Dear Loggers!

As we rebuild our in-person community this year, the ASUPS Team asks that we all take time to remember the resilience that we have cultivated over the past 19 months, honor the healing that is taking place within our community and within yourself, celebrate the process of reuniting and rebuilding, and hold respect for those who support and sustain our community. ASUPS will light Jones Hall purple tonight and different colors throughout the week as we make space for reflection.

Monday: Purple 
Today, we light Jones Hall purple. Purple represents resilience, a characteristic that every member of our Puget Sound community has demonstrated as we have faced the challenges of the past year and a half. On this day, we take a moment to remember the ways that our community has collectively held each other through moments of grief and loss, and we continue to honor the resilience that we have cultivated to move us forward.

Tuesday: Blue
On Tuesday, we will light Jones Hall blue as a sign of gratitude for frontline healthcare workers and essential workers who have demonstrated deep compassion, vulnerability, and sacrifice as they have selflessly worked to support the needs of our campus and the Tacoma community during this crisis.  Blue is emblematic of the new growth that we can harness from the healing that is taking place within our community. We want to extend our appreciation to our peers, staff, CHWS staff, faculty, and alumni as they have repeatedly stepped to the front lines of this crisis to put our community’s health and safety first. We recognize the immense privilege we hold in having access to vaccines and healthcare resources, and acknowledge that we, as a community, are in the process of healing from all that we have experienced during these challenging times.

Wednesday: Yellow
On Wednesday, we will light Jones Hall yellow. Yellow signifies hope, optimism, and friendship. On this day, we take a moment to celebrate the process of reuniting and rebuilding our community. We reflect upon what it means to hold grace and warmth for each other as we work to support ourselves and each other in the process of cultivating connections.

Thursday: Orange
On Thursday, we will light Jones Hall orange as we reflect on the value of respect. We hold respect for those who support and sustain our community as we look to cultivate rest and joy. Orange is also associated with acknowledging the histories of Indigenous Residential Schools. Orange Shirt Day (September 30th) is a Canadian statutory holiday created in 2013 to educate people about the harmful impact of Residential Schools on Indigenous communities. The inspiration for Orange Shirt Day came from residential school survivor Phyllis Jack Webstad, who shared her story recounting how upon her arrival at the school she was stripped of her clothes, including a new orange shirt her grandmother had given her to wear in her new school. The orange shirt is a symbol of how residential schools stripped Indigenous communities and individuals of their identities. We acknowledge Puget Sound’s own history in the participation of our own students in the Cushman Residential Indian School programs and the grief experienced by the Indigenous communities due to such participation. On Thursday, we reflect on what holding respect means for our communities and the histories that we intersect with. 

Friday: Logger Maroon
On Friday, we will light Jones Hall Logger Maroon as we conclude a week of ASUPS LogJam activities. Maroon resembles what it means to be a part of the Logger community, a united collective. As we return to campus and in-person operations, we remember our communal resilience, recognize the healing ahead, celebrate our connections, and honor the respect we hold for each other.

Best,

Kayden
Kayden Diodati (he/him) | President
Associated Students of the University of Puget Sound