OFFICE OF INTERCULTURAL AFFAIRS

1. OIA Newsletter ● November 2005 Volume I, Issue 1 Editor: Christine Lipuma ‘07 What we do… The Office of Intercultural Affairs is dedicated to implementing educational and cultural programs that improve campus climate and enhance com-munity life at Bryn Mawr. Through its programs, the office takes a proactive position in helping com-munity members understand how "us" and "them" are defined; how culture and experience shape behavior; and how relationships across differences of race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, class and disability are constructed. The office provides direct-ion and education on recruitment and retention issues for the Bryn Mawr community. It also supervises the Multicultural Center (MCC) at 229 Roberts Road. What can the OIA do for you? Here are some ways that students and other members of the Bryn Mawr community can utilize the OIA and the MCC: ● Hold events and meetings in the MCC by calling or emailing Vanessato reserve a time ● Take out books and movies from the MCC’s library ● Need help with planning an event, organizing a meeting, or leading a group? Come to the OIA and ask for advice and assistance ● Find resources on the OIA’s website at www.brynmawr.edu/intercultural ● Submit events for your group to the OIA website’s calendar ● Make an appointment to speak to Chris or Peachesfor all your intercultural needs by calling or emailing Vanessa OFFICE OF INTERCULTURAL AFFAIRS

2. Diversity Week 2005 ● October 21 - 29 This year’s Diversity Week included many different events, organized by student coordinator Sheena Reed and hosted by student organizations and the OIA.  There were parties, a slew of films and discussions highlighting diversity issues, and, of course, there was food.  The MCC Open House gave people a chance to see the center and talk with OIA student and professional staff about diversity work across campus. Diversity Week culminated in a Spoken Word Open Mic night called SPEAK!  This moving event brought the poetry and emotions of students from paper to Thomas Great Hall. The OIA also collaborated with the Body Image Council to bring Becky Thompson to campus during Diversity Week. Her presentation entitled “A Thousand Hungers: A Multicultural View of Eating Problems and Recovery” brought to light the fact that eating disorders affect people of all cultures. Look for more events that we’ll be co-sponsoring with other offices and groups on campus this year. Making Sense of Diversity:A Conversation at Bryn Mawr College The Diversity Conversations are a series of talks that take place every other week at the Multicultural Center on Fridays at 12 PM. The topics that have been discussed in the past have included disability, race, politics, and sexual orientation. These con-versations also deal specifically with issues related to Bryn Mawr’s campus and how we see ourselves as a community with respect to our differences. They help to foster dialogue between students, faculty, staff, and administrators in order to help us learn from each other. The purpose of the series is not to figure out the right answers to questions that deal with diversity, but to help us to realize that the very essence of diversity is that we all have different answers. We as a community owe it to each other to listen, to share, and to use what we’ve learned to obtain a more complete understanding of what the meaning of diversity is. The Diversity Conversations are co-sponsored by the Dean's Office, the OIA, the Center for Science in Society, the Center for Ethnicities, Communities, and Social Policy, and the Program in Gender and Sexuality. Bryn Mawr Has Class Talking about our differences is never easy, and one difference that is a particularly touchy subject is class. Most people know that, at least on some level, there is a separation of classes, but the degree to which class is important and the ways that people differentiate classes varies so widely that it makes it difficult to come to any conclusions on how we feel about class. The topic has become increasingly important on Bryn Mawr’s campus this semester, especially after a talk by Alfred Lubrano titled “Living in Limbo: Blue Collar Roots, White Collar Dreams”, which was sponsored by the OIA. This talk was inspired by Lubrano’s book which sheds light on the issues faced by people who come from lower class families but who eventually find themselves in an upper class life-style. This also spurred a Diversity Conversation about how students deal with class conflicts and how class is viewed at Bryn Mawr. The last Diversity Conversation of the fall semester will also be a time to discuss class issues. “Re-envisioning Class in and Be-yond the Bi-Co” will be held on Friday, Dec. 2 at 12 PM in the MCC.