WHERE did this idea come from?

Lafayette used a nationally recognized consulting firm from the fall of 2009 through the spring of 2011 to conduct a climate study that surveyed our community members regarding their experiences on campus. Among many other important findings, the study showed that our students needed more opportunities outside of the classroom to engage with one another across social differences. After multiple meetings with members of every Lafayette constituency, a Campus Climate Working Group decided that the most logical place to start a conversation about the barriers between groups was with student leaders. The Finding We retreat took place in January of 2012 bringing together approximately 240 student leaders (10% of our total student population) from every corner of campus. Student leaders from Kaleidoscope (shown above) helped to facilitate activities and discussions throughout the day.

After the tremendous success of Finding We, the Intercultural Development Unit decided to offer an annual opportunity for students to engage in these types of critical conversations. The staff wanted to make some key changes, including to more intently focus on social justice foundations, to elongate the experience and to reduce the number of participants, allowing for deeper dialogue. In January of 2013, we piloted a slightly adapted version of the Social Justice Insitute (SJI) established by James Felton and our own Dr. Gene Kelly, Associate Dean of Intercultural Development and Director of Gender and Sexuality Programs, who generously brought the institute to Lafayette. Like Finding We, SJI was a tremendous success and its 30 or so alumni (shown left) are excited to know that we will offer similar experiences for the community on an annual basis.

Finally, we decided to build upon the success of both of the earlier programs and to target emerging as opposed to established campus leaders. We believe we have made the right adjustments to the curriculum and chosen the right time of year to offer an experience like none other.