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“We Are All Purple” Forum
December 1, 2010
The following are suggestions/recommendations from the breakout sessions from the “We
Are All Purple” Forum, December 1, 2010. The titles of the breakout sessions include: 1)
Safety and Personal Safety; 2) Short-Term Strategies; 3) Long-Term Strategies; 4) How to
Engage in Difficult Dialogues – Faculty & Staff; and 5) How to Engage in Difficult
Dialogues – Students.
Suggestions/Recommendations
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Organize more activities with a focus against hate crimes such as special dancing events,
food gatherings to talk about safety and crime preventions, or having dinners with a
theme to understand different religious beliefs (e.g. Hindu style, Buddhist)
Educate students about diversity needs in the classroom, have diversity exercises/
assignments that are a required part of the curriculum especially in classes in which the
majority of the students are enrolled.
Provide workshops to train people about differences in society, experiential or otherwise
– by experienced facilitators.
Tie diversity into Residence Life/University Conduct System.
Have diversity seminars as part of freshman orientation and/or graduation requirements
for seniors. Create a diversity day in New Student Seminars.
Address self-segregation.
Address diversity issues in faculty training.
Consider requirements within diversity curriculum, while making the courses relevant.
Package curricular activities and define learning outcomes for diversity.
Maintain correspondence with Multicultural Student Organizations.
Develop dialogue on Human Perspective as a one-credit course.
Establish a concrete definition on what we consider “Dialogue”.
Pursue initiatives with or without incidents.
Develop diversity courses tailored to majors.
Enhance professional orientations using the LEARN Center.
Recommended steps to engage in difficult dialogues:
1. Set-up guidelines, discuss vocabulary-in general students would like to have
respectful conversations but sometimes they don’t know how to do it. They are afraid
of saying things that may hurt someone.
2. Depersonalize: focus on issues and decouple from personalizing. Discuss
stereotypes, keep the atmosphere inclusive-classrooms should be a safe place for all
students; adopt free lines of communication-ensure no one is being marginalized.
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3. Personalize: this should be reserved to the end; use your own identity/life
experiences, if any, to discuss difficult topics; professors should bring personal
examples to share, discuss ideas on racism, homophobia and fear- address issues from
both sides.
4. Recognize that: students are not comfortable discussing racial discrimination issues.
a. Approaches will have to be very bold; instructors are supposed to be role
models
b. We all look at the world through different eyes. How to map those eyes? What
are some preconceived perceptions? Has the world defined some groups to be
more superior than others based on class/race/ethnicity and gender?
c. Instructors are scared by students, possible repercussion. Where and how to
begin dialogues in such scenarios? Many times faculty tend to internalize and
not speak up.
5. Provide assignments, rhetoric as a vehicle, explore ways of communication
6. Analyze strategies for non-instructional staff. Speak, don’t be silent. Silence is
passive affirmation.
Engage in strategic planning activities for campus-wide Inclusive Excellence.
Build faculty/staff capacity - they would also be excellent resources for activities. A
suggestion was made that we have summer workshops with grant funding and a number
of programmatic ideas for how to approach this "training" were discussed. Using the
LEARN Center's first year faculty program was also mentioned. We can't really change
the educational experience without preparing the faculty.
Suggestions/recommendations that will be done or are in progress
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Security cameras are needed across campus; encourage text messaging to place a tip to
the police. Need to do something more to increase security on campus
WSG is developing a Whitewater/Warhawk Pride video, developing a “Zumba Dance
Against Hate.” Students are having dinner with different administrative leaders on
campus and difference organizations. Include activities that create a sense of pride.
Conversations about hate crimes appeared to be limited to some sociology,
communication classes, meetings, and forums, there were more discussions after the
faculty/staff meeting on November 16th.
Professors should offer extra credit for students to attend events like the forum and make
it a part of the curriculum. Interactive activities are helpful to get students more involved.
Rallies, forums, campaigns (pens, T-shirts), news media,
o Not really addressing how we can stop these things from happening,
Being aware instead of focusing on fear of what might happen,
Many people are starting to open up (i.e., new student seminar classes),
People are making sure they are keeping tabs on each other,
The outreach is helping people to build a closer community,
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Need to do something to get the issues out and educate people.
How do we change mind sets and reach the people who don’t go to the programs, forums,
and other activities?
Change needs to be addressed in the curriculum. Some professors fear discussing
diversity. Need multiple directions on ways of addressing the issues.
Keep doing what we are doing. Whitewater is doing something.
Individually reach out of their groups.
Suggestions/recommendations already done
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Personal safety escorts coordinated by the UW-Whitewater Police Department
Multi-agency training
Care team weekly meetings about concerns, intervention strategies
Involve students more in their residence halls
A proactive approach to responding to the hate crimes. The students appreciate the
Chancellor’s immediate responses.
The Campus media and “We Are All Purple” Website and Forum are powerful, and
positive.