Students Receive Eva Lassman Research Awards

Sharon Jang
Sharon Jang
June 01, 2021
Gonzaga News Service

SPOKANE, Wash. — The Gonzaga University Institute for Hate Studies is pleased to announce its 2021 Eva Lassman Memorial Student Research Award recipients. The awards are presented annually in honor of the life and memory of Holocaust survivor and educator Eva Lassman.

  • First Place: Sharon Jang, biology major, with advisor Sara Diaz, Ph.D., associate professor of women’s and gender studies, for research on “Increasing Anti-Asian Hate Crimes: The Experiences of Asian and Asian-American Students Attending Gonzaga University During the COVID-19 Pandemic.” 
  • Honorable Mention: DaShane Fugate, psychology major, with advisor Forrest Rogers, Ph.D., assistant professor of sociology and criminology, for research on “Food Accessibility at Gonzaga University.” 
  • Honorable Mention: Emma Wood, sociology major, with advisor Michael Deland, Ph.D., assistant professor of sociology and criminology, for research on “The Alt-Right Pipeline: Political Radicalization during the Internet Era.”

The first-place winner receives a $1,000 award while the honorable mention recipients receive up to $250 each. All three recipients are Gonzaga undergraduates. The awards fund proposals for research that will be conducted during the 2021-2022 academic year.

“We are so excited to continue to expand the numbers of faculty involved and the range of disciplines represented by the student recipients,” said Kristine Hoover, Ed.D., associate professor of organizational leadership and director of the Institute for Hate Studies. “With this award, we are proud to have recognized over a dozen students for their commitment to a better understanding of hatred and ways in which to respect the dignity inherent in every person.” 

Nominations for Take Action Against Hate Awards Due June 30

The Institute also honors Lassman’s legacy with the Eva Lassman Take Action Against Hate Awards for individuals and organizations throughout the local community and worldwide; nominations for the 2021 awards are due June 30. The Institute asks people to consider nominating an individual or organization demonstrating a commitment to action and awareness-building to counter hate or intolerance within their community (whether local, regional, national, or global). 

About Eva Lassman

The late Eva Lassman, a Holocaust survivor and longtime community educator on the Holocaust and human rights who received the inaugural Take Action Against Hate Award in 2009. She stood as both witness and advocate for dignity, respect, and perseverance served on the Institute’s advisory board, and received an honorary Doctorate of Laws from Gonzaga Law School in 2002. Lassman also received the YWCA’s Carl Maxey Racial Justice Award in 2006 for her work battling racism and empowering women. Despite her firsthand experience of inhumane acts, she never surrendered to hate or lost her indomitable spirit. For more information about Eva Lassman, her work, and her life, visit www.gonzaga.edu/elmsra. 

For more information about the Institute or the student research awards, contact Kristine Hoover, Ed.D., at hoover@gonzaga.edu or visit the Institute online. For more information about the 2021 Eva Lassman Take Action Against Hate Awards, contact Award Chair Rachelle Strawther, at strawther@gonzaga.edu.