Student Conversation Circles About Race, Gender, Religion, Economic Status, and Sexual Orientation Darien Michele Gregory, M.A., M.S. Glenda Gross, Ph.d. Stephanie Rosado SUNY DIVERSITY CONFERENCE 2017

Student Conversation Circles The Student Conversation Circles is a collaborative initiative between Onondaga Community College and InterFaith Works of Central NY. The overall purpose of the Student Conversation Circles is to provide a forum for students to share their perspectives & experiences related to their identities & learn about others. Students who participate will demonstrate an improved understanding & appreciation of diversity, greater empathy for others, and more fluency in working with diverse groups.

Student Conversation Circles: Structure Students enrolled in the dialogues are also enrolled in Onondaga Community College Trained faculty/staff facilitate the dialogues Students meet one or twice per week over the course of a six-week period Each session has clearly defined objectives and learning outcomes Each session includes videos or articles to generate dialogue Students also come to each session with topics they want to discuss with their group Students establish and revisit the rules which determines how the group will function

Student Incentives Students who complete the dialogues receive: A Certificate of Completion and lunch with the college president A Letter of Recommendation from the President of Onondaga Community College, Dr. Casey Crabill, and from OCC’s Vice President/Chief Diversity Officer First consideration for employment at Onondaga Community College $1,000 for completing an approved Applied Learning Experience project

Examples of Group Ground Rules No profanity directed at someone Everyone has to talk at least once Don’t judge me—except Matthew What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas Say “BOUNDARIES” when you may have been offended Catch yourself before becoming aggressive No “yo mama” comments Always keep it 100 (REAL) When someone gets off topic or interrupts say “pineapples”

Student Conversation Circles: Sessions 1-3 The first session is an introduction to each other and to the dialogue process. The second session introduces the concept of structural inequality; participants explore how stereotypes relate to the present and the past. The third session delves into the concepts of privileged and targeted identity statuses utilizing an (Un)common Ground or Privilege Walk exercise as well as an article that addresses stereotypes about people in poverty.

Student Conversation Circles: Sessions 4-6 The fourth session introduces the concepts of identity and social location—how we see ourselves and how the world sees us. The fifth session invites participants to think about their biases and discuss ways to overcome them. The sixth session provides the group with an opportunity to think about collaboration and forms of collective and personal action that will advance social justice.

“Silent Beats” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76BboyrEl48

Reflections What did you see in the video? What stereotypes/generalizations were people making in the video? Which ones were accurate predictors of people’s behavior? What was the significance of the taps and why was there no talk in the video? Has anyone had a similar experience to one of the actors in the video? What do you think was the point the filmmakers were trying to make?

Applied Learning Experience The Applied Learning Experience (ALE) provides students with the opportunity to apply what they’ve learned in the dialogues and get involved with the Greater Syracuse community. Students interested in completing an ALE project must: Complete the dialogues Submit a one page proposal, including a need assessment, project description, learning outcomes, and information about how the project’s impact will be assessed. Two (2) letters of recommendations. (campus supervisor, site supervisor) https://youtu.be/xNAsRSL-LKk

Applied Learning Experience: The Student Perspective Stephanie Rosado Love2Love, La Liga Spanish Action League

Questions

Panelists Darien Gregory Director of Concurrent Enrollment & Secondary School Programs, Conversation Circle Facilitator Dr. Glenda Gross Associate Professor, Sociology, Conversation Circle Facilitator Stephanie Rosado Major: Hotel Management/Hospitality Graduation: December ‘17 Graduate Project: Love2Love (La Liga Spanish Action League)