While most people slept in, about 46 students representing various Dartmouth organizations climbed out of bed early Saturday morning to attend an all-day workshop on multiculturalism that began at 10 a.m.
The forum, called "Strategies for Success: Incorporating Multiculturalism into the Campus Community," was designed to "focus on how the Dartmouth community can work together to move beyond mere tolerance to a community in which each individual is able to celebrate and affirm differences and commonalties," said Tim Moore, director of Student Affairs, who organized the event, which was funded by the Bildner Endowment.
Honest discussion was made a priority at the workshop. A sign which read, "Leave PC at the door," was posted outside Room 101 Collis, where the group met.
The group spent the first half of the workshop defining and discussing terms such as multiculturalism, diversity, ethnicity and race -- and how they function on the Dartmouth campus.
The discussion focused on multiculturalism at the College -- what it means and what it should mean.
Many who attended said they feel multiculturalism exists at the College, in that most students respect the differences of others, though they do not try to incorporate those differences into a larger community.
Many also said they feel that although individuals of one culture interact with individuals of other cultures, the larger groups that represent their cultures do not.
The group also discussed how to best promote cultural understanding and interaction between groups without meetings seeming contrived and forced.
"The most valuable part of the conference for me was to talk to representatives from a variety of organizations and hear their reactions to the idea of multiculturalism at Dartmouth," Sara Greenberg '97 said.
During the second half of the workshop, students were placed in groups of five to form action plans that would promote multiculturalism at the College. The plans were then presented to the whole group and critiqued.
"We propose that cultural organizations send people to undergraduate advising groups just to socialize informally, eat some pizza and make friends," one group proposed.
On the whole, reaction to the day was positive.
"For me, the forum re-emphasized that multiculturalism starts on an individual level. Quite frankly, I like it that way," Kelii Opulauoho '96, said.
Moore sent invitations to the leaders of 55 campus organizations, asking each to select two delegates to represent the organization in the workshop. Many students came representing more than one organization.
The workshop was led by two individuals not associated with Dartmouth -- Heemanshu Bhagat and Doreen Knapp.
Bhagat is the vice president of student affairs and dean of students at Adrian College in Michigan. Knapp served as director of management for the 1994 World Cup Soccer Accommodation Bureau and has worked with the University of Georgia and Kent State University in Ohio on fund-raising projects.
Moore said he thinks the forum is a good beginning to addressing the issues of multiculturalism on campus but added "you can't accomplish everything in one day. It's an ongoing process."
