Friday, April 26, 2013

Diversity Week – Unity in Our Community


I always enjoy attending events put together by the Officeof Diversity and Inclusion. The reason behind this is because they make me think of various aspects of society, culture, and people around me. Being a multiculturalambassador, I got to learn so much about things which were always there but I never noticed or paid much attention to. One of highlights for this semester was ODI’s Diversity Week. Whenever we hear the word “Diversity”, we generally think of socio-economic differences, gender, race, and ethnicity. But this time, the Office of Diversity had put limelight on a whole different aspect of Diversity. A mosaic of events was organized for the week where students, staff, and faculty members talked about Diversity in various fields. For instance, the week kicked off with a discussion on biodiversity in agriculture. The discussion focused on the changing face of agriculture with advent of genetically modified plants, and advancements in meat industry. On the second day, there was a panel discussion on diverse political perspectives. The panelists answered really interesting questions regarding politics such as why does it matter, what needs to be done to understand the importance of your vote and how to make it more effective? The same day we had a presentation by Tarleton’s Gay-Straight Alliance which was also very informative and interesting. On day three, ODI organized a fun activity for students that shed light on maintaining finances in college and decision making when it comes to choose from things you need to spend on. On the last day, there was a discussion on religion and society and spoken work and oratorical contest. The panel on religion and society brought up some really intense conversations pointing everyone towards an opportunity to engage in future discussions on similar topics. The oratorical contest was held for the first time on Tarleton campus and was a huge success. The contest definitely brought forward really nice student speakers with immense talent. It was the last event of the week. 

All the events presented during the week were very thought provoking and enjoyed by all those who attended. I truly appreciate all the efforts made by the Office of Diversity and Inclusion to promote diversity on our campus.

Somya Gupta, Multicultural Ambassador.

We hope that you will stop by the office (TSC # 21). Also, look for us on social media. Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TarletonDiversityInclusion and read along with our journeys here on the blog:  http://tarletondiversityinclusion.blogspot.com/ 
You can also see our images on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tarletondiversity/ 
Or follow us on Twitter: @DiversityTSU or email us directly at Diversity@Tarleton.edu  

Friday, April 19, 2013

Tarleton Round Up & Backpack Buddies: Multicultural Ambassadors volunteering!


This semester, we decided to attempt a semester of service. On April 6, we participated in Tarleton’s annual Round Up. During this event, students/organizations volunteer their Saturday to help out members of the community who asked for assistance—usually in the form of yard work, garage/workshop organizing, and other household tasks. This is my second year participating (I did Round Up last year with another organization), so I was really excited to get to work.

The first house we went to was quick; we raked some leaves and removed old, rotting wood from the backyard. However, the second house we went to took a lot more work to complete. We started by clearing and planting two flowerbeds at the front gate. After that, we cleaned all of the storm windows, screens, and hung them back up. Then we replaced some old wooden boards and painted the porch. It looked fantastic when we finished. The homeowner graciously provided us lemonade and sandwiches. They were delicious! So good, in fact, that I would venture to say they were better than when my mom makes me a sandwich (don’t tell her I said that!).

The following weekend, a few of us went to the Native and Heirloom Plant Fair at the Stephenville Museum to help with Cross Timbers Backpack Buddies, which is organized by Oakdale United Methodist Church in Stephenville. Backpack Buddies is a program that sends food home with hungry kids over the weekend—these kids only eat when they’re at school, but don’t really get to eat much at home. If I remember correctly, at least 77 children are fed by Cross Timbers Backpack Buddies. That’s 77 too many.

I learned how to identify quite a few plants at the plant fair. There were so many!  Unfortunately, the cacti seemed to love me. That’s right; I didn't have to go home alone with my sunburn. I got to bring home my very own cactus spines! Yay!

Sarcasm aside, I had a lot of fun helping out. I can’t wait for our next service project!

~ Multicultural Ambassador, Tiana

We hope that you will stop by the office (TSC # 21). Also, look for us on social media. Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TarletonDiversityInclusion and read along with our journeys here on the blog:  http://tarletondiversityinclusion.blogspot.com/ 
You can also see our images on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tarletondiversity/ 
Or follow us on Twitter: @DiversityTSU or email us directly at Diversity@Tarleton.edu