Applications are now available for students to participate in "Voices of Diversity," a program consisting of dialogue between individuals of different racial and ethnic backgrounds.
"Voices of Discovery" is sponsored by numerous organizations including the Department of Chicano Studies and the Hugh Downs School of Human Communication. Two hundred fifty students will be admitted to the program.
"Most students sign up because they need it for credit in a class, but in the end come to enjoy the program," said Kate Collins, "Voices of Discovery" coordinator. "It gives students a chance to talk about misconceptions that might seem invasive."
Once accepted into the program, students will be asked to attend one of 14 dialogue groups for two hours a week. The program runs for six weeks and will begin Feb. 11. Each dialogue will be monitored by at least two trained facilitators. The program offers interaction between groups such as women and men, hispanics and whites, blacks and whites, homosexuals and heterosexuals.
Aside from intergroup dialogues, there is also an intragroup relations program in which individuals of the same identity discuss and learn more about their specific culture. One such group focuses on white culture.
"There are lots of people who are white and feel like they don't have a culture. This is about better exploring white culture," said Collins.
"Sometimes people pick male/female because they think it's safe and all about dating, but it's not. The male/female group focuses on pay equity and family roles.
"Voices began in the spring of 1999 to prevent hostile relations between different groups on campus and to allow for a common place to exchange ideas."
But noticeably absent from the Voices program are those of Middle Eastern decent.
"We're hoping to encompass that in our international student group or inter-religious group," said Collins.
Program coordinator Dr. Joel Montemayor said the ASU's Intergroup Relations Center contacted the Muslim Student Organization, but could not find qualified facilitators for the program this semester.
"It is hard to find facilitators because they have to be graduate students, faculty or staff," Montemayor said. "But we plan to have some for the fall semester."
The IRC has received more than 50 applications for the Voices program and will be accepting applications until Feb. 1.
Reach the reporter at meagan.pollnow@asu.edu.
