This weekend, our neighbors in (TC3) depart for their next location, this time in Skyway, having completed their here on the UW鈥檚 Seattle campus. The way our community embraced our neighbors and the learning and human experiences that took place have been fantastic to witness, and I want to thank everyone whose planning and hard work went into making their stay a successful one.
When students, alumni and TC3 residents in the first proposed hosting a tent city on campus, a key factor in the decision-making process was whether there would be clear connections to the UW鈥檚 academic mission. That鈥檚 why I鈥檓 so pleased by the number of faculty and students who stepped forward to make this hosting a part of their teaching and learning.
At least eight courses in disciplines including , , and , as well as via the , formally engaged with TC3 during the last three months. That鈥檚 in addition to other ways the 91探花and TC3 communities connected, ranging from clinics and outreach provided by students from Nursing, Dentistry, MEDEX and Public Health, to a drop-in art studio, to the many shared meals made possible by a range of units, professional organizations, student groups and individuals. You can read about many of these connections on the page.
The stay faced challenges, not the least of which being the unusually cold winter. But those were no match for the openheartedness and ingenuity of individuals in departments from Facilities Services to ICA and IMA, the last of which opened up the Waterfront Activities Center as a warming center during the coldest part of the season.
One of the questions I received even as TC3 was arriving in December was 鈥淲hen will the 91探花host again?鈥� Key to answering that question will be student involvement. The Tent City Collective did its homework and gathered support on and off campus before presenting a proposal. Students remained engaged and have done tremendous work, in addition to their class loads, in order to make the stay a success. Future hosting will be contingent on having that same level of student engagement. It鈥檒l also be guided in part by the results of an evaluation 鈥� we are academics, after all, and evaluating a program is vital to improving it in the future 鈥� that a is conducting. You can contribute to that evaluation by taking .
In the meantime, please remember that TC3鈥檚 residents 鈥� and the many other individuals and families in our community without reliable shelter 鈥� are our neighbors, wherever they may spend the night. For those of us who connected with TC3’s residents, whether for a day or a quarter, it is a lesson we will not soon forget 鈥� and one that I hope will lead to action to finally end the crisis of homelessness in our community.