Presentation in K-State's Provost's Lecture Series to explore how minority and majority students can talk effectively about diversity

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Source: Alfred W. Cochran, 785-532-4372, cochalw@k-state.edu
http://www.k-state.edu/provost/academic/lecture/index.htm
News release prepared by: Erinn Barcomb-Peterson, 785-532-6415, ebarcomb@k-state.edu

Tuesday, February 27, 2007

PRESENTATION IN K-STATE'S PROVOST'S LECTURE SERIES TO EXPLORE HOW MINORITY AND MAJORITY STUDENTS CAN TALK EFFECTIVELY ABOUT DIVERSITY

MANHATTAN -- For majority and minority students to talk effectively about diversity, the two groups need to find middle ground, according to a speaker coming to Kansas State University.

Vasti Torres will present "The Journey Toward the Middle for the Oppressed and Intolerant" from 10:30 a.m. to noon Tuesday, March 13, at Fielder Hall Auditorium. The presentation is part of the Provost's Lecture Series and is co-sponsored by the National Institutes of Health. The lecture is free and open to the public.

Torres said one of the goals of higher education is to create a marketplace of ideas, but it's a difficult goal to attain when it comes to conversations about diversity, privilege and intolerance. Using data from a study of Latino and Latina college students, her presentation explores what minority students and majority students need to do to have conversations about diversity with one another.

Torres is an associate professor higher education and student affairs administration at the W.W. Wright School of Education at Indiana University. Her research focuses on how ethnic identity of Latino college students influences their college experience. In addition to having written numerous articles on Latino college students, Torres also was the principal investigator on a project investigating Latino students' choice to stay in college.

Established in 1995, the Provost's Lecture Series features nationally known speakers and on-campus experts who address topics of importance in higher education in general and at K-State in particular. More information on the lecture series is available at http://www.k-state.edu/provost/academic/lecture/index.htm