2 News
Volume 73, Number 1
Inside-Out Program aims to bring
imprisoned students into classroom
BY JAKE SIMONDS
Staff Writer
If things go according to plan, the Histo-
ry department will have a new offering next
spring: Hist 398, Crime and Punishment in
U.S. History. The proposed one-time course,
to be taught by Visiting Professor Rieko
Hillyer, will be a normal course in most re-
spects, except incarcerated students will fill
15 of the 30 spots. The proposed course is a
part of the Inside-Out program, meaning it
would take place in a nearby correctional fa-
cility, either Salem or Wilsonville, and would
put Lewis & Clark students side by side with
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The Pioneer Log, april 8, 2011
the imprisoned, making it possible for them
to learn together.
Professor Hillyer has been interested in
the prison system on a personal and politi-
cal level for some time. She works to reach
out to the incarcerated community outside
the classroom, teaching yoga in a local prison
twice a month. When she heard about the
Inside-Out program from a colleague in-
volved through the Indiana University, she
saw it as a way to combine her academic in-
terests and commitment to LC students with
her desire to engage with the world behind
bars.
She sees the program taking shape this
way: “There are spots for 15 LC students
who would be interviewed and screened,
with background checks and stuff, and the
other 15 spots are for inside students. The
way I see this happening is the course would
be offered in that Wednesday night slot [6:00
to 9:00 p.m.] so we could have travel time to
Wilsonville or Salem.”
Inside-Out differs from other prison edu-
cation programs in its openness. Although
the courses, including the one Professor
Hillyer has proposed, are often tailored to
both inmates and students, the Inside-Out
program could be applied to any subject. For
instance, at the University of Oregon, Eng-
lish Professor Steven Shankman has taught
several courses on Dostoyevsky, including
this Spring’s course, “Literature and Ethics:
Novels of Dostoyevsky.” Said Hillyer, “He’s
teaching Dostoevsky to men in the federal
prisons... They’re reading Crime and Punish-
ment, and I think it’s a privilege to be a stu-
dent in that class, to hear the perspectives [of
those who are incarcerated].”
Professor Hillyer hopes other professors
recognize the opportunity of Inside-Out and
help the program establish itself at LC. Visit-
ing Professor Eddie Cushman has already ex-
pressed interest in the program. Said Hillyer,
“Anyone could do this; it doesn’t have to be
me.”
Along with providing reading materi-
al for the inside students, transportation is
the main budget woe (and inconvenience)
for Inside-Out courses, which are otherwise
budget neutral.
The opportunity cost for the college to
give 15 course slots to nonpaying students is
another consideration; however, as Professor
Hillyer notes, many regular courses run with
15 or fewer students, and she believes the
enriching experience for Lewis & Clark stu-
dents will outweigh this consideration, not
to mention the benefit to inside students.
Salem is approximately 45 minutes from
campus, while Wilsonville is around 25 min-
utes away. “It’s not feasible to do it in one
of the [closer] county prisons. People are
constantly moving in and out of those jails,
whereas if you’re in the state penitentiary,
as sad as it is, you’re going to be there for
a while,” said project advocate Temesghen
Habte (‘11).
Habte grew up in Portland and wants
to bring Inside-Out to LC because it could
reach out to the community in a unique
way. When he heard about a $1,100 summer
“[Students and inmates
become] peers engaged
in a dialogue that will
cross boundaries, ex-
plode stereotypes, con-
front fears and assump-
tions and develop a truly
collaborative environ-
ment of mutual under-
standing,” said Hillyer.
training course for professors, and heard that
Professor Hillyer considered covering this
out of pocket, he drew up a grant with the fi-
nance committee for $850, and reached out
to STAND, a student human-rights group,
who agreed to cover the rest. intended to serve as a forum in which we, as
For a program that Habte views in line
with the college’s philosophy, the lack of
backing from the school has surprised him.
“From what I’ve seen, it’s kind of been dis-
heartening. There hasn’t been the support
that I expected there to be,” said Habte.
Habte thinks the proposed course could
bring a unique and valuable “diversity of per-
spectives” to students while doing something
to strengthen ties between the school and the
greater community. “There’s this sort of shel-
tered experience we get on campus; we’re go-
ing to move out of that,” said Habte.
Professor Hillyer agrees that Inside-Out
is a special opportunity for LC. It is both in
line with our philosophy and something that
can distinguish us.
Hillyer said that, “[students and inmates
become] peers engaged in a dialogue that
will cross boundaries, explode stereotypes,
confront fears and assumptions and develop
a truly collaborative environment of mutu-
al understanding. And I think that’s much
more powerful, and much more transforma-
tive in a way, than treating the inmates as ob-
jects of study or charity.”
ILLUSTRATION BY LAURA NASH
Amnesty
International
Global Awareness
Week
BY ALIX FINNEGAN
Staff Writer
After a successful first year, Amnesty In-
ternational’s second annual Global Aware-
ness Week is back and ready to enlighten the
Lewis & Clark community. Held during the
week of April 11, this year’s GAW features
several events that focus on various human
rights issues.
Amnesty International President Rosa
Kim said, “Last year, Global Awareness Week
was put together to not only raise awareness
but to promote action on issues. This week is
global citizens, seek to find means to trans-
form awareness into action within and be-
yond Lewis & Clark.”
Ongoing events for the week include
a donation collection to benefit the Lola
Greene Baldwin Foundation, a Portland-
based organization that works for women’s
rights. Donations such as items such as gro-
cery store gift certificates and public trans-
portation tickets will be accepted in Maggie’s
and Templeton. Additionally, a “24 Hours
of Silence” campaign will be ongoing dur-
ing the week to support a cause of students’
choosing.
The week kicks off Monday afternoon
with “Peace Day,” a day to learn about is-
sues in other countries and celebrate the 100
Projects for Peace grant Students for Ethio-
pia won this year. 3-5 p.m. in Stamm, speak-
ers from more than 10 countries including
Japan, Egypt, Ethiopia and Brazil will be
present to discuss.
Several documentaries highlighting im-
portant human rights issues will also be
shown during the week. “What a Way to Go:
Life at the End of Empire,” a documentary
that looks at a wide range of issues that cur-
rently plague humanity, will be shown April
12 at 6 p.m. in Council Chamber, put on by
Amnesty International in conjunction with
Mystical Groves. Peak oil, climate change,
population overshoot and species extinction
will all be discussed.
A documentary from Shared Hope In-
ternational on sex trafficking will be shown
Wednesday, April 13 in J.R. Howard Hall
102 at 7 p.m., as well as a presentation by a
speaker from the same organization. Thurs-
day night’s events also feature a documentary
entitled “War Child,” which focuses on chil-
dren’s rights.
On Wednesday night’s documentary,
Kim Takinami (’13), a member of Amnesty
International, cites misconceptions as a rea-
son to highlight sex trafficking. “I believe
there are people who view the real victims
of the sex trade as bad people… [prostitutes]
are looked down upon, when in reality,
many of them have been sexually abused as
children or sold by their families.”
The wide variety of causes and events dur-
ing Global Awareness Week assures there will
be something of interest for everyone.