'Day of Tolerance' to promote acceptance
Todd Fogle
Issue date: 11/12/09 Section: Entertainment
|
The event will take place from 1:15 to 1:45 in Centennial Ballroom.
It is open to students, faculty, staff and the general public.
According to a press release, six continents and 60 different countries are represented among the ASU population.
"We don't get a chance to really meet each other," Melanie Richardson, a diversity fellow, said.
At the event, students will participate in speed interviews lasting about 45 seconds each.
They will be able to give basic information such as their name, hometown, major and brief bits of information before moving on to the next person.
The purpose of the day is to raise awareness and appreciation.
"Intolerance is what really breeds hatred," Richardson said.
She said she has not seen a lot of intolerance around the ASU campus, especially compared to other universities.
Richardson said there are many groups of people, but only one Arkansas State.
"We're really one group and we really need to get to know each other," she said.
The event has been in planning for about a month and a half.
This is the first meet and greet the university has held, but there have been receptions before.
Richardson said she got the idea for the meet and greet while looking at events on the Web.
She found a world record where 51,000 people came together at one time.
"If we can pull a really big one off this year, who knows what will happen next year," she said.
The International Day of Tolerance is sponsered by the Office of Diversity Initiatives. ASU is also participating in International Awareness week, which is recognized worldwide.
RSS Feed
Be the first to comment on this story