry

24. Christine Hahn

25. Regina Stevens-Truss

26. Jennifer Langeland

27. Katerina Stefatos

28. Dennis Frost

29. Sally Read

30. Nayda Collazo-Llorens

31. Bryan Goyings

32. Michael Powers

33. Amy Smith

34. Christina Carroll

35. Richard Koenig

36. Larissa Dugas

37. Jessica Stachowski

38. Hafiz Nauman Akbar

39. Binney Girdler

40. Patrik Hultberg

41. Kathryn Sederberg

42. Justin Berry

43. Dimitrios Papadopoulos

44. Oliver Baez Bendorf

45. Darshana Udayanganie

46. Joshua Hartman

47. Jessica R. Smith

48. Andrew Koehler

49. Taylor Petrey

50. Amelia Katanski

51. Sandino N. Vargas Perez

52. Shanna Salinas

53. Tom Rice

54. Cynthia Carosella

55. Babli Sinha

56. Pam Cutter

57. Tyler Walker

58. Aman Luthra

59. Elizabeth Manwell

60. Timothy Conrad

61. Siu-Lan Tan

62. Ivett Lopez Malagamba

63. Josh Moon

64. Jennifer Furchak

65. Andreea Prundeanu

66. Stacy Nowicki

67. Maria Romero-Eshuis

68. Kelli Duimstra

69. Ethan Cutler

70. James E. Lewis, Jr.

71. John Dugas

72. Graham Chamness

73. Blaine Moore

74. Charlene Boyer-Lewis

75. Daniel Kim

76. Eric Barth

77. James Zorbo

78. Tom Askew

79. Max Cherem

80. Andrew Mozina

81. Lisa Murphy

82. Lisa Brock

83. Robert Batsell

84. Hannah Apps

85. Shannon Dion

86. Aurelie Chatton

87. David Wilson

88. Jan Tobochnik

89. Gary Gregg

90. Alison Geist

91. Ren Berthel

92. Mark McDonald

93. Tom Evans

94. Lanny Potts

95. Arthur Cole

96. Joanna Steinhauser

97. Karyn Boatwright

98. Mikela Zhezha-Thaumanavar

99. Marin Heinritz

100. Masanori Shiomi

101. Michael Wollenberg

102. Chris Ludwa

103. Will Georgic

104. Michael Ott

105. Peter Erdi

106. “C” Heaps

107. Menelik Geremew

108. Ryan Fong

109. Amy MacMillan

110. Michael T. Walsh

111. Robin Rank

112. Lars Enden

113. Lori Sands

114. Mitch Wilson

115. R. Amy Elman

116. Jim Langeland

117. Anne Haeckl

118. Jan Solberg

119. Christopher Latiolais

120. Autumn Hostetter

121. Kiran Cunningham

122. Tim Shannon

123. Stephen Oloo

124. Anne Haeckl

125. Duong Nguyen

126. Susan Lawrence

127. Alyssa J. Maldonado-Estrada

128. Sara Tanis

129. Amy Newday

130. Carol Anderson

131. Leihua Weng

132. Rachel Wood

133. Laura Livingstone-McNellis

134. Andy Brown

135. Sarah Frink

136. Jory Horner

137. Ann Jenks

138. Audrey Bitzer

139. Kim Aldrich

140. Kerri Barker

141. Christy Honsberger

142. Renee Boelcke

143. Katherine King

144. Melanie Williams

145. Jane Hoinville

146. Sara Stockwood

147. Kierna Brown

148. Derek Mann

149. Haley Mangette

150. Jessica Fowle

151. Joisan Decker DeHaan

152. Hillary Berry

153. Dana Jansma

154. Lesley Clinard

155. Abbie Dahl

156. Shannon Milan

157. Angela Batts

158. Lynsey VanSweden

159. Louise Tennant-Filkins

160. Jessica Fowle

161. Margaret Wiedenhoeft

162. Sarah Matyczyn

163. Jason Kraushaar

164. Deia Sportel

165. Jay Daniels

166. Nicole Kragt

167. Wendy Fleckenstein

168. Jackie Srodes

169. Angela Erdman

170. Jon Reeves

171. Kendra Leep

172. Matthew Brosco

173. Jess Port

174. Claire O’Brien

175. Yit-Yian Lua

176. Laurel Palmer

177. Kelly Kribs

178. Tapiwa Chikungwa

179. Jonathon Collier

180. Roderick Malcolm

181. Kathryn Lightcap

182. Regina Stevens-Truss

183. Cindy Cavanagh

184. Kelly Esper

185. Nicholas Wilson

186. Brenda Westra

187. Andy Miller

188. Tom Wilson

189. Alexandra Altman

190. Joshua Lull

191. Shelby Long

192. Debbie Thompson

193. Jeff Bartz

194. Sandy Dugal

195. Kathie Yeckley

196. Elizabeth Lindau

197. Betsy Paulson

198. Deb Annen-Caruso

199. Debbie Ball

200. Tony Nelson

201. Andrew Grayson

202. Marcie Weathers

203. Susan Lindemann

204. Sarah Gillig

205. Jenn Williams

206. Erika Perry

207. Kate Yancho

208. Chris Buckhold

209. Kristen Eldred

210. Lizbeth Mendoza Pineda

211. Teresa Denton

212. Jennifer DiGiuseppe

213. Peter Zillmann

214. Becky Hall

215. Nichole Real

216. Carolyn Zinn

217. Steve Lewis

218. Mike Maxson

219. Kathleen White

220. Mallory Heslinger

221. Katrina Naoko Frank

222. Valerie Miller

223. Jim VanSweden

224. Stephanie Robison

225. Margie Stinson

226. Rick Amundson

227. Anne Engh

228. Paige Oudsema

229. Danielle Turner

230. Katie Miller

231. Lauren McMullan

232. Jennifer Combes

233. Andrew Stone

234. Ryan Orr

235. Moises Hernandez

236. Aaron Rice 

237. Darshana Udayanganie

238. Jen Bailey

239. Maureen Yanik

240. Jennie Hill

Pandemic Strikes with Students Far from Home

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Pandemic in China
Daniel Mota-Villegas ’21 (in the hooded sweatshirt) visited the Forbidden City during his study abroad experience in China. Mota-Villegas returned to Kalamazoo earlier than he expected to amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Others in the picture include Nick Gorman, Max Caplan, Ryanna Chouman, K student Denise Jackson, Ronnie Rodriquez, K student Sage Ringsmuth and K student Kaylee Henderson.

When Kalamazoo College students began their international immersion experiences this academic year, the Center for International Programs (CIP) didn’t expect a global pandemic to change anyone’s plans. Regardless, a once-in-a-century historical challenge emerged.

“This is my first worldwide phenomenon,” said CIP Executive Director Margaret Wiedenhoeft in discussing COVID-19, an illness that has infected millions and killed hundreds of thousands of people worldwide. “Most of what we’ve worked with in the past has been country or region specific. This is the first time we had multiple programs shut down at once.”

As the seriousness of the pandemic took shape, K was lucky. No students were sickened abroad and no immersion itineraries were cut unreasonably short as they were halted. On K’s campus, international students affected by travel bans were provided residence hall rooms, even as the College took steps to empty campus and implement social-distancing guidelines.

Still, students who visited countries such as China, Germany and Spain, and international students who remained in Kalamazoo, have stories to tell. And if you’ve wondered how the pandemic has affected them in their travels, keep reading.

Maya Hernandez in China
Maya Hernandez ’21 was among four Kalamazoo College students in Beijing when the COVID-19 pandemic began.

Days of Uncertainty in Beijing

Maya Hernandez ’21 and Daniel Mota-Villegas ’21 were among four K students studying at Capital Normal University in Beijing, China, this winter. Before coronavirus emerged, “Honestly it was amazing,” said Hernandez, an East Asian studies major. “Everything was super affordable. It was fun to go out and explore the capital.”

In late January, their sixth month of a planned nine-month immersion, that began to change as word developed of coronavirus, and its presence in Wuhan.

“I figured it was like the flu,” Hernandez said. “But within the span of a week and a half, concern increased.”

Although Wuhan is more than 700 miles from Beijing, professors in the capital were warning students not to visit enclosed and crowded public spaces, traffic was dying down, and fewer children were playing outside. Masks were commonly seen from the start because of pollution in the city, yet they were becoming more prevalent. Hotels and beaches even began to close, forcing Mota-Villegas and Hernandez to cancel plans to visit another city.

“After that there were check points around the school,” said Mota-Villegas, a political science major studying U.S.-China relations and how they affect Taiwan. “They closed the school’s gates and there were security guards around. We couldn’t leave campus without direct permission.”

Fear emerged without reliable, consistent communication through tools such as the Internet, which is problematic in China, and with a 12-hour time difference from Kalamazoo hindering communication with the College. Should they go home and risk not returning? Should they make logistical preparations such as closing their bank accounts? Should they stay and risk not being able to leave with travel restrictions developing around the world?

Meanwhile, in Kalamazoo, the CIP was monitoring the U.S. Department of State guidelines, which had yet to focus on Bejing. Partner organizations in China—which had not yet cancelled programs in other parts of the country—sent updates, and CIP was gathering additional information from other U.S. institutions that had students in China. The situation was fast-moving and fluid. Finally, Capital Normal cancelled its global programs for the next term on Jan. 31, leading to a phone call to students from the CIP. It was a call telling the K students that CIP was bringing them home.

“Once we heard we were going home, that was the best feeling in the world,” Mota-Villegas said. “We needed that phone call. It made me realize again that K would take care of us. We felt supported again and we celebrated.”

Downtown Erlangen Germany During Pandemic
Jennalise Ellis ’21 was studying abroad in Erlangen, Germany, when the COVID-19 pandemic began.

Similar Tales of Two Cities in Europe

Although news was spreading of the coronavirus in Europe, two K students who were there until March said they initially weren’t worried about it, and they were surprised to come home.

In Badajoz, Spain, Nick Stein ’21 was studying at the Extremadura University in January. Several of his K peers were leaving after attending their program for its scheduled six months. Stein, though, was planning to stay an additional term.

“I first heard about coronavirus as everyone else was leaving,” he said. “Life was pretty normal until maybe March 10.”

Stein had been attending classes and teaching English when he made a trip to an art festival in Madrid. It was about that time when people started cancelling trips and there was talk of Extremadura University calling off its term.

Then, the president of Spain said the country would close borders and restrict travel.

“The CIP was good about saying, ‘You can stay or you can come home,’” Stein said. “They were always good about letting me make the decision. But when the president said there would be action, I knew that was my time to leave. In three hours, I had found a flight. I got on a train to Madrid and slept at the airport on my way home.”

Coming back so suddenly was the only thing he would change about his experience.

“It was surreal in a certain sense,” Stein said. “It’s difficult to come back when you’re speaking a different language for a while. It felt like living in a dream for two months. I was teaching English to families and making relationships when I suddenly had to return. It was a surprise.”

A similar story developed in Erlangen, Germany, for Jennalise Ellis ’21.

Ellis is a chemistry and German double major at K. When she attended Friedrich-Alexander University in Germany, she took mostly German-language courses, but blended her majors by taking a didactic chemistry course and working as an assistant in an organic chemistry lab. She was planning on staying three more months when President Trump planned a travel ban from Europe into the U.S., and countries neighboring Germany began closing their borders.

“I was shocked when I found out that I was actually going to have to move back to the U.S., because I was hopeful that the severity of the pandemic would subside by the start of the summer semester in mid-April,” she said. “I was also sad that I had to say goodbye to people and the city I got to know so well. The hardest part was that I didn’t have time to mentally prepare to leave Erlangen.”

It was an experience that has left her longing to go back some day.

“I definitely want to return,” Ellis said. “I am considering going to graduate school in Germany.”

An International Student Stays

When K students received the notification about distance learning this term, Xiu Cai ’20, an international student from China, was concerned. In addition to feeling frustrated with missing the spring events of her senior year, she worried that the travel restrictions, combined with the residence halls closing, would leave her homeless. Fortunately, the CIP was there to help.

“We received some emails that said people from China and certain places in Europe would not have to leave because of the travel bans,” Cai said. “When I talked with CIP, they emphasized those emails guaranteed me a place. They were supportive and helpful. I’ve appreciated everything they do.”

Since, Cai has attended distance learning courses from her residence hall, eaten meals at the Hicks Student Center, appreciated Mail Center services and exercised by walking through campus. She also is grateful for her professors who gave support, Dining Services who provided her with meals, and the Student Health Center, which provided masks when she need them.

“I feel like being here now is a special experience, for me at least,” she said. “Not everyone would have a chance to experience the same thing in their lives. I’m grateful to the school for allowing me to stay here.”

Still at hand, however, is the issue of getting home after graduation. Cai has tried five times to schedule flights home for June after the Conferral of Degrees ceremony, and all five flights have been cancelled. As of now, she’s uncertain when she will go home and see her family.

“I video chat with family almost every day,” Cai said. When coronavirus emerged, “I was spending all my time worrying about my family. Now, they’re worried about me.”

Regardless, Cai said this experience, if anything, is only encouraging her to travel more.

“The coronavirus, to me, is random,” she said. “You never know what will happen in the next second in life. If you have the chance, go wherever you want.”

Moving forward

Moving forward, students who want to study abroad may need to consider what the “new normal” may be as the pandemic runs its course.

“I would think about what my expectations for travel might be and how we meet our new reality,” Wiedenhoeft said. “I know many of our students who go to Europe, for example, love to travel. What would it mean if you’re in Spain and can’t go to France? That means you can still get to know different regions of Spain very well. You can go to art museums. You can find something that is interesting to you, and be flexible enough to achieve it.”

Wiedenhoeft also is encouraging optimism that student immersion opportunities will stay an important part of the K-Plan.

“There are certain regions of the world that will recover first,” she said. “We need to do what we can to maximize opportunities in those regions. The relationships we have with our partners will be very important in those plans. I think our relationships will be stronger because we’ve been in frequent contact.”

In addition, “We want to encourage folks not to be disheartened,” she said. “We genuinely believe we will engage with the world again and that they will engage with us. It will take time, but it will not be like this forever.”

Mom Inspires Son’s Medical Ambitions

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Emergency Medical Technician Brandon Wright
Brandon Wright ’21 is working as an emergency medical technician for Life EMS in Kalamazoo. At age 14, Wright saw his mom endure breast cancer, inspiring him to one day attend medical school and seek a career in medicine.

Imagine, as a 14-year-old child, seeing your mother endure breast cancer. How might that affect you? For Brandon Wright ’21, it prompted him to attend his mom’s chemo and radiation treatments.

“She went through chemo and radiation for a year,” said Wright, a biology major and physics minor from Dexter, Michigan. “I went to her treatments to understand them better. I still remember them like they were yesterday. It was an early moment when I realized that something bigger than me was going on.”

Thankfully, Wright’s mom today is a survivor. And by the time she was cancer-free, her son was inspired to seek a career in medicine. A physical therapist by trade, Mom helped arrange some job shadowing with doctors for Wright during his high school years, and he plans to attend medical school after graduating from Kalamazoo College. In the meantime, Wright is embracing a role as an emergency medical technician (EMT).

Wright trained as an EMT after his first year at K, realizing he would need to spend hands-on time with patients to optimize his chances of getting into medical school. After more than 256 hours of accelerated coursework that summer—and several certification tests and clinical trials afterward—he was offered a part-time job working for Life EMS in Kalamazoo.

“I thought I would do something I knew I would like rather than something I thought I had to do,” Wright said. “The exciting thing is we can get a not-so-serious call, and then, in the next second, all of a sudden we’re called to treat a cardiac arrest. The unpredictable nature of the job keeps me on my toes because at any second, it could be something new.”

Cardiac arrest is among the most serious calls Wright responds to and he remembers the first time he responded to one in March 2019.

“I was still in training and the call was for an 8-year-old boy,” Wright said. “My trainer had me participate in CPR because I was brand new, and that shook me for a while. I’ve probably responded to 10 or more cardiac arrests since then and, thanks to my trainers and partners, I feel I’ve developed the skills and mental capacity to handle them. It’s relatively straight forward for me now.”

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected Wright on the job. Ambulance dispatchers began using a code over the radio to let EMTs know when they were responding to a scenario where coronavirus could be present. That typically means Wright and his colleagues wear face shields, gowns and N-95 masks in addition to normal protective standards during the call, and take special steps to wipe down the ambulance and change clothes afterward.

Wright and his colleagues have found coronavirus to especially be a problem in the homeless population in Kalamazoo. With that knowledge, and with additional experiences in responding to emergencies such as gunshot wounds and overdoses, Wright recognizes his privilege as a student, which has fueled his desire to be involved in the community and help others one day as a doctor.

“The biggest thing I’ve realized is how many emergencies there can be anywhere,” he said. “At any time, we might have 10 trucks out just to cover all the emergencies. That’s really opened my eyes to how many people need help. It has confirmed my desire to go into medicine.”

To further his community involvement, Wright in the 2020-21 academic year will serve as a President’s Student Ambassador. The student leaders serve as an extension of President Jorge G. Gonzalez’s hospitality at events and gatherings, welcoming alumni and guests of the College with a spirit of inclusion.

“Many students get caught up in going to school, but there are a lot of ways we can integrate more into the community,” Wright said. “I wanted to be an ambassador because I wanted to bring my experiences to the table to start that conversation about involvement. I also want to hear from alumni about their own K experiences and take those lessons back to other students.”

With the Day of Gracious Living expected soon, along with its traditions including community service, Wright reflected on what he’s been most grateful for in his time at K.

“I think I’m most grateful for the fact that K gave me the opportunity to study abroad in Quito, Ecuador,” he said. “Even further than my community experiences in Kalamazoo, I was able to compare and contrast them on a global level with what I experienced in the lower-income country of Ecuador. Learning about some of their disparities in public health allowed me to recognize some ways that the U.S. system is also failing many. It is no doubt an experience that I will remember and value as I pursue a career in health care.”

The K-Plan teaches students to adapt to the unexpected situations of our ever-changing world. When the Day of Gracious Giving is announced, please make a gift to support K’s robust academic and experiential learning opportunities that help prepare the leaders and problem solvers of tomorrow.

Learning Commons Ensures Students Get Peer Assistance

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Learning Commons 1
Peer Writing Consultant Caryn Hannapel ’20 is among those who have served Kalamazoo College students with their essays and assignments. By hiring students who have distinguished themselves in academics or library research, the Learning Commons allows students to share their strengths and benefit from peers.

Collaboration is one of the great experiences in higher education, and Kalamazoo College’s Learning Commons empowers it. By hiring students who have distinguished themselves in academics or library research, the Commons allows students to share their strengths and benefit from peers.

“That feeling of being shoulder to shoulder is one of the most valuable things we provide,” Learning Commons Director Bela Agosa said. “Learning isn’t meant to be a solo activity. Otherwise, we wouldn’t come to a college.”

Despite a term in distance learning, away from the Learning Commons’ physical location in the library, that collaboration continues. When students need assistance this spring, they meet securely online with Learning Commons peer consultants through any computer or mobile device with an up-to-date browser. And Agosa wants students to have confidence in that experience.

“It’s still the same people,” Agosa said of the Learning Commons peer consultants. “Distance learning has imposed some restrictions. But overall, we still provide the same great service. Our consultants are committed and worked hard over spring break to learn the new system.  It showed me that the Learning Commons would be up to par this term.”

Examples of services available through the Learning Commons include:

  • The Writing Center: Peer writing consultants examine a student’s assignment to offer observations and suggestions and guide students through the process of clarifying and strengthening their ideas.
  • English as a Second Language assistance: International students and students who have English as a second language may receive consultations on any assignments or activities related to their academic experience.
  • The Math-Physics Center: Students may receive assistance with a variety of specific classes or just generally in math or physics. Even students who aren’t necessarily stuck and just appreciate collaboration can benefit from reaching out.
  • Research Consultant Center: Reference librarians are available for individual consultations to help students find the ideal resources they need for their daily assignments and research.
  • The Center for New Media Design: Assistants help students throughout their design processes through creating and designing presentations, posters, flyers, illustrations, infographics, photographs and brochures.

“Our aims as a Writing Center have not changed,” Agosa said. “The way we approach our services has not changed. We’re still here as a sounding board for writers and we still support students with math, physics and more. Our peer consultants are very dedicated and we believe in the work they do.”

Writing Center and English as a Second Language appointments are available by logging in at kzoo.mywconline.com. Learn how to make a Math-Physics Center appointment at its website. Email the reference librarians at reference@kzoo.edu for assistance from the Research Consultant Center. For assistance from the Center for New Media Design, email Graphic/Multimedia Designer Kathryn Lightcap at kathryn.lightcap@kzoo.edu.

Earth Day Connects Students, Environmental Justice

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Environmentalism and environmental justice, involving the deepening and healing of our relationship with the land while acknowledging injustices within our current systems and trying to envision and embody alternatives, are important for students such as Orly Rubinfeld ’20. Rubinfeld sees Earth Day, celebrated every April 22, as a day to reflect more deeply on why our reconnection to the land is so important and why we work for change.

Orly Rubinfeld Earth Day story page
Housemates Orly Rubinfeld (top left), Aiden Voss and Maya Gurfinkel; and Yasamin Shaker (bottom left) and Madeline Ward display some of the plants they’re growing in Kalamazoo.

“Earth Day is an opportunity to re-center on our values,” said Rubinfeld, an independent interdisciplinary major in Environmental Studies. “But we have to remember we have only one Earth and we’ve been pretty unkind to it. If we only pay attention one day a year, we won’t solve our environmental problems. And not just planetary problems but how climate change and other environmental injustices are disproportionately impacting Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) communities.”

This year, though, is adding a few challenges to K’s environmental efforts. For example, one way that students engage with food justice is through K’s gardens, including the hoop house. A hoop house, a little like a green house, is a year-round environment for growing vegetables, flowers and other cold-sensitive plants. With distance learning keeping students away from the campus hoop house, students are finding ways to bring that experience home.

Megan Earth Day Cold Frame Hoop House
Megan VanDyke ’22 assembled a cold-frame hoop house at her home in Seattle. The temporary structure stands just a few feet high, yet provides a similar environment to the hoop house at K.
Nora Earth Day plants
Nora Blanchard ’22, is tending to plants at her home this spring in Traverse City.

That’s where Rubinfeld and several students like her come in. She is one of eight housemates living in Kalamazoo’s Vine neighborhood this spring, sheltering in place together through Michigan’s “Stay Home, Stay Safe” order and continuing the work they began at the hoop house, a facility raised in fall 2018 through the Just Food Collective. The student organization, an effort of the Mary Jane Underwood Stryker Center for Civic Engagement, wants to increase student awareness about the challenges and inequities within the food system. This is done while targeting nutritional inequities, climate change and other environmental injustices.

Megan VanDyke plant
A plant begins to sprout at Megan VanDyke’s home in Seattle.

“Food insecurity has always been a problem,” Rubinfeld said. “But in this unique moment, well-resourced people are paying attention at unprecedented levels so I think that’s something we should try to take advantage of as we search for systems that allow people to have more sovereignty over their food systems.”

Rubinfeld and her friends, who all lived together in an environmental justice Living Learning House on campus their sophomore year, have taken on the responsibility of bringing home the lessons they learned at the hoop house to pots and planters on their porch and in their home.

“Our goal was to do something small where we are in our urban space,” Rubinfeld said.

And the Vine neighborhood roommates aren’t the only students planting this spring. Nora Blanchard ’22, is tending to plants at her home in Traverse City. Plus, Megan VanDyke ’22 assembled a cold-frame hoop house at her home in Seattle. The temporary structure stands just a few feet high, yet provides a similar environment to the hoop house on campus.

Efforts like these might seem small, but they represent how the spirit of Earth Day, a time to demonstrate support for environmental protection and environmental justice, endures for the K community.

“I can’t imagine a large-scale effort until I’ve seen it on a small scale,” Rubinfeld said. “How can we expect large change until we see small changes? If my seven housemates and I can do this, imagine what could happen if everyone in our neighborhood could do that. We could be in a very different type of place. I think if everyone had access to the means to grow own own food, we would be much closer to individuals having sovereignty over what they put in their bodies and having access to just, local, and sustainable food for humans and the land.”

Student Braves Coronavirus Front Lines

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Maddie Odom fighting coronavirus in PPE
Maddie Odom ’20 sent this selfie to Visiting Professor of Biology Sara Tanis this week. It was a response to Tanis’ text asking whether Odom was doing OK while volunteering at a coronavirus testing site at the former Michigan State Fairgrounds in Detroit.

At least one Kalamazoo College student is serving on the front lines in the world’s fight against COVID-19, comforting those who fear they might have coronavirus.

Armed with three years of experience as an emergency medical technician, Maddie Odom ’20 is volunteering at a drive-through coronavirus testing site at the former Michigan State Fairgrounds in Detroit. There, Odom volunteers for more than nine hours per shift, six days a week, to serve as many as 800 people a day through the Coronavirus Community Care Network, a coalition of local governments and health services.

Volunteers like Odom are serving people experiencing multiple symptoms of coronavirus such as a persistent cough, a fever of at least 100 degrees, a sore throat and shortness of breath. They also have a prescription from a doctor to receive a coronavirus test.

Odom said as many as 42 percent of the people receiving services on a given day have tested positive, and the care network expects to perform about 14,400 tests through May 8. Detroit has drawn international media attention for recording nearly 5,500 cases of COVID-19 as of April 7.

“Everyone I work with is pretty exhausted, but it’s pretty rewarding,” Odom said. “Working together, we know what we’re doing is helping in some way.”

Lacrosse Maddie Odom
Maddie Odom has been a two-sport student-athlete at K in soccer and lacrosse.
Soccer Maddie Odom
Maddie Odom ’20 has played women’s soccer and lacrosse at K.

Odom’s regular duties have varied from testing patients to directing traffic and checking IDs — on top of carrying her spring term course load as she prepares for graduation.

Many might consider Odom to be a hero for her volunteerism and bravery while facing a pandemic, although she sees it as community service enabled by her health, her training and the fact she currently lives alone so she doesn’t have to worry about taking the virus home to her family.

“I know it’s a time when people feel kind of helpless because you can’t leave your house,” she said. “I’m just glad I can do something to help.”

Sara Tanis thanks Maddie Odom
Visiting Professor of Biology Sara Tanis has a special message for Maddie Odom ’20 in response to her public service at a coronavirus drive-in testing site in Detroit.

Odom expanded her passion for public health when she took a public health course at K led by Director of Careers in Health and Medicine Karika Parker. Separately, Odom has pursued emergency medicine as a wilderness first responder, a summer camp nurse and an EMT for an ambulance company. Since, she has decided to seek a career as a physician’s assistant.

Now, Odom relies on faculty members such as Visiting Professor of Biology Sara Tanis and students such as her K women’s lacrosse teammates for support. Together, they collect goody bags that contain items such as hand sanitizer and treats for health care, sanitation and shelter workers in the Detroit area to supplement Odom’s efforts.

“For me, one of the very best part of teaching is watching my students evolve into strong and vibrant members of their communities,” Tanis said. “Maddie has taught me so much over the last year about perseverance. Even when she’s in a situation where most people would give up, she just keeps pushing forward. Here’s to you, Maddie. I’ve never been more proud.”

K Senior Receives Venture for America Fellowship

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Venture for America Fellow 1
Rosella LoChirco ’20 walks through El Retiro Park in Madrid, Spain, where she studied abroad. LoChirco has earned a Venture for America Fellowship.

In a few short months, K senior Rosella LoChirco will begin a two-year commitment as a Venture for America Fellow. The prestigious fellowship prepares recent college graduates for careers as entrepreneurs, and fellows are placed in ambitious start-up businesses across the U.S. In April, Rosella will be matched with companies that are a good fit for her interdisciplinary skills, and she’s excited to begin the process of picking her fellowship site.

Rosella began her K experience like many other students: excited and more than a little nervous for what the future might bring. As the first student in her family to attend college, Rosella said, “It was so terrifying to sit in my first class — I didn’t know if I would fit in.”

Rosella found her way. Participation on the women’s soccer team benefited her with teammates and a coach, Bryan Goyings, who she said “really believed in me, and really supported me no matter what.” Early in her first year, Rosella developed a mentorship with Professor Chris Latiolais, who supported her philosophy major without reservation. “Every day that I come to class, he tells me about a new career that I could do,” Rosella said.

Venture for America Fellow 2
Rosella LoChirco ’20 (center) poses with mentors Allyson McLean ’05 (right) and Brennan Smith during LoChirco’s Quicken Loans internship.

When it was time to select a research subject for her Senior Individualized Project, Rosella was cautious once more, yet she let her instincts guide her. “I loved this one anthropology and sociology professor, Professor Katerina Stefatos. I knew I wanted to work with her. We had so many meetings and calls to figure out my topic!” Rosella said.

Simultaneously, Rosella was completing a summer internship at Quicken Loans and the FIFA Women’s World Cup was making headlines. To the student-athlete, it seemed like fate: “I put together a pitch for Quicken Loans about why they should invest in the women’s soccer team,” Rosella said. “I started digging into the question of why women’s sports are not societally valued as much as men’s sports. That became a perfect jumping-off point for my SIP, and all the theories involved from my philosophy background helped.”

The Quicken Loans team saw Rosella’s potential; several colleagues, including a K alum, were well-connected to Venture for America. “They said, ‘if you’re up for learning things and a team environment, you should make this two-year commitment,’” Rosella remembered. “They really encouraged me to do it, because I had never heard anything about it.”

Once she learned more, Rosella knew she had to apply. “I’m a liberal arts student who didn’t study anything too technical, so I loved the idea that an organization was really valuing someone like me to make an impact in a start-up from day one.” Now, when Rosella looks to the future and her two-year fellowship, she is confident. “I see a lot of connections between K and Venture for America,” she explained. “I’m going to a small team, working closely together, and that’s very close to the K experience. I found my way at K, and I’ll bring my same energy to this commitment. I know that I have the skills and tenacity to figure it out.”

K Unveils Winter 2020 Dean’s List

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Winter 2020 Dean's List
Congrats to the Kalamazoo College students who qualified for the winter 2020 Dean’s List.

Congratulations to the following Kalamazoo College students, who achieved a grade point average of 3.5 or better for a full-time course load of at least three units, without failing or withdrawing from any course, during the winter 2020 academic term. Students who elect to take a letter-graded course on a credit/no credit basis (CR/NC) are not eligible for Dean’s List consideration during that term. Nor are students who receive an F, NC or W grade for that particular term. Students with incomplete (I) or in-progress (IP) grades will be considered for Dean’s List upon receipt of the final grades. Dean’s List recognition is posted on students’ transcripts.

Winter 2020

A  B   C  D  E  F   G   H   I   J  K   L   M  N   O  P   Q  R   S   T   U   V  W   X   Y   Z

A

Jeztrelle Abella
Phelix Adwar
Jayde Agnew
Isaac Agranoff
Fernanda Aguilar
Alejandro Aguirre
Hashim Akhtar
Rachel Alarcio
Tyler Allyn-White
Patrick Ambs
Grant Anger
Cameron Arens
Katrina Arriola
Brooklyn Avery

B

Litzy Bahena
Harper Bailey
Jenna Bailey
McKenzi Baker
Georgios Marios Bantis
Angel Banuelos
Natalie Barber
Travis Barclay
Samuel Barczy
Robert Barnard
Abigail Barnum
Aleksandra Bartolik
Elena Basso
Eric Batson
Mitchell Baty
Lillian Baumann
Blake Bean
Logan Beck
Benjamin Behrens
Margaret Bell
Sage Benner
Maci Bennett
Cassandra Bergen
Brigette Berke
Arun Bhattacharya
Julia Bienstock
Daniel Black
Nora Blanchard
Tanner Blyly
Rigel Kyla Bobadilla
Maximilian Bogun
Liberty Bonevich
Cavan Bonner
Zachary Borden
Samantha Boritzki
Gabriel Bosco
Kimberly Bowers
Amelia Brave
Austin Bresnahan
Jack Brockhaus
Williamsburg Brophy
Shanon Brown
Rosemary Bryant
Thomas Buffin
Pierce Burke
Elizabeth Burton
Lauren Bussell
Christiana Buterakos

C

Abigail Cadieux
Xiu Cai
Natalie Call
Jacob Callaghan
Annika Canavero
Kevin Cano-Santillanes
Shannon Carley
Kayla Carlson
John Carlson
Eleanor Carr
Mary Cashman
Marissa Castellana
Amy Cazier
Jacob Chantres
Cassidy Chapman
Connor Charamella
Kit Charlton
Christine Charpie
Lizi Chinchilakashvili
Nutsa Chinchilakashvili
Lakshya Choudhary
Maile Church
Hannah Clark
Nicholas Cohee
Sedona Coleman
Carmen Compton
Thomas Cook
Caitlyn Cooper
Noah Coplan
Valentina Cordero
Rachel Cornell
Chase Coselman
Haley Crabbs
Wyatt Crampton
John Crane
Cameron Crothers
Alexandro Cruz
Peter Czajkowski

D

Gabrielle Daane
Mansi Dahal
Wentao Dai
Chiara Dang
Amelia Davis
Julia Davis
Riley Davis
Alexandra Davis
Kiernan Dean-Hall
Adam Decker
Emmelyn DeConinck
Gina DeGraaf
Robert Dennerll
Sarah Densham
Vincent DeSanto
Nolan Devine
Christina Diaz
Sofia Diaz
Rachel Dobb
Mallory Dolorfino
Marissa Dolorfino
Amanda Dow
Austin Duff
Liana Dunietz
Katia Duoibes
Hannah Durant

E

Elijah Edlefson
Helen Edwards
Nathanael Ehmann
Carter Eisenbach
Sarah Eringaard
Gabrielle Evans

F

Faith Faber
Daniel Fahle
Thomas Fales
Sabina Fall
Jazmyne Fannings
Greta Farley
Brady Farr
Taylor Ferguson
Anna Fetter
Ximena Figueroa-Enriquez
Nicholas Firstenburg
Gwendolyn Flatland
Faith Flinkingshelt
Brianna Flinkingshelt
Benjamin Flotemersch
Caelan Frazier
Allison Frey
Hana Frisch
Gavin Fritch
Nathaniel Fuller
Tristan Fuller
William Fulton

G

Anna Gambetta
Kaitlin Gandy
Amanda Gardner
Grace Garver
Kobe Gementiza
Cory Gensterblum
Lena Gerstle
Johanna Ghazal
Anthony Giovanni
Nebiyat Girma
Madison Goodman
Mya Gough
Jessica Gracik
Abigail Gray
Anthony Grayson
Ella Griggs
Lily Gross
Madeline Guimond
Maya Gurfinkel
Zoe Gurney
Stephanie Guyor

H

Yoichi Haga
Alexandra Hale
Vien Hang
Caryn Hannapel
Laura Hanselman
Garrett Hanson
Madeline Harding
Lucy Hart
Katherine Haywood
Caleb Henning
Daniel Henry
Emiley Hepfner
McKenna Hepler
Yamilee Hernandez
Jesse Herrera
Sam Hoag
Samantha Hoehle
Ava Hoffman
Thomas Hole
Marshall Holley
Fiona Holmes
Mathew Holmes-Hackerd
Alysia Homminga
Josephine Hosner
Annabelle Houghton
Addissyn House
Matthew Howrey
Anthony Hu
Micah Hudgins-Lopez
Audrey Huizenga
Joy Hunziker
Ian Hurley
Amiee Hutton

I

Juan Ibarra

J

Nicholas Jackson
Samantha Jacobsen
Samuel Jacobson
Aliyah Jamaluddin
Johanna Jeung
Jonathan Jiang
Maricruz Jimenez-Mora
Benjamin Johanski
Kelly Johnson
Ryan Johnson
Jaylin Jones
Jackson Jones
Ellie Jones
Joseph Jung

K

Kendall Kaptur
Amani Karim
Grace Karrip
Lucas Kastran
Anne Kearney Patton
Donald Kearns
Ben Keith
Ava Keller
Will Keller
Samuel Kendrick
David Kent
Hannah Kerns
Meghan Killmaster
Dahwi Kim
Mikayla Kindler
William Kiningham
Isabella Kirchgessner
Alaina Kirschman
Sofia Klein
Allison Klinger
Ella Knight
Rhys Koellmann
Matthew Kralick
Brandon Kramer
Rachel Kramer
Jordyn Kravitz
Matthew Krinock
Charlie Krone
John Kunec
Koshiro Kuroda
Claire Kvande

L

Megan Lacombe
Caroline Lamb
Samantha Lamrock
Onora Lancaster
Nicholas Lang
Rachel Lanting
Zoe Larson
Juanita Ledesma
Michael Lee
Yung Seo Lee
Dillon Lee
Kathryn Lee
Julia Leet
Jack Leisenring
Ginamarie Lester
Milan Levy
Marissa Lewinski
Donna Li
Thomas Lichtenberg
Cassandra Linnertz
Lu Liu
Sichun Liu
Jack Longstreet
Alvaro Lopez Gutierrez
Ellie Lotterman
Nicholas Lucking
Isabella Luke
Lezlie Lull
Jillian Lynk

M

Selina Ma
MacKenzy Maddock
Samuel Maddox
Deven Mahanti
Madisyn Mahoney
Eleftherios Manopoulos
Victoria Marquez Gomez
Joshua Martin
Dulce Martinez Reyes
Thibaut Martinon
Kanase Matsuzaki
Kevin McCarty
Hannah McCullough
Seamus McCurren
Meryl McDonnell
Mia McGill
Dylan McGorisk
Tori McNett
Noah Merritt
Benjamin Meschke
Tytus Metzler
Nathan Micallef
Luke Middlebrook
Nicholas Middleton
Rebecca Mitchell
Armina Mkrtchian
Aleksandr Molchagin
DeShawn Moore
Ariana Moore
Cesareo Moreno
Amanda Morrison
Arein Motan
Phumuzile Moyo
Matthew Mueller
Miles Muirhead
Ryan Mulder
Elizabeth Munoz
Erin Murphy

N

Yukiko Nakano
Jacob Naranjo
Mihail Naskovski
Maya Nathwani
Juan Navarro
Laetitia Ndiaye
Sara Nelson
Alexis Nesbitt
Kyle Neuner
Joseph Ney-Jun
Vicky Nguyen
Viet Nguyen
Kelly Nickelson
Niko Nickson
Sara Nixon
Lionel Niyongabire
Rosie Nocita
Carmen Nogueron
Keigo Nomura
Jonathan Nord
Ian Nostrant
Shukurani Nsengiyumva
Rohan Nuthalapati

O

Madeline Odom
Sandra Oechler
Caolinn O’Keefe
Udochi Okorie
Marianna Olson
Gabe Orosan-Weine
Caroline Osoro

P

Ella Palacios
Evan Palmer
Yan Song Pan
Karina Pantoja
Jenna Paterob
Cayla Patterson
Grace Patton
Meera Patwardhan
James Peil
Helen Pelak
Calder Pellerin
Devon Peters
Eve Petrie
Alexis Petty
Uyen Pham
Nhi Phan
Mary Phillips
Sheyla Pichal
Noah Piercy
Nadia Pinto
Madison Pisano
Harrison Poeszat
Noah Prentice
Zachary Prystash

Q

Daniel Qin
Yilan Qiu
Abdullah Qureshi

R

Erin Radermacher
Isabelle Ragan
Valentina Ramos
Harrison Ramsey
Samuel Ratliff
Molly Ratliff
Abby Rawlings
Zachary Ray
Clarice Ray
Alec Redding
Victorialyn Regan
Luke Richert
Mya Richter
Ashley Rill
Kate Roberts
Hunter Roberts
Margaret Roberts
Katherine Rock
Petra Rodriguez
Skyler Rogers
Lily Rogowski
Yaneth Rosas
Sydney Rotigel-Finegan
Angela Ruiz
Isabella Russo

S

Shiva Sah
Marlyn Sanchez
Hannia Sanchez-Alvarado
Danielle Sarafian
Mariah Sarelis
Thomas Saxton
Margaret Schaefer
Zoe Celeste Schneberger
Justin Schodowski
Hannah Scholten
Madeline Schroeder
Camille Schuster
Darby Scott
Natalie Serrano
Delores Shackelford
Yasamin Shaker
Isabella Shansky-Genovese
William Shaw
Andrew Sheckell
Austin Shepherd
Griffin Shiminski
Nayeon Shin
Josie Shuster
Josephine Sibley
Emma Sidor
Nathan Silverman
Samantha Silverman
Phyu Sin
Sophia Sjogren
Caroline Skalla
Kyle Skiver
Madeline Small
Curtis Smith
Adam Snider
Nikhil Sodemba
Ariana Soderberg
Asante Solomon
Hanis Sommerville
Katherine Stewart
Abby Stewart
Alexander Stockwell
Alex Stolberg
Kate Stover
Owen Strenski
Claudia Stroupe
Nicholas Suquett
Vikram Surendran
Savannah Sweeney
Kaleb Sydloski
Jacob Sypniewski

T

Jack Tagget
Rina Talaba
Claire Tallio
Nicole Taylor
Suja Thakali
Abhi Thakur
Kaia Thomas
Cade Thune
Kaytlyn Tidey
Maria Tolentino Guzman
James Totten
Jonathan Townley
Mary Trimble
Anh Truong
Miaflora Tucci
Hanna Tuchenhagen
Oliver Tye
Annie Tyler

U

Duurenbayar Ulziiduuren
Chilotam Urama
Julissa Uriostegui 

V

Alexis Valdes
Brianne Vanderbilt
Megan Vandyke
Meghan VanHoutte
Naomi Verne
Carter Vespi
Egan Vieira
Tran Vo
Tashina Voit
Lucille Voss

W

Carter Wade
Elle Waldron
Alex Wallace
Barnaby Walsh
Yueyang Wang
Bei Wang
Elizabeth Wang
Madeline Ward
Jacob Waun
Margaret Wedge
Zhi Wee
Zhi Nee Wee
Elias Wennen
Ryley White
Annarosa Whitman
Katelyn Williams
Skai Williams
Blake Willison
Mars Wilson
Nick Wilson
Madalyn Winarski
Ronan Wolfe
Leah Wolfgang
Mikki Wong
Zachary Worthing
Brandon Wright
Andrew Wright
Lydia Wright

X

Ray Xiao

Y

Tony Yazbeck
Elyse Yost
Mikayla Youngman
Austin Yunker

Z

Julie Zabik
Zoe Zawacki
Camryn Zdziarski-West
Christian Zeitvogel
Sophie Zhuang
Nathaniel Zona

K Students Want to Help Women, End Period Poverty

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Nelly Rupande
Former visiting student Nelly Rupande co-authored a children’s book alongside five Kalamazoo College students. Let’s Talk About it, Period, is designed to help general audiences understand period poverty and stigma.

A group of Kalamazoo College students has a story to tell this International Women’s Day. It’s a story Shukurani A. Nsengiyumva ’20, Anne Kearney Patton ’22, Juanita Ledesma ’21, Kushi Matharu ’22 and Catherine Dennis ’22 created in the form of a children’s book with former visiting student Nelly Rupande through Associate Professor of Psychology Karyn Boatwright and her Feminist Psychology of Women class.

The book, titled Let’s Talk About It, Period, depicts period poverty, referring to a woman’s inadequate access to menstrual-hygiene products, along with period stigma directed toward the main character, a fourth-grade girl in Kenya experiencing her first period.

The story is important because “we want to fight the stigma that exists around periods and menstruation, and share what happens when you shame someone for having something so natural,” said Nsengiyumva, who supervised the project as a teacher’s assistant. She experienced period poverty herself during the early years of her period, only receiving pads when she went to boarding school. Otherwise, her mom couldn’t afford them. She resettled in the U.S. as a Rwandan refugee in 2013 at age 15.

“It’s a topic not just for those who experience menstruation, but those who might enforce the stigma related to it,” she added.

Period poverty and stigma are issues in countries around the world. The group from Boatwright’s class studied their effects this term through an eight-week syllabus developed by Rupande, who created the Binti Initiative.

Catherine Dennis
Catherine Dennis
Juanita Ledesma
Juanita Ledesma
Period Poverty Book Co-Author Shukurati Nsengiyumva
Shukurani Nsengiyumva

Rupande emerged as the top female student in the Department of Sociology at the University of Nairobi in Kenya and subsequently was chosen to attend K. Her nonprofit organization seeks to provide dignity to girls and women through access to feminine-hygiene products, educating girls about menstruation, and dispelling myths and negative perceptions of menstrual cycles.

Other topics in the syllabus included female circumcision and genital mutilation, sex education in Kenya, femicide, endometriosis and other period-related complications, and gender equality.

Period Poverty Book Co-Author Kushi Hashpreet
Kushi Matharu
Period Poverty Book Co-Author Anne Kearney Patton
Anne Kearney Patton

The group, with all serving as co-authors, concluded its work by presenting the film Period, a documentary on the stigma that surrounds menstruation in India.

“When Dr. Boatwright reached out to me with the opportunity to collaborate with the Feminist Psychology of women Class, I was thrilled,” Rupande said. “She was my professor while I was at K and the very first person to show me around Kalamazoo. She is definitely someone who believes in me and I look up to her as a mentor.”

The book’s resolution involves educating the characters, each with a role to play in recognizing period stigma and poverty, so readers can learn about their own responsibilities in dispelling myths, avoiding shaming and reversing negative perceptions. Characters include a father, a sister, a young boy and a teacher to reflect just a few of the book’s target audiences.

Lets Talk About it Period Poverty Book Cover“Some people are approaching us saying they’d love to buy it for their niece or their daughter, Nsengiyumva said. “We made it to look like a children’s book so it’s appealing to them, but adults can use it as well. We want to inform anyone who’s responsible for fighting the stigma.”

The Binti Initiative hires women around the world to produce and sell feminine-hygiene products in their communities while making the sellers economically independent. That allows people such as Rupande and her associates to continue menstruation-education efforts by training women and girls to run them. The goal is to change perceptions, address health issues, and provide a forum for women and men.

Nsengiyumva is hoping Let’s Talk About It, Period can eventually be a part of those education efforts and forums starting in Kenya with that country being just the beginning.

“There’s not yet a set plan, but I think it would be nice to distribute not only in Kenya, but here,” Nsengiyumva said.

Rupande adds the Binti Initiative is working with primary and elementary schools in Kenya to have the book available in libraries and community-resource centers by June. For more information on the book and its availability, email Nsengiyumva at Shukurani.Nsengiyumva16@kzoo.edu.

Meet the Hornets Helping Bumblebees Through Citizen Science

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What’s black, yellow and fuzzy all over? Bumblebees. And Biology Professor Ann Fraser wants to know what it takes to preserve them in Michigan.

Four students researching bumblebees
Trevor Rigney (from left), Niko Nickson, Amy Cazier and Nicki Bailey comprised Biology Professor Ann Fraser’s summer research group last year.

To that end, Fraser and her Kalamazoo College lab students are launching the Southwest Michigan Bee Watch. The program will track bumblebee diversity, measure local restoration efforts and discover whether any species might be declining or recuperating in the area.

“Bumblebees are important pollinators, particularly of our spring plants,” Fraser said, noting they’re vital to common Michigan crops, and more important to pollination than honeybees. “They’ll go out in cold weather, even when it’s rainy. They’re particularly good pollinators of fruit crops such as blueberries, apples and cherries.”

In the bee watch, citizen scientists in nine counties will volunteer as photographers nearly anywhere outdoors—including natural areas, walking trails, backyards and roadsides—and submit their photos to an online portal. Fraser, students and other scientists then will look at the photos, noting the black-and-yellow patterns on the bumblebees’ backs. Those patterns will identify each species and help determine which might be maintaining their numbers, which might be declining and which might be making a comeback.

“This year, my hope is to build a strong volunteer base so that we can start building a thorough database of bumblebee species in the area,” said Niko Nickson ’21, the student most dedicated to the effort as it will develop into his senior individualized project (SIP). “I’m also planning to analyze our data for relationships between species abundance and landscape differences. In the future, I would love to see the program continue to build, maybe inspiring more community science efforts across the state.”

Fraser said she had been hoping to start a project like the Southwest Michigan Bee Watch for a few years, but never found the right student to lead it. Then, she met Nickson.

“Community science is fascinating because I see it as an opportunity to connect academia and its surrounding community,” Nickson said. “In this way, it makes science approachable to all, regardless of educational level.”

His love of the outdoors also benefits the project.

“I think being outside is a great way to relieve stress and spend time in general,” Nickson said. “I see this program as an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of our regional environment while also encouraging more community members to spend time outdoors. In this sense, community science gives volunteers an excuse to be outside, and who doesn’t love a reason to get some sunlight?”

March 3 is World Wildlife Day. Its theme this year is “Sustaining all life on Earth,” as it recognizes all wild animal and plant species as being key components of the world’s biodiversity. Yet within the biosphere, bumblebees are struggling. In fact, according to NationalGeographic.com, we are nearly 50 percent less likely to see a bumblebee in any given area of North America than we were before 1974.

“Insects in general are in decline,” Fraser said. “That’s alarmingly well documented. Bumblebees are following this trend. At least half a dozen species of the 20 in Michigan are in decline. One of which, the rusty-patched bumblebee, was on the federal endangered species list as of 2017.”

A project like the Southwest Michigan Bee Watch could play a role in reversing those trends. Those interested in volunteering can sign up for the project’s mailing list and request more information at swmbees.kzoo.edu/.