“I like to hope ASA and Asian-American students in general will be supportive of the initiative,” she said. “If we can instill a more interactive student body to have conversations — even with friends — it would be beneficial.”
On Monday, students, faculty and staff met to discuss race and current events at the first Carolina Pulse meeting — an event under the greater umbrella of the Carolina Conversations initiative announced last week.
The event centered around small conversations that happened around the room, allowing participants to leave and join conversations freely.
The initiative includes large-scale conversations called My Carolina Voice, smaller discussions called Carolina Pulse and a fund called My Chance, where student groups can apply for money for food or planning assistance.
Winston Crisp, vice chancellor for student affairs, said the purpose of Carolina Conversations is to promote and facilitate conversations across campus. He said he hopes that there will be more events taking place all over campus under the Carolina Conversations umbrella.
“Part of this is to stimulate other people and organizations to start their own events,” he said.
Topics discussed were racial tensions on campus, such as the push to rename Saunders Hall, and recent instances of police brutality across the country, including the incident with the Charlottesville, Va., Police and University of Virginia student Martese Johnson that left him with a bloody gash on his forehead.
The event included faculty facilitators and technology in the form of a Poll Everywhere.
