Student Research and Projects

A project of The Stan State Public History Certificate program 

Over the Spring semester of 2025, undergraduate students in Dr. Jennifer Cullison’s HIST 4006: Oral History course interviewed individuals who were either emeritus/retired faculty, retired staff, or elder alumni of Stanislaus State.  The project is a new iteration of the oral history collection that emeritus history professor Nancy Taniguchi and former library archivist Bob Santos worked on up until about 2010. The project followed the standards of the Oral History Association. Interviewees (“narrators,” as they are called among oral historians) shared memories of their time at Stan State, including the roles they played on campus, their impressions of the campus and its activities while they were here. The completed interviews below often provided new perspectives and valuable insights on the changes to the campus since its inception in 1960. One additional interview, completed by Dr. Cullison as a test run before the course started, is also included. Additional interviews are expected in future semesters. 

Available interviews are listed below, by last name. 

• Dr. Wanda Bonnell, by Kaylee Rivera on April 14, 2025 (1 hr., 10 min) 

• Ms. Carolyn Gordon, by Priscilla Maldonado on March 21, 2025 (47 min) 

• Dr. Dave Menshew, by Kathryn Norton on March 11, 2025 (51 min) 

• Ms. Priscilla Peters, by Terri Vandagriff on March 21, 2025 (50 min) 

• Dr. Donna Pierce, by Jennifer Cullison on October 13, 2023 (46 min) 

• Dr. Samuel Regalado, by Francisco Ibarra on March 25, 2025 (1 hr., 5 min) 

• Dr. Marjorie Sanchez-Walker, by Natalie Jenks on March 20, 2025 (1 hr., 28 min) 

Most interviews are available over Panopto. A full description, timed summary and human transcription are available for each interview via the information or settings icons. One interview is available over YouTube with a summary and human transcription available there as well. Contact Dr. Cullison for project documentation, including completed pre-interview questionnaires and consent/deed of gift forms from each participant. 

A collaboration between  Valley Improvement Projects and the Stan State Public History Certificate program.

In the Spring of 2025, graduate students in Dr. Jennifer Cullison’s HIST 4006: Oral History class interviewed four individuals who had been organizing to close the Covanta waste incinerator in Crows Landing, California. 

The Burning Injustice Oral History (BIOH) Project, a partnership between Dr. Jennifer Cullison of Stanislaus State and the Valley Improvement Project, began over the spring semester of 2025. The BIOH Project collects stories of people involved in the fight against the Covanta incinerator in Crows Landing. The narrators share stories about their 1) experience living in western Stanislaus County, 2) involvement in community/VIP organizing for air quality and environmental justice, and/or 3) understanding of the health-related effects of incineration and toxic waste disposal in the area. Four interviews were completed and fully processed by students in Dr. Cullison’s Oral History course in spring 2025. The project follows the standards of the Oral History Association. 

Available interviews are listed by last name. 

• Mr. Bradley Angel, by Jenny Hernandez Delgadillo on May 2, 2025 (53 min) 
• Mr. Tom Helme, by Kaitlin Rogers on March 7, 2025 (1 hr., 26 min) 
• Mr. John X Mataka, by Jenny Hernandez Delgadillo on March 14, 2025 (1 hr., 14 min) 
• Ms. Monica Wilson, by Kaitlin Rogers on April 25, 2025 (34 min) 

The interviews are available over Panopto. A full description, timed summary and human transcription are available for each interview via the information or settings icons. Contact Dr. Cullison for project documentation, including the project Memorandum of Understanding and consent/deed of gift forms from each participant. 

A project of The Stan State Public History Certificate Program

Between Spring 2024 and Summer 2025, Stan State student assistants and volunteers working with Dr. Jennifer Cullison, performed translations of interviews, originally completed between Spring 2021 and early Spring of 2023.   

The original interviews were conducted with twenty (mostly anonymous) members of the undocumented population in Nevada and demonstrate the humanity of participants before, during and after their undocumented status, reveal what participants find/found to be their specific resource needs while undocumented, as well as document concerns about immigration policies and practices at various governing levels. The interviews were originally conducted in either Spanish or English, depending on the preference of the interviewee (or “narrator,” as they are called among oral historians). Bilingual students at the University of Nevada and other volunteers acted as interviewers and provided transcripts in the original language as well as a translated transcript. The project followed the standards of the Oral History Association. 

Following Dr. Cullison’s move to Stan State, her new student assistants as well as various volunteers recorded performances of the translated transcripts. As a result of their work, it is now possible to listen to all twenty interviews on Spotify, either in Spanish (season 1) or in English (season 2). Short bilingual summaries are available for each interview on the Spotify site.  

The original interviews are housed in the Special Collections and University Archives of the University of Nevada, Reno Libraries. Interested individuals should visit the library website for longer summaries as well as information relating to partner organizations, memorandums of understanding, and consent/deed of gift forms for all participants using their legal names. 

Students who participated in the project at Stan State include Rocio Herrera, Carla Contreras, Jenny Hernandez Delgadillo, Francisco Ibarra, Ramon Rodriguez, Paulo Chacon and Ruben Marquez Jimenez.