Breakout Session 4

There is an African proverb, “To go fast, you must go alone. To go far, we must go together.” I imagine that best describes what community and connection means to me on a very intimate level. Yet, the question that still begs to be answered is how do we find a way to connect with each other when we live in such separate and divided communities? How do we acknowledge and let go of the assumptions and stereotypes that we’ve accumulated about those who live outside our familiar communities and who are ethnically and culturally different from ourselves? How do we break the cycle of fear and distrust, so that we can come together authentically in friendship and connection?

These are but a few of the important issues that are needed to be talked about before we can truly come together as a nation, as a community and in our personal relationships. We cannot keep talking about each other without giving voice and hearing the voices of those we have been taught to be afraid of or to avoid.

There is no shortcut in the journey to create community and connection with those who we do not know or understand. We each must take the time to walk each other home.

Someone once said: “Once a seed has been planted and the dream of a better world is experienced, we can never go back. The heart wants more because it has seen what can be possible. No good dream has ever died, it has only gone asleep, waiting for one day to be awakened again.”

Nevada has vast landscapes, both barren and beautiful. It is home to more than 3 million inhabitants, living in large urban centers, small cities, and remote ranches and communities throughout the state. Our state’s history has been linked economically, socially, and environmentally to industries like the railroad, mining, and large-scale ranching and agriculture. These issues continue to have a considerable impact on both local rural communities as well as the more densely populated urban centers. What are the environmental concerns of tribes, as well as urban and rural Nevadans? What are the local concerns and global issues related to mining, water, and urban development? Where do these environmental issues intersect with diversity and inclusion? Learn where you’re at by attending this session as we explore the issues of mining, water, and urban growth across Nevada.

This session will guide participants in looking at their online classes (or even their face-to-face classes) and picking aspects that they want to be more equitable for students. It will also encourage participants and practitioners to understand how a majority of what we teach and how we teach it is situated in whiteness and will ask for a level of criticality from participants in order to ensure equity can be achieved.

Approximately 20–25% of female college students are sexually assaulted during college. More marginalized students are at even greater risk for experiencing power-based violence. Most students won’t report their assault to any official reporting office, meaning they exist “under the radar.” Therefore, we can be certain that we have, will, and are interacting with victim-survivors of power-based violence whether they disclose it or not. This workshop will empower office and department leadership to create a supportive environment for students who may be impacted by power-based violence, provide information on how to respond to disclosures, and how the care center can help.