NIU Dialogue on Race seeks
to foster appreciation of diversity

by Mark McGowan

NIU’s fourth Dialogue on Race will offer 40 students the chance to talk about themselves, learn about others and spread the message of understanding diversity.

Scheduled for Oct. 24 and 25, the weekend retreat gathers students from varying racial backgrounds to engage in dialogue about the role that race plays in their lives.

Those chosen are asked for a “strong commitment to improve the current racial climate at NIU” as well as “a willingness to explore their own racial prejudices.” They also should come with “a willingness to listen and help others explore their prejudices in a safe and supportive manner.”

“We provide a forum for students from varying ethnic groups to participate in activities that we hope will help them learn and develop and appreciation for each other’s differences,” said Kathy Hotelling, director of Counseling and Student Development. “Specifically, we hope also that they will be leaders in transmitting that understanding to others on campus so there’s sort of a ripple effect.”

Guided by NIU faculty and staff of diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds, the students will confront a number of “realities.”

• Race and racial identity always have been and continue to be significant and visible parts of American life.
• Racial barriers continue to influence social, political and economic realities despite decades of progress in understanding our common humanity.
• White privilege is often easy to overlook; discussing diversity highlights internalized assumptions.
• Developing the skills in talking about and celebrating racial differences can become a springboard to dialogue about other aspects of diversity.

University leaders launched the program five years ago as a vehicle to improve the climate on campus.

“We still hear – and this was true then – of hate crimes, insensitivity, cultural differences causing problems in the residence halls, where there are a lot of students living together of various backgrounds,” Hotelling said. “It seemed to us a more intense time together, a more extended time, would provide a level of understanding that potentially could have more impact.”

Key to the program’s success is molding the participants into campus leaders who will push the weekend effort further and encourage others toward the forum’s goals.

Students are reminded twice of their promise after the weekend is over.

“One of the things we’ve done is ask them to make a commitment to themselves in writing about how they will carry forth what they’ve learned. About two weeks after that, we send their commitments to them to remind them of what they said,” she said.

They also regroup a month later at a dinner.

“They talk about their experiences and what they took from the workshop, both personally and what kind of things they done with that,” she said. “most students come to the dinner and remain very enthusiastic.”

For more information, call 753-1206 or visit www.niu.edu/csdc.

9-15-03