Differences have a way of challenging us; a way of forcing us to decide between seeking common ground or withdrawing into isolation; a way of challenging us to choose between hope and fear.

Among the many controversies recently reported in the Iowa State Daily, one theme is clearly emerging: the need for discussion.

On behalf of a planning committee represented by Training and Development, Office of International Students and Scholars, Minority Student Affairs, Center for Teaching Excellence, and Department of Residence, I invite all administration, faculty, staff and graduate students to participate in Dialogues on Diversity: Building a Community.

(Undergraduate students should consider enrolling in the one credit US 150X: Dialogues on Diversity, listed in the Fall academic catalog.)

This program has been designed to give participants the opportunity to talk, listen, and choose to be a part of a movement that promotes appreciation and understanding for the value that differences add to an environment, a process or an academic program.

The greater the mix of individuals and backgrounds, the richer our discussion.

Dialogues on Diversity: Building a Community will meet at the Towers Residence Halls in the Wallace-Wilson Complex. Dialogues on Diversity requires a commitment to attend four meeting times on October 7, 21, November 4, 18 from 1:30-4:30 p.m.

Call the Office of Training and Development at 294-8914 to register.

Issues abound that will continue to challenge us as a campus and as a community. Attending Dialogues on Diversity: Building a Community is one proactive step you can take to demonstrate that you have chosen to meet the challenge of envisioning how things ought to be, rather than accepting things as they are.

John Stein

Training Specialist

Training and Development

Iowa State University