The ninth annual Iowa State Conference on Race and Ethnicity will be held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday in the Memorial Union.

The 2008 ISCORE conference will address issues pertaining to race and ethnicity not only at Iowa State, but all over the world.

Japannah Kellogg, chairman of the conference and director of the Student Support Services Program, said 640 people have registered to attend this year, up from 400 last year.

Kellogg said part of the increase is probably due to the ability to register online, making it easier to register. However, Kellogg said he hoped there was another reason.

“I would hope people are feeling more comfortable about talking about race and ethnicity,” he said.

Kellogg said that, historically, people have not been comfortable talking about race and ethnicity.

“Some people don’t want to say the wrong thing,” he said, based on his experience on campus.

However, Kellogg said it is important to have a dialogue so people can understand each other better.

Kellogg said that, because Iowa State is a predominantly white campus, ISCORE is an important opportunity to talk about diversity.

“This is the best place to spark some of those conversations,” he said.

Kellogg said that, in addition to the presentations by the students, this year’s speakers will be very good.

“Our keynotes are going to be awesome,” he said.

The opening address will be given by Loreto R. Prieto, director of the U.S. Latino/a Studies Program at Iowa State University. There will be a luncheon keynote speech by Billy Mills, Olympic gold medalist, businessman, author and founder of Running Strong for American Indian Youth.

ISCORE will also feature presentations from ISU students who attended this year’s National Conference on Race and Ethnicity. Examples include “Minority Athlete Experiences at a Predominantly White Institution” and “Community Connectedness: Findings from an SSSP Learning Community.” A total of 21 presentations will be given throughout the day.