This weekend, in an effort to bring about multicultural awareness, SIUC students representing different racial groups will gather to discuss different cultural and ethnic perceptions they have witnessed at home and on campus.

Today and Saturday, 40 SIUC students representing the African-American, Asian-American, Hispanic, and European-American communities, will participate in the fifth annual multicultural awareness retreat at Touch of Nature, a student development coordinator said.

Charles van Rossum, a student development coordinator who has participated in the retreat for the past four years, said the retreat is a chance for students to talk about and improve racial climates and on the SIUC campus.

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We are bringing students together to talk, rather than providing a negative atmosphere where talking is more difficult, he said. We our stepping out in the campus.

van Rossum said every person’s racial view is shaped by family, friends, and community. He said during the group talk, students learn about racial differences, but mostly become more aware of racial similarities.

Interesting issues are always brought up, he said. Some students have talked about being white and growing up in central Illinois, and the perceptions they had when they first came to a university with a multicultural campus, he said. Asian American students have talked about not seeing eye to eye with either Korean students or Americans.

Shawna Ulicni, a senior in psychology from Oregon, attended the retreat two years ago when she was a sophomore. She said the experience was a good opportunity to meet others and become more culturally aware.

I met people from my culture and different ones, she said. It’s a wonderful experience that made me think a lot more of cultural issues I was not aware of.

Usually people who participate are generally understanding. The people involved need to try to reach others who aren’t up on different racial issues.

van Rossum said the students are either nominated by University Housing or other student organizations and must fill out an application. He said the students are selected by what they can contribute and learn from the retreat.

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van Rossum said most of the students chosen have not attended the University for a long period of time.

The racial climate is more extreme to new people, he said. Every year is different than the previous year because of what they perceive.

Beginning on Friday, ten students are placed in their individual racial groups to discuss similar racial experiences in neighborhoods and schools , van Rossum said. After the first group discussions, the groups are mixed to allow discussion from other racial perspectives.

van Rossum said various exercises enable the students to experience the feelings of prejudice from other racial groups. He said in the Fish Bowl one student is asked to remain outside a circle of people and try any way possible to break into the group, while other students try to keep the student out.

van Rossum said the exercise assimilates the experience of breaking into a social group against the racial prejudices of others.

van Rossum said he hopes the retreat provides an open and learning atmosphere for students.

Hopefully students make a difference and get involved with more student organizations, he said. They can become leaders and bring about change in the racial climate on campus.