Post by captaggie on Oct 29, 2004 9:00:24 GMT -5
www.news-record.com/news/education/bridgegap_102904.htm
Interesting program.
Local colleges [NC A&T / Elon] bridge the gap
By Lanita Withers Staff Writer
News & Record
GREENSBORO -- Elon junior Tom Kernan wanted to know what it was like to be a minority.
All it took was a 19-mile van ride to N.C. A&T, and he got his wish.
"For a brief moment, I was a little uncomfortable," said Kernan, who is white. "But if you're comfortable all the time, what do you learn? Absolutely nothing. If you are uncomfortable, you grow. You have to be put in difficult situations."
Kernan was one of about two dozen students -- half from A&T, half from Elon University, all with diverse points of view -- who swapped campuses this week to experience life from a different perspective.
They were participants in Bridge the Gap, a collaboration between Elon and A&T designed to show students a slice of life they won't find on their own campus.
The program, and others like it, are reflective of the push in recent years of colleges and universities to increase students' awareness on diversity -- be it on their campus or beyond.
"We want to encourage students to talk about issues of diversity as the world gets more diverse," said Audrey Daniel, director of UNCG's Office of Multicultural Affairs.
In recent years, programming has expanded from racial and ethnic diversity to include sexual orientation, religious and socio-economic categories.
School officials said that once students graduate, there's a good chance they'll have a job with a diverse team in the work force.
"It's inevitable. You can't live in a secluded world because you're going to work with someone who's a different religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation," said Valerie Budischak, an Elon senior who helped coordinate Bridge the Gap. "It's important to understand, accept and be aware of diversity issues."
Colleges have found different ways to incorporate diversity into campus life. UNCG sponsors a cultural movie and cultural music series designed to engage students in talking about diverse issues. Elon recently began the Diversity Emerging Education Program, which trains students to conduct diversity workshops among their peers.
At Duke University, students from different cultural backgrounds hold workshops to talk about their differences, said Julian Sanchez, director of the university's Center for Multicultural Affairs. Sanchez said the workshops help "people become educated in other areas other than their own ethnic and cultural backgrounds."
Colleges believe diversity programs are just as important as any economics or philosophy class. They're "critical in guaranteeing well-rounded education for our students," Sanchez said.
"It's almost become mandatory to do that on our campus," Sanchez said. "If we're not diverse on our campuses, and if our curriculum is not diverse, we're really doing them (students) a disservice in terms of the quality of education they're receiving."
Earlier this week, Bridge the Gap participants from Elon showed A&T students around their small, private, largely white university in Alamance County. On Wednesday, the roles were reversed, as A&T students gave Elon students tours of their historically black campus.
Afternoons were devoted to discussions. Students didn't shy away from hot issues, having open and honest conversations about topics ranging from racial humor to sexual orientation.
Is it okay for black comedians to crack racial jokes? Maybe, some students said. Others said any joke that is degrading is wrong.
While the students found the differences among them, they also found their schools were a lot alike.
On the surface, you see the differences in race, A&T freshman Tiffany Balmer said.
But in the classroom, both schools encourage open discussion, she said.
"I think (Elon's) still a very nice university," Balmer said. "The culture was a lot different, but I didn't have a problem with that."
Kernan said students may have come in with their generalizations and stereotypes of what each school was like, but in the end, "you've seen both schools, and you can say, 'Okay, you were wrong.' "
"Now it's time to bring in other people who haven't had this experience."
Interesting program.
Local colleges [NC A&T / Elon] bridge the gap
By Lanita Withers Staff Writer
News & Record
GREENSBORO -- Elon junior Tom Kernan wanted to know what it was like to be a minority.
All it took was a 19-mile van ride to N.C. A&T, and he got his wish.
"For a brief moment, I was a little uncomfortable," said Kernan, who is white. "But if you're comfortable all the time, what do you learn? Absolutely nothing. If you are uncomfortable, you grow. You have to be put in difficult situations."
Kernan was one of about two dozen students -- half from A&T, half from Elon University, all with diverse points of view -- who swapped campuses this week to experience life from a different perspective.
They were participants in Bridge the Gap, a collaboration between Elon and A&T designed to show students a slice of life they won't find on their own campus.
The program, and others like it, are reflective of the push in recent years of colleges and universities to increase students' awareness on diversity -- be it on their campus or beyond.
"We want to encourage students to talk about issues of diversity as the world gets more diverse," said Audrey Daniel, director of UNCG's Office of Multicultural Affairs.
In recent years, programming has expanded from racial and ethnic diversity to include sexual orientation, religious and socio-economic categories.
School officials said that once students graduate, there's a good chance they'll have a job with a diverse team in the work force.
"It's inevitable. You can't live in a secluded world because you're going to work with someone who's a different religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation," said Valerie Budischak, an Elon senior who helped coordinate Bridge the Gap. "It's important to understand, accept and be aware of diversity issues."
Colleges have found different ways to incorporate diversity into campus life. UNCG sponsors a cultural movie and cultural music series designed to engage students in talking about diverse issues. Elon recently began the Diversity Emerging Education Program, which trains students to conduct diversity workshops among their peers.
At Duke University, students from different cultural backgrounds hold workshops to talk about their differences, said Julian Sanchez, director of the university's Center for Multicultural Affairs. Sanchez said the workshops help "people become educated in other areas other than their own ethnic and cultural backgrounds."
Colleges believe diversity programs are just as important as any economics or philosophy class. They're "critical in guaranteeing well-rounded education for our students," Sanchez said.
"It's almost become mandatory to do that on our campus," Sanchez said. "If we're not diverse on our campuses, and if our curriculum is not diverse, we're really doing them (students) a disservice in terms of the quality of education they're receiving."
Earlier this week, Bridge the Gap participants from Elon showed A&T students around their small, private, largely white university in Alamance County. On Wednesday, the roles were reversed, as A&T students gave Elon students tours of their historically black campus.
Afternoons were devoted to discussions. Students didn't shy away from hot issues, having open and honest conversations about topics ranging from racial humor to sexual orientation.
Is it okay for black comedians to crack racial jokes? Maybe, some students said. Others said any joke that is degrading is wrong.
While the students found the differences among them, they also found their schools were a lot alike.
On the surface, you see the differences in race, A&T freshman Tiffany Balmer said.
But in the classroom, both schools encourage open discussion, she said.
"I think (Elon's) still a very nice university," Balmer said. "The culture was a lot different, but I didn't have a problem with that."
Kernan said students may have come in with their generalizations and stereotypes of what each school was like, but in the end, "you've seen both schools, and you can say, 'Okay, you were wrong.' "
"Now it's time to bring in other people who haven't had this experience."
