Diversity Commission

White Privilege Conference

April 26-29, 2006

Four UMD students, two staff members, and two faculty members attended the 7th Annual White Privilege Conference in St. Louis.

This annual conference addresses the advantages that accrue to some but not others in our society.  “This conference is about challenging the society in which we live and working to dismantle systems of privilege, supremacy and oppression.”

Funding was provided by the Kirby Student Leadership Fund, the Vice Chancellor for Academic Administration, the American Indian Learning Resource Center, the College of Liberal Arts, the Vice Chancellor for Academic Support and Student Life, the Vice Chancellor for Finance and Operations, and the Diversity Commission.

Those who attended the conference in St. Louis returned to UMD to plan the day-long “Symposium on Social Justice: Unraveling the Knot of Privilege, Power and Difference”, to be offered at UMD on October 30, 2006.

Conference attendees are:

• Jean Baribeau-Thoennes, Counselor, Health Services
• Birch Cappetta, undergraduate student, Education
• Sheryl Grana, Associate Professor, Department of Sociology/Anthropology
• Dorothy Olson, Assistant Director, American Indian Learning Resource Center
• Jennifer Pigeon, graduate student, Social Work
• Taryn Runck, undergraduate student, Sociology
• Shelley Smith, Associate Professor, Instructional Development
• Andrea Wood, graduate student, English