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InterSECTIONS Diversity Retreat

By Ashley Garner

Fall break is the best time of year. SMU students have the option to go on an alternative break trip, visit with family, take a road trip with some buddies, or simply relax and enjoy their vacation.

I decided to go on SMU’s first ever InterSECTIONS Diversity Retreat. I along with nearly 40 other students chose to spend half of our break learning about how diversity impacts our SMU community.

We spent our time in large and small group discussion talking about the way our diverse campus population impacts our students and our world. We each learned about the of value each person’s experiences and how different backgrounds create a richer SMU culture.

The retreat lasted 3 days and 2 nights and my favorite activity was the “Line of Privilege” activity. Our facilitator had us spread out along the edge of the building and read out a series of statements. If the statement applied to us, we would walk forward. There were some difficult questions that played in to gender, ethnic, and racial stereotypes. Yet, at the end of the activity we debriefed over how we all experience levels of privilege in our daily lives.

It was truly a great retreat and I would recommend to anyone who wishes to attend in the future. Pony Up!

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