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Excellent participation in ISCORE

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The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS) was one of two campus champions for the 2016 Thomas L. Hill Iowa State Conference on Race and Ethnicity (ISCORE). Dean Beate Schmittmann delivered the welcoming address to attendees on March 3.

LAS faculty, staff and students were actively involved in the conference, facilitating more than half of the sessions. Associate Dean Amy Slagell helped launch the full day conference on March 4, and sessions that followed included topics such as inclusive classrooms; student experiences; inclusive language; creating a diversity plan; and how to have conversations about race.

The goal of ISCORE is to initiate and encourage dialogue on campus about race and ethnicity at Iowa State University. The next step is NCORE, the National Conference on Race and Ethnicity. At the conclusion of ISCORE a limited number of students are selected to become NCORE/ISCORE racial justice change agents. Students interested in becoming a change agent are required to meet minimum GPA standards and attend mandatory meetings over twelve months to prepare them for both the ISCORE and NCORE conferences. More importantly, they must commit to actively promote racial and ethnic harmony.

This year 10 of the 20 students selected from Iowa State as change agents are from LAS. During NCORE, students will learn and share information about building multicultural relations. They are then responsible for integrating that new knowledge into opportunities on the Iowa State campus, such as workshops or events, and presenting a 2017 ISCORE session.

Congratulations to the following LAS students who will represent Iowa State in San Francisco May 31 – June 4, 2016 and who will help the university create a more inclusive environment:

Alexandra Polk (Psychology)
Aygul Nurbanu Parpucu (Genetics)
Griselda Murguia (Sociology)
Jacqueline Garcia (Political Science)
Jeane Robles (Genetics)
Jodi Martin (Psychology)
Kpandi Lumeh (Psychology)
Kyle Perkins (Psychology)
Ngoc Doan (Biological/Pre-Medical Illustration)
Simren Ballagan (Open Option)