Diversity Symposium Debuts

On Saturday, March 3, Eugene-area business leaders and community members joined UO students and faculty at the Lundquist College's first-ever Diversity in the Workplace Symposium. After an interactive session led by improvisation group On Your Feet, attendees broke into smaller groups to attend workshops and self-led discussion sessions on topics selected by the participants themselves. “We really wanted to break away from the more traditional format and create events with lots of interaction, that would engage a different constituency," said undergraduate advisor Tayah Butler, who is one of the event's organizers and also facilitates the college's Building Business Leaders project, a cohort-based project designed to attract and retain students from underrepresented minority groups. With around 150 attendees, the debut event exceeded expectations--and plans are already afoot for next year's symposium.