|
The Student Intercultural Learning
Center (SILC) was developed in response
to the expressed concerns and needs
of students at the University of Maryland
that emerged from a survey on students'
perceptions of diversity at the University.
SILC is comprised of a series of initiatives
that engage students in a myriad experiences
through which intercultural skills are
developed and nurtured. SILC initiatives
include a student advisory board called
SATIN (Student Action Through Intergroup
Networking); an Intergroup Dialogue
Program; a Diversity Leadership Internship
Program; a Diversity Leadership Retreat;
and a dialogue-based academic course.
During the 1996/97 academic year,
a dozen colleges and universities in
Washington state and Pennsylvania hired
undergraduate student interns to work
in their public information offices
as part of the Campus Diversity Public
Information Project, a program of the
Ford Foundation. The results were remarkable.
Paid a $1,000 stipend per semester or
quarter with funding from the Ford Foundation
and supervised directly by the institutional
public information directors, the interns
identified, researched, wrote and placed
dozens of news stories on various aspects
of diversity.
The WCBP is a multiracial group of
students who work with the Multicultural
Center to foster a sense of community
in and around Williams College by leading
workshops and discussions both on-campus
and off-campus about topics such as
diversity, prejudice, racism, sexism,
homophobia, and community building.
The Intergroup Relations, Conflict,
and Community (IGRCC) program links
formal education course work to the
social experiences of the students outside
of the classroom. The Program offers
first-year seminars, intergroup dialogues,
facilitator training and practicum courses,
training courses for university residence
hall staff, advanced courses on intergroup
relations, consultation and workshops,
and resource center on intergroup relations. |
