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Show page 4 lessons, Spring/Summer 2002 women back in school, after having left to have children or for economic reasons. Brooks has been with the Center for about 12 years, but got started in the women's studies field 30 years ago. She said that in the 1970s she had hoped for equal treatment by now. "We've come a long way, but we certainly have not made it possible for women to assume their leadership roles," she said. Another office that serves U students is the International Center. The Center provides orientation to the new students, which includes information about the community, housing, visa regulations, and the U. "The Center also introduces students to families off campus so they can get to know Americans outside of the university community," according to the Center's mission statement. But it's not just the "diversity" centers and offices that support diversity on campus. The University Counseling Center trains their staff in multicultural issues, so they may better serve the student body. They also offer outreach and consultation activities, including providing cultural adjustment training to 2002 Winter Olympic Games volunteers, 9/11 critical incident stress work with international students, training for ethnic student advisors, and training to leaders of study-abroad programs in mental health casualty prevention. According to Brian Riedsel, a psychologist at the Center, there are also therapy groups related to sexual orientation and diversity training for their interns and staff. "We want to infuse multicultural awareness in our classes and counseling. We are combating prejudice in all forms," he said. What Students Think Although there are some who don't see the point of having a diverse learning community, most students think it is worthwhile. "It gives students different perspectives on issues regarding diversity. It helps students to open their minds in regards to race, gender and ethnicity," senior Kate Kimball said. Students said they support on-campus programs and activities for diversity, and attend them when possible, but think that additional diversity classes would do more to benefit them. Students also suggested that recruiting students, staff and faculty of diverse backgrounds would help to improve the appreciation of differences on campus. However, many students ended their comments with an aside, "Good luck getting people to come to Utah." With the programs the U has in place, the institution is definitely on the road to achieving greater diversity-but a little bit of luck probably wouldn't hurt, either. Bryan Stubbles works together with Hyejin Oh, helping teach one another Korean and English. |