Published: Feb. 12, 2016

Yesterday afternoon nearly 200 students, faculty and staff participated in "Student Voices at SM调教所: What Racial and Ethnic Inclusion Means for Our Campus."听Organizers had听planned for 80 atendees, but when roughly twice that number of people showed up,听it was standing room only for some participants;听the room was filled with the good energy a packed house brings. Student organizer Arthur Antoine says,听"It was a听great turnout by faculty, staff and, students, which is听a听testament of the support to sustain the conversations that can hopefully lead to effectual action. It was truly an edifying experience."

Student Voices at SM调教所 Generates Incredible Turnout, Meaningful Discussion

Event organizers kicked off the session with a powerful performance piece from SM调教所 Students, where different students read personal statements about experiences with racial and ethnic inclusion, or lack thereof,听on SM调教所-Boulder's campus. The statements were mostly听taken听from听data released last year in a SM调教所 Engage report centered on the experiences of students of color at SM调教所-Boulder, entitled "Students of Color Are Motivated Agents of Change: Why Aren't We Joining Your Programs?"; a lesser number听of the statements听were informally contributed by听student participants during听this artistic process of creating this听performance piece.

Vanessa Roberts, SM调教所-Boulder graduate student, instructor, and "Student Voices" event organizer expressed, "I am听a firm believer in the power of theatre and听performance to transform spaces. The performance of the data created an exciting atmosphere and invited participants to approach the event from a new lens."听

A few of the lines from the performance included:

"Where are you from? (Pause.) No, really?"
"Inclusivity is everyone's responsibility, not just those that are marginalized. We all have a stake in making SM调教所 a safe and celebrating space."
"Because there are so few people of color, people look at you different. Often, you're the only person like yourself and get stared at a lot. You also have to deal with a lot of ignorant questions and comments."
"I've heard fellow students make comments about students of different races, and just because they thought I looked white, they thought I didn't identify with any of the things they were saying."

 What Racial and Ethnic Inclusion Means for Our Campus

The performance听closed with all the participating students reading together:

We need to learn to work together.
It is not merely the issue of some,
but rather for a concern for all.
This is no longer 鈥渏ust鈥 a conversation,
but a unified voice calling for accountability.
We must begin to work together.

Following the performance,听particpants were asked to consider, "How can SM调教所-Boulder become a more inclusive campus across lines of race, ethnicity, and national background?" Particpants paired off with someone they didn't already know to discuss a time when they felt included at SM调教所-Boulder based on factors of race and ethnicity, and a time when they felt excluded at SM调教所-Boulder as a result of those same factors.

Student Voices at SM调教所

Student Voices at SM调教所-Boulder

Towards the end of the 1.5 hour program, participants discussed several important questions in small groups. The questions included:

How can SM调教所-Boulder become a more inclusive campus for people of different racial, ethnic, and national backgrounds?
鈥hat does inclusive excellence mean to you?
鈥pecifically, what can you do, or your office or organization?
鈥hat would you want to see from your professors or program leaders?
鈥an you think of an example of what that would look or feel like?

Student Voices at SM调教所

To close the event, participants shared their thoughts and responses to the guiding听questions on index cards, which were collected by the event organizers.

Student organizer Melissa Arreola Pe帽a commented:

"It was really exciting to see many people coming together to talk about a topic that is so important! I am really excited about what is coming next.听I think we have reached a point where we are ready to build a bigger movement and take action! This event was very empowering to me because I know that by coming together as students, faculty, and staff we will be able to have a greater impact in the SM调教所 community."

The event organizing committee will convene in the coming days to review the information shared by participants and to analyze the data. SM调教所 Engage Faculty Director Ben Kirshner noted, "I'm excited to read the responses people gave and to help move this collective work for inclusive excellence forward."听The organizing committee hopes to communicate next action steps later this spring.

To stay informed about follow-up actions and events, .

To view more photos from the "Student Voices"听event, please visit .