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The Badger Herald

Independent Student Newspaper Since 1969

The Badger Herald

Independent Student Newspaper Since 1969

The Badger Herald

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Campus begins diversity issue exploration

University of Wisconsin’s student government kicked off Diversity Week Monday in effort to facilitate a serious conversation about diversity issues on campus. 

Planning for the week, which was organized by the Associated Students of Madison’s Diversity Committee, started back in the fall, Diversity Committee Chair Mia Akers said.

Once the committee decided on the aim and mission of the week, Akers said they started to give it some structure by incorporating different workshops and presentations highlighting the chosen themes for each day.

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“We wanted to explore different aspects of identity that students don’t normally think about,” Akers said.

The themes of sexuality, disability, religion and gender were chosen to highlight the different aspects of identity, Akers said.

Each day of the week will have a single theme. The week started with sexuality Monday and continued with disability Tuesday; it will feature religion Wednesday and end with gender Thursday, the statement said.

These themes are current topics and aspects of diversity present in society that people may not realize right away, according to ASM spokesperson Grace Bolt.

Promoting Awareness, Victim Empowerment, one of the many student organizations to participate in Diversity Week, will hold three workshops Thursday’s gender-themed day.

In an email to The Badger Herald, PAVE Interim Chair Aly Jarocki said PAVE – which is dedicated to preventing sexual assault, intimate partner violence and stalking through education and activism – is excited to have been asked to participate.

Jarocki added PAVE is trying to break the myth that the issues of sexual assault, intimate partner violence and stalking are strictly women’s problems.

“People from every gender identification experience violence and it is necessary for everyone to be educated and involved to bring it to an end,” Jarocki said. “Diversity Week gives people an opportunity to talk about subjects that are often considered taboo and to see the great things that are happening around campus.”

Madison is in no way a campus without issues, Jarocki said, adding education is the first step toward ending violence and intolerance.

The week allows for students to see other students fighting with the same issues that they are, Akers said. Furthermore, it is an opportunity to see that people who are different from one another can explore and fight for the same things, Akers added.

Additionally, Akers said as a large student-run event across campus, Diversity Week serves as a signal to the university that students are taking these issues seriously.

“One thing I hope students take away from this week is diversity is not superficial,” Akers said.

Things like race, ethnicity and sexual orientation are important, Akers said. But she added there are also other aspects of identity that make each person diverse and unique.

Each person, according to Akers, has his or her own culture with different backgrounds and experiences. By coming together this week through awareness offered during Diversity Week, she said students have the opportunity to come together and aid in uniting campus.

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