Objectives: As a result of LAS, students will heighten their awareness of:

• The responsibilities inherent in being a member of a community
• The potential strengths and conflicts arising from diversity (i.e., race, ethnicity, class, gender, sexual orientation, etc.)

Options for implementation:

Option 1: Require attendance at at least one of the Diversity Forum Events.

Option 2: Develop an assignment or project in conjunction with the Assistant Dean for Multicultural and International Affairs, Walter Lain. He will work with you to tailor a specific project or assignment. You may want to look at the Assistant Dean for Multicultural and International Affairs website.

Option 3: Develop a service learning project in conjunction with Service Hub coordinator Jim Hayes.  He will work with you to tailor a specific project or assignment beyond the fall orientation week service project.

Possible Supplement: Questions and Topics for subsequent dicussions

Simply requiring your students to attend an event or interact with a guest speaker rarely encourages them to think deeply about these issues. Consequently, if you are limited in the amount of time you are able to devote to this objective, consider coupling the option you select with a writing assignment or a class discussion.

• What is a community? What does it mean for a community to be made up of a diverse group of people?

• What are the privileges and responsibilities of being a member of a community? What responsibilities do community members have towards people who are different from them?

• What does it mean to be part of a college community?

• What does it mean to be part of a liberal arts college community?

• What responsibilities do you have as a member of the Simpson community and the Indianola and Metro Des Moines communities?

• What responsibilities do you have to members of the community who are different from you and/or not as well off as you?

• Identify examples in which there is a conflict or tension between an individual’s interests/goals and the community’s interests/goals. How do you decide which goals take precedence?

• Based on your discussion of the meaning of community, generate a list of guidelines for responsible membership in the Simpson community. This isn’t a list of specific rules to follow, but a list of principles to guide your actions.