Just wanted to say how much i really loved Lauren's idea for a weekly "international students day" at coffee hour, It's such an easy way of making ourselves welcoming and available *claps*
I thought it could work for other things, and just thought other people could have more to suggest... I'd love this.
A few titles:
"Mature Mondays" "Trans Tuesdays" "Wheelchair Wednesdays" (Possibly offensive, what a shame!) [can't think of anything for thursdays: a good vacancy eh!] "Foreign Fridays"
I think it'd be an awesome way to boost support for "the minority within the minority" if you get me.
I'm all for welcoming the 'minorities within a minority' to the LGBT, being one of the disenfranchised mature students, but I'd worry that making Mondays 'mature' day would be a bit divisive. Would it split the group up? I'm all for increasing inclusivity - something I don't really feel is happening at the moment - but not at the cost of making 'non-mature' (ugh! that's almost insulting.....I'm pleased I didn't say immature!) feel less welcome.
This is a really thorny issue. How do you make something inclusive without patronising those you are trying to include and alienating those who may feel that 'their space' is being eroded?
ooh, i remember my thursday line: "Fresher Fursday"
Well, hopefully as lauren mentioned it in her speech, it'd just be like normal coffee, except we'd have given it a tag of being a welcome day for internationals and therefore made it a day where people who feel threatened can know that they have been thought of and there's a higher likelyhood of people in same positions being there at the same time... it's more of a welcoming gesture that everyone present would have to opt into for it to happen rather than a divisive effort...
However, I'm always tainted with optimisim, and undoubtedly, if people can be divided into separated subgroups, they may well be. Surely there's more options than A:Dog eat dog B:Group people into separate categories when you're actually trying to make them mingle...?
I think a big part of making gestures not be patronising or alienating, is simply by not surrounding them with patronising language, and by making active efforts to include everyone. differently
New committee will be well super indeeeed. I don't want to jinx them with my speculating.
I'm all for the occasional themed coffee hour but we ought not over do it at the same time. All coffee hours should be inclusive and welcoming for all people who want to turn up. An international student's day is however an especially good idea.
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"I am but too conscious of the fact that we are born in an age when only the dull are treated seriously, and I live in terror of not being misunderstood."
Oscar Wilde
