Remi Ziems of my Dreams

I have gotten the pleasure to know a very special person named Remington Ziems. I have known a lot of people and I have met a lot of hard workers, but Remi has an inspiring attitude. They accomplish every task with the mantra that “it’s hard work but it’s good work.” 

1. What is your major?

I am an English major with a double minor in theology and business. 

2. Why theology as a minor?

I took intro to theology with Dr. Turnbloom. And he is my favorite teacher that I have ever had. He inspired me to choose the minor. Now we meet weekly and talk about theology and eat cookies.

3. Why did you choose to study at University of Portland?

I wanted to get away from my hometown of Las Vegas. Vegas is weirdly grey and dismal. I like the rain and I really like that Portland is fairly liberal.

4. What is your favorite thing about Las Vegas?

It’s super convenient. If you want ice cream at two A.M. then you can get ice cream at two A.M. Also the food there is great.

5. What clubs are you involved in?

I’m involved in the Gay Straight Partnership Club, an Improv Group, Feminist Discussion Group, and Mock Trial. Mock Trial is my life. I literally have dreams about it, and I make objections in normal conversations.

6. What is the best thing about Mock Trial?

I have developed amazing public speaking skills. Anyone who wants to be able to argue effectively should definitely join!

7. What is the best thing about Improv?

You would think that Improv is all about creativity. It definitely is, but it’s also about team building. It’s really stressful to perform for a group of really intelligent people. And there is a lot of we like to call “cluster f******g”. That’s when you push your own story and disrupt the flow of the original story. When enough people start pushing their own stories it gets really crazy. (I understood it as how Michael Scott gets when he does improv). When that happens you have to adapt and trust your scene partner. 

8.  What is the best thing about Feminist Discussion Group?

It’s so nice to be in a room full of people who are upset about the same thing. We try to fight the big bad patriarchy which sometimes feels hopeless but it’s nice to be apart of something.

9. What is the best thing about the Gay Straight Partnership Club?

I really enjoy being involved with this group. Last semester I was on the transgender awareness panel. 

10. What would you want people to know about GSP?

• First, gender is not a binary. I like to use the analogy that gender is like a spectrum, but how I explain it is that gender is like the color picker tool. It’s a giant gradient beautiful colors with tons of options. 
• Identity is always changing and you don’t owe anyone a definition of yourself. 
• There is a difference between sex and gender
• There is more than just gay and straight. We had an idea to call the club the “Queer Straight Partnership” because it encompasses the entire spectrum of identities.Unfortunately queer has been used as a slur, but I think we have started to reclaim the word as a more positive term. 
• People don’t have to qualify anything to you. And questioning someone’s identity is horrible, SO DON’T DO IT. 

11. Do you have any suggestions on how to practice using proper pronouns?

It’s like learning a new language. Like most things it comes with practice. I would suggest that you can stick with “they/them” until you know what that person prefers. And if you ask “what is your preferred pronoun” in a respectful way, then that’s perfectly acceptable. 

• activism
• feminist
• mock trial