Gender, Race, and Sexual Orientation and Coalition Building at UW

Campus diversity has been at the center of debate and reforming efforts across the United States for several decades. At the University of Wyoming, programs and resources exist to support those who are affected by gender, race, and sexual orientation; and the macro level of campus culture looks to incorporate acceptance and tolerance of diversity. However, race, gender, and sexual orientation can be restricting elements that discourage interaction. Many students come into contact with gender, race, and sexual orientation during college, but struggle to overcome obstacles in understanding one another. My research focuses on the specifics of these boundaries and the extent they affect our personal interactions with one another. Through discussion of the current diversity we may come to know how best to overcome the related problems. How do we resolve these tensions? Can students learn to identify with others across gender, race, and sexual orientation? Should more be done to celebrate diversity at the University of Wyoming? What is the administration's, faculty's, and student government's role in shaping the discussion of these topics? These are just a few of the topics explored in surveys, interviews, and focus groups and my talk will summarize the conclusions reached by those who engaged with this topic.