Coming together:

This Friday signals more than the beginning of yet another keg-filled weekend at college. It is also the start of Diversity Week, a week of campus-wide celebrations, marking Fairfield’s initiatives to celebrate diversity and increase awareness.

Diversity Week begins with the IRHA-sponsored Spring Fling and continues through Sunday with an IRHA sponsored cultural movie night as well as a comedy night, hosted by Jewish awareness group KADIMA, starring Steve Hofetetter.

There will also be a Fairfield iron chef event sponsored by IRHA in conjunction with the Asian Student Association (ASA); karaoke night hosted by Fairfield’s GLBT group, Alliance; and Apollo night hosted by the African American and Caribbean student association UMOJA.

The final event of the week will be a diversity fair sponsored by all of these groups as well as the office of Residence Life.

Along with these designated events, there will be a Human Race Machine in the lower level of the BCC, which digitally portrays people as altered races or the opposite gender.

All of these activities can provide a good time for the students involved, as well as raise awareness about race and gender issues.

“This is the first major collaboration of Diversity Week in school history,” said IRHA Diversity Director Darryl Brackeen ’10.

Brackeen said the goal is to “enhance the views on diversity on campus” and make the event an annual occurrence.

IRHA Programming Director Ashlee Downing ’08 agreed: “We’re starting some new traditions.”

The week-long program incorporates initiatives from IRHA, student activities, and the office of student diversity programs. KADIMA, Spanish American Latino Association (SALSA), Improv, UMOJA and Alliance will also contribute.

“[These groups have] been a great help,” said Downing.

With all of the organizations involved, the issue of diversity holds prominence to a sizable percentage of the student body whose voices may now have a new outlet through which to be heard.

Brackeen said he thinks students will be “open-minded” and receptive since other diversity events have had positive outcomes.

Diversity events including “Hip Hop and the Presidential Election,” a panel discussion on hip-hop culture and the presidential race, or Black Violin , a duo of hip-hop violinists, have had good attendance in the past. But many recognize that it is easy to sit in on events, listen and walk away without ever thinking about the cultural experience.

Click to see a previous Black Violin Fairfield performance .

But since the classes of 2010 and 2011 are the most diverse at Fairfield thus far, students have an increased awareness of different cultures and lifestyles.

Changing demographics can help fuel interest and participation among current and prospective students in this new celebration and promote understanding across gender lines and racial barriers.