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Identifier
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Diso_000012
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Title
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Disorientation Manual (2023)
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Date
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2023
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Description
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a student and working class guide to the Evergreen State College
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Creator
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Disorientation Manual Team
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Contributor
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The Arcade Projects
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extracted text
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a student and workin, class ,uide ta
the Ever,reen State Colle,e
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DISORIENTATION 2023
[
YOU HAVE IN YOUR HANDS ...
a copy of the 2023-2024 Disorientation Manual, a radical and working class guide to The Evergreen
State College and Olympia, created FOR STUDENTS BY STUDENTS. The Disorientation Manual is
a tradition that was started in 1997 with the first arming of Evergreen Police Officers. The last Disorientation Manual was printed in 2019 and has been on a four year long indefinite hiatus. With the transient
state that people enter when becoming students this hiatus could happen again as the informal and generational memory and knowledge is not shared or interrupted by things like institutional incompetence,
economic austerity, global pandemics, or national uprisings. If the DisMan is ever interrupted again let it
be known that whoever is reading this CAN DO IT AGAIN.
The DisMan is something that is ever changing and will never be able to explain the totality of opinions
of the student body or the entirety of The Evergreen State College experience. WE RECOGNIZE SOME
OF THE ARTICLES MAY HAVE HOLES, BE OUT-DATED, OR OFFENSIVE, OR NON-INCLUSION
OF AN ISSUE CAN BE READ AS A STATEMENT ONTO ITSELF. If you have any of those listed
problems we gently invite you to not complain but to become part of our team or to send in new, better,
corrected material or suggestions our way or publish an entirely new manual.
A skeleton crew of editors for 2022-2023 Disorientation are publishing this with limited time and funding to make
this a fully complete work.
The editorial crews of every single DisMan have had their own ideological perspectives that have informed the
approach to the project. Every year's DisMan is different in this way and takes on a distinct identity. It is simultaneously a community project and one edited by groups and people with their own ideology which you may or may not
agree with.
This year the editorial crew was a collection of communists and anti-imperialists who want an end to all forms of
exploitation and who deeply love this school. Submission authors, named and anonymous, remain distinct from the
editorial crew and the Arcade Projects student group.
Love & Solidarity,
2023-2024 Disorientation Manual Team
DISCLAIMER: The articles herein reflect the opinions of some anonymous authors. These essays should all be considered
opinion pieces. The content of this publication does not represent the opinions of The Arcade Projects, Last Word Press, Student
Activities, or The Evergreen State College.
£l0l NOllVlN]l.tlSI0
TA~LE Of (DIS)CONTENTS
HOUSING: EVERGREEN AND OLYMPIA .......... 1
SPACE, ART, S ARCHITECTURE AT
EVERGREEN ................................................. 35
RA'S: DECLASSIFIED ...................................... 4
THE DEATH S REBIRTH OF THE
MENTAL HEALTH F'ING MATTERS!!! .............. 5
THEATRE AT TESC ....................................... 36
THE COPS DESERVE YOUR BURNING
MARXISM AND THE POLITICS OF
HATRED .......................................................... 7
REVOLUTION ................................................. 37
A TIMELINE OF POLICING AT
RACE AT EVERGREEN ................................. 39
EVERGREEN ................................................... 9
ON UKRAINE: NO WAR BUT
HARM REDUCTION .......................................... 11
THE CLASS WAR! .......................................... 41
SO, YOU GOT INTO EVERGREEN
PC CULTURE, CENSORSHIP,
TACOMA ........................................................... 13
S FASCISM ..................................................... 42
YOUR GUIDE TO URBAN FORAGING ............... 15
YOUR WAY TO THE WORLD (ADA
MANIFESTO OF THE EVERGREEN
ACCESSIBLE PATH NOT AVAILABLE) .......... 43
PARTY(-SCENE) ............................................. 17
ADVICE FOR TRANS WOMEN ........................ 45
RESOURCES ................................................... 19
IT'S A SAFE SPACE, WE PROMISE .............. .
PERPETUATING HOMELESSNESS IS
THE LIFE S TIMES OF AN
SOCIAL MURDER ............................................ 21
EVERGREEN JUNKI~ ................................... 50
GENTRIFICATION ............................................ 23
WHERE'S OUR FUCKING MONEY, YOU
BASTARDS?! ................................................... 25
THE EVERGREEN 2017 PROTESTS
DID NOT TAKE PLACE .................................... 27
xx
SPORTS AT EVERGREEN: NOTES
FROM A STUDENT ATHLETE ....................... 52
THE SMOKE PIT: AN IMPERFECT
COMMUNITY WORTH FIGHTING FOR ............ 55
DIV MUSIC IN OLYMPIA .................................. 57
HOW THE FIGHT FOR PALESTINE'S
LIBERATION AFFECTS YOU DIRECTLY.......... 29
IT'S STILL BIGGER THAN HIP-HOP:
REMEMBER THE V-DAY UPRISING ................ 32
NOTES FROM A FATTY.................................. 58
EVERGREEN, AS SHE IS PLAYED ................ 59
READING LIST............................................... 60
DISORIENTATION 2023
P L AY
the deal with housing?
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
ON-CAMPUS:
On-campus housing at Evergreen has changed a lot over the past 10 years. You can't miss the
tall residence halls (A-D) when walking around campus housing, but it might surprise you to
learn that three out of the four buildings are not in use. B, C, & D dorms were shut down due to
low enrollment a few years back and will stay closed throughout the upcoming school year. Over
this past summer, the first 5 floors of A dorm were renovated and will be open to students this
fall, adding 125 beds. Most students this year will live in the apartment buildings E-U. Whether
or not Evergreen students will live in the modular housing this year remains unclear, and if the
mods are closed that is 152 fewer beds for students. The on-campus bed count matters because
there is a housing crisis in Olympia, and it is important that Evergreen students have a safe
and affordable place to live.
The renovation of A dorm is great because it will provide a traditional dorm style experience
and be more affordable than the apartments on-campus. A room in an apartment is $1,013/
month, while a single room in A dorm is $733. These prices are before the mandatory meal
plan. The cheapest meal plan available is the "50 Block" which will cost around $273/month.
Based on these calculations, it's almost cheaper to find an apartment to rent with roommates
off-campus, but that can come with its own immense barriers and challenges. On-campus
housing isn 't the most affordable, but it can be the most accessible for students due to the competitive rental housing market in Olympia. There is currently no "themed" housing on-campus,
but the housing office matches you with other students based on your preferences.
Beware of summer housing rules. Over the summer, Evergreen rents out their housing to visiting conferences, pushing out students. As of 2023, only a certain number of students are allowed
1
tlOl NOilVlN]lclOSl<l
00:00:00
the deal
housing?
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
to live on campus over the summer, and you must be enrolled in a class for at least 2 credits
if you wish to stay. Plan ahead, and apply for summer housing early. Lots can be learned about
on-campus housing through Evergreen's website, and I suggest you read your contract carefully. You do not have as many tenants rights while living on-campus as you would living off-campus. Protect yourself. Know the rights you do have.
Evergreen doesn't require freshmen to live on-campus, which is great for older students. But
the rental market in Olympia is so harsh that it's not a bad idea to live on-campus if you can bear
it. The campus is stunning, and you'll meet great people. Plus, there are two free bus lines that
can take you into town, although these stop running at 9 pm for some reason, and we as students
should start a movement to change that.
OFF-CAMPUS:
As of 2023, there is a housing crisis in Olympia. This city used to be affordable for renters,
but that has changed in the past 20 years, and there are dire consequences for students and other
low-income renters. According to the Thurston Regional Planning Council (TRPC), the average
rent for a 1 bedroom apartment in Thurston County in 2023 is $1,423 which is wildly unaffordable for college students. Thurston County also has a low apartment vacancy rate, 2.5% in 2022,
and this leads to high competition and higher prices. Olympia is the capital city of Washington
State and it is close to Joint Base Lewis-McChord, so there are many governrnent and military
workers who are competing with us for housing in this area.
Apartment complexes and property management companies can, and do, legally discriminate
2
DISORIENTATION 2023
against college students, as we are not a protected class. Financial aid, whether it be a grant or
a student loan, is not accepted as a valid source of income when applying to rent an apartment.
Credit score and income requirements can be prohibitive for students. Sometimes you can get
around these requirements by having a co-signer, but apartment complexes and property management companies are increasingly not accepting co-signers as a way to further discriminate
against low-income people. Ultimately, Olympia is unaffordable. There isn't enough housing- especially affordable housing- and the competition for rental housing is extremely high
and this leaves Evergreen students in a tough position.
It's a fucked up and unfair housing market, I know. But I am not writing this to depress you or
dissuade you from living in Olympia. I write all of this so that you can start preparing for your
off-campus housing search.
HERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT WILL HELP:
•
•
•
•
•
Start your search EARLY. Many places have
waitlists. Get on the waitlist, even if you
don't end up living there. Call property
management companies to get an idea of what
their requirements are and when a unit might
become available.
Network with friends, faculty, staff- anybody,
really. The most affordable housing in Olympia is advertised through word of mouth.
Try and get a group of people together to rent
a house, and have one of your parents be a
co-signer if possible.
Take advantage of social media. Post on Instagram and Discord. Post on Facebook, specifically in "Oly Housing," "Olympia Rentals,"
and "The Evergreen State College Room
Shares." Make your posts personal, include a
picture of yourself or something about your
life, and share about your hobbies and interests.
Ask around to be added to private housing
chats on Signal and Discord.
•
•
•
•
•
•
Utilize Craigslist, Trulia, and Zillow- but beware of scams.
Post flyers! Evergreen has bulletin boards all
around campus. You can also put up flyers at
the Olympia Food Co-Op and the libraries.
Visit the Basic Needs, Advocacy, and Resource
Center (BNARC) for a housing consultation if
you are experiencing homelessness or housing
insecurity. They can help get you funding and
help you network to find housing.
Start a housing club that would advocate for
housing issues all around town.
Create a student housing cooperative!
Know your rights! The Tenants Union of
Washington State has many resources on their
website. Also, OMC 5.82 is an ordinance
passed by Olympia City Council in 2022 that
added some protections for Olympia renters.
Take pictures of the unit you move into so that
the landlords can't steal your security deposit.
Document everything.
In the end, we as students need to put pressure on the administration and the city to create more
affordable housing. The administration needs to step up and advocate for us. Evergreen will have
a hard time holding on to students if students don't have a place to live. Godspeed on your housing journey.
3
flOl NOilV lN]lclOSI0
recei~e free housing . .. Howev.er, what they fail to
mention (or perhaps glaze over) is the fact that if
eventually you crumble, and you decide that for
~our ment~ health and safety you need to quit the
Job, they will say that they sympathize and they understand; that they've been in your shoes, of course;
but th~n they ' ll gently remind you that if you quit
you wdl have to move out of your housing, and
what see~ed to be at the beginning as the cherry on
top ofbemg able to help so many people is revealed
to be nothing but a chain keeping you shackled to
them through the risk of homelessness. When I first
thought about quitting, I saw this manipulation of
our better natures. This threat of homelessness is
especially potent when you finally realize that you
have only been spending money since the quarter
started, due to the fact that you are only allowed
to work twelve hours in a position on campus and
that's only if your course load allows you to work on
the side. Quitting's not an option with 7 meals at
The Greenery and 150 dining dollars.
RA'S: DECLASSIFIED
by a union-craving RA
PERHAPS you're thinking about being an Resident Assistant, also known as an RA. Supporting
you~ fellow stude_nts, planning events, perhaps
solvmg the occas10nal roommate disagreement all
while building a wonderful tightly knit commu~ity .. . And on top of it all, you get free housing! At
face va_lue this seems like the perfect job for the
strugglmg college student with a desire to make a
real difference in the school living space. However
there's quite a bit more going on behind the scenes'.
My goal is to shed some light on this, both for
those of you who are considering being a RA
and others who just want to know what to look
out for.
A~ an RA at Evergreen you can expect to help
residents set up roommate agreements, solve disputes, plan events, and the semi-frequent shifts of
24 hour duty. This is where you respond to calls
that can be as mundane as noise complaints, or
as extreme as domestic violence situations. As an
RA, you work in tandem with folks like other RA's
RD 's- which are like semi-pro staff-leadership- an<l
the police. You, the RA, are the first responder
~o most situations, however. When a call goes out,
1t goes through the police office and is then routed
to the RA duty phone. After this the on-duty RA
goes and gets a handle on the situation. In other
words, when on-duty you are going to be the one
who ~ecides if a situation needs to be passed along
to a different person such as the Title IX office or
the on-duty RD. This is where the job gets difficclt.
Imagine: a late night call wakes you up at 3AM and
you hastily get dressed to stumble half asleep o~t the
door, ~II the while having no way of knowing if you
potentially hold another person's fate in your hands.
For people like us who are only lightly trained for the
most watered down situations, it can be a lot to bear.
If ~ou _are considering becoming an RA, my true
advice 1s to assess your situation at the time of
applying ~nd decide if you are in a stable enough
state of mmd to handle this for an entire school
year: This fos~tion has the potential to crush a person 1f they rem a fragile state. Between the stress
of col_lege, the normal RA work, the previously
ment10ned calls, and the potential second job
that many RA's have to supplement the income
you don't get from this position, it can be a lot.
Truly consider if it's right for you, because I and
many pe?p_le I've talk_ed to have quit-- or thought
about qmttmg-- many times due to these stressors.
This can be a fulfilling position, I don't want to act
like it can'~ be; you have the chance to help people
and potentially make a real difference for the students living on this campus. But they are setting
you up to fail by only telling you the whole truth
once you have the shackles of conditional housing on.
This is also where we return to the benefits for us
Resident Assistants. As I mentioned before, you
4
DISORIENTATION 2023
yo~ can find mental health providers and services
near you.
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green resources will more than likely involve Evergreen Police. If you live in on-campus housing,
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••--
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If you or a peer are experiencing a crisis on campus, it is important to understand that using Ever-
•••
a Resident Assistant or Resident Director respond
and the crisis may still involve police. Both RAs
and RDs can only provide peer support with very
limited mental health or crisis response training.
There are two options from Olympia's emergency
services with trained mental health professionals or
peer specialists responding to the crisis without any
police reporting.
,,,,_....~
If. ou 've moved to Evergreen from ut of state,
you were hopefully sent with a bottle of vitamin
D. Finding competent and compassionate mental
health care in a region known for its high rates of
Seasonal Affective Disorders and Depression may
feel intimidating, but it is possible.
Crisis Clinic 360-586-2888 :
24/7 crisis hotline specific to the Olympia area.
They are focused on managing crisis situations in
the moment and are able to refer you elsewhere.
"Thurston Community Resources" page on their
website is the best place to start when looking for
housing support and legal services or addiction
recovery and mental health/counseling.
On campus, Student Wellness Services
provides some counseling and health services. It
should be noted that SWS only provides short-term
counseling and health services, and is not available
during the summer quarter. This office is a great
place to start but will ultimately refer you to Olympia's more extensive healthcare system. To schedule an appointment, log into your my.evergreen
account and then click on "Health eConnect" under
the "Students" portion. This will bring you to their
scheduling portal.
Insurance is often the first obstacle. Luckily the
Washington Apple Health (Medicaid) website is relatively user-friendly, and applying for
insurance is broken down into manageable steps
through their application. Unfortunately, the school
does not have a specific resource for applying to
Medicaid- but TRiO advisors can help especially
during their weekly study time. After becoming
an Apple Health member you have access to their
ProviderOne 'Find A Provider' web tool, where
Crisis Response Unit 360-704-2740:
Created by the Police Services of Olympia as an
alternative to police intervention and staffed by
peer specialists. The Unit is prepared to respond to
mental health crises, grief/loss, conflict resolution/
mediation, substance abuse, housing crisis, harm
reduction, first aid and non-emergency medical
care/connections, resource connection and referrals, and transportation to services. They specify
that their services do not provide "Restraining people against their will, violating confidentiality (with
the exception of mandatory reporting), or providing transportation home". Hours of operation: 7
AM-8:40 PM Monday through Thursday, and 10
AM-8:40 PM Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
5
tl'Ol' NOilV lN31aSI0
Making an advance directive is an opportunity to
advocate for yourself and the treatment you want if
a mental health emergency occurs and your judgement or ability to communicate becomes impaired.
With an advance directive, you take back some
control, including giving or taking away consent
to be injected with medicine, who your emergency
contact is, and so many other specifics that can
make a crisis response an overall better experience
for you! Any Washington Resident or out-of-state
student can create your own mental health advance
directive using the Washington State Healthcare
Authority website (pg.) to access and download
the form as well as view sample forms, FAQs, and
in-depth instructions.
BEST PLACES TD
CAY DN CAMPUS:
- Student Wellness Services, in front of a therapist
- The Ethnobotanical Gifts Garden: s'ul<lXW
taqws<lblu, right beside the:
- s'gwi gwi? aJtxw or the House of Welcome (literally, surrounded by medicine & art)
- Sitting at a "Happy Lamp" desk, library 1st
floor, in front of Photoland (vitamin D is one
hell of a drug)
- Woodshop in the Arts Annex (sawdust absorbs
tears quickly)
- Middle of the Evergreen
Field under cover
of night while
looking at
the stars
single occupancy bathrooms
- Screaming at
the sky in the
middle of the
To take care of your mental health, your basic
needs must be met. The Basic Needs Advocacy
and Resource Center (BNARC) is one of the
most helpful, accepting, and queer-positive spaces
on campus. The center has a large foodbank, clothing section including gender-affirming clothing
(including binders and bra inserts), and is staffed
by extremely helpful people who can direct you to
other campus resources or Olympia's resources like
the Thurston County Food Bank. They can also
help you apply for SNAP (Food Stamp benefits).
The center is by appointment only, and can become an issue in emergency situations. Emailing
the Center directly at arcbasicneeds@evergreen.
edu can get you faster response, otherwise you can
book a visit on their Evergreen page.
Utilizing the Basic Needs Center regularly helps
show adrnin that it is important to students, and
helps push its longevity into the future. If it were
ever to go away, we can not only confirm the suspicion that Evergreen's budget is going towards the
salaries of a half-assed, defunding-positive presidency by John Carmichel and the cops. During
the pandemic, the Student Wellness Center slowly
crumbled and as a Resident Assistant, I was often
the only mental health resource for students. Evergreen has a recent history of defunding, putting
huge workloads on one or two staff members or
student staff (RAD in particular), and dismantling
essential student services. Holding school officials
accountable and demapding better resources is
worthwhile; remember, budgets and spending from
state funds are PUBLIC INFORMATION.
Mental well-being informs all aspects of life, and
as a student, taking steps to keep yourself healthy
and above all, safe, is one of the most profound
ways to create a balanced educational experience
at Evergreen. Advocating for, monitoring, and protecting your mental health is a form of restorative
justice. Your existence on this planet is important,
please keep yourself and your peers safe.
DISORIENTATION 2023
tl'OZ' NOilVlN]lclOSI0
DISO~IENTATION 2023
(ATIMELINE OF POLICING AT EVERGREEN)
(Adapted, Edited, and Extended from Mason Soto's 17 April 2019 edition)
1967 - School is founded with no 95-96 -Adrnin, a task force, and Pres.
call to arm police. Community Action
plans for police or security presence.
Group at Evergreen organizes protests,
1971 - First campus security are hired, petitions, and a sit-in that blocked the
plain-clothed student aides and two Library Loop entrance. Sidearms apguards. Phased out by 1981 for trained proved by Trustees in 6-1 vote.
full-time security officers with a commission from the Sheriffs commission, 96-97 - Campus secretary alleges sexsans official policy for a campus police ual harassment, which goes unresolved.
department.
98-99 - Officer forced to resign after
multiple allegations of pulling gun on
1974 - Security Director resigns after campus employees.
involvement in shortage of campus
funds.
2001 - Police acquire tasers.
2011 - Police Awareness and
Student Safety (PASS) club
founded, busted a year later
with a public records request
revealing that they sent police
services information about students and faculty.
2012 - Police acquire segways.
(Why?)
2014 - Public emails and faculty allegations expose campus
police and Ed Sorger in particular spying on political groups on
campus incl. Port Militarization
Resistance activists, collaborating with military spy John
Towery. Ed Sorger resigns two
years later.
02-03 - In a span of days, a student
is maced and police raid dorms with
guns drawn. Forums follow to no
consequence. Later, campus police are
freed of arming restrictions and carry
1989 - TESC sued by Larry Savage 24/7 at recommendation of UW Police Winter 2017 - Students prothru L&I claiming "unsafe work Chief, then-Pres. Les Purce, and test swearing-in ceremony of
environment" sans-cops. DTF com- Police Community Review Board.
Police Chief Stacy Brown, with
missioned by Pres. to assess security
two students prosecuted for takafter Senate bill targeting Evergreen 07-08 - Two intoxicated students ing the mic from VP of Student
fails to pressure all public universi- tased by police, students of color com- Affairs Wendy Endress.
ties into fully-commissioned PDs. plain of racial targeting.
Surveys reaffirm not arming police,
May 2017 - After dispute onrecommend foot patrols and standard 2008 - In Feb., V-Day Uprising/"Dead line and a call to police, two
record-keeping.
Prez riot" over alleged police racism black students are taken from
results in flipped cop car and police their dorms in the middle of the
1990 - L&I sides with Savage, attests investigation into Evergreen Students
unsafe work environment without for a Democratic Society. At-time night and detained for hours.
"full police powers," Evergreen decides Police Chief Ed Sorger requests rifles, Protests over Bret Weinstein
to downgrade security by making prompting announcement from GSU, and emails also result in alleged
them avoid any confrontation and call presentations by police, and review use of excessive force by Off.
Timothy O'Dell, who is cleared
in Thurston County for backup.
board forums.
of wrongdoing.
1992 - Year of the Rodney King Up- Apr 2009 - Police Community Rerising in LA. Trustees and admin au- view Board rifle survey results withthorize unarmed campus police force held from students. VP of Student Af►
and new security policies following fairs Art Constantino stresses liability
outside recommendation, in the face while Assistant Attorney General adof hard community opposition.
mits there is little to no liability to the
college. Board rejects rifle proposal.
1985 - Administration opposes a
sworn, armed police force on campus
at recommendation of disappearing
task force and campus forums.
9
£l0l NOilVlN]lclOSI0
Oct 2018 - Police purchase covert
surveillance cameras, citing recent
iliefts. No boards or forums are conJune 2017 - National a ention sulted. CPJ later exposes ana deover anti-racist protests culnilliates nounces surveillance in A ril 2019.
in Patriot Prayer provocation, a
hooter threat, and c pus closure with State Trooper presence. Feb 2019 - After phone zap
rAt State Senate hearing on campus and second protest, campus IWW
safety, Stacy Brown recommends declares "victory" as admin "appear[ ed]" to fill their demands, with
police get rifles.
vacated police positions not being
filled and new positions reportedly
Aug 2017 - Stacy Brown resigns,
Ed Sorger named interim Police opened in Political Economy and
Community Media. AR-15s remain.
Chief. On the 14th, then-Pres. George
Bridges approves $1 lk purchase
of AR-15 rifles for Police Services May 2019 - Ed Sorger e_n_ds term
without consulting the Review as Interim Police Chief, David
Board or other campus forums, to Brunckhurst instated.
no announcement.
Supplemental budget reguest is approved for $150k worth of
police funds, including the AR-15s
and additional personnel. This was
less than initial $393k in Brown's
request, admin suggested cuts coul
be made elsewhere on campus to
make up difference.
17-18 -
Feb
March
2023 - Fred Hampton
Brigade organizes "Stop Cop City!
Cops Off Campus!" rally and march
oC30 as part of National Day of Action Against Police Terror. Police
Services photograph._and repeatedly
remove protest fliers and agitational
artwork and forward information to
multiple other campus PDs, Seattle
PD Intelligence Unit, UW Police's
FBI Liaison, and the Inland Northwest Joint Terrorism Task Force.
Internal communications state that
the situation was being "closely
monitored."
►
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C
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George 'B.riages an~
nounces ..resignation as President
and is replaced by former VE of Finance and Operations John Carmichael after 202 -21 academic year.
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2020 -
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SUIIlmer 2020 - Admin makes
$5.3mil in budget cuts. Students organize protest of ~30 in solidarity
May 2018 - Last meeting of Police with George Floyd Uprising, with
Community; Review Board, which cops watching and heckling stuhas ceased to function since.
dents. Undercover police presence
alleged.
Summer 2018 - Evergreen cuts
0 staff positions as part of $5.9mil Aug 2021 - Former CPJ News Edibudget cut. Stacy Brown makes tor Daniel Vogel files lawsuit against
$625k damages claim against Evergreen alleging obstruction of
Evergreen,' alleging hostile working access to public records related to
environment. Status currently police surveillance and possible viunknown.
olations of the college's Patriot Act
Policy among other records which
I all 2018 - CPJ reports rifle pur- "would be embarrassing or inconchase, T.VvW launches "Profs Not venient for the school." Litigation
Cops" campaign in response to AR- status unknown at time of writing.
[Ss and proposals for more cops,
proposing new faculty be hired in tead. Demonstration drew crowd 2022 - Admin approves outside
of ~100, who marched on the Presi- security contract through Kaeka
Group to supplement police prestlent's office in the largest post-2017
ence.
cam us rotest.
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DISOJIENTATION 2023
(~A_H_AR_M_RE_DU_CT_IO_N_PR_IM_ER~)
Some terms to know when speaking about harm
reduction are:
- PWID: People Who Inject Drugs
- PWUD: People Who Use Drugs
' public safety ' have always been primary justifications behind adoptions of harm reduction into US
policy. The resulting discomfort surrounding the
political leanings of the founding members of this
needle exchange organization, called Prevention
Point, can be used as a shining example of why the
philosophies behind harm reduction must 1) remain
centered on PWUD voices, 2) be non-hierarchical
and anti-authoritarian, 3) accommodate for changing community needs, and 4) critically think about
whose harm does the harm reduction policy seek to
mitigate and reduce, that of the drug/service user
or the social body politic. Harm reduction as public
health policy attempts to avoid confronting the
powers that ultimately produce the most harm for
drug users: the large presence of drugs in supply
chains and distribution networks, drug laws that
punish users and low level dealers while applauding high level dealers, dominant discourses of drug
use vs. drug addiction, and the stigmatization of
PWUD.
HARM REDUCTION HISTORY
Some OG harm reductionists were the Black
Panthers. The Young Lords. The Cohambee River
Collective. Th e Black Panther Manifesto (1966)
explicitly asked for free healthcare for all Black
and oppressed people. The Panthers also created survival programs such as Free Breakfast for
Children, later disbanded by a jealous J. Edgar
Hoover and his USDA to broaden their own school
lunch programs; and free medical clinics, the
last of which resides in Seattle. The South Bronx
Young Lords, in 7 Demands of Lincoln Hospital
Occupation (1970), demanded resources for proper
nutrition, addiction treatment, and child & elder
preventive care programs. They also assisted in the
development of the National Acupuncture Detoxification Association Protocol to heal addiction
and emotional trauma. In their Official Statement
(1977), the Cohambee River Collective wrote: "we
aren 't just trying to fight oppression on a single
front, but instead to address a whole range of
oppressions" as they fought for reproductive rights
through a lens of feminist Black liberation.
Incorporation destroys a movement. The term
harm reduction was first institutionalized into US
public health policy in 1980s San Francisco following an 'act of civil disobedience by a group of
pagan, hippie anarchists ' risking arrest by illegally
distributing clean needles to PWID, following
the first reported cases of AIDS amongst PWID
in 1981. Concern regarding 'public order' and
11
£l0l NOil VlN]lclOSICI
USEFUL HARM REDUCTORS:
KNOW YOUR RIGHTS
In WA State, anyone trying to help in a medical
emergency is generally protected from civil liabilities by RCW 4.24.300. WA State's 911 Good
Samaritan Overdose Law RCW 69.50.315 gives
additional, specific protections against drug possession charges:
- [fyou seek medical assistance in a drug-related overdose, you cannot be prosecuted for drug
possession.
- The overdose victim is also protected from drug
possession charges.
- Anyone in WA State who might have or witness
an opioid overdose is allowed to carry and administer naloxone. (RCW 69.41.095)
• Narcan, also known as Naloxone or "the Lazarus
drug", reverses the effects of opioid overdoses. It
can be injected or used as a nasal spray. In previous
years, students have organized to have RAs trained
in administering Narcan, and to have them carry
it. This would be a very worthwhile project for
students to continue to work on. Naloxone is free at
pharmacies for people with Medicaid/Washington
Apple Health insurance. You can also visit phra.org
for free naloxone mailed anywhere in WA state by
the People's Harm Reduction Alliance.
• Test kits are more important than ever with the increase offentanyl in street drugs, primarily powders
and pressed pills. Free testing kits in the community are harder to find since priority usually goes to
homeless PWID. They are very easy to find online
using keywords like "fentanyl test strips", "reagent
testing", or "drug identification test kits". Erowid.
org has been around for years compiling information about every drug known to man. Drugsdata.
org allows you to view test information about the
contents of specific drugs circulating in your area.
But what does this mean for on-campus incidents? Evergreen has no medical amnesty policies,
which means both the person overdosing and the
caller are liable to punishments for drug possession
on campus. Punishments are completely up to the
discretion of Evergreen police and administration
depending on the "offense" . 'Maybe try dragging
your overdosing friend off campus grounds before
calling for help?' Evergreen seems to imply.
• HIV and viral hepatitis are preventable. PrEP and
PEP are two revolutionary HIV prevention measures available for free to those on Medicaid and at
low-cost for through WA Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis
Drug Assistance Program. There is a Hep A and
Hep B vaccine with the possibility ofa vaccine
for Hep C on the horizon. STD testing is available
periodically on campus or take a quick visit to the
local Planned Parenthood. Safer Sex supplies can be
found at various locations around campus, your local community clinics, and at your local sex shops.
VOLUNTEER
The Emma Goldman Youth and Homeless Outreach Project, or EGYHOP, is a grassroots, all
volunteer-run organization that provides emergency servi.c es and resources to the homeless and
low-income' population on the streets of Olympia,
Washington. Named after Emma Goldman, a revolutionary who lived during the twentieth century
who brought different forms of healthcare into
practice through a wide variety of means- including
nursing and condoms long before the practice was
socially acceptable. They can be found between
6:30pm - 8:30 pm in the big parking lot on Washington Street between 4th Ave and State Street in
downtown Olympia most days, not Tuesdays or
Thursdays. More info at: egyhop.org.
• There are professors and employees here on campus interested in pushing the harm reduction agenda
forward. Ask around. Make connections.
12
DISO~IENTATION 2023
••• Ve■ eeT l■Te
•••••••••TACONA...
2023-2024 DISMAN TEAM NOTE:
Tacoma Campus is able to accomplish the liberatory
education that Olympia campus pretends to be founded
on. They provide this despite institutional maliciousness
on behalf of Olympia Administration who does not provide them the same level of resources as our campus.
Congratulations! Are you wondering what in the world to do
next?Well ...
First off, learn Canvas, the tool used for professors to
communicate the syllabus, assignments, announcements,
groups, etc. You need Canvas as soon as you read this.
When you do get signed up, look up your assignments and
books and start reading NOW!!! Find books on Audible, Amazon, and use the online Daniel J Evans library to find books
for free.
One of the many things Evergreen Olympia (lower campus) does to deny the predominantly Black and multicultural working class population of Tacoma Evergreen
(upper campus) is keep them legally designated as a
"program" rather than campus. This makes it so that
Olympia is not legally required to provide funding for
kitchens, lunch programs, childcare, and housing, as
well as other necessities to the student population. The
complexities of whether or not Tacoma campus should
be registered as a campus or a program is a question
that Tacoma can only answer for itself. Nonetheless
its autonomy and recognition as a valuable part of the
school should be respected as well as whatever resources it desires should be provided.
Next, meet with your Faculty Advisor often. I'd recommend
for the first month or two to meet with them weekly to check
in and make sure you understand what's being asked of you
and communicate what your needs are to be successful. Advocate for self, always.
Another thing, USE THE WRITING CENTER. Especially
when you first start and especially if you need help. Even
if you haven't started on your writing assignment, make an
appointment online ASAP and get the help you need to get
started. The writing center is comprised of students that are
ready to help other students. Even if you're a great writer,
use the writing center to confirm you're moving in the right
direction.
Many students who have experienced alienation in
Olympia have found great success with the education at
Tacoma Campus.
This submission was sent by a Tacoma Student as a
guide to their school. The information in this is valuable
to Olympia students needing to understand the workings
of Tacoma and lists resources that we can utilize as well.
Evergreen Tacoma has some books that they loan out to
students every quarter. Check with the Tacoma S&A Board
Librarian for available books ASAP. For the 2023-2024 year,
Kenya Adams is the Tacoma S&A Board Coordinator and
Monica Culbert-Kelly is the Tacoma S&A Board Office Manager and both can give you the information you need to access available books. They can also help you form any club
you wish at Tacoma.
If you're interested in student leadership, Evergreen Tacoma recruits for the positions of Librarian, Event Coordinator,
and voting members. All the positions pay twice a quarter for
the work they do for students.
Evergreen Tacoma has many events outside of the classroom . Stay in the know of community events and other
events offered at Evergreen Tacoma. Our founder Dr. Maxine Mimms is present at many of them as are Alumni and
13
tlOl NOilVlN31clOSI0
even Oprah has made an appearance!
There is a disconnect between the main campus in Olympia and the Tacoma campus. We've worked hard to bridge
some of those gaps, but the gaps are very real. But know
that you can go to the Olympia campus and look around
and be present, that is your school too! Don't worry about
the vibe, it's a little different over there just like it's a little
different over here.
You have to get your student ID from the Olympia campus.
They have gyms and pools and restaurants and a cafeteria.
You can have books sent from the Daniel J. Evans Library
in Olympia to you at your home or at the Tacoma campus.
Call the librarian at Olympia; know who they are and what
services they provide.
If you want to study abroad, reach out to Brynn and get that
conversation started. Tacoma will be working on a trip to Africa and NCORE (National Conference on Race and Ethnicity
in Higher Education) in Hawaii this year, stay in the know.
Apply for all the scholarships you can, there is so much
money you have access to that will make your educational
journey easier, contact financial aid via email, they do not
answer the phone, at all. They are, however, available in
person on the Olympia campus, as is everything else. When
in doubt, drive/bus/train down there and get what you need.
If you're a first-generation college student, contact TRiO
immediately. They have support resources, scholarships,
study skills training, and more.
We are a liberal arts institution, there are no grades and
sometimes it feels like there is no direction. You create your
own direction with the guidance of advisors, faculty, staff,
and the general learning community. If there's a goal you
are working towards, tell your advisor and ask for direction
and guidance.
You'll have two classes and Lyceum every quarter. There
are only a handful of classes you can choose from during the
Fall through Spring quarters; however, in the Summer you
can take classes at the Olympia campus and students at the
Olympia campus can take classes at the Tacoma campus.
Lyceum is every Tuesday, in person and virtually, where the
entire Evergreen Tacoma learning community comes together and learns something ... together. Faculty and staff will be
14
next to you learning the same thing from whoever the special
guest(s) is/are. After Lyceum you will go into seminar with
your faculty advisor and the other students who have the
same faculty advisor. You will then talk about what you all
just learned together. Seminars are meant to be student-led.
So be prepared to speak in response to your readings and
presentations given to you and be prepared to hear opinions
and perspectives very different from your own. Your experiences and opinions are valid but don't be rigid. Your openness is what will get you to success in mind, body, and spirit.
You're here to learn after all, and you're also here to teach,
believe it or not.
Washington State Legislative Internships are a great opportunity to learn what goes on behind the curtain of the
legislature. There are many opportunities for students, not
just those looking to get into governmenUpolitics. TVW is a
broadcasting platform for news, entertainment, and information coming from our state's capital. At the Olympia campus,
you can participate in practice interviews and get assistance
with your application.Reach out via the website or ask your
faculty advisor how to participate.
During my time at Evergreen Tacoma, I have been a Washington State Legislative Intern/Session Aide, I led the S&A
Board, I served as a student ambassador, I went to Africa
with Evergreen Tacoma students and staff, I fundraised with
a group of students to send students, including myself, to
New Orleans for NCORE, I edited the Tacoma newspaper
(The Sankofa News), I gol to know faculty and staff at Evergreen Olympia, I've spoken at fundraising events, I've applied for so many scholarships, and I've asked for help in all
of it. I did nothing alone, I was supported and loved on. AND
I have children! You can·do this, it takes focus and commitment, asking questions, and accepting help.
If you feel lost, if you feel like you can't talk to anyone for
whatever reason, if you'd like more information on any of my
experiences and how you can do them too or do something
different, reach out to me, I'll be in the MPA program at Tacoma this year. Let's go Sankofas!!!
Peace and Blessings,
Onya Robertson
Evergreen Tacoma Class of 2023
onya.robertson@evergreen.edu.
DISORIENTATION 2023
y
SUPPLIES YOU MAY NEED:
A big bag for lugging around your forgeables,
some tupperware, and a notebook. It's always
good to keep track of how much you ' ve actually
picked up in order to not take too much. I would
also recommend bringing a flashlight, just in
case you find some hard-to-reach and hard-to-see
places in your adventures.
0
u
R
POSTER BOARDS:
G
If you want to master urban foraging on this
campus, the number one thing you should be
looking out for is free events. Most free events
happening at the college will provide food, drink
and other knick knacks or fun collectibles. This
makes them a perfect opportunity to practice
your urban foraging skills in a closed environment!
u
I
D
E
HEALTH SUPPLIES:
Almost all bathrooms on campus have sanitary
pads or tampons in vending machines or little
boxes near sinks. Some of my favorite spots to get
sanitary products are Evans Hall, Purce Hall, the
CAB, and both of the SEM buildings. The only
rule for collecting sanitary products is to make
sure you don't take all of one individual item
before moving on to the next spot.
T
0
URBAN FORAGING
As someone who is interested in going to Evergreen, you ' re probably very familiar with the term
foraging. Foraging generally applies to taking
vegetables, fruits or herbs from the woods, sides of
roads, and other, more wild places.
Another great spot for
obtaining health products
is the Student Wellness
Center on the third floor
of SEM 2. It's open weekdays I 0:00- 5:00. The
center offers a variety of
small first aid kits, flu kits,
COVID tests, and general
relaxation kits; they can all
be obtained by coming in
and asking the receptionist
at the front desk.
Urban foraging is a bit different. As the name
would suggest, urban foraging is taking free things
or handouts and using them to your benefit. lt
could also mean using edible plants from parks and
planters. For some people it means stealing from
Walmart. That's not what this is about, though .
ln this article 1 will be detailing the specific spots
on campus in which urban foraging is possible, and
how to use what is being given out.
15
£l0l NOilVlN]laSI0
access attached to your evergreen.edu email or
guest accounts. Just like the HCC, there is a free
pile next to the main entrance to Evans Hall. It's
eclectically stocked with donations from offices,
students, and staff.
FOOD AND OTHER:
The Greenery (College Activities Building, 1st
Floor) has many more offerings than the thousand dollar meal plan dishes that at best tastes
like a gas station meal and at worst makes you
sick. The inoffensive bread and cheese next to
the pizza station can be taken home. They also
have a large bowl of fruit next to the soup heater.
Near the back there is the cereal station where
you can find about five different flavors of cereal.
Most people don 't eat too much of it and there' ll
be a lot to go around. Next to the cereal station
there is a coffee and hot drinks station. To get the
best and most amount of food out of the Greenery, get a giant metal-insulated water bottle and
fill it up with coffee. And just like that, you ' ve
got your coffee for the week and avoid Einstein 's
$7 cups! I would also suggest doing this with
milk if you' re not lactose intolerant.
The HCC (Housing Community Center, near
housing) is one of the best places to find food
and other supplies. From the free store, to the
free clothes pile, to even the Pod Market (if you
have the Greener Bucks for it), you will probably
find what you need . [n addition to everything
said above, during the move-out season (the start
of summer vacation) there will be huge piles of
food , clothes and other household items that you
may need. It's always best to keep an eye out
during the end of spring quarter to get quality
items for free.
The Police Free Store (SEM 1, rightmost
corner) is not at all a good place to get food.
It's located outside the Police Services' mirrored-window-panopticon office and underneath
the Parking Service Tower, (the place in which
you get your parking pass for the year). The food
hasn 't been restocked in almost 3 years. There's
still an open bag of chocolate chips and the same
Saltine cracker packages that I have been seeing
since freshman year. I am a junior.
The SEAL (Student Equity and Arts Lounge,
CAB 3rd Floor) is a good place to find on-the-go
snacks, oatmeal, ram en, and even a cup of free
coffee. You can also find a variety of other supplies: condoms, lube, pronoun pins, information
pamphlets, and hairpins, to name a few. Not to
mention, it's just a really nice place to hang out
and chill with friends.
My hope is that with all this new information,
you decide to make your life a little bit cheaper,
go out, and urban forage on your own. If you
ever get nervous about taking some of these
things just remember how much the college is
charging you. This College owes you for its
existence and for its continual operation. You
should be allowed to live comfortably in your
own space.
Next to the SEAL is the Student Activities Office. Wednesdays are free popcorn days, and they
will sometimes give out free treats around holidays. Joining a club is a good idea too, since SA
will often order catering for those who show up
to the Registered Student Organization meetings.
In Evans Hall, the Library proper carries one
copy of each book a professor has asked their
students to get. These books can be rented out for
2 days, which is perfect for any long night cram.
The library and the computer center across from
it both offer hundreds of pages of free printer
Happy Hunting.
16
DISO"IENT ATION 2023
Mani esto o t e Evergreen
Party(-Scene)
forcement. The media consumption that makes so
much of our lives will fill in the place of a situation.
Hence the common presentation of contemporary
parties as everyone just drinking and on their phones
with a couple people chatting. An adequate party-situation must be able to operate with or without alcohol,
so the alcoI:iol can be an augmentation of it.
An Essay
Dealing with Considerations
of
THE PRODUCTION OF SPACE IS CENTRAL
The Evergreen State College's
"Party Scene"
(It,
a fashion most dialectical
ad.
including useful examples.
A.K.A. THE IMMORTAL SCIENCE
OF DIALECTICAL RAGERS
WHAT IS TO BE DONE ... ABT WHERE DA
PARTY AT??
To those comrades who may have heard that
Evergreen is plagued by a total lack of revolutionary
party-consciousness, us at the Greener Front for Anti
-Revisionist Ragers (Marxist-Leninist) feel ashamed to
admit this is, in fact, the case. Spectacular capitalism
continues to spin the masses up in its web of simulated
desire, capturing the festive potentials before they can
realize. While those who party too hard are beaten
down by the brutal knocks of state goons. Our front
formed to light a shining path towards a party scene
formidable enough to confront the evil that is searching
for a party on a friday night only to find nothing, or at
best a large kickback with extra alcohol.
It does appear the notion has been spread that all one
has to do is announce a party and meet the bare technicality of providing alcohol, we strongly warn against
this undialectical and, quite frankly, idealist relation to
the party task. A party is the vanguard of vibe. Its duty is
to lead the masses to good vibes and not merely reflect
the average anxious smolbean political consciousness
of the masses. Without a developed consciousness the
simple reaction towards immediate escapism will take
the place of the party.
The space is the domain wherein the party situation can occur, and this does not have to be fixed. One
can have a moving party that moves between different
hubs or one of constant movement, in which case having a path is often a good idea. In order to facilitate any
kind of party there must be the opening of space for
people to move around and generate their own situations, or the space for curated situations to take place.
Having objects impeding the space that are artifacts
of non-party situations may impede the generation of
party-situations.
Simply speaking, if we are talking about the standard Evergreen apartment, move out most of the
chairs of the living room and organize the couch and
tables to have the greatest open spaces. It goes without
. saying one would hope to clean up the space, so the
last one thinks about is the anxiety of the messes they
may have to clean up at home. Lastly, but by no means
least, decorate! Having things which can add to the
color and atmosphere of a party is key in transporting
peoples emotional states to one of a party-situation.
Do not forget the hallways and bathrooms as people
are sure to congeal there.
DEVELOP INTERACTIVITY
Simply by the nature of creating the right space and
people going to what is termed a party, some slight
. party-situations will organically develop. Much more
can be done here, generally it is important to have
music going on at a loud enough volume, and some
kind of food or snacks. The situation cannot be totally
. forced, the point is to set up nodes and vortexes of
interactivity which promote organic generation. There
are various ways to do that such as having games,
. interactive food, materials for doing different forms of
. art, exploring an area with certain goals, and so on. A
popular attempt seen at Evergreen in generating party
ALCOHOL DOES NOT MAKE A PARTY
situations is to give the party a "theme", however unBut it certainly is an often important augmentation less this goes beyond merely dress theme the vibes pofor the party scene. It may bring out more creative tential will be limited. It may be good practice to have
impulses that exist within us to create situations, but different parties themed by a focal activity, such as an
relying on the alcohol will create an uncreative rein- art party or a dance party.
17
£l0l NOl1VlN31clOSl<J
Game Examples: Charades, Pin The Tail
on the Donkey, Bean Bag Toss, Twister,
Uno, Hide and go Seek, Bingo, Beer Pong,
Scavenger hunt
Bring a buddy
Watch each other's drinks
Let your friends know if you're going
somewhere late at night
Be cautious when mixing substances
Test your drugs, at least for fentanyl
Stay hydrated!!!
Remember, it's okay to go home if you're
feeling overwhelmed
Consent is made clear-minded
Interactive Food Examples: Cookie Decoration, Small scale cooking competition,
Charcuterie Board, Gingerbread Houses (or
any food building), Buffet Style anything
Arts & Crafts Examples: Blank butcher paper
on the wafl to draw on, Even just some dry
erase on your damn fridge if you gotta, Coloring Books, Paper mache, Flower crowns, idk,
be creative
DO ALCOHOL RIGHT
It can do wonders to have cool cups and other forms
of nice presentation. With standard plastic cups, having a marker nearby to write names or even color code
to be a shorthand for people's boundries. Using conal ,
cups that can not be placed is another step for harm-reduction. Having alcohol in stages or rotation and not
all out at once is another good idea.
Now, comrades, we certainly would never encourage
any ultra-left adventurism that could endanger the
party and violate the sacred decrees of the administrative order, so do be aware of the full scope of Evergreen's alcohol and drug policies, laid out in the Student Conduct Code, which non-fascistly prohibits "the
use, possession, or distribution of liquor on college
property except when a student is of legal age or at a
college-sponsored event that has an approved alcohol
beverage banquet permit" and prohibits the "use, possession, or distribution of any controlled substance or
illegal drug on college premises or at college sponsored
activities."
In summation, be smart, be considerate, have good
taste, and be a tribune of the party overall.
MAINTAIN EACH OTHER'S SAFETY
An important thing to keep in mind is that a host
of a party can be held responsible for the activities of
guests invited or not. Don't let any of this scare you,
just act professionally when dealing with the authorities, and it should all work out fine.
Incoming students may presume that because Evergreen is known to be a progressive campus that it is a
space in which they can let their guard down safely at
parties. Sadly this is simply not the case. Here are a few
tips and reminders to keep you safe:
1a
In the case of the police arriving, remove
anything suspicious from sight while also
remaining calm and unsuspicious. People
under 21 probably shouldn't be holding alcoholic drinks. Say as little as possible to the
police.
Remember: Keeping each other safe is
essential to having a fun time.
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LIFE ON CAMPUS: THE ESSENTIALS
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SATELITE FOOD BANK:
Every other Tuesday, at 1-3pm, in Parking
Lot C (behind COM). If you're in coll ege,
you are food insecure, and the more boxes
the food bank hands out to food insecure
people, the more state fund ing they get.
Send your fr iends if you're in class.
BASIC NEEDS CENTER:
Appoi ntments: 'Basic Needs Booking
- Calendar' at evergreen.edu/care/how-ac'O cess-our-support-services. You can make a
half-hour appointment for food, household
products, cleaning supplies, class supplies,
gender affirming clothing (including binders and breast forms), and connection to
other resources. Email: ARCbasicneeds@
evergreen.edu
HCC:
Next to housing, has food bank and free
piles. NOt accessible 24/7, check doors for
hours.
SEAL:
3rd floor of CAB, two levels up from the
Greenery. Snacks and coffee. Open weekdays 10:30-5
HUNGRY GREENERS PROGRAM:
Meal plan meals donated by other Greeners. Find them at evergreen.edu/dining/
hungry-greener-voucher-program
SCHCHJlL SUPPLJ:ES: AP·ARTffiENT
FREE ONLINE TEXTBOOKS:
Look up the ISBB # and add PDF, or go to
a free online collection like one of these:
PDF Drive (pdfdrive.com)
Library Genesis (libgen.is)
BASIC NEEDS CENTER:
May or may not have school supplies, less
likely to get textbooks but can probably get
other things needed for class. You will need
an appointment to get properly helped.
BUYING FROM OTHER STUDENTS:
ti'ilrt111ll:ll1','1"'11i.'J11eni.rn11l:l1111'i:;J'l1';m::,r,e
evergreen.starrezhousing.com/StarRezPortal
ti lit tllfilc£!ml:l 1'ill5fil-'flhU '11 ~.m!!IS:
Scroll down to the green button labeled 'EV•
ERG REEN - STUDENT SSO LOGrN ' under
' Login with an External Service '
Login
Click on the three horizontal dashes button on
the left of the green band
Select ' Room Maintenance '
Scroll down to 'NEW JOB ' butlon
Select ' My Room' in the ' Room ' category if you
are putting in a request for your room . Select
' Shared Spaces' for the living room/bathroom /
kitchen.
Fill out description
Scroll down and submit.
EVERGREEN BOOKSTORE :
ON-DUTY RA: (360) 207-1568
Nonprofit. They'll buy your books back
from you at cost, so you won't be at a loss
overall.
If the issue is with your wifi, there is wifi
available in the HCC. Head there and email
ResNet (resnet@evergreen.edu).
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STUDENT WELLNESS SERVICES
Call to make an appointment during open
hours at (360) 867-6200. They answer
the phone 8-8:30am - 5pm. You can visit
the web booking site evergreen.edu/stu-
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EMERGENCY MAINTENANCE: You
will need to be patched through Police
Dispatch. (360) 867-6832
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Search for students who took the class
before, in person or online. The Evergreen
Unofficial discord server hosts a buying
and selling textbooks channel.
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OLYMPIA FREE CLINIC: (360) 8904074
COMMUNITY YOUTH SERVICES:
(360) 943-0780
BEHAVIORAL H EALTH RESOURCES: (360) 704-7170
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All Greeners living on campus are required
to have a meal plan. Meals are served in the
Greenery, while dining bucks can be spent
at the POD or Einstein's.
HOURS:
CUL'11'URALL V
Tuesday: IO am - 5 pm
RESPOINSXVE ~
SPECJ:FJ:C SERVXCES
Wednesday: 10 am - 5 pm
Thursday: 10 am - 5 pm
GREENERY:
MEDICAL SERVICES:
Monday-Friday: Breakfast 8:00am-9:00am,
Lunch 11 :00am-2:00pm, Dinner 5:00pm7:00pm
Acute Care, Sexual & Reproductive Health,
Wellness & Prevention Visits, Travel
Consults, Medication & Herbal Consults,
Resources & Referrals, and Consultation
In person dining and grab and go options
available
EINSTEIN'S BAGEL BROTHERS:
Monday-Friday: 8:00am-6:00pm
Saturday-Sunday: Closed
Grab and go dining only
POD Market in the HCC:
Monday-Thursday: 11 :00am-1 0:00pm
Friday: 11 :00am-7:00pm
Saturday-Sunday: 12:00pm-7:00pm ,
Friday: IO am - 12 pm
COUNSELING SERVICES:
Meeting with a Mental Health Counselor,
Evaluation and Referral Services, Resource
Connection, Health Education + Groups,
and Consultation to Campus Community
If any service they administer costs beyond
what your admission has covered, they are
required to tell you and you have the right
to refuse.
In a mental or medical health emergency,
call 911 or (360) 867-6140, or press the
button on the blue emergency boxes placed
around campus.
S1t*HClOL. SlBPPLJ:ES: COVXD RESOURCES:
LIBRARY:
Open reserve textbooks are set aside and
available for 2 days for all required books.
May already be checked out.
SUMMIT:
Ordering the books from other schools
online takes - 2 weeks, but you have them
for a month-ish. Library staff can walk you
through the process.
SOUTH SOUND BEHAVIORAL
HEALTH: (844) 949-8888
Monday: 10 am - 5 pm
Dining hours for all locations are as follows:
Saturday-Sunday: Brunch 11 :00am2:00pm, Dinner 5:00pm-7:00pm
~
dent-life/health-wellness:
In the past years, campus has provided
PCR test pick ups at no cost to students.
They could be found in the Key office,
RAD front office, or police services, RAD
services and Student Wellness Services
are good places to check for free rapid
tests. Contact Evergreen's COVID team
COVID@evergreen.edu
Cielo Olympia (Latino Educational ; Legal
Advocates; Mental Health Services): 360709-0931
Downtown Ambassadors (Street Outreach;
Business Support; Hospitality): 360-3382853
KWA: Korean Women's Association
(Asian, Pacific Islander, and Elders): 253535-4202
Nisqually Indian Tribal Services: 360-4565221
Pi PE (Aid & Counseling for Houseless
Youth/Young Adult): 360-522-5536
South Puget Intertribal Planning Agency
(SPIPA - Five Tribes): 360-426-3990
Veterans Assistance Fund (Rent, Utilities,
Food, Bus Passes): 360-867-2625
Veterans Benefits and Services (WA State):
800-562-2308
HARM REDllJCTXC [ffi:
NARCAN TRAINlNG VIDEO:
stopoverdose.org/section/take-the-onlinetraining
THURSTON COUNTRY SYRINGE
EXCHANGE PROGRAM, SERVICES:~ c-,,
Syringe Access and HIV Testing. Go to 52
Franklin Street Olympia, WA
C'\J
ci
EGYHOP: Critical care resources, they
supply needed items such as camping
gear, clothing, food, hygiene and first aid
supplies
ah-wa.us/egyhop
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0
DISORIENTATION 2023
PERPETUATING HOMELESSNESS
IS SOCIAL MURDER
We must not forget that we are occupying land
stolen from the People of the Medicine Creek Treaty. An essential step towards fighting homelessness
and ultimately possible reconciliation with this
lands' original residents, is returning land, such as
Evergreen's Olympia campus, to its rightful owners
and stewards.
The commons, once hubs for gathering, play,
creativity, and community, are now primarily
geared toward consumption and profit. This has a
profound impact on everyone. For people experiencing homelessness, who may indeed actually
have a little money, it means every day, they are
punished for being homeless. They are targeted,
ignored, scapegoated, fined, harassed, denied entry,
denied bathrooms, denied social inclusion and
advancement, threatened, and in some cases beaten; robbed; and murdered. These are not isolated
incidents. Generally, these reactive interactions by
the community at large lead to severe consequences for people experiencing homelessness' physical
and mental health and ultimately, life expectancy.
Data shows that chronically homeless individuals
die between the ages of 42 and 52. What is middle
age for people that sleep inside is the end of life for
those that sleep outside.
21
The homeless population is diverse, comprising of
women, families, youth, elders, students, the disabled, trans-identifying individuals (who have their
own set of unique and terrifying barriers to housing
and employment), men, and many others. Black,
Indigenous, and People of Color are overrepresented and whites are underrepresented, compared to
the overall population of this area. Some are what
is considered "chronically homeless" or "visibly
homeless" while others couch surf, hide, or experience other forms of homelessness. Data shows
that most people (74% over a five-decade survey
sample) experiencing homelessness do not use
drugs or alcohol. Homelessness (or houselessness,
being "home-free," " residentially-challenged,"
" people living without a domicile,") is very much
a fluid, externally defined identity. Some of us that
now live in homes were once homeless whether we
admit it or not, and many ofus that live in homes
might become homeless ourselves one day. It is
a social reality under the grotesque private-property-worshipping-system we live under, and we
must admit to ourselves that it is us that suffer
from homelessness and poverty. Our aunts, uncles,
neighbors, children, grandparents, colleagues,
coworkers, and cousins are us, and that further
individualization, atomization, and "othering"
mentalities exist to perpetuate ongoing fascist tendencies within the United States to divide us from
each other.
tlOl NOilVlNJlclOSl<l
BANNER DROP AT THE (DISGUSTING) SO-CALLED "OLYMPIA" WATERFRONT
Homelessness is exacerbated by evictions and encampment clearances known as sweeps. Examples
include the fenced-up Artisanal Well in downtown
Olympia, as well as recent and ongoing RV and
encampment evictions around the city. National
scientific studies are just now beginning to show
that encampment evictions ("sweeps") actually kill
people experiencing homelessness. Encampments
themselves have a diversity of self-organized structures, depending upon the people that live in them.
More often than not, people that live in encampments understand that community is the practical
and only solution to the violence of homelessness
and poverty, and that "sticking together" is more
than survival: it can build thriving alternatives to
capitalism as we know it.
Most of us that live in houses fail to understand
this. To make matters worse, media conglomerates, in cooperation with local governments and
private prison interests, have manipulated public
opinion to criminalize and dehumanize homeless
individuals, contributing to the expansion of the
private prison labor force. We are lucky that private
prisons are outlawed in Washington State, but that
isn't the case elsewhere. We are also lucky that in
Olympia and Thurston County, there are efforts
(both performative and authentic) in government
to alleviate suffering compared to other regions
of this country. In June of 2023, Lacey, Thurston
County, and other entities spent $24 million on
refurbishing a local hotel into a shelter, managed
by Low Income Housing Institute (LIHI has its
own problems), much to the ire of the neighboring
Catholic school. However, underneath the surface,
there is a real and looming specter of social elimination and cleansing for many ofus. When altruistic homeless service providers speak about "ending
homelessness," certain actors take this in bad faith
to mean "ending the lives of those experiencing
homelessness." Genocide experts nationwide worry
22
DISORIENTATION 2023
PERPETUATING HOMELESSNESS
IS SOCIAL MURDER
We must not forget that we are occupying land
stolen from the People of the Medicine Creek Treaty. An essential step towards fighting homelessness
and ultimately possible reconciliation with this
lands' original residents, is returning land, such as
Evergreen's Olympia campus, to its rightful owners
and stewards.
The commons, once hubs for gathering, play,
creativity, and community, are now primarily
geared toward consumption and profit. This has a
profound impact on everyone. For people experiencing homelessness, who may indeed actually
have a little money, it means every day, they are
punished for being homeless. They are targeted,
ignored, scapegoated, fined, harassed, denied entry,
denied bathrooms, denied social inclusion and
advancement, threatened, and in some cases beaten; robbed; and murdered. These are not isolated
incidents. Generally, these reactive interactions by
the community at large lead to severe consequences for people experiencing homelessness' physical
and mental health and ultimately, life expectancy.
Data shows that chronically homeless individuals
die between the ages of 42 and 52. What is middle
age for people that sleep inside is the end of life for
those that sleep outside.
21
The homeless population is diverse, comprising of
women, families, youth, elders, students, the disabled, trans-identifying individuals (who have their
own set of unique and terrifying barriers to housing
and employment), men, and many others. Black,
Indigenous, and People of Color are overrepresented and whites are underrepresented, compared to
the overall population of this area. Some are what
is considered "chronically homeless" or "visibly
homeless" while others couch surf, hide, or experience other forms of homelessness. Data shows
that most people (74% over a five-decade survey
sample) experiencing homelessness do not use
drugs or alcohol. Homelessness (or houselessness,
being "home-free," " residentially-challenged,"
"people living without a domicile,") is very much
a fluid, externally defined identity. Some of us that
now live in homes were once homeless whether we
admit it or not, and many of us that live in homes
might become homeless ourselves one day. It is
a social reality under the grotesque private-property-worshipping-system we live under, and we
must admit to ourselves that it is us that suffer
from homelessness and poverty. Our aunts, uncles,
neighbors, children, grandparents, colleagues,
coworkers, and cousins are us, and that further
individualization, atomization, and "othering"
mentalities exist to perpetuate ongoing fascist tendencies within the United States to divide us from
each other.
tlOl NOllVlNJlclOSI0
BANNER DROP AT THE (DISGUSTING) SO-CALLED "OLYMPIA" WATERFRONT
Homelessness is exacerbated by evictions and encampment clearances known as sweeps. Examples
include the fenced-up Artisanal Well in downtown
Olympia, as well as recent and ongoing RV and
encampment evictions around the city. National
scientific studies are just now beginning to show
that encampment evictions ("sweeps") actually kill
people experiencing homelessness. Encampments
themselves have a diversity of self-organized structures, depending upon the people that live in them.
More often than not, people that live in encampments understand that community is the practical
and only solution to the violence of homelessness
and poverty, and that "sticking together" is more
than survival: it can build thriving alternatives to
capitalism as we know it.
Most of us that live in houses fail to understand
this. To make matters worse, media conglomerates, in cooperation with local governments and
private prison interests, have manipulated public
opinion to criminalize and dehumanize homeless
individuals, contributing to the expansion of the
private prison labor force. We are lucky that private
prisons are outlawed in Washington State, but that
isn't the case elsewhere. We are also lucky that in
Olympia and Thurston County, there are efforts
(both performative and authentic) in government
to alleviate suffering compared to other regions
of this country. In June of 2023, Lacey, Thurston
County, and other entities spent $24 million on
refurbishing a local hotel into a shelter, managed
by Low Income Housing Institute (LIHI has its
own problems), much to the ire of the neighboring
Catholic school. However, underneath the surface,
there is a real and looming specter of social elimination and cleansing for many of us. When altruistic homeless service providers speak about "ending
homelessness," certain actors take this in bad faith
to mean "ending the lives of those experiencing
homelessness." Genocide experts nationwide worry
22
DISOJIENT ATION
2023
I
about the rhetoric used against this marginalized
population, and there are national efforts to legis:
late those experiencing homelessness as a protected
class of citizens.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
- Carry cash and give what you can indiscriminately. If you can't spare money, spare a " hello" or
a nod. Be safe, be reasonable, and use situational
awareness. Do not carry more than you plan to
give.
~ Talk to your family and friends about the sanctity,
importance, and value of human life. Do this especially if they proclaim themselves to be Christians.
- Research harm reduction, and learn how to use
and carry Narcan.
- Find ways to get involved: EGYHOP, Food Not
Bombs Olympia, the Evergreen student group Yes!
Greeners Helping Greeners, and the BNARC on
campus are great places to start.
- Stop watching and reading local news reports, as
they tend to LIE ABOUT EVERYTHTNG. Vocalize
opposition on social media, especially NextDoor
and Facebook.
- Help us keep pressure on lawmakers, real estate
interests, lobbyists, and the police to stop killing
people.
- Find creative ways to lower the property values
of your neighborhood. Lower property value could
equal a higher quality of life for those of us that
rent and especially for those of us that live outside.
- If you feel brave enough, try it out. Sleep outside
for a night with a buddy and experience a small
taste of the good, the bad, and the ugly of homelessness.
- Learn about squatting. A good, knowledgeable,
fun read (written by a NASA scientist) about this
topic is called Possum Living by Dolly Freed.
- Love each other, Hail Satan, and do you, boo.
*Special thanks to the anonymous sources, conversations, and
idea-sharing for the information presented in this article.
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23
GE NTR IF ICAJI ON:
Throughout recent decades, US cities have
been transformed. Low-cost housing has been
demolished and replaced with luxury housing.
Economies have shifted with the demise of
Mom-n-Pop shops and manufacturing towards
the opening of tech industries, corporate outlet
stores, expensive bars, boutiques and cafes ...
Entire cultural landscapes have altered, as old
informal mutual aid and kinship networks,
often found in working-class, immigrant and
POC neighborhoods are slowly eroded by
displacement. The term ' gentrification ' is used
to describe this kind of urban change.
BEYOND BLAMING HIPSTERS:
Gentrification is of great concern for most
radicals and leftists in the US today. Yet
gentrification is very rarely successfully
repelled, partly because it's simply a difficult
fight to win, but also because gentrification is
misunderstood by many who seek to oppose
it. Dominant understandings tend to analyze
gentrification primarily through an identity/
lifestyle lens, emphasizing the role of 'hipsters ' or ' yuppies,' most of whom are white
and from middle-class backgrounds. This
emphasis reflects a certain reality, in that gentrifying neighborhoods/cities are characterized
by an increase in whiter, wealthier hipsters and
yuppies in places that were formerly home to
mostly working-class people of color. However, gentrification involves much more than the
individual consumer choices of hipsters and
gentrification has been occurring long before
the lifestyle category of 'hipster' has existed. It results from the desire to make profits
in a capitalist economy. It is landlords (and
tlOl NOilVlN]lclOSI0
HOUSELESSNESS, PUBLIC SPACE,&
LUXURY DEVELOPMENT:
not hipsters!) who have the power to raise rent
and throw people to the streets through eviction.
Likewise, developers play the absolutely crucial
role of tearing down older low-cost housing and
building luxury housing in its place.
Criminalizing houseless people and policing
or curbing public space are important components to gentrification efforts. Public space in the
gentrified city and under capitalism generally is
to be utilized only to facilitate consumption and
profit-making. Public space that is used purely
for survival (in the case of houseless people) or
creativity, leisure or political activism is policed,
surveilled, or enclosed and the people that engage
in such activities in public space are displaced or
criminalized.
Government officials and politicians facilitate
gentrification by doling out tax cuts and subsidies to developers, by crafting policies that target
houseless people, people with mental illness and
drug users, as well as by cutting social welfare
programs. Lastly, police are essential in aggressively harassing marginalized residents.
If you ' re interested in a more developed (and
incomprehensible theoretical analysis of gentrification, check out the writings of Marxist geographer Neil Smith, but the fundamental point is that
as long as profit is the name of the game, gentrification will happen, regardless of the existence
of particular lifestyle groups. With that, be sure to
identify the real culprits: landlords, developers,
government bodies and cops in anti-gentrification
organizing- and target accordingly.
In downtown Olympia, where gentrification
is currently concentrated, there is little rental
housing and a large houseless population. Thus,
criminalizing houselessness and policing public
space are especially fundamental to gentrification
in Olympia. Multiple city ordinances exist to ban
or limit public camping, sitting on the sidewalk,
loitering, and sleeping in cars. Public bathrooms
are inadequate and usually close by 8 or 9pm.
Public benches are routinely removed or dividers
are erected to prevent sleeping on them. It is thus
necessary to view public bathrooms, benches or
parks and the like as important sites for resistance
to gentrification.
Downtown Olympia is currently host to various
"market-rate" (luxucy) housing developments.
Developers Walker John (a Thurston Co. resident
who also built the 321 Lofts) and Ken Brogan
are largely responsible for these projects. These
developments increase property values, and with
them rents and prices, leading to displacement and
the shuttering of local businesses. Currently there
is little organized opposition to luxury development, and even less of which is informed by a
radical critique of gentrification.
24
DISO"IENTATION
2023
WHERE'S OUR MONEY, YOU BASTARDSillillll
reflections on lundinu and power at TESC
When we look through Evergreen history, students
have encouraged a culture and organized practice
of exposing the questionable policies of our administration. Lengthy responses to public records requests and a discovery of smoke alarm surveillance
devices purchased by campus police are but a few
stories uncovered by this investigative journalism.
Student organizations who cultivated communities
of political education, such as Olympia chapters
Students for a Democratic Society and Hip Hop
Congress, were active for years with hundreds of
student and faculty members. As these groups hosted more events and made larger impacts on campus
systems, they met repressive ends.
ity, equity- all the things you expect from your public institution and the leaders who run it- are not
rights the Foundation owes you. Those who work
for the Foundation acquire donations by sniffing
them out like a salesman, though they call themselves giving officers. The money can come from
a family foundation whose entire economic prosperity has been built through exploitation, slavery,
or colonial projects. It comes from people who are
claiming to be the saviors of public education in
the U.S., but are the exact forces that condemn our
struggle for free education. When we understand
that money is power and power is control, we can
see how Foundation donations are simply ways the
elite can maintain their power by controlling the
production of academic work and consumption of
vital resources. In this view, the office in charge of
the TESC Foundation has stewardship over how
our college operates, seeing as they write the grants
and accept the checks. In an increasingly privatized
higher education model that is adapting to neoliberal policies and values, the strive to remain viable
becomes the action of oppressing students, their
literal clients. For us to have power, much better
understood as autonomy, over our experience, there
must be transparency within bureaucracy. We don't
care how long it takes to organize.
In this era of increased regulatory control and low
enrollment, we want things to be up and running,
forgetting to demand oversight for how they run.
Though it isn't solely on us; little effort is made by
the administration and student government to democratically engage the entire campus community
in their dealings with policy makers and financial
advisers. This is no secret. For all of us to be educated about the structure of this elite framework,
here are some things you have a right to know:
The Evergreen State College, as a public educational institution, is a separate entity to The
Evergreen State College Foundation, a 50 I(3)c
non-profit corporation. In this context, non-profit
means that donations received by the foundation
are intrinsically linked to the college for specific
purposes (some tied to contractual obligations) and
which cannot be considered liquid capital, surplus,
or "profit". These donations are given to a private
corporation that represents a public institution; they
are their own legal entity. Transparency, accessibil-
When you steward the funds of an organization,
you steward its content, experience, and representation to other communities. What we learn, how
we learn, how much our tuition will cost, the image
of students and our values and goals, even what
we eat, is decided in small, private groups between
our President, the TESC Board of Trustees and
TESC Foundation Board of Governors. Contracts
25
tiOl NOilV1N31ii!OSI0
between Evergreen and other institutions, specifically for what kind of education will be funded, are
made priority based upon a criteria set by people
with "traditional" indicators of success. As you
may know, our radical history is explicitly hidden
by the administration 's marketing and communications teams, who focus on hosting events for
conservative donors and sharing stories from our
liberal colleagues who don't rock the boat. We are
green-washed, showcased as apolitical stewards
of environmental sustainability. The names of our
martyrs are canonized in scholarship memorials,
yet few speak their full truth. Our journalism, our
insistence on decolonial justice, and our absolute
disgust at the way we are policed is consistently
censored, though they are the most integral aspects
of campus life. We have a right to ask the administration why they care more about maintaining a
police presence for FINES ENFORCEMENT and
REMOVING SIGN AGE rather than re-evaluating
how to meet students' safety needs, especially in
the dorms. Why the last, FULL college budget
posted on our website was in 2015 ... 8 YEARS
AGO! Where is the accountability? Why is student
grief never taken seriously?
Our collegiate experience is crafted by individuals whose careers have a vested interest in the
" industry success" of our institution. Even if that
means gatekeeping our mascot for marketing
events, disrupting student and worker organizing,
recording our every move, giving our campus
police military grade weapons, making some of us
sleep amongst our abusers, serving us dead food
of horrible quality, and attacking foundational art
and media programs- the places where we create,
critique, connect and mobilize. We, as a unified student body, deserve systems that support our needs,
it's that simple. We should be included in decisions
that are made about our academic catalog, our
recruited faculty and executives, and the values
that steward the direction of the college in all its
external relationships. We want to know:
TESC FOUNDATION:
- private funding entity
- current campaign supports
$49.7 mil of budget.
alumni,
family
foundations,
elected
officials, etc
foundation
What are our institutional, contractual obligations?
steward
budget and
campus
systems
Who are you hiring and firing, and why?
Why are you frightened by empowered students?
Do you understand that our curiosity, assuredness
and topical critical analysis comes from the education WE HAVE RECEIVED HERE?
. NOTE: did you know that
evergreen is now an
amazon choice school?
When will our leaders stand behind the youth and
say "we hear you, we trust you, thank you for seeing the problems, and we are destroying the unjust
and exploitative systems in your honor"?
26
DISOll!IENTATION 2023
THE EVERGREEN 2017
PROTESTS DID NOT TAKE PLACE
The 2017 Protests were cringe. There is no
other way to say it. It was cringe! It's embarrassing that whenever you look up Evergreen
you will be flooded with click-bait cringe compilations full of comments by wrap-aroundshade-profile-picture right wing reply guys.
It's embarrassing that this college's breaking
point, despite its history of actual combative
and radical politics, was the most impotent socalled protest ever imagined.
"The first time a tragedy, the second as a
farce
K. Marx
11
-
We can only call 2017 cringe so many times.
But we feel obligated to because Right-Wing
Revisionism and Administration's "trauma"
makes it sound like the Northwest cultural revolution where students were occupying
workplaces and classrooms and reactionaries
were being beaten in the street, and an Evergreen Soviet had been established (If only).
Sometimes when our enemies propagandize
against our movements and community, we feel
obligated to become uncritical supporters as a
defense mechanism.
We will not talk about what the protests ended up being about. Media disinformation was
so intense that the story we know as "2017"
is nowhere comparable to the events of 2017.
We will refuse to address the spectacle. We
will talk about what started the protests.
Here is a list of some of the issues that were
important to the protests and while everyone
was distracted got much worse.
WORKER STRUGGLE AMONG THE
STUDENTS
Despite Evergreen's image as a utopia for
trust-fund hippies (which is not fully untrue),
it is also the state funded college with statistically the largest working-class population
in the U.S. Because of this , the administration
sees an opportunity to exploit its desperate
student-workers. Historically, student-worker
struggle has won bi-monthly pay periods and safer working conditions. During 2017 protests the
RA's, organized in the activist non-union group
RAFT, went on strike. They presented a list of
demands covering issues such as bettering wellness services for students in housing, refusal to
work with police services , and increased worker
protections from exploitation and discrimination.
The strike ended in the mass firing and eviction
of RA's during the summer and the hiring of
SCAB labor for the coming fall quarter. RA working conditions have only gotten worse since 2017.
Stipends have been gotten rid of, uncompensated hours and 40+ hour schedules extended, and a
slow reduction of meal plans going from 10, to 7,
to an attempted 5 meals a week.
THE RISE OF RIGHT WING GANG
VIOLENCE IN THE PNW
The PNW has had a long history of fascist violence. In the 1930's close to a thousand Spokane
communists outnumbered , fought, and defeated
Portland's Fascist Chapter of "The Silver Legion."
In the 80's-90's neo-nazi gang violence became a
huge problem for the PNW, specifically Portland
as "skinhead city," but hate crimes and terrorism
extended throughout the Northwest including
Olympia. Through militant anti-fascist organizing led by communists and anarchists defeated
these groups. During the Trump election some
of these exact same groups reformed, restructured, as well as created new reactionary groups.
In response, "Antifa" became a big deal in the
PNW. In Olympia itself street combat between
fascist and anti-fascist community members happened leading up to 2017, as well as the rest of
the PNW. Many students and teachers were part
of the anti-fascist struggle and even targeted
by reactionary groups because of it. Some of
the right-wing groups came onto campus before,
during, and after the protests. Eventually the po-
rlOl NOl1VlN31clOSI0
litical gang violence would snowball into the PNW
George Floyd Rebell ions where Portland, Seattle, and Olympia would be intense battle grounds
during 2020.
EVERGREEN COP SURVEILLANCE,
HARASSMENT, AND RACISM
Police Services at Evergreen have repeatedly
tried to increase their power successfully and
unsuccessfully. Police Services, despite the service part of their name, see their primary role as
counter-insurgency. This is not even a stretch,
Evergreen Police have in the past have spied on
political radicals , sympathetic faculty and undocumented students and worked in tandem with the
FBI and JBLM to spy on anti-war and eco-defender organizers at the college. Though as far as we
know, the FBI and JBLM seem to have moved on
to other things after successful political repression , the Evergreen mall cops feel intent on living
their glory days. From assault rifles to riot gear
to hidden cameras, it is also a known secret that
Cops still spy on students and radicals in Olympia. During 2016-2017 the Paul Blart Brigade
decided to step up their tactical-incompetence
including but not limited to refusing to investigate and notify student and faculty about hate
crimes on campus, detainment of black students
based on facebook memes, stalking of other political radicals, and pushes to make any form of
civil disobedience on campus punishable. In the
aftermath of 2017 campus cops retained funding,
being one of the last departments to experience
budget cuts during COVID, purchased 5 assault
rifles, acquired hidden surveillance cameras, and
have hired extra security guards.
History is not measured in the actual recounting of events and the fallback they have for our
current moment. History is now measured by
speculation of events unfolding in the abstract,
in electronic and informational spaces, which is
the same space in which shitty vice and Breitbart
articles are posted.
28
End of 2017 Statement .
DISOi1£NTATION
HOW THE FIGHT FOR
PALESTINE'S LIBERATION
AFFECTS YOU DIRECTLY
"It's about time we stop apologizing for our
support for Israel," Joe Biden told the US Senate in
1986. "There's no apology to be made. It is the best
$3 billion investment we make. ff there weren't an
Israel, the United States of America would have
to invent an Israel to protect her interests in the
region".
The US and Israel are both settler-colonial states
founded on the genocide and displacement of the
native population. Zionist colonization predates [srael's founding, but the State of Israel was founded
in 1948. The event of Palestinian displacement is
recognized as Al Nakba, meaning "catastrophe" in
Arabic, which continues to this day. Since World
War 2, Israel has been the largest recipient of U.S .
military aid. To date, the US has provided $145
billion for military "defense." American tax dollars
are directly funding the world 's largest open air
prison in Gaza.
US law enforcement agencies such as police, ICE,
border patrol, and the FBI are in active collaboration with Israeli counterparts. They share tactics
such as racial profiling, massive spying and surveillance, deportations, and detentions, and other
attacks on human rights. This shared and mirrored
history is partly why Israel is one of the primary
U.S. allies and why the U.S. can never criticize
them . This also goes to show that supporting Israel
is a perpetual core of bipartisan policy. In 2016,
Obama signed a I 0-year $33 billion deal, the big-
gest to date. American tax dollars are directly funding "the world's largest open air prison" in Gaza.
ANTI-ZIONISM IS NOT
ANTI-SEMITISM
Zionism is a political ideology that advocates for
the establishment and protection of a so-called
"Jewish homeland", which since the construction
of the State of Israel has been at the expense of
Palestinian lives, autonomy, and land. There has
been a deliberate effort by Zionists and institutions
like the THRA to define opposition to this ideology
and the State of Israel as a form of anti-Semitism.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Historically, Zionism was only one of many political currents
among the Jewish people, amoung the much larger
anti-Zionist alternatives such as the working-class
Bundists.
Many contemporary Jewish organizations oppose
Zionism and the occupation, from the ultra-orthodox Neturei Karta to secular-progressive organizations like Jewish Voice for Peace and radical left
groups like Jewdas and Matzpen. Equating anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism silences countless Jewish
voices and creates a false image of the Jewish peopie as a monolith. This is convenient for the State
of Israel, which engages in systematic discrimination against Mizrahi and Ethiopian Jews.
There is nothing anti-Semitic about unconditional
29
tl'Ol NOilVlN]laSIO
opposition to the ideology behind ethnic cleansing, racist repression, and countless human rights
violations.
pia, Rachel Corrie, was a pro-Palestinian International Solidarity Movement member. She had
made it her life goal to protect Palestinian families
and homes from ruin. On March 16th, 2003 , at age
23, Rachel was tragically murdered by an Israeli
Defense Force Caterpillar Inc. bulldozer, crushing
her to death in southern Gaza. After the passing of
Rachel Corrie, her parents created the Rachel Corrie Foundation in efforts to keep her mission and
legacy alive. The Olympia-Rafah Solidarity Mural
Project, located in downtown Olympia, is a tribute
to Corrie and Palestinian solidarity which collaborates with local, national, and worldwide Palestine
activists through art.
BELDAAN SOLIDARITY NETWORK
MISSION STATEMENT
Beldaan is an Olympia-Tacoma community led
by students from the Palestinian diaspora displaced
onto Medicine Creek Treaty land, committed to
the right of Palestinians to return to the Blad (The
Country).
Beldaan 's mission is to inform the community
through political education, cultural resistance, and
solidarity with people's struggles.
ANTI-ZIONIST ACTION IS UNDER
ATTACK
We condemn the normalization of Zionism and
support the right of Palestinians to resist by any
means necessary.
Beldaan seeks to condemn and reject classism,
Islamophobia, Anti-Semtisim, imperialism, colonialism, ableism, bigotry, and discrimination in any
form . Beldaan is an explicitly Anti-Zionist network
that rejects appropriating Palestinian autonomy and
culture.
J
RACHEL CORRIE
Palestine solidarity matters to the Evergreen and
broader Olympia community. American activist,
writer, and former Evergreen student from Olym-
An Evergreen faculty member has recently participated with a coalition of more than 80 signatories
by pro-Zionist professors and educators worldwide
named The Jewish Studies Zionist Network. Their
mission is "to affirm that Zionism is a legitimate
movement for the national self-determination of
the Jewish people in their ancestral homeland" and
" reject characterizations of Zionism and Israel that
seek to discredit their legitimacy." JSZN argues
that criticism of Israel, particularly as a settler-colonial project and apartheid state, is "agenda-driven, manipulative, and therefore antithetical to
promoting knowledge and scholarship in our
communities."
The creation of this coalition was just after one
of the many massive bombings in Gaza in 2021,
that this time, got past censorship barriers and
held worldwide attention. The outcome killed 260
Palestinians, including 66 children, 1,900 were injured, 2,400 housing units were left uninhabitable,
and over 50,000 units were damaged. At the same
time, towns in occupied Palestine, such as Sheikh
Jarrah, Silwan, and many more, faced violent and
illegal "expulsion" from their homes conducted by
30
DISOll!IENTATION 2023
actively being granted funds from the Antisemitism
Education Initiative grants, a maximum of $25,000
per year renewable for up to three years. Evergreen
cannot claim to honor the life of Rachel Corrie
while continuing to support this faculty member.
armed settlers and supported by the Israeli Defense
Force. This act of brutal ethnic cleansing has been
the case for the duration of Al Nakba for the last 75
years onward.
Communities around the world are beginning to
relearn and understand the " issue" of Occupied
Palestine not as a conflict issue or a religious war
but for being an illegal, violent annexation and
apartheid directed by Zionist settlers and their
government, which is actively funded by our U.S .
tax dollars. The Anti-Defamation League was
quick to reframe its definition of anti-Semitism,
claiming that speaking up against Zionism and
for Palestinian land and lives constitutes an act of
anti-Semitism. Due to that, it has created a form of
censorship of Palestinians and those in solidarity
with them, allowing the world to dehumanize Palestinians and deem their living truths and history
unreliable.
So what does this mean and why does it matter to
Greeners? This faculty member joining this particular coalition means they are pledging to carry
out its mission statement of "thwarting efforts to
demonize Zionism and Israel, via such charges as
' apartheid,' ' a racist endeavor,' ' genocide,' and
' Jewish supremacy"'. Many human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, have
described Israel as an apartheid state. Israel 's
behavior towards Palestinians fits the UN definition
of genocide. This doesn't just affect Palestinian students, but also peers and al Iies whose freedom of
speech is under attack. This is an obvious form of
erasure of Palestinians and their decolonial liberation struggle. WHICH SIDE ARE YOU ON?
Evergreen is aware of this and has shown its
support, standing by this faculty member who is
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, . . . - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ~ t l O l NOllVlN]l~O~JCI
IT'S STILL BIGGER THAN HIP-HOP
"Feb 14, 2008, Olympia: a date that the pigs and
the people collectively will not be able to forget for
a considerable amount of time." (Disorientation
Manual 2008-09)
heightened from student participation in the previous
month in Port Militarization Resistance blockades to
stop weapons being used in the illegal Iraq war.
Students and attendees began to resist, throwing trash,
tagging the cop car. The force of the crowd pressured
the cops to free the falsely arrested man before retreating. In celebration, a cop car was flipped by the crowd.
With no more riot to have, and the exit unblocked by
pigs, everyone peacefully went home.
It has been that considerable amount of time.
•••••
On Feb 14, 2008, Pan-African Socialist Hip-Hop
Duo Dead Prez performed at a concert organized by
Evergreen's Chapter of Hip-Hop Congress. With the
concert's collaboration from almost 40 other student
groups and community organizations, hype had built
significantly over the months. The event saw over 800
attendees crammed in the CRC on Valentine's day evening.
The uprising had the success of immediately scaring off the cops and stopping the man from getting
detained. Yet, the situation was not resolved without
retaliation.
The concert went great up until the last few songs,
when a fight broke out from some "self-policers." The
girlfriend of someone involved ran and got the police.
She pointed at a random black man, who was not an
Evergreen student, claiming he was the reason for the
fight. The man was detained by Officer April Myers of
Evergreen Police Services who only needed the words
of a dumb obnoxious yuppie as evidence(excuse) to
harass an innocent black man.
Hours after the crowd dispersed from the concert,
OPD riot control showed up in full gear to a handful
of students and custodial workers cleaning up. After
yelling at the workers to get back towards the wall,
the cops posed for a photo-op with the trashed cop car.
These images were circulated in Thurston County Papers- an attempt to control the public narrative, tend
to bruised egos, and pretend that their uncoordinated
chaotic police riot was anything but a shitshow.
The Man was detained and placed in the back of the
cop car as students tried to explain the situation to an
unresponsive April, growing increasingly agitated. Attendees joined in to prevent the arrest; shaking the cop
car, blocking its exit with the crowd, heckling; Thurston county cops were called in as back up and blocked
the concert exit doors. Patrol officers from wider
Olympia took the opportunity to take out some of their
rage on Evergreen students with batons and pepper
spray. Tensions with wider Olympia Pigs were already
Back on campus, two waves of arrests swept the student body. After a video was eagerly turned over to the
police, a number of students volunteered themselves to
identify individuals in the video. Others were coerced,
threatened, or pressured by the pigs into cooperating.
TESC administration was also overly eager to help
with the investigation. None of the arrests could have
taken place without the immense amount of cooperation given to the investigators by so-called members of
the community.
•••••
32
DISORIENTATION 2023
Following a brief administrative pause on student
events, new Student Activities policies caused more
limitations and scrutiny over what clubs could and
couldn't do. Evergreen decided to implement the Risk
Assessment and Review Team into the event planning
process at Student Activities. RART includes any combination of the Dean of Students, the Department of
Health and Safety Officer, the Directors of Business
Services, Police Services, and Student Activities, and a
student representative, in order to review any big event
at the college. This policy is still in place, and also relevant to any group of non-club affiliated students planning to host a protest.
Policy changes targeted Olympia Students for a Democratic Society just two months after Valentine's day
2008 with a last minute cancellation of their panel with
former Black Panthers. Their decision to host the event
despite the cancellation and administration's unprecedented response of suspending SDS's club status for
a full academic year further positioned leftist student
groups directly against administration.
The months following 2008 marked the Evergreen
cops' first official attempt to procure assault rifles. Using the media sensation of the riot, the police appeal
for multiple $10,000 rifles, with a $2000 yearly upkeep
estimate. The community response is overwhelmingly
negative. The cops repeated this appeal periodically until summer of2017, when they were acquired 5 AR-15s.
WHY DOES THE V-DAY
UPRISING STILL MATTER?
Outside of the retaliation by administrative-police
powers which we still suffer under, there are some
"lessons" and general vibes that are applicable to how
we think and act under riots.
Riots are moments when the "contradictions" of capitalist society boil over into moments of combat. These
contradictions, despite their violence against the oppressed, are normally experienced through boring and
numb everyday routines. A riot allows for these routines to become cathartic moments of healing. Riots
by themselves are not going to change the world, but
they are moments of potential change which we do not
normally experience in our everyday life.
Riots are not necessarily the most " militant" form
of political action. Without proper political mobilization before, during, and after they can become opportunities for the state to blow-off steam to prevent
a worse uprising and also resolidify, reconstitute, and
restrengthen state power.
The potential for political activism to change the
world, which is informed by
everyday and mundane organizing, can and will only
reach its conclusion through
open warfare with the capitalist-state and the racist colonial class traitors known as
the police.
When the pigs are sent running from our communities,
when bosses leave behind factories to be used by the workers, and when administration
realizes they never ran shit to
begin with, we will not apologize. We should only see an
opportunity for the possibility
of a world that could be free.
tlOl NOilVlN]lclOSI0
SOME LESSONS FROM V-DAY AND ITS AFTERMATH
l) YES, WE CAN WIN AGAINST THE POLICE
Res isting the police is scary. There is no point in not
being scared. But when we work together there are
more of us then they are off them. We love ourselves,
our homies, our community, and our comrades more
than the police ever could imagine. We can only fight
the police together. Together we can say no to police
violence and economic exploitation. We say it nicely
the fi rst time as a warning. We send them running the
second time.
2) "No bad protesters in a racist system" I.E.
DON'T SNITCH
You might think sacrificing a social outcast, a lolcow,
or someone you think is cringey will protect you and
make your perspective look more respectful to administration, power, and liberals. They could not give less
ofa shit. Don't give up people in your community. The
cops and admin will appreciate your compliance and
go for you next.
3) EXPERIENCE lNSURRECTIONARY JOY.
DON'T BRAG.
Participating in militant and high-intensity action is
cathartic! Dare I say it's a form of Self-Care! Do not
34
apologize for the joy caused by successfully defending your community from racists and seeing prisons
burn. We should openly express our views, refine tactics, and celebrate victories. Don' t be a clout chaser
though. Bragging about that badass illegal thing will
not make you cool or help you get laid. It will make
you look pretentious at best and get other people arrested at worst.
4) STUDENT PROTESTS ARE NOT KILLlNG
EVERGREEN. ADMJN lS.
I have heard it said passive aggressively that "Evergreen would be a better place if admin wasn' t put in a
"tuff spot" because of all the anarchists provocateurs."
BULLSHIT. The Valentines Day Uprising was one of
the most successful events at the college! Good Music,
huge crowd, good times, and a cop car got flipped. Enrollment actually went UP afterwards! Evergreen is a
school made by the students and workers. Sometimes
that's a creative urge, sometimes it's a destructive one,
either way it's all out of love. The students, despite
their occasional " rowdiness," have never harmed Evergreen. Administration and Police have though. And
they will continue to until they don' t exist.
DISORIENTATION 2023
MUftAL~:
~ftUTALi~M:
The average Evergreen student complains about our
brutalist architecture in favor of the forest and they
are WRONG!!!! Partially, at least. The woods are
pretty sweet, but the "problem" with our campus is
NOT the cold concrete face in contrast to the green
that surrounds us. This contrast is incredibly cool. The
problem ACTUALLY lies in how our ownership over
space has never come to fruition.
Despite the decline in resources towards our stateof-the-art printmaking, letterpress, woodworking, and
metalworking workshops, as well as the disappearing
infrastructure for our arts and media programs, our artistic spirit will always be here. Tucked away in corners
and buried in basements are the murals and artwork of
students, the images, words and wisdom imparted to
other generations.
The beauty of brutal ism is that it's made to facilitate
the social relations inside it. Large echoing halls, huge
windows, exposed and layered walkways ... This architecture calls up visions of a bustling campus with
students in every corner, music trickling from stairwells, trade blankets in the shade of the CAB, and
canvas murals streaming down the clocktower. The
strange, haunted feeling that you get from these enormous, empty grey buildings comes from encountering
the spaces people should be gathered and creating in,
without the evidence that they ever could in the first
place.
I encourage you to visit the Unity mural housed in the
CCBLA, located in SEM II. Created in the 2022 Mural
Project program, it traces a similar legacy of student
voice that this manual aims to collect. Among all the
strange art in CAB, visit the 1993 First Peoples' Mural
Student Activities office while you're up there joining
a club.
There are traces of a past presence all around Evergreen, simultaneously adding to and easing the haunted feelings. The ghosts of student art reveal how people once engaged the geography of this campus, and
how we might well do it again. I encourage you to
chase them.
So as not to give away the rest of the murals on campus, I' II just point you to their whereabouts. Spend time
exploring the floors of Evans hall. Take new routes, try
doors ... you'll never know what'II happen. There's art
all over SEM I!!. Start at the top and work your way
down, as low as you can get. Check the outdoor stairs
of the big dorm buildings. And finally, make sure to
take a trip over to the COM building. While there aren't exactly murals, you'll find the ruins of performing
arts at Evergreen.
35
£l0l NOllVlN]lclOSIO
The DEATH & REBIRTH
of THEATRE ad. the
EVERGREE §TATE
COJLJLEGE
There is no ghost light on the stage of Evergreen 's
theatre.
It's been five years now since budget cuts shuttered the doors of our campus' Experimental Theatre, and with it came the slow and brutal downfall
of Evergreen 's performing arts. The COVID-19
pandemic laid a final nail in this coffin. Riot to
Follow and the Perennial Players, the performing
arts clubs struggling in the aftermath, did not survive the campus closure, but their ghosts remain:
in racks of costumes gathering dust in basements,
The graffiti at Evergreen is best observed in its ab- in stacks of scripts written by students long since
sences. While navigating campus, you might find graduated, in the anger of Greeners past and prespatches of grey paint covering the concrete pillars of ent over the arts being stripped from a liberal arts
SEM II and back parts of CAB.
college. It's all still here. It's just in waiting. And it
The most glaring example of this is the defunct site is restless.
of the Evergreen Free Wall, to the back side of COM.
We want to stop waiting. We want to turn that
From 2003-2004, the Free Wall was a designated arts ghost light back on.
space for people to throw up designs. If you travel
The performing arts have long since been known
there, you can find years of graffiti piled up and flak- to hold positive impacts in both education and in
ing- from both before and after the Free Wall 's time- community. Theatre creates awareness and undersandwiched in layers of house paint.
standing of social issues, and allows for exploraEven if you can 't see what's buried beneath the grey tion and expression during times of adversity. It
patches here, you understand that it used to be some- strengthens our communities, celebrates identity,
thi ng. You understand that there was a significance to and amplifies the unspoken. All are important in
someone in claiming their space, and you understand the growth of our campus and our futures. But we
that its covering was either met with anger or a cheer can't do it alone. To put on a production takes a vilfro m students like us.
lage. The Evergreen Theatre Club is looking for
Explore. Claim your space. And most importantly, creatives of all kinds to help us create performances both during this school year and all that follow.
have fun.
All experience levels are welcome to join us in
building a strong community here at The Evergreen
~ State College. To find out how you can play a part,
find us on instagram @evergreen.theatre, check
out our discord server through the Evergreen hub,
and keep an eye out for posters around campus.
8ftAt=t=iTi:
DISORIENTATION 2023
Mm4xistn and the Politics of Revolution
Evergreen has a reputation for a
prominent activist history and culture
that has earned it both admiration and
admonishment. If you're reading this,
it' s a reputation that draws you. As
you probably know, or will by the end
of Disorientation, that history is one
which was built by students, workers,
and rebels at the college and beyond.
The anti-racist protests which swept
through campus and the national press
in 2017 were a clear demonstration that
any institutional commitment Evergreen has to social justice is a damn
lie. It's clear that if we want anything
at this school and in the world, we need
to fight for it. If we want to fight effectively, we need to understand what we
want, how we get there, and who we're
up against. Marxism is the tool which
provides us that understanding.
The basic method of Marxism is
historical materialism. Historical materialism means :
I. Starting our analysis of the
world from the entry point of
material and social conditions,
all of which are fundamentally
interconnected. Who gets what?
Why? How? What do they do
with what they have?
2. Identifying history as being in
constant motion, propelled by
the motor of contradiction. What
antagonisms play out within and
between social classes and other
bodies? How do they take place
and what are the results?
3. Centering social practice in theoretical work. What conclusions
can we draw from our analysis?
How can we act on those conclusions? What points of continuity
are there between past and present?
This is what distinguishes Marxism
from academic social sciences. Our use
of the scientific method is a partisan
one aimed at the overthrow of class society and all forms of oppression.
Marxism does not claim to uncover
any hidden truths or unshakable objects
of veneration. What Marxism does is
al low us to tum a living analysis into a
program for action. A revolutionary
Marxist program is a system of demands stemming from the conditions
and consciousness which leads to one
unalterable conclusion, the conquest
ofpower by the working class. These
demands can take a number of different forms.
37
Marxists raise political and economic
minimum demands in specific struggles like strikes for better wages or
movements in defense of democratic
rights because struggles for basic improvements in people's lives prove
in practice that when workers take
action and exercise their collective
power as a class, they can win.
Marxists also raise transitional demands in mass movements, like calling
for labor/black self-defense committees in the fight against police terror,
which are directed against the foundations of the existing system and help
build a working-class counterpower
which is inevitably propelled into
confrontation with the bosses and the
state. As revolutionaries it is our duty
to seek each and every opportunity to
not just build but extend the demands
of today's struggles. Our job is to develop a new anti-systemic revolutionary consciousness against the capitalist realism which leads our coworkers
and fellow students into doomerism or
to "vote blue no matter who." Doing
that means that when a serious confrontation between the oppressed and
the capitalist regime occurs, like the
George Floyd Uprising, we can issue
the maximum demand for socialist
revolution alongside the spontaneous
demands of the masses and have it
mean something.
Our revolutionary program is
directed at the proletariat, the working class which has to sell its ability
to work in order to survive. Marxists
hold that the working class is the revolutionary subject not because class is
"more important" than any other form
of oppression but because the working
class makes itself a revolutionary
subject through the struggle itself Not
tl'OZ' NOilVlN]lclOSI0
only is the working class the overwhelming majority of the population,
not only are we as workers strategically
placed to stop the bosses fi-om accumulating profits, but because capital is the
fundamental barrier between ourselves
and our development as human beings.
Capital has torn away the fruits ofcivilization, it has taken all the products of
our hands and minds and turned them
against us for its own gain. Satisfying
our needs takes and has always taken
class struggle, the process by which
we won the weekend, the 8-hour workday, and every single other meager
gain that keeps life remotely bearable.
The working class isn' t and hasn ' t ever
been the stereotype of the noble and
burly blue-collar male worker. All of
us who are exploited or excluded by capital, this unruly and rebellious mass of
everyone from cashiers and custodians
to lap-dancers and longshoremen, constitute the instruments oflabor destined
to dig the grave of the ruling class.
The multi-gendered, multi-racial
nature of the working class necessitates that Marxists act as tribunes of
the people who consciously combat
all forms of oppression . Capitalism is
built off of the subjugation of women
through both social-reproductive and
"real" work, maintained by the violent
policing of gender and sexual norms
necessary to preserve the patriarchal
family . The "civilization" built by the
bosses could not have come to being
without the brutal dispossession of
the peoples of the Global South and
centuries of chattel slavery, and cannot
be maintained without neocolonial
exploitation, racist police terror, antiimmigrant violence and imperialist
war.
All of this exploitation and oppression is carried out through an immense
monopoly on violence and an organized network of relations of property
and power. Marxists recognize that the
self-emancipation of the working class
38
requires massive levels of organization,
ultimately in the form of a Communist Party which carries out a program
for power. Such a party is not a "party
of order" but a party of autonomy and
insurrection. It conducts social investigation to forge an organic link between
its program and the everyday needs
and struggles of the masses. lt engages
in mass work to build and participate in
organs of counterpower such as labor
and tenant unions, popular assemblies,
transit rider unions, abolitioni st groups,
solidarity networks, and more. Above
all, its aim is to advance and coordinate
mass movements and fights for immediate demands to guide them to victory
as part of the protracted struggle for a
world socialist revolution.
If you want a world without borders, bosses, or cops: get organized,
get rooted, take up the banner of Marxism and fight to build a Communist
Party we can call our own!
DISOll!IENTATION 2023
EVERGREEN and the PNW will talk a big talk about progressivism but in actuality it's like anywhere
else if not worse.
Evergreen for example, will participate in Jim Crow ass legal games with the primarily black working
class student population of Tacoma campus to deny them the same resources as Olympia. Marketing will
endlessly advertise the House of Welcome while using it as an assembly place for police and seizing their
kitchen tools to prevent them from feeding their community to appease Aramarkkk contracts. Evergreen
has no qualms about enforcing Washington State's most blatant segregationist and colonialist ambitions.
Racism at Evergreen and in Olympia ranges from the passive aggressive and esoteric to the violent and
blunt. If you are looking for an answer to "does racism exist at Evergreen," it is what we should have
expected. Yes.
Past Disorientation Manuals have listed advice for white people to navigate "discussions" on race. I
don't find this helpful. White people are trained endlessly by academia, social media, and HR grifters on
how to act with minorities. All this has done is deputized our peers to interact with us like case workers.
The white people who are actually anti-racist aren 't the ones who overthink every interaction with minorities out of some faux-white guilt. They're just normal people who interact with us like normal people. It
isn 't complicated.
Anti-racist action will not come from seminars or diversity training. [twill come from building autonomy for oppressed nationalities and building a militant multicultural working class movement.
ARE THE WHITES IN THE ROOM WITH US RIGHT NOW?
,r-
The capitalist University functions broadly as a place to remove people from their communities, prevent the educated from organizing within them, and create a new generation of managers. Evergreen and
academia is a factory for tokenization. A lot of us come here seeing education as a form of political action
because of how much these institutions have been historically denied to us.
39
tlOl NOilVlN]lifOSI0
Despite how much they force us to chant "I am enough" right next to the cops at Equity Symposiums,
we still feel displaced. This toxic positivity of performatively affirming our identities sets us up to be
complacent with an institution that leaves us lacking. We start to think that this lack can be filled by
"accountability." Conversations like this miss the point. These institutions weren't made by or for us and
they will never be enough.
Separatism becomes our next option. We isolate ourselves from the rest of the white student body into
designated multicultural spaces. But despite the idea of "separatism," it never feels separate. A lot of "the
work" that is done in these spaces is just complaining about the white people we didn 't invite. We complain about the whites generally, specific white people that pissed us off, the white people that broke up
with us, and it's like are the white people in the room with us right now?
We forget that these spaces can be used for more than just discussing whites. We do not acknowledge
that we've built new identities for ourselves to come to the university- ones alien from the cultures we
grew up in and ones that only exist in opposition to white students. In this, Evergreen succeeds in distracting us from the cultures, communities, time and money we chose to leave behind to be here. These spaces
must instead be used for developing a new culture and militant anti-racist political strategy.
RACE AND CLASS ARE CONNECTED:
SOLIDARITY IMPLIES DIFFERENCE
Academia will try to tell us that class is just another " identity,' a long list of identities to choose from.
They'll tell us that all these identities are impacted in such enormously different ways that we can't participate in a shared vision of the world. That even thinking we could have one struggle that unites us all is
actually racist.
Your identity does not define your class. Class informs why you identify. Race doesn 't burn class, they
both burn you.
Race was invented in the social process in which millions of Africans were transformed into human
capital, where the First Peoples of the Americas were targeted for genocide over their land and resources,
and where Asia had to be constructed as an exotic market for opium exports and tourism. And before all
•
that, Europe had to cannibalize itself to develop its own underclasses.
When we think of how to organize ourselves inside and outside of Evergreen, we need to think of
the class struggle. Class is something that affects every race, even white people. This is not to say that
developing autonomy for oppressed ethnicities is secondary, the class struggle actually intensifies this
necessity,J'rom striking Chinese rail workers in 1867, to the League of Revolutionary Black Workers in
1969, to immigrant farm workers in Yakima today, our autonomy has been advanced through class struggle. Complaining and dialoging to managers and institutions that aren't listening doesn 't make the white
ruling class afraid or advance our culture. General strikes and riots do.
Class struggle is an advancement for agency and acknowledgment of differences under a totalizing
goal. That is the only place where actual anti-racist struggle can develop. Solidarity doesn 't mean standarizing our experiences, or compromising multicultural spaces, but expressing all of our rage into a
tacitic that can actually create the possibility for a post-race multicultural future.
Solidarity implies difference.
40
DISORIENTATION 2023
on Ukrru.ne: No War but the Cmss War!
Among the innumerable ways in
which the college's administration has
attempted to posture as a progressive
proponent of social justice was its
sponsoring of a teach-in on the war
in Ukraine on March 7th, 2022. This
attempt to provide left cover to US
imperialism's war drive against Russia and China is entirely non-unique,
with many organizations which call
themselves socialist, communist, or
progressive taking a position of effective support to the Ukrainian-NATO
side of the conflict. Others on the left
have taken a flipside of the same capitulation, using the democratic right of
Russian-speaking peoples in Eastern
Ukraine to self-determination and the
smaller geopolitical weight of Russia
compared to the United States and various European powers as an excuse to
support Russian imperialism against
NATO. It is imperative that rebel
workers and students at Evergreen take
a principled position on this inter-imperialist conflict against the deluge of
liberal virtue-signaling one finds on
social media.
Anti-fascism and the defense of democracy aren't the grounds on which
either side is waging this brutal war,
merely a smokescreen for the real
motive: the defense of profit. The war
was undertaken by the Russian state in
response to continued aggressive encroachment of the imperialist NATO
alliance into its geopolitical sphere,
with NATO bases effectively encircling Russia's borders. The principal
objectives are to defend the market
position of its main export commodity,
halt Ukrainian integration into "Fortress Europe", and reshape the balance
of geopolitical power from one dominated by the United States and its allies
into a "multipolar" world of intensified
inter-imperialist competition and conflict. The objectives of the US and its
NATO allies in "poking the bear" were
to force their Russian competitor into
a servi le position reminiscent of the
post-Soviet crisis of the early 1990s
and to expand and maintain their hegemonic position in world affairs. These
plundering bandits couldn't care less
about the Ukrainian people, who have
been slaughtered by the tens of thousands under NATO command!
Capitalism is a global system of exploitation, and the working class is an
international class whose antagonism
with the ruling class does not stop at
national borders. Imperialism, the
current and "highest" stage of world
capitalist development, is a period
characterized by the predominance of
financial and industrial monopolies
which compel the division and subjugation of the world periphery by the
major centers. In this situation, where
41
Ukraine has been torn apart by two
competing imperialist powers, our
only response can be revolutionary defeatism, to declare in the words of Karl
Liebknecht that the main enemy is at
home and that the imperialist war must
be converted into a civil war by the
working classes of all parties involved
against their capitalist rulers. The only
road forward for Ukrainian and Russian workers and soldiers is to fraternize and turn the guns around on their
officers and exploiters. For us in the
United States, our duty is to fight for
workers action against all imperialist
arms shipments and for the defeat of
our own government in its war moves.
All those at Evergreen who aim
to stand for internationalist solidarity
against inter-imperialist war are encouraged to form a struggle committee
under one unalterable slogan: No war
but the class war!
tZ'Ol NOilV lN31clOSI0
an out-group and establishing an "us vs. the
opposition" mentality that festers. Comedy is
one of the biggest and most easily accessible
bodies of work included in the dissemination
of social info and media, and that's exactly
what sees it at the center of some of the most
controversial conversations as troubling ideologies slip through into the everyday, parading
as simple humor.
What are you
RCTURLLY
laughing at?
PC CULTURE, CENSORSHIP,
AND FASCISM
Evergreen has, like any other public body
subject to discourse, a varied opinion as to
what's "right" and "wrong" when it comes to
language. PC culture in and of itself is purely symbolic. With bias rampant in the news
and stances altered by varying social scenes,
it's important now more than ever to discern
the line between righteous denouncement of
cultural appropriation and bigotry and what
are thinly veiled agendas attempting to strip
minorities of choice and evolution in the history of their own language. There is violence
in willful ignorance. There is healing in reclamation. What largely comes to mind is the
discourse surrounding the LGBT+ community
and the r~clamation of the slurs faggot and
dyke.
The ris~ of generalized, excessive censorship
is a hallmark of times in which fascist ideology's influence is on the rise.
In Gregory Stanton's model "the Ten Stages
of Genocide," he entails the (not necessarily linear) phases characteristic to the path of
genocidal agendas. The first and second stages,
classification and symbolization, detail the way
in which victimized groups are labeled and
distinguished; effectively "othering" them as
Gallows humor is a term reflecting the darker
side of comedy. If a person being hung is being
humorous about it, it's obviously dark - and
well within their right as they cope with facing
their mortal end. If someone in the audience
watching is cracking jokes and laughing?
They're a piece of shit. There is a clear cut difference between dark humor and shock value/
offensive humor. In the first case, the circumstances of the jokes pertain to the actual person
telling them. In the latter, it's at someone else's
expense. When that brand of comedy expands
to the world of minority groups, it takes the
shape of a form of dehumanization that enables the expansion of derogatory and violent
rhetoric. People grow desensitized to very
real struggles these hypothetical quips make
bastardized use of. Always keep a critical eye
open: don't be afrzjd to be the person that puts
their foot down when something batshit is said.
And DEFINITELY don't be the guy that helps
to maintain the increasing normalization of fascism through the vessel of comedy. If it takes
willful ignorance at the expense of others ' livelihoods to deliver a punch.line - you're just not
funny. We've all heard this sentiment and it's
a crucial echo of resistance that has stuck for a
reason: kill the cop in your fucking head.
42
DISORIENTATION 2023
YOUR WAY TO
THE WORLD
[ADA
Accessible
Path Not
Available]
~
.
BY LUC GLASCO
.~ :~ .•;:~_
~· ~
>
-
, :
In the unfortunate reality that is how public
places handle ADA requirements, not much
has to be done for a space to be considered
accessible. Even then, countless times we
have seen this twisted to save costs or to get
the people in charge off their backs. Does this
mean those areas are accessible? Not necessarily. This is evident on Evergreen 's campus, no
matter how legal it may be.
I shouldn 't have to warn disabled first years
about what to look out for when wanting to
exist on campus. I shouldn't have to give
them elevator schedules. I shouldn 't have to
tell them that to make their way across campus safely that they must take a longer, more
roundabout path because this campus is not
made for disabled people in mind. But, to the
disabled person I know will be reading this, l
want to aid you in preparing yourself for what
our campus has to offer. And, to the allies reading this, I want you to hear what your peers
have to go through and think within yourself
what you can do with your privilege to help.
~
Having limited mobility sometimes will make
it feel like this campus is working against you.
There are little to no seats on the pathways
(particularly to Red Square), and the main
pathway Evergreen students take is uneven.
This path does have an elevator, yet it closes
at around 8pm every night-- before even the
library closes. There are stairs, but stairs aren 't
an option for everyone, making the elevator
43
tlOl NOilVlN]lifOSI0
their only option. There are ADA pathways,
but in my own experience they are poorly
maintained. (This is where allies can come
in-If you see a dirty ADA pathway, clean
it up!) However, what I cannot recommend
enough is preparing to have a back-up plan for
traversing campus, especially when making
yo ur way to Red Square. The elevators can be
unreliable at times, especially with how few
and far between they can be on campus. There
are 2 outdoor elevators, but they are out of the
way and break frequently due to being outside.
In general, if an "ADA accessible" pathway is
out of the way and requires extra travel, it's not
actually accessible! The Evergreen website, as
well as many maps on campus, show where
every elevator and ADA path is on campus. I
recommend keeping these in mind in case you
end up wanting to use the CAB elevators before 10 AM on the weekends, or if your mobility aid can't currently handle bumpy terrain.
A lot of events on campus will not be very
accessible as well, in part to the terrain that
the event may take place on. This can include
events hosted by the school, the students, or
class trips. In my experience, making a big
deal about accessibility can make a big difference. Ma,~e sure the organizers know about
how accessible the location is before planning
the event. If they don't, make sure once they
find out that they let the people know! Don't
be afraid to take up space with your needs. You
never know who else may need the same thing.
If you cannot avoid going somewhere inaccessible, I've found having a buddy to accompany
you does a lot to help. This could be a classmate, faculty, or a friendly stranger.
My final words to you, disabled Greener, and
this one is important: Find community! It can
get grim being alone in your experiences, or
having no one who knows just what you're
going through by your side. There are plenty
of opportunities to find community on campus- Discord, clubs/student groups, classes ...
I've made friends purely by just having casual
conversations while on the Olympia buseswhich do kneel and have a ramp, by the way!
While I do agree that this movie screen idea
of college being this hypersocial time of your
life is inaccurate, there are ways you can make
good friends on campus- especially those of
the disabled variety. There's also the classic
option of hanging up flyers on campus, which
can be used for making friends as well as
mutual aid and calls to action! I've found this
pretty successful. Whatever you may do, you
have the support of many. You have community no matter if you know everyone on campus
or don't know a single soul.
I hope my words help make at least one person feel safer on campus. If you want to get in
contact with me,
email is luc.glasco@evergreen.edu. I'm open to answering any more
questions about accessibility you could ask.
44
my
DISORIENTATION 2023
ADVICE FOR TRANS WOMEN FROM
You're going to face transmisogyny at Evergreen, and a lot of it. This school is, unfortunately, not a utopia or somewhere free
from the social-political forces of the world.
I'm not here to give every answer or act as
an expert of navigating transmisogyny on
campus but here are some things that helped
me get through daily existence here as a trans
woman.
At Evergreen the most common place I've
faced transmisogyny is in the classroom, but
housing can also be tricky. For me it's taken
several forms; direct bigotry, ungendering,
microaggressions, and the like. Being able to
spot these incidents as they occur and then
being able to react to them appropriately was
essential for me to stay afloat here.
ory as well as black feminist theory (because
bioessentialism is so deeply tied to white supremacy and anti-blackness), will help with
understanding transmisogyny. They' ll also
help you navigate space at Evergreen and
avoid nasty people who don't love ya.
Most of us can spot direct bigotry from
the start. When someone calls you a slur, a
man, or directly and aggressively calls your
womanhood into question, we know that
it's bigotry coming from a disgusting place.
The problem is that your cis classmates and
faculty may not pick up on it until it boils
over into something even uglier. In these
situations, you may be your only advocate. If
you do not aggressively advocate for yourself, you will be walked all over. In my own
experiences I have only gotten faculty to
act when I've been the biggest bitch in the
world, and in the moments I didn't I got zero
help. It infinitely helps to have support from
other people around you, especially other
women. Gauging which girls are TERFS and
which ones will fight for you tooth and nail
is tough, but once you can parse it you' ll find
some of your biggest allies.
To quickly define the term if you're not
familiar, transmisogyny is misogyny directed
specifically towards trans women. Its goal
is to exclude trans women from womanhood using bio-essentialism, gender roles,
white supremacy and sexism to establish
rigid boundaries between male and female
that cannot be crossed or challenged. Some
useful books on the phenomena I'd recommend would be Whipping-Girl by Julia " If you're not familiar with ungendering, it's
Serano (this book is where the term transmi- when someone strips your womanhood from
sogyny comes from!), Gender Outlaws by
you, either by maintaining you're a man, or
Kate Bornstein, and Transgender Warriors by that you' re neither a man or woman. UngenLeslie Feinberg. Leaming trans feminist the- dering doesn't just happen to trans women;
45
£l0l NOilV1N]l4'0SI0
YOUR LOCAL TRANSSEXUAL WOMAN
many black and brown women have been
talking and writing about the concept for
decades. At Evergreen it will be wrapped in
progressive language, but you'll be consistently told by people through their actions
that you are not a woman. You need to be as
direct as possible. Any sign of passivity will
lead to a pattern of behavior from those people in which they slip you into a third category because they don't see you as a woman. I
always immediately correct them, sometimes
outright saying "I'm a woman." It's a constant battle of being the mean, aggressive,
man in a dress, or the passive effeminate
failed man in their view. It's a game we can
never win, so don't bother and just be a mean
evil woman who knows exactly who she is
and doesn't take shit. Unfortunately to make
it while being a trans woman, you' 11 be a
bitch, you' ll be a cunt, and you'll be aggressive and off putting to some people.
Before I close out I feel it's needed to talk
a little ~-t about passing and being stealth.
Both are tools for navigating the world as a
trans person and are sometimes needed to
stay safe. Passing does not need to be the
objective and I've found it's not always as
active a process as some may think. You can
be you and pass. You do not have to be a 50's
housewife to pass and you don't even need
to pass to be a woman. Passing isn't directly
46
correlated to effort, time on hormones, or
beauty. If you want to or need to pass, you' 11
need to figure out how people react to you
when you pass and when you don't, so you
can understand when you're passing and
when you aren't. Passing is a tool and nothing more. You'll certainly meet girls who
define themselves by it and who separate
themselves from the rest of us because they
pass, but remember: we are women regardless if we pass or want to pass, if we go on
hormones or not, if we get surgery or not.
Our womanhood can never be taken,
stripped, or held from us. By acknowledging
we are women, we have already secured our
womanhood.
DISO"IENTATION 2023
tT'SASAff
SPACE, We PQOMISf...
previous editions, it has been deemed important to explain to newcomers the basics of the LGBT
community. These were the not-so-far-off times before gay marriage was federally legalized and pride
month became an advertising opportunity for Raytheon. Things are very different now, so we' ll go
forward assuming you already know all about the Ls, the Gs, the Bs, and even the Ts.
IN
TttosE new to Evergreen will find themselves experiencing an entirely new kind of homosociality.
When over half of the student body identifies as some type of queer, it ceases to be something special
to define yourself by. So what's a queer to do to make themselves feel special around here? The answer
to that is a lot of things. Some wear pride merchandise on their backpacks or beanies. Some wear shirts
with slogans. And still others will begin to collapse in on themselves and each other in an attempt to
recreate the social dynamics they were so used to back home. As someone must be on top, someone
must be on the bottom, not just in the bedroom but at kickbacks, in classes, and in dorms. Evergreen,
while full of gender-neutral bathroom stalls, is also full to the brim with infighting. You will hear arguments over pronoun circles, respectability politics, pansexuality, kink etiquette, passing, polyamory,
hormone treatments, micro-labels, and a million more tiny things you never thought would cause any
amount of strife between people who look so much alike- and really, anywhere else, would be on the
same side. For decades our biggest concern was . .whether or not we would be gaybashed for stepping
outside the house. How far we have fallen, to be taking catty potshots at each other over any ideological disagreement. Basing your friend groups and associations off of who shares your very specific
opinions on gender and sexuality is a remnant of chronically online adolescence we should be trying
to leave behind. Assuming the best of intentions until proven otherwise makes it easier in the long run
to spot genuinely malicious people, actually! The world is not a TikTok comment section. Take col-
47
tlOl NOilVlN]lclOSI0
lege as an opportunity to log off and enjoy the real meaning of community- that is to say, acceptance,
support, and taking people as they are. Bask in the light of a thousand tiny gay suns shining on you as
everyone dances along to live music downtown in their shiny mesh crop tops. Do it before you ' re out
in the world again and have to consider a problem bigger than whether or not your suitemate agrees
with you on the finer details of genderfluidity.
very presence of a penis as a threat of rape. Why do
we allow ourselves to fall prey to this tired narrative
wrapped up in new woke packaging? Trans women are, by cold-hard statistics, more susceptible to
being victimized. This is not up for debate. We can
see it in the overwhelming deluge of trans women
killed due to trans panic or domestic violence and
the lack of attention pa1t:I to it. Trans girls, if you are
reading this, just know- there ARE people here that care about you, and you will find them. There are
many peo.ple here that will believe you when you say you were wronged by someone when you say
you' ve been disrespected and excluded from class conversation, when you report strange behavior or
off-color comments or sexual harassment at the hands of another queer, even if everyone else seems to
think that person hung the moon. Please remember that you deserve to be here as much as anyone else
who falls under the categories of trans or woman. And if you aren 't a trans woman, I would ask you
to please consider not being a fucking asshole just because you can point fingers and make life easier
fo r yourself.
O UTS IDE of these more social concerns, you may be wondering- how easy is it to live as trans or
gender nonconforming on this campus? Firstly, you can request your housing situation be more suited
to your preferences when filling out your housing application on Starrez in the ' Gender Identity and
Suitemates' section. While it isn't guaranteed to be followed through, you may select the option to
48
DISORIENTATION 2023
either be placed alongside students who share your gender identity or to be placed in co-ed housing.
Personal experience is that if you are a transgender student you are more likely to be placed with other
transgender students regardless of their identity or the options you pick. Secondly, you may request
your name to be switched on things like your transcript, school email, and academic statements from
your legal one to your preferred one. To do this you log into My.Evergreen and navigate to the 'Profile' tab at the top of the page. There should be an option in the gray-colored 'Settings' box that says
' Change chosen name' for you to fill out at your leisure, though it is harder to change your chosen last
name and there are other loopholes that may make it difficult. There is also a fink below that one to
help start the process of a legal name change- if you aren't already aware of this process, more information can be found at courts.wa.gov. Beyond that, as stated before, almost all restrooms on campus
are gender neutral, many are single-stalled, and they contain free menstrual products for any who may
need them.
IF you are looking to access trans healthcare, you are in luck. Washington is ranked among the top
twenty states for ease of access, and many aspects of it are covered by Apple Health. Seattle is known
to have some of the best gender-reassignment surgeons in the US if you are willing to travel. On a less
positive note, Olympia Planned Parenthood has unfortunately stopped offering HRT services for its
clients- though there is an ongoing effort through their union to get the service back up and running.
EVERGREEN is many things but you cannot say that it isn't more accepting of the queer and trans community than ninety percent of other places you will find yourself in. We may bicker and gossip like
siblings do, but that is still what we are- siblings. Enjoy being in the presence of your siblings. Don't
make yourself more miserable while you're here than the world is going to once you're out.
INFO ON:
-name changes
-idenlitv markers
-healthcare
-how to not be an
asshole to other
trans people
IS CONTAINED
IN THIS ARTIClE.
READ IT.
49
tlOl NOilVlN]l«IOSl<l
the life and times of an
evergreen junkie
When we talk about drug use in academic held the flashlight to help her find a vein.
and activist spaces, the conversation is invari- I blew my first cloud of clear with her and
ably tied to the practice and slogan of harm ended up playing Beat Saber of all things,
reduction. Much of this discourse is framed and one night we ended up making out unas if none of its participants use or have used til I called her "miss" and asked her to hurt
and as if those who do are an external, vulner- me, upon which we had a conversation about
able population who exist first and foremost kink and sexual violence I hardly remember
as an abstraction upon which we can project a word of. I still listen to her playlists somethe desire to be compassionate.
times. E. intentionally overdosed when faced
Harm reduction is invaluable work. It saves with eviction, and if I remember correctly I.
lives and does, in a material way, combat the went by accident.
At the time of writing I've been addicted
depiction of addicts as broken and useless human refuse. This is particularly true when it to opioids for a year and a half and have used
comes to those who do harm reduction work drugs in one or another capacity for a little
directly - correct ideas come from practice, over five. Between chronic pain, untreated
after all. Still, however, I can't help but be trauma and mental illness, and by this point
alienated by the overwhelming majority of the raw mechanics of dependency, there's a
what gets said, whether it's about harm re- real sense on some level that I need them. I'm
duction, decriminalization, psychedelia, or on suboxone and haven't used in about three
whatever else.
months, not because I'm invested in a notion
Two of my friends are dead. Both of those of "recovery" but out of raw convenience.
From the common but dated phrase "be
people got pushed out of Evergreen first and
foremost because they were vulnerable, they gay do crime" to spitposts about ketamine
were unstable, and whether admin knew it or and enthusiastic reports of therapeutic exnot they, were addicts of one kind or another. periences with psychedelics, drug use is an
I remember with one of them, E., we downed obvious material reality that appears to be re4os and wrote all over the walls of their room ceiving some level of destigmatization. This
with paint pens as a futile guerrilla outburst undercurrent of flippance and ironic detachagainst their imminent expulsion. I smoked ment is in my view somewhat of a mirror to
heroin for the first time with them a couple the discursive separation from drug use and
years later in an apartment that reeked of cat its realities present in most harm reduction
piss while their then-partner stared at me in discourse.
The joke is often told that drugs have won
silence from the bed. Bob's Burgers was on.
The other friend, I., was someone I'd inter- the war on drugs. The reality is that the war
viewed for a planned writing project about on drugs was never a war with an end in
student experiences with the campus police. mind, but has always been a state of perma1 bought her groceries a few times and often nent counterinsurgency against the vulnerable
50
DISORIENTATION 2023
and dispossessed. That war is very real, very
brutal, and is happening under the surface
and in the corner of your eye at any given
moment. A clearer glimpse of the issue can
be approached by asking a simple question:
where did your bag come from?
Addiction and drug use aren't crimes, but
they aren't cute. Like their pharmaceutical
counterparts (often also their point of origin), drugs have a powerful capacity to help
or to harm. That's as true of fentanyl as it
is for psilocybin or MOMA. Drug users are
almost invariably both treating and suffering alienation and violence. Criminalization
itself wields an implied violence which compels your friends, neighbors, and coworkers
that use to hide what they're doing and all it
entails from you and who knows who else.
Drug use (or temporary lack thereof) often
involves screaming, crying, shakes and sweats
and vomiting, delusions, emotional violence,
and all manner of other things. Every time
51
this is invoked as a deterrent to using, it creates a romantic myth of chemical seduction
which finally enables their suffering to be
visible and undeniable that does just as much
if not more to attract and enable than any
childish notion of drugs being cool and fun
(which, to be fair, is often true at least temporarily). The myth of the suffering addict, just
as much a figure in harm reduction discourse
as it is in punitive-puritanical approaches, is
one which continually reproduces itself.
At the end of the day, I'm not sure what
message to leave with you, and I'm not one
to divulge much more of my life story than I
already have. All I can say is to be careful and
compassionate. Support your local harm reduction effort, especially those self-organized
by users like the PDX Drug Users Union.
To my fellow junkies, past present and future, I love you. I can't promise it'll be okay,
but we deserve to be.
tlOl NOilVlNJl«IOSI0
nected with the rest of the campus. There are some
misconceptions that I would like to debunk.
I've been asked many times if I get paid as a college athlete. The answer is no. The NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) bill that passed nationwide allowing college athletes to get paid allows for them
to become entrepreneurs and make money from
Youtube, Tiktok, and other avenues like that, but
schools aren't paying their athletes directly. Our
school only gives a few players scholarships as our
budget is tight. I think there is a general misconception among students that athletes get paid, and
if not paid, at least get their tuition compensated.
As a Greener I understand the frustration, and that
when you see athletes here going to school that you
wouldn't view them positively if you had those misconceptions.
The reality is that being a student-athlete is difficult. Going to classes while being committed to
playing a sport everyday is hard. Especially when
you ' re tired from a practice, tired from a long road
trip and don ' t feel like doing homework on the bus
or in vans, since the teams in Evergreen's leagues
are in Oregon, Idaho, and Montana. Many of my
teammates have to work on top of playing soccer
and going to school at.the same time. So the reality
is that we' re a lot more like the average student than
you think. We are affected by faculty unconcerned
with our health and well-being and unfulfilling campus food, and financial and academic resources. We
want there to be better living and working conditions on campus, so people are engaged in the wider
Evergreen community.
I've had multiple administrators and coaches wonder why there aren't more students on campus interested in and attending sporting events. As an athlete,
it almost feels like we are in a bubble and not con-
We are the lowest funded school in our conference, who can't give out many scholarships. Most of
the teams in our league are private schools. We get
dirty looks every time we step out of our Evergreen vans at away games. Players on other teams
always talk shit about us and criticize our mascot
Speedy (calling Speedy a dead clam, a penis, et cet-
52
DISOJIENTATION 2023
ized American exceptionalism and nationalistic ritual. What I see in this country, which claims to be a
champion of freedom , human rights, and democracy, is something entirely different than those things.
r think standing for the national anthem or pledge
of allegiance goes against my personal values, convictions, and principles. Whether consciously or
unconsciously, these patriotic rituals encourage
people to support their country even as it causes
pain internally and abroad.ram no longer willing
to take part in these rituals and ignore the way this
country oppresses millions of people at home and
abroad. I don't identify with the United States, I instead choose to identify with anti-imperialist struggles and the working class which have no borders.
era), disparaging Evergreen's liberal arts education,
calling us hippies, among other things. During my
sophomore year, in 2021, We were playing a team
in our conference and we were beating them, one
of their players yelled, "how are we losing to this
trash school?". I responded " what're you talking
about, we're outplaying you right now." He said,
"I was talking about your education." If you're really talking shit about Evergreen's education while
we' re beating your rich private school where most
of your teammates have intergenerational wealth
then you took the L. You're rich and you lost to
the "Woke SJW Hippie School" and you're mad.
Evergreen student athletes are concerned about
politics and social justice because of our education
and lived experiences on campus, just like our fellow students. Personally, I have been radicalized by
my Evergreen education to take action and protest
the national anthem.
An opposing player on a team also once approached a fellow teammate who kneeled for the
national anthem threatening to fight him for taking
action for something he believes in. Myself and other teammates were inspired to do this from Colin
Kaepemick who started this trend in 2016 specifically in response to police brutality. Many players
across the NFL stood in solidarity and joined him.
I can understand why the national anthem would be
played at the Olympics, the World Cup, or any event
actually representing this country. But why do we
need this disgusting normalized nationalism even
at college soccer games? We do it so often at sporting events that most people don 't even think about
what they are standing for. I think it's important to
question that, and take action against this normal-
Shoutout to Coach Steve who coaches both the
Men's and Women's team. He spends countless
hours dedicated to coaching and supporting us in so
many ways. Last season after the national anthem
was played before one of the games he noticed some
ofus kneeling and told us that he supported us doing
so.
We need to bring excitement to our sporting events.
In my first two seasons on the Men's Soccer team,
Speedy hasn't even been at one game! We need to
start asking questions about why Speedy is at Cop
Appreciation Day and in Puget Sound Energy commercials but not at sporting events. What's the point
of a mascot if not to attend sport games and hype
people up? Who wouldn't want to see a giant Geoduck running around! We would appreciate all of
the support we can get and we should take advantage of all of the events on campus that there are
since events and community building is so limited.
53
tl'Ol' NOilVlN]lclOSI0
To build a stronger community on campus interaction between the sports bubble and the rest of campus
should go both ways. We don 't have many community events on campus and we should take advantage of
the ones we do have. On this already isolated campus we don 't need to self-isolate on top of that. Soccer
games can be a good way to meet new Greeners, build community, and organize. It would be cool to have
people waving signs, flags, and generally showing school spirit at our games.
VIEW SCHEDULE: gogeoducks.com
WOMEN'S SOCCER
DATE
LOCATION
Bushnell University
10/6 (Fri)
Les Schwab Sports Park (Eugene, OR) 7:00 PM
Corban University
10n (Sat)
Outdoor Athletic Complex (Salem, OR) 7:00 PM
Rocky Mountain College
10/15 (Sun)
Wendy's Field (Billings, MT)
3:00PM
Carroll College
10/20 (Fri)
HOME GAME
3:00 PM
University of Providence
10/21 (Sat)
HOME GAME
3:00 PM
Southern Oregon University 10/29 (Sun)
Raider Stadium (Ashland, OR)
2:30PM
Oregon Tech
Oregon Tech Soccer Field (Klamath
Falls, OR)
2:30 PM
DATE
LOCATION
TIME
Warner Pacific University
10/6 (Fri)
HOME GAME
4:30 PM
Bushnell University
10n (Sat)
Les Schwab Sports Park (Eugene,
OR)
4:30 PM
Corban University
.
10/13 (Fri)
Outdoor Athletic Complex (Salem, OR) 2:00 PM
Walla Walla University
10/15 (Sun)
Walla Walla U. Soccer Complex
(College Place, WA)
1:00 PM
Rocky Mountain College
10/20 (Fri)
Wendy's Field (Billings, MT)
12:30 PM
Carroll College
10/21 (Sat)
HOME GAME
12:30 PM
University of Providence
10/29 (Sun)
HOME GAME
12:00 PM
Raider Stadium (Ashland, OR)
12:00 PM
10/30 (Mon)
TIME
MEN'S SOCCER
Southern Oregon University 10/30 (Mon)
54
•
.
DISORIENTATION 2023
THE SMOKE PIT: AN IMPERFECT
COMMUNITY WORTH FIGHTING FOR
The Smoke Pit, for better and for worse, is the social center of campus. You would
think that at a federally funded college there would be more clubs, events, shows,
parties, and community spaces but as you continue here you will begin to notice an
uninhabited feeling. Where you can go days on end, especially during the winter,
without seeing or hearing another person. Roommates start to disappear, the field
becomes barren, and public spaces remain empty. To combat the isolation you might
begin to endlessly walk. Usually at night when there should be no one and everyone outside. You will probably explore abandoned buildings, lie in fields, and start to realize that the only people here are you, the cops,
"l"'P"P'P..,..._..,....., and laughter from the pit.
Evergreen's marketing team is in a Catch-22
trying to repair the school's reputation after the
2017 protests. Student-run networks mostly
informal, are what made the school successful,
but look fucked on a brochure. Can't really brag
about steam tunnels full of graffiti, or meadows
where people drop acid for graduation, or cafes
and punk shows organized by anarchists who
came up with the crazy original idea to dress in
black and fight the police in Seattle [And even
on campus! see pg 32] . In trying to figure out
how to market this unique and dangerously
beautiful school, they decided to lie publicly and
starve out any form of community privately.
So began the birth of The Pit. One of, if not the
_
_
.
.
..
,
last,
student-run community spaces on campus.
1.aa:..c:..._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ___.=..:=..:..._ ___;c__..:..:....-'-c..._....:.;.~
The Smoke Pit serves as a one stop shop- it's a
student art gallery, academic advisory office, breakroom, party destination, study room, community event
promoter, and of course designated smoking spot.
The pit really became The Pit during the COVID-19 pandemic when the school was in complete shutdown.
Every single building was abandoned including facilities we needed like places to eat, receive healthcare,
financial aid, and study. In spontaneous protest against administration incompetency people began to fully
inhabit the only spot left on campus for students to use. The Pit slowly got decorated with tables, lights,
international flags, paintings, graffiti, a stage to avoid the rain, food pantries, newspaper stands, and ashtrays.
Smokers and non-smokers began to use The Pit as a community space hosting art days, turning into town
55
EZ'Ol NOilVlN]lclOSI0
halls when administration would leave students to
fe nd for themselves during heat waves or snowstorms, and becoming group check ins when an
ambulance showed up or a cop harassed students.
Administration thought it was "unsightly" for
students, who pay, work, and live here to be able
to freely use the space. Instead of understanding
why The Pit had become a necessity and opening
up campus or at least providing more resources
to students during the pandemic to alleviate the
consequences of economic recession and mental
health crisis they attempted to seize the commons. In an act of solidarity RAD workers quietly
refused to "clean" The Pit. Eventually The Pit was
cleaned with the Administration saying that "The
Pit was nice when we didn't have a community
but now that the college is opening back up it just
promotes a disgusting habit:'
Is it gross that the community has to be concentrated around nicotine abuse? Most definitely, but
it was the hand we were dealt. Despite Evergreen
on paper being reopened so many resources are
still defunded, mismanaged, or lost to time. This
could change through political action and I encourage people to find ways to combat all the issues at this
school and cultivate a community that isn't just chain smoking and complaining about the police.
•
Perfect communities don't exist and I don't want to portray The Pit as a spot without problems. The Pit
even existing in the way it does implies there are problems. What makes it different though is that it's a place
where your interaction, unmediated by hostile institutions, directly impacts a space.
The Pit might seem scary, loud, annoying, and disgusting . .. .... .... .
The Pit is for the friendless who feel scared about their first time away from home, for students who know
the in and outs of financial aid, artists who show their work for free, overworked Mail Ladies and Pod Guys
who know every student by name and love this campus more than any high-paid bureaucrat, and of course
for the communist rebels and student workers who scheme over smokes and candle li ht about how to organize their workplace and liberate the university.
You don't have to smoke, but you can hang out at the pit. What else we got.
56
DISORIENTATION 2023
D.I.Y. MUSIC IN OLYMPIA
Finding mu sic in Olympia wil l not be hard, but you're
going to have to want it . Th is city is kn own for its
music, it mi g h t even be why you moved here. You are going
to have to talk to people , scavenge for flyers by The Pit
or Einstei n' s , and OM people for the addy .
Th e Ol y music scene(s ) are a great way to get acclimated
to the c ity by how many different people, spots , and
organizat i ons you will have to interact with to fi nd
show you know nothing abou t . You
surprised .
We don ' t plan on blowing up any
spots here but on l y give you the
basics to get connected. You ' re
goi ng to h ave to talk to people and
know t h e commun i ty (tha t ' s the
spirit of D.I.Y . baby!) but we wi ll
give you some c l ues on where to
start to get plugged in.
Le Voyeur : A vegan restaurant with a
2 1+ bar that hosts ALL AGES punk
shows in the back . Great for mixed
age gro up s.
The Mortua ry & Ralph's Hous e : House
ve nues , b ased in Oly ' s notorious "black
houses , " that h osts punk shows .Located
somewhere downtown & o n the east side .
f
/
i
/
House: A large property co nn ected to the
hosts EDM, bluegrass, real ly anything ,
parties.
an independent hardcore record
label that gives 100% ownersh ip to
the b ands. In Ol y , you will most
like ly find them doing a l l ages
s h ows at Lampl igh ters downtown.
rach ae l srecords.bandcamp.com
IG: rachaels .records
~~
,a~ f t @
Greeners Associatio_n for Psychedelic Studies
Wa.J, ■ .&.\_,1.-...,. greeners.ap.s@gma1l.com
57
:.;·:~
•
tZ'OZ' NOilVlNJlcfOSI0
(notes from a fatty)
• pro-fat is not anti-health. "healthy" and "unhealthy" people exist all
over the size spectrum. It is possible to be fat and healthy.
• obesity is not an epidemic. it is not a health crisis. the real threat is
the stigma placed on certain bodies.
• two critical historical developments contributed to a fetish for
"svelteness" [ slender, grace] and a phobia about fatness: the rise of
the transatlantic slave trade and the spread of protestantism. racial
scientific rhetoric about slavery linked fatness to "greedy" africans.
and religious discourse suggested that overeating was ungodly.
• conventional criteria for healthy body weight is based on white/caucasian body types and isn't appropriate for all races and ethnicities.
• bmi (body mass index) and body weight doesn't accurately determine health. excess adipose tissue doesn't automatically lead to
disease. dieting doesn't guarantee to improve health. losing weight
doesn't guarantee an increase in quality of life.
• body standards are enforced by systems of oppression that profit
off of body shame and our inability to make peace with indifference.
• there are no safe spaces for fat people. we must go out of our way to
create them for ourselves.
• prioritizing obesity-related costs to the economy and health care
system distract from the overall high healthcare costs, high suicide
rates, and low life expectancies experienced in an economy without
universal and holistic healthcare.
• watch your mouth. if you think you're disgusting and i'm sitting right
there being about twice as fat as you, i know you think i'm disgusting
too. and if you don't, maybe it's worth considering it's not your body
fat that's causing you to feel poorly about yourself.
BIG FACTS: EVERY BODY IS SEXXXY TO SOMEBODY!!!
58
DISORIENTATION 2023
evergreen, as she is played
I would like to apologize in advance as I haven't
read Mark Fisher.
The brutalist architecture to me didn't call to mind
housing projects, they suggested to me the dreams
that emerged of the modernist movement and its
placement in a postmodern world gave me a sense of
nostalgia for the post war period. I should have trusted the gut reaction that gave form to my habitual contrarianism. There's a reason Evergreen is one of the
only schools of its kind. Don't be mistaken, Evergreen
IS a relic of the past.
Evergreen is dying. Or maybe it's dead. Regardless,
there's no turning it around. My goal here isn't to explain the why's and how's, but to simply tell you it is
dead or dying.
Predisposed to loneliness coming off of the pandemic, I understandably brushed off this hole I felt
in the school as a symptom of that. But then it stayed
that way. People are nice, they always are, but the
school itself is lacking in many ways.
Thunder was on the horizon. Later that night it
would be above Evergreen, waking me up all night.
Watching the thunder, standing in a field, were a few
students standing in a field staring at the sky, watching thunder strike in the distance. I struck up a conversation with foreign exchange student who told me
that Jesus was the disciple of Buddha. I spoke with another student; he told me that there seemed to be an
anti-community at Evergreen; I agreed with him. People seem to be repulsed by the very idea of community building. There's a hollowness at the very heart
of Evergreen, and no amount of anything, whatever,
will fix it.
There seem to be some cliques, but these are so insular that their only evidence is their existence in the
background of your life, or otherwise they're just large
groups of people.
Nobody showed up to the club I was in except fo~
the people who organized it. This troubled me, I suppose, that so few people care about the performing
arts. I showed up for each of the meetings, dutifully,
not saying a word. I should have been more dynamic
maybe-after all, today is the era of the loudmouthed
influencer.
It was two clubs, actually, both exactly the same.
Both had plans-the theater club only had one plan
for the year and was just waiting for next year. The improv club was holding a showcase of some sort, and
while I was not involved in organizing it, one day it
just wasn't happening due to some sort of issue with
Student Activities.
In June, an event was planned, and due to several
factors that I don't really care to get into at the moment it fell through. Actually, this happened twice.
The first with the theater club, the next with The Arcade Projects. Both times the plans were more or less
finalized. Both times it was the lethargy of the administration that caused these failures.
Nothing happened in the two years I've been here.
Nothing.
In the dead of the night, I climbed up the clock
tower to the roof of the library and saw the sun rise.
5.9
tZ'OZ' NOilVlN]laSl
ALittle Red Readin1 List
ABOLITION
MARXISM
Black Reconstruction, W.E.8. DuBois
The Wretched of the Earth, Franz Fanon
Hammer and Hoe, Robin D.G. Kelley
The BlackJacobins, C.L.R. James
Black Against Empire: The History and Politics oft e Black
Panther Party, Bloom and Martin
CLASS STRUGGLE
The Fight for Socialism, Max Shachtman
Workers and Capital, Mario Tronti
Continuity and Rupture, Joshua Moufawad-Paul
History and Class Consciousness, Georg Lukacs
Factory of Strategy: 33 Lessons on Lenin, Antonio Negri
On Contradiction and Practice, Mao Zedong
QUEER+ FEMINIST
Stone Butch Blues, Leslie Feiberg
Towards a Ga,r Communism, Mario Mieli
Transgender arxism, Gleeson and O'Rourke
Philosophical Trends in the Feminist Movement Anumdha Ghandy
Revolution al Poinl Zero, Silvia Federici
Secrets of a.Successful Organizer, Labor Notes
Worker-Student Action Committees: France,
Perlman and Roger Gregoire
Class ower on Zero Hours, AngryWorkers
Teams/er Rebellion, Farrell Dobbs
Labor Law fort e anlc&Tiler, Slaughton Lynd
RADICAL HISTORY
CRITICAL THEORY
The Arcades Project
Minima Moralia:
Situationist lnte
Ghosts ofMy Li
Discipline and
Adorno
Heavy Radi ls: The
J. Leon
The Ro
We Go
Claye
•
'
ecret War on America's Maoists, Aaro
·sm, Vivian Gornick
Anti-Racist Action, Shannon
ront lines of the Class War,
DIRECT ACTION
Direct Action
How Nonviole
Handbook for
Recipesfi.
BigBri
Uprisin
EMPIRE
How Europe Un'derdeve/ofedAfrica, Walter Rodney
Open Veins ofLatin Amery.ca, Eduardo Galeano
Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism, V.I. Lenin
World-Systems Analysis: nlntroduction, Immanuel Wallerstein
Columbus and Other Cannibals, Jack D. Forbes
FILMS
Akira, Katsuhiro Otomo
Videodrome, David Cronenoerg
Land and Freedom, Ken Loach
Tout va Bien, Jean-Luc Godard
The Working Class Goes to Heaven, Elio Petri
LITERATURE
Fear and Laathing in las Vegas, Hunter S. Thompson
Story ofthe Eye, Georges Bataille
2666, Roberto Bolailo
lonely Crusade, Chester Himes
We Want Everything, Nanni Balestrini
gainst Fracking in Olympia
illtopC~
.
A Field Guide to Straw
•e, Esoteric Fascism, an
Olympia's little White,·
The Post-Ferguson St,u
Blockade, Occupy, Strike
N30: The Seattle WTO
Blocs, Black and Otherwis
Small Town Organi?Jngfor narchists
Toward an 0./fensive Shoplifters Movement
Build Your Own Solidarity etwork
ONLINE RESOURCES
Marxists.org (huuuuu e archive there is so very much)
theanarchistlibrary (same but includes user-submitted conten
and an auto atic zine formatter)
Libcom.o g (anarchist/autonomist/leftcom library and forum)
Comi ilu (critical theory blog with lots of book pdfs)
Monkqskop (huge arts/culture/humanities library)
- --i~oeA DISTROS
Revolutionary Education Distro (RED), autonomist Marxist
education and organizing project red-distro.neocities.org
Fugitive Distro, anticiv/insurrecto anarchists with a big library incl
good DIY stuff. www.autistici.org'fugitivedistro/
YOU ARE ON
NATIVE LAND
THE COPS ARE
ARMED .
Diso_000012.pdf