ISCORE 2013!

“Choose your friends and mates, not by the money in their bank account, creed, ethnicity, or color; instead, choose character, actions, heart, and soul. When we bleed, we bleed the same color.” 
― Ava Monnar

ISCORE 2013 was an eye-opening experience that I am glad to have taken part in! Here's an overview of the session I was able to attend with Haley and Chelsee!

The session was titled "Where Are All Our Men of Color? Personal Experiences of Men of Color at ISU" at 2:10 in the Gold Room. 

One of the first things that the speakers said was for the audience to live tweet the session. I loved this because as a journalism major that's something I'm used to doing for most news events that I cover for classes and such! Also, it is much easier to keep track of notes and know what other people in the crowd are thinking!

The speakers first discussed the Model of Multiple Dimensions of Identities. I know that's a mouthful so here's a visual for you guys. 



Basically, this model points out how different parts of a person's identity intersect at different places. The focus for this session was the intersection of race and gender (hence men of color at ISU). That was a really clear setup for the talk and gave it good direction!

The speakers pointed out how men of color are often looked at from a 'deficit model'. Basically that means looking at the negatives alone. We were encouraged to think about roadblocks that colored men face in college. They included family responsibilities, stereotypes, financial pressures, avoidance of alcohol and drugs, pressures of adulthood, work, community and home situations. We discussed how we can aid colored men in overcoming these roadblocks.

Which leads us to catalysts for success. These were the things that aided colored men in succeeding in college. They included   joining organizations, getting internships, tapping resources, immersing themselves in their own cultural heritage, reaching out to others of their same race or ethnicity on campus.

One of the most interesting facts I learned during this session was that there are less than 1,000 men of color at ISU. We discussed how the university makes an effort to recruit colored men, but doesn't necessarily make an effort to guide these students through their education once they are admitted. This comes down to accountability and I had never really thought about how the university isn't held accountable for the success of these students after recruitment even though they are recognized to be vulnerable students.

To improve in the future, the group discussed building a network of support among men of color at ISU, not only among students, but also among faculty and staff. Setting aside a sense of competition to succeed among colored students and channeling it into support for one another was one of my favorite points.

Overall, this was a great session. I loved the interaction and the direct input by audience members through discussion and social media.