“All Gas, No Breaks”

GOAL OF SUPPORT FOR ALL STAYS ALIVE AT MT HOOD

How empowered do you feel in your everyday life? Do you feel like you can do what you find fun when you want to? Do you feel that you can pursue your dreams and catch them? Do you feel free to express who you came into this life to be? Do you feel that you can “Be your dream”? 

As  I chat with folks in our MHCC community, I often hear fresh concerns with what is happening in the White House and how it will affect their lives. Many in our community have already been impacted by Federal Work Study or other program funding pauses/threats of defunding. Other recent Trump administration edicts include sending ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) agents to crack down at schools and churches, and moving to defund any programs or institutions using DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) language.

Given that the political puppet show can distract us from focusing on what matters most to us individually, I wondered how Mt. Hood is responding.

I am delighted to discover that our college is embracing empowerment over fear.

MHCC President Lisa Skari wrote in a Jan. 28 email to all college staff after a flurry of Trump executive orders, “I want to acknowledge that these issues can bring up fear and uncertainty for many in our community. Please know that you are not alone in navigating these challenges. We are here to support one another, and I am personally committed to ensuring that our college remains a safe and welcoming environment for everyone who walks through our doors.”
The latter specifically cites Mt. Hood’s declared mission to serve undocumented students, in alignment with sanctuary policies adopted by the state of Oregon, the state’s community college association, Multnomah County and the City of Portland.

RETREAT WOULD ‘BETRAY MISSION’

I also caught up with Traci Simmons, Mt. Hood’s director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) as many more changes ordered by the White House directly target her area of work.

She emphatically echoed Skari’s message of support for all. “Mt. Hood’s stance is: ‘We are pro-civil rights, we are pro-human rights,’” said Simmons.

The MHCC community is “situated in Oregon, in Multnomah County, in Gresham, which has a huge population of people from all different backgrounds – 71 different languages spoken in the area,” she noted.

“To back away from diversity, equity and inclusion would be to betray our mission, betray the mission of community colleges and ultimately betray what we want to do for our community, which is to advance education, civic engagement, and economic development.

“It can’t happen without us doing this work and so we’re very committed,” Simmons continued.  

We’re not stopping the work that we’re doing with regards to (DEI). We know our community. We know who we serve. And it’s a very diverse community with lots of different people, with lots of different backgrounds, and spoken languages, and skin colors, and hair types, and hairstyles, and gender identities…
“And so it’s like, what? Why would we stop it?” she said. “We can’t. We know who we need to serve, to be sustainable in this community, into the future… We know we have to be able to serve everyone.”

‘CLOSER MATCH’ TO COMMUNITY

Following several talks with Skari, Simmons said Mt. Hood’s ongoing focus is clear. “We’re all gas, no brakes. We’re continuing our work,” Simmons said.

“We’re continuing our work with student basic needs, we’re continuing our work with diversification of our workforce, so it has a better and closer match to our community so that the people who come here to get educated see themselves in the space,” she said. “We’re continuing to support our faculty and staff, and developing and implementing culturally responsive practices and culturally relevant practices.”

Simmons conceded that federal rule changes, such as blocking grants and funding, “could hinder that work,” she said.

“That presents some challenges for specific programs. But we are prepared to fight for everything that we’re doing for our students. We also recognize that the federal government has limits on what they can tell us we can and can’t do,” she said. 
That means Mt. Hood remains steadfast in its DEI mission, Simmons said.

“And so we’re not complying in advance” with White House directives, Simmons said. “If (it) comes up that we have to… we will absolutely follow the law, but we also have Oregon state law that has so many protections for people. So, we have that on our side, as well as our internal policies.”

OVERARCHING LAWS

We at The Advocate have written stories about the efforts Mt. Hood are taking to support students through lean years, including student housing support at Abigail Court, among the first of its kind in the nation. These programs are proof that we care about our community and supporting each other.

By continuing to move full steam ahead with the DEI work already set in motion the college is taking an empowered stance to stand up for what we know to be right for our community.

Obviously there may be risks ahead. But in my previous career experience, many projects interrupted by world events or corporate-level events instead put my teams’ focus on the things that really matters in a fulfilling life: Being kind to and loving one another, regardless of the law of the land.

Following the law of the heart overrules following the rules or management’s edicts. Following my heart is the only path that has worked long-term for me, and ultimately the laws of the universe do not get trumped by government decrees. 

CALL FOR CONVERSATION

Skari said the present climate calls for a renewed approach to respecting differences, while seeking positive common ground.

The college is “taking a cue from the mountain embedded in our name – ‘It’s Time to Elevate,’  “ Skari said. “We are adopting this new slogan as a rally for elevating the impact of our college. We must encourage students to take the opportunity to elevate their lives, which in turn supports our community.”
While some in our government look to create more division by attacking our neighbors who may include immigrants, LGBTQIA+ individuals and more, Skari stressed the importance of “calling people in” – inviting them into conversation by focusing on shared values – as “the more strategic choice if you want to make real change,” she said.

“I ask us to make this a practice: Let’s invite one another, and our extended community, into the joy and collective gain that can happen when we unite around our community college mission,” said Skari. “We don’t all have to agree to be leaning in the same direction, and in fact, it’s best if we don’t! Our district serves a highly diverse community – ideologically, demographically, and geographically.

“But uniting around the importance of quality, accessible, equitable higher education benefits everyone,” she said.

S. Cousins

Community Editor. Interim News Editor / A&E Editor