Educating the ISU community on diversity issues will be the main focus of the 3rd annual Iowa State Conference on Race and Ethnicity on Friday in the Memorial Union.

Teresa Branch, ISCORE co-chair, said the conference will concentrate on the appreciation of cultural differences.

“This conference will cover a variety of topics that encompass issues of diversity,” said Branch, associate vice president for Student Affairs.

Registration for ISCORE will begin at 7:30 a.m. at the Main Desk Lounge in the Memorial Union. President Gregory Geoffroy will officially open the conference with a welcome speech at 8:30 a.m. in the Sun Room of the Memorial Union.

George Jackson, assistant dean of the graduate college, will give the opening address.

Other featured speakers and presenters at the conference will include Andre Minkins, founder of 7AM Productions, and Leon Williams, director of intercultural affairs at Buena Vista University.

The conference’s keynote speaker will be Hisauro Garza, director of the Southwest Center for Human Relation Studies.

A musical performance by Truth, an R&B duo of students Eric Ashby and Darryle Bohanna, will also be part of the day’s events.

Thomas Hill, vice president for Student Affairs, said ISCORE is modeled after the National Conference on Race and Ethnicity (NCORE), which will be held in New Orleans May 29-June 2.

Hill said a main part of ISCORE will be the concurrent sessions presented by students who attended NCORE.

“The students who attended last year’s national conference will use what they learned there to educate the ISU community about diversity issues,” he said.

In addition to the student presentations, Hill said sessions will be presented by faculty, staff and individuals from outside the ISU community.

David Bousquet, ISCORE co-chair and assistant vice president for admissions, said he became involved with the conference after moving to Iowa from New England, and believes it is important for students to learn as much as they can about race and ethnicity issues.

“I was struck by the `whiteness’ of Iowa,” said Bousquet, vice president of admissions. “Since the working world is very diverse, it’s important for students to learn how to discuss these issues openly.”

Hill said Iowa State is a national model for universities interested in encouraging discussions about race and ethnicity.

“ISCORE is designed to create dialogue about diversity,” Hill said.

“This conference can help everyone learn how to make ISU a more diverse and accepting environment.”