The quarter has finally begun, which means new faces, schedules and for some, new campus activities. If you’re looking for something new, getting involved may help make EvCC feel as welcoming as a second home, as you get familiar with the staff, the faculty and your peers. Here is a little bit about some of the upcoming campus events at EvCC.

Monday, Sept. 21

Student LIFE will kick off the year with a welcome table from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. They will be located right outside of the Student LIFE office (PSU 209). At this table, you will find friendly faces that are ready to answer any questions and direct you in the right direction. There will also be green fall-quarter calendars for pick up. Consider these quarterly calendars your personal cheat sheets for getting involved, as they provide information for most of our free events on campus and have a directory on the back page for all the offices that you’ll be wanting to visit.

Wednesday, Sept. 30

The Diversity and Equity Center (D&E) will be hosting an open house in PSU 310 from 12 to 1:30 p.m. Here, you will find more friendly faces that are very valuable resources for getting connected to awesome programs, clubs and volunteer opportunities. The center will also have a few new faces for returning students to meet.

Also on this day, Real Talk Wednesday (RTW) will have their first session of the school year from 3 to 4:30 p.m. in GWH 152. This is a safe space where controversial topics can be discussed, a chance to get out of your comfort zone and listen to new perspectives as well as sharing your own. RTW has also made a leap into putting their words into actions, by reaching out into the community. Your very own ASB President Azrael Howell is one of the facilitators for these discussions alongside a guest facilitator at each meeting.

Monday, Oct. 5

This year a new club has been formed; Latino Student Union (LSU). Their council members have been meeting over this summer and are excited to kick of the year by collaborating with Student LIFE and bringing back Las Cafeteras to EvCC on Monday, Oct. 5. Las Cafeteras is a musical group from East Los Angeles, California. They perform urban folk music and will be leading a workshop. LSU’s first meeting will be the following day on Tuesday, Oct. 6 at 1:30 p.m. in the Jackson Center.

Monday, Oct. 12

This is the Safe Zone Birthday and will also be an opportunity to recognize National Coming Out Day. EvCC’s very own Safe Zone committee was founded in December of 2000 and is dedicated to supporting LGBTQIA+ members throughout the college by providing a safe and welcoming environment. On this day there are festivities that welcome you into learning about the Safe Zone. There will be a banner available to sign in support of this community. And as part of the celebration, this will also be the grand opening day for the Pride Center.

Week of Oct. 19-23

Statistically speaking, before the age of 18, 1 out of 3 girls and 1 out of 5 boys will experience incest or sexual assault. Yes, this is a horrifying statistic. Survivors of such experiences are more likely to be depressed and contemplate suicide. During this week, Student LIFE will host a series of events in support of survivors of domestic violence and sexual assaults.

Thursday, Oct. 29

Every quarter, for the most part, Student LIFE organizes an event called ClubFest. On Thursday, Oct. 29 students will have a chance to roam the halls of the Parks Student Union building and check out what clubs students could get involved in. Some clubs will often fundraise and recruit during this event. And to make things more fun, there will also be a costume contest since it will be the weekend of Halloween. Don’t think for a second that you are too old to dress up because here at EvCC even the staff dress up.

Saturday, Nov. 21

During spring quarter, up to 40 students have an opportunity to attend the Students of Color Conference in Yakima for a weekend. There are over 70 workshops offered that fall into 6 different categories; identity, racial/ethical/cultural, awareness of others, skills development, social justice/social activism and personal development. After spring of 2012, RISE (Resilient Intellectuals Seeking Equity) was born. Students came back to EvCC after the conference and decided to share their experience by recreating their own version of it. This is an event created by students for students. This year, the event will take place on Saturday, Nov. 21 free of charge to EvCC students. More information will be posted as the date of the event gets closer.

There is a lot more going on at EvCC. Remember you can visit the Student LIFE office in Parks Student Union, as mentioned earlier, to pick up a calendar.