After more than 500 students rallied at The Rock on Wednesday in response to recent instances of bigotry, only 50 students attended Saturday’s diversity conference at Norris University Center.
The 2002 conference drew more than 100 students, said Communication senior Shalonda Scott, last year’s organizer. Many of this year’s organizers and attendees said Saturday’s turnout was surprisingly low.
Students at the conference attended one-hour sessions examining the importance of diversity in college admissions, the media and the workplace. The Mulitcultural Center presented the conference, which culminated in an address by Mohammed Bilal, a cast member on the San Francisco season of MTV’s “The Real World.”
Low attendance highlighted the difficulties of increasing consciousness about diversity at NU, said Tiffany Sakato, who helped plan the event.
“Wednesday 500 students came to shout about why they thought diversity was important,” said Sakato, a Medill sophomore. “But when it comes time to talk about serious issues, I mean, you see how many people are here today.”
Sakato said students likely chose to study or attend NU’s final home football game instead of the conference. Though few students attended the event, Sakato stressed its importance.
“From what I heard, people were pleased with the program,” Sakato said. “I hope it was good for the people who did attend and it made them think about diversity in a new way.”
Cynthia Moreno said a session focusing on leading diverse communities showed her problems that arise when people gain power.
“When you get all the power, I learned, you become really selfish,” said Moreno, a Communication sophomore. “It was a good way to learn about diversity, and it’s unfortunate not that many people took the opportunity.”
But, she added, the highlight of the conference was hearing Bilal explain how to become a more diverse person. Bilal’s use of humor and tales from “The Real World” made for an “awesome” presentation, Moreno said.
Currently the dean of multicultural programs and services at a San Francisco boarding school, Bilal gave attendees his “12 Steps to Learning to Appreciate Diversity.” Through his interactions with students and faculty at his school, Bilal said he gained perspective on multiculturalism.
“We have to bring people of European descent in the dialogue, too,” Bilal said. “It’s not truly diverse if every perspective isn’t there.”
Bilal also spoke briefly about the hate crimes and bigoted incidents at NU. Racially charged threats are the results of students in “pain,” Bilal said, because they cannot grasp other cultures.
“People are making noise because they are wondering, ‘What’s happening? I see too many faces I don’t understand, and I’m scared,'” he said.
