PPPA Student Lok Wu Selected For City Charter Review Committee

One of UWT’s core values is community engagement, so it is inspiring to see students put this value into practice.

Last December, the Tacoma City Council formed its once-a-decade Charter Review Committee.  Among 52 applicants for 6 open positions, the Council selected UWT student Lok Yin Wu (Economics and Policy Analysis) to serve on the committee.

The city’s Charter Review Committee (CRC) reviews and proposes amendments to the city’s charter.  In this critical process, the CRC examines features in the charter, such as the city’s governance structure, police accountability, the ability of citizens to vote directly on policies, and the term limits of Tacoma’s elected officials.  The Committee’s task is to make recommendations to the City Council for changes to the charter that it would like the Council to put to a public vote.

The review process is a long one. This year it began in January and will end in May; it has required committee members to devote an average of ten hours of work per week. Of the 15 committee members, Lok is by far the youngest, reflecting an intentional effort on the part of City Council to involve young adults in the charter review process. Says Mayor Victoria Woodards:

“Children are not our future, but our present and we need to be engaging them now in the decisions that will impact them. There is no better example of this than the Charter Review Process and having youth participate in conversations that will shape the next decade of our community.”

Stephen Wamback, the chair of the review committee, agrees:  “I’m appreciative that our City Council appointed Lok to represent the voice of youth.  Active participation from younger generations is an important part of making sure we do this work right.”

Katie Baird, Lok Yu Win, and Nicholas Carr

Lok herself has found this opportunity to be “a breakthrough experience” for her.  She especially appreciated how much she has learned:  “It has deepened my understanding of the structure of the City of Tacoma and its progressive goals.  I appreciate how passionate so many individuals are for making positive changes.”

In addition to Lok, UWT is well represented on this year’s Charter Review Committee.  Prof. Katie Baird (PPPA) was also selected by the City, as were Andre Jimenez (Law & Policy, 2022), and Nicholas Carr (PP&E, 2012).

PPPA Alums Share Experiences With UWT Community

Invited to UWT’s Alumni Speaker Series, two PPPA alums recently returned to campus to discuss their personal stories, along the way providing students with college and career advice.

On January 11th, Dee Sonntag, who was recently elected to the Tacoma Municipal Court, visited us. Dee graduated magna cum laude in 2013 with a degree in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics. While a student, she started the Pre-Law Society, then was selected to be her class’s Commencement Speaker.  Post graduation, Dee attended the University of Washington School of Law, then worked for both the Seattle City Attorney’s Office and the Pierce County Department of Assigned Counsel.  A year ago she was elected to the Tacoma Municipal Court.

Prior to Dee’s visit, last November 16th, NIck Brooks came to campus to talk with the UWT community.  Nick graduated a couple of years ago with a degree in Politics Philosophy and Economics. Before UWT, Nick served in the Air Force for 21 years. Since graduation, he’s been active in the non-profit community, and has served on community boards such as with the Tacoma Pierce County Black Collective, and the historical preservation group Buffalo Soldiers of Seattle. Nick also has long experience as a entrepreneur and property developer.  Nick is also active as a father of five, and a coach of various youth sports teams.

It’s always great to see our former students back on campus!

Veganism and the Dangers of Categorization

This is a follow-up guest post from UWT Alum Lucas Waggoner

On February 28, Ed Winters, or Earthling Ed, gave a talk here at the University of Washington Tacoma. He spoke on veganism and ethics.

Winters discussed how animal rights are about the acknowledgment of rights related to non-human animals. He argued that non-human animals are “deserving of applicable and relevant rights” directly related to the nature of animals, rather than simply applying broad human rights to animals.

One of the more compelling points Winters raised was the way in which broad categorization is employed to alter the reactions people have to animal suffering. He explained that we “assign traits” to make it appear that all animals of a certain kind “are the same.” That way, we don’t think of an animal on an individual level, even if interacting with that animal. We deny animals the right to be viewed or perceived as individuals, despite the fact that no two animals are truly the same.

This act of categorizing animals and denying them individuality helps make their suffering more “palatable” to humans. Despite humans lacking the capacity to truly know what any given animal experiences in life or how it experiences events, distinctions are made regarding consciousness. And the distinctions between which animals it is moral to harm, or under what circumstances harm is accepted, quickly become — according to Winters — arbitrary.

One example he offered was how people tend to respond to animal abuse. A person kicking an animal is typically met with disdain, regardless of a person’s stance on either animal testing or animal consumption. However, when people subject animals to similar levels—or often drastically worse levels—of suffering for animal testing or animal consumption, the responses are not as overwhelmingly against the actions. And the “arbitrary distinctions” people are left with, he argued, lack any coherent moral distinction.

Lucas Waggoner is a UWT alum, writer, and English teacher at the Hebrew Academy of Cleveland

Veganism as a “Propaganda” or an Opportunity to Create a Better World for All?

A guest post from UWT Alum Lucas Waggoner

Ed Winters — known worldwide for his extensive efforts as a vegan educator, an author, and as a public speaker — is giving a talk on ethics and veganism. Presented as part of the guest speaker series for TPHIL 361 Ethics in Society, the talk will be held virtually at UW Tacoma on February 28, 2023 (Zoom link), Ed Winters aka Earthling Ed | Viva! The Vegan Charitystarting at 8:00 am.

An outspoken advocate for animal rights, “Earthling Ed,” has spoken across the globe and on virtually every platform imaginable. While he found popularity and notoriety initially through his early lecture called “You Will Never Look at Your Life Again,” he has since taught ethics courses at Harvard University and given numerous Ted talks.

Most of his work follows a consistent and steady theme: evaluating the classical arguments given opposing veganism as a philosophy to test their merits. One-by-one, he presents each argument against veganism. He then examines it to determine whether, under proper scrutiny — often by way of analogy — the argument possesses real merits. Through this method, he has led countless people in his audiences to accepting a vegan lifestyle.

Ed Winters is also well-known for his extremely successful 2022 book, This Is Vegan Propaganda: (And Other Lies the Meat Industry Tells You). Beyond challenging common misconceptions about veganism, the book also discusses an element of the production of meat and other animal products that is rarely discussed in conversations about veganism: the human cost in production. This includes issues such as dangerous working conditions, pollution in primarily lower-income areas, and all manner of abuse from supervisors.

The book, like Winters’ other work, is deeply rooted in ethics. “Veganism”, he explains, “is an ethical stance against needless animal exploitation — it’s not specifically about diet.” It is more of “a social justice issue that recognizes that non-human animals deserve autonomy, moral consideration and the recognition that their lives are far more valuable than the reasons we use to justify exploiting them” (p. 12).  Every dimension of Winters’ work highlights questions of a person’s ethical obligations to both animals and nature. Typically, when trying to expose any flaws in the logic for anti-vegan argumentation, he questions whether the positions they hold are viable in a moral sense.

One of his more compelling arguments is the connections he draws between the aforementioned human cost and the nature of animal suffering within the factory farm system. Namely, he discusses how both the exploitation and abuse of humans working at farms, like that of animals, is systemic. The abuses aren’t isolated cases — they aren’t mere aberrations. The suffering is inherent to the way the system functions. The modern system of factory farming exists because of the suffering of both the animals being bred and slaughtered, as well as the humans abused and exploited in those processes.

I encourage you to take the opportunity to hear this provocative and engaging speaker.

Lucas Waggoner is a UWT alum, writer, and English teacher at the Hebrew Academy of Cleveland

 

UWT Alum Elected Tacoma Municipal Court Judge

A trailblazer, Dee Ann (Dee) Sonntag, graduate of University of Washington Tacoma (UWT) and the University of Washington School of Law, was elected (by over 60%) as Tacoma Municipal Court Judge, Department 1, the first woman to serve in this position.

Sonntag completed her bachelor’s degree majoring in Politics, Philosophy & Economics and minoring in Human Rights. At UWT, she was an active member of several student organizations, including the Pre-Law Society, ASUWT, and the Legislative Action Committee. After graduating from UW, Sonntag worked as a prosecuting and defense attorney at the Superior Court, District Court, and Department 1 of Tacoma Municipal Court. These formative experiences gave Sonntag a firm foundation for a career as a dedicated public servant.

While acknowledging the flaws of the current criminal justice system,  Sonntag pointed out in an interview with Faith Rasmussen for Politics, Philosophy and Public Affairs (PPPA) news, that it is essential to keep faith in the role the system plays, adding that she believes “in the important work that we do to try to make it better.” Sonntag endeavors to connect with community partners and act with a “compassionate therapeutic-based approach to criminal justice [hiredeesonntag.com]” that addresses the needs of the most vulnerable in our society.

Congratulations, Dee Sonntag! We are all proud of your new leadership role for the Tacoma community.

Alumna Runs for Tacoma Municipal Court Judge

Dee Ann “Dee” Sonntag is the embodiment of grit and advocacy. A graduate of both the University of Washington Tacoma (UWT) and the University of Washington Seattle (UW Law School), Sonntag is currently pursuing a position as a Municipal Court Judge for the city of Tacoma. Born in Puyallup, Sonntag grew up around three older sisters. In fourth grade, her whole family moved to a small town called Roundup in the state of Montana but returned to Tacoma for her higher educational career; transferring from Tacoma Community College to the UWT.

Sonntag majored in Politics, Philosophy & Economics and minored in Human Rights. She was involved in multiple Student Organizations including Pre-Law Society, A.S.U.W.T., Politics, Philosophy & Economics Club, Public Relations Committee, and the Legislative Action Committee.  When asked if she had any advice for freshmen who are new to the U.W.T. campus, Sonntag suggested:

“I’ll pass on the good advice that I received, which was to remain open-minded and invest yourself as much as you can in your institution.” Continue reading

Alumni Spotlight: Christopher Martinez, ’15

Christopher Martinez, ’15

Christopher Martinez can confidently say that UW Tacoma was the right choice for him. “I made some lifelong friendships and met mentors that I still keep in touch with today,” he says. “My time at UW Tacoma had a huge impact on my career and education.” And his career and education are going far — currently, Christopher is in his third year at the University of Washington School of Law, and works in California with the Department of Justice’s Civil Division doing employment and labor litigation.

As a Politics, Philosophy, and Economics major with a minor in Human Rights, Christopher secured an internship through the Washington State Legislative Internship program at UW Tacoma, and he credits that experience with his subsequent job at the Attorney General’s Office. Continue reading

Class of 2018 Heads to Law School!

Now that the dust has settled from commencement, grad parties, and those first gorgeous days of summer… isn’t it time to think about going back to school??
Meet three of PPPA’s Class of 2018 who are heading to law school this fall.

Gabi Gutierrez, ’18

Gabi Gutierrez, a Law & Policy major with a minor in Human Rights, will be attending the University of Washington Law School, with a major focus in Public Service Law. “Although I am extremely grateful for the time I had at the University of Washington Tacoma, I feel like I have even more vigor to practice law. If you are interested in following a career in the legal field, I would highly recommend taking the time to explore the law through internships or volunteering. I’m extremely grateful to have interned for the Department of Assigned Counsel and to have developed supportive relationships with faculty members, because without my experience I would have never discover my true desire to practice criminal law.” Continue reading

Alumni Spotlight: Jackie Wheeler, ’13

Jackie Wheeler, ’13

Congratulations to UWT alum Jackie Wheeler on her acceptance to the Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration at George Washington University! 

Since graduating from the Politics, Philosophy & Economics program in 2013, Jackie has worked as a Program Specialist with the Office of the Secretary of State, Elections Division, in Olympia, WA. She also interned for the U.S. State Department in Washington, D.C. while still an undergraduate. Now returning to the D.C. for her Master’s, Jackie reflects on how UW Tacoma helped her along her path to a career she feels passionate about.

When she moved to Washington from North Carolina, Jackie originally intended to attend UW Seattle, but unexpectedly fell in love with UW Tacoma instead. “I love the small class sizes, the prestigious faculty, and the feeling of community that you get when being on campus,” she says. “I have many fond memories at UWT. I know that the friends I made while at UW Tacoma will be my friends for life.”  Continue reading

Alumni Spotlight: Catherine Tonsberg, ’16

Catherine Tonsberg, PPE ’16

Congratulations to Catherine Tonsberg on her recent acceptance to Brown University’s Master of Public Affairs program! Currently living and working in Rhode Island, Catherine answered a few questions for us about how her time at UW Tacoma prepared her for her career and, now, her graduate education.

Catherine majored in Politics, Philosophy, & Economics (PPE), with a Law and Policy minor. Describing her program, she says, “I was first drawn to UW Tacoma by the faculty who were active in their field and doing interesting and important work, but the PPE major is what cemented my decision to attend…. The PPE major provided me with analytical tools far beyond what any of these fields would have on their own, and has made me well prepared to think about the human and moral implications of political and economic issues.”  Continue reading