Students sorted themselves by sticky note on Thursday night.
About 40 students and members of the faculty and staff came together for a dialogue about Campus Climate in the Ustler Hall Atrium to discuss the messages, symbols, beliefs and feelings that make or don't make UF a welcoming environment.
The dialogue was facilitated by Shaun Harper, assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education.
Harper talked about the three defining elements of climate, which are mattering, a sense of belonging and inclusivity, and how they affect student development, engagement and success.
Students participated in an interactive workshop where they picked up different colored sticky notes representing different categories of messages, ranking them as positive or negative.
The students then posted the sticky notes on various posters, each representing from whom and where they received the messages, such as the media, friends and family.
"Students self-segregate because we have not acquired the multicultural competence to understand our own identities and as a result of that, we stay to what's familiar to us," said Demetri Morgan, coordinator of the event.
After the activity, students broke off into small groups, led by administrators and student leaders, to work on solutions to improve the campus climate.
The event was sponsored by Accent Speakers Bureau, the Center for Student Activities and Involvement, Student Government Multicultural Affairs, S.T.A.A.R., the Division of Student Affairs, and the Multicultural and Diversity Affairs Office.
