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Sprinkle is an academic journal compiled of student essays .

Sprinkle allows students to have a voice.

Sprinkle addresses feminist or queer marginalized issues.

Sprinkle is an academic journal full of student essays that address social and cultural issues through a feminist and queer analysis.

Sprinkle gives students a voice to talk about these issues that don’t get discussed routinely in mainstream culture or Cal Poly, Elizabeth Meyer, assistant professor at Cal Poly, said.

“If there is no platform for these ideas, it’s easy for many to assume everything is okay in the world,” Meyer said.

Sprinkle aligns itself with issues of social justice and inequity in the world, Meyers said.

“I think there’s a danger of complacency and apathy,” Meyer said. “Most students come from privileged backgrounds and aren’t aware of issues that impact others.”

Sprinkle originated when Meyer taught an introductory course to women’s and gender studies at McGill University, she said.

“The final papers I was getting were interesting, timely, thoughtful and relevant,” Meyer said.

The original goal of Sprinkle was to provide a platform for young writers to share their ideas, Meyer said.

“The ideas on really timely issues, cultural issues and Lesbian Bisexual Gay Trans Queer (LBGTQ) issues were really exciting and innovative,” Meyer said.

Sprinkle is about connecting with younger demographic analyzing from youth perspective, she said.

One of the first interesting papers that inspired Sprinkle was about teenage kissing, she said.

“It was talking about casual make out experiences one goes through as high school student but now being able to analyze it from feminist lens,” Meyer said. “It talked about the enforced heterosexuality that people must go through.”

Meyer brought Sprinkle to Cal Poly last year, she said.

She did direct recruiting for journal from ideas that came out of her class, she said.

“So that made it easy because I knew quality of thought and writing.” Meyer said.

Meyer likes to be involved with Sprinkle because of the students she works with, she said.

“I love really getting a chance to build with them beyond the classroom,” Meyer said.

What Sprinkle Means to Students

Nicole Glass, biology major, joined Sprinkle because she wanted to take a more active role in my feminist studies, she said.

“You can go to a women and gender studies class everyday and still not apply what you are learning to your life in any meaningful way,” Glass said.

Glass is now managing editor of Sprinkle.

“Talking about these issues is important because if we never talked about them, they would never change,” she said.

Glass feels a great sense of pride for the work she and her colleagues do at Sprinkle.

“I hope that the journal helps create a more open dialogue about issues relating to feminist and queer studies,” Glass said.

Talking about these issues is super important because they are underrepresented on Cal Poly campus, Jerusha Beebe, psychology major, said.

“Cal Poly is very focused on science and math and women’s studies, race studies and queer studies are always pushed to the side,” Beebe said.

There are issues that are talked about in these classes that often don’t filter out to the rest of campus, Beebe said.

“They affect everyone on campus whether they know it or not,” she said.

Sprinkle gives students a legitimate space to academically explore serious topics that affect everyone, she said.

It’s a reality check.

Cal Poly can be very homogenous, Beebe said.

·      Cal Poly is 61.8 percent white, according to Poly View statistics from Fall 2012

·      Hispanics are at 13.8 percent and black students are at 0.7 percent

·      Students are mostly from Los Angeles (20.2 percent) or the Bay Area (27.3 percent).

“You know, sometimes we don’t see these issues,” she said. “So having that space on this campus is even more important because we can get by without talking about them.”

Beebe went through most of her life not thinking about these issues, she said.

“Now that I’m making myself aware and immersing myself in learning about it, I can make a difference,” she said.

Being able to talk about feminist and queer issues makes it feel more legitimate, she said.

“Sprinkle has given me a voice,” Beebe said.

The other benefit of Sprinkle is seeing other student’s work, she said.

“Being able to get into the minds of other students and seeing what they’re passionate about is so powerful,” she said.

Sprinkle allows students to write on whatever topic they choose, she said.

“It’s such an intimate part of your life what you decide to write about,” Beebe said.

        The Future of Sprinkle

In the future, Beebe hopes to see Sprinkle expanded, she said.

“Hopefully Sprinkle can reach out to more schools,” Beebe said. “I would love to see works from students all across the country.”

Sprinkle gives voiced to the marginalized silence, Meyer said.

It gives students an opportunity to explore an area they are interested in and make friends, she said.

“Students take their experiences with Sprinkle and it launches them into a path that’s interesting to them,” Meyer said.

Sprinkle hopes to further empower, expand the scope and broaden the possibilities for all genders, she said.

“This year is what we’re seeing as a big opportunity to grow and expand, get more involvement,” she said.

Copyright 2013 © Elyse Lopez. This multimedia interactive website was produced in a multimedia journalism class at California Polytechnic State University.

Sprinkle is an academic journal compiled of student essays . Sprinkle allows students to have a voice. Sprinkle addresses feminist or queer marginalized issues.
Sprinkle is an academic journal full of student essays that address social and cultural issues through a feminist and queer analysis. Sprinkle gives students a voice to talk about these issues that don’t get discussed routinely in mainstream culture or Cal Poly, Elizabeth Meyer, assistant professor at Cal Poly, said. “If there is no platform for these ideas, it’s easy for many to assume everything is okay in the world,” Meyer said. Sprinkle aligns itself with issues of social justice and inequity in the world, Meyers said. “I think there’s a danger of complacency and apathy,” Meyer said. “Most students come from privileged backgrounds and aren’t aware of issues that impact others.” Sprinkle originated when Meyer taught an introductory course to women’s and gender studies at McGill University, she said. “The final papers I was getting were interesting, timely, thoughtful and relevant,” Meyer said. The original goal of Sprinkle was to provide a platform for young writers to share their ideas, Meyer said. “The ideas on really timely issues, cultural issues and Lesbian Bisexual Gay Trans Queer (LBGTQ) issues were really exciting and innovative,” Meyer said. Sprinkle is about connecting with younger demographic analyzing from youth perspective, she said. One of the first interesting papers that inspired Sprinkle was about teenage kissing, she said. “It was talking about casual make out experiences one goes through as high school student but now being able to analyze it from feminist lens,” Meyer said. “It talked about the enforced heterosexuality that people must go through.” Meyer brought Sprinkle to Cal Poly last year, she said. She did direct recruiting for journal from ideas that came out of her class, she said. “So that made it easy because I knew quality of thought and writing.” Meyer said. Meyer likes to be involved with Sprinkle because of the students she works with, she said. “I love really getting a chance to build with them beyond the classroom,” Meyer said.
What Sprinkle Means to Students Nicole Glass, biology major, joined Sprinkle because she wanted to take a more active role in my feminist studies, she said. “You can go to a women and gender studies class everyday and still not apply what you are learning to your life in any meaningful way,” Glass said. Glass is now managing editor of Sprinkle. “Talking about these issues is important because if we never talked about them, they would never change,” she said. Glass feels a great sense of pride for the work she and her colleagues do at Sprinkle. “I hope that the journal helps create a more open dialogue about issues relating to feminist and queer studies,” Glass said. Talking about these issues is super important because they are underrepresented on Cal Poly campus, Jerusha Beebe, psychology major, said. “Cal Poly is very focused on science and math and women’s studies, race studies and queer studies are always pushed to the side,” Beebe said. There are issues that are talked about in these classes that often don’t filter out to the rest of campus, Beebe said. “They affect everyone on campus whether they know it or not,” she said. Sprinkle gives students a legitimate space to academically explore serious topics that affect everyone, she said.
It’s a reality check. Cal Poly can be very homogenous, Beebe said. · Cal Poly is 61.8 percent white, according to Poly View statistics from Fall 2012 · Hispanics are at 13.8 percent and black students are at 0.7 percent · Students are mostly from Los Angeles (20.2 percent) or the Bay Area (27.3 percent). “You know, sometimes we don’t see these issues,” she said. “So having that space on this campus is even more important because we can get by without talking about them.” Beebe went through most of her life not thinking about these issues, she said. “Now that I’m making myself aware and immersing myself in learning about it, I can make a difference,” she said. Being able to talk about feminist and queer issues makes it feel more legitimate, she said. “Sprinkle has given me a voice,” Beebe said. The other benefit of Sprinkle is seeing other student’s work, she said. “Being able to get into the minds of other students and seeing what they’re passionate about is so powerful,” she said. Sprinkle allows students to write on whatever topic they choose, she said. “It’s such an intimate part of your life what you decide to write about,” Beebe said. The Future of Sprinkle In the future, Beebe hopes to see Sprinkle expanded, she said. “Hopefully Sprinkle can reach out to more schools,” Beebe said. “I would love to see works from students all across the country.” Sprinkle gives voiced to the marginalized silence, Meyer said. It gives students an opportunity to explore an area they are interested in and make friends, she said. “Students take their experiences with Sprinkle and it launches them into a path that’s interesting to them,” Meyer said. Sprinkle hopes to further empower, expand the scope and broaden the possibilities for all genders, she said. “This year is what we’re seeing as a big opportunity to grow and expand, get more involvement,” she said.