Diversity Coalition spreads awareness
Participants maintain presence on campus

Brittany Hutton | fact checker
bhutton@smcvt.edu

Starting Oct. 10, Diversity Coalition will hold its first panel discussion on the AIDS epedemic and will be hosted in the Hoehl Welcome Center. The group is working hard to maintain a strong presence in the St. Michael’s community.

Come one, come all

Muliticultural Affairs bulletin board. Larry Frisoli, photo

Diversity Coalition is a student run-group that discusses different issues concerning diversity.  Discussions range from race to sexual orientation.

Junior Andres Camilo, president of the Diversity Coalition, devotes his time and energy to bring awareness to the St. Michael’s College community. He has been in the group for three years and served on the executive board for two.

This year, Camilo says he would like to better represent the group by spreading awareness on campus.

"I want the group to be in a better position a year from now than
today," he says.

At the start of every year, Camilo sends out mass e-mails about group meetings and events. Last year, the group spoke with Information Technology (IT) about creating its own account.

Camilo says the group will be holding a diversity awareness week in the spring. The group had something like this last year, but they are hoping to make this year’s event more recognized. He says the group hopes to be partnering with the Martin Luther King, Jr. Society, Common Ground, Peace and Justice and any other clubs that would be interested to discuss issues concerning diversity.

Throughout the year, panel discussions will cover issues concerning diversity, race, gender identity, culture, orientation and disabilities.

Raising awareness

Moise St. Louis, director of multicultural student affairs and assistant dean of students, is the faculty advisor for the group. He is amazed about what the students have done, he says.

Martin Luther King, Jr. photo hangs in the Multicultural Affairs office. Larry Frisoli, photo

Camilo says one of the most well-known events the group puts on is the International Festival. The festival is open to the college and the community. The event used to be held in Eddie’s Lounge and is now held at the Ross Sports Center, he says.

The festival is a night for performances. They have dancers that come in from Boston and other parts of New England, Camilo says. Last year there was African drumming and Celtic dancing. One of the biggest attractions at the festival is the food, Camilo says.

“All of the members and volunteers serve dishes from their country, so there’s a lot of food,” Camilo says.

According to Camilo, approximately 400 people attend each year, and the festival is continually growing.

St. Louis says the students prepare weeks in advance to put on this event, and spend countless hours making sure everything is taken care of.  The festival is usually held during the second week of November.

“The students put in a lot of work to provide such great programs for their peers, and after it’s done the students are exhausted,” he says.

Start spreading the news

This African mask is one of the many orniments displayed in the Multiculturall Affairs office. Larry Frisoli, photo

First-year Ashley Laurent says she has not heard much about the group.

“When you come to St. Michael’s you are constantly bombarded with M.O.V.E. programs, DREAM and SGAC, and those groups have really thrown themselves out there,” Laurent says. “The diversity club does not seem to have that.”

Camilo says one misconception of the group is that most students think you have to be of a different ethnic background to be part of it, but the group is open to everybody and does not limit anyone based on different cultures.

The group held its first meeting of the year on Sept. 13. Roughly 10 to 12 first-years came to the meeting and it went very well, Camilo says. Their first meeting was informational to discuss plans for the next couple of months.
The group usually holds meetings once a month, he says.

“I’m pretty impressed with the quality of the group,” St. Louis says. “They are all very well-prepared and have a good, strong leadership.”

St. Louis says he stresses that all of the students should show a strong role in the community. He also makes sure each of the students involved are doing well academically. There needs to be a balance in both social and academic performance, he says.

“There is a solid group of students and they all are committed,” St. Louis says.