Students to focus on diversity, inclusivity
The first-ever Student Leaders Diversity Summit will take place from 5:45 – 8 p.m. Tuesday at the Vandal Ballroom in the Bruce Pitman Center, formerly the Student Union Building.
The event features presentations on diversity by University of Idaho Students and organizations, including the Women’s Center, LGTBQA Office and the Office of Multicultural Affairs.
The idea for the summit came to Viviana Gonzalez, ASUI director of diversity affairs, when she was planning ASUI’s annual diversity training.
“I think the idea’s great, but I wanted to expand it and include all other student leaders on campus,” Gonzalez said. “I think we could all use a diversity training — not just ASUI members.”
Gonzalez said the goals of the Student Leaders Diversity Summit include raising awareness of the diversity present at UI, increasing communication between student groups and showcasing the resources available on campus for diverse students.
“Demographics of the world and Idaho are changing,” said Carmen Suarez, director of the Office of Human Rights. “Diversity is a skill set that is needed to bring to the work force.”
The summit will open with a video about the diversity of UI students, who are each holding up a whiteboard showing what their personal definition of diversity is.
The first presentation during the summit is on respectful communication and will be given by Lysa Salsbury, director of the Women’s Center. Gonzalez said the presentation will discuss how student leaders can communicate effectively with the diverse groups of UI’s campus.
Julia Keleher, director of the LGTBQA Office, will give a presentation about how to become an ally for diverse students. The presentation focuses on becoming a good ally for all diverse communities, not just the LGBTQA community, Gonzalez said.
The final presentation will address how to appreciate diversity and will be given by Jesse Martinez, interim director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs. Gonzalez said Martinez’s speech focuses on why diversity is important and how appreciating diversity is applicable in the workforce.
“What I Want You to Know About Me” is an activity following Martinez’s presentation, where UI students can share details about their lives with each other.
“I think it will be addressing some stereotypes some people might have and how it affects them personally,” Gonzalez said. “I think this will be a preview to a much larger event we hope to host in the future.”
Gonzalez said she hopes the Student Leaders Diversity Summit is successful and will lead to similar events in the future. One form a future event might take, she said, is a forum where
diverse students would share stories and ask questions of other diverse students in a comfortable setting.
Students interested in furthering their diversity training can receive a diversity and stratification certificate from ASUI and the Diversity and Human Rights Office by taking 12 credits of diversity-focused courses.
“It will look great in a resume, especially, being able to show that you went above and beyond to develop your cultural competencies,” Gonzalez said.
Aleya Ericson can be reached at [email protected]