If you've ever wanted to experience a new culture that has nothing to do with your own, if you are ready to challenge the hypothesis that discrimination doesn't exist, if you notice a lack of diversity of thought in your social bubble, or if you've never in your life been in the minority, this is your chance.
The Passport Program, kicking off its second year at the University today, is an initiative to get people to do just that- to seek out intercultural experiences.
Neha Shinde, a graduate assistant for student life and also one of the leaders of the program, said she hopes the program will give students a foundation for confidence to face situations normally alien to them.
"We hope to make this a University-wide experience," Shinde said, "with more people stepping out of their comfort zones and experiencing all that they would have liked to do but didn't know how to go about it."
In fact, many students who participated in the program last year said though they had wanted to know about other cultures before joining, they didn't feel a sense of urgency to go or they used excuses like not having anyone with whom to attend such events.
Former Asst. Dean of Students Pablo Davis created the Passport Program as a way for students to obtain intercultural experiences while building confidence.
Asst. Dean of Students Daisy Rodriguez, known to many as "Dean Daisy," said the purpose of the program is to allow students to "'cross borders' from comfort and familiarity into cultural spaces that are different from their own."
Rodriguez also said the program attracted almost 70 students last year.
Along with Rodriguez, Shinde, third-year College student Amy Kang and administrators from various diversity initiatives on Grounds currently head up the program. Rodriguez said she hopes for at least 100 students this year.
All who enroll in the Passport Program are required to complete four tasks.
The first, which forms the basis of the experience, is to attend at least four events during the semester "that represent the crossing of a 'border' into something unfamiliar or uncomfortable, whether the boundary crossed is ethnic, racial, gender, nationality, sexual orientation, political, religious, language, social class or other," according to the program's Web site.
The events may be academic, cultural or social in nature but must be something "foreign" and perhaps even scary for the student.
The remaining three tasks encourage students to build a community among participants and reflect on their experiences.
Rodriguez explained that Passport Program members must also attend at least two of the Passport Conversation sessions scheduled during the semester. The sessions, structured like discussions, allow participants to share their own unique experiences, struggles or triumphs with other people also going through the program.
After attending each event and each conversation, participants are required to write responses, two of which they must share on the program's Web page.
The reactions of previously posted responses ranged from curiosity to anger as participants came to grips with the fact that inequality does exist, even at a university level.
Some students expressed surprise at finding "foreign" experiences in events such as the Last Lecture Series, which is not generally associated with intercultural learning. For example, two students noted Anthropology Prof. Wende Marshall's speech, which discussed race-related topics.
With such a wide range of emotions, it's not surprising to note that the events listed also varied greatly. Students attended everything from seemingly benign cultural performances to a pro-Bush, pro-War rally as a liberal pacifist.
Fourth-year College student Jorge Torrico said his experiences were as rewarding as they were provoking.
"It caused me to feel frustrated at why we don't all do more things together," Torrico said. "I saw how everyone is just searching for somewhere to belong, and often finds sufficient comfort based on race, ethnicity and culture. But looking back on it, I don't think it's wrong to nurture your heritage. But being in such a diverse environment, I still wonder why someone would want to miss out on all of the possibly wonderful shared experiences that it provides."
Yet, for those who believe that extending their cultural boundary lines isn't incentive enough to participate, there are also tangible rewards. All successful "graduates" of the program are eligible for an entry into a drawing with prizes from sponsors ranging from free concerts and movies from University Programs Council to gift certificates to the University Bookstore and to Harris Teeter. The grand prize is courtesy of STA Travel- a First Class Eurailpass, good for six months.
Anyone can become involved. According to Kang, interest has come from a variety of different ethnic backgrounds and range from undergraduates to graduates and faculty. She added that even after the launch event, students can still apply for the program by emailing her or visiting Peabody Hall.
Even if someone is well acquainted with the process of exposing themselves to different cultures, he or she is welcome to be a "guide" for Passport participants attending their organization's activities, according to Shinde.
Rodriguez said she hopes that Passport Program students gain "unexpected friendships [and] new knowledge" while hopefully also informing students about "how they view and interact with others who may be different from themselves."
According to participants, the Passport Program provides a unique opportunity for students to get an education, though not purely an academic one. Even Davis partook of the Program and described his discoveries in an online response. After attending an Islamic educational event, he learned that Jesus is considered a prophet in Islam -- what he believes is a little-known fact in the U.S.
He described his experience as a breakthrough in understanding.
"Every single person should know it!" he wrote. "While it wouldn't guarantee peace, love and harmony, I think it would make an important difference"
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