Last night marked the third in a series of six information sessions for the University's fledgling Passport Program, a joint initiative of students, faculty and administrators designed to encourage student participation in diverse programming and events.
The Office of the Dean of Students launched the program last semester in conjunction with the Office of African American Affairs, the International Studies Office and Embrace Diversity.
"The program gives people the opportunity to attend events that they would normally not go to and to get a better sense of the diversity within our community," Embrace Diversity President Barrie Leigh Moorman said.
Although only in the primary stages of its second year, the program has already drawn a larger group of interested participants than last year, said Neha Shinde, graduate assistant in the Office of the Dean of Students and a member of the program's organizing committee.
"At our first information session last year not many people knew about it," Shinde said. "This time, before the information sessions even began people have been e-mailing and calling [the Office] and asking about it, so that's a good sign."
The sessions began last Monday, Oct. 20 and will run weekly until Nov. 13. The program is scheduled to begin the first week of February, coinciding with Black History Month, she said.
During its inaugural year, the program drew about 100 interested participants, a number that program coordinators said they hope to increase this year through organizational and publicity changes.
"Close to 100 people expressed interest in joining, probably about 50 or so completed some parts of the program and something like a dozen completed it entirely," said former Asst. Dean of Students Pablo Davis, who was involved in the program's launching. "We felt it was a great start, because even one passport experience could change people for the better."
Program coordinators have undertaken new efforts to increase program publicity via e-mail announcements and tabling.
One organizational change to make the program more adaptable to students' schedules was to reduce the number of required "border crossing" events participants must attend from five to four, Rodriguez said.
The "border crossing" events encourage participants to engage in a broad range of cultural, academic or social programs that they would normally not attend. Events range from panel discussions to cultural presentations, though participants are ultimately allowed to decide for themselves.
"We want students to self-select what a border crossing event would be for them specifically," Rodriguez said. "We don't define what diversity means or what a cultural event is -- it's important for students to explore these things."
In addition to the four "border crossing" events, participants must attend two "passport conversation" sessions during which they share their experiences with other participants. Involved students must also write two responses for the program's Web site.
Participants who complete all the requirements are eligible for a drawing to receive prizes ranging from gift certificates donated from local restaurants and stores to a first class Eurorail pass good for six months donated by STA Travel.
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