Hip-hop history, Japanese snacks and much, much more: How Centre College builds an inclusive campus

从等高线画到禁书, 从社会公正到瑜伽, Centre College’s sixth Building Bridges and 社区 Day featured an event for everyone on campus.

It’s the sixth iteration of Building Bridges and 社区 Day (BBCD), 这是一个由学院多样性办公室赞助的活动, 公平与包容, that allows for open and thoughtful discussion — from a variety of viewpoints.

“It’s an opportunity for campus to slow down and be in community with each other,梅琳达·威瑟斯说, 多元化和包容性主管. “The sessions range from small sessions under 30 people to our larger signature events.”

签名活动在本周早些时候开始与艺术家, 教育家和活动家迪瓦恩·卡拉马说, 谁也在学院做过实习医生.

和卡拉玛一起, featured events included “Overcoming Imposter Syndrome and Making Big Asks: Careers and Lessons in Anthropology” with Vice President of Student Life Barbara LoMonaco, and “Our stories: A Panel of LGBTQ+ Persons of Faith” led by Stodghill Professor of Religion Rick Axtell.

在总, 2023年的BBCD共有46场比赛, 多于1,200名校园社区成员参加. 威瑟斯感谢了 新视野bwin体育 for helping promote the day’s events — and noted that of those 46 sessions, 其中一半以上是由学生领导的.

“That’s one of the goals I had this year — get more students involved,威瑟斯说. “That’s also in thanks to professors who gave students the option to present a session as part of an assignment or an end-of-semester project.”

Some of the sessions shared an in-depth look into a sport like rugby or baseball. 其他人则专注于绘画和艺术, while other session leaders looked at their own cultural history to share with the campus. 给2026届新视野奖学金获得者莉兹·迪克森, it provided her an opportunity to share about her mother's culture.

"My mother spent the first 16 years of her life in the (Amish) community, learning traditions and values that she still carries with her to this day,迪克森说. “而我只是在社区的郊区长大的, I also gained a lot of knowledge and values that have shaped the person that I am. One value that me and my mother both really took away from our respective experiences is the concept of community, and how important it is to build deep-rooted relationships with people who you know will support you through thick and thin. That is the experience that we wanted to share with Centre's community."

The underlying current through all the campus events is to foster connection while promoting a shared understanding and acceptance.

“There are sessions where you are really tackling issues and have a plan to present information and recommendations back to our (ODI) office and staff,威瑟斯说. “There are sessions where maybe you’d be nervous to do something you had never done before, 比如美术或烹饪课. 然后就有机会说, “嘿，我们看到bwin体育校园里发生了一些事情, 作为一个社区, 我们可以更负责任地解决这些问题.’”

Weathers noted Dickerson's session as an important one because it shared a cultural experience — and it provided Dickerson an opportunity to lead.

“To be able to share a person’s culture with the larger campus community is really important,威瑟斯说. “让学生组织起来, 准备一份报告，并与他们的同龄人交谈, 教职员工, 角色互换了. That’s why I really like that so many of these sessions were student lead.

“当学生领导时，他们是最成功的, they’re bringing their brains — not just the academic side but their personal lives to the community.”

Dickerson added that her BBCD experience help cultivate a "safe and understanding community."

"It is so easy to get caught up in your own world and be focused on just your life,迪克森说. “而你自己应该永远是优先考虑的, you cannot grow as an individual without learning how the people around you are also growing. 同理心是人类经历中非常重要的一部分, and it is so easy to forget that when so much is going on in your life. 正因为如此, BBCD is an amazing way to take time away from the things that may be stressful and instead focus on learning and connecting with people on campus. While Centre already fosters a connected and active community, 增长的空间总是存在的, and I think that BBCD is one of the best ways to encourage that growth." 

Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect final participation numbers. 

At top: Devine Carama led an open mic night on Wednesday night to kick off Building Bridges and 社区 Day. 2024届毕业生露西·斯文森摄.