Shelbie Harris
Staff Writer
Idaho State University is readily becoming more and more diverse as each year passes. As this diversity increases so do opportunities for students, faculty and staff members to connect and understand the lifestyles and culture of individuals from other countries.
Idaho State University will be hosting a Multiculturalism Initiative on Sept. 11 and 12 involving several workshops for students, faculty, and staff.
All workshops will take place in the ISU Pond Student Union Ballroom.
Faculty and staff workshops will take place on Thursday, Sept. 11, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Friday, Sept. 12 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
The student workshop will take place on Friday, Sept. 12, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Individuals who come from different parts of the world bring with them beliefs, values and morals, and an understanding these differences are important for a highly diverse university such as ISU.
Communication is essential to not only acquiring new relationships but also very crucial to improving or maintaining existing ones.
When people from different countries, ethnic backgrounds or even religious viewpoints are mashed together in a place such as a university, the importance of being educated about those differences becomes that much more important.
“One thing that will be covered is how you go about having those conversations where you maybe don’t understand where individuals are coming from,” said Stacey Marshall, assistant director of employee learning and professional development.
“We need to break down those barriers and understand that not everyone communicates the same way. Communication and being willing to understand that maybe your beliefs and other beliefs may not align but you still have to respect another enough to at least gain an understanding of your differences.”
The initiative will be led by Dr. Karyn Trader-Leigh who is part of the International Multi-Cultural Institute and has also lived and worked in locations all around the world.
Within the last year President Vailas developed the idea of a committee that would be in charge of coming up with training to not only target the diversity amongst campus but also improve relationships with international members of the university.
“After working with President Vailas and the committee it came down to the fact that there was just a disconnect between faculty, student, and staff interactions,” said Marshall. “I mean it’s not that anyone is doing anything wrong, it’s just everybody could improve their skills and knowledge for when it comes to asking certain questions, and how to communicate better with the syllabus, or class lectures.”
The workshops are free to attend and anyone interested in improving the skills required to understand and communicate with multiple cultures are encouraged to attend.
For more information, contact Marshall at (208) 282-3081 or ude.usinull@catssram, or Maria Fletcher at (208) 282-5304 or ude.usinull@iramtelf.
