Grabbing from a stack of material leftover from quilting projects, Cheryl McKnight slides strips of 100 percent cotton into her “workhorse” sewing machine, stitching them into face masks for the Rosecrans Care Center in Gardena. McKnight is the director of the Center for Service Learning, Internships and Civic Engagement (SLICE) at California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH). She began making masks in March after SLICE Coordinator Miami Gelvizon-Gatpandan told her that the staff at the care center where her sister works as an LVN and infection preventionist had run out of face coverings to protect patients and themselves from COVID-19. “I got online and found a pattern and ... Read More
SLICE
Suzette Mitchell Provides Validation for African-Native American Students
When alumna Suzette Mitchell visited her tribe’s reservation as a child, the children weren’t allowed to play with her. “Some even called me the n-word,” she said. Her grandmother was Goshute—a western branch of the Shoshone nation—and was ostracized after being the first in the tribe to marry an African American, a similar fate her mother shared after being stereotyped as a half-breed. Mitchell’s family experienced what many African-Native American individuals who stand on the border between two worlds do; they are often not readily accepted as Native American, and misunderstood as bi-racial persons with dual social identities. “It was very unpopular to marry a Black man back then. ... Read More
2017 Community Engagement Symposium Showcases Faculty-Influenced Student Research
California State University, Dominguez Hills’ (CSUDH) Center for Service Learning, Internships and Civic Engagement (SLICE) celebrated the innovative community engagement ideas and approaches of students, faculty, and community partners during the fourth annual Community Engagement Symposium. Hosted by SLICE in the Loker Student Ballroom April 3, the symposium was highlighted by the presentation of the 2017 Community Engagement Awards. This year’s winners were: Community Hero Award: Thomas Philo, archivist in the University Library. Innovation is Sustainability Award: Jonathan Scheffler, director of the Physical Plant. Outstanding Community Partner Award: Steve Colman, executive ... Read More
CSUDH’s SLICE Center Displays more than 50 Native American Baskets
It has been a “strange and surreal” journey through Native American culture and history for Cheryl McKnight and her staff in CSU Dominguez Hills’ (CSUDH) Center for Service Learning, Internships and Civic and Community Engagement (SLICE). Since September 2016, Indian baskets from as far back as the mid-19th Century have been arriving at the center. Received on “long-term loan,” nearly half of the more than 50 baskets were provided by a private donor who inherited them from his mother. “We have an Apache basket from the 19th Century that is lined with pitch, which means it was used to carry water,” said McKnight, director of SLICE. “Some baskets were even created to hold babies’ ... Read More
CSUDH Honored with ‘Distinction’ by President Obama’s Honor Roll
California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) has been placed with “distinction” on the 2015 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll in the “General Community Service” category for its commitment to community service, service-learning and civic engagement. The highest federal honor that universities can receive for their commitment for volunteer service, the honor roll recognizes U.S. colleges and universities that support exemplary community service programs and raise the visibility of best practices in campus community partnerships. A total of 14 California State University (CSU) campuses were recognized this year. CSU Channel Islands, CSU Fresno, and San ... Read More
