Inside Iowa State: Iowa State University

January 16, 2004

Student presentation to highlight diversity lunch

by Anne Krapfl
Student presentations that interpret U.S. Supreme Court decisions on race as a consideration in access to education will highlight the first President's Dialogue on Diversity of spring semester. The event will be held from 1 to 2 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 5, in the Memorial Union Sun Room. It will be preceded by a buffet lunch and table discussions beginning at noon in the Great Hall.

The court cases students have been asked to reflect on are Brown vs. the Board of Education of Topeka, Kan. (May 1954), which ended racial segregation in public schools, and two cases against the University of Michigan (its law school and undergraduate college of literature, science and the arts) for admissions policies that gave advantage to minority students in the name of more diverse classrooms. The court announced decisions in the Michigan cases last June.

The top three submissions in a competition coordinated by the Government of the Student Body will be presented and awarded during the Feb. 5. program. Teams of students may produce skits, posters, poetry, short stories, paintings, Power-Point presentations, slogans or video or audio recordings. Submissions are due Jan. 26 and will be judged on the originality of the work, significance to one of the court cases and the diversity of the team that creates them.

During an optional luncheon, participants will use questions prepared for each table to guide their small group discussion about events and outcomes related to the Supreme Court cases. President Gregory Geoffroy will give a short welcome during this portion of the diversity dialogue.

Registration is requested for the lunch portion of the program only; faculty and staff may register via AccessPlus (click on "prof dvlp rgstr," "search courses" and type in "diversity"). Students may register through the GSB office.