WACC's Mission and Values

The World Arts and Cultures Committee aims to foster and enhance a climate of appreciation and respect for the diversity of cultural values, ideas and expressions represented by our students, staff, faculty and the world in which we live. We will strive to accomplish our mission by bringing diverse events on campus, reflecting the college's position in today's global society.

MEETING SCHEDULE
First Wednesday of the month [subject to change, by committee consensus]

CHAIR
 Dean, Student Affairs

COMPOSITION
(See also, "Membership and History")
Dean, Student Affairs (Chair)
Vice President, Student Affairs
Vice President, Administrative Services (or Designee)
Direct, College & Community Relations
ASGC President (or Designee)
Faculty Representatives
Classified Staff Representatives
Alumni Representative
Community Representative
Retired Faculty and/or Staff Representative(s) (2)

ADOPTED
November 2000; revised March 28, 2007; October 16, 2008; June 2011; August 2012;
May 2013.

OUR INSTITUTIONAL VALUES

As exemplified in the Values for Student Learning and Institutional Student Learning Outcomes:

The World Arts and Culture Committee (WACC) sponsors a wide range of free events that enrich the campus environment and encourage personal, intellectual, and aesthetic growth.

WACC advances the greater cause of tolerance, learning, and diversity in a variety of styles, including by way of the celebration of cultural traditions and heritage. Events related to Black History Month have included a forum on the topic "The Beginning: Historical Black Colleges and Universities," performances by the Grossmont College Afro-Cuban Ensemble and the Black Story Tellers of San Diego and Friends, a Gospel Festival, "Hip Hop on the Quad" featuring the World Beat Dancers and Drummers, and enriching performances by legendary jazz artists Jeannie Cheatham and John Handy. Other events celebrating history and heritage include the Cinco de Mayo Celebration; Languages of the World Festival; "16 de Septiembre": Mexican Independent Day; Japanese Language Festival; Puerto Rican Music Festival; the Celebration of the Arab Wedding; and a Classical [Subcontinent] Indian Music Concert.

As can be seen by the prevalence of music in these events, WACC acknowledges the role of the arts in the celebration of cultural heritage. This also extends to its sponsorship of visual arts events like the Spring Arts Festival, student art exhibitions, the Fall Draw, and Into Abstraction Artists' Talk, as well as dance and theater events like the Butoh Theatre Workshop. Some of these activities also showcase cultural heritage, such as the Brigham Young University's International Folk Dance Ensemble. Likewise, literary arts and language feature prominently among WACC's sponsored events, including speaking engagements like Martha Barnette, featured on NPR's "A Way with Words" the annual "One Book, One Campus" project, which in 2011 showcased the groundbreaking book by Rebecca Skloot, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks; and, selected events headlining The Literary Arts Festival, which annually brings to campus an array of diverse authors, including Latina author Sandra Cisneros, war memoirist and novelist Tim O'Brien, Chaldean-American poet Dunya Mikhail, and L.A. gang memoirist Luis J. Rodriguez.

However, WACC's mission to promote cultural diversity is not exclusively limited to ethnicity and race. WACC also supports projects and events whose goals are to enrich our understanding of under-represented ideologies or to encourage critical thinking and discussion of topical concerns. Projects celebrating Women's History Month have focused on the history and advocacy of women's rights, feminist ideologies, and women's health issues; symposia like Cultural Influences on Healthcare, showcasing the healthcare values of diverse cross-section of cultural and subcultural groups, shows the extent to which the concept of "arts and culture" can be broadly inclusive; and, a panel discussion of the Michael Ramsdell documentary The Anatomy of Hate, demonstrates how, in promoting dialogue about relevant and current controversial ideologies, WACC is committed to tolerance and equality among socially and politically diverse points of view.

Furthermore, the World Arts and Cultures Committee openly encourages grant requests for events highlighting awareness and rights advocacy for the subcultural groups of the disabled, LGBTQ, and others, as well as subcultures defined by their alternative lifestyles and progressive ideologies. In spring 2013, WACC helped to sponsor "Deaf Deaf World," the second of such events to be held at Grossmont College, in which ASL speakers from throughout San Diego County participate in a simulated "Deaf Town" where only ASL is used; a variety of San Diego academic institutions participated in this unique and important exhibition benefiting deaf students and interpreters.

WACC works cooperatively with Grossmont College's Cross-Cultural Studies Department, Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS), Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee (DEI), the Associated Students of Grossmont College (ASGC), as well as local tribal, cultural, and arts organizations. Information regarding the WACC's charge is available on this page and is explained on-line in Grossmont College's Organizational & Governance Structures.