NCBI WORKSHOPS PROVE TO BE AN ENLIGHTENING EXPERIENCE
-Lindsey Nevitt and Kathy Weldin
On February 10th, the first of several NCBI workshops was held in the Blue-Gold room of the Student Center. Although the turnout was low, the workshop proved to be well organized as well as entertaining through many different talks and group activities.
The main goal of this series of workshops is to promote a more harmonious country. More specifically, the goal is to become more aware of others who are not in the same "group" as you. The workshop coordinators Judy Gibson and Judy Greene emphasized the fact that in order to accomplish this, one must first single out what groups each person belongs to and follow up by identifying their individual prejudices and stereotypes.
The workshop begins by focusing on the idea that the average person does not receive enough recognition. As each person identified with their groups which ranged from social class to ethnicity, the group applauded to recognize them. The recognition process was designed to help make it easier to eventually recognize one's own prejudices. By realizing one's own prejudices, one could then correct them to prevent harm to the people in your group.
The next event involved a poster session. Each person identified with a particular group and discussed the stereotypes he/she had experienced. By doing this, each group was able to explain what hurts them as a member of a particular group. This was designed to allow the non-members of each group see how actions can be harmful.
By the end of the day, each participant learned a little more about themselves, but more importantly about other people. Participant Jenny Hollis said, "Overall it was an extremely stimulating experiences. I no longer judge people by the way they look or what groups they belong to. I am learning to truly judge people by what is on the inside." If one person can change, then the workshop was an obvious success.
DIVERSITY WITHIN
-Heather Harrison and Caren Zavaglia
Everything we encounter in our lives revolves around diversity. The Waterman's Program was such an experience and would be of interest to any prospective teachers. The program, on the night of February 28, demonstrated the seldom acknowledged diversity within our community. The speakers were two men, a fowl hunter and a trapper, from Delaware. They spoke of how their professions are on the verge of extinction and how this will have a major impact on communities and the environment.
Hunting and trapping have been recently viewed as sports rather than helpful and necessary acts of conservation and preservation for animal populations and the environment. It is imperative that people, beginning with school age children, are educated about the impact that these men have on their communities and on their futures. The ideals of the culture that these men represent are not being regenerated because of the little economic gain involved in their field. Hunters and trappers make it possible for farmers to be free from the damage that would result from overpopulation. Ohterwise, their fields would be the feeding grounds for thousands of animals. By keeping the population of birds and animals down, the threat of species dying from starvation is also reduced. Teachers can help their communities by incorporating the diverse issues presented by these men into aspects of their classroom curriculums.
A presentation similar to the one these men delivered would be beneficial in a classroom setting because children could expand their knowledge of a broad range of subjects. Science, economics, history, and geography, to name a few, could easily be addressed in relation to The Waterman's Program. The naming of animals and history of evolution in a child's community present excellent topics for discussion in science. The growth of a child's community, the effects of climate on different species, the flight patterns of birds, and how terrain and animals impact each other could all be brought up during history and geography lessons. A presentation of this sort would make more people aware of the contributions that hunters and trappers give to the community, as well as the diversity that lies within a community. To get more information, contact the Folklife Program of Delaware Parks and Recreation Department.
UPCOMING EVENTS
- Alix Reese and Nicole Merzendorf
1. Lavender Scholars Lecture
a. "A Gay and Straight Agenda"
Speaker: Richard D. Mohr, University of Illinois
Where: Rodney Room 7pm April 11, 1996.
b. "Homosexual Christians"
Speaker: Bishop John Shelby Spong
Episcopal Bishop Newark, New Jersey
Rodney Room 7pm May 9, 1996
2. Leadership Film Series
March 12 "For Goodness Sake"
Where: Ewing Room - Student Center 3:00-4:15
*A short, comical film looking at the topic of
goodness. It stars actors such as George Alexander
and Bob Saget.
3. Conflict Management Seminar
Thursday, March 14 in Kirkwood Room
Wednesday, April 17 in the Blue and Gold Room
Sponsored by the Affirmative Action and
Multicultural Programs.
*Learn how to work through differences toward positions everyone
can support. Learn a common ground that will bring people together
in and out of the classroom.
4. Women's History Month Film Series
When: Tuesday evening, 7pm March 19.
Where: 100 Kirkbride Hall
Berruce Abbott: A View of the Twentieth Century
*Rare historic footage with fascinating interviews conducted before
Abbott's death in 1991.
Speaker: Christine Tate, University of Penn.
5. Research on Race, Ethnicity, and Culture
These meetings meet in the Ewing Room of the Student Center from 12:20-1:10
a. Immigration and Crime - April 10
b. An Indian Perspective of Native American Culture
April 24.
c. Broken Pots and Fixed Ideas. Archeological Concepts of Ethnicity - May 1.
6. Celebration of Women's History Month
"Stories Your Mama Never Told You."
By story teller Annie Hawkins.
The stories of Women's journeys from different cultures.
When: March 13 12:10-1pm
Where: Bachaus in Student Center.
Discussion to follow.
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