Diverse students exchange perspectives at retreat
Seventy-four student leaders from UM emerged from a weekend retreat with a new understanding of each other’s races and cultures.
“The purpose of the retreat was to build relationships, create trust and open dialogue between people who have not traditionally interacted on the Ole Miss campus,” says Megan McRaney, sociology major, vice president of the Associated Student Body and a participant at the retreat. “I believe what was accomplished surpassed the original intentions of the retreat. Genuine friendships were born, a common purpose was found, and a commitment was made to follow through.
“It was a breath of fresh air to see students who previously did not even know each other unite with such passion and dedication. It gives me hope that my generation will be committed to effecting change.”
The retreat took place at Lake Tiak O’Khata in Louisville, Miss., in February, and was sponsored by a UM student organization called Respect Mississippi, which was established in May 2006 and is designed to educate UM students about past and present issues of diversity and inequality. Student leaders from all of the Greek organizations, both black and white, student government, minority organizations and international organizations were invited to the retreat.
Before the retreat, some students were afraid that it was going to be a “Kumbaya” session, says Nick Luckett, director of recruitment for Respect Mississippi and a double major in public policy leadership and classics. But after the retreat, the participants formed a close-knit group, and are planning parties and meetings to work on ideas that were discussed at the retreat. One idea is to have a diverse group of students plan and raise money for a spring break trip they can take together, Luckett says.
“As a freshman, it seems like there’s so little that I can do and so little that I can change,” he says, adding that after the retreat he felt as if he was here at the right moment in time to see the university change and grow. “It just made me proud to be an Ole Miss student.”
