Celebrating diversity at conference

This archived article was written by: Esther Melendez

Celebrating diversity was the premise behind the third annual Diversity & Inclusion Conference hosted by USU Eastern on April 9.
Eight workshop sessions including “The Tyranny of the Majority: Balancing Individual Freedom with Minority Rights,” Presented by Jennifer Truschka; and “Celebrating Diversity: Understanding out LGBT+ Friends and Neighbors,” Presented by Dannette Moynier; “A Survivor’s Story of Domestic Violence, “By Stacie James; “Al-Anon & Nar-Anon Family Groups,” by Sherry Arellano; “Gender Roles and Sexuality,” by Tomi Lasley, “Veterans: The Crisis, Barriers and the Community,” by Traci Ana Watters, “Unmasking Micro Aggressions,” by Jan Thornton, and “Focusing on What Matters: Prevention of and Dealing with Substance Abuse,” by Tiffany Vansickle, Eileen Green, Dane Keil.
Fifty individuals attended the conference and experience learning related to diversity, inclusion, and social justice. Session evaluations from the conference were overwhelmingly positive and indicated that participants learned new information, learned about issues facing certain identity groups in the U.S., and were challenged to start their “Pathway to Openness.”
The 2016 conference committee included Gina Farnelli (volunteer chair) Brandon Flores (general committee member) Kimberly Pratt (registration chair), Jan Thornton (general committee member) and Evette Allen (conference chair).
Allen, director of student life said, “I think it went well. We had a variety of presenters and a great deal of positive feedback from participants. I think everyone walked away having learned something. We look forward to making the conference bigger and better next year.”