Dialogue on Race seeks to break racial barriers

by Lesli Groth

It's not often that college students from different backgrounds come together at a scenic outdoor retreat to spend a weekend talking about what can sometimes separate them most—their race.

NIU set out to change that with the Dialogue on Race program, joining 40 students of different backgrounds to explore sensitive issues of racial intolerance and apathy. The group, comprised of an equal representation of races, including many biracial students, meets annually at the Lorado Taft Field Campus in Oregon, Ill.

"It's amazing the kind of feedback we get after students return from the program," said Counseling and Student Development Center (CSDC) psychologist Barb Fouts, coordinator of the program. "Race is hard to talk about. This is something new and exciting to get students to start talking about their race and ethnicity."

Dialogue on Race was designed two years ago by CSDC staff in response to increased acts of racial intolerance nationwide. The program is funded by Student Affairs and the Office of the President.

Students participate in group discussions, small breakout sessions and ice-breaker type activities such as the fishbowl—a favorite among participants—where students of the same race sit in the middle of a circle and talk for 15 minutes about their racial experiences at NIU.

Program facilitators are faculty and staff from throughout the university, including representatives from University Programming & Activities, the College of Engineering and Engineering Technology, University Resources for Latinos and the CHANCE program.

Those who have some experience in counseling usually make good facilitators because they are able to handle any intense situations that may arise, Fouts said.

The program will be held March 22-23. Applications are being accepted now and interviewing will take place in late February and early March. Students will be interviewed by the CSDC staff, and if selected, will go on the retreat free of charge. Freshmen and sophomores especially are encouraged to participate.

"We want to reach students who are early in their experience at Northern," Fouts added. "It's powerful and positive for them to take what they learn into the campus community. In the long run, we hope to have Dialogue on Race co-led by students."

Fouts said the goal is to attract students who can share their experiences, as well as listen to others.

"We don't want people who are going to try to push other people's buttons," she said. "We want to gently challenge students' perceptions."

For more information, visit Campus Life Building 220 or call 753-1206. Visit the Dialogue on Race Web site at http://www.stuaff.niu.edu/csdc/Dialogue
OnRace.htm.