Spring Break
Symposium emphasizes diversity as a tradition
By: Jessica McCann
Issue date: 1/26/07 Section: News
To increase diversity awareness, the Faculty Senate and other campus organizations are exploring opportunities to use course curriculum to promote diversity. Beginning in the summer of 2007, all New Student Conferences will include a two-hour component on diversity training, Guerrero said.
"Diversity is what we absolutely need to achieve if we want any chance at reaching excellence," Guerrero said.
"Courage is an Aggie value," Feagin said. "Hate is not an Aggie value. If we continue to allow racism, sexism and homophobia, we will limp toward eventual collapse."
The assembled crowd broke out into applause several times during the symposium, but one audience member broke out in protest at one point during the discussion, interrupting Feagin's explanation that racism on an institutional level occurs only by white people.
"Sir, you're lying and I'm having a hard time listening to this," interjected Preston Wiginton. "I hate to see young minds get lied to."
Wiginton later said he was not a racist, but that he was a racial realist who believes that genetics and behavior make people different. About 20 students and community members approached Wiginton following the symposium to express their disapproval of his disruption.
"It's dramatically clear in my research that we still have widespread racism and discrimination in nearly every social institution, from the workplace to housing and education," said Feagin, ignoring the distraction. "We still have a long way to go."
This year was the largest audience noted by the SGA Diversity Team in the symposium's seven-year history. The team started planning for the event in early September, after being appointed by Student Body President Nic Taunton in the spring of 2006.
"We picked this theme because A&M is about traditions, and diversity needs to happen at the student level, with the student body making diversity an Aggie tradition," said Amethyst Black, the student advocate for SGA Diversity. "I can only hope it's going to get bigger, better, more profound and more prolific in the years to come."
"Diversity is what we absolutely need to achieve if we want any chance at reaching excellence," Guerrero said.
"Courage is an Aggie value," Feagin said. "Hate is not an Aggie value. If we continue to allow racism, sexism and homophobia, we will limp toward eventual collapse."
The assembled crowd broke out into applause several times during the symposium, but one audience member broke out in protest at one point during the discussion, interrupting Feagin's explanation that racism on an institutional level occurs only by white people.
"Sir, you're lying and I'm having a hard time listening to this," interjected Preston Wiginton. "I hate to see young minds get lied to."
Wiginton later said he was not a racist, but that he was a racial realist who believes that genetics and behavior make people different. About 20 students and community members approached Wiginton following the symposium to express their disapproval of his disruption.
"It's dramatically clear in my research that we still have widespread racism and discrimination in nearly every social institution, from the workplace to housing and education," said Feagin, ignoring the distraction. "We still have a long way to go."
This year was the largest audience noted by the SGA Diversity Team in the symposium's seven-year history. The team started planning for the event in early September, after being appointed by Student Body President Nic Taunton in the spring of 2006.
"We picked this theme because A&M is about traditions, and diversity needs to happen at the student level, with the student body making diversity an Aggie tradition," said Amethyst Black, the student advocate for SGA Diversity. "I can only hope it's going to get bigger, better, more profound and more prolific in the years to come."
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