 "Photo: Barrett DeCutler")
Sitting down after crowding into the lobby of the McDermott suite, molecular biology sophomore Bianca Hernandez recalled her disbelief at the first time she realized not everyone is treated equally, when in middle school she witnessed students picking on other students of different races.
She had the chance to share her experience at the Dallas Dinner Dialogue Nov. 10 sponsored by the office of diversity and community engagement in cooperation the multicultural center and other groups on campus.
The goal is to foster an environment that promotes healthy discussion of issues related to diversity, rather than debate or argument, said Vice President of Diversity and Community Engagement Magaly Spector.
The dialogue was a follow-up to last spring's Dallas Dinner Table event, which was hosted at UTD but organized by a co-operative of community groups, Spector said.
The Dallas Dinner Table took place only once at UTD, but the dialogue will likely be repeated at least once per semester, she said.
Finance senior Daniel Martinez said he liked to watch "The Lion King" as a little kid, but never in English.
Kannan Ramanathan told a story about his trip to a restaurant in Somalia. As a vegetarian, he was offered various items from the menu until he settled on milk. Later, an employee at the restaurant pointed to a camel standing nearby and told him that was where his milk came from.
Assistant Director of the Multicultural Center Danny Cordova said the tables were arranged to maximize cross-cultural interactions. The percentages of black, white, Asian, and Hispanic students were roughly equal. Tables of eight included students, faculty, staff and members of the community, each with a student facilitator. Cards on each table contained discussion questions created by members of Spector's office and students.
Undeclared freshman Amber Khan said culture isn't as enforced in America as in other countries and said she does not feel like an American or a Pakistani, just herself.
Conversation broached politics at many tables, since the theme for this event was race and politics, which Spector said students chose to coincide with the election.
Academic advisor Sally Zirkle said she was amazed at the diversity among candidates in this year's political election. She said she fears the potential for violence with a black president but hopes she can continue to be proud of America.
Ramanathan, who works for a large company, said he is happy to see an event like this at a university, since many similar corporate events are largely motivated by profits.
Business leaders in the North Texas community want people who are fluent in issues of diversity, Spector said.
"It is well known that diversity drives innovation. That's what the corporate world wants the students to be ready for," she said.
Spector said she thinks events like the dialogue will prepare students and employees to work in an increasingly diverse workplace.
"If you go looking to get something out of it, it's good," said sociology senior Christina Braxton, who attended the event last year. "I really had to step outside my comfort zone, but it was worth it."
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