DRC to continue bringing star speakers

Arun Gandhi’s visit to MHCC  on Jan. 22 was awesome, but without the help of the Diversity Resource Center (DRC) and President Debbie Derr it would have been hard to accomplish.

The memorable event showed the growing impact of the DRC, in only its second full year of operation.

Melinda Bullen, DRC director, said she first brought Arun up in a casual conversation with Derr last summer.

“We were at a potluck… just chatting, honestly,” Bullen said. “I was just like, ‘Oh, this is what’s going on in the DRC, and it turns out we have the chance to have Gandhi’s grandson here,’ just going on and on and she stops me, “What!? How do we make this happen?’ ”

Derr felt strongly enough about Gandhi visiting MHCC that she gave it her full support. The DRC ran, managed, and made the event happen, while the college paid for it. “Which I think speaks volumes to our president and to what she sees as valuable to both the campus and the community,” said Bullen.

“I’m always trying to balance between ‘do I have the money to do the thing that I want to do?’ but now I know there are places of support here (from which) I can, at least, attempt to get money,” she said.

This year, the DRC was given a budget of $5,000 that it didn’t have at all last year. Its budget for 2015-16 will increase by $3,000.

The DRC’s budget is part of the Mt. Hood student fee money managed by the Associated Student Government (ASG). Aside from some independent funds, the fee dollars cover heritage celebrations, speakers, books for the Mt. Hood Library – “whatever it is, that’s how we spend it,” Bullen said.

“The fact is, this is student fees dollars,” she said. “There is a responsibility to that for me, I’m not going to spend it unless it is really in service to students.”

At a peace conference last year, Bullen connected with many nonprofit organizations in search of just such “service.” One of these nonprofits, the World Peace Institute, brings peace laureates to Portland each year, and Gandhi was one of them. From that conversation came an offer to let MHCC host Gandhi for one evening.

Bullen goes to many such events, seeking speakers and other related events that Mt. Hood could host.

MHCC’s “Lunch and Learn” events follow the same concept. They are grant-funded from the National Endowment of Humanities, so Bullen has to apply for each speaker to present on campus.

“We have expert Oregonians talking about really relevant topics. I’m going to do whatever I can to get that on our campus,” she said. The DRC “should be a place that provides the campus opportunities like events, speakers, and workshops that expand our worldviews.

“As a college we should be a sort of the beacon of enlightenment, learning, and experience,” Bullen said. Most students don’t have the ability to drop everything and fly to places like India for that kind of experience. “It’s our responsibility as a college to bring that (Gandhi) here,” she said.

She also is trying to reach the surrounding community, creating more connections. This builds credibility for the DRC, and the only way the community is going to embrace the DRC is if it knows it is there and it keeps a strong presence, she said.

Bullen is already looking ahead, with the bar raised higher. But with the support of the president’s office and Derr’s “Culture of Excellence” effort, she thinks the DRC will be able to bring prominent speakers, personalities, and events to the college for years to come.

“Arun was a different caliber – he carried the name of Gandhi – that’s going to be hard to compete with,” she said.