OXFORD, Miss. – Eighty University of Mississippi students from diverse backgrounds and ethnicities plan to gather in Louisville Feb. 6-8 for the second annual One Mississippi Retreat.
UM’s William Winter Institute for Racial Reconciliation is sponsoring the free event, to be held at Lake Tiak’ohata. Interested students must complete and submit an application form by 5 p.m. Friday (Jan. 30). Participants are selected on a first-come, first-served basis according to their demographics to ensure the diversity desired. To apply, go to http://www.facebook.com and click on the appropriate link. Those selected will be notified during the week of Feb. 2-5.
“This retreat is a follow-up to our first one held in 2008,” said Melissa Cole, a junior biology major from Jackson and event coordinator. “As then, our aim is to bring representatives from all the various groups within the Ole Miss student body together to discuss their experiences here, both good and bad. The desired result is to begin forging good interpersonal relationships, which ultimately lead to a better campus community.”
The weekend’s activities include “story circles,” small groups in which each participant gets to share his/her feelings without interruption, Cole said. Larger discussion groups will address problems and brainstorm over possible solutions, she added.
Winter Institute Director Susan Glisson said she believes the students have the most powerful voices on campus. “When they are informed and organized, they can be the best agents for powerful, effective change,” she said.
For further information, contact Cole at mccole1@olemiss.edu.