The United Multicultural Council’s (UMC) annual “Diversity Week,” which takes place this week, has decided to take a new direction this year.
The UMC established Diversity Week in order to allow students the opportunity to experience different cultures and different campus organizations, as well as to present different issues. This year the event put a focus on bringing in different RSOs to participate in the event.
“We wanted to reach out to different populations instead of just the multicultural ones,” United Multicultural Council Co-Chair Brian Dominguez said. “Some events were chosen by past positive feedback and other ones were something we wanted to try.”
Campus organizations invited to participate included Real Women Real Bodies and Wyoming African Students Association (WASA). Other scheduled activities included Latin Dancing Lessons with Movimiento Estuduantil Chicano de Aztlan (M.E.Ch.A.)
and a discussion on diversity and success in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields.
“Today I went to the Slap and Shake which was drumming with WASA,” UMC Intern Nancy Campbell said. “There were quite a few people there.”
Dominguez explained why UMC feels it is important to put on events like Diversity Week.
“Students being culturally literate helps campus climate,” he said. “If students are not uncomfortable they will not learn. We want to talk about diversity issues that make students uncomfortable and dissolve stereotypes.”
Campbell had a similar point of view, “We have a really diverse student population on campus,” she said. “I would say one of the most diverse for such a small number of students. So it definitely gives students an opportunity to realize that and see what it is all about.”
The final event for the week will be an exhibit in the Skylight Lounge today.
“It will take maybe 20 minutes to look at all of the displays,” Campbell said. “It would be really important for students to go because it is a lot of information that is valuable to what is happening in the world, the United States, Wyoming and on campus.”
A raffle will also take place at the end of today’s event. By liking the UMC Facebook page students will be entered in a drawing to win several small prizes as well as two grand prizes.
“We have a lot of little prizes like backpacks, t-shirts and pencils. We also have two $50 gift cards for the bookstore,” Campbell said.
Though Diversity Week changed in small ways this year, UMC’s mission is clear.
“We need to address stereotypes and help to get rid of them,” Dominguez said. “There are so many things we can fix. It is not okay to stereotype or to be racist. People need to see people for who they are, rather than what they are.”
