FREE EVERY MONDAY VOL. 25 ISS. 6 • OCTOBER 26 2020 THETACOMALEDGER.COM theUniversity of Washington ledger Tacoma READ HOW THIS NEW ORDER MAY IMPACT DIVERSITY RESOURCES IN UNIVERSITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY P. 3 2 OCTOBER 26 2020 THE LEDGER NEWS Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Sonia De La Cruz An interview with the professor about upcoming her projects and passions. BY OLUWASEYI FALEKE nected to her experience with injustice herself is a priority and when she is not NEWS REPORTER in her own community. working, she is either editing videos, “Connected to what I do is the work baking or taking her dog on walks. She Sonia De La Cruz, a communications in documentary film,” Cruz said. “The offered the following advice for those professor at UW Tacoma, was willing to reason I decided to learn about it and who might also be stressed or anxious share her passions and upcoming projects pick up a camera was because I was in such uncertain times: during her third year at the campus. She seeing all of this injustice and oppres- “I think it's important to be con- also offered advice she hopes others will sion that I saw in my community that scious that we also need to give our- be able to learn from. was not being represented in main- selves permission to not have to oper- “In terms of my teaching, I teach a stream media.” ate in the mode of working 100% all of variety of courses that have a core in It was during her undergraduate the time. Finding the time for family communication, but I'm also one of experience where she began to look and friends and being around and talk- the professors who teach production around and wonder about her environ- ing is just important.” courses and that aligns with my re- ment. She spoke about her identity, Last year, Cruz conducted a proj- search,” said Cruz. growing up outside of the United States ect that was connected to UWT. The As an assistant professor Cruz fo- and how this shaped how she looks at focus of that project was to under- cuses on two different kinds of research: herself as well as the world around her. stand student experiences around one on non-mainstream media and the “I also identify as a Latina womxn their various social identities. Stu- other is on the way media can be utilized who grew up outside of the United States dents from her class were asked to for social justice and activism. but lives here now, so I have this perspec- interview other students across cam- “The work that I do in my research tive that is different,” Cruz explained. pus about their various issues and is looking at ways in which diverse When asked if she had any upcom- video record them. communities that often tend to be mar- ing projects that she was working on, “The students put their recordings ginalized — particularly in the main- Cruz stated that her answer to this together and now we have this com- stream media — and how they might question pre-COVID would have been pilation of stories that live in the utilize systems of communication such different than what it is now. She went [UWT] Library,” Cruz said. “It was as radios, film or video as a way to ad- on to say that living in this particular really powerful with students because vance social change for their commu- moment has caused her to re-evaluate they have the ability to become more nities,” Cruz explained. a lot of things. aware of their own positionality and She aims for her research to include “I do tend to keep an ear on what their relationship to others. Under- both local and global communities. She is happening right now in my com- standing that we don't all see the likes to understand how different cul- munities, with the elections, the fight world the same way and were living tures and communities face marginal- for racial injustice, economic justice in it together, so how do we get from ization, discrimination and oppression and immigration justice in those com- point A to point B?” COURTESY OF SONIA DE LA CRUZ in relation to how the media is being munities,” she said. “I try to be part of The digital project can be found in Sonia De La Cruz is a Communications professor at UWT who specializes in media used to promote their voices. She ex- those conversations as much as I can.” the library archives. It is titled “Telling and film. plained that the work she does is con- According to Cruz, taking care of Your Stories.” THE LEDGER IS NOW ACCEPTING LETTERS TO THE EDITOR! Do you want to voice your issues of concern related to news, politics, campus issues and more? 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Film Critic........................Henry Nguyen Advisor us/j/93163233281 Sports Columnist............ Brooks Moeller Social Media Manager...Morgan Morgans Publications Manager ... Daniel Nash NEWS THE LEDGER OCTOBER 26 2020 3 A virtual sitdown with Karen Cowgill Talking to Epidemiologist Karen Cowgill about the work she's done and her thoughts on the epidemic. BY LUKE DENUELLE another, she suspected it has to do with mented reinfection with the novel coro- NEWS REPORTER pockets of activity. navirus is rare. Her more pressing con- “We probably have smaller networks cern is long term immunity. In an interview with Karen Cowgill, where we are getting a lot of transmis- “With any pathogen it is normal that an Affiliate Assistant Professor at the sions sustained over a short period of some people will quickly mount an ef- University of Washington Department time. That network may then have a fective immune response and some of Global Health, she spoke on the work reduction in case numbers due to either people will never mount an effective im- being done within the University of control measures being implemented, mune response, and some people will be Washington on COVID-19 research. such as mask wearing and social distanc- sort of in the middle,” Cowgill said. “And Cowgill has an eclectic background. ing,” Cowgill said, “or in some cases, the people who dont mount an immune After completing an undergraduate though I think this is relatively rare, in a response or whose immune response is degree in biology, she was initially drawn defined network you may have some herd not very effective are a tiny tiny minor- to clinical health. Formerly unaware and immunity developing. But we are cer- ity compared to those who do mount an uninterested in the field of public health, tainly very far away from having herd effective immune response” as many who may have had her class immunity at a national level.” She explained that the virus has not will have heard already “The School of Within networks, should there be been around long enough to see how Public Health was right across from the an import of infection into a network immunity will persist over time. Anyone School of Nursing” — and the rest is that has yet to be exposed, especially who had a weak immune system will history. without the adoption of Non-Pharma- likely be reinfected simply due to the Cowgill shared her thoughts on ceutical Interventions — things such as nature of our immune systems, and this COVID-19 regarding a number of wearing masks, keeping distance and is not unique to COVID-19. The real things. When prompted on the seem- washing hands — you could see a surge concern is when individuals who had ingly constant fluctuation of infection of infection. strong immune responses begin to show COURTESTY OF UWT DIRECTORY Karen Cowgill, an Affiliate Associate Professor at the University of Washington rate — that over the course of the last Cowgill became interested in infec- reinfection down the road. Department of Global Health. six months there seems to be no con- tious diseases both from a biological “What I’m more concerned about is sistent rate of infection or consistent angle and from an equity angle, first get- people whose initial immune response reasonable safety precaution is impor- spread of any communicable disease.