Fostering diversity on a university campus takes more than one or even a few people.

“The best way to learn about different people is to work with them, and this is their training ground,” said Japannah Kellogg, co-chairman of the Iowa State Conference on Race and Ethnicity committee.

The conference, held Friday at the Memorial Union, drew about 500 participants attending one or more of the sessions.

Kellogg said he encouraged more white students to get involved in diversity projects, especially those who may get a job where they will be in contact with a more diverse work environment.

“We are from Iowa, which is a predominately white state,” Kellogg said. “Sometimes when you mention diversity, some people just don’t want to hear it.”

Three ISU students brought knowledge from an earlier conference to a presentation on stereotypes of Asian-Americans at the Iowa State Conference on Race and Ethnicity.

Marcia Hare, sophomore in management; Dan Mattox, senior in mechanical engineering; and Shelley Whitehead, senior in marketing, attended the National Conference on Race and Ethnicity last summer in San Francisco and brought their experiences back for the ISU conference.

Hare said before she attended the national conference, students were assigned different groups of races or ethnicities to research. Most students researched an ethnicity different from their own, she said. Hare and Whitehead, who are black, and Mattox, who is Caucasian, researched Asian-Americans.

The group Hare was in took a short class and researched Asian-Americans before the San Francisco event, then attended sessions about Asian-Americans at the conference, she said.

The National Conference on Race and Ethnicity was an eye-opening experience, Hare said.

“Whenever I thought about race or diversity issues before, I always thought it was black and white, and I excluded Asians,” she said. “But I found out they struggle just like we do and have the same issues that we do.”

The group gave a presentation describing the different stereotypes people have about Asian-Americans, such as the myths they are always high achievers, do not complain, do not have problems and are what other minorities should strive for, she said. These stereotypes together create the “model minority myth.”

“Out of all the sessions, that session stuck out the most for us,” Hare said.

What students learn at the conference and bring back to Iowa State is vital to the community, Kellogg said.

The ISU conference offered 23 sessions presented by students, faculty and staff throughout Friday.

Terrance Roberts, one of the “Little Rock Nine,” was the keynote speaker. In addition to telling the audience about his experiences at Little Rock Central High School, Roberts encouraged and applauded diversity activities at Iowa State.

“You folks are actually ahead of the curve,” he said. “I don’t have to push here, I can just join you.”

Deb Noll, academic adviser for the College of Business and first-time conference attendee, said she was happy she came.

She said she advises a diverse group of students with varied races and ethnicities, so any chance to learn more about other cultures, views, ideas and people is valuable.