The Marion Star/Bill SindenAndre White, of Canton, plays intramural dodgeball with fellow students at the Alber Student Center on the Marion campus of Ohio State University. By KURT MOORE
The Marion Star
MARION — Almost every week, Cambodian Ohio State University at Marion students Leakena Phou and Maly Khean hang out with fellow freshmen Andre White and Brittany Crawford.
They may go to the movies or cook each other dinners. Phou and Khean, both from the Columbus area, share stories about their culture as they interact with White, an African-American man from Canton, and Crawford, an Italian woman from Warren.
They met up while spending their freshman year at Ohio State’s Marion campus, each student now living in a city smaller and not as diverse from where they came. They are trying to share some of that diversity with the campus where they are now getting their college start.
Phou, Khean, White and Crawford joined Samatar Alinor and Todd Nicholas on a panel discussion on Monday called the Color of Conversation. The discussion gave students a chance to talk about what it was like to not be a part of the majority and to offer advice on how other students can be more understanding of the cultures around them.
OSUM diversity coordinator Shawn Jackson said it’s the beginning of what he hopes are several similar events as he talks diversity on a campus becoming increasing diverse as the role of regional campuses change.
The event, held in conjunction with Black History Month, gave students a chance to talk about their own personal history and share their views on culture. Some of the students said while they feel like their cultures are respected, they are not necessarily understood.
“All in all people respect our culture, our beliefs,” said Khean. “(But) Coming here people go, ‘Whoa.’ They just don’t know how to approach it.”
Khean said she believes being from Cambodia makes her unique. She said she loves telling people how Cambodians do things, like their dances, and sharing their beliefs.
She and Phou said they often notice that there is not much interaction between students of different backgrounds, unlike the more diverse high schools that they attended.
“Here they are like, ‘Asian girls, keep on walking,’” said Phou.Crawford offered a similar perspective as she talked about going out to the store and to eat with her friends.
“People turn around and go, like, ‘I don’t think they are from Marion,’” she said.
“It’s just like, ‘Why is she hanging out with them?’”White said people need to hang out with others who are not only of different races but also just from other high schools or groups than their own.
“I’ve met a lot of people on campus,” he said. “You’ve got to sit down and talk to people, get to know them.”
The event was sparsely attended, which Jackson said may be partly because of other activities going on Monday on campus. Faculty and staff who attended the discussion asked what they could do to make the campus more welcoming. Students offered suggestions such as holding movie nights and said having dormitories, something that has been a topic of discussion between regional and main campus officials, would provide more of an opportunity for students to get to know each other.
Crawford said professors should also be active as she suggested that professors should split students up into groups in class rather than have them form their own.
“You need to force students to get out of their comfort zone,” she said.
All four students plan to attend Ohio State’s Columbus campus their sophomore year. OSUM Communications Manager Wayne Rowe said the campus is seeing students from around the state as Ohio State asks students to pick a second choice as far as where they would like to attend.
That means they may start their time at Ohio State at a regional campus if they are not accepted to the main campus their senior year.
Jackson said holding such an event lets the university hear from the “experts,” the students who are coming to the campus.
He said the campus is also circulating a climate survey to get students’ ideas about diversity and how the campus can be more welcoming.
All six students on the panel are part of an effort to organize an international festival that will be held on campus in May.
Jackson said more details including an exact date of the festival will soon be released.
The Marion Star
MARION — Almost every week, Cambodian Ohio State University at Marion students Leakena Phou and Maly Khean hang out with fellow freshmen Andre White and Brittany Crawford.
They may go to the movies or cook each other dinners. Phou and Khean, both from the Columbus area, share stories about their culture as they interact with White, an African-American man from Canton, and Crawford, an Italian woman from Warren.
They met up while spending their freshman year at Ohio State’s Marion campus, each student now living in a city smaller and not as diverse from where they came. They are trying to share some of that diversity with the campus where they are now getting their college start.
Phou, Khean, White and Crawford joined Samatar Alinor and Todd Nicholas on a panel discussion on Monday called the Color of Conversation. The discussion gave students a chance to talk about what it was like to not be a part of the majority and to offer advice on how other students can be more understanding of the cultures around them.
OSUM diversity coordinator Shawn Jackson said it’s the beginning of what he hopes are several similar events as he talks diversity on a campus becoming increasing diverse as the role of regional campuses change.
The event, held in conjunction with Black History Month, gave students a chance to talk about their own personal history and share their views on culture. Some of the students said while they feel like their cultures are respected, they are not necessarily understood.
“All in all people respect our culture, our beliefs,” said Khean. “(But) Coming here people go, ‘Whoa.’ They just don’t know how to approach it.”
Khean said she believes being from Cambodia makes her unique. She said she loves telling people how Cambodians do things, like their dances, and sharing their beliefs.
She and Phou said they often notice that there is not much interaction between students of different backgrounds, unlike the more diverse high schools that they attended.
“Here they are like, ‘Asian girls, keep on walking,’” said Phou.Crawford offered a similar perspective as she talked about going out to the store and to eat with her friends.
“People turn around and go, like, ‘I don’t think they are from Marion,’” she said.
“It’s just like, ‘Why is she hanging out with them?’”White said people need to hang out with others who are not only of different races but also just from other high schools or groups than their own.
“I’ve met a lot of people on campus,” he said. “You’ve got to sit down and talk to people, get to know them.”
The event was sparsely attended, which Jackson said may be partly because of other activities going on Monday on campus. Faculty and staff who attended the discussion asked what they could do to make the campus more welcoming. Students offered suggestions such as holding movie nights and said having dormitories, something that has been a topic of discussion between regional and main campus officials, would provide more of an opportunity for students to get to know each other.
Crawford said professors should also be active as she suggested that professors should split students up into groups in class rather than have them form their own.
“You need to force students to get out of their comfort zone,” she said.
All four students plan to attend Ohio State’s Columbus campus their sophomore year. OSUM Communications Manager Wayne Rowe said the campus is seeing students from around the state as Ohio State asks students to pick a second choice as far as where they would like to attend.
That means they may start their time at Ohio State at a regional campus if they are not accepted to the main campus their senior year.
Jackson said holding such an event lets the university hear from the “experts,” the students who are coming to the campus.
He said the campus is also circulating a climate survey to get students’ ideas about diversity and how the campus can be more welcoming.
All six students on the panel are part of an effort to organize an international festival that will be held on campus in May.
Jackson said more details including an exact date of the festival will soon be released.
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