Shenea Hunt and Gloria Witherspoon are used to talking about diversity issues while working at the Office of Multicultural Affairs.

On Thursday, the pair shared their feelings with members of the Syracuse University community at the Women’s Leadership Conference, held in the Schine Student Center.

‘These are conversations we just have in our office with each other,’ said Witherspoon, a senior information studies and technology major. ‘It was nice to share these stories with others and hear that we’re not the only ones with concerns and thoughts about diversity and minority issues.’

Hunt, a senior information studies and technology major, Witherspoon and three other students spoke about diversity issues affecting women of color. The conference, which was revived this year after a short hiatus, was sponsored by the Division of Student Affairs and Student Activities Office. The conference was first held in the early 1990s, said Laurel Reed, associate director of the Student Activities Office.

‘This was always known as a great conference and we’re really excited that we were given the opportunity to revive the tradition,’ Reed said.

About 100 students, faculty and staff members attended the conference. Reed said turnout was higher than she expected and she thinks it is because of its nature.

‘It’s a bit unique because most events on campus don’t have the students and staff attend together and give presentations to each other,’ Reed said. ‘This isn’t just a faculty member lecturing students.’

After the Office of Multicultural Affairs’ presentation, Mariana Lebron, assistant director of the Ofiice of Residence LIfe and Leadership Initiatives, said she was happy to see that the presenters and participants were eager and willing to share their experiences with each other.

‘It’s time for people on this campus to take the risk and share their personal stories with others and raise the diversity climate on campus,’ she said.

While the issues discussed at the conference focused primarily on women and minorities, they also reflect problems that affect people in all walks of life, especially those on college campuses, said Heather Kaneer, director of Day Residence Hall.

‘These issues are targeted toward women but they’re also directed at finding ways to look at all parts of our life, whether diversity or wellness, and finding ways for all people to communicate about these issues,’ Kaneer said.

Marlin Nabors, assistant director of Booth Residence Hall, agreed with Kaneer.

‘Many times we ask people to focus on being a minority or being a woman and people often forget that the two intersect,’ he said.

Reed said the diversity presentation and other sessions’ content was dictated by student input. One presentation included the challenges associated with being a successful woman in the world, presented by keynote speaker and nationally known artist Amy Bartell, whose work is displayed at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. Other presentation topics included finding balance in one’s life and making the leap from a student leader to a graduate.

‘A lot of people said it’s tough to find an equal balance between student and professional roles,’ Reed said. ‘Many students find themselves leaders in college and don’t know how to handle the transition into the real world.’

Rebecca Dayton, director of the Counseling Center, presented a holistic wellness session with Dessa Bergen-Cico, director of the Substance Abuse Prevention and Health Enhancement Office. Together they discussed different aspects of physical, emotional and spiritual wellness and how they interplay with each other.

‘Everyone separates the mind, body and soul when instead, we need to think about keeping them connected because they’re fundamentally connected,’ Dayton said.

She said it is especially important for student leaders to pay attention to and take care of all aspects of their health.

‘We’re a society that often focus on taking care of ourselves after the fact and after crisis occurs,’ Dayton said.

Kristen Van Etten,a junior television, radio and film major, attended Dayton and Bergen-Ciro’s session because she wanted to learn how to take better care of herself.

‘I don’t usually do the whole ‘see a lecture thing,’ ‘ Van Etten said, ‘but I thought this looked really interesting and that it’d be helpful and I’d learn something.’

Van Etten, who does not consider herself an overly-involved student, said she thinks this session and the others presented throughout the day at the conference will help her even though she may not be a student leader.

‘I don’t know if I want to be a student leader,’ she said, ‘but I think knowing this stuff will help me out in my life and career in the long run.’

Published on March 21, 2002 at 12:00 pm