Third Coast Residential Learning Community

Working with Third Coast has been a very rewarding experience. Not only have I learned more about Louisiana culture, but I have loved seeing other people see such a unique part of our country that not many people are able to witness. Growing up in Louisiana has really shaped me into who I am today, and I am so happy that others are able to take part in such a beautiful culture as well. 

Tulane’s Climate Action Day Conference on January 30th was an event that focused on the multifaceted issue of climate change in regards to its impacts on social, political, and environmental spheres as well as different approaches to action that can be taken by students and community members alike.

Multiple panels and display exhibits from students and experts alike showed many different approaches toward combating the problems presented by climate change, as well a diverse set of views from multiple disciplines.

Events Included:

“Understanding and Confronting the Injustice of Climate Change: Vulnerability, Responsibility, and Action, from the U.N. to Washington and Right at Home”

“Climate Justice: Socio-environmental change and collective responses.”  

“Living with Water -- Tulane's Place in the Watershed”

“The War on Climate Science: Combatting Misinformation and Attack Politics”

“Barriers to Public Acceptance of Climate Science, Impacts, and Solutions”

After two cancelled “snow” days of school, nice weather is now ushering Tulane students back to their spring semester. With Mardi Gras only three weeks away, king cakes have been sprouting up, parades are beginning, and the festival season is upon us. This season is nearly an awakening for New Orleans to open up to various social events, festivals, celebrations, music, and time outdoors.

As for the students in the Third Coast Residential Learning Community, spring will be busy, yet exciting. Of course, the one thing on everyone’s minds at the moment is their first Mardi Gras, but there is so much more to look forward to. A seasonal meal was served to students on Tuesday, January 23 to kick off the semester. The spread included a traditional carnival soup from Portugal and a delicious king cake from Sucre. It was at the kick off event where the Third Coast events for the 2018 spring semester were announced. They include attendance of:

Tulane Science and Climate Change Conference

TET Festival (Vietnamese New Year Celebration)

Map Making with Rebecca Snedeker

STEM grants and scholarships information session

Home cooked dinners

Field Trip to Ship Island with Richard Campanella

Maps are used as tools to show where we’ve travelled and where we are going. Third Coast students have had the opportunity this semester to interact with each other through a mapping activity housed in their residence hall.

A map of New Orleans graphed between the lake and the river was displayed on move in day with the prompt, “Where have you eaten the best food?” Pins and post it notes were used as markers for the student’s favorites. New Orleans offers Tulane’s students opportunities to not only interact with its densely populated culinary scene, but to also survey the city’s rich and diverse culture through food.

Some of the highlights included The Crystal Room, Humble Bagel, Commander's Palace, Baru’s Bistro and Tapas, Cajun Seafood, Lil’ Dizzy’s Cafe, Anitas Restaurant, and Creole Creamery. The cuisines range broadly from upscale to casual. There are places to grab a snack, or enjoy a deep southern meal. The maps were filled with cafes, diners, and formal sit down restaurants.

This activity worked with two purposes. One, the students are encouraged to explore, share and show off where they went, and two, the students who felt like they needed to mix up their diet had plenty of testimonials and options.

These pictures are of some crafts and trappings on display at the Native American Cultures day at Vermilionville Living History and Folk Life Park this past Sunday. Third Coast students presented their projects rewriting the Louisiana colonial history narrative used in Louisiana schools to include an indigenous perspective. 

The students also had the opportunity to explore the park, talk with the Native American tribes present and get a glimpse of what life looked like in the eighteenth century. 

Third Coast students have the opportunity to adventure to Vermilionville in Lafayette on Sunday, November 12, 2017. The trip is centered on experiencing the annual Native American Cultures Day.

Students in Dr. Laura Kelley’s Indian Tribes on the Bayou class will present their service learning projects on that site. This semester the class read and analyzed hundreds of primary source documents (letters from the colonial period of Louisiana). The final project was to turn a theme or story from the letters into an essay or lesson plan for Louisiana’s eighth grade social studies curriculum.

While Lafayette is north of the coast, tribes from all over the state will come to share their culture and heritage with the Louisiana community. There will be craft demonstrations, food, music, and dance. There is so much to learn and the field study will provide a fantastic way for the students to grow their roots deeper into the history and culture of New Orleans.  

More information about the festival can be found on: http://www.vermilionville.org/events/native-american-culture-day.

Additionally, Beverly Trask will be leading the Third Coast event next Tuesday. She will discuss Mardi Gras Indians: Food, Dance, and Culture for the students on November 14th. 

Here is a brief showcase of some students in this year’s (2017-2018) Third Coast RLC.

Stephanie H. comes to New Orleans from Westminster, Colorado. While much flatter than home, the view of New Orleans from Tulane’s library and cares about wildlife protection in the gulf’s many ecosystems.

Ann K. is from Park Ridge, Illinois. She has found the library to be a great place to study and a tremendous resource for students. She is fascinated by coastal erosion that impacts many physical and cultural aspects of the Gulf South.

Audrey K. is from Alabama. While getting involved with many organizations across campus and attending various events Audrey is learning about a wide variety of interesting topics and of course the free food that comes with it. Additionally, she is curious and eager to help with environmental issues of New Orleans, especially rising sea levels.

Maddie T. is from Wilmington, Delaware. She has enjoyed the weather and being able to study outside at Tulane. Maddie is interested in the way very individual cultures in New Orleans have become one.

Amy S. is from Stockbridge, Alabama. She enjoys hearing all different kinds of stories her peers have to share and looks forward to getting to know people in all aspects of her campus life. Resource sustainability and ecology in New Orleans and the surrounding area are issues Amy is concerned about. 

This fall of 2017 the New Orleans Center for the Gulf South welcomed 15 freshmen to Tulane with their inaugural Third Coast Residential Learning Community. As this handful of freshmen stepped into their lives as students on campus, the faculty and staff involved with the RLC began us of the broader scopes of city they were joining.

The New Orleans Center for the Gulf South was eager to lead the undergraduate opportunity. The ideas of the RLCs were to provide an additional community to students living on campus at Tulane. As one of eight RLCs on campus this year, Third Coast is rooted in the ability of the residents to live together and engage in activities that catalyze thinking through various perspectives, including their own.

Taking into account that 15 students are joining together with faculty and staff, the Third Coast centered programming has followed a theme of “where do you come from?” The observations made are very insightful and allowed the cohort to connect, relate, and appreciate differences to those we are now neighbors.

One of the many passions the community shares has been maps. Members of the RLC have sketched and shared based on personal experiences and perspectives. It was a great tool to get to know each other and helped recognize the importance of place with the ideas of identity.

In the last two months of programming, the RLC has collected to meet with each other and corresponding faculty, receive a concert in their dorm by Jose Fermin Ceballos, and listen to lectures about the environmental changes the gulf south experiences, the history of various religions in New Orleans, and the impacts of the plantation culture New Orleans held. The resifents were even treated to a Dat Dog Dinner. Additionally residents are enrolled in corresponding TIDEs classes that foster deeper relationships with the city. These include Indian Tribes on the Bayou, NOLA Food, and Cities and Urbanization.

On their own, the students of the RLC have spent their first semester  joining clubs, participating in campus activities exploring the city, and of course beginning their higher educational studies.

This Weekend in Nola:

Welcome to the official blog for the Third Coast Residential Learning Community at Tulane University! Since this is the first post for fall of 2017, I’d like to introduce myself, as well as the residential learning community! My name is Will Bailey and I’m an intern with the program, as well as a student majoring in Anthropology and Musical Cultures of the Gulf South, with an interest in local radio and ethnomusicology. While I am, you don’t need to be in the program’s major, or even within the same school as it, to benefit from learning more about this distinct and interesting region. We aim to connect students that are curious to learn more about the cultural heritage and coastal environment unique to the Gulf South region with opportunities to engage with these topics intellectually, as well as directly. This RLC examines topics such as the tenuous urbanism, changing climates, and rising seas that shape and inform the physical, as well as cultural, landscape of the region. This will allow students to gain a perspective unique to this area and help to apply what they learn academically to their surroundings. We also hope to foster a sense of community on campus that connects those whose interests align around the preservation and study of this region. I hope you all have a wonderful year, and I look forward to seeing you at our upcoming events, as well as hearing any feedback you may have!

William Bailey

Third Coast Intern

B.A. Candidate Anthropology and Musical Cultures of the Gulf South

Tulane University