January 2009
Queen’s University in Kingston, Ont., has hired six students whose jobs as
“dialogue facilitators” will involve intervening in conversations among students
in dining halls and common rooms to encourage discussion of such social justice
issues as race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, ability and social class.
“If
there’s a teachable moment, we’ll take it,” said assistant dean of student
affairs Arig Girgrah, who runs the program. “A lot of community building happens
around food and dining.”
She
gave the example of a conversation about a gay character on television as a good
example of such a moment.
“It
is all about creating opportunities to dialogue and reflect on issues of social
identity,” Ms. Girgrah said. “This is not about preaching. It’s not about advice
giving. It’s about hearing where students are at.”
Jason Laker, dean of student affairs, said their activities will also include
formal discussion sessions, perhaps after controversial incidents in residence,
and open discussions of topical books or movies.
“They’re not disciplinarians. They’re called facilitators for a reason,” he
said, adding that such a program is of particular value now that so much
communication by young people happens over the Internet.
“It’s not trying to stifle something. It’s trying to foster something,” he said.
“We’re not trying to be parental.”
Like dons, who serve as student authorities in residence, the six facilitators
will receive full room and board and a stipend for the full-year commitment, and
will receive regular training.
Ms.
Girgrah said they represent a broad spectrum of social identities and are all
upper-year or graduate students who live in university residences – a small
minority at a school where most students move into rental housing after their
first year. Ms. Girgrah said this status will give the facilitators “a little
bit of credibility and perhaps some respect.”
Daniel Hayward, a 46-year-old Master’s of Divinity student, applied to be a
facilitator believing the role would offer him an opportunity to connect with
many different students.
“It’s an opportunity to interact
with lots of people, hear their stories, about the experiences they’ve had, hear
the questions they’re asking,” he said in an interview yesterday.
“It’s not like we roam around the halls looking for people having conversations.
If somebody is yelling something across the dining hall that’s a racial slur,
yes, we will intervene in that situation.
“We
are trained to interrupt behaviour in a non-blameful and non-judgmental manner,
so it’s not like we’re pulling someone aside and reprimanding them about their
behaviour. It is honestly trying to get to the root of what they’re trying to
say – seeing if that can be said in a different manner.”
Touting the Intergroup Dialogue Program as “unique among Canadian universities,”
but modelled on programs in the United States, an administration newsletter says
it will promote “a lasting experience of inclusive community and shared
humanity.”
It
is just one of many recent efforts to promote diversity – such as gender-neutral
washrooms, prayer space, and halal and kosher food service – at a school that is
still smarting from a report on systemic racism two years ago that criticized
its “culture of whiteness.” The editorial board of the student newspaper, the
Queen’s Journal, acknowledged the good intentions of this latest effort, but was
skeptical of a program that “seems to be an inadequate, lackluster attempt to
deal with social inequalities.”
“It’s unlikely six facilitators in a crowd of thousands will have much impact on
fostering dialogue in residences,” they write, adding that the facilitators
could face “hostility” from students who feel they have been “cornered” or had
their privacy violated.
National Post, with files from Katie
Rook, November 19, 2008.
Help us maintain freedom in teaching, research and scholarship by joining SAFS or making a donation.
