Issue: 

Applications could limit the amount of participants in upcoming dialogues.

Stance: 

With a few small changes, the dialogues can have a significant influence on campus.

The subject of diversity is becoming more and more discussed across the country and at South Dakota State University. 

When people learn about diversity, they are encouraged to have an open mind and be willing to learn. In response to this idea, the Office of Diversity, Equity and Community created The Difference is Dialogue event.

The dialogues are split into four specific groups: urban and rural students, students of color and white students, international students and U.S. born students and religious differences across campus. Faculty and staff, who act as facilitators, create an atmosphere where students feel comfortable and ask students open-ended questions about diversity. The students are able to share their thoughts, opinions and experiences.

The dialogues are currently a five-week session for two hours a week. 

We, at The Collegian, believe that these dialogues are a great idea. They allow students from a wide range of backgrounds the opportunity to be involved in a group discussion. The idea of creating a safe place encourages students to be open and honest about how they truly feel and what they have experienced at SDSU.

However, there is still room for improvement, including accessibility to students. In order to be a part of the dialogues people have to fill out an application with a lot of personal information. Though they will not be turned away, requiring students to fill out an application is likely to turn students away.

With these applications, there is a deadline. Instead of having a deadline, we believe that it should be more open. Some students might not hear about the event until the day of. If the deadline is dropped, students might be more apt to join the sessions as well as drop by.

Also, they could consider turning these dialogues into a research topic. If not a research topic, they can at least let the campus know what the results and takeaways were from the dialogues. 

Overall, we believe the idea of the dialogues is to address the topic of diversity more directly and make diversity a talking point on campus when it wasn’t in the past. With a few tweaks and changes, this could be a powerful and impactful event on campus for all students involved.

The Collegian staff meets weekly and agrees on the issue of the editorial.

The editorial represents the opinion of The Collegian.