Gonzaga University

Responses from the Student Interview

From a student  who identifies as Majors: Journalism and International Relations double major
Minor: French
Student Self Identifies as: African-American Heterosexual Male

Summary

I’m a member of the school’s newspaper called the Gonzaga Bulletin, I’m on the Rugby Football Club, I’m part of Model United Nations, and I’m a member of the Black Student Union.

Background

Gender Identity: Male
Race/Ethnicity: African-American
Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual

High School Experience: Public charter school in Los Angeles, California with a graduating class of about 850 students. There was a culture of going to college.
First-Generation College Student: No
Majors: Journalism and International Relations double major
Minor: French

Extracurricular Activities: I’m a member of the school’s newspaper called the Gonzaga Bulletin, I’m on the Rugby Football Club, I’m part of Model United Nations, and I’m a member of the Black Student Union.
Did any of your extracurricular activities have a particularly big impact on your experience?
The Bulletin and rugby have the most. Through the Bulletin, I’ve learned so much about the field I want to go into. It allows me to experiment and practice getting out there and talking to people, learning how to structure your articles, and all the niche people skills not talked about in people skills. The people are super supportive and helpful.
Rugby is an amazing community. It’s a great team. I’ve never played rugby before so I’ve been learning on the fly, but they took me under their arms and showed me everything. The community is unlike anything I’ve experienced.

Academic Experience

Can you describe your weekly coursework for your major?
It’s writing and reading intensive. For Journalism and International Relations, there’s a lot of reading. It helps you learn how to structure your own articles. Reading all the Washington Times articles on what’s going on now serves a double purpose for me because I get to learn about what’s going on in the world and how to release information. But, at the same time, I’m figuring out how the journalist who wrote those stories are structuring their articles. We write research papers here and there about what’s going on in the world. There are also a few exams and quizzes here and there.
Is there anything you feel that either of your majors’ departments do especially well or poorly?
Journalism isn’t the biggest major on campus. It’s a small community, but because of that, it’s pretty tight-knit. There are valuable resources here. We have all sorts of professors that write for the city paper. Learning from people who’re doing the same work at a higher level is important for me and is something the Journalism department does well.
The International Relations department has a lot of knowledgeable people in it. The students in the major are also really engaged and offer to help you study.
How would you describe the learning environment? Do you think it’s particularly competitive or collaborative?
It’s not competitive. Some students compete amongst themselves, but they don’t foster that environment. It’s more collaborative. You have your own work to do, and you’re writing your own article. But, if you need that help, there are a plethora of resources you can go to and get assistance from. They’ll help you, but they’ll make sure that what you write in your own words and approach. Because of that, you feel rewarded that you did the work in the end.
How accessible are your professors?
They are very accessible. They have office hours and will notify you if they change for some reason. You can also email them to set up a time to talk. Even after your class with them is over, you can still go talk to them and they will talk with you about something in that field of study or even an article you’re writing.
Do you feel that people are open to multiple schools of thought in the classroom?
From a philosophical standpoint, this school is super diverse in that manner. That’s one of the reasons I came here, and it’s proven to be a good reason to come here. The school might lack racial diversity, but the students are very open to all sorts of ideas and opinions. For the most part, people are very respectful of those opinions. They’ll listen and have some sort of debate or dialogue. It’s generally pretty intellectual and respectful.
Why did you choose your majors? Are you happy with your choice?
I’m super happy with them, especially Journalism. I chose them both in high school and I think I got pretty lucky because I came into college and people said you’re bound to change your major multiple times which scared me that I’m committing to something I won’t end up enjoying. I genuinely enjoy writing articles, talking to people, and learning about the world.

Reasons to Attend

1) The community is great, and there are amazing community subsections. People are super open to trying new things here. If you have a genuine interest people will love to help you learn more about it so you can obtain more in that field, or whatever it is.
2) The students are super nice and they care about the school and the community. There’s a thing where Zags Help Zags, and it’s true. Students are always helping each other out in all sorts of environments.

Reasons Not to Attend

1) The weather can get gloomy.
2) It’s hard to get off-campus if you don’t have a car. You can walk downtown, but in the winter, you might not want to when it’s so cold outside.
3) If racial diversity is a big thing for you, you won’t find a super diverse undergraduate population here. [The undergraduate population is 70% White, 11% Hispanic, 1% Black, and 6% Asian.]

Around Campus

Where have you lived on and around campus?
Freshman: Roncalli House with one roommate
Sophomore: On-campus apartment with three other people
How was transitioning from Los Angeles to Spokane, WA in terms of location?
It was definitely different. Coming from Los Angeles, which is a big metropolitan city with all sorts of different people, to Spokane which is way different. It’s still a city, but not your normal large city. It has its own vibe and took me a second to get used to it. I didn’t really start learning to like Spokane until this year.
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
On-campus is very safe. Even the general proximity of three to four blocks away from campus is pretty safe. If you start getting up into the neighborhood up north it gets sketchier, but I’m okay with it.

Social Opportunities

What kind of weekend activities or nightlife do you like to participate in?
I didn’t go to parties as much during my freshman year, but this year is more fun because I’ve gotten to know a lot more people. Parties are now a good time for me and my friends because we know a lot of the people there and get to see people from around campus in one central area. If we want to have a more low-key night, we might just hang out and play some video games or watch a TV show. During the week, I don’t have much time to hang out, so if I have leisure time, I’m usually reading a book.
The parties are located in the local neighborhood. The immediate Logan neighborhood is really close to us and a lot of students live there. It’s also pretty safe because there’s a lot of student camaraderie around there. They are usually within walking distance, depending on where you live on campus.
How happy are you with the weekend activities or nightlife at your school? Is there anything you would change if you could?
It just takes time. If you want to have a really fun, high-level social life it’s possible at Gonzaga, it just takes time to get to know people. While growing up, you’ll mature a little you’ll meet friends and will have a wider array of options. I like having options to go out and stay in.

Campus Culture

How did you meet your closest friends?
Through my dorm or through rugby. The dorm I lived in was small and only had 45 guys. It had a reputation around campus because none of those students got into the larger dormitories freshman year. We formed a bond over that early.
How would you describe the overall social scene at Gonzaga?
It’s good. People really like Gonzaga and care about sports. The community is very solid and there’s a bond because you feel like you have the common interest of going to school together. The school’s not too big to where you feel like you’re not acquainted with everyone around you. I’d say one in three people I see around campus I know. We may not hang out on the weekends, but when we walk by each other we’ll say hi. If you did see them at a party or a basketball game you might have a quick conversation with them.
To what extent do people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
I’d say well. There is a good number of friend groups that are fairly diverse. Most of my friends are White, but I’m African-American, and in my friend group there’s one Hispanic guy and an Asian guy. We’re fairly diverse. As far as sexual orientation goes, I haven’t seen any sort of discrimination. I’ve met people of all sorts of sexual orientations and I’ve never seen any hostility. [The undergraduate population is 70% White, 11% Hispanic, 1% Black, and 6% Asian.]
How would you describe the Black community on campus? How strong is it?
It’s good and is bigger than you’d expect. I’ve met so many people who come from Black descent, and they came here for the business school or because they love the religious focus of the school, or loved the community when they first got here. There’s a strong feeling of social justice, not just among the Black or minority community, but among everyone on campus.
How do you like the size of Gonzaga in terms of undergraduate enrollment? How has it impacted your experience? [There are about 5,300 undergraduate students at Gonzaga.]
It’s good. At some points, it can feel small. I probably know every one in three people to some extent. Sometimes that’s a really good feeling because maybe you’re feeling a little down, so there’s a fairly good chance you’ll run into a buddy of yours and you’ll strike up a conversation with him.

Careers

What have you used the career office for? How helpful have they been?
I haven’t. I usually go to my professors or the upperclassmen [in my organizations] and ask them what they’re doing or what path they recommend I take.

Financial Aid

Have you used financial aid? If so, how accommodating was the office to your needs?
The office is super useful and easy to access. You can just show up and they’ll have a specialist to guide you through financial aid stuff. I have work-study money so I went and talked to them about my payment plan. They know their stuff.