The event, held in the Multicultural Center’s multipurpose room in Baker Center, featured discussion about different topics surrounding racial diversity, such as immigration policy, the Black Lives Matter movement and the current racial climate at OU.
Ohio University's Multicultural Center hosted another Campus Conversation event Tuesday that focused on racial dynamics and inequality.
The event, held in the Multicultural Center’s multipurpose room in Baker Center, included individual tables for discussion about different topics surrounding racial diversity, such as immigration policy, the Black Lives Matter movement and the current racial climate at OU.
Campus Conversations is a series of events the university hosts for the community to engage in "constructive dialogues on a variety of topics," according to its website.
Megan Vogel, special assistant to the vice president and director of Resource Administration, organizes OU's Campus Conversation events along with Jamie Patton, assistant dean of students. The Campus Conversation in September focused on sexual misconduct and was a follow-up to the showing of The Hunting Ground.
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“We try to leave it a little flexible so that if there’s something really big happening nationally that we want to talk about or students want to talk about, we have the flexibility to talk about it,” Vogel said.
One student in attendance was Levi Richard Brown, a freshman studying political science and pre-law. A commuter from Hocking County, Brown received a diversity scholarship from the university for being from Appalachia.
“I’ve noticed that the university seems to talk about Appalachia like it’s separate from being white or something similar or being part of any type of diverse group," Brown said. "That was a very new concept to me, so I was kind of curious. I’ve been talking to my friends about this kind of stuff before, and they don’t seem to understand."
Aseel Alnasser, an international student from Saudi Arabia, also attended the event. Alnasser is enrolled in an English program at OU that prepares students for graduate programs.
“I read many articles, and I saw something in the media," Alnasser said. "I also take some classes about American culture. I came here just to know more."
Vogel said it is incredibly important that students have their voices heard.
“It’s a great space to get together and have open conversations and talk to others, not only in the university community, but also the Athens community," Vogel said. "I think students like to have their voices heard, and this kind of provides a forum. It gives a good mix of community, universities, administrators and staff."
Students can expect more Campus Conversation events to happen in the near future. Vogel said another event focused on racial diversity is scheduled to take place in January during the week of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
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