What is the IWU Engaging Diversity Program?
Engaging Diversity was a pre-orientation program designed to equip first year students with the skills, knowledge, and experience that will help them understand and meaningfully engage diversity while at Illinois Wesleyan University. Led by Dr. Burke, we brought a small group of interested white students to campus early, at the same time as our BIPOC and International student orientations, for discussion, education, and networking opportunities.
The program was innovative for its intentional work with white students around issues of diversity and social justice, and was featured in The Chronicle of Higher Education in 2013.
The program was innovative for its intentional work with white students around issues of diversity and social justice, and was featured in The Chronicle of Higher Education in 2013.
How do students describe it?
"Engaging Diversity is a program that will help you realize you don't have to be a minority to discuss racism and prejudice. You will realize every member of our society plays a part of diversity and that it's perfectly fine to be a white person engaging in diversity."
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What are the benefits?
"I feel like I've learned so much about myself and the the viewpoints of others. There were many eye opening experiences and I think those have helped me to be more open to seeing diversity in many forms at IWU."
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