Welcome to cultural diversity. Many students may not be aware of it, but USM has representatives from various parts of the country and from all over the world. Although USM may not be the most culturally diverse college in the nation, the University is making a valiant effort to improve the school’s cultural spectrum.
A discussion on multiculturalism was held in Payson Smith Hall on Nov. 14. The panel presentation was open to the public and a wide range of people attended. From old to young, with various educational backgrounds, there were many local citizens, as well as students and faculty in attendance.
The set-up was like a classroom discussion, with desks placed in a rectangle. There was a crowd of about 25, including an infant. The discussion was held in a very informal manner, including free coffee and fruit bread. The goal of the forum was to stimulate dialogue of diversity within the community.
The forum began with a presentation by the moderator, D. Christian Young, a graduate student. Young said some of the important issues he wanted to cover were topics dealing with critical multiculturalism and how it affects today’s society. He wanted to illustrate how the definition of critical multiculturalism differs from that of regular multiculturalism.
Young said he needed to get a critical understanding of how whiteness impacts multiculturalism. He was curious about how politics are affected by it.
Finally, Young was intrigued by how the United States is dealing with critical problems within cultures outside of the United States, for example, in Iraq or Afghanistan post-September 11.
After Young described the topics he wanted to cover, the scholars that made up the panel gave feedback on the issues. Janice Thompson, director of the honors program, said there are many problems within the University that are derived from the lack of knowledge of cultural differences. She said many students and faculty are unaware of how to deal with complications within various cultures, and that diversity training needs to be addressed more in the classroom.
Diane Wood, assistant professor of education, said it is the teacher’s responsibility to be open-minded and not be limited to a single racial knowledge. Wood then said that if we see a fault in the cultural system, something must be addressed to change the problem.
Catherine Stakeman, assistant professor of social work, said she makes it a point to use diverse content in all of her classes, no matter what the subject of the class is. She said becoming culturally comfortable between all cultures is a journey, and there is always room for improvement.
The final panel member was Elizabeth Traver, associate professor of social work. Traver said the idea many students struggle with is differences within each other. She said students need to understand the fact that who they are influences how others perceive them. She said the goal of all students should be to live with who they are themselves, and find out how to relate to others who may not be the same.
This issue should not only be looked at in the University system, but also in everyday life. Idoh Rohani, freshman biology major, attends the multiculturalism forums to gain insight and share ideas with the panel. She feels the diversity at USM may be slim, but feels the University is doing a great job to open students’ minds to the diversity within the country.
“The fact that the campus is holding these types of forums shows great pride in multiculturalism,” Rohani said.
The next multiculturalism forum will be held on Jan. 30. For more information contact Ana Mercado, the University’s multicultural student affairs representative, at 780-4006.